In a speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition conference Saturday afternoon, President Trump described how he took the decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
What he's saying: Trump said he was talking on the phone with the U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman about a different topic while his senior adviser Jared Kushner and special envoy Jason Greenblatt were also in the room. At that time Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Israel, but Trump didn't mention him as being part of this specific discussion.
The Trump administration is planning to grant approximately 96,000 H-2B visas for temporary and short-term workers — 80% of whom come from Mexico and Central America — this fiscal year, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: This is the highest amount of H-2B visas given since 2007, per the Post. As the amount of temporary worker visas increase, President Trump has heightened his rhetoric on stopping a "colossal surge" of immigration through the U.S.-Mexico border, saying "the system is full. Can't take you anymore. ... Our country is full." DHS Secretary Nielsen has described the current situation at the border as a "system-wide breakdown" of the U.S. immigration system.
A New York man has been charged and arrested for threatening to kill Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) in March because she is Muslim, according to the incident's affidavit, CNN reports.
The bottom line: After Patrick Carlineo called Omar's office, called her a terrorist and threatened to "put a bullet in her (expletive) skull," he said in an interview with authorities that he loves President Trump and "that he hates radical Muslims in our government," per the affidavit cited by CNN.
In the initial phase of the Dems' 2020 race, "two straight white men [Bernie Sanders and Beto O'Rourke] have emerged as the fastest fundraisers, and another [Joe Biden] has jumped to a lead in recent polls, before even announcing his candidacy," the WashPost's Sean Sullivan and Dave Weigel write.
Why it matters: Their rise "in a field with historic diversity has caused dismay among some Democrats, particularly African Americans and women hoping for a mold-breaking nominee."
Michael Cohen's legal team has released a 12-page memo it provided to House Democrats Thursday. The memo outlines evidence of what his team describes as "Trump's involvement in a conspiracy to collude with Russian government intervention in his favor during the 2016 presidential campaign" and "other felony crimes committed by Trump before and after he became president."
The other side: Trump responded to the new allegations from Cohen, saying "he's old news. He lied numerous times during his last testimony. They've had that for many months."
Valerie Plame, a former CIA operative, said she is thinking about a 2020 run for an open congressional seat in New Mexico as a Democrat, AP reports.
Details: Plame is eyeing Rep. Ben Ray Luján's (D-N.M.) seat, which opened up after Luján announced he is running for the Senate. Plame's identity as a CIA operative was made public after a leak in 2003 under the George W. Bush administration to attack her ex-husband Joe Wilson, per AP.
President Trump says he isn't surprised to hear that the late Barbara Bush viewed him as a "symbol of greed," the Washington Times reports.
"I have heard that she was nasty to me, but she should be. ... Look, she's the mother of somebody that I competed against. Most people thought he [Jeb Bush] was going to win and he was quickly out."
Motel 6 provided Immigration and Customs Enforcement with 80,000 guest names, so now they have to pay $12 million to settle a lawsuit in Washington state, reports NPR.
Details: This is the second time Motel 6 has been reprimanded for this type of behavior in recent months, per NPR. In a statement, Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said that "Motel 6's actions tore families apart." ICE agents would allegedly "circle the names that looked Latino" before running them through a database, and would detain them randomly, per NPR.
In his latest dig at the Federal Reserve and hours after a strong jobs report, President Trump told reporters on Friday that the Fed should "drop interest rates and get rid of quantitative tightening."
Why it matters: Historically the Fed cuts interest rates to prop up a weakening economy, but Trump said "the country is doing unbelievably well, economically."
Trump's comments echo what White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow told Axios last week. But it's the first time Trump himself, who has broken presidential norms of not commenting on monetary policy, has publicly called for a rate cut.
The Fed has signaled it is done hiking rates for the rest of the year.
The quick rise of Chicago mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot, and Pete Buttigieg in the 2020 race, shows remarkable progress by gay and lesbian politicians, with their sexual orientation getting less play than other historic qualities.
Driving the news: Both Lightfoot and Buttigieg have talked comfortably about LGBT issues and their own same-sex marriages, AP's David Crary writes.
Chris Krueger of Cowen Washington Group has a stark reminder of one of the biggest 2020 issues not named Donald Trump: There are 13 House Republicans who are women (out of 197 — 7%), and 14 House Republicans named Greg or Mike.
Why it matters: "Perhaps the biggest variable in 2020 will be the suburbs," Krueger writes. "Particularly to win back the House, the GOP will have to staunch the bleeding in the suburbs."
President Trump said Thursday night that he will nominate U.S. Treasurer Jovita Carranza to replace outgoing leader Linda McMahon as the head of the Small Business Administration.
Details: McMahon is stepping down from her role and enter the private sector.
President Trump urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in early February to make the confirmation vote of Michael Desmond, his nominee for chief counsel of the Internal Revenue Service, a top legislative priority, according to a New York Times report on Thursday.
Details: The revelation came a day after House Democrats formally asked the IRS to release 6 years of Trump's personal and business tax returns. Per the Times, White House aides had long insisted that Desmond, whose nomination was confirmed on Feb. 27, was a top priority following the passage of the 2017 tax bill — even greater a consideration than that of William Barr for attorney general. Barr was confirmed 2 weeks prior.
