A group of 14 House Democrats sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi today urging her to bring a vote by the end of the year on USMCA, President Trump's renegotiated trade deal with Canada and Mexico.
"It is imperative that we reach a negotiated agreement early in the fall. Canada and Mexico are by far our most important trading partners, and we need to restore certainty in these critical relationships that support millions of American jobs."
Why it matters: While we shouldn't get too carried away by 14 Democratic signatures, this letter indicates there is Democratic support for Pelosi bringing the president's top trade priority up for a vote.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced in an email Friday that her 2020 presidential campaign has collected 1 million donations.
Why it matters: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is the only other 2020 Democrat who has Warren beat, bringing in 2 million donations as of July 11, according to the New York Times. Both candidates are running grassroots campaigns, and have sworn off big-money fundraisers and corporate PACs.
President Trump called obstruction a "phony crime," alleging without evidence that it was created to target him during an interview on Fox News' "Hannity" on Thursday — the president's first since former special counsel Robert Mueller's House testimony.
"They create this phony crime and then they say he obstructed. They said there was no collusion, but he obstructed. ... The crime was committed on the other side, and we'll find out about it."
Reality check: Mueller told the House Judiciary Commitee that his report does not exonerate Trump on the issue of obstruction, instead citing his office's adherence to the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel opinion that prevents a sitting president from being indicted. Mueller also told the committee that Trump could be charged after he leaves office.
The Trump administration is making it harder for immigrants fleeing violence, persecution and trafficking to stay in the U.S., in the name of getting tough on fraud.
The big picture: There are always cases of fraud in the immigration system, and not everyone who applies for asylum or the T visa, which is for victims of human trafficking, is eligible. But since Trump took office, visa denial rates for asylum and T visas have skyrocketed while the number of refugees admitted to the U.S. has plummeted.
Active-duty troops are monitoring migrants from inside a Border Patrol holding facility in Donna, Texas, to perform welfare or "wellness" checks, NBC reports.
Why it matters: According to a congressman and a former defense official interviewed by NBC, these stationed troops are potentially in danger of violating the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the use of the military in civilian law enforcement.
Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas) is retiring, according to a statement released Thursday by National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Emmer.
Why it matters: Without Olson, Texas' 22nd congressional district is expected to shift from Republican to "toss-up", or a highly competitive seat that either party has a good chance of winning in 2020. The minority-majority district is "one of the fastest-diversifying" in the country, according to Cook Political Report's Dave Wasserman.
In the 24 hours since former special counsel Robert Mueller warned of future election interference in his congressional testimony, Senate Republicans have blocked a collection of election security bills and a cybersecurity measure.
The latest: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday blocked Democrats from pushing forward a House-passed bill to authorize $775 million in state funding over the next 2 years to bolster voting system security, CNN reports.
A dozen Republican members of Congress sent President Trump a previously undisclosed letter on Tuesday urging him to delay the Pentagon's plan to award a $10 billion cloud computing contract to a single company.
Why it matters: The letter, obtained by Axios, argues that awarding the contract would be "premature" given the Defense Department's Office of Inspector General is still investigating potential conflicts of interest with those involved in the negotiations. The letter strikes a contrast with a ruling from a federal judge earlier this month, which found that allegations that DOD employees unfairly favored Amazon Web Services for its Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) cloud computing program were meritless.
Pete Buttigieg has spent roughly $300,000 on private jet travel this year, more than any other Democrat running for the White House, according to an analysis of campaign finance data by AP's Brian Slodysko.
By the numbers: Joe Biden spent $256,000 on charter flights, and the rest of the field spent far less. Sen. Elizabeth Warren spent $60,000, Sen. Bernie Sanders spent $18,000 and Sen. Kamala Harris spent $17,000.
Several bills that aim to tackle climate change are surfacing as lawmakers scramble before their August congressional break.
Why it matters: While none of the measures is likely to pass any time soon (if ever), they’re nonetheless a sign of the increasing saliency of climate change among politicians, particularly Democrats, but, in a slowly shifting trend, Republicans, too.
A$AP Rocky has been charged along with 2 others with assault in Sweden and will remain in custody until a trial takes place, prosecutors said Thursday, adding no trial date had been set.
The big picture: President Trump said Saturday he phoned Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven to vouch for bail for the U.S. rapper after Kim Kardashian West alerted him to A$AP Rocky's detention. However, Sweden's criminal justice system doesn't include bail.
A California federal judge granted a preliminary injunction on Wednesday to block the Trump administration from denying asylum to migrants at the southern border who do not first apply for protections in at least one other country they've traveled through.
