President Trump doesn't want to give Puerto Rico any more federal money for its recovery from Hurricane Maria, White House officials have told congressional appropriators and leadership. This is because he claims, without evidence, that the island’s government is using federal disaster relief money to pay off debt.
The big picture: Trump also told senior officials last month that he would like to claw back some of the federal money Congress has already set aside for Puerto Rico's disaster recovery, claiming mismanagement.
Democrats pulled off a slew of significant — yet still moderate — victories in state legislative and gubernatorial races after years of brutal losses as they attempt to chip away at Republicans’ sweeping control of the redistricting process before the next round begins after the 2020 census.
The backdrop: In most states, voting maps are drawn and approved by state lawmakers and governors every 10 years to reflect population change. Both parties have used their time in power to craft maps to disadvantage their opponents, but Republicans took it to the extreme in the 2011 redistricting cycle, preventing Democrats from netting more state legislative seats across this year's midterm elections.
With control of the House of Representatives, Democrats now control the House Financial Services Committee, which will almost certainly be chaired by Maxine Waters. Waters has been on the committee for 28 years, which means that if anybody can get things done, she can. What can we expect under her gavel?
Be smart: With Republicans controlling both the Senate and the White House, don't expect a raft of progressive legislation in the next two years. But Waters doesn't just have an aggressive oversight agenda — she also has subpoena power, and she won't be afraid to use it.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, the Republican candidate in Florida's too-close-to-call Senate race, accused Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson of "clearly trying to commit fraud" in the race by using illegal tactics during an interview on "Fox News Sunday."
The big picture: Scott — who, like President Trump, has presented his claims without evidence — is suing Broward County's supervisor of elections and accusing officials of withholding information on the number of outstanding ballots in the race. Under Florida state law, an automatic recount is required when the winning margin is within .5% or less.
President Trump honored the American war dead of World War I during a speech at the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial in France, praising those "who gave everything for family, country, God and freedom" before telling a story about an American soldier who died on the last day of fighting 100 years ago.
The big picture: Trump's speech comes one day after he was criticized for skipping a visit to an American cemetery and memorial outside of Paris due to weather — while other world leaders, like Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, went ahead with their respective events.
In the first round of Sunday morning talk shows since the midterm elections, Democrats warned of the coming storm of investigations that they plan to unleash against the Trump White House now that they have taken control of the House of Representatives.
Driving the news: Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said on ABC's "This Week" that protecting the Mueller investigation will be his top oversight priority. Nadler said that if acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker is still in office when he takes the gavel, his first order of business will be to invite or subpoena him to appear before the committee.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway brushed off her husband's New York Times op-ed this week that argued President Trump's appointment of Matt Whitaker as acting attorney general was unconstitutional, telling Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday": "I offer my advice to the president in private. I don't need to put it on the opinion pages because I'm counselor to the president."
The midterms are over. But the 5,600 American troops sent to the southern border with Mexico are "still going through the motions of an elaborate mission that appeared to be set into action by a commander in chief determined to get his supporters to the polls," the New York Times reports.
What's happening: Troops at the border are sleeping in tents that house 20 soldiers and have no electricity or air conditioning, with some suffering heat exhaustion within days of starting the mission. There's no mess hall — only pre-made "Ready-to-Eat" meals — and the only phone chargers available are attached to "a few generators that power spotlights around the living area." Department of Defense officials worry that if the number of troops increases to 15,000, the cost could be as high as $200 million.
Over 60 heads of state and governmentattended ceremonies today at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to commemorate the 14 million who died from 1914 to 1918 in World War I, which ended 100 years ago today.
Among those present at the ceremony were President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
