House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings requested Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta's testimony on Wednesday regarding his role in registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's 2008 plea deal.
The latest: Cummings called for Acosta's testimony, scheduled for July 23. Acosta defended his role in Epstein's 2008 plea deal to reporters on Wednesday, saying "he faced a tough choice between accepting a plea deal that was not as tough as he wished it would be and going to trial with witnesses who were scared to testify," per the New York Times.
As young Americans stream to coastal cities, immigrants are seizing opportunities in the midwest and south where mid-sized cities are struggling to maintain a younger, working-age population.
Why it matters: From 2014-2017, immigrants contributed nearly 33% of the total population growth in the top 100 U.S. metro areas — and they're settling in smaller cities that aren't typically considered immigration hubs, according to new research from New American Economy.
The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously in favor of President Trump on Wednesday, dismissing a lawsuit accusing the president of illegally profiting from links to foreign and state governments through the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The suit attempted to use the Constitution's emoluments clause, which gives Congress the authority to review a president's financial relationships with foreign nations, as a way to obtain information regarding his private businesses, which the president has refused to release.
2020 Democratic contender and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told CNN Wednesday that, as president, he would use executive action to guarantee equal pay for national sports teams if Congress refused to act.
Why it matters: Following the U.S. women's national soccer team's fourth World Cup victory, equal pay for national teams has become a hot-button issue — and it's filtering down to the 2020 presidential race.
Amy McGrath's campaign said on Wednesday that it raised $2.5 million in its first 24 hours, after the Kentucky Democrat announced her bid to challenge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell next fall, NBC reports.
Why it matters: McGrath's campaign said that was the most money ever raised during a Senate campaign's first day. This highlights how the Kentucky race is set to become a lightning rod in 2020 — as the idea of "dealing with" McConnell was a question in the first 2020 presidential debate.
This tracker looks at all the attention 2020 Democrats are generating from stories on social media, but many of the most viral pieces are actually being published by conservative media, according to data from NewsWhip exclusively provided to Axios.
Why it matters: The stories drive at wedge issues like immigration, redistributive policies and the culture war du jour, painting the Democratic candidates as radical leftists and serving as a testing ground for attacks from President Trump.
U.K. Ambassador to the U.S. Kim Darroch resigned Wednesday after days of controversy over his leaked cables back to London regarding President Trump's temperament.
Why it matters: The ensuing firestorm severely damaged his public reputation with the Trump administration — kicking off a war of words between the U.S. and the U.K. — and made him a persona non grata in the White House.
President Trump defended Labor Secretary Alex Acosta yesterday for his plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein in a previous job, but Acosta doesn’t enjoy much goodwill at the White House.
The big picture: Many conservatives inside the administration don't view Acosta as one of them, and have been urging him to take aggressive deregulatory actions, per sources with direct knowledge.
California has become the first U.S. state to allow some undocumented immigrants to have full health benefits paid for by taxpayers, after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed the bill into law Tuesday.
Details: The law enables an estimated 90,000 low-income adults age 25 and younger to access the state’s Medicaid program, regardless of their immigration status, at a cost to taxpayers of $98 million, according to AP, which notes California already covers children aged 18 and younger regardless of immigration status.
U.S. women's soccer World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe told CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" Tuesday night President Trump is excluding people with his "Make America Great Again" message, "harking back to an era that was not great for everyone."
The big picture: Trump railed against the co-captain on Twitter last month after she said she wouldn't go to the White House should the U.S. win the World Cup in France. They clinched the trophy Sunday, as fans in the Lyon stadium chanted "equal pay" — a nod to the U.S. team's fight against gender disparities in soccer. Rapinoe said she still wouldn't visit the White House "and every teammate that I've talked to explicitly about it would not go."
ABC will host the 3rd Democratic primary debate in partnership with Univision in September in Houston, Texas, the Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday.
Details: Up to 20 Democratic presidential candidates could take part in debates on Sept. 12 and 13, although second night may not occur, depending on how many candidates qualify, per Politico.
Migrant children detained in Yuma, Arizona, have reported sexual abuse and degrading language by Customs and Border Patrol officers, as well as unsanitary and crowded conditions, NBC reports.
The big picture, via Axios' Stef Kight: The government is struggling to hold the surge of migrant children and families who have been crossing the border over the past year. That surge is drawing critical attention to a system that is failing to provide proper care — and often times hurting — children in its custody.
Boris Johnson repeatedly evaded answering leadership debate questions Tuesday on whether he'd keep the British ambassador to the U.S. in office if he becomes prime minister this month, following the leak of cables criticizing President Trump.
The big picture: During the debate,Johnson's rival, U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, reiterated he'd keep Kim Darroch in his post until December, when he's due to retire — despite Trump saying he'd "no longer deal" with him. Johnson, the front-runner to replace Prime Minister Theresa May as Conservative Party leader, said he's "not going to be so presumptuous" on what date Darroch leaves his job.
