Dec 23, 2017

Report: Trump said Haitian immigrants "all have AIDS"

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.

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Tara Reade says she took Biden allegations to Warren and Harris campaigns

Tara Reade speaking to Megyn Kelly. Photo: Megyn Kelly

Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer who has accused Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993, claimed Friday in an interview with Megyn Kelly that she brought her allegation to the 2020 presidential campaigns of Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris.

Why it matters: This is new information from Reade, who has done multiple interviews to discuss her allegation against the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. But a senior advisor to Harris told Axios they have no record of contact from her.

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Updated 9 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Emails obtained by AP contradict White House line on CDC reopening guidance

President Trump speaks while flanked by CDC Director Robert Redfield. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on a report detailing guidelines for the nation's reopening — despite White House officials' insistence it was not cleared — according to emails obtained by the AP.

Why it matters: The mixed messaging is more evidence of the struggle between the CDC, which typically handles public health crises, and the White House coronavirus task force, which the president has made clear will shift its focus to reopening the country.