Standing just a short distance from the U.S.-Mexico border, in the first official stump speech of his presidential campaign in downtown El Paso on Saturday, former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke declared his opposition to the nation's "extraordinary, unprecedented concentration of wealth and power and privilege."
Details: In the first of 3 campaign kickoff rallies, O'Rourke said: “For too long in this country, the powerful have maintained their privilege at the expense of the powerless," taking cues from other 2020 Democrats, namely Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.
The U.S. is cutting off federal aid to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras in response to what President Trump described as incoming migrant caravans from those countries, per a State Department spokesperson, reports CNN.
The big picture: This announcement comes the day after Trump threatened to shut down "large sections" of the U.S.-Mexico border unless Mexico "immediately" stops "all illegal immigration." Earlier this week, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen signed a regional compact agreement with Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras reportedly "aimed at preventing irregular migration, combating criminal organizations and ultimately helping with US border security," per CNN.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen requested that DHS employees volunteer to assist Customs and Border Patrol and ICE "in responding to the emergency at the southern border" in a letter on Wednesday, obtained by CNN.
What's happening: In the letter, Nielsen also called for interagency assistance as the DHS reportedly diverts resources away from border security and "toward full-time humanitarian response." What's included in that humanitarian response: Nielsen is expected to ask Congress in the coming days for permission to deport unaccompanied migrant children and hold families seeking asylum in detention longer than currently permitted, as outlined in a March 28 letter obtained by NBC News.
President Trump announced on Saturday that Edward Gallagher, a 19-year Navy veteran charged with premeditated murder of an Iraqi war prisoner and multiple war crimes, will be moved to "less restrictive confinement" before his trial in May, per the AP.
The backdrop: Trump's announcement follows a concerned letter penned by 18 Republican House representatives, who said Gallagher’s family and friends reported that the Navy SEAL had not had sufficient access to his defense attorneys, adequate medical care or enough food.
Stephen Moore, Trump's intended nominee to serve on the Federal Reserve board who owes the IRS nearly $75,000 in unpaid taxes, was found in contempt of court in 2012 after failing to pay his ex-wife more than $300,000 in spousal support, child support and alimony, the Guardian reports.
Details: The Guardian reportedly obtained Virginia court records from 2012 that show Moore was reprimanded by a judge for failing to pay. Moore paid his ex-wife "about two-thirds of what he owed" in 2013, which prevented the court-ordered sale of his house, according to filings obtained by the Guardian.
President Trump and his chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, have realized they’re passing no major legislation through this divided Congress.
Why it matters: No sooner had Trump put out his budget than the conversation among many Capitol Hill Republicans turned to what they expect will eventually happen: No grand spending deal between Democrats and Republicans, and instead perhaps a continuation of 2019 spending levels through 2020.
Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale will give new insight into Trump's post-Mueller report mood in an upcoming interview with Fox News' Jesse Watters, taped to air at 8 pm on Saturday on "Watters World."
The bottom line: "[Trump] has been very easy to work with this week. He's been very smiley," Parscale said.
The biggest polling story of this week centers around Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, as the 37-year old Afghanistan war veteran picked up his best national result yet with a 4% tally in the Quinnipiac Poll.
EL PASO — Beto O'Rourke, announcing for president Saturday with three rallies in Texas, is a sign of changing Lone Star politics: Republicans have started to lose their grip.
Catch up quick: Brendan Steinhouser, a GOP political consultant in Texas, says talk of the state turning blue started back in 2014 when he was Sen. John Cornyn's campaign manager — and now Republicans need to take it more seriously. "Even back then, we knew it was going to get harder and harder as the years went on," Steinhouser said. "Beto can give the president a run for his money."
Editor's note: Messamdropped outof contention for the Democratic presidential nomination on Nov. 20, 2019. Below is our original article on his candidacy.
Beto O'Rourke will officially launch his 2020 presidential campaign with a single-day rally series on Saturday across Texas, starting at 10 am (MT) in his hometown of El Paso.
Details: O'Rourke will then trek to Texas Southern University in Houston and wrap up in Austin in front of the state Capitol. He is expected to address issues including climate change, criminal justice reform, health-care access, immigration and the economy.
