President Trump issued a memo Thursday evening that could require citizens or legal residents in the U.S. who sponsor immigrants — oftentimes family members — to pay back the government for any public benefits used by the immigrants they've sponsored.
Why it matters: For more than two decades, anyone who files for a green card for a family member or other immigrant must pledge financial responsibility if that immigrant uses public benefit programs such as food stamps or Medicaid. Many immigration lawyers have assured people that the law is rarely, if ever, enforced, according to former DOJ immigration lawyer Leon Fresco. That could change.
After reaching a last-minute agreement with President Trump on Thursday, the Senate passed a $19.1 billion aid package for areas affected by natural disasters over the last two years. The package does not include funding for the border, as Trump had previously demanded.
Why it matters: The deal comes after months of tense negotiations, specifically over additional funding for Puerto Rico and stalled relief for mainland regions struggling after being hit by hurricanes, wildfires and historic flooding. The House has already adjourned for a week-long recess, but the legislation could be approved on a voice vote.
Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) outlined the six reasons why he supports President Trump's impeachment in a Twitter thread on Thursday, saying that the president pushed "a consistent effort ... to use his office to obstruct or otherwise corruptly impede [special counsel Robert Mueller's] investigation."
Why it matters: The Michigan congressman, the only Republican in Congress to support impeachment, isn't backing down from his controversial position — even as big donors, like the DeVos family, begin to pull their support.
In a tweet on Thursday, Joe Biden mourned the 6th migrant child who died in September while detained in U.S. custody:
"Over the last year, six children have tragically died in US custody at the border. It’s unacceptable. It’s not who we are. And silence is complicity. It’s on all of us to stand up and speak out. America is a nation of immigrants. We must guarantee everyone's treated with dignity."
The big picture: Biden and many other 2020 Democratic candidates have condemned the Trump administration's policies and handlings of the border crisis. Biden has consistently run on attacking Trump's divisive rhetoric on immigration and white supremacy.
In an interview with the Washington Post, 2020 presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg took stances on a string of key 2020 issues, and readily attacked President Trump on his foreign policy decisions as commander-in-chief.
Federal Savings Bank CEO Stephen Calk has been charged with bribery for allegedly trying to solicit a position in the Trump administration from former campaign manager Paul Manafort in exchange for $16 million in loans.
"Calk provided the Borrower with a ranked list of the governmental positions he desired, which started with Secretary of the Treasury, and was followed by Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Commerce, and Secretary of Defense, as well as 19 ambassadorships similarly ranked and starting with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy."
Why it matters: The Southern District of New York's press release notes that Calk believed he could use Manafort's influence on the Trump transition team — despite Manafort formally leaving the campaign in August 2016 — to obtain a senior administration position. As NBC's Tom Winter notes, the White House has long refused to answer when Manafort actually stopped communicating with members of Trump's orbit.
Some House Democrats are convinced that they'd have better luck getting testimony and documents if they launch an impeachment inquiry against President Trump — which is why they've been pushing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi so hard.
Reality check: It's not like the Trump administration would suddenly drop its fight against Congress and dump a bunch of documents in Pelosi's arms. The big difference between an impeachment inquiry and a regular investigation, legal experts say, is that Congress might have a stronger hand in the courts to get some of the information it wants.
Over a 5-year stretch during both the Obama and Trump administrations, thousands of migrants were placed into solitary confinement while in ICE custody, nearly half of whom had not appeared to violate any known rules, according to government documents newly obtained and reported by NBC News.
"Solitary confinement was being used as the first resort, not the last resort,"
— Ellen Gallagher, a policy adviser with the Department of Homeland Security told NBC
Wells Fargo and TD Bank have handed over thousands of pages of President Trump's financial records to the House Financial Services Committee following a court ruling permitting them to do so on Wednesday, reports NBC News.
Why it matters: The banks are sharing Trump's financial information following a drawn out and ongoing battle between Congress and the administration. The ruling comes at a time when more Democrats are calling for impeachment investigations into the president. A judge ruled earlier on Wednesday that the public's interest in "maximizing the effectiveness of the investigatory powers of Congress" is more important than any damage that could result for Trump or his businesses.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has been directly calling her supporters for months, thanking them for donating to her grassroots campaign, and it's turned her into an internet sensation, as "Elizabeth Warren called me!" populates on Twitter, reports Vox.
A senior Democratic official pulled out of a fundraiser for Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) on Wednesday following uproar over his anti-abortion rights stance as Lipinski gears up to face a progressive primary challenger who supports abortion rights, reports the New York Times.
Why it matters: Rep. Cheri Bustos' (D-Ill.) decision to withdraw from the Lipinski fundraiser highlights how crucial Democratic support for abortion rights has become in the wake of national abortion restrictions.
A district judge in New York has declined to issue a preliminary injunction preventing Deutsche Bank and Capital One from complying with a congressional subpoena for President Trump's financial records.
"Put simply, the power of Congress to conduct investigations is inherent in the legislative process."
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Wednesday that the addition of Harriet Tubman to the $20 bill has been delayed until 2028, CNBC reports.
Backdrop: In 2016, President Obama's former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced a new initiative to feature Tubman on the front side of the bill and President Andrew Jackson on the back. The bill would be released in 2020 to commemorate the 100th anniversary since the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, per the New York Times.
Five days after Trump moved to cut off American components to Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, President Xi Jinping responded with a subtle threat to strangle America’s supplies of rare earths — the natural elements used in everything from computers to satellites.
The big picture: Xi’s threat demonstrates how the rivalry between a rising China and a ruling U.S. spreads from trade to technology to supply chains, touching every aspect of bilateral relations. The conflict risks massive spillover costs to the global economy.
President Trump told reporters at an impromptu press conference on Wednesday that he will not negotiate with Democrats in Congress on an infrastructure package or other bipartisan policy proposals until they call off their investigations.
Most Americans believe special counsel Robert Mueller and former White House counsel Don McGahn should testify before Congress, even as a slight majority also think "Congress should move on to other issues," according to a new Monmouth University poll.
Why it matters, via a statement from Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute: "This investigation has become so pervasive that it is seen as distracting Congress from the business of governing. ... [F]urther stonewalling by the Trump administration could actually pay off in short-term political losses for the Democrats as they get bogged down in legal battles over subpoenas."
While leaving a closed-door meeting to discuss the issue of impeachment Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that House Democrats "believe the President of the United States is engaged in a cover-up."
2020 presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) unveiled a plan Wednesday to advance reproductive health care rights, such as access to abortions and birth control, if elected president.
"I stand with those leading the fight for reproductive freedom and will continue to fight to protect the constitutional right to abortion and ensure that everyone has real access to reproductive health care."
The midterm elections may have been a sign of what's ahead for the 2020 presidential election: experts say the voter turnout could be the highest in a century.
The big picture: According to Michael McDonald, an elections expert at the University of Florida, turnout for the 2020 presidential election could be as high as 67% — the highest it's been since at least 1916. If that happens, President Trump will have a tougher fight for a second term.
Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden was called a "snob bereft of elementary quality as a human being" by North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency Tuesday night, after he criticized leader Kim Jong-un.
"Former U.S. Vice-President Biden has gone reckless and senseless, seized by ambition for power."
Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller easily won the vacant U.S. House election in a special election in Pennsylvania Tuesday night, the PA Post reports.
Great news for Republicans: Fred Keller has just won the hard fought for Pennsylvania Congressional contest in a LANDSLIDE, over 70% of the vote. Thanks to the thousands who showed up for the Rally last night. Congratulations to Fred and his wonderful family!
The State Department reportedly uncovered evidence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has continued to use chemical weapons against civilians, per a press release, issuing a warning that the U.S. and its allies would respond "quickly and appropriately" if the violence was verified.
"The United States reiterates its warning, first issued by President Trump in September 2018, that an attack against the Idlib de-escalation zone would be a reckless escalation that threatens to destabilize the region."
