Police Say 3 killed, 7 Injured in New Orleans Shooting

Three people have been killed and seven others injured following a shooting in New Orleans. City police spokesman Aaron Looney says in a statement the shooting happened Saturday night about 3 miles from the French Quarter. The injured victims have been taken to a hospital, though their conditions were not immediately known. No suspect was in custody. Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a statement: “There is no place in New Orleans for this kind of violence. I speak for everyone in our City when I say we are disgusted, we are infuriated, & we have had more than enough. Three more lives — gone. It has to end. It’s unacceptable anywhere.”

Trump Tells ICE Agents: ‘We Always Will Stand with You’

President Trump defended the men and women who work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid recent calls from Democrats to abolish the agency. In his weekly address, Trump said the agency, which was created after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, prevents other innocent lives from being lost. ICE agents arrested almost 130,000 illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2017, Trump said. “Without the brave heroes of ICE, we would have no enforcement, no laws, no borders and therefore — we wouldn’t even have a country. So to the courageous public servants at ICE — men and women, great ones: we want you to know that the American people are with you and my Administration has your back 100 percent,” Trump said.

Spicer Threatens Legal Action Over AP Report

Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer is threatening to take legal action against the Associated Press over a report from the wire service about an incident on his book tour. Spicer’s attorney Michael J. Bowe said in a statement Saturday night that the AP “recklessly republished a categorically false accusation about Sean Spicer.” Bowe went on to say, “The claim is a lie. Absent an immediate retraction, Mr. Spicer will take legal action Monday,” Bowe said. The AP report, published Saturday, documented an incident at Spicer’s book signing in Middletown, R.I., on Friday during which a black man claiming to be a former classmate of Spicer’s at Portsmouth Abbey School accused Spicer of using a racial slur. A publicist for Spicer told the AP that the former press secretary was "taken aback" by the "outrageous" claim. Regnery Publishing publicist Lauren McCue said Spicer "can’t recall any incident” like the one Lombard described.

Lewandowski: If Dems Win Control of the House the Country Will ‘Go Backwards’

President Trump’s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski warned on Sunday that the country will “go backwards” if Democrats win back the House during the 2018 midterm elections. “What is at stake in that midterm is the direction of the country,” Lewandowski told radio host John Catsimatidis on New York’s AM 970 during an interview that aired Sunday. “The question is, do we continue to have a strong vibrant economy that is pro-business, pro-job growth,” he said, “Or do we go backwards and elect a Speaker Pelosi again, who wants to not only bring back the tax cuts and implement more taxes.”

Judge Urges U.S. to Focus on Reuniting Deported Parents with Children

A judge has urged the U.S. government to focus on finding deported immigrant parents, so it could reunite them with their children who remain in the U.S. following separation by officials at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent months. The government had declared it had met a court-ordered deadline to reunite families separated during the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance policy” aimed at discouraging illegal immigration. U.S. Judge Dana Sabraw said at a court hearing in San Diego the government deserved credit for the 1,820 children released from custody to a parent or sponsor. However, he urged officials to focus on the 711 children who remain separated after the government deemed their parent’s ineligible because they were deported, the government was unable to find them in the United States or the parent failed a background check. Sabraw said, “The focus has to be on the parents removed without their children and the up to 52 parents released to the interior without their children.” Sabraw seemed most concerned during Friday’s hearing with allegations that 120 parents who the government said had waived their right to reunification might have misunderstood what they were signing or felt coerced. The government has said it has given every detained parent notice of their legal rights and contact information for an attorney.

Eric Holder Weighs the Options of Running for President

Eric Holder knows what he wants. Whether he'll go after it is still undecided. In a meeting with Cincinnati Democrats, the former U.S. attorney general confirmed he wants to be president, according to a CNN report: "Am I interested?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm interested!" However, Holder said he won’t be pursuing a 2020 run until next year after discussing with his family. Holder's response supports his earlier comments about challenging President Trump. He told Stephen Colbert “I’m thinking about it” in an appearance on Colbert's late night show, responding to a question regarding a tweet last week from White House reporter April Ryan saying he was "seriously considering throwing his hat into the ring for a 2020 presidential bid!"

TV Ads Pass the Billion Dollar Mark as Midterms Approach

Campaigns, political parties, and outside groups have booked or aired more than $1 billion in television advertising, months before voters head to the polls in November in what is likely to become the most expensive midterm election campaign in U.S. history. In the fight for control of the U.S. Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow two-seat majority, the two sides have already spent a combined $170 million on television spots, according to an observer keeping close tabs on the advertising market. The parties have another $230 million in airtime booked in key Senate races. Democrats hoping to win back control of the House have aired or booked more than $135 million in television airtime, while Republicans playing defense have spent or reserved $146 million, numbers that will almost certainly increase as prominent outside groups raise and spend more money. And the two sides have reserved a whopping $340 million in airtime in gubernatorial races across the country. The majority of that money, $250 million, has already been spent on advertisements ahead of key primary elections, hinting at an ad onslaught set to heat up in the weeks after Labor Day.

Gov. Brown Declares State of Emergency as Cranston Fire Grows

Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Riverside County as the destructive Cranston Fire continued to spread and prompt new evacuations Thursday, one day after it was allegedly sparked by an arsonist in the Idyllwild area. The blaze grew by roughly 4 square miles as it burned through rough terrain and dry brush, but U.S. Forest Service spokesman Lee Beyer said it appeared to be moving into less populated areas in its second day. The previous day, at least five residences were destroyed, and roughly 5,000 structures remained threatened Thursday. By late afternoon, it covered 7,500 acres — or just over 11 square miles — and was 5 percent contained, according to the San Bernardino National Forest. The Cranston Fire was one of three major infernos in California that prompted an emergency proclamation Thursday. States of emergency were also declared surrounding the Carr Fire, which killed a bulldozer operator as it exploded in Shasta County late Thursday night, and the deadly Ferguson Fire threatening Yosemite National Park in Mariposa County.

NBA Player Carmelo Anthony Says U.S. Government ‘Turned Their Back’ on Puerto Rico 

NBA star Carmelo Anthony says the United States government “completely turned their back” on Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hammered the island last year, leaving thousands dead and millions without power. “It hurt … they’re American citizens,” Anthony told CNN’s Van Jones. The devastation feels personal, Anthony told Jones. “It was … a low blow, to me and to all of the Puerto Ricans down there, because we can’t control Hurricane Maria,” he said. “The least you can do is send the resources down there,” Anthony said. The NBA player took it upon himself to personally contribute to the relief effort, but, told Jones that he was met with some challenges. “We sent, you know, airplanes down there with supplies,” he said. “We had the supply stuff at the … you know, at the port; we couldn’t get in. We had to make calls and — it was just a lot. It was just sad that we had to go through (that) … in order to help people,” he told Jones. “Puerto Rico is part of this country and I just felt like the government completely turned their back, you know, to their island,” Anthony added.

Tweets You Might Have Missed!

@RealDonaldTrump, July 29: “Had a very good and interesting meeting at the White House with A.G. Sulzberger, Publisher of the New York Times. Spent much time talking about the vast amounts of Fake News being put out by the media & how that Fake News has morphed into phrase, ‘Enemy of the People.’ Sad!”

@RealDonaldTrump, July 29: “Please understand, there are consequences when people cross our Border illegally, whether they have children or not - and many are just using children for their own sinister purposes. Congress must act on fixing the DUMBEST & WORST immigration laws anywhere in the world! Vote ‘R’”

@RealDonaldTrump, July 29: “Tom Homan, fmr ICE Director: ‘There is nobody that has done more for border security & public safety than President Trump. I’ve worked for six presidents, and I respect them all, but nobody has done more than this Administration & President Trump, that’s just a stone cold fact!’”