Evening summary
Quiet end to the day, but former FBI director James Comey will be speaking at a CNN town hall momentarily and that will be sure to liven things up:
- Senator Kamala Harris issued a statement demanding that attorney general William Barr clarify his answer to her question of whether anyone from the White House had ever instructed him to investigate anyone. This comes on the heels of President Trump saying former secretary of state John Kerry should be prosecuted for continuing to meet with Iranian officials.
- The Boston Red Sox visited the White House, and on top of some players choosing to sit out the visit in protest, on top of the White House calling the team the Boston Red “Socks”, and on top of the White House falsely declaring the team “World Cup Series Champions” - the president made some confusing remarks about Abraham Lincoln that for a moment raised some questions about his understanding of how the Civil War ended.
- The FBI has opened a public corruption investigation into the Florida woman accused of formerly owning a spa implicated in a human trafficking ring (yes, the one New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft is allegedly caught up in) promising Chinese investors access to President Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
The Miami Herald is reporting that the FBI has opened a public corruption investigation into Li Cindy Yang, the founder and one-time owner of a Florida spa implicated in a human-trafficking ring - the ring that New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft is allegedly caught up in - who is accused of promising Chinese investors access to President Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
The investigation is focusing on whether Yang, who was famously photographed at Donald Trump’s Super Bowl watch party at his West Palm Beach country club, had “illegally funneled money from China into the president’s re-election effort or committed other potential campaign-finance violations”, according to the Miami Herald.
Read the full story here.
The president has tweeted a little video clip of today’s visit from the “World Cup Series Champions,” the Boston Red “Socks”. Shockingly, there appears to be no mention of where exactly Abraham Lincoln fits in all this.
Today, it was my honor to welcome the 2018 World Series Champion Boston @RedSox to the @WhiteHouse! pic.twitter.com/yHAClpttLM
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2019
The White House seems to had a bit of a swing and a miss with the Boston Red Sox today. If you’ll recall from earlier, the team was set to visit, but a number of players chose to sit it out.
And then the White House called them the Boston Red “Socks”.
First, the White House calls them the “Red Socks.” Now, they seem to be the “World Cup Series Champions” pic.twitter.com/oiZztyufs5
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) May 9, 2019
And now, here we have this series of questionable remarks, from the president himself.
So the Red Sox's Tom Werner spoke to reporters briefly and said this happened:
— Elaina Plott (@elainaplott) May 9, 2019
Trump "is a pretty good raconteur of history and he did say that, uh—he was talking about Abraham Lincoln losing the war and said ‘Well, I know you guys have lost a game or two, but this was a war.’”
I’m confused. Does Trump think that Abraham Lincoln lost the Civil War? I’m not sure how else to read this?
— Elaina Plott (@elainaplott) May 9, 2019
I've reached out to Sarah Sanders for comment but...what?
— Elaina Plott (@elainaplott) May 9, 2019
OK, well this is a little better.
Werner went on to say he believed the president meant Lincoln was losing the Civil War at one point but then came back to win it.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 9, 2019
Updated
Here’s a fun little tidbit on Senator Kamala Harris and attorney general William Barr: Politico reported that the Harris campaign spent $296,000 on ads highlighting her questioning of Barr - Harris has proven time and time again that she shines in those strong prosecutorial sort of roles, and her people obviously wanted to capitalize on it.
Their efforts paid off. In reporting this piece about California’s role in the 2020 race, I had tallied her first-quarter donations from Californians before the hearing - $4.3m from Californians alone, the most out of any candidate.
As of Wednesday, her team had updated their numbers - and that figure had soared to $6.6m.
Senator Kamala Harris left attorney general William Barr sputtering and stammering during her questioning of him at the Senate judiciary committee hearing last week.
Now, she’s coming back for more.
Harris’ statement comes on the heels of Trump’s comments that former secretary of state John Kerry should be prosecuted for continuing to meet with Iranian officials.
NEWS: After Trump comments about @JohnKerry, @SenKamalaHarris demands Barr clarify testimony over improper pressure from White House https://t.co/tck0k7FoVd pic.twitter.com/YhTtrux9gA
— Chris Harris (@chris_p_harris) May 9, 2019
A week can feel like a month in blog time, but just to jog your memories, the question Harris had asked Barr whether anyone at the White House had suggested that he open an investigation into anyone.
Updated
This feels like the kind of news all of us need today.
A good source confirms that Jerry Nadler is walking around the House floor with a fistful of babka for Dutch Ruppersberger.
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) May 9, 2019
Hey all, Vivian Ho taking over for Sabrina Siddiqui. In celebration of today’s California liveblog takeover, why don’t you take a peek at a piece I wrote about the Golden State’s changing role in the 2020 race. Yes, feel free to sound the shameless self-promotion horns now.
Ok gang, that’s it from me, Sabrina. But before I hand over the blog to my colleague Vivian, a quick recap of the past few hours:
- Donald Trump defended his son, Donald Trump Jr, after the Republican-led Senate intelligence committee subpoenaed Trump Jr to testify on Capitol Hill. The president said his elder son is a “good person” and downplayed Trump Jr’s willingness to accept help from the Russians in 2016.
- Top Trump national security officials held a meeting last week at CIA headquarters to discuss Iran. The meeting, which was first revealed on Thursday, comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
- Trump will nominate Patrick Shanahan as his new defense secretary. Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, has been serving in the role in an ‘acting’ capacity since the resignation of former defense secretary James Mattis in December.
- William Barr is not too bothered about Democrats in the House judiciary committee voting to hold him in contempt of Congress. The attorney general joked about the matter at a ceremony in Washington on Thursday.
Speaking of the Justice Department and that whole Russia thing, we now await a town hall with former FBI director James Comey this evening. We’ll cover that and other developments in the blog this evening, so stay tuned!
William Barr jokes about contempt vote in Congress
US attorney general William Barr did not seem bothered by a vote in the House judiciary committee to hold him in contempt of Congress.
One day after Democrats on the panel approved a resolution to hold Barr in contempt, the attorney general cracked a joke about the matter at a farewell ceremony for his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, in Washington.
“You like records,” Barr said. “This must be a record for an attorney general being proposed for contempt within a hundred days of taking office.”
Barr’s comments came after House judiciary committee chairman Jerrold Nadler pressed forward with the contempt vote, citing the Justice Department’s refusal to comply with a subpoena for the full, unredacted Mueller report.
Here’s a shameless plug for my explainer on what the whole contempt vote even means.
Back before Bernie Sanders was railing against big banks and corporations, he had a public access TV show and the archives are available for everyone’s entertainment.
The Daily Show host Trevor Noah had a blast going through some of the footage, which includes Sanders, then the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, turning a question from a young girl about an indoor amusement park into a lecture on zoning laws.
Sounds about right.
Watch the segment here.
Trump to nominate Patrick Shanahan as defense secretary
Donald Trump will nominate Patrick Shanahan, the acting Pentagon chief, as his new defense secretary, the White House announced on Thursday.
Shanahan, a former executive at Boeing, has been serving in the role in an ‘acting’ capacity since the departure of former defense secretary James Mattis in December.
Unlike Mattis, who disagreed with Trump on multiple issues and used his resignation letter to critique the president, Shanahan is known as a Trump loyalist.
Trump’s nomination comes after Shanahan was cleared of an ethics investigation into allegations that he promoted his former employer, Boeing, in internal discussions while disparaging its competitors.
“Acting Secretary Shanahan has proven over the last several months that he is beyond qualified to lead the Department of Defense, and he will continue to do an excellent job,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.
Updated
The sprawling 2020 Democratic field may get more crowded yet!
Stacey Abrams, the former gubernatorial candidate in Georgia, said Thursday she’s weighing a presidential bid after ruling out a run for the US Senate.
.@danpfeiffer "It has been reported that you are still considering joining the ever-growing democratic presidential field. Is that true?" @staceyabrams: "Yes."
— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) May 9, 2019
Stacey Abrams joins today's Pod, out this afternoon: https://t.co/bKb0xcI0mY pic.twitter.com/42pxs22VFi
A refresher: Abrams emerged as a rising star in the Democratic party after falling just short of defeating Republican Brian Kemp in the 2018 Georgia governor’s race.
She ended her campaign without conceding in November, stating at the time that “democracy failed” amid an outcry over voting rights.
Kemp, Abrams’ opponent, was Georgia’s sitting secretary of state at the time of the election and was accused by Abrams of engaging in voter suppression tactics that disproportionately purged black voters from the rolls.
One to watch: Abrams delivered the Democratic rebuttal to Donald Trump’s 2019 State of the Union address, prompting further speculation over her future plans.
Updated
Mayor Pete Buttigieg, whose unlikely rise to the top-tier of 2020 presidential candidates has made waves across the country, is aware he has some work to do in courting black voters.
Buttigieg was asked about his support among black voters following a rally in Los Angeles on Thursday with unions representing teachers and carpenters.
Buttigieg pointed out he succeeded in the “racially diverse” city of South Bend, where he was elected mayor in 2011.
.@PeteButtigieg is asked about his weakness among black voters, says his campaign will have to work “doubly hard.” @ABC7 #PeteButtigieg #blackvote #2020Election pic.twitter.com/283CoZKS7L
— Josh Haskell (@abc7JoshHaskell) May 9, 2019
“The black voters who know me best have returned me to office with an overwhelming margin,” Buttigieg told reporters.
He nonetheless acknowledged his campaign must “work doubly hard” to build a diverse coalition, while adding:
We’ve made sure that we’re building a staff that reflects not only the diversity of the party, but the increasing diversity of my generation.”
Lindsey Graham, the Republican chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, is counseling Donald Trump Jr not to appear before Congress:
Graham says Don Jr should be "very reluctant" to come to Senate Intel despite being slapped with subpoena pic.twitter.com/cK2fIXKM9m
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) May 9, 2019
The key quote: “If I were his lawyer, I would be reluctant to put him back in this circus.”
This is the same Graham who was once among Donald Trump’s sharpest critics. He has since ranked among the president’s most ardent supporters, because that’s the way we live now.
Top Trump officials held meeting at CIA on Iran
Donald Trump’s top intelligence, diplomatic and military advisers held a highly unusual meeting at the CIA headquarters last week to discuss Iran, NBC News reported on Thursday.
According to the report, the meeting was convened on 29 April by John Bolton, the president’s national security adviser.
Citing current officials, NBC pointed out it is extremely rare for national security meetings to take place CIA headquarters; they are typically held in the White House Situation Room.
Who was there: CIA director Gina Haspel; acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan; secretary of state Mike Pompeo; director of national intelligence Dan Coats; and General Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
What was said: While details were scarce on the nature of the discussion, it reportedly did not have to do with the US military’s decision to surge a carrier strike group and Air Force bombers to the Middle East in response to threats in the region from Iran.
The backstory: The Trump presidency ushered in a period of renewed uncertainty between Washington and Tehran.
It was roughly one year ago that the president tore up the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal and subsequently reimposed sanctions on Iran. Last month, the Trump administration escalated tensions further by designating a powerful arm of the Iranian military as a foreign terrorist organization.
Iran announced this week it would no longer comply with parts of the nuclear accord, which was brokered under Barack Obama’s administration.
What Trump says: Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Trump spoke about rising hostility between the US and Iran.
“They’re in bad shape right now. I look forward to the day where we can actually help them. We’re not looking to hurt Iran. I want them to be strong and great and have a great economy.”
Trump also rebuked John Kerry, the former secretary of state under Obama who led US negotiations with Tehran, for continuing to meet with Iranian officials.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, the president accused Kerry of violating a US law that criminalizes negotiations by unauthorized individuals with foreign governments engaged in an active dispute with the US.
“He’s talking to Iran and has has many meetings and many phone calls and he’s telling them what to do,” Trump said of Kerry. “And frankly, he should be prosecuted on that.”
A spokesperson for Kerry hit back at Trump stating the president was “wrong about the facts, wrong about the law, and sadly he’s been wrong about how to use diplomacy to keep America safe”.
More from Kerry spokesperson Matt Summers:
Secretary Kerry helped negotiate a nuclear agreement that worked to solve an intractable problem. The world supported it then and supports it still. We’d hope the president would focus on solving foreign policy problems for America instead of attacking his predecessors for theater.”
Updated
Donald Trump defends son amid Trump Jr subpoena
Donald Trump said he was ‘very surprised’ by the Republican-led Senate intelligence committee’s decision to issue a subpoena for his son, Donald Trump Jr, to testify on Capitol Hill.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, the president did not say if Trump Jr should fight the subpoena but defended his son’s cooperation with investigators.
“My son is a good person. He works very hard. The last thing he needs is Washington DC,” Trump said.
“I think he’d rather not ever be involved,” the president added. “He’s now testified for 20 hours or something, a massive amount of time.”
Trump went on to claim that the Mueller report, which he referred to as “the Bible”, exonerated his son.
President Trump tells @ABC's @jonkarl he was "very surprised" the Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr.
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) May 9, 2019
"My son is a very good person, works very hard, the last thing he needs is Washington, D.C. He would rather not ever be involved" https://t.co/v0UjO7Wtqx pic.twitter.com/bSZT2WbKaC
Although Robert Mueller declined to prosecute Trump Jr, the special counsel did not absolve the president’s son of wrongdoing. Mueller instead wrote in its report that investigators could not establish Trump Jr “willfully” violated the law:
The Office ultimately concluded that, even if the principal legal questions were resolved favorably to the government, a prosecution would encounter difficulties proving that Campaign officials or individuals connected to the Campaign willfully violated the law.”
Trump Jr emerged as a key witness in the investigation when it was revealed he helped set up a meeting between members of the Trump campaign and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya in June of 2016.
The meeting, held at Trump Tower in New York, was arranged after Trump Jr was promised incriminating information about Hillary Clinton and informed of an effort by the Russian government to help elect his father.
The president on Thursday dismissed Trump Jr’s conduct as opposition research that is commonplace among political campaigns.
It is, in fact, a violation of US campaign finance law to accept contributions from a foreign government and highly unusual to solicit help from overseas. Trump Jr did not inform the FBI of the Russian scheme, but rather infamously responded: “If it’s what you say, I love it.”
Trump Jr testified privately on Capitol Hill before three separate committees in 2017. The Mueller report appeared to contradict some of Trump Jr’s testimony to Congress, namely that he did not inform his father of the June 2016 meeting and his statements about a possible Trump Tower project in Moscow.
Trump Jr told lawmakers under oath that he was only “peripherally aware” of negotiations around building a Trump Tower Moscow. But Michael Cohen, the president’s former personal attorney, testified earlier this year that he briefed Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump roughly 10 times about the project.
Updated
Hi everyone! Sabrina Siddiqui taking over the reins of the blog.
We’ve got more to break down from Trump’s comment’s to the media, because in case you hadn’t already noticed, the president talks a lot... like, a lot. So buckle up and stay tuned!
Afternoon summary
•Donald Trump said attorney general William Barr will decide whether Robert Mueller can testify before Congress. Mueller is due before the House Jjudiciary Ccommittee on Wednesday 15 May, but over the weekend Trump suggested he could block the appearance. This morning he said Barr would make the decision.
•Alabama politicians scheduled a vote on the nation’s strictest abortion bill – after fiery scenes in the state senate. The bill would implement a near-total ban on abortions in Alabama, with no exemptions for rape or incest. Democrats said they had been “railroaded” by Republicans.
•Nearly a dozen Boston Red Sox players – all people of color – are skipping the team’s visit to the White House today. Manager Alex Cora and players including American League MVP Mookie Betts have said they’ll skip the ceremony. Cora, who is from Puerto Rico, cited the government’s lackluster response to Hurricane Maria as the reason for his decision.
•Trump has been criticized after laughing off a suggestion that migrants attempting to enter the US should be shot. Speaking at a rally in Florida on Wednesday night Trump mused: “How do you stop [immigrants crossing the border]? You can’t,” Trump said. An audience member shouted: “Shoot them!” to which Trump chuckled and responded: “Only in the panhandle you can get away with that statement.”
Updated
Back to that planned Alabama anti-abortion vote: the Associated Press reports that the shouting in the state senate broke out after exemptions for rape and incest were removed from the bill at the last minute.
[The bill] which would make performing an abortion at any stage of pregnancy a felony, without a roll call vote.
Democrats and at least one Republican objected to the motion being quickly gaveled through on what they said was an important exception to the proposed abortion ban.
“You’ve got 27 men over on the other side ready to tell women what they can do with their bodies,” Democratic senator Bobby Singleton said. “You don’t have to procedurally just try to railroad us.”
[...]
Senate president pro tempore Del Marsh, the Republican leader of the GOP-dominated Senate, suggested lawmakers go home for the weekend to cool off and resume debate next week. Marsh said he supports an exemption for rape.
Under the bill doctors could be charged with a felony for performing an abortion and sentenced to 99 years in prison. The Alabama House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a version of the bill last week.
Updated
Alabama’s attempt to pass the nation’s strictest abortion ban comes as states across the country are pushing restrictions.
The state level anti-abortion laws are unconstitutional, but are seen as an attempt to get a case before the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe versus Wade, the landmark decision which legalized abortion in 1973.
Alabama’s law goes further than other states. It bans abortion from conception, except in the case of a “serious health risk” to the mother. Exceptions for victims of rape and incest were stripped from the bill Thursday. Alabama’s bill would allow prosecutors to charge doctors who perform an abortion with a felony.
This year, 15 states considered or enacted “fetal heartbeat” bills, which outlaw abortion at six weeks based on the cardiac activity of an embryo.
Physicians argue the bills misrepresent science – a pregnancy is not considered a fetus until nine weeks into a pregnancy, and the tissues of an embryo have not yet formed into heart chambers at that stage. Many of the bills are supported by groups which also oppose gay marriage.
Georgia is the most recent states to pass such as law. Ohio enacted a six-week ban without exceptions for victims of rape and incest, and declined to close a loophole which allows marital rape.
Updated
Trump: Barr will decide if Mueller can testify
Donald Trump said the attorney general, William Barr, will decide whether Robert Mueller can testify before Congress.
The special counsel, is due to testify before the House judiciary committee on 15 May, but this week Trump said Mueller “should not testify”.
Asked about that position during a press conference at the White House, Trump said: “I’m gonna leave that up to our very great attorney general, and he’ll make a decision on that.”
Trump’s statement about Mueller not testifying has Democrats concerned that the special counsel will be blocked from appearing.
“Well, now that the President has said what he said, I’m less confident than I was,” Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House judiciary committee, said on Wednesday.
Updated
Alabama to vote on near-total abortion ban
Alabama politicians have scheduled a vote on the nation’s strictest abortion bill on Tuesday – but only after a shouting match broke out in the state senate.
The bill would implement a near-total ban on abortions in Alabama, with no exemptions for rape or incest.
Strict abortion bans have been sweeping the country as Republicans seek to re-litigate Roe v Wade before a conservative supreme court.
Talking with Sen. Del Marsh, he’s says Lt. Gov. @willainsworthAL acted within his power as president of the Senate. Marsh says many senators were caught off guard by the roll call vote to strip the rape and incest amendment. pic.twitter.com/fslxJcgbPt
— Reshad Hudson (@ReshadHudson) May 9, 2019
Updated
Paul Manafort news: Trump’s former campaign chairman and ostrich coat enthusiast will no longer be able to be a lawyer in Washington DC.
#BREAKING: Paul Manafort disbarred by DC court over criminal convictions https://t.co/Hivn73x41h pic.twitter.com/h1gAy408QK
— The Hill (@thehill) May 9, 2019
Paul Manafort officially can no longer practice law in Washington DC according to a Thursday court filing.
A panel of judges for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals found that Manafort’s criminal convictions for obstruction of justice through witness tampering and conspiracy to commit fraud were enough to disbar him in DC.
The judges wrote in the opinion that Manafort having committed crimes of “moral turpitude” was enough to disbar him in DC.
Hello! This is Adam Gabbatt taking over from Erin Durkin.
We’ve not heard a peep today from author-turned-president Donald Trump.
“It’s quiet at the White House so far this morning - 64 degrees and cloudy, not a tweet or gaggle to be found,” is the update from the White House pool report.
Possibly Trump is keeping his head down after his ill-judged shooting-immigrants banter last night, although he is due to emerge in half an hour to speak about the surprise medical bills some patients face.
Today, Trump is meeting with the Boston Red Sox, who won the 2018 World Series.
— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) May 9, 2019
But earlier in the day, a page on the White House's website referred to the team as "The Boston Red Socks." The spelling has since been corrected pic.twitter.com/hRKDuxof8C
As we heard earlier, he is due to host the Boston Red Stockings at 3.30pm, an event that a dozen players – all people of color – have said they will skip.
When other sports teams have visited the White House Trump has fed them McDonalds, Burger King and Chick-fil-A. We’ll have all the latest developments on what Trump serves to the Red Shoes.
Jill Biden said she would like to continue working as a teacher if her husband Joe wins the presidency.
“I would want to make sure that my students were safe, but boy, would I love to do it,” Jill Biden said in an interview with MSNBC.
“It is my passion, it’s what I love, so maybe we could figure out some way,” she said. “What would that say about the worth of a spouse, right? To be working. I mean, not that first lady isn’t a full time job, because believe me, I’ve seen it up close, it’s a full time job.”
Jill Biden continued teaching English at a community college while Joe Biden was vice president, believed to be the first vice-president’s wife to hold a paying job.
She also addressed critics who believe her 76-year-old husband is too old to run for president, saying, “I don’t think he’s too old, certainly, but that’s up to the voters to decide.”
“He’s wiser. He’s learned a lot,” she said.
Updated
The plan proposed today by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez would cap credit card interest rates at 15%, Bloomberg News reports.
The legislation would also let post offices offer low-cost basic financial services, such as checking and savings accounts and loans.
“Today’s loan sharks wear expensive suits and work on Wall Street, where they make hundreds of millions of dollars in total compensation by charging sky-high fees and usurious interest rates,” the pair said in a statement outlining the plan.
Updated
Former CIA operative Valerie Plame has formally filed papers to run for Congress in New Mexico, the Hill reports.
She is running as a Democrat for the seat held by representative Ben Ray Lujan, who is running for Senate.
Plame gained prominence during the George W Bush administration when her identity as an undercover CIA operative was revealed by administration officials looking to undercut criticism by her husband. Scooter Libby, the chief of staff to Vice-President Dick Cheney, was convicted of lying to a grand jury about the matter, and later pardoned by Donald Trump.
Updated
More on the former NSA official charged today with giving classified documents to a reporter: the files dealt with drone warfare. The outlet was not identified by prosecutors, but the files described appear to match those published in a series by the Intercept.
Daniel Hale, 31, was indicted by a grand jury on five charges relating to the alleged leak. Each charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.
The indictment said Hale met a reporter from the news outlet at an event in a Washington DC, bookstore in April 2013, and soon began searching his NSA computer for classified information on subjects that the reporter wrote about.
Hale and the reporter allegedly communicated by telephone, email and text message over the following months. Emails and text messages sent to Hale by the reporter – some in the hours after Hale allegedly printed documents – were quoted in the indictment.
Updated
House speaker Nancy Pelosi says she believes the United States is in a constitutional crisis.
“Yes, I do agree,” she told reporters Thursday when asked if she agrees with Representative Jerry Nadler’s assertion that the US is facing a constitutional crisis, the Hill reported.
“The administration has decided that they’re not going to honor their oath of office,” Pelosi said.
Updated
The progressive group MoveOn will host a 2020 Democratic presidential forum on 1 June in San Francisco, Politico reports.
Five Democratic primary candidates – Julián Castro, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren – have confirmed their attendance.
Updated
On top of the political controversy around the visit, the White House didn’t help things by flubbing the team name on its website listing the event: “President Trump Welcomes the 2018 World Series Champions The Boston Red Socks to the White House.”
This would never happen under a President Bill de Blasio https://t.co/g5LyQ18hrU
— Ben Max (@TweetBenMax) May 9, 2019
A former intelligence analyst for the National Security Agency was arrested Thursday and charged with providing classified documents and information to a reporter.
Former airman Daniel Everette Hale is set to appear in court later today, CNN reports.
He was accused of giving 17 documents printed from his computer at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to the reporter, who published parts of them.
Donald Trump’s nomination of Mark Morgan to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not receiving an enthusiastic response, CNN reports.
Trump announce the nomination Sunday after abruptly pulling his last nominee, Ron Vitiello.
Fox News’s Marie Harf will leave the network to join RepresentativeSeth Moulton’s presidential campaign, the Daily Beast reports.
She’s stepping down from her post as a political commentator for Fox News Channel and co-host of Fox News Radio’s Benson and Harf, and will become deputy campaign manager for policy and communications.
Updated
Former FBI director James Comey will appear in a CNN town hall Thursday night, which marks the two year anniversary of his firing by Donald Trump.
The United States called on North Korea on Thursday to “dismantle all political prison camps” and release all political prisoners, who it said numbered between 80,000 and 120,000. Reuters reports:
In remarks to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mark Cassayre, U.S. charge d’affaires, also urged North Korean authorities to allow aid workers in the isolated country unrestricted movement and access to populations in need.
Earlier North Korean ambassador Han Tae Song told the 47-member forum that “people’s rights to life and fundamental freedoms are fully ensured” in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea but that sanctions were hampering their enjoyment.
Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign has hired Jeff Berman, the Democratic lawyer who played a central role in Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton’s campaigns, BuzzFeed reports.
Berman is the country’s leading expert on delegate selection rules, the obscure but crucial process of winning enough delegates to secure the party’s presidential nomination.
White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said it was “bad form” for Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee to subpoena Donald Trump Jr without giving him a heads up.
The committee wants Trump Jr to testify as part of its ongoing probe into Russian election interference.
“To subpoena the president of the United States’ son and not at least get a heads-up, I thought was – let’s say bad form,” Mulvaney said in an interview with CBS News.
“I have no opinion about that because he is a private citizen and not a member of the administration,” Mulvaney said, before adding that although “I’m all for bipartisanship on Intel Committees,” he was not pleased that “the President’s son got a subpoena from a Republican-led committee” without advance warning.
Updated
Pete Buttigieg is not providing health insurance to his campaign staffers, NBC News reports.
The South Bend, Indiana mayor is the only leading Democratic presidential candidate not to offer health insurance.
Instead, he is giving staffers a stipend to buy their own insurance through Obamacare exchanges. He plans to offer insurance in the future, a his campaign told NBC.
Senator Elizabeth Warren appears on this week’s cover of Time Magazine, with the tagline: “I have a plan for that.”
This week @EWarren is on the cover of @TIME. Here's the first look pic.twitter.com/iTFSL6xpyT
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 9, 2019
Updated
Senator Bernie Sanders and representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez plan to unveil legislation today to regulate the credit card and banking industries.
A programming note: pic.twitter.com/5XCdVHszUe
— Laura Nahmias (@nahmias) May 9, 2019
Updated
The World Series champion Boston Red Sox are set to visit the White House today, but a number of players are setting out.
As the Associated Press reports, manager Alex Cora and nearly a dozen players, including American League MVP Mookie Betts, have said they’ll skip the ceremony.
All the players skipping the visit are people of color. All the white players on the team, as well as JD Martinez, who is of Cuban descent, plan to attend.
NEW: A championship team’s visit to the White House was once a familiar ritual. But under Trump, it has become hyper-political.
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) May 9, 2019
And for the Red Sox, visiting today, it has even raised sharp questions about a racially divided clubhouse and sport: https://t.co/S3dprU6jKQ
All those bypassing the White House are players of color. Every white player on the team — as well as J.D. Martinez, who is of Cuban descent — was expected to attend.
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) May 9, 2019
The Red Sox have stressed that the clubhouse has not been divided on the issue https://t.co/S3dprU6jKQ
Cora, who is from Puerto Rico, says he’s skipping the visit in protest of the Trump administration’s failure to aid the island after Hurricane Maria.
“Unfortunately, we are still struggling, still fighting,” Cora said in a statement, per AP. “Some people still lack basic necessities, others remain without electricity and many homes and schools are in pretty bad shape almost a year and a half after Hurricane Maria struck. I’ve used my voice on many occasions so that Puerto Ricans are not forgotten, and my absence is no different. As such, at this moment, I don’t feel comfortable celebrating in the White House.”
Donald Trump is drawing criticism for laughing off a supporter’s suggestion to “shoot” migrants trying to cross the border.
The president, who spent the day defying the other two branches of government, thinks it's hilarious that a member of the crowd suggested murdering families fleeing violence. The hate-fueled mob of "fine people" surrounding him explode into uproarious laughter and falsetto hoots. https://t.co/UkHZKQnnSP
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) May 9, 2019
United States president: 'So what do we do with these immigrants?!'
— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) May 9, 2019
Ignorant racists at rally: "Shoot them!"
US president: (laughs) "Only in the Panhandle!" (laughs again)
Me: We have an amoral monster sociopath in the Oval Office...#Trump https://t.co/n4Q6SPK9da
This is how massacres happen. And this is how the next domestic terrorist attack by a white supremacist against communities of color is legitamized and even encouraged by our President. https://t.co/yE1DP7sGa3
— 𝑬𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒌𝒆𝒍𝒍 (@eShekell) May 9, 2019
Better than "President jokes about shooting migrants." https://t.co/f8KmYiTpEY https://t.co/XIZq8OMBar
— Chris Megerian (@ChrisMegerian) May 9, 2019
Updated
Donald Trump laughed and the crowd cheered when an audience member at his Florida rally last night said the best way to deal with migrants was to “shoot them.”
“How do you stop these people? You can’t,” Trump said.
“Shoot them!” someone in the crowd shouted out, prompting a chuckle from the president and cheers from the audience.
“That’s only in the panhandle you can get away with that statement. Only in the panhandle,” Trump said.
In the runup to the exchange, Trump pondered how to stop immigrants from crossing the border without using weapons. “When you have 15,000 people marching up, and you have hundreds and hundreds of people, and you have two or three border security people that are brave and great - and don’t forget, we don’t let them and we can’t let them use weapons,” he said. “Other countries do. We can’t. I would never do that.”
Updated
