Guatemala's government says it will take steps to crack down on the number of migrants traveling to the U.S., including by working with the Department of Homeland Security to re-negotiate an open borders agreement with Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: Guatemala's plans are the strongest by any Latin American country to curb migration, according to the Post. The country's interior minister said Guatemala also plans to physically break up migrant caravans and to test families' DNA to ensure people aren't transporting kids that aren't their own.
60% of Texas Democrats would rather see Beto O'Rourke return to his home state in 2020 to challenge Republican John Cornyn for his Senate seat rather than continue to pursue the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a Quinnipiac University poll.
Why it matters: O'Rourke catapulted to the national stage after almost unseating Sen. Ted Cruz in one of the most surprisingly competitive elections of 2018. With a 24-candidate primary field, voters could be looking at the Democrats who haven't broken out in national polling to run in the Senate, where not many high-profile names have announced campaigns.
The Trump Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee between the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign, is hosting a three-day retreat for major donors in Chicago this weekend that will include a series of meetings and workshops at the city's Four Seasons Hotel and end with a reception at Wrigley Field, according to a guest memo obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: This is the campaign's latest effort to court deep-pocketed Republicans who failed to come out for Donald Trump in 2016, and it further signals that the president's days of snubbing traditional fundraising mechanisms are over. High-profile administration officials like White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and Interior Secretary David Bernhardt will be attending, along with members of Congress and other party officials.
There have been more border arrests so far this fiscal year than in any other full fiscal year in the past decade with close to 600,000 migrant arrests, Customs and Border Protection officials told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. There are still 4 months remaining in FY 2019.
Why it matters: For the third month in a row, there were more than 100,000 border crossings — 144,278 in total. The majority of them were families and children. "The system is broken,"acting CBP commissioner John Sanders told reporters. CBP facilities are beyond capacity with 19,000 migrants in their custody and CBP is on track to run out of resources before the end of the year, Sanders said.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement began canceling funding for recreational programs, English classes and "legal aid for unaccompanied minors staying in federal migrant shelters" across the U.S. last week, according to an email sent to an HHS official and obtained by the Washington Post.
Where it stands: This funding cut could "run afoul of a federal court settlement and state licensing requirements that mandate education and recreation for minors in federal custody," the Post reports.
In a wide-ranging interview with Piers Morgan broadcast on "Good Morning Britain" Wednesday, President Trump said he's open to talks with Iran, but wouldn't rule out military action against the country.
"There’s always a chance. Do I want to? No. But there is always a chance."
President Trump traveled to Portsmouth to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings on the third and final day of his state visit to the United Kingdom, the highest honor afforded to a foreign leader.
Details: Trump is among 15 world leaders being hosted by British Prime Minister Theresa May on the southern coast in an event commemorating the largest combined land, air and naval operation in history, per the BBC.
2020 Democratic candidate Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) released a housing plan for his campaign on Wednesday.
Why it matters: One of the flashiest policies in Booker's plan, which identifies low-income access to housing as a top priority, is a tax credit for renters to prevent them from spending more than 30% of their income on rent. The novel proposal comes as Democrats attempt to set themselves and their policies apart in a packed field.
Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who was popular when he left office last year, is hinting to Democrats that he may run for governor again in 2021.
Why it matters: McAuliffe, who bowed out of the 2020 presidential race, could help his party recover from the chain of scandals that began with the racist yearbook photo of McAuliffe's successor, current Gov. Ralph Northam (D).
The House on Tuesday passed the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation and establish a path to citizenship for Dreamers — unauthorized immigrants who arrived to the U.S. as children — the Washington Post reports.
The big picture: Despite the fact that the GOP-controlled Senate will likely vote against the measure, 7 Republicans joined the Democratic majority on Tuesday. The House vote shines a spotlight on a hot-button issue that Democrats and Republicans are approaching from vastly different points of view.
