News from the note…
A round up of the day’s news that might be of interest to you.
Consider this an OPEN THREAD, folks. Chat about any of the stories listed, share links to stories that caught your eye today, and generally have a good time discussing whatever you want.
House delays vote on immigration bill
From Politico
House GOP leaders postponed a vote on a “compromise” immigration proposal until Friday, according to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
House GOP leadership will brief Republican lawmakers on the bill this afternoon, after members asked for more time to consider the proposal. It still faces long odds at passage.
Trump: Media coverage of North Korea summit is ‘almost treasonous’
From The Hill
President Trump said during a new interview that media coverage of his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is “almost treasonous.”
“First of all, we came to a wonderful agreement, it’s a shame the fake news covers it the way they do,” Trump told Mike Huckabee on the former Arkansas governor’s TBN show. “It’s almost treasonous, you want to know the truth.”
He noted that North Korea had returned American hostages and agreed to return the remains of U.S. soldiers killed in the Korean War. The hostages were returned prior to the summit.
‘Womp womp’: Corey Lewandowski reportedly canned by speakers bureau after disparaging remark
From Washington Examiner
Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski has reportedly been dropped from the roster of a prestigious speakers bureau based in Washington following a comment he made in a TV interview that was widely reported as him mocking a disabled migrant child.
Leading Authorities, Inc., severed ties with Lewandowski after he interrupted Democratic strategist Zac Petkanas on a Fox News panel Tuesday night as Petkanas was talking about a 10-year-old girl with Down syndrome, who was allegedly taken away from her mother at the border.
“Womp, womp,” Lewandowski said, speaking over Petkanas.
Melania Trump makes surprise trip to McAllen, after nudging president to end family separation
From Dallas News
First lady Melania Trump arrived unannounced in McAllen on Thursday morning to see for herself the conditions facing migrant children separated from parents under her husband’s zero-tolerance policy.
“She’s seen the images. She’s heard the recordings,” said the first lady’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham. “The images struck her, as a mother, as a human being.”
Read Trump’s proposal for reorganizing the federal government
From Axios
President Trump will unveil his administration’s plan to reorganize the federal government during a Cabinet meeting this afternoon, including plans to merge the Departments of Education and Labor into a single agency and rename the Department of Health and Human Services to the Department of Health and Public Welfare.
Be smart: This massive proposed shakeup, titled “Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century: Reform Plan and Reorganization Recommendations,” will face significant opposition in Congress, as the reshuffling will make it easier to cut and revise several domestic agencies. Similar efforts in the past have failed due to pushback.
Ian Bremmer: Trump tossed candy to Merkel at G-7, said ‘don’t say I never give you anything’
From The Hill
President Trump reportedly tossed Starburst candies to German Chancellor Angela Merkel during his tense meeting with Group of Seven (G-7) leaders weeks ago, Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer said Wednesday.
While appearing on CBS News, Bremmer painted a grim picture of Trump and Merkel’s relationship amid heightened conflict between the president and other G-7 members over his steep steel and aluminum tariffs and suggestion that Russia be reinstated into the group.
Bremmer went on to describe a bizarre incident toward the end of the summit, when Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined some of other the allies “to press Trump directly to sign the [group] communique that talked about the commitment to a rules-based international order.”
“Trump was sitting there with his arms crossed, clearly not liking the fact that they were ganging up on him,” Bremmer said to the news outlet. “He eventually agreed and said OK, he’ll sign it. And at that point, he stood up, put his hand in his pocket, his suit jacket pocket, and he took two Starburst candies out, threw them on the table and said to Merkel, ‘Here, Angela. Don’t say I never give you anything.’ ”
Lawsuit alleges drugs were forcibly administered to migrant children
From The Hill
A lawsuit made public on Wednesday alleges that immigrant children held at a detention center near Houston were forcibly administered drugs.
Immigrant children at Shiloh Treatment Center, a government contractor that houses unaccompanied migrant kids, were held down and told they would not be able to see their parents unless they took the psychiatric drugs, according to documents filed April in U.S. District Court in California.
“The supervisor told me I was going to get a medication injection to calm me down,” a young girl told attorneys, according to Reveal News. “Two staff grabbed me, and the doctor gave me the injection despite my objection and left me there on the bed.”
The 46 most staggering lines from Donald Trump’s Minnesota speech
From CNN
President Donald Trump kicked off a week of campaigning in advance of the midterm election on Wednesday night in Duluth, Minnesota, delivering his now-trademark stream of consciousness speech to an adoring crowd.
I went through the speech and picked out the most memorable lines. They’re below.
1. “I hate to bring this up. But we came this close to winning the state of Minnesota. And in two and a half years, it’s going to be really easy, I think.”
You didn’t vote for me before. That was bad! But you will vote for me the next time you get a chance! (Also: He didn’t “hate” to bring it up.)
2. “You know, the whole thing, going up the trees and down the trees. Number one in the world for four or five years.”
Trump is referring here to Rep. Sean Duffy, the reality-star-turned-lumberjack-turned-congressman from Wisconsin. And, yes, Duffy won the speed-climbing championship at the Lumberjack World Championships. Twice.
3. “We are going to win so much, win, win, win.”
It’s a win-win situation. Wait, no. It’s a win-win-win situation, which is even better. One “win” better, to be exact.
