Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) further critiqued the ICE amendment to the Bipartisan Background Checks Act on Saturday morning, referring to a CNN report about detained children being held down for forcible injections.
Details: The amendment proposed by House Republicans forces the NICS background check database to notify ICE if an undocumented immigrant attempts to buy a firearm.
Since the Trump administration regulated the flow of immigrants at official ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, more immigrants have been caught crossing the border illegally, avoiding long wait-times to claim asylum, according to data obtained by NBC News.
Details: Between October 2017 and January 2018, 73% of border crossings recorded referred to immigrants crossing illegally. That percentage rose to 83% in the same period ending this January 31. CBP limited the number of immigrants who can be processed, so some asylum seekers have been turned away to wait in Mexico.
The Trump administration is set to announce that it will end large-scale joint military exercises with South Korea, replacing them with some mission-specific training to ensure troop readiness, NBC News reports.
Our thought bubble, via Axios' Dave Lawler: Experts worry that by stepping back from the exercises Trump is appeasing North Korea, undermining part of his leverage over Kim Jong-un, and weakening the U.S.-South Korea military alliance.
The backdrop: President Trump ordered former chief of staff John Kelly to give Kushner a top secret clearance against the warnings of intelligence officials, the New York Times reports.
President Trump called for Congress to obtain the manuscript of Michael Cohen's unpublished book, in which the president claimed would show his former lawyer "committed perjury on a scale not seen before" in a seriesofFridaytweets.
"Congress must demand the transcript of Michael Cohen's new book, given to publishers a short time ago. Your heads will spin when you see the lies, misrepresentations and contradictions against his Thursday testimony. Like a different person! He is totally discredited!"
The backdrop: Cohen told the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday that Trump is "becoming an autocrat" and accused him of being "racist" and a "con man." The Daily Beast reported last year that Cohen's book proposal would discuss his time as Trump's "family fix-it guy," but its publication was derailed due to the Stormy Daniels controversy.
Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee jumped into the 2020 White House race Friday — and his longshot candidacy will test a big question: whether there's a political opening for someone who puts climate change at the heart of their campaign.
Why it matters: Global warming has long been a second-tier topic in national elections, but Inslee's candidacy could change that if he somehow gains traction in the crowded Democratic field or pushes higher-profile candidates to emphasize climate topics even more.
Even before Robert Mueller has delivered his final communiqué, Democrats have activated a new phase in the Trump-Russia wars that ultimately could prove more damaging to the president than the special counsel's investigation.
Why it matters: For Trump, this has been a behind-the-scenes probe, with sensational yet intermittent revelations. Now, it's about to become a persistent and very public process — at best, a nuisance; at worst, a threat to his office.
Infighting erupted Thursday between House Democrats, with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) demanding a roomful of moderates halt their support of Republican motions, with echoes from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) who suggested that progressives challenge moderates in 2020, the Washington Post reports.
The backdrop: This comes after Wednesday’s historic vote to expand background checks for gun purchases, in which Republicans — thanks to some Democratic support — added a provision for immigration authorities to receive alerts if undocumented immigrants try to buy firearms. Pelosi asserted that Democrats should vote uniformly against Republican motions, but some Democrats fired back that moderates should break with the party if it protects their political standing in 2020. Per the Post: "Republicans have capitalized on the divide, using legislative tactics to split politically vulnerable moderates from the party leadership."
