Republicans play down expectations in North Carolina House race – as it happened
The special election is taking place in North Carolina's ninth congressional district, which Trump won by 12 points in 2016
2.15am BST
We're ending the liveblog for now, as we await the results of North Carolina's ninth district election.
With just about half the votes counted, democrat Dan McCready is and republican Dan Bishop are neck and neck, each with just under 50% of the votes.
1.56am BST
Murphy, a physician, decisively defeated his democratic opponent Allen Thomas and will succeed the late GOP Rep. Walter Jones Jr.
With more than half of the votes counted, Murphy won by nearly 60%. This was expected - North Carolina's third district leans heavily republican.
1.23am BST
The election between McCready and Dan Bishop in North Carolina's Ninth District isn't the only race going on in the state.
Votes are also being tallied up in the North Carolina's Third, where the representative seat was left open after congressman Walter B. Jones Jr. died in February. Republican Greg Murphy is running against democrat Allen Thomas, the Former of Greenville. The district leans heavily republican and Murphy is leading as the results trickle in.
12.56am BST
The fact that McCready, a Democrat, narrowly lost in 2018 (but just 905 votes) was a surprise in itself.
12.49am BST
The polls have closed, though we're still awaiting the results of the fiercely contested election.
Democrat Dan McCready is running a close race against Republican Dan Bishop.
12.32am BST
The House Freedom Caucus, a group of far-right lawmakers within Congress, has elected a new chairman: Andy Biggs of Arizona.
BREAKING NEWS: Our members elected @RepAndyBiggsAZ as our next chairman! pic.twitter.com/meI1v4TnRR
11.17pm BST
Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar had a chance to spar a bit ahead of Thursday's Democratic primary debate...
Very funny, @united pic.twitter.com/6RZuvXXGBz
And the debate begins... Good sitting by you @PeteButtigieg https://t.co/YlotOl9ozM
11.03pm BST
Hunters and anglers can now shoot and cast their rods on federally protected land that serves as critical habitat waterfowl and other birds, in the administration's latest effort to open up protected lands to recreation as well as industry - including oil and gas drilling.
Hunting and fishing will now be allowed for the first time at seven national wildlife refuges, and restrictions will be reduced at 70 others.
Conservationists said the changes went into effect without adequate environmental review.
"While the Trump policy retains federal ownership, it basically eviscerates federal management," said Jeff Ruch of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. "The states end up managing federal land with federal dollars but following state laws. That's a sea change from federal management for conservation and biodiversity rather than promoting hunting."
10.37pm BST
The Trump administration is ordering a "sweeping crackdown" on homelessness in California, The Washington Post reports.
Administration officials have been discussing using federal funds and resources to get homeless people off the streets of Los Angeles and into government facilities, as part of a broader effort to target California, Baltimore, Chicago and other cities and states that Trump believes suffer poverty and crime due to failed Democratic leadership:
But it is unclear how they could accomplish this and what legal authority they would use. It is also unclear whether the state's Democratic politicians would cooperate with Trump, who has sought to embarrass them over the homelessness crisis with repeated attacks on their competency. ...
Top officials representing the White House and Department of Housing and Urban Development arrived in California this week for a round of meetings. A particular focus has been the "skid row" section of Los Angeles, officials said. The president is directly involved with the initiative, officials said, and has asked for updates.
10.00pm BST
That's it from me on this very eventful Tuesday, brought to you by Trump's habit of firing senior officials by tweet. My west coast colleague, Maanvi Singh, will take over the blog for the next few hours.
Here's where the day stands so far:
9.48pm BST
Some names are already being floated as possible replacements for Bolton as national security adviser. His deputy, Charlie Kupperman, has currently assumed the role on an acting basis.
Bloomberg News reports:
Kupperman is a Bolton confidant who has counseled the former national security adviser for more than 30 years, Bolton has said. Grisham said it was 'too soon to say' whether Bolton's closest National Security Council aides would remain in their jobs.
Possible Bolton replacements discussed by Trump associates include Robert O'Brien, who is the president's envoy for hostage affairs, and Brian Hook, [secretary of state Mike] Pompeo's senior policy adviser.
9.36pm BST
CNN has just released a poll showing Trump's approval rating has hit 39 percent, its lowest point in the network's polling since January. Arguably more worrisome for the president is that 6 in 10 Americans don't believe he deserves re-election.
The results corroborate the Washington Post/ABC News poll released this morning, which showed the president's approval rating at 38 percent. (Trump lashed out against those results in a pair of morning tweets, so CNN can expect the same.)
Overall, the poll paints a picture of a President who has done little to improve negative impressions of him or his work during his time in office. Across several questions asked early in Trump's time in office and asked again now, the poll finds little positive change and deep partisan polarization.
The 60% who say the President does not deserve to be reelected is similar to the 63% who felt that way in November 2017. That outpaces his most recent predecessors at a similar stage in their presidencies. In October 2003, a CNN/Gallup/USA Today poll found that 52% of Americans thought George W. Bush did deserve reelection, and Gallup's polling in 2011 found the share saying Barack Obama did not deserve to be reelected stood in the low 50s.
Presidential Approval Ratings
September of Third Year
Eisenhower, 1955 71%
Bush, 1991 68%
Kennedy, 1963 56%
Bush, 2003 50%
Nixon, 1971* 49%
Reagan, 1983 47%
Clinton, 1995 44%
Obama, 2011 43%
Trump now 39%
Carter, 1979 30%
9.13pm BST
There is indeed still a special congressional race being held today in North Carolina, just in case you forget amid the Trump personnel turmoil.
Republicans are appearing less and less confident that their candidate, Dan Bishop, can pull off a win in the traditionally red Ninth District.
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) called #NC09 a "swing district"
"The Bishop district is a very tough swing district, as we've seen," Scalise said.#NC09 went for Trump by 12 points in 2016, and a Dem hasn't held the seat since early 1960s
Now you're in a situation where you're playing not to lose. There really is no "win." Squeak it out, and congrats--you burned millions to hold a meaningless seat an maybe keep a few retirements at bay. In a Trump +12 CD, Ds inevitably beat the spread. But if you compete *&* lose?
8.55pm BST
A handful of Democratic presidential candidates have offered the same message to the departing national security adviser: we won't miss you.
The American people are better off with John Bolton out of the White House. The world will be better off when the man who hired him in the first place is out too.
A symptom of the problem is gone. The root cause of authoritarianism remains. https://t.co/EvXAY0gsPU
Good riddance. If Trump really was for peace, he never would have hired Bolton, Pompeo, Haley, and the rest of those neocons in the first place. https://t.co/r93PizuEco
8.41pm BST
Bolton was the wrong messenger for Trump's shifting foreign policy as the president angles for re-election, the Guardian's Julian Borger writes.
Donald Trump hired Bolton to break things, like the Obama administration legacy and the orthodox foreign policy establishment in general. Now, with the 2020 election coming, a downturn looming and a second presidential term in doubt, Trump is trying to build a foreign policy legacy of his own - or at least a reasonable impression of one.
For the president, that involves shaking hands with adversaries and announcing diplomatic breakthroughs with the likes of Tehran and the Taliban. Almost no one expected him to be able to make that hairpin pivot with someone as bellicose and determined as Bolton at his side.
Related: Trump wants to build a legacy, Bolton to break things - something had to give
8.28pm BST
Bolton's resignation letter has been obtained, and it is indeed (as previously reported) two sentences long.
.@AmbJohnBolton resignation letter (better photo) pic.twitter.com/I5qv8xOl1d
8.20pm BST
News is coming out on multiple fronts as reactions and details continue to roll in about Trump's firing of Bolton.
Most notably, congressional Democrats and Republicans continue to spar about potential gun legislation after last month's mass shootings that left dozens dead.
Schumer just asked about McConnell's theatrics comments, offers a clipped reply, then walks away from the mics.
"Shame on him. Shame on him. There are people who dies. Put the bill on the floor and stop ducking the issue. Shame on him." https://t.co/AmP8cbrZ47
8.07pm BST
Rose-colored glasses are apparently quite powerful. Trump has reportedly been reaching out to the last national security adviser he unceremoniously ousted, H.R. McMaster, to say he misses him.
NBC News reports:
In phone calls to McMaster - the first of which took place last fall - Trump told his second national security adviser that he misses him, according to two people familiar with the conversations. It's a sentiment the president has also expressed to White House aides, they said. Trump has solicited McMaster's advice on various national security challenges, even asking McMaster who he should nominate to lead the Pentagon, they said.
Trump's contacts with McMaster perhaps presaged his decision Tuesday to unceremoniously fire Bolton. They also marked a significant a remarkable shift for the president that is emblematic of how much Bolton fell out of favor since Trump welcomed him into the White House 17 months ago. At that time, Trump was barely speaking to McMaster and regularly did derogatory impressions of him in his absence, according to multiple current and former White House officials.
8.01pm BST
Trump has just finished speaking at the HBCU conference, but the blog is keeping its eye on press conferences on Capitol Hill.
Mitch McConnell would not specify what type of gun legislation he would support, deferring to the White House.
When asked about action on guns, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the White House is "working on coming up with a proposal that the president will sign."
"Until that happens, all of this is theatrics," he adds. https://t.co/ewh2KTL8ia pic.twitter.com/6lMGI6fzvx
7.52pm BST
Trump appeared anxious to confront the eventual Democratic presidential nominee, saying he looked forward to touting his economic successes on the debate stage.
"Who's going to beat these numbers?" Trump asked the crowd at the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference after listing some unemployment statistics.
7.50pm BST
Trump dismissed any sign of a looming recession while speaking at the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference.
The president suggested warnings of a potential recession were being circulated by his critics to diminish his re-election chances. "They were hoping for a recession," Trump said, adding that he expects the stock market to hit a new record in the near future.
7.32pm BST
Trump has taken the stage at the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference and appears to (so far) be sticking to the teleprompter.
He has touted the importance of HBCUs and celebrated his education secretary, Betsy DeVos, as a champion for the institutions.
7.23pm BST
Trump is expected to soon start speaking at the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference. The president was scheduled to take the podium at 2:15 p.m. E.T. but is apparently running behind.
7.01pm BST
Pompeo made a point during the White House press conference, which has now wrapped up, to emphasize he had policy disagreements with Bolton.
Asked about his working relationship with Bolton, Pompeo says "There were many times Amb. Bolton and I disagreed - that's To. Be. Sure."
Did the timing of his exit take him by surprise?
"I'm never surprised - and I don't mean just on this issue." https://t.co/1r6Ubqa4Ao
Some days the picture says it all: https://t.co/cp1VW4FzEw
6.47pm BST
Steven Mnuchin dismissed any notion that Bolton's departure signaled the national security team was a "mess."
"That's the most ridiculous question I've ever heard," the treasury secretary said.
Reporter: "Is this national security staff a mess."
Mnuchin: "Absolutely not. That's the most ridiculous question I've heard of."
6.43pm BST
Pompeo delivered a pretty iconic response when asked whether he was caught off-guard by Bolton's firing. "I'm never surprised," the secretary of state said.
Pompeo went on to scold the press, encouraging journalists not to focus on "palace intrigue."
6.39pm BST
There it is! First question at the White House briefing with Mike Pompeo and Steven Mnuchin: did Bolton resign, or was he fired?
The secretary of state echoed Trump's claim that he asked Bolton for his resignation last night and received it this morning. Pompeo added, "The president is entitled to the staff he wants."
6.35pm BST
Steven Mnuchin, the treasury secretary, and Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, have taken the podium at the White House.
Treasury Sec. Mnuchin and State Sec. Pompeo announce new terrorist sanctions executive order.
But briefing room is interested in Bolton. pic.twitter.com/Wwl6WTUTee
6.23pm BST
NBC News is reporting that deputy national security adviser Charlie Kupperman has been named the acting national security adviser.
Charlie Kupperman will be acting national security adviser following the firing of John Bolton, White House says - @PeterAlexander
Kupperman served on the board of directors for the Center for Security Policy (CSP) between 2001 and 2010, according to tax records.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an Alabama-based hate monitor, designates the CSP as an anti-Muslim hate group, pointing to the group's promotion of conspiracy theories claiming that Muslims have infiltrated the US government and seek to establish Islamic law in the country.
6.08pm BST
White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley went on Fox News to echo Trump's claim that Bolton was fired and did not resign.
That obviously contradicts Bolton's assertion that he offered Trump his resignation last night and the president said they would discuss it today.
6.01pm BST
Bolton's firing followed a tense argument with Trump about the planned Taliban peace talks, per a CNN reporter.
John Bolton and President Trump got into a bitter argument last night over the president's plan to host Taliban leaders at Camp David, two people tell me.
It's unclear if it was on the phone or in person.
Bolton's firing was so sudden that he was leading a principals committee this morning on the refugee cap for next fiscal year, an administration official tells me.
The meeting ended just ONE HOUR before Trump tweeted that he had fired Bolton, the official says.
5.48pm BST
The effects of Trump's firing decisions (by tweet, no less) have once again reverberated around the world. The price of oil immediately nosedived after news of Bolton's departure broke.
BREAKING: JOHN BOLTON FIRED
Price of oil immediately dives.
https://t.co/rVwPULfZmw pic.twitter.com/JMR0GkLdQr
5.41pm BST
Bolton has reportedly left the White House and will no longer participate in the afternoon briefing with Mike Pompeo and Steven Mnuchin, much to the disappointment of Washington's press corps.
Bolton is no longer in the building here at the White House. He will not participate in the 1:30p briefing, I'm told.
Palpable tension between WH & NSC staffs right now.
A pro-Bolton NSC official came to speak with reporters inside the West Wing when Press Secy Stephanie Grisham walked by, gave a look & said: "Oh look, right outside my office" as she walked past.
5.37pm BST
Bolton appears to be texting every reporter whose number he has in his contacts list, reiterating that he was not fired and offered his resignation last night.
Bolton differs from Trump version of his resignation. "Offered last night without his asking," he texts me. "Slept on it and gave it to him this morning."
Ambassador Bolton to me just now: "I will have my say in due course. But I have given you the facts on the resignation. My sole concern is US national security."
5.29pm BST
To be clear: Bolton isn't necessarily gaining any friends in this showdown. Many of the hawkish national security adviser's critics, on both sides of the aisle, are celebrating his departure.
A Republican senator who opposed his nomination said this to a CNN reporter:
Rand Paul, a leading John Bolton critic, told us of his firing: "The chances of war worldwide go greatly down. .. he has a naive view that believes we should recreate the world in our own image by toppling countries by violent overthrow and somehow democracy will prevail."
John Bolton never should have been hired. I hope the president's next national security adviser will focus on securing peace, not expanding war.
Me, trying to decide who to root for/against in this scenario https://t.co/gih8H2hwg2 pic.twitter.com/LGkedW7tqi
5.23pm BST
Bolton is not going down without a fight. After tweeting that he offered his resignation to Trump, the now-former national security adviser is apparently reaching out to reporters to amplify that narrative.
Ambassador Bolton sends me a text message just now: "Let's be clear, I resigned, having offered to do so last night."
5.21pm BST
The White House denied that Bolton's firing was based solely on his opposition to the planned Taliban peace talks at Camp David.
I just asked WH press secretary Stephanie Grisham if the Taliban invitation was the breaking point in the Trump-Bolton relationship. She said "no- it was many, many issues."
5.13pm BST
Bolton has just sent out a fiery tweet of his own, claiming he offered Trump his resignation last night and the president delayed the decision.
I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, "Let's talk about it tomorrow."
5.10pm BST
The national security adviser had been repeatedly sidelined recently as he voiced disagreement with Trump's efforts to secure an end to the war in Afghanistan.
The Washington Post recently reported:
Bolton, who has long advocated an expansive military presence around the world, has become a staunch internal foe of an emerging peace deal aimed at ending America's longest war, the officials said.
His opposition to the diplomatic effort in Afghanistan has irritated President Trump, these officials said, and led aides to leave the National Security Council out of sensitive discussions about the agreement.
5.04pm BST
This tweet is likely shocking news to both Bolton and the White House, who just announced that the national security adviser would appear alongside Mike Pompeo and Steven Mnuchin at a press briefing at 1:30 p.m. E.T.
He was literally announced on an updating briefing schedule in last few hours for today. https://t.co/3u3Xupxqqn
5.01pm BST
Trump has just announced that he has fired John Bolton just days after reports emerged that the national security adviser opposed the president's secret plan to hold peace talks with the Taliban at Camp David.
....I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week.
4.59pm BST
Democratic presidential candidates are also coming out in force to endorse congressional candidate Dan McCready, who is running in today's special election in North Carolina.
I support @McCreadyForNC because of his honorable service to our nation & because of his values: he'll fight to protect North Carolinian's health care & take on prescription drug companies.
If his opponent has his way, 44,000 people in #NC09 stand to lose their health coverage.
Dan is running to flip a seat Republicans have held since 1963-and today, you can help him do it. If you're in North Carolina's 9th district, get out and vote to elect Dan and send a message that Democrats aren't only coming for safe seats. We're coming for all of them. https://t.co/3E5vL1QSBl
It's Election Day in North Carolina. If you're ready for leadership that puts country over party and people over ideology, then @McCreadyForNC needs your help-and your vote.
Volunteer: https://t.co/EfOWaCdSD1
Donate: https://t.co/By1Um5mefi
Vote: https://t.co/iyjmoZOf0q
4.55pm BST
Democratic presidential candidates rushed to condemn Trump's health care policies after the Census reported the US uninsured rate rose last year despite the strong economy.
Trump and Republicans sabotaged the Affordable Care Act at every turn. They played politics with health care and now Americans are paying the price. https://t.co/cvXiUXtn0I
Mr. Trump lied. He promised to strengthen health care-instead, he has done everything he can to sabotage the Affordable Care Act.
The result: Nearly two million people joined the ranks of the uninsured last year, the first increase in the uninsured rate in a decade. https://t.co/ZmmX8eXxQG
4.40pm BST
An addition to today's schedule: secretary of state Mike Pompeo, treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin and national security adviser John Bolton will have an on-camera White House briefing at 1:30 p.m. E.T.
4.27pm BST
A fact-checking reporter for CNN has added, in response to Trump's complaint about the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll showing his approval rating down, that the outlets involved never received a legal complaint from the president's team.
This is not what happened.
- WaPo and ABC told me in June they do not recall a legal complaint (?) over their polls
- WaPo wasn't involved in the ABC tracking poll that had him down 12
- Obviously no basis for the claim they fixed subsequent poll results because he complained pic.twitter.com/ziit3uKxei
More than 60% of Trump's 2016 voters were whites without college degrees. Two-thirds of women in that group worry about Trump's trade war will raise prices. More than half disapprove of Trump's China trade policy. https://t.co/YdiX2dqfFE
Eye-opening poll that brings concerns about economy into sharp focus.
6 in 10 say a recession is likely.
And nearly half of Americans (43%) believe Trump's trade and economic policies have increased chance of recession.https://t.co/TA52Xgjc44
4.14pm BST
The US uninsured rate rose by 0.6 percent last year despite the strong economy, as millions more Americans went without health coverage.
Bloomberg News reports:
The increase in the rate of uninsured, from 7.9% in 2017 to 8.5% last year, is particularly remarkable given the falling unemployment rate during that period, since most Americans get coverage through work. It's the first meaningful uptick in the number of people without health coverage since the main provisions of the Affordable Care Act took effect in 2014.
While the economy grew in 2018, individual health insurance premiums continued to increase, states tightened eligibility requirements for public safety-net coverage, and President Donald Trump carried on in his attempt to undo many of the health reforms passed by his predecessor.
4.04pm BST
Trump's commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, is facing calls for his resignation after he reportedly threatened firings at the NOAA unless the agency backed up the president's false claim about Hurricane Dorian hitting Alabama.
The head of the environmental group the Sierra Club, Michael Brune, called on Ross to resign to 'maintain the dignity of the federal government'.
Brune called the intervention a 'shameless abuse of power' that could have 'devastating results now and in the future'. Democratic congress members Don Beyer from Virginia and Paul Tonko from New York also called on Ross to step down.
3.55pm BST
Trump has gone even further, claiming that many polls are "fixed, or worked in such a way that a certain candidate will look good or bad."
One of the greatest and most powerful weapons used by the Fake and Corrupt News Media is the phony Polling Information they put out. Many of these polls are fixed, or worked in such a way that a certain candidate will look good or bad. Internal polling looks great, the best ever!
3.35pm BST
So apparently Trump does occasionally read the "Amazon Washington Post." The president slammed the newspaper, along with ABC News, for publishing a poll showing his approval rating down 6 points since June.
ABC/Washington Post Poll was the worst and most inaccurate poll of any taken prior to the 2016 Election. When my lawyers protested, they took a 12 point down and brought it to almost even by Election Day. It was a Fake Poll by two very bad and dangerous media outlets. Sad!
3.09pm BST
More details are coming to light about the high-level source reportedly extracted from the Russian government in 2017, partly over concerns that the person's identity may be revealed by Trump or his administration.
The New York Times has now reported the source provided secrets to the US for decades and was a key informant on Russia's 2016 election interference. But the Times threw a bit of cold water on the idea that Trump was one of the reasons for the extraction. From the paper's front-page report:
As American officials began to realize that Russia was trying to sabotage the 2016 presidential election, the informant became one of the C.I.A.'s most important - and highly protected - assets. But when intelligence officials revealed the severity of Russia's election interference with unusual detail later that year, the news media picked up on details about the C.I.A.'s Kremlin sources.
C.I.A. officials worried about safety made the arduous decision in late 2016 to offer to extract the source from Russia. The situation grew more tense when the informant at first refused, citing family concerns - prompting consternation at C.I.A. headquarters and sowing doubts among some American counterintelligence officials about the informant's trustworthiness. But the C.I.A. pressed again months later after more media inquiries. This time, the informant agreed. ...
2.50pm BST
Trump has sent out repeated Twitter endorsements for Dan Bishop, the Republican running in North Carolina's special congressional race. The latest one came about 20 minutes ago.
NORTH CAROLINA, VOTE FOR DAN BISHOP TODAY. WE NEED HIM BADLY IN WASHINGTON!
2.24pm BST
Speaking of special congressional races: a certain ghost of special races past has resurfaced - Jon Ossoff. The former Democratic congressional candidate announced he would run against senator David Perdue, a Republican of Georgia.
1.46pm BST
Good morning, live blog readers!
It's another (special) election day here in the US. North Carolina's Ninth District will hold a congressional race today after the 2018 results were thrown out due to election fraud. Donald Trump held a rally there last night to boost Republican Dan Bishop, and the Democratic Party has lined up behind Dan McCready, who lost by less than 1,000 votes in last year's tainted election.
Continue reading...