Four Democratic congresswomen targeted by President Trump in a racist series of tweets telling them to "go back" to where they came from Sunday responded at a press conference Monday.
What they're saying: The lawmakers — including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Rashida Tlaib — each offered their takes on the issue.
Kellyanne Conway declined to appear at a congressional oversight hearing Monday to discuss her alleged violations of the Hatch Act, defying a subpoena as the administration claims she is "immune" from such testimonies.
What they're saying: Pat Cipollone, counsel to the president, wrote in a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings that "in accordance with long-standing, bipartisan precedent, Ms. Conway cannot be compelled to testify before Congress with respect to matters related to her service as a senior adviser to the President."
The Interior Department is set to move the Bureau of Land Management’s headquarters and more than 1/5 of its staff out west, E&E News reports.
Why it matters: BLM manages over 10% of the nation's land, according to the Washington Post. This move is one of the starkest examples of what the Post calls Trump's push to "shift power away from Washington and shrink the size of the federal government."
President Trump dug in further Monday as he defended his tweets attacking freshman congresswomen of color, denying that they were racist.
The big picture: During his comments at the White House, Trump again said that he didn't specifically name anyone in his tweets, despite the fact that four progressive Democratic congresswomen of color — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley — have made headlines for clashing with Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The Trump administration's reported delay of a $20 bill redesign featuring 19th-century abolitionist Harriet Tubman actually aligns with internal timelines produced during the Obama administration, three current or former government officials appointed by President Obama told the Washington Post.
Driving the news: Larry R. Felix, the director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing from 2006 to 2015, said the probability of releasing a concept design in 2020 had always been low due to security and fraud risks, despite then-Treasury Secretary Jack Lew's desire for an unveiling that coincided with the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
The Trump administration is publishing a new rule on Tuesday that will force migrants fleeing their home countries to apply for asylum in one of the first countries they pass through, or face ineligibility for asylum once they reach the southern border of the U.S., according to a press release.
Why it matters: While there are certain exceptions, this will make it significantly more difficult for any Central Americans to receive protection in the U.S.
President Trump continued his Twitter attacks on "Radical Left Congresswomen" on Monday, escalating his rhetoric one day after a racist string of tweets said that legislators should "go back" and fix their own countries before shaping American government.
"When will the Radical Left Congresswomen apologize to our Country, the people of Israel and even to the Office of the President, for the foul language they have used, and the terrible things they have said. So many people are angry at them & their horrible & disgusting actions!"
Conservatives who reluctantly support President Trump often try to pretend the daily outrage didn't happen, but yesterday's "go back" tweets were like his "both sides" comment on Charlottesville — a transgression that won't instantly fade, and can't be laughed off.
The bottom line: Trump is all-in on us-versus-them politics and does not care if he occasionally crosses the line into racism. Trump allies expect this to get worse, not better.
WARREN, Mich. — The majority of a group of 12 swing voters we spoke to here said they think President Trump is handling the immigration crisis "professionally and responsibly.”
Why it matters: By all accounts, immigration is and will be one of the most important issues of the 2020 presidential election — and it could help Trump win over even some voters who haven't always supported Republicans.
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday undocumented immigrants don't have to let immigration authorities into their homes unless agents produce a warrant signed by a judge.
The big picture: He made the remarks as communities braced for President Trump’s planned ICE raids. When Johnson led the DHS, the Obama administration was criticized for deporting millions of undocumented immigrants, per CBS. He argued that many of those had criminal convictions and had recently reached the U.S. illegally.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway tied the Obama administration's immigration record to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on "Fox News Sunday," as she defended President Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
Details: Conway told Fox News host Chris Wallace that immigration enforcement "happened under President Obama," when Biden was vice president. "Just this week, you saw massive protests at Joe Biden’s Philadelphia headquarters ... and those people are angry that he was complicit in the Obama-Biden deportation," she said.
Democratic congresswomen hit back at President Trump Sunday, denouncing his tweet saying progressives should "go back" and fix the "crime infested places from which they came" as "white nationalism."
