Vice President Mike Pence said he did not know why there would be a basis for Congress to pursue impeachment against President Trump, CNN reports.
Said Pence: “I wouldn’t know why there would be; I really wouldn’t.”
Trump Proposes Biggest Tax Increase In 30 Years
“If Trump’s 5% tariff on Mexican goods takes effect later this month, the president’s trade policies would constitute a bigger tax hike than Bill Clinton’s in 1993,” Axios reports.
“Tariffs already in place against Mexico will increase revenues by $69 billion, the Tax Foundation estimates — or about 0.32% of GDP. Add in the threatened 5% tax on Mexican imports, and that rises to about 0.40% of GDP.”
“That’s more than Clinton’s tax bill in 1993, which brought in revenues of about 0.36% of GDP after the first year, and just shy of George H.W. Bush’s increase in 1990, which amounted to 0.41% of GDP after year 1.”
Most Voters Still Against Impeachment
A new CNN poll finds voters have grown more supportive of impeachment, but that 54% of respondents overall were still against it.
Iran Says U.S. Sanctions Are ‘Economic Terrorism’
Iran’s top diplomat told ABC News his country will not be intimidated by President Trump’s “art of the deal pressure” by using economic sanctions to push Iran to negotiate a new nuclear deal.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also said that “there will be consequences” if the United States keeps up its economic pressure campaign against Iran’s people.
White House Special Counsel Emmet Flood to Leave Job
President Trump said that Emmet Flood, a lawyer who joined the White House to help with the Russia investigation, would leave the job on June 14, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Tweeted Trump: “He has done an outstanding job – NO COLLUSION – NO OBSTRUCTION! Case Closed! Emmet is my friend, and I thank him for the GREAT JOB he has done.”
Quote of the Day
“We’ve already had five, just this year, five black transgender women killed violently in 2019 — that’s outrageous. It must, it must, it must end. And the fastest way to end it is, end the Trump administration.”
— Joe Biden, quoted by CNN.
Trump Overruled Top Aides on Mexico Tariffs
“President Trump pushed ahead with plans to impose tariffs on Mexico over the objections of several top advisers, including his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, opting to side with hard-line officials who were advocating the move,” the New York Times reports.
“For several weeks, Mr. Trump’s top economic advisers have been urging the president not to use tariffs to punish Mexico for failing to stop the flow of migrants into the United States. Mr. Kushner, along with Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, and Robert Lighthizer, Mr. Trump’s top trade negotiator, has warned the move would imperil the president’s other priorities, like passage of a revised North American trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.”
Trump Bets His Re-Election on Immigration
Washington Post: “Trump has shut down the government, declared a national emergency over his proposed border wall, threatened to close the U.S.-Mexico border, cut off funding for Northern Triangle countries, sent additional troops to the border, fired his top immigration officials, selected an immigration czar, pitched an overhaul of the legal immigration system and called for releasing immigrant detainees into so-called sanctuary cities.”
“On Thursday, he ratcheted up the pressure again by threatening to slap tariffs as high as 25 percent on all goods imported from Mexico — a move that risks harming the economy and undermining a trade deal he had been championing as a potential legislative achievement under divided government.”
“The wave of border policies flowing from the White House offers a clear signal that Trump’s reelection bid is likely to focus on immigration more than any other topic — a cause that animates his base but also highlights his failure to contain the flow of Central American migrants coming to the United States in record numbers.”
Pelosi Speech Met with Cries of ‘Impeach’
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was met with chants of “impeach” during her remarks at the California Democratic Party’s convention on Saturday, The Hill reports.
“While discussing what special counsel Robert Mueller’s report showcased and what President Trump could be ‘covering up,’ shouts of ‘impeach’ began to ring out. The shouts grew somewhat louder as she called for investigating Trump’s ‘welcoming of the assault on our democracy.'”
Washington Post: “The party’s deep divisions, refreshed when last week’s remarks by former special counsel Robert Mueller raised new questions about whether Trump had committed impeachable violations, played out time and again during the first full day of the weekend convention as they have across the nation.”
Italy to Evict Steve Bannon’s Academy
“Steve Bannon’s training academy for nationalists is set to lose its spiritual home,” Politico reports.
“Italy’s Culture Ministry announced it will revoke the lease on a state-owned monastery given to Dignitatis Humanae Institute, a right-wing Roman Catholic institute affiliated with Bannon, the former Breitbart executive and ex-chief strategist to Donald Trump.”
Democrats Expand Primary Map
New York Times: “Democratic presidential contenders have already combined to visit more than 30 states and territories for public events, far more than in any past nominating contest when candidates would spend the vast majority of their time in Iowa and New Hampshire.”
“The explosive growth of social media, the increasing diversity of the Democratic electorate and changes to the party’s electoral calendar and debate format have created more of a national primary than ever before.”
“The shift reflects the new imperatives driving campaign strategy. With voters increasingly consuming news online, candidates are eager to go viral, which helps build their grass-roots and small-donor networks. This has made the feedback loop between the internet and television news the most powerful tidal force in politics, prompting campaigns to approach states as would-be soundstages for specific messages they are trying to deliver and constituencies they are hoping to reach.”
Ex-Idaho GOP Chair Arrested for Stalking
Jonathan Parker — a lobbyist and former Idaho Republican Party chairman — was arrested and booked on a felony first-degree stalking charge, the Idaho Statesman reports.
According to the criminal complaint, Parker “did knowingly and maliciously engage” in conduct that “seriously alarmed, annoyed or harassed (his wife) Kelly Parker.”
The complaint states that Parker’s conduct included “repeatedly hiding in bushes, masturbating, disguising himself with a wig” at or near her apartment complex.
Matt Gaetz Gets Milkshaked
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was hit with a drink outside a town hall event in Pensacola, Florida as he left the venue, The Hill reports.
“Video of the incident posted on Twitter shows the Florida congressman leaving the event while flanked on both sides by a crowd of protesters when a drink flies out of the crowd, appearing to strike Gaetz on the right arm.”
Trump Calls on Britain to ‘Walk Away’
New York Times: “Just before his state visit to Britain was to begin, President Trump subverted diplomatic norms by rattling an already precarious political situation there: He suggested that the next prime minister of Britain ‘walk away’ from trying to reach a deal to withdraw from the European Union and that the far-right populist Nigel Farage be sent in to negotiate.”
“In an interview with The Sunday Times, of London, Mr. Trump also said he had told the current prime minister, Theresa May, who announced last month that she would step down after repeatedly failing to get her Brexit plan through Parliament, to sue the bloc for greater leverage in talks. Mrs. May left her government in a weaker position, he said, for not threatening to walk away ‘in the form of litigation or in the form of a request.'”
Hickenlooper Jeered for Denouncing Socialism
“Former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper found a way to stand out at a crowded gathering of California Democrats: He denounced socialism, and got booed,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Hickenlooper: “If we want to beat Donald Trump and achieve big progressive goals, socialism is not the answer.”
As the jeering grew louder, Hickenlooper added: “You know, if we’re not careful, we’re going to end up reelecting the worst president in American history.”
Harris Challenges Criticism She’s Too ‘Cautious’
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) pushed back at the emerging narrative that she’s been too timid while campaigning for president, Politico reports.
Asked about strategist David Axelrod expressing these concerns, Harris paused for a few seconds before saying, “I don’t know what to tell you.”
She added: “Axelrod was on the road with Barack a decade ago. I’ve invited him to come on the road with me … and he’d see contrary to what he thinks is happening.”
GOP Lawmaker Says He Killed ‘Hundreds of Civilians’
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) said he probably killed “hundreds of civilians” while serving as an artillery officer in Fallujah, KPBS reports.
Said Hunter: “I was an artillery officer, and we fired hundreds of rounds into Fallujah, killed probably hundreds of civilians. Probably killed women and children if there were any left in the city when we invaded. So, do I get judged too?”
Hogan Will Not Challenge Trump
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), “who was considering an insurgent White House bid that would have championed traditional GOP values, will not challenge President Trump for the Republican Party’s 2020 nomination,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Hogan: “I’m not going to be a candidate for president in 2020.”
“Hogan’s choice dashes the political hopes of Trump’s leading GOP critics, who have wooed the popular Maryland governor for months and connected him with key players in early voting states — and comes as other top Republicans are shying away from jumping into the presidential fray.”
