The world hasn’t seen such staggering numbers of people fleeing violence, persecution and desperation since World War II — and countries that had offered safe harbor are beginning to turn them away.
It's the moment everybody's been waiting for: Tonight's Democratic debate in Houston will be the first face-off on the primary stage between Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden.
Why it matters: They appeal to totally different wings in the Democratic Party. Warren's momentum has moved her to the No. 2 spot in national polls and narrowed Biden's lead. Tonight's matchup has the potential to be an even bigger split-screen moment than when Kamala Harris took on Biden at the first debate — and Biden's team knows it.
Acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services director Ken Cuccinelli told Axios' Mike Allen Thursday morning that birthright citizenship should be limited to the children of legal immigrants — although he doesn't expect any action on the issue any time soon.
The big picture: Cuccinelli declined to say whether he wants the Homeland Security secretary position or if acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan should get it permanently. "Answering questions like that creates news that shouldn't exist," he said. He said Trump has not approached him about the position, and that he will do his job aggressively.
145 top CEOs signed a letter urging the Republican-controlled Senate to act on gun control by passing legislation already introduced by Democrats, reports the New York Times.
The big picture: Corporate America is taking the lead in tackling gun control. Multiple retail companies, including Walmart and CVS, are asking customers to not openly carry firearms in their stores. After a deadly shooting at an El Paso Walmart killed 22 people, Walmart stores stopped selling ammunition for handguns and assault rifles.
Hostile powers undermining elections. Deepfake video and audio. Bots and trolls, phishing and fake news — plus of course old-fashioned spin and lies.
Why it matters: The sheer volume of assaults on fact and truth is undermining trust not just in politics and government, but also in business, tech, science and health care as well.
The Democratic presidential candidates will face off on the debate stage again Thursday night, but the reality is that Elizabeth Warren is the only candidate who has gained any real momentum since the first debate, based on polls during the last three months.
The big picture: Post-debate polling spikes have proven to be sugar rushes. After jumping from 7% to 15% after the first debate, Kamala Harris is back down to 7%, while Julián Castro's cameo above 1% after that debate was also short-lived. Warren's ascent from 9% to 19%, meanwhile, has been gradual and steady.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday lifted a district court's block on a Trump administration rule that would prevent almost all Central American migrants from applying for asylum in the U.S.
The big picture: The Trump rule, first introduced in July, forces 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. It has faced numerous legal challenges and was twice temporarily blocked by a California judge.
Editor's note: Sanforddropped outof contention for the Republican presidential nomination on Nov. 12th, 2019. Below is our original article on his candidacy.
Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is one of three long-shot Republican challengers to President Trump. A longtime figure in Congress and state government, he is known as a budget hawk and fiscal reformer.
President Trump addressed the reasons behind John Bolton's removal as national security adviser on Wednesday, telling reporters that Bolton "made some very big mistakes" and was "not getting along with people in the administration."
The backdrop: The tumultuous working relationship between Trump and his ultra-hawkish adviser ended suddenly on Tuesday. Trump tweeted that he'd fired Bolton, who then claimed to have resigned. Trump insisted that it was his decision to terminate Bolton, but said his former top aide "can do whatever he can do to spin it his way."
The departure of John Bolton, President Trump's third national security adviser, injects still more volatility into U.S. foreign policy, and the choice of his successor has profound implications for U.S. national security interests.
The big picture: Bolton successfully influenced U.S. withdrawals from the Iran nuclear deal, arms control treaties and international agreements, while chipping away at American commitments to multilateralism. But he had become marginalized in the White House as his hawkish approach increasingly clashed with Trump's deal-making instincts.
Why it matters: This new ruling reintroduces the status quo that was in play after the court's first decision to block the nationwide injunction, which said it could only be applied within the Ninth Circuit's states of California and Arizona. That means that this decision will once again block — at least temporarily — most Central Americans who cross into the U.S., legally or illegally, in New Mexico or Texas from asylum.
The last time National Security Adviser John Bolton spoke with President Donald Trump was Monday afternoon around 2 p.m. in the Oval Office — offering to resign — about 22 hours before the president's Tuesday tweet suggesting that he had fired Bolton, according to a person familiar with the situation.
Why it matters: The timeline contradicts the president's account and speaks volumes about how Trump runs his administration.
Republican Dan Bishop will represent North Carolina’s 9th District in Congress after narrowly winning Tuesday's special election. It was a surprisingly tight race in a district that President Trump carried by 12 points in 2016, per Politico.
The big picture: Bishop's win against McCready, a centrist who ultimately raised more money than his Republican counterpart, could be an optimistic sign for the GOP as they eye taking back the House in 2020. However, Bishop only won by 2 percentage points in a district that hasn’t been held by Democrats since 1963, the New York Times notes.
Democrats increased pressure on Republicans Tuesday to act on gun control, advancing new measures and sending a letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell. But McConnell made clear after meeting with President Trump on the issue that the decision rests with Trump, ABC News reports.
Why it matters: Gun violence has become a hot-button issue after August's mass shootings in El Paso, Dayton and the West Texas sister cities of Odessa and Midland. Per Reuters, there's a coordinated Democratic strategy to press McConnell to allow a vote on gun control bills.
60% of Americans surveyed say President Trump doesn't deserve to be re-elected, a CNN poll published on Tuesday afternoon finds.
Between the lines:CNN notes that the poll, conducted by SSRS, indicates that deep partisan polarization and negative perceptions of Trump and his administration have remained largely unchanged, with previous polls regularly returning approval ratings this year of around 40%. But Trump's predecessors faced similar dire approval ratings in their first terms.
By the numbers: 55% of respondents to a 2011 Gallup poll said Democratic President Obama didn't deserve re-election.
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