House Democrats are considering a new idea to pressure the Trump administration to comply with their subpoenas. The idea is to use the appropriations process as leverage and threaten to withhold funding until they get the documents and testimony they've requested.
Why it matters: It's a move that has a high risk of failure, since appropriations bills have to be approved by a Republican-held Senate and signed by the president. But given the Trump administration's determination to resist all of the Democrats' oversight efforts, and the prospect that court fights could take years, they're being forced to consider every tool they might have.
Robust immigration has buoyed the populations of the U.S., U.K. and other developed nations, keeping them from shrinking for now. But a number of aging countries don't have enough immigration to replace their population as their fertility rates continue to plummet.
The bottom line: The control of borders is a serious political problem, but experts are eyeing legal immigration as one solution to a future demographics challenge. As nations age, many will be short of workers to support social programs relied on by the older population.
President Trump is calling Rep. Justin Amash a "total lightweight" who is causing controversy solely for "the sake of getting his name out there."
The big picture: Amash, the first Republican congressman to say he is in favor of impeaching Trump, was the only Republican who voted for a Democratic bill that tried to stop President Trump from declaring a national emergency to pay for the border wall.
Former President Jimmy Carter, six administrations later, is re-emerging from political obscurity at age 94 to win over his fellow Democrats once again, AP's Bill Barrow writes.
Why it matters: It's quite a turnabout for a man who largely receded from party politics after his presidency, often without being missed by his party's leaders in Washington, where he was an outsider even as a White House resident.
The U.S. budget deficit grew 77% in the first 4 months of the 2019 fiscal year (beginning Oct. 1) from the year prior, driven by sweeping tax cuts passed at the end of 2017 and increased federal spending.
The big picture: President Trump is acting true to history. Every Republican president since Reagan has left office with a budget deficit higher than the one he inherited. Clinton and Obama, by contrast, left office with smaller deficits.
President Trump declared himself "strongly pro-life" in a series of tweets Saturday night — but he made clear he's opposed to key elements of strict new abortion laws as he called for Republican unity on the issue.
I am strongly Pro-Life, with the three exceptions — Rape, Incest and protecting the Life of the mother — the same position taken by Ronald Reagan."
Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld (R) told a crowd in Exeter, New Hampshire, he’s "the most pro-choice person you’re ever going to meet," AP reports.
Driving the news: Many 2020 hopefuls have come out swinging in opposition of Missouri's and Alabama's strict new abortion laws, describing the bills as "dangerous and exceptionally cruel," per Axios' Rashaan Ayesh.
Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) came out against President Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr's presentation of the Mueller report, saying Trump "has engaged in impeachable conduct," on Saturday afternoon.
One point that's often lost in heated debate is that immigration could be vital in helping countries to have enough young workers in the economy to support their aging populations.
The bottom line: The control of borders is a serious political problem, but experts are eyeing legal immigration as one solution to a future demographics challenge. As nations age, many will be short of workers to support social programs relied on by the older population.
Former Vice President Joe Biden has maintained a double-digit lead against his 2020 Democratic competitors, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) coming in 2nd place — even in some states Sanders managed to secure during the 2016 Democratic primaries.
The big picture: Some observers are drawing parallels between Biden's current campaign and Hillary Clinton's 2016 run, including courting the same donors and addressing the economic woes of middle class Americans, reports the New York Times. However, Biden is polling higher in Iowa and New Hampshire — both states Sanders won in 2016 against Clinton, per FiveThirtyEight.
Four fake scores were posted to President Trump's U.S. Golf Association account, an act that has since been concluded as a hack into Trump’s GHIN profile, Golfweek confirmed.
The big picture: Trump’s page posted scores well above his scores of 70s and 80s — 101, 100, 108 and 102. Despite the hack, stories have previously circulated that President Trump is not the most honest golfer — claims he denies — according to retired sports writer Rick Reilly in his book, "Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump."
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has put herself at the forefront of the abortion debate after a handful of red states have passed abortion bans.
The big picture: Gillibrand has been working to position herself as an advocate for women since she launched her 2020 presidential campaign. She's been a strong supporter for sexual assault survivors, and is known as the "#MeToo Senator."
2020 presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) revealed a plan on Saturday to reform education with a focus on reducing racial and economic segregation.
The big picture: Sanders K-12 plan focuses on the needs of students of color and low-income students, providing free universal meals and expanding after-school programs. He also addresses reversing changes made by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, including those affecting Title IX and the Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.
Well-wired Democrats say that the massive 2020 primary field means that the nominee may still be unclear when Democrats head to Milwaukee for their mid-July convention.
"In this new political environment and with changes in technology, there are fewer barriers to entry for candidates to enter and remain in the race. These changes encourage more candidates to enter the race and stay in longer."
— said Doug Sosnik, former White House political director for President Clinton
Joe Biden is officially kicking off his 2020 campaign with a message about how President Trump is dividing the country on race, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation, according to his campaign.
Details: Biden will say we need a president for everyone — not just Trump's base. And he will ask voters to choose unity (Biden) over division (Trump). His rally will be in Eakin's Oval in downtown Philadelphia and the campaign said they expect 2,000 people. (Kamala Harris' campaign estimated 20,000 people attended her kickoff rally in Oakland, California.)
The Department of Homeland Security is asking members of its cybersecurity staff to leave their posts and travel to the U.S.-Mexico border after an earlier request from the agency failed to recruit enough officials, according to an email obtained by The Daily Beast.
The big picture: The request, from staff who handle other threats such as cyber and infrastructure work, is based on the DHS's focus on protecting the border from migrants. Though it's unclear if there is an adequate number of volunteers for the agency, DHS is reaching out to other teams like its intelligence arm, because "serving the needs of the homeland is the cornerstone of what we do," per the memo.
As of 2017, more people have been forced by violence and conflict to flee their homes than live in the U.K. or France.
Why it matters: That's upwards of 60 million people — a global nation of refugees. If all of these asylum-seekers, internally displaced people and refugees were a country, they'd be the 21st most populous nation in the world, according to UNHCR estimates. More than half of refugees are under the age of 18.
The Senate Judiciary Committee confirmed President Trump's nominee Wendy Vitter on Thursday to a U.S. District Court seat in New Orleans after a long tug of war between Republicans and Democrats over Vitter's stance against abortions, reports the Washington Post.
The big picture: Vitter is the 107th judge to be appointed since Trump took office. Her appointment sparked reactions from Democrats especially given that she would not say if she supported the court's decision in Brown v. The Board of Education, per the Washington Post.
