As more details are released about the disappearance of American journalist Jamal Khashoggi, 11 U.S. Senators are requesting that President Trump and his sons, Don Jr. and Eric, disclose information regarding the Trump family business and its ties with Saudi Arabia.
One key quote: “It is imperative that this sanctions determination, and U.S. policy towards Saudi Arabia generally, are not influenced by any conflicts of interest that may exist because of your or your family’s deep financial ties to Saudi Arabia.”
President Trump's signature issue is back in the spotlight less than three weeks before Election Day, with surging arrests at the border and a high-profile caravan on the way from Honduras.
Why it matters: The Trump administration's severe measures to deter border crossings don't appear to be working.
The big picture: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long wanted Turkey to supplant Saudi Arabia as the dominant power in the Middle East. The Khashoggi affair has presented a unique opportunity to undermine Saudi influence, potentially creating a regional power void for Turkey to fill.
Democrats on several House committees, including Homeland Security and Armed Services, said in a joint statement Wednesday that a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security last week does not support President Trump and Vice President Pence's statements that Chinese interference in U.S. elections surpasses that of Russia.
Why it matters: This provides insight into the kinds of information the White House has access to on Chinese interference, which the administration has been publicly discussing since Trump claimed China was meddling in U.S. elections without offering evidence. The Democrats — Reps. Bennie Thompson, Elijah Cummings, Jerrold Nadler, Adam Smith and Robert Brady — claim the White House is "driven by partisan politics" in pushing this narrative forward "rather than the facts."
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."
