The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will debate and vote on a bipartisan bill on Wednesday aimed at supporting human rights in Hong Kong, with measures that include giving the U.S. more authority to defend the region's autonomy and sanction individuals who attempt to undermine it.
Why it matters: The bill has emerged as the leading mechanism proposed by Congress for the U.S. to deter Beijing from escalating its aggression in Hong Kong.
The Democratic National Committee on Monday released the qualification criteria for the 5th round of presidential primary debates in November.
The big picture: The required thresholds for both polling and individual donations have again been raised from previous debates in an effort to whittle down the field.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday called on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to launch an investigation into allegations that President Trump asked the president of Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in exchange for security assistance.
Why it matters: The request is likely to fall on deaf ears. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) is the only Republican thus far to condemn the allegations — at least part of which Trump has confirmed himself — as "troubling in the extreme."
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham told "Fox & Friends" Monday that she has no plans to resume regular press briefings.
The big picture: The briefings, which started during the Clinton administration, have become increasingly rare in President Trump's White House. It has been more than 6 months since a press secretary has held a traditional briefing.
President Trump's White House has the highest turnover rate in top-level positions of any administration in history, according to a new study by the Brookings Institution.
Why it matters: Turnover can lead to inefficiency on several fronts, Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, the study's author, wrote last year. For every person that leaves, a replacement needs to be hired and caught up to speed. Replacements also tend to bring their own deputies and trusted staff, which leads to a domino effect of new hires.
President Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani told Fox Business' Maria Bartiomo Monday that he couldn't assure her "100%" that Trump had not threatened to withhold military aid from Ukraine if the country did not launch an investigation into Joe Biden and his son.
The big picture: Giuliani is at the heart of the Ukraine controversy — which he says involved him asking Ukrainian officials to investigate "Ukrainian collusion" that he claims occurred during the 2016 presidential election — but he acknowledged over the weekend that his request involved Biden.
GOP presidential candidate Bill Weld suggested on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Monday that President Trump should face the death penalty for treason if he pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden and his son or face the withholding of military aid.
APPLETON, Wis. — Elizabeth Warren's left-wing populism is gaining popularity among some swing voters here, but they're not ready to embrace her for 2020.
Why it matters: In a small, all-women focus group, some participants suggested President Trump would win on personality if the contest was between him and Warren — and that their doubts about her aren't based on substance.
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that if the allegations that President Trump pressured the Ukrainian government to investigate Joe Biden are true, then Democrats may have no other choice than to impeach him.
Democrats in swing seats are more comfortable supporting new gun restrictions than they were just a few years ago, but most still aren't on board with Beto O'Rourke's "hell, yeah" stance on confiscating assault weapons.
Why it matters: Some vulnerable Democrats up for reelection next year are nervous that too much attention is being paid to mandatory gun buyback programs — thanks to Beto — ahead of 2020.
The Trump administration is eyeing a new trade deal with Iceland amid the U.S. trade war with China and tensions with Europe, officials tell me.
Why it matters: A potential deal isn't about Iceland’s economy, which offers little to the U.S. from a financial perspective. But the Arctic country is strategically located, and the president's national security team has emphasized the importance of investing in the region.
In a letter to lawmakers Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) issued a warning about the Trump administration's continued efforts to block acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire from turning over a whistleblower complaint that reportedly involves the president.
"If the Administration persists in blocking this whistleblower from disclosing to Congress a serious possible breach of constitutional duties by the President, they will be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness which will take us into a whole new stage of investigation."
Between the lines: It's likely that the "new stage of investigation" that Pelosi is referring to is impeachment. House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) — who along with Pelosi has refrained from endorsing impeachment until there's enough public support — said Sunday that the whistleblower controversy could leave Democrats with no other choice.
69% of the 900 registered voters polled in the September NBC News/Wall Street Journal public opinion poll said they do not like Trump personally, regardless of their feelings about his policies.
Why it matters: Despite the conventional wisdom that incumbents have an upper hand in general elections, the poll indicates that Trump is the most disliked president out of his 5 most recent predecessors.
President Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani said on "Fox News Sunday" that he misspoke during his interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo on Friday when he at first denied that he asked Ukrainian officials to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.
Organizers of the Polk County Democrats' Steak Fry in Des Moines, Iowa, say more than 12,200 attend Saturday's event, as 17 of the 19 Democratic presidential candidates made their pitch to voters in the state.
The big picture: The gathering comes less than 5 months ahead of the Iowa caucuses —the first to take place in the U.S.
The Alaska Republican Party has become the latest state GOP to cancel its 2020 presidential primary in a show of support for President Trump, the Anchorage Daily News first reported Saturday.
The big picture: The Republican parties in the key early nominating states of Nevada and South Carolina voted this month not to hold contests, as did Kansas and Arizona.
Trump has a near-90% approval rating within the GOP. But he faces challenges for the party's nomination from former congressman Joe Walsh, ex-Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld and former congressman and South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has overtaken 2020 rival Joe Biden in Iowa to snatch the lead in a Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa Poll of preferred Democratic presidential candidates published Saturday night.
Why it matters: Per the Des Moines Register, this is the first time Warren has led in the state's poll. It's the latest in a series of surges in the polls for the Massachusetts senator. She's also been drawing big crowds in recent weeks.
