Thursday evening summary
- The House passed a two-year budget deal negotiated by speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Trump supported the deal, but many Republicans opposed it.
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Trump once again called for rapper A$AP Rocky’s release
and criticized the Swedish prime minister for failing to intervene in the case. - Despite Mueller’s warning about ongoing Russian election interference, Senate Republicans have blocked a series of election security bills since the special counsel testified. Mitch McConnell argued that the bills were too partisan and that addressing election security must engage both parties. But Democrats slammed him for his inaction as the 2020 election looms.
- A few Democrats have come out in favor of impeachment since Mueller’s testimony. But Nancy Pelosi has still shown no signs of backing an inquiry.
- Democratic presidential candidates slammed the Trump administration’s decision to resume capital punishment after a 16-year lapse of the policy.
- The House oversight panel voted along party lines to authorize subpoenas of the Trump administration’s nonofficial communications.
Updated
And to cap off our day, a story about congresswoman Frederica Wilson of Florida, whose signature looks include an array of wonderfully colorful hats.
Wilson is reconsidering her trademark style, according to The Miami Herald.
Fear, not fashion, is the reason.
Wilson, a 76-year-old Miami-Dade Democrat serving her fourth term in the House of Representatives, said she made the decision after an unsettling phone call to her homefollowing her visit — as part of a Democratic delegation that included Georgia Rep. John Lewis — to the Homestead detention center, where more than 1,300 undocumented migrant children are being held...
The caller, she said, argued that the Border Patrol page was protected under the First Amendment and while he didn’t directly threaten her, suggested that her hats made her easy to find. Wilson, subject of a not-so-subtle threat in late June, said she was shaken. She said from now on, whether she wears a hat or not will be dictated by the event and whether she’s in a public setting or not.
The caller’s number was reportedly provided to the police, though no arrests have been made.
Here’s hoping the threats abate so when Congress is back in session in September, Wilson can return to the House floor in full style.
Updated
Candidates and activists who have long been campaigning for a presidential debate centered around the climate crisis will be getting somewhat what they want.
A Climate Forum on September 19 and 20 will be open to 2020 presidential candidates from both parties. The event will be hosted by Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, in partnership with MSNBC and environmental news outlet Our Daily Planet.
CNN will also be holding a Democratic town hall focused on the climate crisis a few days earlier, on September 4.
Following the first Democratic debate in June, activists camped out in front of the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters to demand a separate debate focused solely on climate change, complaining that fewer than 10 minutes of each two-hour debate were dedicated to discussing climate.
Several journalists, including The Guardian’s Emily Holden, agreed.
These debates are making it clearer than ever to me that America doesn't understand how the climate crisis touches pretty much every area of policy...health, mental health immigration, geopolitics, trade, manufacturing, etc. etc. etc.
— Emily Holden (@emilyhholden) June 28, 2019
DNC Chair Tom Perez has forbidden an official debate centered on climate change (though “forums” or a “town halls” are be allowed), arguing that such a debate would favor candidates like Washington governor Jay Inslee, whose entire campaign is built around environmental issues.
Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer announced his detailed plan to address climate change today, as did senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
Several other 2020 Democratic candidates, including Beto O’Rourke, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and others have also released detailed plans.
Other candidates, including Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, as well as Warren and Gillibrand are co-sponsors of the Green New Deal. The majority of candidates support the deal.
Updated
Members of the House of Representatives wrapped up for six-week summer recess, a day earlier than originally scheduled, after a packed week that included the Mueller hearings yesterday and the passing of a budget deal today.
Yet another Democratic representative – Katherine Clark of Massachusetts – came out in support of impeaching Trump. Clark is the vice chair of the House Democratic caucus.
That is why I believe we need to open an #ImpeachmentInquiry that will provide us a more formal way to fully uncover the facts. My full statement here: https://t.co/3VtVeV96Th
— Katherine Clark (@RepKClark) July 25, 2019
Updated
The Senate voted to approve Trump’s pick to be the next chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen Mark Milley.
Milley is currently the chief of staff of the army. In his new position, he will serve as the top military adviser to the president. He will replace Joseph Dunford, who is retiring in the fall.
Updated
Donald Trump is once again advocating for the rapper A$AP Rocky, who was charged with assault over a fight in Stockholm last month and has been held in custody since July 3.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven’s office, in response to earlier entreaties by Trump to release the musician, said in a statement that he would not intervene in the case, noting that “in Sweden everyone is equal before the law”.
Very disappointed in Prime Minister Stefan Löfven for being unable to act. Sweden has let our African American Community down in the United States. I watched the tapes of A$AP Rocky, and he was being followed and harassed by troublemakers. Treat Americans fairly! #FreeRocky
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2019
Give A$AP Rocky his FREEDOM. We do so much for Sweden but it doesn’t seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem! #FreeRocky
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2019
A$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, has insisted that he acted in self-defense. He posted videos on Instagram purporting to show the lead up to the confrontations, with two men who appear to be following the rapper and then attacking his security guard.
Celebrities including Kim Kardashian West and Justin Bieber have rallied behind the rapper, with Kardashian West directly appealing to Trump to help free Mayers.
Updated
Following the passage of the budget deal, Congress voted on an amendment, offered by Republican congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky to change the title of the bill to read “A bill to kick the can down the road, and for other purposes.”
It did not pass.
Updated
Congress passes two-year budget deal
The budget deal negotiated by the Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, and the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, passed, 284-149. Sixty-five Republicans voted for the Trump-backed deal, and 132 voted against it.
Some fiscally conservative Republican lawmakers balked at the deal, which raises spending by $320bn without a clear plan for reining in deficit or debt.
"It is not compassionate to bankrupt America. Unfortunately with the potential passage of the new budget deal, that is the path our country is on." https://t.co/7TlxZS18HA
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 25, 2019
But Democrats are celebrating the deal as a sign that the left and right can work together and compromise in order to stave off a government shutdown and prevent the country from defaulting on its debt.
Today marks 200 days of @HouseDemocrats in the majority. In that time we have worked to ensure a better deal, #forthepeople. pic.twitter.com/UGcAVxVVfg
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) July 25, 2019
Updated
That’s it from me today. I’m turning the blog over to Maanvi Singh on the West Coast.
Here is where the day stands so far.
- Despite Mueller’s warning about ongoing Russian election interference, Senate Republican have blocked a series of election security bills since the special counsel testified. Mitch McConnell argued that the bills were too partisan and that addressing election security must engage both parties. But Democrats slammed him for his inaction as the 2020 election looms.
- A few Democrats have come out in favor of impeachment since Mueller’s testimony. But Nancy Pelosi has still shown no signs of backing an inquiry.
- Democratic presidential candidates slammed the Trump administration’s decision to resume capital punishment after a 16-year lapse of the policy.
- The House oversight panel voted along party lines to authorize subpoenas of the Trump administration’s nonofficial communications.
And the vote is underway now for the budget deal negotiated between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Pelosi. So stay tuned.
The pro-Trump Republican looking to unseat representative Ilhan Omar is facing a felony charge for allegedly stealing from stores.
Our colleague Jon Swaine reports:
Danielle Stella was arrested twice this year in Minneapolis suburbs over allegations that she shoplifted items worth more than $2,300 from a Target and goods valued at $40 from a grocery store. ...
In a series of text messages, Stella said: ‘I am not guilty of these crimes. In this country I am innocent until proven guilty and that is the law.’
She added: ‘If I was guilty of crimes, I would never run for public office, putting myself in the public eye under a microscope to be attacked by all political sides.’ ...
She has accused Omar of being a criminal for advising immigrants how to avoid agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She said in a tweet that any representatives who fail to ‘uphold the rule of law’ should be ejected from office.
Bill de Blasio responded in a pretty eye-popping way to Trump’s accusation that the New York mayor and presidential candidate was not standing up for the city’s police officers.
Trump was reacting to viral videos that have emerged showing police officers getting doused with water as they respond to calls in the city. The president called on de Blasio to “act immediately” to the “completely unacceptable” behavior.
...What took place was completely unacceptable, and will not be tolerated. Bill de Blasio should act immediately!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2019
De Blasio responded by noting that New York’s crime rate has declined in recent years before making a jab about Trump’s own record.
Crime’s gone down year after year in New York City and it’s not just because you finally left town. https://t.co/sJXqu6hRY5
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) July 25, 2019
Another Democratic presidential candidate, Amy Klobuchar, has put out a statement criticizing the Trump administration’s decision to resume capital punishment after a 16-year lapse.
My statement on the federal government resuming capital punishment for the first time in nearly two decades: pic.twitter.com/KQqVLfg2ed
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) July 25, 2019
“I have opposed the death penalty from back in my time as a prosecutor,” Klobuchar said. “It does not reduce crime, it is costly and it is discriminatory. ... I disagree with the president’s decision.”
Fellow candidate Bernie Sanders earlier responded to the news by calling for abolishing the death penalty. “There’s enough violence in the world,” Sanders wrote on Twitter. “The government shouldn’t add to it. When I am president, we will abolish the death penalty.”
It isn’t just Russia: Twitter has shut down more than 7,000 phony accounts from Iran this year alone.
Researchers say America is likely to see more foreign disinformation in the 2020 elections than ever before, as additional countries launch campaigns to influence the US electorate.
The Washington Post reports:
A short list of countries that host online influence operations with a history of meddling across borders includes Saudi Arabia, Israel, China, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela, researchers say.
They say it’s not often not clear exactly who runs these operations — whether it’s the governments themselves or some other actors — but they typically echo the talking points of the ruling powers and back their geopolitical goals through tweets, posts and online videos. ...
The influence operations in these countries, however, do not all share Russia’s demonstrated preference for Trump and other Republicans. The Iranians, for example, typically oppose Trump in their disinformation messaging, criticizing his decision to pull the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and administration policy on other issues, including Israel and the civil wars in Yemen and Syria, research shows.
Another Democrat, representative Peter DeFazio, announced his support for launching an impeachment inquiry against Trump.
“I believe that the time has come for the Judiciary Committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry and collect the evidence necessary to build a strong case against President Trump,” DeFazio said in a statement. “His presidency is a danger to our national security and a threat to our democracy.”
DeFazio’s announcement brings the total number of House members supporting impeachment up to 95, according to a CNN count. The Oregon congressman is also the second Democrat, after Lori Trahan of Massachusetts, to back impeachment after special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony.
The confirmation process for Air Force general John E. Hyten to become the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will advance despite sexual misconduct allegations against him.
Hyten was nominated to become the military’s No. 2 officer in April, but an Army colonel alleges he repeatedly made sexually abusive contact with her.
Jim Inhofe, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Hyten’s confirmation hearing could occur as soon as next week. Inhofe met with Hyten today to discuss the allegations, which he denies.
Members of the committee have also previously met with Hyten’s accuser, and questions about her allegations are sure to dominate the hearing.
Republicans block election security bills after Mueller warns of ongoing Russian interference
Senate Republicans have twice blocked legislation aimed at strengthening US election security in the 24 hours since special counsel Robert Mueller warned that Russian election interference remains ongoing.
“It wasn’t a single attempt. They’re doing it as we sit here,” Mueller said of Russia’s efforts during his congressional testimony yesterday. “And they expect to do it during the next campaign.”
But since he left the witness stand, Republican senators have blocked a House-backed bill and a separate trio of bills meant to beef up US election security. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell criticized the House bill as “so partisan it received just one Republican vote over in the House,” asserting that any election security proposal must be bipartisan.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer fired back against McConnell by accusing Republicans of having “buried commonsense election security bills in their legislative graveyard.”
Mueller was clear: Putin and other foreign adversaries are seeking to undermine our elections.@SenBlumenthal and I just demanded that the Senate pass commonsense bills on election security.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) July 25, 2019
But @SenateMajLdr McConnell objected.
WHY? This is to protect our democracy.
Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard is suing Google, accusing the search engine giant of stifling her free speech by briefly suspending her campaign’s advertising account.
3/3 - Google’s discrimination against our campaign reveals the danger of their dominance & how the dominance of big tech over public discourse threatens core American values. They threaten our democracy & #Tulsi will fight back on behalf of all Americans. https://t.co/n7Y7y2dQZ9
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) July 25, 2019
The Hawaii congresswoman is seeking an injunction against Google, as well as damages of at least $50 million. Gabbard’s complaints about the suspension seemed to eerily echo accusations from Republicans that Google discriminates against conservative voices.
“Google’s discriminatory actions against my campaign are reflective of how dangerous their complete dominance over internet search is, and how the increasing dominance of big tech companies over our public discourse threatens our core American values,” Gabbard said in a statement. “This is a threat to free speech, fair elections, and to our democracy, and I intend to fight back on behalf of all Americans.”
The company blamed the Gabbard campaign’s brief suspension after the first Democratic debate on an automated system that flags unusual activity, asserting that they provide ad products “without bias toward any party or political ideology.”
Senate intelligence committee releases first volume of its report on Russian election interference
The Senate intelligence committee has released some of its findings from the panel’s bipartisan investigation into Russian election interference.
The first volume of the report includes many blacked-out redactions, but Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the panel, said he hoped the findings would “provide the American people with valuable insight into the election security threats still facing our nation and the ways we can address them.”
“Our bipartisan investigation identified multiple problems and information gaps that hindered our ability to effectively respond and defend against the Russian attack in 2016,” Democratic vice chairman Mark Warner added. “I hope the bipartisan findings and recommendations outlined in this report will underscore to the White House and all of our colleagues, regardless of political party, that this threat remains urgent, and we have a responsibility to defend our democracy against it.”
The report’s release comes one day after special counsel Robert Mueller emphasized in his congressional testimony that Russian election interference remains ongoing. “It wasn’t a single attempt. They’re doing it as we sit here,” Mueller said. “And they expect to do it during the next campaign.”
Updated
Conservative organization staffer fired after Trump appears in front of doctored presidential seal
A staffer for the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA was fired after it was discovered that Trump appeared at the group’s event Tuesday in front of a doctored presidential seal that bore a resemblance to the Russian coat of arms.
The fake seal showed a two-headed eagle, similar to the Russian Federation’s state seal, holding a set of golf clubs in its talons.
Turning Point USA said there was “zero malicious intent” behind the use of the doctored seal, blaming the error on a haphazard Google search. “We’re sorry for the mix-up and meant no disrespect to the White House or the President or the advance team,” a Turning Point spokesperson said.
A source said the now fired individual was told hours before the event that the team needed a presidential seal for the screen behind Trump, and the person “did the search and with the pressure of the event, didn’t notice that it is a doctored seal.”
Ilhan Omar: "It is not enough to condemn Mr. Trump’s racism"
Representative Ilhan Omar, the Democratic congresswoman who was the subject of a “Send her back” chant at a Trump campaign rally, wrote a New York Times op-ed urging Americans to respond forcefully to the president’s racist comments.
Omar writes:
The president’s rally will be a defining moment in American history. It reminds us of the grave stakes of the coming presidential election: that this fight is not merely about policy ideas; it is a fight for the soul of our nation. The ideals at the heart of our founding — equal protection under the law, pluralism, religious liberty — are under attack, and it is up to all of us to defend them. ...
The only way to push back is to be unequivocal about our values. It is not enough to condemn Mr. Trump’s racism. We must affirmatively confront racist policies — whether the caging of immigrant children at the border or the banning of Muslim immigrants or the allowing of segregation in public housing. ... Today, democracy is under attack once again. It’s time to respond with the kind of conviction that has made America great before.
Representative Mark Meadows, a close ally of Trump’s, said he did not think the president’s tweet endorsing the budget deal would sway any members of the House Republican caucus.
“We don’t believe that we should bankrupt America,” Meadows said, voicing conservatives’ concerns about the bill raising federal spending by more than $300 billion. “We have a difference of opinion on this particular issue and one that’s not going to change.”
Most House Republicans are expected to vote “no” on the proposal, which is expected to come up for a vote later today. But the bill could still pass with mostly Democratic support.
Jeffrey Epstein has been placed on suicide watch after being found unconscious in his Manhattan jail cell with injuries to the neck.
Epstein, who is in jail awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, told officials that he was beaten up and called a child predator, according to CNN. His injuries are reportedly not serious, but the Federal Bureau of Prisons has declined to comment on the matter.
The divorce case of Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani has taken another dramatic turn, with the former New York mayor saying the prolonged split forced him to borrow $100,000 from a colleague.
Giuliani said after a hearing in New York state court that he borrowed the six-figure sum from fellow Trump lawyer Marc Mukasey after his wife, Judith Giuliani, tied up a joint bank account.
“I had to borrow the money to pay taxes, because she was holding up the account,” Giuliani said outside the Manhattan courtroom. “I’ll pay that back to him as soon as this is decided.”
Although Giuliani shouted at his wife’s lawyer during a previous hearing, it was Judith who was chastised by the judge today for an outburst. When Giuliani’s lawyer accused her of taking items from their New York condo that did not belong to her, Judith pounded the table and yelled, “I did not!” The judge replied, “I’m not going to tolerate any outbursts.”
The case is headed toward trial in January.
Trump spoke to the president of the Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to congratulate him on his recent election, the White House said in a statement.
“President Trump and President Zelenskyy discussed ways to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Ukraine, including energy and economic cooperation,” a White House spokesperson said. “Both leaders also expressed that they look forward to the opportunity to meet.”
House panel votes to authorize subpoenas of all White House work communications
The House oversight committee has voted along party lines to authorize subpoenas for all White House work communications sent via personal email and cellphone.
The panel asked the White House earlier this month for all communications sent via nonofficial means in their investigation of whether the Trump administration violated federal record-keeping laws.
The request followed reports that some officials, including the president’s daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, had been communicating using personal email accounts and encrypted apps.
After a heated debate between the panel’s Republicans and Democrats on the issue, the committee voted 23-16 to authorize subpoenas. “I don’t know how to say this any differently: We have laws,” Cummings said during the debate. “And the laws say we keep official records.”
Republican representative Jim Jordan fired back that his Democratic colleagues were trying to “go after the emails of the first family in an attempt to create an appearance of some type of controversy.”
The passed resolution allows Cummings to subpoena records sent using nonofficial means, “including text messages, phone-based message applications, or encryption software, that were not forwarded to the official accounts of the employees within 20 days.”
Here’s where the day stands so far.
- The Justice Department announced it would resume capital punishment after a 16-year lapse of the policy. They have scheduled five executions of death-row inmates, with the first execution set for December 9.
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Nancy Pelosi has told House Democrats that they have to do their “own thing” when it comes to supporting an impeachment inquiry against Trump. It was reported after special counsel Robert Mueller’s hearing that the House speaker had pushed back against entreaties to launch impeachment proceedings.
- Most House Republicans are expected to oppose the budget deal negotiated between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Pelosi. Trump has encouraged his party’s lawmakers to back the agreement, but a majority still seem inclined to vote “no.” That leaves the question of whether the president will actually sign a huge funding bill mostly backed by Democrats.
And we’re still watching this House judiciary committee hearing on the Trump administration’s migrant family separation policy and the conditions of detention centers. Stay tuned.
Trump just finished delivering remarks at a ceremony welcoming the new secretary of defense, Mark Esper.
WATCH NOW: President delivers remarks at a welcome ceremony for newly sworn-in Defense Secretary Esper https://t.co/iEreAaF7lH pic.twitter.com/LLU50MgEWA
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 25, 2019
“You’re going to do a great job. I have absolutely no doubt,” Trump said of Esper. The former Republican staffer and lobbyist secured Senate confirmation earlier this week by a vote of 90-8.
He will be the Pentagon’s first permanent chief since Jim Mattis, who resigned over policy differences with Trump and left the Defense Department in January.
Senior CBP official contradicts report about migrant girl being forced to choose between parents
Brian Hastings, Custom and Border Protection’s chief of law enforcement operations, contradicted a report that a 3-year-old migrant girl was forced to choose which of her parents would remain with her in the United States while the other was sent back to Mexico.
NPR reported earlier this month that a Honduran girl named Sofia was faced with the heart-wrenching choice at a Border Patrol holding facility in El Paso, Texas. “The agent asked her who she wanted to go with, mom or dad,” Sofia’s mother, Tania, said through an interpreter. “And the girl, because she is more attached to me, she said mom. But when they started to take [my husband] away, the girl started to cry. The officer said, ‘You said [you want to go] with mom.’ ”
But Hastings claimed during a House judiciary committee hearing that the child was not choosing which parent would be deported and which would remain in the United States. He said the whole family was sent back to Mexico but was briefly held in separate cells while they were processed at a detention center. According to Hastings, Sofia was only being asked which parent’s cell she wanted to wait in.
Updated
Most House Republicans expected to oppose budget deal
Only a fraction of the House Republican caucus is expected to support the budget deal negotiated by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Even though Trump has urged Republican lawmakers to back the two-year deal that would raise the debt ceiling and end harsh annual spending cuts, the party’s House leadership expects most of its caucus to vote “no” on the deal.
House minority whip Steve Scalise said Trump’s supportive tweet “helps” build support within the caucus. But he added, “We’ve heard from a lot of members who said they’re voting ‘No,’ no matter what.”
The president has already said he backs the deal, but the idea of signing a massive funding bill mostly passed with Democratic support may make him reconsider.
Harris: "Capital punishment is immoral and deeply flawed"
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has come out strongly against the Justice Department’s announcement that it would resume capital punishment after a 16-year lapse of the policy.
This morning, the Department of Justice announced they would resume capital punishment. Let me be clear: capital punishment is immoral and deeply flawed. Too many innocent people have been put to death. We need a national moratorium on the death penalty, not a resurrection.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 25, 2019
The California senator has a unique history on the issue. She has consistently opposed capital punishment, a position that has landed her in hot water more than once.
Most notably, while Harris was serving as San Francisco’s district attorney, she refused to seek the death penalty against the man eventually convicted of killing police officer Isaac Espinoza. The decision was lambasted by the law enforcement community and even some of Harris’ fellow Democrats, such as senator Dianne Feinstein.
Migrant child alleges abuse at Texas detention center
A migrant child said she was “beaten and abused” while detained at a facility in Clint, Texas.
The alleged abuse occurred on March 12 and is still under investigation by the Customs and Border Protection’s internal watchdog, NBC News reports. The allegation follows other accusations of abuse against migrant children, including an alleged sexual assault against a girl at a facility in Yuma, Arizona.
House Democrats are expected to ask about the alleged abuse during a judiciary committee hearing on the Trump administration’s migrant family separation policy and the conditions of detention centers. The hearing is already underway and can be watched live here.
The US federal government has not executed a death-row inmate since 2003, when Louis Jones Jr. was put to death for the rape and murder of Pvt. Tracie Joy McBride.
McBride was kidnapped from an Air Force base in Texas in 1995 and later beaten to death with a tire iron, a murder that Jones confessed to.
Jones died by injection eight years later at the federal penitentiary near Terre Haute, Indiana, the same penitentiary where the Justice Department intends to carry out five more executions between December and January.
The five executions scheduled by the Justice Department are set to take place between December 9 and January 15.
The department noted the executions will take place at US Penitentiary Terre Haute, Indiana, adding that additional executions “will be scheduled at a later date.”
“Each of these inmates has exhausted their appellate and post-conviction remedies, and currently no legal impediments prevent their executions,” the Justice Department said in its statement.
Presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand today rolled out what she is calling a “climate change moonshot” to “save our planet.”
The Democratic senator from New York said in a blog post that “climate change is the most serious threat to humanity today, and we need immediate and bold action to address it before it’s too late.”
She said she would enact the Green New Deal and mobilize $10 trillion in public and private funding to neutralize America’s share of the pollution heating the planet by 2050. The deadline aligns with other Democrats running for president, and the spending tops what most have proposed.
Gillibrand wants to tax fossil fuel production to generate $100 billion annually for climate mitigation projects. She would put a price on carbon, requiring emitters to pay $52 per metric ton. The senator would also halt new fossil fuel leases on public lands and the outer continental shelf and invest $100 billion in preparing rural communities for the climate crisis.
Her plan would require support from Congress.
The Justice Department’s noted in its statement about resuming capital punishment that the first person set to be executed belonged to a white supremacist group.
“Daniel Lewis Lee, a member of a white supremacist group, murdered a family of three, including an eight-year-old girl,” the Justice Department’s statement read. Lee was found guilty on three counts of murder, among other charges, in 1999. The department has set his execution for December 9.
Trump has previously downplayed the growing threat of white nationalism and white supremacy. After a white supremacist attack on two mosques in New Zealand left 49 people dead in March, he was asked whether he considered white nationalism to be a rising threat around the world. “I don’t really,” Trump said. “I think it’s a small group of people that have very, very serious problems.”
Justice Department says it will resume capital punishment
The Justice Department said in a statement that it would resume capital punishment after a nearly two-decade lapse on the policy.
The statement noted that Attorney General William Barr has asked the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to schedule the executions of five death-row inmates convicted of murder, with the first planned for December 9.
“Congress has expressly authorized the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people’s representatives in both houses of Congress and signed by the President,” Barr said. “The Justice Department upholds the rule of law—and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system.”
Pelosi: I have 'never' discouraged House Democrats from supporting impeachment inquiry
Nancy Pelosi told a CNN reporter that she has “never” discouraged fellow House Democrats from supporting an impeachment inquiry against Trump and that they need to follow their own instincts on the matter.
"Never have done that," Pelosi says this morning when I asked if she'd discourage her members from supporting an impeachment probe. She delivered the same message behind closed doors to her members this AM as she did last night. pic.twitter.com/4Q05YfO7gT
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 25, 2019
But reports started emerging last night that the House speaker had rebuffed efforts to launch impeachment proceedings after special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony.
Some House Democrats also have a deadline of the upcoming recess on their minds, according to CNN. They fear that the impeachment issue could lose momentum if it is not raised before the August recess.
Updated
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is raising eyebrows with his hefty bill for private jet travel.
The millennial mayor has spent $300,000 on private jets this year, more than any other Democratic presidential hopeful, the AP reports.
Buttigieg’s campaign defended the charter flights as a necessary expense, given its headquarters in South Bend, Indiana. “We are careful with how we spend our money, and we fly commercial as often as possible,” a Buttigieg spokesperson said. “We only fly noncommercial when the schedule dictates.”
But his competitors seem to already be jumping on the potential gaffe. “No private planes for this campaign,” Beto O’Rourke said in a video posted to his campaign’s YouTube channel on Monday.
The pair of candidates may get a chance to spar over the travel issue next week. They are sharing the same stage on the first night of debates in Detroit.
Four automakers strike deal with California to undercut Trump's climate policy
Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and BMW of North America have struck a deal with California to produce more fuel-efficient cars in the US.
The agreement could undercut the Trump administration’s efforts to relax gas mileage standards for American cars.
The Washington Post reports:
Mary D. Nichols, California’s top air pollution regulator, said in an interview Wednesday that she sees the agreement as a potential ‘olive branch’ to the Trump administration and hopes it joins the deal, which she said gives automakers flexibility in meeting emissions goals without the ‘massive backsliding’ contained in the White House’s current proposal. ...
In a joint statement, the four companies said their decision to hash out a deal with California was driven by a need for predictability, as well as a desire to reduce compliance costs, keep vehicles affordable for customers and be good environmental stewards.
Trump is "totally with" congressional Republican leadership on supporting budget deal
Trump is up and tweeting about the two-year budget deal that would raise the debt ceiling and end painful annual spending cuts.
House Republicans should support the TWO YEAR BUDGET AGREEMENT which greatly helps our Military and our Vets. I am totally with you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2019
The president’s unequivocal endorsement should relieve House minority leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell. When the deal between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House speaker Nancy Pelosi was announced, Trump said he was “pleased” with the agreement. But the lack of a full-throated endorsement worried some Republicans, particularly given a handful of conservatives’ complaints about the deal.
Trump’s endorsement should quiet those concerns before Congress votes on the bill — assuming the president doesn’t change his mind, which is always possible.
Updated
Good morning, live blog readers!
Washington is still processing everything we heard from special counsel Robert Mueller yesterday during his hearings before two House panels. But one (very important) person seems to have already reached a conclusion: Nancy Pelosi.
The House speaker rebuffed judiciary committee chairman Jerry Nadler’s entreaties to launch impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump during a closed-door meeting yesterday after Mueller’s appearance. Pelosi called Nadler’s idea to begin drafting articles of impeachment premature, standing by her insistence that the “slow, methodical approach” was the way to go.
Pelosi is sure to be asked about her position on impeachment during a media availability later today. Here are a few other things the blog is keeping its eye on:
- Jeffrey Epstein was found unconscious in his Manhattan jail cell with injuries to the neck, the New York Post reports. The wealthy financier was denied bail last week and is awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in New York.
- Puerto Rico’s governor Ricardo Rosselló announced he would resign effective 2 August, our colleague Oliver Laughland reports. Rosselló has faced nearly two weeks of protests over misogynistic and homophobic comments he made in leaked text messages.
- US rapper A$AP Rocky has been charged with assault in Sweden. The artist has been in custody for more than three weeks following a fight in Stockholm late last month, and Trump has said he would reach out to Swedish authorities to discuss securing Rocky’s release.
- The House judiciary committee will hold a hearing at 10 am EDT on migrant family separations and the conditions of migrant detention centers.
The blog is covering all of that and more today. Stay tuned.
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