President Trump claimed he could get Nancy Pelosi "as many votes as she wants" to become speaker of the House in a Saturday morning tweet, later telling reporters outside of the White House that it wouldn't matter "if it's 50 or 10 or two or one."
"I can get Nancy Pelosi as many votes as she wants in order for her to be Speaker of the House. She deserves this victory, she has earned it — but there are those in her party who are trying to take it away. She will win!"
The big picture: While more progressive members of the House Democratic caucus have long said they'd like to replace Pelosi, she remains the overwhelming frontrunner after no credible challenger has emerged. And, asked by reporters Friday if she'd need Republican votes to become speaker, she responded: "Oh please, no. Never. Never. Never."
In the 2016 presidential election, Russian agents created havoc by stealing and releasing emails. Campaigns have since improved their security with measures like two-factor authentication and encrypted and ephemeral messaging. But so-called doxxing attacks were last cycle’s problem.
What’s new: Although cyber crime was less of an issue in the 2018 midterm elections, lone wolf hackers and nation states are likely to take a bigger interest in the presidential race. Cyberattacks that compromise political campaign funding — whether by siphoning off money or cutting off donations — present a growing threat.
The House Ethics Committee has sanctioned Reps. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and Ruben Kihuen (D-Nev.) over their handling of sexual harassment allegations.
The details: The committee found the allegations against the congressmen to be credible, thus violating House rules "by failing to take appropriate steps to ensure that his House office was free from discrimination and any perception of discrimination."
Cliff Sims, a former special assistant to President Trump, is writing a memoir about his time working for the Trump administration, Politico reports.
The details: The memoir, set to release in January, adds to the growing list of books that give perspective into how Trump runs his administration. Modeled after George Stephanopoulos’ tell-all memoir “All Too Human,” Sims, who also worked on the Trump campaign, is said to write in detail about the president and senior staffers like Kellyanne Conway, chief of staff John Kelly and former communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear oral arguments on February 19 regarding a legal challenge by 18 states to the Trump administration's controversial decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
Why it matters: Census data is used to apportion congressional seats and electoral college votes that determine the winner of presidential elections, as well as the distribution of federal funds among states. The Supreme Court's decision to hear the case comes as a federal court trial in New York City is examining whether Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who heads the Census Bureau, acted legally when deciding to add the question.
President Trump told reporters Friday that he has "just finished" writing his answers to questions submitted by Robert Mueller's team, emphasizing that he has written the answers himself, not his lawyers, and that they will be submitted to the special counsel soon.
Why it matters: After roughly a year and a half of investigations, President Trump said he's been told that Mueller's team is wrapping up its probe into Russian election interference and potential collusion between members of the 2016 Trump campaign and the Kremlin.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is stepping out of his role as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman in 2019 to take over Sen. Orrin Hatch's role as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
Why it matters: The move paves the way for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to take over the Judiciary Committee in January, which would make him President Trump's point person on judges. Under Grassley, the committee approved more than 80 of Trump's nominees to lifetime appointments on the federal bench, as well as two Supreme Court justices.
More than 2,000 women will serve in statehouses across the country, further extending this year’s reach of women in legislature positions, the AP reports.
Why it matters: Women will now represent roughly a quarter of all state lawmakers in the U.S., shattering the record of 1,875 who served in 2018. And that number is poised to grow: In Colorado and Nevada, women are expected to grab a majority of the lower legislative chambers, depending on final vote counts of uncalled races. Meanwhile, the AP has still not called 216 state legislative elections, "races that include about 185 female candidates." Go deeper: The new Democrats in DC
Conservative media pose a surprising risk to the Trump administration.
Why it matters: While outlets like Fox News' opinion programs provide unstintingly positive coverage of his administration, close presidential advisers and White House officials, as well as the president himself, often lose their inhibitions and make damaging comments when they speak with friendly outlets.
Democrat Katie Porter on Thursday flipped a GOP-held House seat in California, beating incumbent Republican Mimi Walters, the AP reports.
Why it matter: The seat is located in Orange County — which was once a GOP stronghold. Porter’s victory has further consolidated Democrats’ majority in the House as they're still hoping to flip other seats in midterm races yet to be called.
Many members of the Congressional Black Caucus are supporting Nancy Pelosi’s bid for the speakership over their own colleague and former chair, Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), who’s mulling a challenging against the Minority Leader, Politico reports.
Why it matters: This comes as the caucus’ current chairman Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) wrote recently about the need for a black speaker or majority leader. A number of CBC members, including Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the highest-ranking black lawmaker in the caucus, said they’re backing Pelosi for the top leadership post. But Politico reports that Richmond said he would support Fudge if she decides to run.
