Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) attacked Fox News host Tucker Carlson in a New York Times op-ed on Thursday, saying he "doesn't know what patriotism is," after he recently called her a "deeply silly and unimpressive person."
Why it matters: Duckworth, a Purple Heart recipient and double amputee, and Carlson have engaged in a back and forth since Duckworth said Sunday that "we should listen to the argument" for removing George Washington statues.
The Commerce Department inspector general released a report Thursday detailing how the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defended President Trump's erroneous claims that last September's Hurricane Dorian would severely impact Alabama, the Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: The report found that pressure from the White House resulted in NOAA releasing an unsigned statement that confirmed the president's claim that Alabama was in the storm's path.
Joe Biden on Thursday returned to his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, to give his first major speech on economic policy since becoming the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee.
Axios Re:Cap digs into Biden's plans, how they developed and how they may change, with former U.S. Commerce secretary and campaign surrogate Penny Pritzker.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner (D) Wednesday called off the Texas Republican Party's in-person convention set for next week because of a statewide spike in coronavirus cases.
Driving the news: The Republican Party of Texas filed a lawsuit against Turner and the city of Houston on Thursday for a breach of contract and asked for a temporary restraining order to prevent the city from restricting convention center events.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters on Thursday that President Trump's taxes are still under audit, and that he will not release them until the audit is completed.
Why it matters: Trump has claimed for years that his taxes are under "routine audit." The president's relentless fight to keep his financial records secret has brought him all the way to the Supreme Court.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley criticized Confederate symbols before the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday, and called the Civil War an "act of treason."
Why it matters: Milley said that minority service members — which he noted make up 43% of the U.S. military — may feel uncomfortable that Army bases are named for Confederate generals who "fought for an institution of slavery that may have enslaved one of their ancestors."
D.C. District Judge Emmet Sullivan on Thursday petitioned for the full D.C. Court of Appeals to rehear a three-judge panel's decision to order the dismissal of the case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Why it matters: The panel's 2-1 decision could be overturned by the full 11-judge appeals court if it decides to take up the en banc review.
66% of Americans support repealing qualified immunity for police officers and allowing civilians to sue officers for misconduct and excessive use of force, even if it makes law enforcement’s jobs more difficult, according to a Pew Research Center survey released Thursday.
Why it matters: Qualified immunity shields government officials from liability. When applied to police officers, it makes successful prosecution of misconduct difficult. Black Lives Matters is calling for an end to qualified immunity for police, and the practice has been at the center of debate on police reform.
President Trump's disgraced former personal lawyer Michael Cohen is heading back to prison after refusing the conditions of his home confinement, according to two people familiar with the situation.
Details: A New York Post report earlier this month placed Cohen out at a restaurant in New York with his wife, while one of the sources said that more broadly he refused to wear an ankle bracelet.
Geoffrey Berman, the former top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, was expected to say in closed-door testimony today that Attorney General Bill Barr repeatedly urged him to take another job, warned him that getting fired would not be good for his resume or job prospects and steered him toward a high-level Justice Department post in DC.
Driving the news: Axios has obtained a copy of Berman's opening statement for his closed-door hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Thursday that nearly half of Oklahoma is a Native American reservation "in the eyes of the criminal justice system," the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: The decision prevents the state from being able to prosecute offenses in the Creek Nation reservation that involve Native Americans, per the Times.
President Trump fired off a series of tweets on Thursday morning after the Supreme Court upheld a subpoena from the Manhattan district attorney for his financial records — attacking the Obama administration, the Mueller investigation, the GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee and others for allegedly undermining his presidency.
Why it matters: Trump has fought relentlessly to keep his financial records secret. The two Supreme Court justices that he appointed — Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — sided against Trump, with Kavanaugh writing in a concurring opinion: "In our system of government, as this Court has often stated, no one is above the law. That principle applies, of course, to a President."
The Supreme Court on Thursday kept the fight over President Trump’s financial records alive, all but ensuring that those records won’t be made public before the election.
The big picture: The court ruled that presidents are not immune from investigation, denying Trump the sweeping grant of presidential power he had asked for. But the legal wrangling over Trump's records, specifically, will continue — and they may end up in the hands of Manhattan prosecutors.
The six "unity" task forces that the Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders put together unveiled their policy recommendations yesterday.
The big picture: Big climate ideas include setting "technology-neutral" standards to achieve 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035, and a goal of achieving net-zero emissions in all new buildings by 2030.
A prevailing myth about the wealth gap between white and Black Americans is that it could be closed if Black people valued hard work and education like so-called model minorities, typically Asians and other recent U.S. immigrants.
Reality check: Data shows that to be untrue. A 2014 Bureau of Labor Statistics study finds that across races in the U.S., "Once families decide to invest in their children’s higher education, little difference exists in the level of expenditures between racial and ethnic groups."
Joy Reid will anchor a new nightly show on MSNBC in the 7 p.m. hour beginning July 20, the New York Times reports.
Why it matters: Reid will join a small number of Black women who have hosted nightly news programs on a major network in an industry often dominated by white men.
Six of Joe Biden's former 2020 rivals — and other top Democrats — are barnstorming the airwaves and virtual campaign trail in crucial states this week to pitch a new economic recovery plan he released Thursday, called "Build Back Better."
Why it matters: Biden outperforms President Trump on every issue except for the economy, according to a Pew Research poll of 4,000 adults last month.
The hometown of Joe Biden and "The Office" is polishing its perennial status as a guidepost for the nation's political mood.
Driving the news: Biden returns to Scranton, Pa., today with a campaign stop just outside the city limits at a metalworking plant, where he'll deliver remarks on a plan to create jobs and "help America build back better."
