President Trump intends to tap deputy FEMA administrator Peter Gaynor as the agency's permanent director, 2 sources familiar with Trump's decision tell Axios.
Why it matters: The administration has been operating without a confirmed FEMA chief during an active hurricane season after the nomination of Jeffrey Byard stalled in the Senate.
Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) will announce on Saturday his intention to run for Senate in 2020 against sitting Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the Boston Globe reports.
The big picture: Kennedy, the 38-year-old grandson of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, wrote in a Facebook post last month that he is considering a Senate run out of a desire to shape "what kind of party Democrats need to be building for the future." The 73-year-old Markey was co-author of the Green New Deal resolution along with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and he has already received a re-election endorsement from AOC and presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warrren (D-Mass.)
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) will use a "unanimous consent" procedure this week to try to get the Senate to vote on a bill that would end limits on the number of green cards that can be given to high-skilled immigrants from any one country, Lee's office has confirmed to Axios.
The big picture: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) had concerns about the bill, which held up Lee's earlier attempt to bring it to a vote before the August recess. The bill would allow many Indian and Chinese nationals who have been working in the U.S. on high-skilled visas like H-1Bs to obtain green cards faster. Advocates who have been working on eliminating the per-country caps for years tell Axios they are hopeful it will pass. The bill also would have to get through the House, which passed a similar bill in July.
According to a letter from the House Oversight Committee, the Department of Defense spent at least $184,000 on stopovers at President Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland.
What they're saying: "Although initial press accounts reported only a single instance of a military crew staying at Trump Turnberry this spring, the data provided by the Department now indicates that U.S. taxpayer funds have been used to pay for more than three dozen separate stays involving hundreds of nights of rooms—all after the President was sworn into office," the letter says, suggesting the spending was an apparent violation of the domestic emoluments clause of the Constitution.
Acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli sent a memo to acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan earlier this month requesting the authority to publicize personal information about refugees and asylum seekers accused of crimes, Buzzfeed News' Hamed Aleaziz reports.
Why it matters: Only the DHS secretary currently has the power to release information about asylum seekers and refugees being prosecuted. Cuccinelli has become one of the loudest immigration hardliners in the administration, and as USCIS director, has already rolled out a series of regulations cracking down on immigrants and asylum seekers.
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said Wednesday that President Trump's retweet of a video falsely claiming she celebrated the anniversary of 9/11 "puts [her] life at risk."
Why it matters: The video shows Omar dancing at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference on Sept. 13, per the Washington Post. Conservative actor and comedian Terrence Williams originally posted the tweet on Monday. It has since been deleted and Twitter is "looking into the matter," according to the Post.
Amazon announced Wednesday that Alexa users will be able to donate up to $200 to their preferred 2020 presidential candidate by using a voice command beginning next month.
Why it matters: It grants candidates a new, novel way to easily obtain contributions from their supporters. Fundraising is especially critical to standing out in the crowded Democratic field given the DNC's higher threshold to qualify for the debate stage.
President Trump announced Wednesday that he selected Robert O’Brien to be his new national security adviser.
The big picture: O’Brien serves as the Trump administration’s hostage envoy and was sent to Sweden this summer to negotiate the release of rapper A$AP Rocky.
With his blunt words, "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15," Beto O'Rourke saw a bigger spike in online attention than any of his 2020 Democratic rivals in the 3 debates, according to data from NewsWhip exclusively provided to Axios.
Why it matters: O'Rourke identified the right issue at the right moment. Since the El Paso and Dayton shootings, guns have risen to the forefront of the national conversation. For 3 straight weeks, and for 6 of the last 7, stories about guns have generated more interactions on social media than any other issue.
President Trump today plans to revoke California’s landmark emissions standards, setting up another sweeping legal fight with the nation’s largest state that may echo beyond his presidency.
Why it matters: Trump is at war with California over the environment, homelessness, tax returns, immigration and virtually every topic he touches. The courts are almost always center stage.
Corey Lewandowski's grudging, impudent testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday may have wound up bolstering Speaker Pelosi's hands-off approach to impeachment.
Why it matters: Among House Democrats we interviewed, there was overwhelming consensus that the chaotic hearing did nothing to galvanize public support for impeaching President Trump.
Former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday he couldn't have managed the role of commander in chief at 80 years old — the age 2020 candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders would turn while in office if they were elected.
What he's saying: "I hope there’s an age limit," Carter said with a laugh while answering audience questions during his annual report at the Carter Center in Atlanta, AP reports. "If I were just 80 years old, if I was 15 years younger, I don’t believe I could undertake the duties I experienced when I was president."
The Defense Department halted 3 planned "border barrier" construction projects on Sept. 13 after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) determined there were insufficient savings to move forward, per a courtfiling obtained by Politico this week.
The big picture: The USACE overestimated how much money would be available for these projects after the Pentagon redirected $2.5 billion in July for border wall construction. These projects would have been funded with money "left over" from the $2.5 billion, per Politico.
