Michael Anton, a former senior official on President Trump's National Security Council, is out Tuesday with a new book, obtained by Axios, titled, "The Stakes: America at the Point of No Return."
The big picture: The heading of the book's first chapter captures the tone and tenor of Anton's polemic: "Be afraid, very afraid: California as case study of America's possible future."
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler reacted on Sunday to President Trump's tweets attacking Democratic officials in the wake of a fatal shooting Saturday night during clashes between Trump supporters and protesters, saying at a news conference, "I'd appreciate that either the president support us or stay the hell out of the way."
Why it matters: Trump has made Portland, which has seen more than 90 consecutive days of Black Lives Matter protests, a target for his claims that Democratic leadership is allowing violent rioters and antifa to overrun cities. Wheeler last week rejected Trump's offer to send federal law enforcement in the city to help quell violent protests, leading the president to unleash a barrage of attacks on Twitter over the weekend.
Here are some reasons why President Trump's top advisers say they feel better today than they did three weeks ago.
The state of play: Some early data suggests the Republican National Convention was a success and gave Trump more of a bounce than Joe Biden got from the Democratic National Convention.
On Feb. 23, 2018, White House counsel Don McGahn sent a two-page memo to Chief of Staff John Kelly arguing that Jared Kushner's security clearance needed to be downgraded, the New York Times' Michael Schmidt reports in his forthcoming book, "Donald Trump v. The United States."
Driving the news: Schmidt reports directly from the confidential McGahn memo for the first time, describing how Kelly had serious concerns about granting Kushner a top-secret clearance in response to a briefing he had received related to the routine FBI investigation into Kushner’s background.
The day after President Trump fired FBI boss James Comey, the president phoned John Kelly, who was then secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, and offered him Comey's job, the New York Times' Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Michael Schmidt reports in his forthcoming book, "Donald Trump v. The United States."
Driving the news: "But the president added something else — if he became FBI director, Trump told him, Kelly needed to be loyal to him, and only him."
If Joe Biden wins the presidency, he might need a trillion-dollar stimulus bill in January, just to buy enough time to push through his nearly $3 trillion "Build Back Better" plan later in spring 2021. That's according to Biden advisers who are growing increasingly worried that the economy is deteriorating by the day.
The big picture: Congress and the White House are locked in a stalemate on additional spending to soften the blow of the pandemic. Every day that extra stimulus is delayed only serves to increase the ultimate size of the final cost to the economy.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden issued a statement unequivocally condemning violence on all sides after a man was fatally shot Saturday night during a clash between supporters of President Trump and anti-racism protesters.
Why it matters: As Biden prepares to address civil unrest this week, he is looking to set a marker for Trump and put the burden on him to speak to all sides on an issue that is roiling America and the presidential campaign.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) slammed Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe as a "Trump stooge" for his decision to no longer provide in-person briefings to Congress on election security issues, joining the chorus of Democrats who have condemned the move.
The big picture: Ratcliffe, a Trump loyalist who was confirmed for the position overseeing U.S. intelligence agencies in May, said he made the decision to only provide written briefings in order to prevent leaks. Democrats say that suspending in-person briefings to Congress will allow Ratcliffe to skirt accountability and avoid follow-up questions.
A man wearing a hat featuring a symbol of far-right group Patriot Prayer was fatally shot during clashes between supporters of President Trump and anti-racism protesters in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday night, per multiple reports.
Details: It wasn't immediately clear if the death was connected to skirmishes that erupted after some 1,000 Trump supporters rallied in the city, the Oregonian notes. The Portland Police Bureau said in a statement they had opened a homicide investigation into the shooting, which happened at 8:46pm.
Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told special counsel Robert Mueller in May 2017 to only conduct a criminal investigation of possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin, secretly curtailing an FBI counterintelligence probe into President Trump's ties to Russia, the New York Times' Mike Schmidt reports.
Why it matters: Acting FBI director Andrew McCabe had approved the opening of the counterintelligence investigation out of concerns that Trump's decades of personal and financial dealings in Russia posed a national security threat. Rosenstein, concluding that the probe lacked justification and that McCabe had conflicts of interest, never informed him of the decision.
Jacob Blake's attorney Benjamin Crump told CBS News' "Face the Nation" Sunday that President Trump has not contacted the Blake family ahead of his planned visit to Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, more than a week after police shot Blake seven times in the back.
Why it matters: Protests have erupted in Kenosha and across the country in response to Blake's shooting. Trump, who has made condemning violent protests a key plank of his "law and order" campaign message, plans to visit the city on Tuesday to "survey damage from recent riots," according to a White House spokesperson.
Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) said Sunday his office has not decided whether it will charge the officers involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, five months after the incident occurred, because it is conducting a "thorough and fair investigation."
What's new: Cameron told CBS News' "Face the Nation" that his office had received a ballistics report this week — a "critical component" of the probe that he previously implied had stalled the investigation, which the state took on in May.
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows argued Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that "most of Donald Trump's America is peaceful" and that the violence that the Trump campaign has so frequently highlighted as part of its "law and order" message is in "Democrat cities."
Why it matters: One of the main themes of last week's Republican convention was that scenes of violent protests and crime are what America will look like under a Joe Biden administration. Biden shot back on Thursday, saying: "The violence we’re witnessing is happening under Donald Trump. Not me. It’s getting worse, and we know why."
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf claimed on Sunday that he did not know that a prerecorded naturalization ceremony with President Trump would be aired during the Republican National Convention.
Why it matters: The ceremony has prompted House Democrats to demand an investigation into Wolf for potentially violating the Hatch Act, which restricts federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.
Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, criticized President Trump for his plans to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, arguing on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that the only purpose of the trip is "to campaign and to agitate."
Why it matters: Kenosha has been rocked by violent protests since the police shooting of Jacob Blake, with clashes last week culminating in the shooting death of two people by a 17-year-old member of an armed right-wing group. Trump plans to visit the city on Tuesday to "survey damage from recent riots," according to a White House spokesperson.
House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) accused the Trump administration on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday of ending in-person election security briefings to Congress to "conceal the truth" about Russian interference in the 2020 elections.
Driving the news: The Office of the Director of National Intelligence canceled future in-person briefings on election security issues to the congressional intelligence committees, announcing it will only provide written updates in order to minimize the potential for leaks.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told ABC's "This Week" that "all options continue to be on the table" in terms of sending federal law enforcement into Portland to quell violent protests.
Why it matters: Tensions in Portland reached new heights after a person was killed on Saturday night during clashes between protesters and Trump supporters. Wolf could not share more details on the incident because the investigation is ongoing, but he called on local officials to allow federal law enforcement to step in.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) denied on Sunday that the theory that the Ukrainian government interfered in the 2016 election on behalf of Democrats is Russian disinformation, telling CNN's Dana Bash: "That's your typification that it has been debunked."
Why it matters: The bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee found that "numerous Russian-government actors" promoted "false narratives" seeking to discredit investigations into 2016 Russian election interference by blaming Ukraine. The committee identified "no reliable evidence" that the Ukrainian government interfered in the election.
California's state Senate voted on Saturday to organize a task force to consider reparations to Black Americans, focusing on descendants of slaves, AP reports.
The big picture: "African Americans continue to suffer debilitating economic, educational, and health hardships" because of continued discrimination, the bill states.
President Trump didn’t make himself more appealing to voters during the Republican National Convention, but he did hurt Joe Biden, a new Axios-SurveyMonkey poll finds.
Why it matters: Trump dedicated much of his convention messaging to trying to try scare voters about Biden, charging that he'd allow leftist radicals to drive Democrats' agenda and urban protesters to unravel the suburbs.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has canceled future in-person briefings on election security issues to the congressional intelligence committees and will only provide written updates, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) announced in a statement on Saturday.
Why it matters: The National Counterintelligence and Security Center said in early August that the Russian government is actively "using a range of measures" to "denigrate former Vice President Biden" before the November election.
President Trump will visit Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday amid unrest over the Aug. 23 police shooting that left Jacob Blake paralyzed from the waist down, the White House confirmed.
Why it matters: Per AP, Trump's trip is "certain to exacerbate tensions in the city, where a crowd of about 1,000 demonstrators gathered outside a courthouse Saturday to denounce police violence." White House spokesperson Judd Deere told reporters the president would "survey damage from recent riots," AFP reports. Trump is touting his law and order credentials as he seeks re-election.
Why it matters: The protesters had marched peacefully in L.A. on Aug. 29, 1970, in what was then the largest anti-war action by a minority group in the U.S. They were met with tear gas by sheriff's deputies storming into Laguna Park, leaving three people dead. Activist and war veteran Cruz Becerra told ABC7, "It is part of our history. We took a stand against an unjust war and that mattered."
Acting Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Saturday criticized an Office of the Director of National Intelligence decision to cancel in-person briefings with Congress on election security issues, but also claimed leaks by members of Congress are part of the problem.
What he's saying: “Congressional oversight of intelligence activities now faces a historic crisis," Rubio said in a statement. "Intelligence agencies have a legal obligation to keep Congress informed of their activities. And members of Congress have a legal obligation to not divulge classified information. In my short time as Acting Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I have witnessed firsthand how this delicate balance has been destroyed.
President Trump visited Louisiana and Texas on Saturday to survey the damage caused by former Hurricane Laura, which killed 16 people after making landfall near the states' border as a Category 4 storm before weakening this week, per AP.
The big picture: Trump said while visiting Lake Charles that he wanted to "support the great people of Louisiana." "It's been a great state for me," he said, adding Louisiana would rebuild "fast." Anti-Trump Republican group the Lincoln Project tweeted video of telling locals after signing an autograph, "Sell it tonight on eBay. $10,000."
Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe has informed congressional committee heads via letter that in-person briefings on election security issues will no longer take place and lawmakers will instead receive written "intelligence products."
The big picture: He said this would safeguard details the Office of the Director of National Intelligence provides Congress, protecting sources, methods "and most sensitive intelligence" from "unauthorized disclosures or misuse," and ensure it's "not misunderstood nor politicized." Democrats said Saturday the move abdicated the ODNI's lawful responsibility to inform Congress and denied Americans the right to know.
