The DNC research team has mined thousands of lawsuits from nearly 50 states as part of a massive new trove on President Trump that will be weaponized through pols and reporters in key battlegrounds.
Why it matters: This new plan shows what Democrats think Trump's biggest vulnerabilities will be. And unlike in 2016, Trump now has a policy record.
2020 Democratic candidate Tom Steyer has qualified for the October debate stage after reaching 2% in Nevada in the latest CBS News/YouGov poll.
The big picture: Steyer, a former hedge fund manager, previously hit the Democratic National Committee's threshold for individual donors, but needed to reach 2% in one more qualifying poll to make it to the next debate. After launching in July, Steyer vowed to spend $100 million of his own money on the campaign — upsetting some grassroots Democratic activists who said the money could go to better use.
Former South Carolina governor and congressman Mark Sanford announced on "Fox News Sunday" that he is launching a primary challenge against President Trump.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris apologized Saturday for her response to a New Hampshire town hall audience member who used a slur on people with disabilities when asking a question about President Trump.
Why it matters: Harris was criticized by disability rights advocates after video showed her laughing at an audience member who asked at the Friday event, "What are you going to do in the next one year to diminish the mentally retarded actions of this guy?" She replied "well said" before saying that she planned to "win this election."
President Trump tweeted Saturday night that he's called off a secret meeting with Taliban leaders planned for Sunday at Camp David after a bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan.
"Unbeknownst to almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the President of Afghanistan, were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David on Sunday. They were coming to the United States tonight. Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11 other people. I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations."
Kansas and South Carolina's Republican parties shuttered their 2020 presidential primaries on Friday and Saturday, respectively, the AP reports.
The big picture, via Axios' White House editor Margaret Talev: Early on, President Trump's campaign team studied the patterns of past presidents who lost re-election and sought to avoid their mistakes. Trump is using the tools he has now to minimize primary challenges so that he can save his money and energy to focus on the general election.
She has yet to endorse a 2020 presidential contender, but Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has offered her take on a handful of candidacies and worked with several White House hopefuls on legislation.
Why it matters: Since her improbable 2018 win over Rep. Joe Crowley, at the time the No. 4 House Democrat, Ocasio-Cortez has become a household name. The freshman lawmaker has 5.5 million Twitter followers, giving her commentary influence. Her district is 49% Hispanic and heavily Democratic. However, many consider her, as a democratic socialist, the face of the far-left. Just how desirable her favor would be to more moderate candidates is unclear.
House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler is expected to schedule a vote on Wednesday to authorize ground rules for launching impeachment proceedings against President Trump, 2 committee aides tell Axios' Alayna Treene.
Why it matters: The vote, details of which CNN first reported on Saturday, will be on a resolution to determine guidelines for how House Democrats can move forward with formalizing its ongoing impeachment inquiry. Notably, the resolution will allow witnesses to be questioned by committee staff counsels, CNN reports.
Several federal efforts to combat human trafficking in the U.S. have slowed under the Trump administration, according to government data and human trafficking advocates.
Why it matters: There are thousands of trafficking victims in the U.S. — including children trafficked into prostitution as well as agricultural and domestic workers who are paid little or nothing. But the Trump administration has cut back on prosecutions of these crimes and assistance to victims.
