WH Meets on Iran After Trump’s Threat

Four days after President Trump’s stern warning via Twitter to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, national security adviser John Bolton is scheduled to hold a meeting Thursday of Pentagon and other top officials on the administration’s emerging strategy on Iran. The meeting follows Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear accord and reimpose tough economic sanctions on Tehran. The discussions are to take place among members of the administration’s Principals Committee, a Cabinet-level panel on national security issues that Bolton chairs and whose members include Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, among other senior officials.

GOP Lawmakers Move to Impeach Rosenstein

A group of 11 House Republicans introduced five articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Wednesday evening. The impeachment articles accuse Rosenstein of intentionally withholding documents and information from Congress, failure to comply with congressional subpoenas and abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). It was not immediately clear whether the House of Representatives would consider the resolution before lawmakers begin the August recess Thursday afternoon. The House will reconvene Sept. 4. The resolution states it will be "referred to the Committee," meaning the Judiciary Committee, for further review. The articles were introduced by Reps. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Jim Jordan of Ohio, the chairman and a prominent member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

CNN Correspondent Blocked from WH Press Event

A CNN correspondent said she was barred from an open White House press event on Wednesday following questions she asked President Trump earlier in the day. The correspondent, Kaitlan Collins, says the White House denied her access to Trump's Rose Garden statement on trade with the European Union Commission president because officials found her earlier questions "inappropriate." Collins' questions had focused on Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, and the recent revelations of audio recordings of talk between the two men. "Did Michael Cohen betray you, Mr. President," Collins could be heard asking Trump in a clip provided by CNN. "Mr. President, did Michael Cohen betray you? Mr. President, are you worried about what Michael Cohen is going to say to prosecutors?" The president did not address Collins' questions. CNN backed their correspondent and dismissed the appropriateness issue. Fox News President Jay Wallace said the network stood with CNN. “We stand in strong solidarity with CNN for the right to full access for our journalists as part of a free and unfettered press," Wallace said.

Mike Pompeo’s Heated Senate Hearing

Things got heated and tempers flared at times as senators grilled Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday on topics that included U.S. policy on Russia and North Korea. For three hours, the nation’s top diplomat faced a barrage of questions from members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Going into the hearing, senators from both parties made it clear they wanted Pompeo to provide some insight into what happened during Trump’s private, one-on-one meeting with Putin at the Helsinki summit. But no matter how often they asked and they asked again and again Pompeo dodged. “Presidents are entitled to have private meetings,” he said. Another explosive moment was when the committee’s Republican chairman, Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who in the past has expressed dissatisfaction with Trump in the bluntest of terms, wasted no time in venting to Pompeo. In his opening remarks, Corker declared that senators have “serious doubts” about how the administration carries out foreign policy and suggested the White House “is making it up as they go.” Later, he and Pompeo had an intense exchange when Corker suggested that Trump intentionally creates distrust in institutions like NATO. Pompeo took issue with Corker's characterization and argued that Trump has been tougher on Russia than the previous administration.

Trump Delays Proposed Putin Meeting Until 2019

President Donald Trump's proposed Washington meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been delayed until 2019. National security adviser John Bolton, in a statement, cites special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election as the reason for the delay. The White House said last week that Trump had directed Bolton to invite Putin to Washington for a meeting in the fall. This came amid the backlash over Trump's performance at a news conference with Putin following their Helsinki summit, and many members of Congress had objected to them meeting again in the fall.

NoKo to Return Remains of U.S. Soldiers

North Korea is about to return some remains of US service members killed in the Korean War, a ­report said Wednesday. South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency said the remains could be returned on Friday, the 65th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement that resulted in a cease-fire to the 1950-1953 war. “North Korea recently took two truckloads of wooden boxes to be used for the remains repatriation. It’s expected to hand over the remains on July 27 as agreed upon,” a source told Yonhap. The remains will be airlifted to a forensic lab in Hawaii. Returning the remains was one of the agreements struck between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their June summit in Singapore.

Toronto City Council Pushes Handgun Ban

Officials in Toronto are pushing for a ban on the sale of handguns and handgun ammunition, as Canada’s biggest city continues to reel from a shooting that left three people dead, including the gunman, and injured 13 others. “Why does anyone in this city need to have a gun at all?” John Tory, Toronto’s mayor, said on Tuesday as the city council passed a motion to urge the federal and provincial government to enact the ban. Before Sunday’s shooting, councilors had already set aside the day to debate a range of initiatives aimed at tackling rising gun violence in the city a discussion that took on new urgency after the attack. The ban would only apply within Toronto city limits, meaning that such purchases could still potentially be made in nearby cities. The ban would also probably do little to stem the flow of illegal guns into Canada from the US.

Was Stormy Daniels’ Arrest Pre-Planned?

Leaked emails from the Columbus Police Department show the arrest of porn star Stormy Daniels may have been planned ahead of her performance at an Ohio strip club earlier this month. Police arrested Daniels on July 12, accusing her of illegally touching patrons. The charges were dropped hours later. Michael Avenatti, the attorney representing Daniels in her lawsuit against President Trump, called the arrest politically motivated. The Fayette Advocate, a local news organization, said Wednesday it was leaked emails between several top detectives and officers relating to Daniels. The emails contained news stories about Daniels’ upcoming strip club appearance, pictures of the porn star with Trump, videos of her dancing, and a map to the club where she was set to appear. The emails were sent days before Daniels arrived in Ohio, the Advocate reported. “The emails definitely show that the police lied about it being a prostitution and human trafficking mission,” the unnamed person who leaked the emails told the Advocate.

Oregon Woman Finds Mountain Lion Napping in Her Home

An Oregon woman recently came home to an unusual surprise: a mountain lion, which continued taking a nap for six more hours behind her sofa. The odd encounter took place in the Ashland, Oregon. After drinking from a pond in the woman’s backyard, the cat likely entered her home through an open back door. The Facebook post had garnered more than 17,000 reactions and shares as of Tuesday morning. “This is wild,” she wrote. “The door was open and the room has huge plants and stairs built around real tree branches, so she likely didn't even realize she was walking indoors until she was inside.” The Oregon woman then used a drum to encourage the lion to exit the home.

Tweets You May Have Missed!

@SecPompeo, July 26: “#Iran has a repugnant record of religious intolerance. Last month, a Gonabadi Sufi dervish Mohammad Salas was hanged after reported torture. Christians, Jews, Sunnis, Baha’is & Zoroastrians live in fear their next prayer may be their last.”

@RealDonaldTrump, July 25: “Great to be back on track with the European Union. This was a big day for free and fair trade!”

@RepMarkMeadows, July 25: “I just filed a resolution with @Jim_Jordan and several colleagues to impeach Rod Rosenstein. The DOJ has continued to hide information from Congress and repeatedly obstructed oversight--even defying multiple Congressional subpoenas. We have had enough.”

@Jim_Jordan, July 25: “We can't get answers for the American people if we can't get information from the DOJ. It’s time to impeach Rod Rosenstein.”