The House Judiciary Committee will vote on Thursday on a resolution that outlines the panel’s authority and scope in an expanding impeachment probe into President Trump, according to Politico.
Why it matters: Though House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) has previously said the committee is engaged in "formal impeachment proceedings," the resolution marks the committee's first official acknowledgement that it is considering articles of impeachment. Up until now, the committee had been claiming in court filings that it requires certain materials for the purposes of impeachment, but had not defined the investigation in Congress.
The number of border crossings last month fell again to 64,006 from a decade high of 144,266 in May, acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan announced from the White House on Monday.
Why it matters: Morgan, who got the job largely thanks to his defense of Trump's policies on Fox News, used the rare press briefing to defend Trump's border wall and praise the administration's restrictions on asylum-seekers. He also praised the Mexican government's cracking down on migrants traveling through the country toward the U.S., but added that it needed to do more.
A California federal judge reissued a nationwide injunction on Monday, blocking the Trump administration from denying asylum to migrants who have not first applied for refuge in a "third country" they've traveled through.
The big picture: Last month, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals narrowed federal Judge Jon Tigar's first preliminary injunction to apply only to the 9th circuit. The move allowed the Trump administration to enforce the policy — which would all but deny asylum to Central American migrants — in Texas and New Mexico. The policy will now be blocked nationwide once again.
The House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence and Oversight committees launched an investigation Monday into alleged efforts by President Trump and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to pressure the government of Ukraine into aiding the president's re-election campaign.
Background: In August, the New York Times reported that Giuliani had met with a top associate of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to push the government to investigate potential conflicts of interest involving former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who once served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.
President Trump said in a Monday tweet that he knew "nothing" about Air Force crews lodging at his Scotland resort while refueling at an airport in the area.
Why it matters: Trump's tweet comes less than a week after House Democrats opened an inquiry on the use of tax dollars at Trump properties and as the House Judiciary Committee plans to vote this week to formalize an impeachment inquiry.
Eight 2020 Democratic candidates penned essays for the Brennan Center's collection, "Ending Mass Incarceration: Ideas from Today's Leaders," highlighting their personal priorities to tackle an issue with a history of bipartisan support.
The big picture: Most candidates are showing a united front on legalizing marijuana, limiting mass incarceration, and easing formerly incarcerated people back into society. Other candidates are taking a single-issue approach, like former HUD Secretary JuliánCastro's vision for federal housing.
A bipartisan group of mayors will meet with White House officials and senators Monday — the first day lawmakers are back in Washington after August recess — to demand action on background check legislation to help curb gun violence.
The big picture: There have been 115 mass shootings since 1999 that left 941 people dead and 1,431 more injured. In February, the House passed 2 bills aimed at strengthening the background check system to bar people who shouldn't have access to firearms from purchasing them. But the Senate hasn't acted.
Nearly all major environmental groups saw their donations increase, some significantly so, with President Trump in the White House, according to an Axios analysis of tax filings.
The big picture: This is classic Washington. When one side is in power, interest groups on the other side often see more financial support — which is why environmental groups are on the rise during one of the most aggressive regulatory rollbacks in American history.
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."
