Over 20 former undocumented employees of Donald Trump are seeking a meeting with the now-president to discuss immigration reform and to request immunity from deportation, according to the Washington Post.
What's happening: In a letter to Trump on Wednesday, the former Trump Organization employees — including groundskeepers, maids and kitchen staff — asked the president to "do the right thing" and not deport them or their friends and families. They cited their collective years of service to Trump's business empire, stating, "You know many of us and will recall how hard we worked for you, your family and your golf clubs."
As President Trump catches heat for his Fourth of July celebration, set to include tanks, aircraft demonstrations and a primetime speech, it's worth looking back at how previous presidents spent the holiday.
It could be a while before we know how much President Trump's July 4 celebration will cost the taxpayers, since the expense of military activities like providing the M1 Abrams tanks and other armored vehicles won't be determined until long after it's over, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: Trump's military display — an element that traditionally hasn't been included in Independence Day celebrations — has been controversial and is sure to prompt more questions about the total cost. The Post reports that the air show alone could cost as much as $2 million, in addition to the $2.5 million the National Park Service is diverting to cover the event.
President Trump is considering an executive order to try to move forward with a citizenship question on the 2020 census, top sources tell Jonathan Swan and me.
"We didn’t come this far just to throw in the towel," said a senior administration official with direct knowledge of the conversations.
Rep. Justin Amash, the only Republican who supports impeaching President Trump, announced in a Washington Post op-ed this morning that he's leaving the Republican Party and "declaring my independence."
Between the lines: The Michigan congressman faced a primary challenge over his support for impeachment that would have been tough, if not impossible, for him to win. This way, the libertarian-leaning Amash can try to keep his seat as an independent or go out on his own terms. "Preserving liberty means telling the Republican Party and the Democratic Party that we’ll no longer let them play their partisan game at our expense," he wrote.
Organizers have stepped up security and readied battle tanks, fighter jets and fireworks for President Trump's Fourth of July extravaganza in Washington, D.C., per NPR.
Why it matters: July 4 has been seen as a nonpartisan occasion, but Trump has inserted himself into the event. He tweeted military leaders are "thrilled" he's honoring U.S. forces. Retired generals told Politico he's politicizing the Independence Day celebration. The taxpayer cost hasn't been disclosed, per ABC News. Here's how people have been preparing for the event in Washington, D.C., in photos.
Democratic presidential candidates criticized President Trump for his Fourth of July extravaganza plans, with Pete Buttigieg telling CNN's Jake Tapper on "The Lead" Wednesday the event "makes America look smaller."
"One of the reasons I joined the military was that in a small way I wanted to be part of seeing to it that my country was not the kind of place where a leader feels the need to boost his own ego by rolling tanks down the streets of our capital."
An appeals court has rejected the Trump administration's emergency request to block a federal judge's ruling that prevents it from using military funds to pay for its southern border wall.
Details: In a 2-1 ruling Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit said that "a stay of the district court’s order granting Plaintiffs an injunction is not warranted." The administration's expected to appeal the decision, per the Wall Street Journal. But it's another setback for Trump and his 2016 campaign promise ahead of the 2020 election.
Sen. Kamala Harris told an Iowa crowd on Wednesday that "we have a predator living in the White House," Politico reports.
The big picture: Fresh off her poised confrontation against former Vice President Joe Biden on debate night and a subsequent bump in the polls, Harris is falling back on her prosecutorial experience to make a unique attack against President Trump. There are varyingreports of the exact number of women who have publicly accused Trump of sexual misconduct.
A day after the Departments of Justice and Commerce announced the 2020 Census would not ask respondents about their citizenship, the DOJ stated that it was instructed by President Trump to continue looking for a way to include it on the survey.
State of play: The Supreme Court ruled last week that the Trump administration cannot add the controversial question to the 2020 Census unless it does a better job of explaining why that question is necessary. However, Trump tweeted Wednesday that the administration is "absolutely moving forward" with plans to include the question.
A military jury sentenced Navy veteran and SEAL platoon leader Edward Gallagher to a rank reduction Wednesday for posing with the corpse of a 17-year-old ISIS militant, according to NPR. Gallagher had been cleared of first-degree murder and war crimes on Tuesday.
Former Vice President Joe Biden's 2020 campaign said Wednesday that it raised $21.5 million during the second quarter of 2019 from over 256,000 donors.
The big picture: Biden's haul falls solidly in the middle of the Democratic heavy-hitters for this cycle who have announced their second-quarter totals so far — behind Mayor Pete Buttigieg's $24.8 million and ahead of Bernie Sanders' $18 million. However, Biden only jumped into the race in the middle of the quarter on April 25.
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet's 2020 presidential campaign said it raised $2.8 million during the second quarter of 2019, reports Politico.
Why it matters: Bennet's haul is far behind the Democratic heavy-hitters who have announced their second-quarter totals — Sen. Bernie Sanders raised $18 million and Mayor Pete Buttigieg pulled in $24.8 million. However, it's worth noting that Bennet announced his candidacy on May 2, meaning he lost a full month of second-quarter fundraising, and still managed to beat the Q1 totals of other rivals, like Julián Castro and fellow Coloradan John Hickenlooper.
2020 Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg announced a plan Wednesday to create new national service programs that would have a network of 1 million members by 2026.
Details: The South Bend, Ind., mayor's "A New Call to Service" would create a Climate Corps, a Community Health Corps to target mental health and addiction, and an Intergenerational Service Corps to provide care for U.S. seniors. It would also fund existing federal and AmeriCorps organizations and increase their amount of available positions to 250,000.
A federal judge in Seattle blocked Tuesday a Trump administration policy denying bond hearings to migrants seeking asylum, ruling it "unconstitutional" to do so while they pursue their cases.
Why it matters: In April, Attorney General William Barr issued the order preventing immigration judges from granting bail to asylum-seekers, aligning with President Trump's vow to end "catch and release" at the southern border. An immigration lawyer told Axios in April that it represented an effort by the administration to get the Supreme Court to establish what rights migrants who cross the border actually have.
The Trump administration has decided to print the 2020 Census without a citizenship question, the Justice Department confirmed to BuzzFeed and CNN on Tuesday.
Why it matters: President Trump was weighing a delay to the 2020 census less than 24 hours ago, as he considered ways to challenge a Supreme Court ruling that temporarily blocked the citizenship question. Experts say the question would have led to a less accurate census and consequently skewed the makeup of the House — thereby depriving cities with large numbers of minorities of federal funding, Axios' Sam Baker writes.
Border agents confiscated Congressional Hispanic Caucus members' phones as they visited migrant facilities in Texas, according to the lawmakers. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) shared video on Twitter Tuesday that he secretly filmed inside one center.
Why it matters: Castro's video offers a glimpse into life inside the centers, which are often off limits to journalists. As the Washington Post points out, the Democratic lawmakers' experience raises questions about why elected government officials aren't permitted to have phones inside the facilities, but Customs and Border Patrol agents are.
