The Democratic National Committee and NBC have reached an agreement to evenly split the top qualifying candidates over 2 nights for the first 2020 Democratic primary debate in June, reports Politico.
The bottom line: The DNC wants to avoid featuring a "kiddie table," by spreading the most popular contenders across the 2 nights, addressing a problem Republicans ran into in 2016, per Politico. The decision also aims to maintain viewer interest by guaranteeing well-known contenders are debating on both nights.
The Trump Organization has fired more undocumented workers after all 12 locations implemented the government's online system E-Verify to check the eligibility of new hires, reports The Washington Post.
Why it matters: The increased firings shows President Trump's company is following through on its promise to use E-Verify after news broke that the family business had been hiring undocumented workers for years.
Women hold the majority of senior positions for top 2020 Democratic campaigns — and a quarter of those aides identify as women of color, according to a new analysis by the Wall Street Journal.
Why it matters: The behind-the-scenes makeup of the 2020 campaign — which already features the most diverse field of candidates in history — reflects a broader national trend: minorities will become the majority in the U.S. by 2045.
The Trump administration will soon make it easier for adoption agencies to reject same-sex couples, senior administration officials told Axios.
Why it matters: President Trump is steadily rolling back Obama-era nondiscrimination policies across the entire federal government — including health care, housing and the military.
Driving the news: 3 Democratic senators on Thursday wrote to NBC, host of the first primary debate in late June, urging them to devote a "significant" amount of time to climate.
There may not be another Democrat in the country, besides Speaker Pelosi, who would have had the ability to hold off the rank and file's push to impeach President Trump.
The state of play: The view on the Hill seems to be that if Pelosi puts her foot down and says "no" to impeachment, then there’s no chance House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler or others will defy her wishes.
Pete Buttigieg told a group of liberal Jewish leaders on Thursday that the U.S. should do a better job of advising Israel, rather than intervening in Israel's domestic politics as the the Trump administration has, reports NBC.
Why it matters: Some 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have struggled with addressing the topic of Israel, while others have spoken out against the nation and its leadership. Meanwhile, Republicans are trying to paint an image that Democrats don't support Israel, per NBC.
President Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. is expected to write and release a book with Center Street Press by the end of the year, reports the New York Times.
President Trump has directed the intelligence community to "quickly and fully cooperate" with Attorney General Bill Barr's investigation into the origins of the Russia probe.
Why it matters: The president's desire to examine Obama-era investigators is now in full swing. Trump has also given Barr unilateral authority to declassify relevant documents as he sees fit.
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.
