A 16-year-old Guatemalan migrant boy, who traveled to the U.S. alone, died on Tuesday after being held in government custody in Texas, the AP reports.
The big picture: This is the latest in a string of child deaths in detention centers, almost certainly intensifying pressure on the Trump administration as record numbers of Central American migrants continue to cross the southern border. On Wednesday, the White House requested $4.5 billion in emergency funding to help manage what it called a "humanitarian and security crisis."
Attorney General Bill Barr'stestimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee was another high-stakes Rorschach test of Washington's views about special counsel Robert Mueller's report.
The bottom line: Both parties will come out of this hearing feeling like they hit their talking points well, but Barr also has to feel good about his performance. This isn't his first rodeo as attorney general. He's poised in the hot seat and escaped a brutal five-hour day with no major slip-ups all as he remained unrepentant about his work on the Mueller report.
Minutes after the conclusion of Attorney General Bill Barr's testimony, Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said that he has no plans to bring special counsel Robert Mueller before the committee. "It's over," he told reporters.
Why it matters: Many questions remain about why Mueller opted not to make a decision on whether Trump obstructed justice, despite laying out extensive evidence. Senators are also interested in finding out more about why Mueller wrote a letter to Barr expressing dissatisfaction about the way his report had been characterized in the wake of Barr's March 24 summary of "principal conclusions."
Attorney General Bill Barr is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee about special counsel Robert Mueller's report into Russian interference in the 2016 election — a day after it was revealed that Mueller sent him a letter objecting to his March 24 characterization of the report's findings.
Catch up quick: Barr told Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that if Mueller felt as if he could not make a prosecutorial decision on the question of obstruction of justice, then he "shouldn't have investigated it. That was the time to pull up." When pressed on his March 24 letter clearing Trump of obstruction, Barr said: "I didn't exonerate. I said that we did not believe there was sufficient evidence to establish an obstruction offense, which is the job of the Justice Department."
The White House asked Congress for $4.5 billion in emergency funding on Wednesday to manage what it describes as a record number of migrants attempting to enter the southern border, Politico reports.
The impact: “In the worst-case scenario, thousands of children might remain for lengthy periods of time in facilities that were never intended to be long-term shelters, rather than being expeditiously transferred to HHS custody,” White House acting budget director Russ Vought wrote in his budget request, per Politico.
Former FBI Director James Comey addressed what happened in the aftermath of the Mueller report in a New York Times op-ed on Wednesday, the same day that Attorney General William Barr testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee, arguing that "amoral leaders have a way of revealing the character of those around them."
The big picture: Comey referenced Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's actionssurrounding the report, asking "What happened to these people?" He describes Barr as "a bright and accomplished lawyer," immediately followed by concern that Barr has been "channeling the president in using words like 'no collusion.'" Some of the questions Comey covers in the opinion piece he has also publicly pondered on social media.
Democrats turned up the volume on their criticisms of Attorney General William Barr Tuesday night, upon learning that special counsel Robert Mueller, in a letter to Barr, objected to his characterization of the special counsel's conclusions.
Why it matters: The Washington Post revealed that Mueller wrote a letter in late March to Barr, complaining that he failed to provide ample "context, nature, and substance," on the special counsel's investigation. For those who already doubted Barr's summary of the Mueller report, some seized on the letter to justify their concerns.
Democrats' ultimate ability to maintain control of the House after the 2020 election depends on whether they can flip state legislatures in Florida, Texas and North Carolina, according to a new report by the Democratic super PAC Forward Majority that was shared with Axios.
Why it matters: Republicans won 16 more U.S. House seats than suggested by vote share because of gerrymandered maps, per an AP analysis. The new report asserts that Democrats need to flip at least one legislative chamber in Florida, Texas and North Carolina "to avoid giving Republicans a structural advantage in Congress through 2032."
The House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines on Tuesday to allot an extra hour of questioning via staff lawyers at Attorney General Bill Barr's hearing on the Mueller report on Thursday.
Why it matters: Barr has threatened to cancel his appearance before the committee if House Democrats went forward with the current format, which breaks from traditional 5-minute rounds of lawmaker questioning. If he does so, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler has said he will subpoena Barr and potentially hold him in contempt of Congress if he does not comply.
Attorney General William Barr will face the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday regarding the Russia report — a day after it was revealed that special counsel Robert Mueller told Barr his summary to Congress failed to "fully capture" the findings.
Former Vice President Joe Biden took aim at President Trump during a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Tuesday evening, saying: "Enough's enough, man," and accusing the president of "wag[ing] war on Twitter," reports CNN.
Why this matters: Biden used his platform in Iowa to position himself against Trump, rather than the other members of the crowded 2020 Democratic field. Earlier on Tuesday, newly released polls illustrated that Biden is the current frontrunner in the race.
