As the inevitable primary battles heat up, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took the opportunity on Friday to slam former Vice President Joe Biden's "middle ground" climate change plan that has been crafted with the help of a former aide to President Obama.
Some contributors to Brian Kolfage's GoFundMe to build a privately funded version of President Trump's southern border wall are wondering when, if ever, their funds will actually be used for construction, the Washington Post reports.
The backdrop: Kolfage used his GoFundMe as a launching pad for "We Build the Wall, Inc.," a nonprofit that claimed it could build Trump's wall partially on private land "with private funds" for less than it would cost the government. Kolfage and the nonprofit have statedmultipletimes that they plan to break ground soon, but those dates keep getting pushed further out — and there's no evidence of progress being made.
Beto O'Rourke is plotting a political comeback after lagging behind in polls ahead of June's first Democratic presidential debate, the AP reports.
The big picture: O'Rourke's polling numbers are declining nationally, and they look even worse in the early caucus states, CNN reports. He plans to step up his national media appearances, but aides insist he will still dedicate time to those "off-the-beaten path" stomping grounds — often rural or primarily Republican — that became hallmarks of his Senate campaign.
Rudy Giuliani told Fox News on Friday night that he no longer plans to travel to Ukraine to ask Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the origins of the Mueller investigation and, separately, former Vice President Joe Biden's alleged intervention in Ukrainian politics on behalf of his son, CBS reports.
What's new: Giuliani walked back what he previously described as lawfully "meddling in an investigation," and said on Friday he now thinks going to Ukraine would be "walking into a group of people that are enemies of the president ... in some cases enemies of the United States."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren — one of more than 20 Democratic presidential contenders — outlined a proposal on Friday in a blog post for Blavity, a media company focused on black millennials, to invest $50 billion in historically black colleges and universities and Minority Serving Institutions.
What she's saying: Already, Warren tackled higher education by outlining a plan to eliminate $640 billion in student debt. Warren says "HBCUs have made invaluable contributions to the fabric of this nation, but for far too long we have failed these schools and their students."
President Trump has altered the itinerary for the national Fourth of July celebration to take a more prominent role, himself, in an address the nation from the Lincoln Memorial and a fireworks show at the Potomac River, reports the Washington Post.
Why it matters: The national Fourth of July celebration is often seen as a nonpartisan event, but Trump has inserted himself, per the Washington Post. It's also unclear how much the changes will cost, but local officials and lawmakers are worried about the potential impact.
President Trump compared 2020 presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg to "Alfred E. Neuman", the boy with the goofy smile and large ears featured on the cover of MAD Magazine, during a new interview with Politico on Friday.
Why it matters: This is a similar strategy to Trump's 2016 campaign antics, wherein he labeled Hillary Clinton: "Crooked Hillary." A source familiar with Trump told Politico that the president "believes that if you can encapsulate someone in a phrase or a nickname, you can own them." Trump calls former Vice President Joe Biden "Creepy," or "Sleepy Joe" and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) "Crazy Bernie."
A Florida judge has ordered that 32 of 67 counties in the state are required to provide election materials and assistance to Spanish-speaking voters ahead of the 2020 presidential primaries.
Why this matters: This is a milestone win for voting rights groups in Florida. The state is trying to make it harder for felons who have completed their sentences to vote, even though a resolution passed with majority support in the 2018 midterm elections.
The Cuban government announced on Friday it will begin rationing some food and other basic products as the nation copes with challenging economic circumstances, reports AP.
Why this matters: Commerce Minister Betsy Díaz Velázquez attributes the shortage of rice, beans, chicken, affordable soap and other basic products to the the U.S. trade embargo executed by the Trump administration, but economists also blame the loss of aid from Venezuela, per AP. More expensive goods are not included in the rationing.
House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff floated a new idea at an Axios News Shapers event this morning about how to enforce subpoenas against the Trump administration: fine officials who ignore them.
Why it matters: It's a risky move for House Democrats if they go ahead with it — because it's a largely untested idea, it's not 100% clear that Congress has the authority to do it, and it's definitely not clear how they would enforce it.
Every new parent who works for Rep. Alexandria Ocascio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is allotted 3 months of paid parental leave, according to a new policy she implemented on Friday.
House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Reps. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) introduced an act on Friday that would "pause the statute of limitations for any federal offense committed by a sitting president."
Between the lines: The "No President Is Above the Law Act" is likely an attempt to circumvent the Justice Department's ruling that states a sitting president cannot be indicted or criminally prosecuted.
Why it matters: Close to 18,000 unaccompanied migrant children have been caught illegally crossing the border in just the past two months. The network of nonprofit shelters that house migrant minors until Health and Human Services releases them to family members or other sponsors is nearing maximum capacity.
The Pentagon announced another reallocation of funds on Friday to help build President Trump's border wall, which brings the current total to $2.5 billion, the AP reports.
What's happening: The Pentagon will reallocate $1.5 billion to help fund 80 miles of the planned U.S.-Mexico border wall. These funds are being allocated in response to Trump's national emergency declaration in February. In that announcement, he said he wanted about $3.6 billion from the Defense Department's military construction fund. Last month, the DOD awarded $976 million in contracts to two companies for border wall construction.
The Trump administration's newly proposed rule, which would prevent any unauthorized immigrants' from accessing subsidized housing, could result in more than 55,000 children who are legal residents or citizens being evicted, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development's own analysis reported by the Washington Post.
Why it matters: If the rule goes into effect, thousands of families could be forced to leave their homes. Even if children in the household are legally qualified for government aid, unauthorized adults would not be allowed to sign leases for subsidized houses.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services asylum division has been asked to begin training Border Patrol agents to being conducting "credible fear" interviews — the first screening asylum seekers must pass before applying for asylum, the L.A. Times reports.
Why it matters: It's yet another bit of guidance intended to make the asylum process more difficult as the Trump administration struggles to process and detain record numbers of migrant families and children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The White House has backed the plan, with Stephen Miller arguing that they will be tougher on migrants than asylum officers, NBC News has reported.
President Trump predicted that former Vice President Joe Biden will edge out Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2020 Democratic primary in a Friday tweet.
"Looks to me like it’s going to be SleepyCreepy Joe over Crazy Bernie. Everyone else is fading fast!"
Buzz: Trump has long referred to Biden by the nickname of "Sleepy Joe," but the tweet featured the debut of "SleepyCreepy Joe" — a reference to allegations of inappropriate touching levied by multiple women against the former veep earlier this year.
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told Axios' Mike Allen Friday that Rudy Giuliani's trip to Ukraine to ask Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate opponents of President Trump is an example of the "ethical standards of the country being dumbed down to where anything goes as long as you stay above that bar of criminality."
I give Giuliani credit for consistency. He said just a few weeks that there's nothing wrong with seeking help from a foreign power. ... The fact that he would be so open about it, boastful almost, doing it with the knowledge and support of the president — it takes your breath away. I continue to think I'll cease to be shocked. And then I'm shocked again.
2020 presidential hopeful Julián Castro announced on Thursday he will support his campaign staff's decision to unionize after they joined with the Campaign Workers Guild, reports NBC.
The big picture: Democratic presidential candidates have been vying for the support of union groups in the crowded 2020 field. Many are in turn promoting their campaign staffs to organize within formal unions. Both former Vice President Joe Biden also expressed support for such action, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) became the first known presidential candidate to see his campaign staff unionize, per AP.
A reported 10 million signatures on multiple petitions were shared with Congress on Thursday, from people who support the impeachment of President Trump, reports NBC News.
The backdrop: Talk of impeaching the president has ramped up following the release of the Mueller report. 2020 hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren called to begin impeachment proceedings on the Senate floor for obstruction of justice on Monday. One day following, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused Trump of "goading" House Democrats to impeachment.
