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National

Jared Kushner told Republican donors that felons are coming out of jail and registering as Republicans, according to sources who attended a donor retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, last week.

Behind the scenes: "I guess climate change is not their No. 1 issue," Kushner joked of the former prisoners, according to sources who attended the dinner where Kushner spoke. The audience of Republican donors burst out laughing at this comment, these sources said. The remarks came as Kushner and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy discussed the prison reform bill that Trump signed into law at the end of the last Congress.

Through his remarks, Kushner was trying to solidify Republican support for prison reform, 1 of 4 sources who attended the dinner said. He praised the policy, but also made a political argument for pushing criminal justice reform, citing recent statistics he said he'd seen of ex-felons registering as Republicans in Florida.

Kushner said that if one of his predecessors had cared as much as he does about prison reform then "it would have changed my family." He was referring to his father, Charles Kushner, who went to jail in the mid-2000s after pleading guilty to tax evasion, illegal campaign donations and witness tampering.

What we're hearing: Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser made these comments during a staged conversation with McCarthy at a dinner Tuesday at the Wyoming ranch of John L. Nau III, a major beer distributor and Republican donor. More than 100 donors dined under a tent by the Snake River, with mountains in the backdrop, these sources said.

In the same conversation, Kushner described the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that he helped negotiate as "the best trade deal in the history of the country," a source in attendance said.

And Kushner said the president cares less about the politics of a China deal and more about "doing the right thing" with respect to pushing back against China in what has become a global problem, another source familiar with his remarks added.

Scoop: Jared Kushner tells donors ex-prisoners are joining the GOP

The audience of wealthy donors in Wyoming burst out laughing at Kushner's comment.

Photo: Michael Reynolds - Pool/Getty Images

Politics

Jared Kushner

Trump administration can't say when first section of new wall will be built

The wall has been Trump's most iconic and polarizing promise.

Trump border wall

President Trump has suggested multiple times to senior Homeland Security and national security officials that they explore using nuclear bombs to stop hurricanes from hitting the United States, according to sources who have heard the president's private remarks and been briefed on a National Security Council memorandum that recorded those comments.

Behind the scenes: During one hurricane briefing at the White House, Trump said, "I got it. I got it. Why don't we nuke them?" according to one source who was there. "They start forming off the coast of Africa, as they're moving across the Atlantic, we drop a bomb inside the eye of the hurricane and it disrupts it. Why can't we do that?" the source added, paraphrasing the president's remarks.

Asked how the briefer reacted, the source recalled he said something to the effect of, "Sir, we'll look into that."

Trump replied by asking incredulously how many hurricanes the U.S. could handle and reiterating his suggestion that the government intervene before they make landfall. 

The briefer "was knocked back on his heels," the source in the room added. "You could hear a gnat fart in that meeting. People were astonished. After the meeting ended, we thought, 'What the f---? What do we do with this?'"

Trump also raised the idea in another conversation with a senior administration official. A 2017 NSC memo describes that second conversation, in which Trump asked whether the administration should bomb hurricanes to stop them from hitting the homeland. A source briefed on the NSC memo said it does not contain the word "nuclear"; it just says the president talked about bombing hurricanes.

The source added that this NSC memo captured "multiple topics, not just hurricanes. … It wasn't that somebody was so terrified of the bombing idea that they wrote it down. They just captured the president’s comments."

The sources said that Trump's "bomb the hurricanes" idea — which he floated early in the first year and a bit of his presidency before John Bolton took over as national security adviser — went nowhere and never entered a formal policy process.

White House response: A senior administration official said, "We don't comment on private discussions that the president may or may not have had with his national security team."

A different senior administration official, who has been briefed on the president's hurricane bombing suggestion, defended Trump's idea and said it was no cause for alarm. "His goal — to keep a catastrophic hurricane from hitting the mainland — is not bad," the official said. "His objective is not bad."

"What people near the president do is they say 'I love a president who asks questions like that, who’s willing to ask tough questions.' ... It takes strong people to respond to him in the right way when stuff like this comes up. For me, alarm bells weren't going off when I heard about it, but I did think somebody is going to use this to feed into 'the president is crazy' narrative."

Trump called this story "ridiculous" in a Monday tweet from the G7 summit. He added, "I never said this. Just more FAKE NEWS!"

The big picture: Trump didn't invent this idea. The notion that detonating a nuclear bomb over the eye of a hurricane could be used to counteract convection currents dates to the Eisenhower era, when it was floated by a government scientist.

The idea keeps resurfacing in the public even though scientists agree it won't work. The myth has been so persistent that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. government agency that predicts changes in weather and the oceans, published an online fact sheet for the public under the heading "Tropical Cyclone Myths Page."

The page states: "Apart from the fact that this might not even alter the storm, this approach neglects the problem that the released radioactive fallout would fairly quickly move with the tradewinds to affect land areas and cause devastating environmental problems. Needless to say, this is not a good idea."

About 3 weeks after Trump's 2016 election, National Geographic published an article titled, "Nuking Hurricanes: The Surprising History of a Really Bad Idea." It found, among other problems, that:

Dropping a nuclear bomb into a hurricane would be banned under the terms of the Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. So that could stave off any experiments, as long as the U.S. observes the terms of the treaty.

Atlantic hurricane season runs until Nov. 30.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include President Trump's tweet responding to this story.

Scoop: Trump suggested nuking hurricanes to stop them from hitting U.S.

"People were astonished. After the meeting ended, we thought, 'What the f---? What do we do with this?'"

Illustration of Trump pressing nuclear button

Nuclear weapons

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Science

Donald Trump

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

A pro-Trump network of conservative operatives has been compiling dossiers of potentially damaging public comments and social media posts by journalists who have produced unfavorable coverage of the administration, the New York Times' Ken Vogel and Jeremy Peters report. 

The big picture: The group has already released information on journalists at CNN, the Times and the Washington Post, but sources say the operation has only disclosed a fraction of its dirt. More is set to be disseminated as the 2020 election campaign ramps up, including potentially "fireable" information on "several hundred" journalists, according to one source. The research is also said to include information on journalists' families and any "toxic" political affiliations.

What they're saying: The White House press office said no one in the White House, including the president, was aware of or involved in the scheme and that no funding for the operation has been provided by the administration or the Republican National Committee.

But, but, but: According to the Times, "The Trump campaign said it was unaware of, and not involved in, the effort, but suggested that it served a worthy purpose. 'We know nothing about this, but it’s clear that the media has a lot of work to do to clean up its own house,' said Tim Murtaugh, the campaign’s communications director."

Sam Nunberg, who worked on the 2016 Trump campaign, told the Times: "Two can play at this game. The media has long targeted Republicans with deep dives into their social media, looking to caricature all conservatives and Trump voters as racists."

The bottom line: Trump has long been at war with the press, consistently deeming factual reporting "fake news" and attacking journalists as the "enemy of the people." The effort to delegitimize reporters on a personal level, even if not led by Trump himself, appears to be an unprecedented step.

NYT: Pro-Trump operatives compiling "fireable" dirt on hundreds of journalists

The large-scale effort to delegitimize reporters on a personal level appears to be an unprecedented step.

Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Trump vs media

Media

Top stories & latest news on the Federal Reserve, real-time data, plus the biggest shifts happening in the U.S. and global economy.

Economy

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham clarified remarks that President Trump made at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, in which he appeared to express regret about the United States' escalating trade war with China.

"The President was asked if he had ‘any second thought on escalating the trade war with China.' His answer has been greatly misinterpreted. President Trump responded in the affirmative — because he regrets not raising the tariffs higher."

Context: Telling reporters that he "might as well" have "second thoughts" about escalating the trade war was viewed as the first time Trump has indicated any regret that the dispute with China had spiraled into an international crisis.

Driving the news: Trump said Friday he would raise tariffs against China, hours after the Chinese government announced it would levy retaliatory duties on earlier U.S. action. China has since vowed to continue fighting the trade war "until the end." 

Sources briefed on Trump's thinking tell Axios' Jonathan Swan that the president wanted to go harder against China on Friday. Trump's initial impulse was to immediately move on all the tariffs and ratchet them up dramatically.

AP reports that the president told reporters Sunday morning he has "no plans right now" to follow through on his emergency declaration threat to force U.S. companies to leave China, but he added: "If I want, I could declare a national emergency."

What they're saying: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave his take on the issue at a breakfast with Trump, as the 2 leaders talked up a new trade deal between the U.S. and the United Kingdom, per the Guardian.

"[J]ust to register a faint, sheeplike note of our view on the trade war — we are in favour of trade peace on the whole." 

The big picture: Just before his meeting with Johnson, Trump tweeted that "the Leaders are getting along very well" at the G7 summit, dismissing reports of tension as "false."

Reality check: Reuters notes leaders have spoken out on policy differences including climate change, tariffs and trade protectionism. French President Emmanuel Macron told a news conference this week he would abandon the tradition of a joint final communiqué because it would highlight disagreements, according to the FT. 

"I know the points of disagreement with the U.S. If we draft an agreement about the Paris [climate] accord, President Trump won’t agree. It’s pointless."

 Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Trump's China tweets lay out a path to Cold War II 

China trade war: White House clarifies Trump comments about "second thoughts"

"President Trump responded in the affirmative - because he regrets not raising the tariffs higher."

 President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting at the G7

President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting at the G7 summit in France. Photo: Dylan Martinez/Pool/Getty Images

U.S. China trade war

World

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived on Sunday at the site of the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, at the invitation of French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, officials confirmed.

Why it matters: Zarif is viewed as the "international face" of Iran's government and was sanctioned by the U.S. last month amid a recent escalation of tensions between the 2 countries. Zarif is not expected to meet with President Trump or any U.S. officials, though Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Fox News that the president has previously stated his willingness to sit down for talks with Iranian officials with "no preconditions."

The big picture: President Trump has found himself at odds with other G7 and Western leaders over his policies toward Iran. The Europeans in particular have clashed with the Trump administration as they struggle to salvage the Iran nuclear deal, which the U.S. pulled out of in 2018 in favor of a campaign of "maximum pressure" sanctions.

A senior French official told AP that Zarif was invited to the G7 in an effort to ease tensions over its nuclear program.

The official added that France "is working in full transparency with the U.S. and in full transparency with European partners."

"Iran's active diplomacy in pursuit of constructive engagement continues. .. Road ahead is difficult. But worth trying," Zariff tweeted as he and Macron wrapped up their meeting on Sunday. 

Go deeper: Expert Voices: Iran's defiance on display in recent missile tests

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif makes surprise visit to site of G7

Zarif was sanctioned by the Trump administration last month.

Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum/AFP/Getty Images

Iran

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

Conservative radio host and former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) announced on ABC's "This Week" that he is launching a primary challenge to President Trump in 2020.

Wjla-9 00 Am - 10 00 Am-9 02 34 Am - 9 04 37 Am-2019-08-25

"We've got a guy in the White House who’s unfit, completely unfit, to be president. And it stuns me that nobody stepped up, nobody in the Republican Party stepped up, because I’ll tell you what, George, everybody believes in the Republican party, everybody believes that he’s unfit."

"I’m running because he’s unfit. Somebody needs to step up and there needs to be an alternative. The country is sick of this guy’s tantrum. He’s a child. Again, the litany, he lies every time he opens his mouth. Look at what’s happened this week — the president of the United States, is tweeting us into a recession."

The big picture: Walsh isn't Trump's only primary challenger, as former Gov. Bill Weld (R-Mass.) has already launched a long-shot bid. But the Tea Party Republican would likely offer a different approach to the more traditional Weld, having created a brand for himself as a conservative activist unafraid to ruffle feathers. That has led Walsh to his fair share of controversy, including allegations of racist statements.

Walsh apologized for calling President Obama a "Muslim" and a "traitor," telling ABC: "I had strong policy disagreements with Barack Obama and too often I let those policy disagreements get personal."

Walsh laid the groundwork for a run at the presidency in a NY Times op-ed last week in which he stated the case for a contender from the right to challenge Trump. In the op-ed, Walsh said he gave Trump "a fair hearing" after voting for him in 2016, but he realized soon after he became president that he couldn’t support him.

The bottom line: President Trump has a near-90% approval rating within the Republican Party, and it will be incredibly difficult for Walsh or any primary challenger to replace him as the nominee.

Go deeper: Trump challenger Joe Walsh has an inflammatory record of his own

Republican Joe Walsh announces he will primary Trump in 2020

The Tea Party Republican once supported Trump, but has since turned him.

Axios

Sunday's top stories