The White House announced Tuesday that President Trump intends to appoint former White House press secretary Sean Spicer and ex-chief of staff Reince Priebus to be members on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships.
Flashback: Priebus was replaced by John Kelly after serving the shortest non-interim stint as chief of staff in 2017. Spicer resigned from his post the same year.
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Bernie Sanders' national campaign co-chair called on Michael Bloomberg to drop out of the presidential race Tuesday after newly surfaced audio from a 2015 speech he gave showed how the former New York mayor defended stop-and-frisk and advocated for putting "all the cops" in minority neighborhoods.
What they're saying: "What has been exposed is the true nature of Mayor Bloomberg, so one apology just because you're running for president does not erase the damage that you have done," Nina Turner told Axios in the lobby of the DoubleTree hotel in Manchester.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) on Tuesday blocked an attempt by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) to pass three election security-related bills via "unanimous consent," calling them a "federal power grab."
Why it matters: Just last week, the third volume of a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report found that the U.S. government was "not well-postured" to counter Russian interference in 2016. The Democratic-controlled House passed several election security bills last year, but none have been taken up by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer on Tuesday condemned a 2015 audio recording of fellow billionaire Mike Bloomberg's defense of the controversial stop-and-frisk policing tactic used during his time as New York City mayor, calling the practice "extremely disturbing."
Driving the news: President Trump's campaign amplified the Bloomberg audio earlier on Tuesday. Trump tweeted and then deleted the recording, calling Bloomberg a "TOTAL RACIST."
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan said Tuesday that Joe Biden is "the best bet the Democrats have" to beat President Trump in 2020, but cautioned that he expects a more progressive candidate to ultimately win the nomination, CNBC reports.
What he's saying: Ryan said he believes that first-generation, college-educated, white-collar voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and his home state of Wisconsin are the key to winning in 2020 — and that they'll view Biden as a safe and moderate option.
President Trump's campaign seized Tuesday on 2015 audio of Mike Bloomberg defending the controversial stop-and-frisk policing tactic that was utilized by New York City during his mayoral tenure.
Why it matters: It's a significant and sustained attack by the Trump camp on a candidate that's gotten the president's attention — if his Twitter feed is any indication — and it comes as the former New York mayor has been gaining ground in national polls in a crowded Democratic field.
Campaigns are already deploying staff, surrogates and even the candidates themselves to South Carolina to get a jump start on what many view as the most important of the early-voting states.
Driving the news: Joe Biden said that he will be skipping his New Hampshire primary night party to fly to South Carolina this evening, where he will address New Hampshires supporters via livestream as results roll in.
The number of attempted illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border fell for the eighth straight month in January to 36,679, Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Last year’s border crisis largely consisted of Central American families and children attempting to reach the U.S., but over the last few months, the Trump administration has begun implementing asylum agreements with those nations. That has allowed immigration officials to deport asylum seekers to Central American countries that are not their home.
Former CNBC anchor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera has filed to challenge Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in the Democratic primary for New York's 14th congressional district.
Why it matters: The race pits Caruso-Cabrera, a proponent of free markets and limited government, against Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist and one of the most popular progressive politicians in the country.
The new White House budget proposal, which would slash Energy Department science and R&D programs, is awkward for congressional Republicans who are taking pains to emphasize "innovation" to fight climate change.
The state of play: To some extent this is all theater because nobody expects this budget to resemble what's ultimately appropriated — but it complicates GOP efforts to tout their ideas when the president, who commands fierce loyalty from the party, is pushing in the other direction.
At least eight states have considered bills that, if passed, would outlaw transgender minors' access to gender-affirming medical treatments.
The latest: A South Dakota Senate committee on Monday killed a bill that would have punished medical professionals with a $2,000 fine and a year in prison if they treated transgender minors with puberty blockers, hormone therapies or gender-related surgeries, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.
MANCHESTER, N.H.— The political market is rendering two unambiguous trend lines: Mike Bloomberg's TV monopoly is fueling his surge into the top tier of Democratic presidential rivals, and cash-strapped Joe Biden is crashing.
State of play: The billionaire and former New York mayor is achieving a critical mass in national polls and capturing the attention of the media, establishment Democrats (and Republicans) and the betting market. And the former vice president is dropping in those same metrics.
Michael Bloomberg is funneling more than a third of his massive advertising war chest into the 14 states voting on Super Tuesday, data from Advertising Analytics shows.
Why it matters: While most candidates are focusing their dollars and efforts on early primary states, the Democratic presidential candidate has his eyes set on the states he thinks he can win — and those with the most delegates.
Texas filed a lawsuit Monday asking the Supreme Court to overturn California's ban on state-funded travel to 11 states over their LGBTQ policies, arguing it is "infected with animus towards religion" and violates federal laws.
Why it matters: The case raises questions about whether the law prohibiting California government employees from traveling to states deemed to discriminate over gender identity or sexuality can stand.
President Trump tweeted early Tuesday that it is "disgraceful" that prosecutors requested his associate Roger Stone serve seven to nine years in prison for crimes including obstruction of justice, lying to Congress and witness tampering.
"This is a horrible and very unfair situation. The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!"
Federal prosecutors recommended in a sentencing memo filed Monday that Trump associate Roger Stone serve 87–108 months in prison — or 7–9 years — for crimes that include obstruction of justice, lying to Congress and witness tampering.
The big picture: Stone, one of several Trump associates to be indicted as a result of the Mueller investigation, was found guilty in November of lying to Congress about his efforts to learn more about when WikiLeaks would publish damaging emails about 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
New York filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Monday, calling a Department of Homeland Security move to ban New Yorkers from enrolling in Global Entry and other Trusted Traveler Programs "discriminatory," "unlawful" and "unconstitutional."
Driving the news: Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News last Thursday that the department was blocking New Yorkers from the programs in response to the state passing the "Green Light Law," preventing federal immigration officials from accessing vehicle records without a court order.
Sen. Bernie Sanders is leading the 2020 pack while former Mayor Michael Bloomberg has surged to third, a national poll by Quinnipiac showed Monday.
By the numbers: Quinnipiac found Sanders with 25%, former Vice President Joe Biden with 17%, Bloomberg with 15%, Sen. Elizabeth Warren with 14%, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg with 10% and Sen. Amy Klobuchar with 4%. No other candidate polled above 2%.
