Jun 7, 2018

Trump hosts first iftar dinner

Haley Britzky

President Trump hosted a number of diplomats from Muslim countries on Wednesday night for the administration's first iftar, an evening meal that breaks the fast during Ramadan.

Guests include, per Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs: Ambassadors from Yemen, Jordan, Kuwait, UAE, Bangladesh, Sudan, and more.

  • The Islamic Society of North America and the Council on American-Islamic Relations said they were not invited, the Huffington Post reported.
  • Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said there would be between 30 and 40 people attending, per the AP.

The practice of hosting iftar at the White House has been observed since Bill Clinton's administration, but Trump declined to do so in the first year of his administration.

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Situational awareness

Vanessa Bryant delivers a tearful tribute to her husband Kobe and daughter Gianna. Photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Catch up on today's biggest news:

  1. Harvey Weinstein convicted in rape trial
  2. Watch: Los Angeles celebrates Kobe and Gianna Bryant
  3. Supreme Court to hear case over same-sex foster parents
  4. Democrats demand new Russia sanctions over 2020 election interference
  5. In photos: Trump's massive rally in India
  6. Trump assembles "Deep State" hit list
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Alayna Treene

Democrats demand new Russia sanctions over 2020 election interference

Putin and Trump. Photo: Kremlin Press Office/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Senate Democratic leaders sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday afternoon demanding they sanction Russia — and potentially Russian President Vladimir Putin himself — for attempting to influence the 2020 presidential election.

Why it matters: The letter follows reports that a senior intelligence official briefed Congress that Russia is again interfering in the November election to help Trump. White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien repeatedly rejected that assessment on Sunday, and CNN later reported that the briefer may have overstated the intelligence community's evidence about Russia's goals.

Go deeperArrow24 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Dan Primack

Private equity returns fell behind stocks over the past decade

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

U.S. private equity returns fell just below S&P 500 returns for the 10-year period ending last June, according to a report released Monday morning by Bain & Company.

Why it matters: Private equity markets itself as beating public markets over long-term time horizons, and usually providing an illiquidity premium to boot. These new performance figures not only dent such claims, but provide fresh ammunition to critics of public pension investment in private equity funds.

Go deeperArrow3 hours ago - Economy & Business