Axios

Retired 4-star admiral William McRaven resigned from the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board last month, just 4 days after issuing a public critique of the president in the form of an op-ed he penned after Trump revoked John Brennan's security clearance, Defense News reports.

One key quote: In the op-ed, McRaven, former head of the Special Operations Command, wrote, "Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation. If you think for a moment that your McCarthy-era tactics will suppress the voices of criticism, you are sadly mistaken. The criticism will continue until you become the leader we prayed you would be."

As Americans face Hurricane Florence's landfall, President Trump inaccurately accused Democrats of fabricating Hurricane Maria's death toll to make him look bad.

The bottom line: The Carolinas will need the president and FEMA on their game, undistracted by cable news and past grudges

New York Democratic House candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used her family's personal story to push back on President Trump’s denial of the high death toll in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria, tweeting that her grandfather died in the aftermath of the storm, but wasn't counted in the final figure.

The details: Her tweet comes hours after Trump on Thursday denied a George Washington University report, commissioned by the Puerto Rican government, that found nearly 3,000 people died as a result of Maria. Trump instead blamed Democrats for inflating the numbers "in order to make [him] look as bad as possible."

Go deeper:

• Lawmakers push back against Trump's Maria comments
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls Trump's Maria response "a disaster"

Immigration and Customs Enforcement received $169 million dollars this year from other Homeland Security agencies, including FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard and TSA programs, to use in the detention and removal of undocumented immigrants, NBC News reports.

Why it matters: There were reports earlier this week that money had been transferred from FEMA and the Coast Guard to ICE — as Hurricane Florence barrels towards the East Coast. DHS spokesperson Tyler Houlton tweeted earlier this week, "Under no circumstances was any disaster relief funding transferred from @fema to immigration enforcement efforts."

Florida lawmakers are publicly disagreeing with President Trump's claim that the death toll in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria is not accurate.

Why it matters: With just 2 months before the election — and with an estimated 50,000–75,000 Puerto Ricans who may have permanently settled in Florida since the hurricane — they know they can't stay silent on an issue that affects a significant portion of Florida's electorate.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Republicans have rejected Democrats' request that the State Department turn over documents that would explain what President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed in their July one-on-one meeting in Helsinki.

Why it matters: Lawmakers and Americans still don’t know the substance of what was discussed during Trump’s meeting with Putin, but there is no momentum from the Republican majority on Capitol Hill to compel those details from the administration. A previous Democratic motion to subpoena the interpreter in the room was blocked by Republicans as well.

More Democratic congressional candidates have competed in the 2018 election cycle than either party attracted in any cycle since 1980, according to an Axios analysis of Federal Election Commission data.

Why it matters: The last time either party drew this many congressional candidates was in 2010, when Tea Party rallies and grassroots opposition to President Barack Obama brought a new generation of conservative Republicans to Congress.

New data obtained by the New York Times reveals that 12,800 migrant children are under federal detention as of this month — in contrast to the approximately 2,400 children in custody of May of last year — marking the highest record ever documented.

Key finding: The spike is in response to a drop in the number of children being released to stay with relatives and other sponsors, some of whom are discouraged from coming forward to sponsor children amid strict immigration enforcement, per the Times. The data collected by the Department of Health and Human Services also shows that the increase is not due to the influx of children crossing the border.

Puerto Rican residents believe that the response from all levels of government, including that of President Trump, has been inadequate, according to Washington Post/Kasier Family Foundation polling data.

Why it matters: Trump touted the country's response in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria that slammed Puerto Rico, saying the administration did an "unappreciated great job." Puerto Rican residents see things differently — not only with Trump, but with their own local government as well.

A blistering report released Wednesday by the bipartisan U.S. Commission on Civil Rights found that Justice Department efforts to protect minority voters' rights have significantly declined following the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision to invalidate a key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act.

The backdrop: The 5-4 ruling in Shelby v. Holder prevents the DOJ from blocking voting laws in jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination. The report shows that this has paved the way for a deluge of restrictive laws that have made minorities more vulnerable to voter suppression.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are saying President Trump's executive order, which lays out a process to levy sanctions on foreign entities that meddle in U.S. elections within 90 days of elections, is insufficient to deter adversaries.

The rub: Sanctions would be rolled out at the discretion of the president under the order, but lawmakers said that is not the most judicious or firm way to slap sanctions on foreign entities meddling in the U.S. democratic processes, indicating instead they want a congressional check on Trump.

President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday authorizing sanctions on foreigners who meddle in U.S. elections, the AP reports.

Why it matters per Axios' Shannon Vavra: There are fewer than 100 days before the 2018 midterm elections, and candidates and government officials have already been targets of hacking this year. Both Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri have been targeted by hacking attempts.

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said Wednesday that he thinks he would beat President Trump in an election, though he doesn't plan on running.

"I think I could beat Trump ... because I'm as tough as he is, I'm smarter than he is. I can't beat the liberal side of the Democratic Party. ... And by the way this wealthy New Yorker actually earned his money, it wasn't a gift from Daddy."

Yes, but: Dimon quickly backtracked on his remarks after making them. In a statement to Bloomberg, Dimon later said his comments prove he "wouldn't make a good politician. I get frustrated because I want all sides to come together to help solve big problems.”

President Trump, who rarely focuses beyond the moment before him, is starting to acknowledge the growing chance Democrats could very well win in November — and very well try to impeach him.

The big picture: A few months ago, he was scoffing at midterm consequences for him. But now Trump has heard the dire warnings from enough advisers that he’s shifting into salvation mode, sharpening his campaign rhetoric and privately contemplating life under subpoena — and the threat and reality of impeachment.

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow reported Tuesday that the Trump administration transferred $9.8 million from FEMA's budget to ICE, citing budget documents provided by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

The big picture: The slash in funding comes as the East Coast braces for Hurricane Florence, which threatens to wreak havoc within days, with two other tropical systems on the horizon. The Department of Homeland Security quickly followed up in a tweet refuting the claims, saying "The money in question — transferred to ICE from FEMA’s routine operating expenses — could not have been used for hurricane response due to appropriation limitations."

Chris Pappas, a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council, won the state's Democratic primary Tuesday night for the 1st Congressional District to replace retiring Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D), reports the AP.

Why it matters: Pappas emerged from a crowded field of 11 Democratic candidates, including Levi Sanders, the son of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) He will face off with a Republican in November in a district that narrowly voted for President Trump in 2016. Shea-Porter won it by just one point in the last election. The swing district has flipped back and forth between Democrat and Republican representatives since 2011.