“The bipartisan attempt to raise salaries for members of the House of Representatives is in doubt as GOP leaders are finding little support for what would be a difficult political vote,” Politico reports.
Mexico Crackdown at Southern Border
New York Times: “Mexico’s mobilization of its security forces has been halting, and for most of the past two weeks it seemed to fall short of the dramatic show of force that the government had promised.”
“Still, the deployment has already disrupted the usual flow of people and commerce passing over this historically porous border, and sown fear among migrants and their smugglers alike.”
Boris Johnson Says He Could Pass ‘No Deal’ Brexit
Boris Johnson claimed in a BBC interview that a “no deal” Brexit could get through the U.K. Parliament if he is chosen as the next prime minister.
Johnson claimed that “politics have changed so much” since the original Brexit deadline, and both major parties face “mortal retribution from the electorate” if the U.K. doesn’t leave by the October 31 deadline.
Trump Mulls Ending Postwar Japan Defense Pact
“President Trump has recently mused to confidants about withdrawing from a longstanding defense treaty with Japan that he thinks treats the U.S. unfairly,” Bloomberg reports.
“Trump regards the accord as too one-sided because it promises U.S aid if Japan is ever attacked but doesn’t oblige Japan’s military to come to America’s defense, the people said. The treaty, signed more than 60 years ago, forms the foundation of the alliance between the countries that emerged from World War Two.”
Trump Won’t Say He Has Confidence In FBI Director
President Trump declined to say in an interview with The Hill that he has confidence in Christopher Wray and stressed that he disagrees with the FBI director, who has said he does not believe there was spying on the president’s 2016 campaign.
Said Trump: “Well, we’ll see how it turns out. I mean, I disagree with him on that and I think a lot of people are disagreeing. You may even disagree with him on that.”
Flynn’s New Lawyer Seeks Security Clearance
“A lawyer that Michael Flynn recently hired said on Monday that she would most likely need a security clearance to review classified materials that were separate from the documents that prosecutors for the special counsel, Robert Mueller, had already handed over in the case,” the New York Times reports.
“The lawyer, Sidney Powell, made the unusual disclosure during a hearing in Federal District Court despite prosecutors’ insistence that they included no classified information in the evidence they shared with the defense. Her remarks heightened speculation that Ms. Powell — who has pushed conspiracy theories about the special counsel’s investigation and sells anti-Mueller T-shirts on her website — may be preparing to accuse the government of wrongdoing in Mr. Flynn’s case.”
Trump Now Claims He Fixed Obamacare
In the last three months, President Trump has called Obamacare a “disaster,” a “catastrophe” and something that just “doesn’t work,” CNN reports.
But on Monday, he conceded, it’s working “at least adequately now.”
He added: “And we had that choice to make. And politically it’s probably not a good thing that I did, but it’s the right thing to do for a lot of people.”
Trump Would Fill Supreme Court Vacancy In 2020
President Trump said he would make a nomination to the Supreme Court if there’s a vacancy anytime before the 2020 presidential election, The Hill reports.
Said Trump: “Would I do that? Of course… If we could get him approved, I would definitely do it. No, I’d do it a lot sooner than that. I’d do it. If there were three days left, I’d put somebody up hoping that I could get ‘em done in three days, OK?”
“The position is an apparent reversal for the president, who as a candidate in 2016 backed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) decision to block President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the high court.”
Trump Says Biden Is Lying About Obama Endorsement
President Trump told The Hill that Joe Biden was lying about his lack of a 2020 endorsement from President Obama.
Said Trump: “How he doesn’t get President Obama to endorse him? There has to be some reason why he’s not endorsing him… He was the vice president. They seemed to have gotten along. President Obama not endorsing him is rather… a big secret.”
He added: “Then he goes and lies and says I asked the president not to endorse me… give me a break.”
Trump Denies Rape Allegations
President Trump told The Hill that writer E. Jean Carroll was “totally lying” when she recently accused him of raping her in the mid-1990s.
Said Trump: “I’ll say it with great respect: No. 1, she’s not my type. No. 2, it never happened. It never happened, OK?”
New York Post Removed Story on Trump Sexual Assault
“The New York Post’s former top editor, a supporter of President Trump and an old lieutenant of Rupert Murdoch who returned to the conservative tabloid as an adviser in early 2019, ordered the removal of a story about writer Jean Carroll’s sexual assault allegations against President Trump,” CNN reports.
“The Post’s story about Carroll’s sexual assault allegations was mysteriously scrubbed from the tabloid’s website on Friday afternoon.”
White House Won’t Let Kellyanne Conway Testify
The White House moved to bar counselor Kellyanne Conway from testifying to Congress about alleged violations of Hatch Act, the Washington Post reports.
Conway claimed that House Democrats are seeking to compel testimony from her in retaliation for her successfully managing President Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Senate Republican Walkout Continues In Oregon
“A legislation-stalling walkout by the 11 Republicans in the Oregon Senate continued Monday, with no end in sight,” the Oregonian reports.
“Rumors of reported sightings of the absent lawmakers abounded over the weekend, but no credible accounts surfaced by the time the Oregon Capitol opened for business Monday morning.”
The Wall Street Journal has a good piece on the fugitive Republicans, including details on them using “burner phones” in an attempt to avoid detection.
Ryan Says Trump Stands Up for the ‘Forgotten Man’
Former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) told PBS Newshour that President Trump’s popularity is because he stands up for the “forgotten man.”
Said Ryan: “He’s not taking any crap. I mean, he’s taking on political correctness; he’s taking fights that a lot of people want to see fought. The forgotten man that he speaks to is a person that finally feels like they’re being taken seriously, they’re being paid attention to. And he’s concerned about their issues.”
He added: “That is the guttural core of what I would call the party base right now, the Trump base.”
Senate Democrats Mimic 2018 House Takeover Strategy
Politico: “After their highest-profile recruits passed on Senate campaigns, Democrats are relying on a collection of relatively unknown and untested candidates to retake the Senate in 2020 — a challenging task given a map tilted toward Republican territory. But what the recruits lack in name ID, party leaders say, they compensate for with their profiles: Several are women and military veterans, boasting the type of resumes that Democrats rode to the House majority last year.”
Said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY): “These are sort of on the 2018 House model. Most of them are not traditional, old-time politicians. They are new, fresh-faced.”
Judge Says Census Question Might Be Discriminatory
A federal judge says new evidence paints a “disturbing picture” that racial discrimination may be the motive behind the Trump administration’s push to ask everyone in the country about citizenship status, the AP reports.
Said U.S. District Judge George Hazel: “It is becoming difficult to avoid seeing that which is increasingly clear. As more puzzle pieces are placed on the mat, a disturbing picture of the decisionmakers’ motives takes shape.”
“The U.S. Supreme Court could soon render Hazel’s decision moot. The country’s highest court is expected to decide this week whether the Trump administration can add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.”
Treasury Watchdog to Review $20 Bill Delay
“The Treasury Department’s internal watchdog has agreed to look into why designs of a new $20 bill featuring Harriet Tubman will not be unveiled next year,” the New York Times reports.
“Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the Democratic leader, last week asked the Treasury Department’s inspector general to open an investigation following Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s announcement at a May Congressional hearing that designs of the new $20 would be unveiled in 2026 instead of 2020 — the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote.”
Related: A Harriet Tubman stamp is being sold for those who want to make their own.
Retired General Will Challenge Shaheen
“Retired Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc (R) announced Monday that he would run for the U.S. Senate in New Hampshire against Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen, setting up what may be one of the marquee congressional races of 2020,” CBS News reports.
