Phew! That was a lot. So what else is going on in politics today? Well, Bill Weld, the Republican former governor of Massachusetts (between 1991 and 1997) has announced he will run against Trump in 2020.
In a speech in New Hampshire, Weld said he has set up an exploratory committee to begin the process of challenging Trump. His announcement was deeply critical of the president.
“In every country there comes a time when patriotic men and women must stand up and speak out to protect our individual rights and the overall health of the nation. In our country, now is such a time,” he said, according to the local New Hampshire news station WMUR9.
Weld, 73, was the vice-presidential candidate for the Libertarian party in 2016, running alongside Gary Johnson. I met him at one of Johnson’s rallies during the campaign. He was very pleasant, and very tall.
That’s unlikely to help him beat Trump, however, as my colleague Ed Pilkington notes that Weld has a “Herculean task ahead of him”:
He is unlikely to be able to muster anything like as much money or media attention as the White House incumbent.
But by opening a crack of insurgency within the Republican party, he may embolden others to follow. He may also force Trump to expend some energy, however limited, on his right flank at a time when Democratic presidential candidates are amassing on his left.
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Democrats will use use “every remedy available” to block national emergency
House speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said they’ll take action “in the Congress, in the Courts, and in the public”, to oppose Trump’s declaration of an emergency.
Pelosi and Schumer, the Democrats’ two most senior officials, said Trump’s decision to declare an emergency is unlawful, and would “shred the Constitution” by circumventing Congress’ power to control spending.
White House officials say some of the money would come from military construction projects. Pelosi and Schumer say Trump would be using money needed “for the security of our military and our nation.”
Democrats can file lawsuits and force congressional votes to block Trump’s money transfers. Trump could veto the legislation should it pass.
Nancy Pelosi yesterday, after signing a spending bill to prevent another government shutdown. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA
•Donald Trump has declared a national emergency to fund his border wall. Speaking in the Rose Garden, Trump said there was an emergency at the border which could only be fixed by building a wall.
•The president repeated a number of falsehoods to justify the need for a wall. Trump said, wrongly, that drugs and human trafficking occurs at areas of the border with no wall. Most drugs and human trafficking actually happens at legal points of entry.
•Trump questioned his own government’s statistics on undocumented immigration. US Customs and Border Protection figures show that immigration is at its lowest level in a decade. Asked about the CBP numbers, Trump said: “You don’t really believe that stat do you?”
•The government expects to be sued over the national emergency declaration, Trump said. “And we will possibly get a bad ruling,” in the courts, he added. “And then we’ll end up in the Supreme Court.” Legal proceedings could hold up the declaration for months.
Jim Acosta, who the president doesn’t like, asks Trump why he is declaring a national emergency at a time when statistics show undocumented immigration has just dropped to its lowest level in a decade.
Trump: “We will then be sued” over national emergency
Trump says he will sign the final papers on the national emergency when he finishes this press conference. That could take a while because he’s currently in the middle of a riff about expected legal proceedings against his declaration.
“We will then be sued,” after signing the declaration, Trump says.
“And we will possibly get a bad ruling, he says: “And then we’ll end up in the Supreme Court.”
Trump says he hopes for a positive ruling from the Supreme Court. Essentially, it is likely this national emergency declaration will be tied up for months in the courts, and possibly ruled unconstitutional. But he’s doing it anyway.
“It’s a great thing to do because we have an invasion of drugs, invasion of drugs invasion of people and its unacceptable,” Trump says of the wall.
Trump declares a national emergency at the southern border. Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters
National emergency declarations have been “signed many times by past presidents”, Trump says, which is true, but most onlookers believe such a declaration is not required in this case – and it is likely to be fought in Congress.
“It’s not like its complicated its very simple we want to stop drugs from coming into our country. We want to stop criminals and gangs from coming into our country,” Trump says.
Trump: "I am going to declare a national emergency"
Donald Trump has declared a national emergency on the US-Mexican border in order to get money to build his promised border wall.
Trump made the announcement on Thursday morning in the Rose Garden at the White House.
“I am going to declare a national emergency,” Trump said.
Trump repeated a number of lies in justifying the need for the wall. The president said, wrongly, that drugs enter the US through areas where there is no border wall. Trump said most drugs do not go through legal points of entry.
“You can’t take human traffic, women and girls through legal points of entry,” Trump said.
“They [border agents] open the door, they look.”
Trump added – again, this is wrong – “They go through areas where they have no wall.”
He’ll use the declaration to spend taxpayer money on the wall without Congressional approval. He had demanded $5.7bn for the wall, which Congress refused to approve.
The measure, which critics call unconstitutional, is expected to face legal challenges. Several Republicans have also called it a bad idea.
We’re still waiting for Trump to appear. In the meantime, a group of women, each carrying large signs, have just walked into the Rose Garden for the president’s announcement.
It looks like they could be “Angel moms” – the parents or relatives of people who killed by undocumented immigrants. Trump has repeatedly invited Angel moms to his political events.
This is Adam Gabbatt taking over from Erin, by the way.
Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld has launched an exploratory committee to mount a primary challenge against Donald Trump in 2020, Politico reports.
Weld is a Republican who in 2016 ran for vice president on the Libertarian ticket.
“Our president is simply too unstable to carry out the duties of the highest executive office in the land,” Weld said Friday in New Hampshire, according to Politico.
“I’m here because I think our country is in grave peril, and I cannot sit any longer quietly on the sidelines,” he said. “We have a president who openly praises and encourages despotic and authoritarian leaders abroad while going out of his way seemingly to insult and even humiliate our Democratic allies.”
Democrats are criticizing the use of military construction funds, one of the sources Donald Trump is expected to tap for border wall money.
Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego)
As a member of the Armed Services Committee we authorize billions of dollars to improve our bases every year. That money is to build facilities to recruit, train and retain the worlds best military. A fake national emergency takes money from that mission.
Donald Trump’s emergency declaration would hand him about $8 billion to build his wall on the US-Mexico border.
That’s $1.375 billion approved by Congress for fences along 55 miles of the Texas border, plus another $6.5 billion he intends to spend without Congressional approval, according to the Washington Post.
ABC News breaks it down further: $1.375 billion would come from the spending bill Congress passed Thursday; $600 million would come from the Treasury Department’s drug forfeiture fund; $2.5 billion would come from the Pentagon’s drug interdiction program; and $3.5 billion from the Pentagon’s military construction budget. It’s the last item that requires the declaration of a national emergency.
Donald Trump is prepared to veto any legislation from Congress to block his emergency declaration.
On a call with supporters Friday morning, Russell Vought, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget said that Trump would “absolutely veto” a bill, the Washington Post reports.
He also said it will “shock” people how quickly the administration moves to contract and construct the wall.
Republicans are making much of Beto O’Rourke’s comments last night that he would tear down existing border walls.
Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR)
Give Beto O’Rourke points for honesty: he admits that he wants to tear down existing border walls & have totally open borders. At least he’ll say what most Democrat politicians believe. https://t.co/h8Qojyp7gG
The Guardian took a look at the numbers after Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar ignited a controversy with two tweets claiming pro-Israel lobby money influenced American political policy and discourse. The claim led to accusations of antisemitism.
The records show that pro-Israel lobbyists and donors spent more than $22m on lobbying and campaign contributions during the 2018 election cycle.
Omar incorrectly suggested Aipac makes campaign contributions to candidates. However, records show it did spend about $3.5m lobbying during the 2018 election cycle. In total, pro-Israel lobbying groups spent about $5min 2018, the highest tally since tracking began in 1998.
Pro-Israel groups and individuals also contributed just under $15m to USpoliticians’ campaigns during the 2018 cycle, the highest amount since the 1990 cycle. The J Street Pac, a progressive, pro-Israel lobby that advocates for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, contributed the most at $4.03m.
Good morning. Donald Trump is expected today to declare a national emergency, a move that would allow him to spend money on a border wall without Congressional approval.
He’s also expected to sign a government funding bill approved by Congress last night, preventing a government shutdown.
Democrats and some Republicans call the emergency declaration unconstitutional, and it’s expected to face immediate challenge.
Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks on the issue at 10am in the White House Rose Garden, according to Reuters. Stay tuned.
Dave Weigel (@daveweigel)
Daniel Dale (@ddale8)
