Oct 31, 2019 - World

Trump taps North Korea envoy as deputy secretary of state

Stephen Biegun waits for South Korean President Moon Jae-in and President Trump, Seoul, June 30. Photo: Kim Hong-Ji-Pool/Getty Images

President Trump has nominated U.S. envoy to North Korea Stephen Biegun for the deputy secretary of state post, AP reports.

The big picture: Biegun, who would replace John Sullivan if confirmed by the Senate, aided negotiations for Trump's historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, per AP, and has led ongoing negotiations to denuclearize the country. No president in recent history has started his tenure with as many extended Cabinet vacancies as Trump.

Background: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's acknowledgment that he was on the July 25 call between Trump and Ukraine's president has tied the State Department more closely to House Democrats' ongoing impeachment inquiry.

Go deeper: Trump's Cabinet vacancies have lasted way longer than other modern presidents

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Orion Rummler
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Senate to vote on Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation on Oct. 26

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the Capitol on Oct. 20. Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

The Senate will vote to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court next Monday, Oct. 26, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced Tuesday.

The big picture: The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote this Thursday to advance Barrett's nomination to the full Senate floor. Democrats have acknowledged that there's nothing procedurally they can do to stop Barrett's confirmation, which will take place just one week out from Election Day.

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Axios
Updated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Politics: Americans feel Trump's sickness makes him harder to trust — Florida breaks record for in-person early voting.
  2. Health: The next wave is gaining steam.
  3. Education: Schools haven't become hotspots.
  4. World: Ireland moving back into lockdown — Argentina becomes 5th country to report 1 million infections.
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Oriana Gonzalez
4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Meadows confirms Trump's tweets "declassifying" Russia documents were false

Photo: Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows confirmed in court on Tuesday that President Trump's tweets authorizing the disclosure of documents related to the Russia investigation and Hillary Clinton's emails "were not self-executing declassification orders," after a federal judge demanded that Trump be asked about his intentions.

Why it matters: BuzzFeed News reporter Jason Leopold cited the tweets in an emergency motion seeking to gain access to special counsel Robert Mueller's unredacted report as part of a Freedom of Information Act request. This is the first time Trump himself has indicated, according to Meadows, that his tweets are not official directives.

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