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Republican members of the House and Senate stand behind President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Photo: Alex Wong / Getty Images

President Trump had a June meeting in the Oval Office to rant to top advisers about what he perceived to be high numbers of foreigners who had been let into the country despite his infamous travel ban, according to a new report by the New York Times. Trump called it a mockery of his tough-on-immigration campaign promises.

Key quotes: Trump called Afghanistan a terrorist haven, claimed that the 15,000 Haitians who had travelled to the U.S. "all have AIDS," and said that the 40,000 Nigerians would never "go back to their huts" after seeing the U.S., officials who had been in the room told Times reporters NYT's Michael D. Shear and Julie Hirschfeld Davis.

Then-DHS Secretary John Kelly and policy adviser Stephen Miller blamed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for the many travelers being let into the U.S. Tillerson grew frustrated and suggested he stop issuing visas altogether, sources told the Times.

White House response: Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the Times, "General Kelly, General McMaster, Secretary Tillerson, Secretary Nielsen and all other senior staff actually in the meeting deny these outrageous claims. It's both sad and telling The New York Times would print the lies of their anonymous 'sources' anyway." Officials denied to the Times that Trump used the terms "AIDS" and "huts" during the meeting.

Go deeper:

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Updated 59 mins ago - Politics & Policy

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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Politics: 4 in 10 voters name the pandemic as their top concern — Biden's pandemic response would face intense resistance.
  2. Health: U.S. exceeds 100k daily cases for first time since pandemic began — Air pollution connected to higher COVID-19 death rates
  3. World: Italy imposes regional lockdown as infections spike — Restrictions grow across Europe as case count mounts.
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Live updates: Biden close to victory with wins in Michigan, Wisconsin

Expand chart
Data: AP; Chart: Naema Ahmed, Andrew Witherspoon, Danielle Alberti/Axios

Joe Biden is closing in on the 270 electoral votes he needs to defeat President Trump, according to Associated Press projections, with the critical battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin now called for Biden.

The latest: With those states and Arizona in Biden's column, one more — like Nevada or Pennsylvania — would be enough to put him over the top even as the Trump campaign fights him with lawsuits and recounts.

Democrat Gary Peters wins Senate re-election in Michigan

Sen. Gary Peters campaigns at a drive-in rally with Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama on Oct. 31. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Democrat Sen. Gary Peters has won re-election in Michigan against Republican businessman and veteran John James, AP projects.

Why it matters: It's a crucial win for Democrats, who have seen their chances of flipping the Senate fade away after failing to defeat vulnerable Republicans in Maine, Iowa, Montana and other states.