By all current evidence, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of a brutal extrajudicial killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. His work as a Washington Post columnist shed international light on the repressive government of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MBS) — as, too, did his death.
The big picture: The basis of U.S.–Saudi relations has always been the personal relationship between the Saudi king and U.S. president. The Khashoggi affair has now put this foundation at stake: Trump and MBS face the worst crisis of confidence in the U.S.–Saudi relationship since the 9/11 terrorist attacks involving 15 Saudi nationals.
After President Trump tweeted a demand that a "large caravan of people heading to the U.S." be sent "back to Honduras," an NGO that supports the migrant march responded with a statement demanding the U.S. "respect the international right to migrate and to seek asylum and refuge."
The backdrop: Three days ago a group of people from Honduras began their march, which will take them across Guatemala and Mexico. Many are seeking to escape dangerous conditions. This is the second “Caravana Migrante” of this year. Pueblo Sin Fronteras, the NGO, also called on the governments of Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico to avoid "repression, violence or force" against the migrants.
Correction: Pueblo Sin Fronteras has informed Axios that while they support the march, they did not organize it. We have updated the story accordingly.
Julián Castro, the former San Antonio mayor and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama, told Rolling Stone that he's considering a 2020 presidential run.
"I’m likely to do it. I have a strong vision for the country. ... I’ll make a final decision after November, but I’m inclined to do it."
The backdrop: Democratic hopefuls for 2020 are increasingly making their intentions clear — even ahead of next month's midterm elections — in an attempt to stand out from what is set to be a massive, chaotic field of potential challengers to President Trump.
Since 1982, Republican incumbents have been defeated at twice the rate of Democrats in over 600 Senate races, according to research by Nicholas Goedert, political science professor at Virginia Tech.
Why it matters: This new analysis on incumbent resiliency could give hope to Democrats, who are defending 10 Senate seats in states Trump won this cycle. But more research needs to be done to figure out the nuanced reasons why this pattern has happened.
"'Federal Judge throws out Stormy Danials lawsuit versus Trump. Trump is entitled to full legal fees.' @FoxNews Great, now I can go after Horseface and her 3rd rate lawyer in the Great State of Texas. She will confirm the letter she signed! She knows nothing about me, a total con!"
The big picture: Trump has a lengthy history of attacking women's appearances, using words like "slob" and "pig." And, as Axios' Jonathan Swan reported, Trump is exceedingly proud of the charged nicknames he comes up with for his opponents. Daniels responded in her own tweet saying Trump has "demonstrated his incompetence, hatred of women and lack of self control on Twitter AGAIN! ... Game on, Tiny."
President Trump attacked Senator Elizabeth Warren's "bogus DNA test," which she announced Monday in a bid to prove her Native American ancestry, and asked her to apologize for "perpetrating this fraud" in a series of Tuesdaymorningtweets.
"Pocahontas (the bad version), sometimes referred to as Elizabeth Warren, is getting slammed. She took a bogus DNA test and it showed that she may be 1/1024, far less than the average American. Now Cherokee Nation denies her, 'DNA test is useless.' Even they don’t want her. Phony! ... Now that her claims of being of Indian heritage have turned out to be a scam and a lie, Elizabeth Warren should apologize for perpetrating this fraud against the American Public. Harvard called her 'a person of color' (amazing con), and would not have taken her otherwise!"
President Trump loves nothing more than when his opponents try to litigate his insults, as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is trying to do with "Pocahontas," a staple riff at his rallies.
The big picture: Trump's never more comfortable than on this terrain, and "Pocahontas" is one of his all-time favorites, according to aides.
As the "blue wave" looks more like a reality in the House, it's looking less likely that Democrats will take the Senate. It's a highly unusual split among competitive races in each chamber.
Driving the news: The competition for the House is playing out in the suburbs where Democratic candidates are making inroads around the country, while the Senate map is defined by rural red states where Democrats are most on the defensive.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis has rebuffed President Trump’s notion that he is "sort of a Democrat,” telling reporters on Monday: “I’ve never registered for any political party.”
The back story: Trump, who made the comments duirng his "60 Minutes" interview on Sunday, added that he doesn’t know whether Mattis would be the next major White House departure, but Mattis clarified that the two "never talked about me leaving ... We just continue doing our job." According to the Washington Examiner, Mattis also said he thought “nothing at all” of Trump’s remarks, noting, “I'm on his team."
A federal judge in California dismissed Monday a defamation lawsuit that Stephanie Clifford (also known as Stormy Daniels) filed against President Trump for what her legal team described as "irresponsible and defamatory statements” on Twitter.
The backstory: Daniels sued Trump in April for calling a composite sketch of a man Daniels said threatened her in 2011 to keep quiet about her alleged sexual affair with Trump as a “con job.” Daniels’ attorneys said that tweet unfairly portrayed her as a liar, But U.S. District Judge James Otero ruled that it was non-defamatory on its face, instead characterizing it as “rhetorical hyperbole.” However, Otero also ruled that Daniels is entitled to pay Trump' legal fees, the details of which are to be determined at a later date.
The Cherokee Nation, one of the largest tribes in the U.S., issued a statement Monday dismissing Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) release of DNA analysis as "inappropriate and wrong ... [and undermines] tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage."
Be smart: Warren did not claim that the analysis, which she says proves she has Native American ancestry, was evidence of tribal membership. Rather, she said she released her DNA results as a response to President Donald Trump mocking her for saying she was of Native American heritage.
The U.S. budget deficit grew by $113 billion in fiscal year 2018, driven by tax cuts and increased federal spending on defense, Medicaid, Social Security and disaster relief, reports CNBC.
The big picture: The total deficit for FY 2018 came in at $779 billion, or 3.9% of U.S. GDP, and was the largest of any year since 2012. In a statement, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said that "America's booming economy will create increased government revenues," but warned that Congress should be wary of the "dire consequences" of irresponsible spending.
President Trump repeated that King Salman of Saudi Arabia "firmly denied" having any knowledge about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi while speaking to reporters Monday, adding that it's possible "rogue killers" could have been responsible.
Flashback: Trump's willingness to accept Salman's denials is reminiscent of his July summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, where he told reporters of Putin's denials of election hacking: "I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today."
President Trump tweeted Monday morning that he had spoken to — and will send Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to meet with — King Salman of Saudi Arabia about Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist suspected to have been killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
"Just spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia who denies any knowledge of whatever may have happened 'to our Saudi Arabian citizen.' He said that they are working closely with Turkey to find answer. I am immediately sending our Secretary of State to meet with King!"
The big picture: The Saudi government has agreed to allow Turkish authorities to search the consulate as early as Monday afternoon, per the WashPost. The escalating international rift has massive financial implications and has caused a number of companies to back away from doing business with the Saudis until more answers are provided.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a DNA test to the Boston Globe that suggests there is "strong evidence" she had a Native American ancestor 6–10 generations back in her family tree.
The big picture: The test, while "inherently imprecise," indicates Warren is between 1/32 and 1/1,024 Native American, supporting the senator's claims that her Cherokee ancestry was a recurring theme in the family stories she was told growing up in Oklahoma. The controversy over Warren's heritage had become a favorite target for mockery by President Trump, who nicknamed her "Pocahontas" and claimed she had used a false minority status to get hired at Harvard Law School.
President Trump has clearly soured on Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, and top Republicans and Democrats both tell me his departure would be particularly costly for the White House — and a disturbing sign for outsiders.
The big picture: A former aide who can read Trump like a book told me: "His tone on Mattis is really striking. ... Will be worth watching whether he's just brushing him back and moving on, or if he launches a sustained effort to get him to quit." And if Mattis departs on anything other than the most cordial terms, confirming a successor will be fraught.
President Trump sat down for a lengthy interview with Lesley Stahl on CBS' "60 Minutes," discussing a wide variety of topics from climate change to foreign policy to the Mueller investigation.
The big picture: Trump was discursive — and often combative — while defending some of his administration's most controversial policies, including family separation at the border. He ended one particularly tense exchange with Stahl by reminding her, "Lesley, it's okay. In the meantime, I'm president — and you're not."
