“Any Republican that supports this garbage compromise, you will have to explain.”
— Sean Hannity, quoted by Politico, after lawmakers announced a border deal to prevent a government shutdown.
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GOP Livid with Trump Over Ignored Khashoggi Report
“Senate Republicans are fuming at President Trump for telling lawmakers he would disregard a law requiring a report to Congress determining who is responsible for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” Politico reports.
The uproar among Republicans is just the latest example of their deep discontent with the president’s foreign policy. It could prompt even more defections in favor of a Democrat-led resolution coming before the House and Senate this month to cut off U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s civil war.”
The Best Border Deal Trump Will Get
“The tentative deal includes $1.375 billion for physical barriers — a type of fencing that resembles the ‘steel slats’ that Trump has specifically called for, according to a congressional aide briefed on the talks. It includes a total of 55 miles, which is just nine miles shy of Trump’s last budget request,” Politico reports.
“In exchange, Democrats agreed to drop their demand to restrict the number of people who can be detained by Immigration and Custom Enforcement at a time. Negotiators agreed to fund a total of 40,520 detention beds for ICE, a roughly 17 percent reduction from current levels.”
Playbook: “Two things are true: Optically, this deal sucks for the president, because he led his supporters to believe he would get near $6 billion for a wall. But, at the same time, this is the best he’s going to get.”
White House Plans Cash Grab for Border Wall
Politico: “The White House is firming up plans to redirect unspent federal dollars as a way of funding President Trump’s border wall without taking the dramatic step of invoking a national emergency. Done by executive order, this plan would allow the White House to shift money from different budgetary accounts without congressional approval, circumventing Democrats who refuse to give Trump anything like the $5.7 billion he has demanded.”
“Nor would it require a controversial emergency declaration. The emerging consensus among acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and top budget officials is to shift money from two Army Corps of Engineers’ flood control projects in Northern California, as well as from disaster relief funds intended for California and Puerto Rico. The plan will also tap unspent Department of Defense funds for military construction, like family housing or infrastructure for military bases.”
De Blasio Heads to New Hampshire
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) “is making moves toward a possible run for president, soliciting City Hall staffers with national political experience and preparing to travel to the early primary state of New Hampshire this week,” Politico reports.
Deal Reached to Avert Shutdown
Top lawmakers say they have reached a deal to fund the government through the fall, a deal that would resolve ongoing disputes over immigration and — if signed into law by President Trump — stave off a partial government shutdown set to start Saturday, the Washington Post reports.
“The framework would provide $1.375 billion for barriers along the border, including 55 miles of new fencing, with certain restrictions on the location… Democrats backed down from their demand for tight limits on the number of detention beds Immigrations and Customs Enforcement could use to detain undocumented immigrants, pulling away from a push that led to a breakdown in talks over the weekend.”
Utah GOP Defies Voters on Medicaid Expansion
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) “signed legislation adopting a limited expansion of the state’s Medicaid program, defying voters who in November approved the full Obamacare program through the ballot,” Politico reports.
“Under the new GOP-written plan, Utah will ask the Trump administration for permission to implement unprecedented restrictions on the health coverage program for the poor, while insuring about 60,000 fewer people than the Obamacare expansion would have and initially costing the state tens of millions of dollars more.”
Northam Plans ‘Listening Tour’
“As Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam continues to resist calls to step down over the racist photo on his medical school yearbook page, he and his advisers are close to finalizing plans for a statewide ‘listening tour‘ to engage different communities in conversations about race,” BuzzFeed News reports.
“Additionally, a source close to the governor said Northam is telling people privately that if the commonwealth’s legislature puts a bill on his desk that provides the authority to bring down Confederate statues that he would sign it.”
Former Aide Sues Trump for Going After Him
“Cliff Sims, the former White House communications aide who wrote an insider account of life working for President Trump, is suing the president in his official capacity, alleging that he used his campaign organization as a ‘cutout’ to improperly seek retribution against former employees and keep them from invoking their First Amendment rights,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Sims was a White House aide from the beginning of the administration. But it was the campaign organization that filed an arbitration claim against him last week, accusing him of violating the nondisclosure agreement he signed with it during the 2016 presidential race with the publication of his book, Team of Vipers, last month.”
“The White House had dozens of people sign such agreements at the beginning of the president’s term. But those agreements are widely seen as likely unenforceable.”
Iowa Democrats Propose ‘Virtual Caucuses’
“The Iowa Democratic Party laid out a proposal Monday that would add a major change to its presidential caucuses, allowing for absentee voting by phone on six different days through virtual caucuses,” Politico reports.
“The proposed change… would allow Democrats to phone in absentee votes, rating their presidential preferences in a ranked choice style. Previously, only those who physically attended the Iowa caucuses could register their votes.”
Harris Says Background Check Failed to Find Felonies
Mark Harris (R), in the nation’s last undecided congressional election, told the AP that “he recruited a political operative now at the center of a ballot fraud investigation because he produced election results in his rural North Carolina county and other Republicans vouched for him.”
“Harris said he didn’t know before November’s election that state elections board investigators found evidence that operative Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr. may have illegally handled ballots in 2016. Harris said he didn’t know that that evidence was referred to federal prosecutors. A background check by Harris’ political consultants missed Dowless’ previous felony convictions for insurance fraud and perjury.”
GOP Lawmaker Compares Gays to the Ku Klux Klan
West Virginia Delegate Eric Porterfield (R) compared the gay community to the Ku Klux Klan after an anti-gay and lesbian rant he delivered in committee, the West Virginia Mail Gazette reports.
Said Porterfield: “The LGBTQ is a modern day version of the Ku Klux Klan, without wearing hoods with their antics of hate.”
He also called the gay community a “terrorist group” and said he is being “persecuted” by the gay community in retaliation for his remarks, including receiving threats on Facebook and voicemails.
Fairfax Staffers Quit After Sexual Assault Allegations
Two of the three government staffers to Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D) and two employees of his political action committee resigned following news Friday of a second sexual assault allegation against him, the Richmond Times Dispatch reports.
Meanwhile, the job of lieutenant governor is part time. Fairfax is a lawyer at the firm Morrison & Foerster, which has placed him on paid leave.
House Leaders Call Ilhan Omar’s Tweets ‘Anti-Semitic’
“House Democratic leaders are calling on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to apologize for what many saw as anti-Semitic comments perpetuating the tired stereotype that Jews control politics with money,” the Washington Post reports.
“The statement comes after two Jewish House Democrats, alarmed by what they consider anti-Semitic comments from new Muslim colleagues, urged Pelosi and her top lieutenants to denounce the divisive rhetoric and take action to stop it.”
Update: She has now apologized.
Scott Will No Longer Keep Assets In Blind Trust
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) “will no longer keep his vast wealth in a blind trust, like he did during his eight years as Florida’s governor,” the Tampa Bay Times reports.
“Instead, Scott said he will report his assets to the public in annual financial disclosure forms required of all members of Congress. He didn’t elaborate further.”
Fox News Host Hasn’t Washed Hands for a Decade
Fox News host Pete Hegseth confessed on air that he has not washed his hands for 10 years because “germs are not a real thing,” the BBC reports.
“Speaking on Fox and Friends, Hegseth said the infectious micro-organisms did not exist because they could not be seen with the naked eye.”
Has Beto O’Rourke Waited Too Long?
Dallas Morning News: “Three months ago, in the afterglow of the Texas Senate contest and with few marquee candidates officially running for president as Democrats, Beto-mania was in full swing. Polls showed Beto O’Rourke in the top three, lagging only a former vice president and the runner-up for the party’s nomination in 2016.”
“The big question then was whether he would run.”
“The big question now: Has he missed his window of opportunity?”
Mueller Believes Manafort Kept Lying to Get a Pardon
Last week’s release of the court transcript of a pre-sentencing hearing shows that special counsel Robert Mueller’s team was deeply concerned that Paul Manafort – after he had pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate them – continued to lie in hopes of receiving a pardon from President Trump, TPM reports.
As prosecutor Andrew Weissmann explained to U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson regarding why the government decided that Manafort has breached his plea agreement, “there was an unusual factor.”
