New personal emails obtained by Axios reveal the behind-the-scenes tension between Brandon Judd, the powerful leader of the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), and Mark Morgan, President Trump’s nominee for director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Why it matters: These emails, in addition to other emails leaked to Axios in which Morgan called the Trump administration “heartless” for firing him as the head of U.S. Border Patrol in January 2017, show the level of toxicity that surrounded Morgan at USBP.
President Trump's tweets don't pack the punch they did at the outset of his presidency. His Twitter interaction rate — a measure of the impact given how much he tweets and how many people follow him — has tumbled precipitously, according to data from CrowdTangle.
Why it matters: It's a sign that his strongest communication tool may be losing its effectiveness and that the novelty has worn off.
Asians tend to be among the best-educated immigrants to the U.S., and also land in some of the most lucrative careers. But, according to U.S. Census data, the image of privilege is true for only some Asians.
The bottom line:Data shows that income inequality is greater among Asian immigrants than for those arriving from anywhere else.
Speaker Pelosi, who used to treat President Trump like a naughty grandchild, last week adopted a notably more confrontational public posture, as she tried to defuse the impeachment fever rising among House Democrats.
Why it matters: "Pelosi’s allies said her taunting of Trump now is intentional, designed to get under his skin and elicit an angry reaction," per the WashPost.
2020 presidential candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell explained on Fox News Sunday why — despite being one of the party's most vocal critics of President Trump — he has found himself among the Democratic lawmakers who have advised against immediately moving forward with impeachment.
The change promised by the wave of leaders who rose to power around the world since President Trump's 2016 election often hasn't materialized, forcing them to make waves internationally instead of draining their respective swamps.
The big picture: It's not just Trump whose domestic agenda has stalled out. Both Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's far-right policies and French President Emmanuel Macron's technocratic centrism are struggling to move forward at home.
President Trump is "provoking yet another war in the Middle East" with his move to deploy more troops in the region, Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke told CBS' "Face the Nation" in an interview broadcast Sunday.
Details: O'Rourke told CBS journalist Margaret Brennan Trump was wrong to send an additional 1,500 troops to the Middle East, amid tensions with Iran. "We find ourselves already engaged in war in so many countries — in Iraq, in Syria, in Yemen, not too far from there in Libya, and in Afghanistan," he said.
2020 presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg accused President Trump of "eroding the integrity of the military" should he decide to move forward with pardoning service members accused of war crimes, as has been speculated, CNN reports.
"The reason that we can stand up tall and say that's not true, that having served honorably in the military, couldn't be more different than being a war criminal is because if we ever did anything that was wrong the United States under the Uniform Code of Military Justice would have held us accountable. And so when the President joins in with this idea, that it's just natural, that if you serve in conflict, that you're going to wind up murdering somebody, he is eroding the integrity of the military, and insulting the Constitution."
A Utah judge has been suspended without pay for 6 months for remarks he made about President Trump in court and online, which he said were intended to be funny, not rude.
The Utah Supreme Court ruled Thursday Judge Michael Kwan had violated the code of conduct several times. The court ruling states: "It is an immutable and universal rule that judges are not as funny as they think they are."
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) knows he's struggling in the crowded 2020 Democratic field and probably isn't likely to qualify for the first primary debate, but he plans to stay in the race until the first primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire next year, reports Politico.
Why it matters: Bennet joined the presidential race nearly 3 weeks ago, and he hasn't yet had a major breakout, especially in competing with big names like former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders. His profile also matches that of a few of the other lesser-known candidates: a centrist, middle-aged white male.
Vice President Mike Pence told the 2019 graduating class of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Saturday that the world is a "dangerous place" and the graduates should expect to witness combat in the future.
The big picture: Pence also told the graduates that some of them will "join the fight against radical Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq," as the U.S. prepares to send thousands of troops to the Middle East amid growing tensions with Iran.
While visiting Iowa on Saturday, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar released a farming-focused plan as part of her 2020 body of policy that includes raising the debt cap on farm bankruptcies and increasing access to federal loan programs.
By the numbers: The presidential hopeful's priorities for farmers include raising the liability cap from $4.2 million to $10 million, giving more farmers flexibility to seek relief, especially during hiccups in the economy.
The flurry of abortion bans in GOP-controlled states may have provided Democrats with some ammo for the upcoming 2020 elections, helping them paint Republicans as extreme in swing states, reports AP.
Why it matters: Following the restrictive new Alabama abortion ban, Democrats have become more vocal, while Republicans seeking re-election are distancing themselves from the issue, per AP. Support for these extreme measures could alienate the GOP from more moderate women in swing states, but failing to support them could also alienate lawmakers from their anti-abortion rights base.
During President Trump's weekend trip to Japan, he was quick to single out Akio Toyoda, president of the Toyota Motor Corp., saying: "There's nothing like the boss," at a formal dinner with auto industry leaders, reports Bloomberg.
Why it matters: After Trump threatened to levy auto tariffs against Japan and the European Union, Toyota released a statement countering Trump's claims that foreign automakers pose problems for American national security, saying: it "sends a message to Toyota that our investments are not welcomed, and the contributions from each of our employees across America are not valued."
The 2 states with the largest Hispanic populations — California and Texas — will go to the polls earlier than usual in the 2020 Democratic primary race, the AP reports.
Why it matters: Candidates who can win consistent Hispanic support could potentially secure a viable path to survive the primary's frantic opening weeks.
A federal judge issued a temporary injunction on Friday night immediately blocking the transfer of funding and halting the construction of parts of President Trump's wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, reports the Washington Post.
"The position that when Congress declines the Executive’s request to appropriate funds, the Executive nonetheless may simply find a way to spend those funds ‘without Congress’ does not square with fundamental separation of powers principles dating back to the earliest days of our Republic."
— Judge Haywood Gilliam in his opinion for the temporary injunction, per Politico
Francis Cissna resigned from his position as the director of U.S. citizenship and immigration services on Friday per the request of President Trump — who is expected to name Kenneth Cuccinelli, Virginia's former attorney general, as Cissna's replacement, reports Politico.
The big picture: The move to push Cissna out is part of Trump's reimagining of the Department of Homeland Security. Trump also pushed out DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in April.
