A second internal memo on White House cybersecurity, obtained by Axios, reveals new details about how IT officials inside the Trump administration were dispatched to investigate leaks embarrassing to President Trump.
Where it stands: The memo, dated June 1, has surfaced only now amid controversy over a different memo explaining the concerns surrounding an exodus of cybersecurity staff brought in under the Obama administration to protect the White House from Russian hacking.
The Trump Organization is considering selling the rights to the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., reports the Wall Street Journal.
The big picture: Eric Trump, President Trump's son and an executive vice president of the family business, told the WSJ that the move is in part fueled by criticism surrounding the family profiting from the property during Trump's presidency.
The U.S. Treasury is reporting a 26% increase from the 2018 budget deficit to $984 billion for the fiscal year 2019, the highest it's been in 7 years, the AP reports.
Why it matters: Revenue dropped thanks to the 2017 tax cut and the federal budget that tacked on billions of dollars in spending for the military and other programs, serving as a contrast from President Trump's campaign promises to cut wasteful spending.
A statement penned by the Department of Justice inspector general condemning the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel for its failure to turn over the Ukraine whistleblower complaint to Congress, has received the support of dozens of watchdogs from across the federal government.
Why it matters: The concern surrounds the OLC opinion from Sept. 24 in response to the whistleblower's complaint to the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, which the Trump administration attempted to keep hidden. "The OLC opinion, if not withdrawn or modified, could seriously undermine the critical role whistleblowers play in coming forward to report waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct across the federal government," the independent IGs concluded.
Democratic megadonor George Soros told the New York Times that he believes Elizabeth Warren is the "most qualified" candidate for the presidency in 2020 — though he stopped short of an outright endorsement.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) announced early Friday that she will not seek re-election to Congress in 2020 in order to focus on her presidential campaign.
"I'm fully committed to my offer to serve you, the people of Hawaii & America, as your President & Commander-in-Chief. So I will not be seeking reelection to Congress in 2020. I humbly ask for your support for my candidacy for President of the United States."
The number of children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border by U.S. immigration authorities since July 2017 is now 5,460, according to ACLU data reported by AP.
Why it matters: Obtaining a comprehensive count of the children separated at the border was a difficult task because of poor government accounting, especially in the earliest days of the family separation policy. The government has also struggled to properly keep track of parents in order to be able to reunite them with their children.
Top Trump officials have quietly created a de facto impeachment war room, with a chief goal of policing and solidifying Republican Senate support for acquittal.
What's happening: Most senior officials in the White House recognized quickly that the G7 and Syria decisions harmed the president's standing with Senate Republicans, and realized that could bleed over and cause problems for their impeachment firewall.
The General Services Administration was subpoenaed on Thursday for failing to deliver documents related to the Washington, D.C. Trump International Hotel's lease to the House Transportation committee, the Washington Post reports.
The big picture: President Trump has been sued for allegedly profiting from officials, both foreign and domestic, who stay at the luxury D.C. property. That suit will be heard by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Dec. 12. One of Trump's attorneys recently argued the president is immune to prosecution while he holds office.
2020 presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released a proposal precisely at 4:20 pm on Thursday to legalize marijuana at the federal level, per a campaign email.
The big picture: Marijuana legalization has become an increasingly popular stance within the Democratic Party, but Sanders' proposal appears to be one of the most progressive in the 2020 field. Sanders says he would legalize marijuana within 100 days via executive action and fight against large marijuana companies monopolizing the market to ensure communities of color are able to benefit from the industry.
New Jersey's attorney general is attempting to rescind the Trump National Golf Club's liquor license over a 2015 car wreck that allegedly resulted from the club over-serving alcohol to a guest, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: If one of President Trump's golf clubs loses its license, New Jersey law requires his two other clubs in the state to lose their ability to serve alcohol for two years. The loss could lead to a significant drop in revenue for the Trump Organization.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) introduced a resolution in the Senate Thursday condemning the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, calling on the House to vote to open a formal inquiry and provide Trump with "fundamental constitutional protections."
"If you can drive down a president's poll numbers by having proceedings where you selectively leak information, where the president who's the subject of all this is pretty much shut out, God help future presidents."
Members of the House and the Senate gathered on Thursday in the Capitol's Statuary Hall to pay tribute to their colleague, the late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.).
Why it matters: Cummings, one of the most influential figures in Washington, died last week. He is the first black lawmaker to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol, where he served his Maryland district for 23 years. At the time of his death, he was one of three House committee chairmen leading an inquiry into the impeachment of President Trump.
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) announced on Thursday that he dropped out of the 2020 presidential race.
The big picture: Ryan had hoped to win back white, working class Democrats who flipped for President Trump in 2016. But in the face of an increasingly progressive party, his bid failed to gain momentum, resulting in lukewarm debate performances and flat polling numbers.
Rep. Jim Jordan has sent a letter to State Department official Philip Reeker asking why his deposition as part of the Democrats' Ukraine investigation was moved to Saturday, and encouraging him to instead testify on a business day.
Why it matters: The letter, obtained by Axios, is the latest move by Republicans to try and gain a level of control over Democrats' impeachment inquiry.
A group of conservative leaders plan to send a letter to the White House and Capitol Hill on Thursday expressing support for acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, who has come under fire in the wake of a chaotic press conference last week, according to a source who shared the draft letter with Axios.
Why it matters: Mulvaney’s friends and allies have recently grown worried about his job security. They’ve been hearing reports that he’s being cut out of some decisions and deprived of information by White House counsel Pat Cipollone. Mulvaney’s mishap of a press conference last week — in which he conceded, then retracted, that there was a politically motivated "quid pro quo" involved in Ukrainian aid — armed his internal critics with additional weapons.
A Quinnipiac poll released Thursday has Elizabeth Warren leading by seven points in the 2020 Democratic race while a Wednesday CNN poll gave Joe Biden a 15-point advantage — both among their biggest polling leads so far.
Why it matters: Those back-to-back — and seemingly contradictory — results highlight why looking at a single poll in isolation cannot paint an accurate picture of what's happening in the race, especially months before the first votes are officially cast.
Sometimes it sounds like Joe Biden is running against Joe Biden.
The big picture: From Ukraine to Syria strategy to his use of the word "lynching" in connection with Bill Clinton's impeachment, Biden's background often complicates the attacks Democrats want to use against President Trump.
U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland disputes aspects of congressional testimony by the top American diplomat in Ukraine and he "does not recall" anything about threatening Ukraine over aid, his attorney told the Washington Post Wednesday.
Why it matters: Acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bill Taylor testified Tuesday that Sondland communicated to Ukrainian officials that President Trump wanted military aid to Ukraine to be conditional on them agreeing to investigate natural gas firm Burisma, for which former Vice President Joe Biden's son worked, and alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. election in a quid pro quo, which Trump has long denied.
Rep. Katie Hill (D-Calif.) is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee over allegations that she engaged in a sexual relationship with a congressional staffer in possible violation of House rules, the panel said in a statement. Hill denies any wrongdoing and says she will cooperate with the panel, per the Los Angeles Times.
The big picture: Conservative website RedState alleged in severalarticles published over the weekend that Hill, who flipped a Republican-held district in 2018 after being endorsed by former President Obama, engaged in relationships with a woman on her campaign team and her legislative director, Graham Kelly, which the Washington Post notes "would violate House ethics rules."
