Former Vice President Joe Biden told CNN on Friday that he's "embarrassed" by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has ramped up efforts with other GOP senators to make Hunter Biden a focal point of the impeachment proceedings against President Trump, saying Graham will "go down in a way that I think he's going to regret his whole life."
San Antonio — Axios Cities Reporter Kim Hart leads a conversation at the National League of Cities' City Summit on the priorities for building stronger communities across the country ahead of 2020, featuring presidential candidates Julián Castro and Joe Walsh.
Former White House national security adviser John Bolton returned to Twitter on Friday with a series of cryptic posts and a claim that the White House refused to grant him access to his personal Twitter account.
Why it matters: House Democrats have sought his testimony in the ongoing impeachment inquiry because he is considered a key witness in the Ukraine investigation. While there's online speculation his tweets could be tied to that, it's also worth noting that he has a forthcoming book about his time in the Trump White House.
Oliver Davis, the longest-serving African American man on the Common Council of South Bend, Ind., endorsed Joe Biden over Pete Buttigieg, the city's mayor, reports Politico.
Why it matters: The endorsement highlights two common criticisms of Buttigieg: his lack of political experience beyond local government and his struggle to appeal to black voters.
Hillary Clinton tweeted Friday to ask if congressional Republicans would hold President Trump to account at the close of two weeks of public impeachment hearings, stating that she believes he has committed "impeachable crimes."
"The question is not whether Trump has committed impeachable crimes. He has. The question is whether Republicans in Congress will affirm that an American president is not above the law."
The big picture: As recently as this month, Clinton refused to close the door on jumping into the 2020 presidential race. However, a key filing deadline has already passed in the early-voting state of New Hampshire.
Several witnesses who testified in the House impeachment inquiry this week highlighted their immigrant backgrounds, sharing their families' stories in highly personal opening statements, the AP's Jill Colvin and Colleen Long write.
Why it matters: They drew a connection to how those experiences led them to public service and a strong desire to safeguard U.S. national security. Their stories offered a sharp counterpoint to President Trump, who has often derided immigrants as a threat to American national security.
After seven public hearings with 12 different witnesses, the impeachment inquiry is moving on to the next stage: a public report and a handoff to the Judiciary Committee.
What's next: House Intelligence Committee staffers have been drafting a report that they plan to deliver to the Judiciary Committee in the coming weeks that lays out their case for impeachment, two sources familiar with their plans tell Axios.
Democrats are chasing two contradictory impulses in their quest to defeat President Trump: Move past Barack Obama's policies, but tap into the party's affection for him.
Why it matters: It's hard to watch a Democratic debate without being reminded of Obama's legacy. "We have to rebuild the Obama coalition," Sen. KamalaHarris said at Wednesday's debate, a point that was echoed by other candidates. "I keep referring to that because that's the last time we won."
The first Honduran migrant was sent to Guatemala on Thursday to pursue his asylum case, the AP reports, kicking off a "landmark" Trump administration policy.
Flashback: Guatemala signed a "safe third country" agreement in July, agreeing to take in more Central American asylum seekers in an effort to slow migration in the U.S. The policy mostly impacts immigrants from Honduras and El Salvador whose routes to the U.S. go through Guatemala. Thousands of Guatemalans left the country last year to seek asylum in the U.S., Al Jazeera notes.
