Evening summary
- Following the Virginia Beach shooting, Virginia governor Ralph Northam is summoning lawmakers back to the state Capitol this summer for “votes and laws, not thoughts and prayers”.
- Former senate majority leader Harry Reid changes his stance on an impeachment inquiry, saying, “It’s not the right thing to do nothing”.
- A second woman in less than 36 hours dies after crossing the border, according to US Border Control. On Saturday, a 25-year-old transgender asylum seeker from El Salvador, died at a hospital in El Paso, Texas.
The House of Representatives will vote on 11 June on whether to hold both attorney general William Barr and former White House counsel Don McGahn in contempt of Congress. House judiciary chair Jerry Nadler does not appear to be willing to delay a minute longer.
NEW: Nadler rebuffs DOJ’s plea to cancel next week’s contempt votes: “We urge you to return to the accommodation process without conditions. We are ready to begin negotiating immediately.” pic.twitter.com/AGjnAD9Dgh
— Andrew Desiderio (@desiderioDC) June 4, 2019
Virginia governor calls for "votes and laws" on guns
Following the Virginia Beach shooting in which 12 people were killed in a a city municipal building, governor Ralph Northam announced that he will summon lawmakers back to the state Capitol this summer on the issue of gun-control legislation, the Associated Press is reporting:
Northam, a Democrat faced with a gun-friendly, Republican-controlled General Assembly in the middle of a legislative election year, also said he wants every lawmaker to go on record for or against his proposals during the special session, rather than avoid tough votes by quietly killing the bills in subcommittee.
“The nation will be watching,” the governor said, four days after Virginia Beach employee DeWayne Craddock used two semi-automatic handguns, a silencer and extended ammunition magazines to slaughter 12 people at a municipal building. Craddock was then killed in a gunbattle with police.
Northam’s bills include a ban on silencers and high-capacity magazines, as well as a broadening of the ability of local governments to prohibit guns in city buildings. The governor said he also wants mandatory, universal background checks before gun purchases; a limit of one handgun purchase per month; and a “red flag” law that would allow authorities to seize weapons from people deemed a threat to themselves or others.
“I will be asking for votes and laws, not thoughts and prayers,” he said, mocking the usual response to gun violence by supporters of the gun lobby.
David Smith was in Virginia Beach this weekend, writing about the shooting. Read more here:
Harry Reid comes out in support of impeachment
Former Senate majority leader Harry Reid has changed his tune when it comes to an impeachment inquiry, telling USA Today, “It’s not the right thing to do nothing”.
Reid, who as recently as last month was cautioning against pursuing impeachment, said he would likely reach out to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi about the issue.
“That has been one of the big arguments against the impeachment,” Reid said. “Why make Trump a hero by saying ‘they couldn’t impeach me?’” And remove him from office. But Reid called that “all the more reason why the inquiry is the right thing to do.”
In the end, he said, “I just think that Republicans are going arm-in-arm with Trump, right over the cliff.” But he said public opinion might be affected by a systematic effort to explore allegations that Trump tried to obstruct the special counsel’s investigation and engaged in other wrongdoing.
“I think that that’s one reason an inquiry should go forward, to find out how the public reacts to this,” he said.
Senator Reid comes out in favor of House Democrats opening an impeachment inquiry: "It’s not the right thing to do nothing."
— Adam Jentleson 🎈🐢 (@AJentleson) June 4, 2019
More Reid: “Why make Trump a hero by saying ‘they couldn’t impeach me?’” https://t.co/j7x785S9sC
The only thing the House loves more than senators telling them how to do their jobs is former senators telling them how to do their jobs: https://t.co/trEY71NPvA
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 4, 2019
Updated
2nd woman in 36 hours dies after crossing border
A 40-year old Honduran woman died in custody of US Border Control agents, the second person in less than 36 hours to die after crossing the border, according to US Customs and Border Protection.
Agents detained the woman in Eagle Pass, Texas at 6:20 a.m. Monday, and collapsed minutes later, after arriving at Eagle Pass South Station. She was transported to a hospital, where she died.
“On behalf of the men and women of CBP, we extend our deepest condolences to those who are just learning of the death of their loved one,” Acting CBP Commissioner John Sanders said in a statement. “This tragedy marks the second time in less than 36 hours that a person has died immediately following their perilous migration from their home in Central America, through Mexico and across our Southwest border.”
Authorities are not identifying the woman until her family is notified.
On Saturday, Johana Medina León, a 25-year-old transgender asylum seeker from El Salvador, died at a hospital in El Paso, Texas, after she was detained for over a month and complained of chest pains, officials said.
Sam Levin reported on Johana Medina León, and how her death echoed another in US custody that took place a year before. Read more here:
Updated
The White House may have instructed former communications director Hope Hicks to not comply with a House judiciary committee subpoena, but it appears her attorneys have responded and just as committee chair Jerry Nadler indicated, plan on turning over some documents.
The response from Hicks’ lawyer to the judiciary committee. pic.twitter.com/pXjdMUSwjn
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 4, 2019
CNBC is reporting that Amazon paid a lobbying firm run by an ally of President Trump to push against vendors selling counterfeit goods - an issue that has come under scrutiny in the US-China trade battle.
NEW: Amazon paid Trump fundraiser Brian Ballard to lobby against vendors who sell counterfeit goods https://t.co/d1gkY65sNg
— Brian Schwartz (@schwartzbCNBC) June 4, 2019
From July 2018 until March 2019, Amazon has been paying Ballard Partners up to $70,000 each quarter for, in part, lobbying on issues related to “trade and tariff policy,” according to three disclosure reports. However, people familiar with the matter said that the disclosure reports only tell part of the story.
Brian Ballard, a leading fundraiser in Florida for Trump during the 2016 presidential election, has been lobbying members of Trump’s administration and Congress on Amazon’s behalf to fight back against third party vendors who are selling fake products to their customers.
They’re trying to “stop third party actors from shipping fake Nikes to the United States under the guise that they’re real products,” said a person familiar with their efforts. Amazon is increasingly concerned about fake and pirated products on its marketplace. In a February warning to investors, the company used the word “counterfeit” for the first time.
One month after the firm’s last recorded effort, Trump signed a memorandum to curb the sale of counterfeit items online.
Read more here.
Hey all, Vivian Ho taking over for Erin Durkin. Hope everyone is having a fine day.
Summary
- Donald Trump met with British Prime Minister Theresa May and held a joint press conference with her on his visit to the UK - encouraging her to “stick around” instead of resigning as planned, expressing support for Brexit, and ripping his British critics.
- The White House directed former staffers Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson to defy a Congressional subpoena and refuse to turn over documents. Hicks, however, agreed to turn over documents related to her time on Donald Trump’s campaign, but not her time at the White House.
- Joe Biden, after releasing a climate change plan, was called out for passages of it being lifted from other sources.
- The Trump administration slapped strict new travel restrictions on Cuba, prohibiting educational and cultural tours that many Americans had used to travel legally to the country. They also banned visits to Cuba by cruise ship.
Vanity Fair got its hands on Donald Trump’s pre-nuptial agreement with ex-wife Marla Maples.
Among the revelations:
Trump agreed to pay Maples only $1 million if they separated within five years, plus another $1 million to buy a house. Trump also would stop making $100,000 child support payments for [daughter] Tiffany when she turned 21. The agreement states that Trump’s payments would cease earlier if Tiffany got a full-time job, enlisted in the military, or joined the Peace Corps.
They ended up separating after four years.
I obtained Trump’s 1993 prenup with Marla Maples that provides a new look at his finances. Plus documents show he would cut off child support payments if Tiffany joined the military or the Peace Corps (!)https://t.co/h8dnZiuLYK
— Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) June 4, 2019
House Democrats are proposing a $4,500 pay hike for members of Congress, Politico reports.
House and Senate members have made $174,000 a year since 2009.
A Donald Trump supporter stabbed the Trump baby balloon flown by protesters in London, and was arrested.
Infamous far-right troll Amy Dalla Mura, who goes by "Based Amy," stabbed the Trump baby today but also appears to have nicked herself on her own knife. She was arrested immediately afterwards.https://t.co/ouA5C25az4 pic.twitter.com/fmDFTSYXnK
— Ryan Broderick (@broderick) June 4, 2019
This video of a woman named "Based Amy" stabbing the Trump baby balloon is the most British thing you can imagine. She even does an Austin Powers "Yeah, baby!" https://t.co/r1QmoZ3BeC
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) June 4, 2019
The balloon apparently suffered only minor wounds.
For those of you asking, Trump Baby was only lightly wounded in today's attack and stands at full pressurisation.
— Mike Stuchbery💀🍷 (@MikeStuchbery_) June 4, 2019
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says Paul Manafort “is going to be treated— as much as humanly possible— like any other inmate,” the New York Times reports. Manafort, Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, is reportedly set to be moved to New York’s Rikers Island ahead of his trial on state fraud charges.
“He is going to be treated— as much as humanly possible— like any other inmate,” says @NYCMayor https://t.co/XrQDIC7scg
— Jeff Mays (@JeffCMays) June 4, 2019
Business Insider reports that Joe Biden’s climate change plan appears to have lifted multiple sentences directly from outside sources.
The campaign says citations were left out inadvertently.
Biden has been dogged with plagiarism accusations before, which helped derail his first presidential campaign back in 1988.
The Biden campaign's climate plan appeared to have lifted multiple lines from outside documents and websites.
— Joe (@JoePerticone) June 4, 2019
The campaign tells me "citations were inadvertently left out of the final version of the 22-page document." https://t.co/DzZxaM2y2u
House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff called Attorney General William Barr the “second most dangerous man in the country.”
“We find ourselves, I think, for the first time with an attorney general who really is the president’s defense lawyer and spokesperson who’s quite good at it and has the veneer of respectability to camouflage what he’s doing,” Schiff said Tuesday at a Council on Foreign Relations event, the Hill reported. “He is not the sophist that [presidential lawyer Rudy] Giuliani is, he’s much more dangerous, and I think he’s the second-most-dangerous man in the country,”
Updated
Former Vice President Joe Biden is asking bundlers to raise up to $100,000 to become members of his national finance committee, CNBC reports. The four tiers of fundraisers list on an invite obtained by the network:
- The “Advocate” group requires members to raise $25,000 by June 30.
- The “Protector” group is required to bring in $50,000 in 2019.
- A “Unifier” must rake in $100,000 this year.
- A “Power Raiser” must acquire 10 unique contributions of $100 or more each month. Each of these donations “must be from a different, new-to-you donor,” according to the invitation.
NEW: If you want to be a member of the national finance committee for Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, be prepared to raise up to $100,000, according to an invite I obtained. https://t.co/Q980eyojdv
— Brian Schwartz (@schwartzbCNBC) June 4, 2019
Updated
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said there is “not much support” among Republicans for the tariffs Donald Trump has announced against Mexico, the New York Times reports.
“There is not much support in my conference for tariffs, that’s for sure.” - McConnell
— Emily Cochrane (@ESCochrane) June 4, 2019
Donald Trump may be preparing to declare another national emergency in order to impose his threatened tariffs on Mexico. Senator Tim Scott told CNN that was the plan after administration officials briefed Republican senators at a lunch Tuesday. Previously, Trump declared a national emergency to get money for a border wall, and then vetoed legislation passed by both the House and Senate that would have stopped him.
After GOP lunch, Tim Scott said White House counsel’s office and DOJ officials indicated Trump will have to declare a new, separate national emergency for Mexico tariffs, per @byrdinator. That means there could be another resolution of disapproval vote to try to block Trump move
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 4, 2019
Rand Paul says to @brikeilarcnn that he thinks “we may have enough votes to override a veto” to prevent Trump’s Mexico tariffs from taking effect
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 4, 2019
White House counsel Pat Cipollone sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee explaining the White House order to ex-staffers Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson not to turn over subpoenaed documents, CNN reports.
In letter to House Judiciary, WH Counsel Pat Cipollone explains why Mulvaney has directed two former officials NOT to turn over records related to their time at the WH, urging the panel to instead negotiate a middle ground with DOJ about what Mueller materials should be provided pic.twitter.com/iT1MciVKJF
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 4, 2019
Rep. Jamie Raskin said the refusal adds more fuel for impeachment.
A member of House Judiciary, Jamie Raskin, told us that the failure to comply with these two subpoenas adds more weight to an impeachment inquiry. He suggested the partial response from Hicks is not enough. Raskin says there’s “growing sentiment this is an intolerable situation”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 4, 2019
Senator Bernie Sanders is weighing in on BuzzFeed’s reluctance to recognize its employees’ union.
Let's not forget that the middle class was built by organized labor. I am very concerned to see that @BuzzFeed still hasn't recognized the union formed by its newsroom employees. Our Workplace Democracy Act will put an end to corporations getting away with these stalling tactics. https://t.co/TnETs1sEjw
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) June 4, 2019
Donald Trump tweets about Monday’s ruling rejecting a Congressional attempt to block him from using an emergency declaration to spend money to build a border wall without lawmakers’ approval.
Just had a big victory in Federal Court over the Democrats in the House on the desperately needed Border Wall. A big step in the right direction. Wall is under construction!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2019
Piers Morgan is teasing an interview with Donald Trump that will air tomorrow morning, saying it got “feisty” and people including the Queen and the family of John McCain should tune in.
Things got feisty...my most revealing & lively interview yet with President @realDonaldTrump.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 4, 2019
Tune into @GMB from 6am. #TrumpMorgan #ChurchillWarRooms pic.twitter.com/mrLGnvWxgc
People who should probably tune into @GMB tomorrow:
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 4, 2019
The Queen.
Duke & Duchess of Sussex.
Prince Charles.
President Rouhani of Iran.
Jeremy Corbyn.
Boris Johnson.
Nigel Farage.
The NRA.
Transgender people in US military.
Family of John McCain.
Joe Biden. pic.twitter.com/0LFOEhUWXe
Washington governor and presidential candidate Jay Inslee sent a letter to Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez urging him to hold a debate focused on the climate crisis, the Daily Beast reports.
“The Democratic Party’s response to climate change cannot only be a few quick questions in the first debates where, in 60 seconds, candidates merely agree that this issue is important, and move on,” he wrote. “We need a full debate to really wrestle with who has the best plans to defeat this existential crisis, who has demonstrated the commitment it will take to get this job done, and who understands the scale of ambition necessary to see this mission through to completion.”
New York’s state assembly plans to pass a bill to allow undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses, NY1 reports.
.@CarlHeastie confirms the #GreenLightNY bill will be brought to the floor next week and approved by the New York State Assembly. The legislation grants driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants. It’s fate in the State Senate is still unsure.
— Zack Fink (@ZackFinkNews) June 4, 2019
Senator Mitt Romney predicts threatened tariffs on Mexican imports will never be carried out, per HuffPost.
Romney says Trump is simply using threat of tariffs to get Mexico to deal on immigration.
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) June 4, 2019
“I do not believe you’ll see us apply tariffs on Mexico,” he adds
The UN deputy high commissioner for human rights called the abortion bans passing in states around the US “torture” and a form of “gender-based violence against women.”
“We have not called it out in the same way we have other forms of extremist hate, but this is gender-based violence against women, no question,” Kate Gilmore told the Guardian.
“It’s clear it’s torture – it’s a deprivation of a right to health,” she said. “This is a crisis. It’s a crisis directed at women.”
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said there must be a “vast reduction” in immigrants crossing the border before the US will back off threatened tariffs on Mexican goods.
“The president was very clear, he wants to see a vast reductions in crossings through Mexico. He believes Mexico can do more to address this flow from Central America. That’s the number one metric that we’re looking for,” he told the Hill.
Brexit leader Nigel Farage was seen leaving the London residence where Donald Trump is staying, per a pool report.
"Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage was spotted leaving Winfield House around 5:30 pm," per pool report. Trump is staying at Winfield House.
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) June 4, 2019
Farage says he had a “good meeting” with Trump.
Good meeting with President Trump – he really believes in Brexit and is loving his trip to London.
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) June 4, 2019
Updated
House majority leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday that Congress should subpoena special counsel Robert Mueller if necessary to get him to testify.
“I think he ought to testify. He may want a subpoena, for all I know,” Hoyer said, the Hill reported. “He indicated that his report speaks for itself. Very frankly, ... questioning is an important fact-finding pursuit.”
Mueller has said his report on Russian election interference speaks for itself and he would prefer not to testify.
Senator Mitt Romney gave his first speech on the Senate floor, defending the international alliances that have come under attack by Donald Trump.
“Alliances are absolutely essential to America’s security, to our future, I can’t state that more plainly,” Romney said, the Hill reported. “We need to hold our friends closer not neglect them or drive them away.”
He argued such alliances are key to countering China, since the US has “many friends” but “China has very few.”
Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Mark Morgan said Congress has “absolutely failed” to stop immigrants from crossing the US border, Politico reports.
He pushed Congress to change laws to allow families to be detained longer and permit the rapid deportation of unaccompanied minors.
“It’s unsustainable and nobody should want this,” he said.
After the White House instructed former staffers Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson not to comply with subpoenas, House Judiciary Committee chair Jerry Nadler said:
“As part of President Trump’s continued obstruction of Congress, the White House has instructed both Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson not to turn over records in response to subpoenas issued by our committee last month. I note that Ms Hicks has agreed to turn over some documents to the committee related to her time working for the Trump campaign, and I thank her for that show of good faith.
“Federal law makes clear that the documents we requested – documents that left the White House months ago – are no longer covered by executive privilege, if they ever were.
“The president has no lawful basis for preventing these witnesses from complying with our request. We will continue to seek reasonable accommodation on these and all our discovery requests and intend to press these issues when we obtain the testimony of both Ms Hicks and Ms Donaldson.”
Updated
White House tells Hope Hicks to defy subpoena
The White House has directed former communications director Hope Hicks to refuse to turn over documents to the House Judiciary Committee in response to a subpoena, CNN reports.
Source tells @PamelaBrownCNN and @jeremyherb that the White House has directed Hope Hicks not to turn over documents related to her time in the admin to the House Judiciary Committee.
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) June 4, 2019
Today is the deadline for her and former White House lawyer Annie Donaldson to comply with the subpoena.
Reminder: Today is the deadline for Hope Hicks and former W.H. lawyer Annie Donaldson to turn over documents subpoenaed by the House Judiciary Committee as part of the committee's effort to delve into Mueller's obstruction of justice findings.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 4, 2019
Updated
More from Guardian environment reporter Oliver Milman on the climate change plan released by Joe Biden this morning:
The former vice president, current frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, said he would spur investment in a “clean energy revolution” that would ensure the US reaches 100% renewable energy and net zero emissions by 2050.
Biden’s plan would reestablish much of the Obama administration’s work on climate, such as remaining in the Paris climate accords and setting stricter limits on pollution from cars, trucks and drilling operations. Biden said he would not take donations from the fossil fuel industry.
“On day one, Biden will sign a series of new executive orders with unprecedented reach that go well beyond the Obama-Biden Administration platform and put us on the right track,” Biden’s plan states.
Climate breakdown has become a top tier concern for Democratic voters and Biden’s plan appears to have won over some previous critics who claimed the vice president wasn’t ambitious enough to address the crisis.
“Last month, we put the national spotlight on Joe Biden’s advisers talking about a “middle ground” climate plan that included more fossil fuel development,” said Varshini Prakash, executive director of Sunrise, a grassroots climate group.
“The pressure worked. We forced them to backtrack and today, he put out a comprehensive climate plan that cites the Green New Deal and names climate change as the greatest challenge facing America and the world.”
There’s been some surprise at the news that former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort will likely be transferred to New York’s Rikers Island jail.
The jail complex is notorious for violence and abuse of detainees, and officials have announced plans to close it and replace it with smaller jails around the city. It is home almost exclusively to pre-trial detainees - which would include Manafort, who has been charged by the Manhattan district attorney with six state-level felonies.
Whoa. Manafort to Rikers. https://t.co/3Z8pWvVgvO
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) June 4, 2019
Manafort has also been convicted, twice, of federal crimes, and sentenced to federal prison. He’s been serving that sentence in Pennsylvania, but is likely to be transferred to New York to be arraigned on the new charges.
He’ll likely be held in solitary confinement, and a law enforcement official told the New York Times he would probably be housed in a former prison hospital on the island, where most high-profile detainees are locked up.
A New York public defender said liberals should not be celebrating:
As news spreads that Paul Manafort will be transferred to Rikers Island & held in solitary confinement until trial, I am seeing far too many people rejoicing & issuing praise for "Karma." Rikers Island & Solitary Confinement are both tortures *no one* should be subjected to.
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) June 4, 2019
Senator Elizabeth Warren released a proposal Tuesday calling for a Cabinet-level Department of Economic Development and $2 trillion in green investment.
The proposal is centered on the idea of “economic patriotism,” which she describes as “a strategy for using all the tools of government to defend and create American jobs rather than continuing to cater to the interests of Wall Street and multinational corporations with no allegiance to America.”
China is going after Mike Pompeo for his remarks commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, as well as ongoing political repression in China.
In a statement on its website, the Chinese embassy said the secretary of state spoke “out of prejudice and arrogance” and claimed falsely that his condemnation of human rights abuses is a violation of international law. “Whoever attempt to patronize and bully the Chinese people in any name, or preach a ‘clash of civilizations’ to resist the trend of times will never succeed. They will only end up in the ash heap of history,” the embassy said.
Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang went further at a press briefing Tuesday and said, “These lunatic ravings and babbling nonsense will only end up in the trash can of history,” Channel News Asia reports.
Updated
The new Trump administration restrictions on travel to Cuba ban many educational and recreational trips, the Associated Press reports.
The treasury department said in a statement that the US will no longer allow the group educational and cultural trips known as “people to people” travel to the island.
Those trips have been used by thousands of American citizens to visit Cuba legally.
The department also said it will deny permission for private and corporate aircraft and boats to travel to Cuba.
Updated
Former Donald Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort is likely to be moved as early as this week to the Rikers Island jail in New York City, Fox News first reported.
He will most likely be held in solitary confinement while facing state fraud charges. He’s now in a Pennsylvania prison after being convicted of federal charges in two related cases.
Donald Trump claimed that protests against him in London were fake news. They are, of course, in fact real.
Trump just called the protests in London “fake news.” But, there are huge protests today. See photos. pic.twitter.com/th7l2SGH6Y
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) June 4, 2019
Trump said in his presser that London protests were fake news; CNN cuts to footage of protests. pic.twitter.com/9Ykpad5drp
— David Nakamura (@DavidNakamura) June 4, 2019
A 16ft robot of Donald Trump sitting on a golden toilet, while tweeting, has just been wheeled into Trafalgar Square ready for today’s protests @LBC pic.twitter.com/au2p3fnu6i
— Rachael Venables (@rachaelvenables) June 4, 2019
Tariffs on Mexican goods will most likely take effect next week as scheduled, Donald Trump said Tuesday.
“Mexico should step up and stop this onslaught, this invasion into our country,” Trump said during his trip to the UK.
Trump has said tariffs will start at 5% and escalate over time. He said of migration into the US, “They could stop it very quickly, and I think they will, and if they don’t, we’re going to put tariffs on.”
He predicted Republicans would not follow through with threatened action to block the tariffs. “I don’t think they will do that. I think if they do, it’s foolish,” he said.
Donald Trump said on Brexit that Theresa May is probably a better negotiator than he is.
“I would have sued, but that’s OK. She’s probably a better negotiator than I am,” he said of his past suggestion that May sue the EU. “I would have sued and settled maybe, but you never know.”
Trump said the UK should go ahead with its scheduled exit from the European Union. “It will happen, and it probably should happen. This is a great, great country, and it wants its own identity. It wants to have its own borders. It wants to run its own affairs,” Trump said at his joint press conference with May.
Trump administration restricts travel to Cuba
The Trump administration has imposed major new restrictions on travel to Cuba, the Associated Press reports.
BREAKING: Trump administration imposes major new restrictions on US travel to Cuba, banning many education and recreational trips.
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 4, 2019
Updated
Donald Trump renewed his attacks on London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
“He’s been a not very good mayor, from what I understand. He’s done a poor job,” Trump said at his London press conference with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, saying Khan should not be criticizing him.
“He’s a negative force, not a positive force,” Trump said. “He hurts the people of this great country.”
As for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who spoke at a protest against him, Trump said he has never met Corbyn and declined the chance to meet him on this trip. He called him “somewhat of a negative force.”
“I really don’t like critics as much as I like and respect people who get things done,” Trump said.
He went on to dismiss protests against him as a “very very small group of people.”
May, asked directly if she agrees with Trump that the mayor is a “stone cold loser,” did not answer but said both Khan and Corbyn should focus on the importance of the US-UK relationship.
Updated
Virginia’s governor, Ralph Northam, will recall lawmakers to the state Capitol in coming weeks to take up a package of gun-control legislation he said is urgently needed to prevent killings like Friday’s mass shooting in Virginia Beach. The Associated Press reports:
Northam, a Democrat, told The Associated Press ahead of his Tuesday announcement that he plans to convene a special legislative session later this summer.
He said in an interview that he wants the Republican-controlled General Assembly to hear from the public about the need for “common-sense” law related to guns and accessories.
Republicans have previously rejected Northam’s gun control bills out of hand, but a top GOP lawmaker signaled Monday that he’s open to a legislative debate.
Updated
Donald Trump and Theresa May are beginning their press conference after meeting for talks in London.
They were greeted with boos from the crowd as they left the prime minister’s residence at Downing Street, where they met privately, to the nearby Foreign Office where they are holding the press conference.
Follow it here:
Updated
Congressional Republicans do not like Donald Trump’s plan for tariffs on Mexican goods but have no clear plan to stop it, CNN reports.
Senate Republicans are set to meet Tuesday for a weekly policy lunch, where White House officials will defend the tariff plan.
More tidbits from Tuesday’s CNN poll:
- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has the worst net favorability rating among candidates with high name recognition. 19% of voters view him favorably and 22% unfavorably, for a net negative three point rating.
- Colorado Senator Michael Bennet has qualified for the Democratic presidential debates. The CNN poll is the third in which he has hit 1% support, the threshold to qualify. (With so many candidates, the party may tighten the rules, so qualifying doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be on stage). Oddly, it appears to be voters who say they’ve never heard of Bennet picking him as their choice in the poll.
*Great* nugget from @ForecasterEnten: A couple of CNN poll respondents:
— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) June 4, 2019
1) said they had never heard of Michael Bennet
2) picked his name anyway as their WH choice
And with that, Bennet hit 1% in the poll and has qualified for the debate. https://t.co/uiq2v9Pauy
Updated
Joe Biden still leads the Democratic presidential field by a substantial margin, but support for the former vice-president has dropped some since the beginning of his campaign, a new CNN poll finds.
Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning registered voters nationwide, Biden gets support from 32%, followed by 18% for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, 8% for California Senator Kamala Harris, and 7% for Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. In an April CNN poll, Biden was at 39%, but none of the other candidates have made substantial gains to catch up with him.
Updated
Donald Trump said in his meeting with Theresa May that the UK is the Unites States’ biggest trade partner, a fact he said many people may not know. That may be because it is false: China is actually the largest US trade partner.
"Trump said that Britain is the United States' biggest trade partner, a fact he then claimed that many people do not know. (China was actually the United States' largest trading partner in 2018. Britain was No. 7.)" https://t.co/t63t9tbu9I
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 4, 2019
Larry the Downing Street cat has been spotted staking out a spot under Donald Trump’s limo.
Huge security issue as Larry the Downing St. cat shelters under Donald Trump’s limo ‘’the Beast’ & refuses to move. #TrumpinUK pic.twitter.com/i9w4B6w8FK
— Bill Neely (@BillNeelyNBC) June 4, 2019
The US government spent millions of dollars on luxury hotel suites, chauffeured vehicles and back-up generators for Donald Trump’s state visit to London, the Guardian’s Severin Carrell reports.
Contracts placed by the state department show US taxpayers have spent $1,223,230 on VIP accommodation at the InterContinental hotel on Park Lane in Mayfair, a hotel linked to members of the Qatari royal family.
Another $339,386 has been spent on “hotel rooms in support of a visit” at the Hilton on Park Lane, one of London’s most exclusive addresses, and also on “passenger car rental”.
Trump urges Theresa May to 'stick around'
As Donald Trump meets with Theresa May in London, he urged her to reconsider her plans to resign and instead “stick around” to work out a post-Brexit trade deal.
He was greeted by crowds of protesters, who flew a giant balloon depicting Trump as an orange baby. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn spoke at the protest Tuesday. There’s also a robotic likeness of Donald Trump on a golden toilet, per AP.
Trump did not shake hands with May when he arrived at Downing Street, though he did shake hands with her husband.
Follow our UK blog for more updates on the president’s trip.
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Joe Biden releases climate change plan
Presidential hopeful Joe Biden released his plan to combat climate change on Tuesday.
It proposes eliminating net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, CNN reports. It would cost $1.7tn over the first ten years. Biden proposes re-joining the Paris climate agreement, which Donald Trump pulled out of. The plan leaves a number of details to Congress to figure out, including how to require corporations to meet the emissions goals that the blueprint lays out.
The plan embraces the framework of the Green New Deal, according to the Washington Post. He would reinstate many of the environmental policies in place under Barack Obama’s administration, where he was vice-president, but with the target of eliminating net emissions goes significantly beyond what the previous White House achieved, per the New York Times.
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Progressive groups push Pelosi to move on impeachment
Progressive groups are expressing “deep disappointment” over House Democrats’ reluctance to impeach Donald Trump and pushing the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, to move forward with impeachment in a new letter. The Associated Press reports:
The groups said in a letter being released Tuesday that voters gave Democrats control of the House “because they wanted aggressive oversight of the Trump administration.”
They said: “The Trump era will be one that evokes the question — what did you do? We urge you to use your power to lead and to stop asking us to wait.”
Pelosi has been reluctant to launch impeachment proceedings , despite growing numbers of Democrats saying it’s time to start a formal inquiry. She says impeachment requires more public support and would detract from the legislative agenda.
Instead, House Democrats are conducting dozens of investigations of the Trump administration , announced a series of new hearings and promised a vote next week to hold Attorney General William Barr and former White House Counsel Don McGahn in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas.
But the groups, whose members include millions of Americans, say those being hurt by the Trump administration’s policies and behavior don’t have the privilege of waiting.
“There are people who feel Trump’s boot on their necks every single day,” said Heidi Hess, co-director at CREDO Action. “We expect moral leadership from you.”
The groups signing onto the letter to Pelosi include Indivisible and Democracy for America.
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