Axios

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) said Wednesday he will not seek re-election after a 40-year tenure representing his heavily Republican district, according to the the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The big picture: Sensenbrenner is the longest-serving Republican on the House Judiciary Committee and was one of the House managers who presented Bill Clinton's impeachment case to the Senate. House Republicans are hoping to regain the majority from Democrats in 2020, but have already seen 15 retirements so far this cycle — including Texas Rep. Bill Flores earlier on Wednesday.

The House Judiciary Committee has issued a subpoena to the Department of Homeland Security for documents related to President Trump's alleged attempts to pardon officials charged with crimes while carrying out his immigration policies.

The big picture: In a statement, the committee said it is seeking information on meetings between Trump and DHS officials where pardons were reportedly discussed. The subpoena is also demanding records referring to "presidential pardons for potential violations of federal law relating to the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws or the construction of a barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border."

President Trump on Tuesday presented a doctored version of an official National Hurricane Center map of Hurricane Dorian's path that appeared to show Alabama in the eye of the storm.

Reality check: None of the original forecast maps featured the black loop that appeared on the map shown by Trump.

Democrat Amy Klobuchar is a senator from Minnesota known for her pragmatism and effective legislating. She has championed legislation ranging from drug pricing to regulating Big Tech. Her infrastructure proposal is Klobuchar's "top budget priority."

During the family separation crisis last year, Health and Human Services facilities struggled to provide adequate mental health care to migrant children as required under the Flores agreement, according to a new agency watchdog report.

Why it matters: Many of these migrant minors had already faced signifiant trauma in their home countries and in their travel to the border — such as physical abuse, kidnapping, rape and other forms of violence, according to the report. In addition, child migrant care facilities told the Inspector General (OIG) "addressing the unique mental health needs of separated children was particularly challenging."

Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in 2020, becoming the fifth Texas Republican — and the 15th Republican overall — to retire from the House this term.

The big picture: House Republicans want to regain control of the chamber from Democrats in 2020, but the continued exodus of GOP members will make the task even more challenging. Texas, which hold 38 electoral college votes, is becoming a more competitive state for Democrats across all levels of government.

Scarlett Johansson told The Hollywood Reporter in a new profile that she's backing Elizabeth Warren in 2020, pushing back on the Hollywood trend to see how the race shakes out before jumping in with an endorsement.

Johansson has resisted pressure from her politically minded friends to take a wait-and-see attitude to the Democratic primary. "Other Democrats have said to me, 'Oh, it’s really early to back someone,'" Johansson says. "That kind of worries me because it doesn’t feel that early to me. I’m like, 'Really?' It’s disconcerting that there's not a clear candidate at this time.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper authorized the Pentagon on Tuesday to allocate $3.6 billion toward 11 military construction projects for President Trump's border wall, CNN reports.

The big picture: Trump is getting all the Pentagon funding that he sought — about $3.6 billion from the department's military construction fund — from declaring a national emergency over the border crisis in February. In July, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump's reprogramming of Pentagon funds for the border wall is permissible. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller Elaine McCusker expects construction at the border to start in about 135 days, per CNN.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced Tuesday that he will not run for governor of West Virginia and will instead remain in the Senate through 2024.

“Ultimately, I believe my role as U.S. Senator allows me to position our state for success for the rest of this century.”

Why it matters: As Democrats seek to take back the Senate in 2020, the moderate Manchin's seat would likely have been a gift to Republicans if he had opted for a gubernatorial bid. Manchin won re-election by just 3 points in 2018 as a pro-union Democrat in a heavily pro-Trump state that could easily swing Republican without an incumbent.

Former Vice President Joe Biden said that his verbal slip-ups and gaffes over the course of the 2020 campaign — specifically his misrepresentation of a 2008 war story — do not impact his ability to be president during an interview with NPR.

"I was making a point about a generation. That has nothing to do with judgment of whether or not you send troops to war, the judgment of whether you bring someone home, the judgment of whether you decide on a health care policy. ... The details are irrelevant in terms of decision-making."

The backdrop: Biden got almost every detail incorrect about the 2008 war story, first reported by the Washington Post, which centered on him pinning a medal on a U.S. service member in Afghanistan. His account seems rooted in an actual medal ceremony that took place in 2011, and Biden has defended his misrepresentations, saying he got the "essence" of the story correct.

Vice President Pence opted to stay at the Trump International Golf Club in Doonbeg during his 2-day trip to Ireland — even though he is meeting with officials 180 miles away in Dublin, reports Reuters.

Why it matters: Pence's chief of staff Marc Short told reporters Tuesday that President Trump had "a suggestion" that Pence stay at his resort, even as the administration faces criticism for spending taxpayer dollars — and influencing foreign and domestic officials to choose to frequent — at Trump properties, per The Washington Post.

President Trump's political allies are trying to raise at least $2 million to investigate reporters and editors of the New York Times, Washington Post and other outlets, according to a 3-page fundraising pitch reviewed by Axios. 

Why it matters: Trump’s war on the media is expanding. This group will target reporters and editors, while other GOP 2020 entities go after the social media platforms, alleging bias, officials tell us.