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'Pick somebody' - Trump taunts 2020 Democrats at Florida rally
President Trump riffed on his potential opponents in the 2020 presidential election, making jokes at the expense of three of the current Democratic contenders and hoping that Democrats quickly "pick somebody" to run against him. Trump appeared to doubt whether South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg could handle complex negotiations with economic rival China. "I want to be in that room, I want to watch that one," he said. Trump also expressed concern that several foreign leaders want former Vice President Joe Biden to be president. "Of course they do, so they can continue to rip off the United States," Trump said. "Sleepy Joe and Crazy Bernie [Sanders], I'll take any of them."
The president also mused about the recent fortune of former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, saying the Texas Dem's poll numbers appear to be "falling like a rock." At the rally, Trump also announced his administration would allocate $448 million in federal aid to communities in Florida affected by last year's Category 5 Hurricane Michael, all while blasting Democrats standing in the way of his policies. He also called the political crisis in Venezuela "disgraceful."
North Korea fires at least one projectile into East Sea, days after previous launches: reports
North Korea fired at least one unidentified projectile from a western region north of Pyongyang on Thursday in the country’s second such launch in less than a week, according to South Korean military reports. The launch occurred around 4:30 p.m. local time from the North’s Sino-ri missile base, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, according to Bloomberg. The base is located around 130 miles north of the border with South Korea.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost testifies during a Senate Judiciary Border Security and Immigration Subcommittee hearing about the border, Wednesday May 8, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Migrant surge at US-Mexico border tops 100,000 for second month in a row
More than 100,000 migrants were apprehended or turned away at the southern U.S. border with Mexico in April for the second month in a row, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Wednesday. In the figures released by immigration officials, 109,144 people were encountered trying to enter the U.S. illegally last month. Of those trying to cross, 58,474 were with families, and 8,897 were unaccompanied children. Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost told senators Wednesday that apprehension numbers were "off the charts," and she's had to divert agents to care for children detained at the border. At his rally in Florida, Trump defended his characterization of the situation at the border as a "national emergency and said Democrats "don't mind [the] crime" illegal immigrants bring to the U.S.
China threatens retaliation if Trump hikes tariffs
U.S. and Chinese negotiators are scheduled to resume trade talks as President Trump's threat to hike tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods to 25 percent looms.
In Beijing, Chinese officials said Thursday they will retaliate if Trump follows through on his threat, but they offered no specific details. Tension between the two countries further escalated this week after U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin accused the Chinese of reneging on commitments they'd made earlier.
Tension between Trump administration and congressional Democrats: Barr held in contempt, Donald Jr. subpoenaed
The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to recommend holding Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena for Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s unredacted Russia report and underlying documents, after President Trump asserted executive privilege in a bid to protect those files from release. Afterward, the House Intelligence Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department for the aforementioned items. Both developments represented a major escalation in the already-tense fight between the two branches of government over access to information the Justice Department says cannot be legally released.
In a separate but related matter, Fox News confirmed that the Senate Intelligence Committee has issued a subpoena for Donald Trump Jr. The subpoena is in regard to remarks President Trump's oldest son made while testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017, the Associated Press reported, citing a person familiar with the situation. The Senate Intelligence Committee has been looking into Russian election interference and Trump's ties to Russia for the last two years.
A newborn royal -- and an old obsession with race
As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle introduced their newborn baby, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, to the world on Wednesday, some critics have blasted members of the media for being too obsessed with the baby's race. Ex-CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien slammed her former network over a lack of diversity on Monday after CNN’s website responded to the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son by asking, “How black will the royal baby be?” Laura Ingraham and Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo had their own takes on the controversy in their latest edition of "Seen and Unseen" on "The Ingraham Angle" on Wednesday night. Click on the video above to watch the segment.
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TODAY'S MUST-READS
California OKs new sex-ed guidelines for teachers despite objections from parents, protesters.
Chris Christie battles MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle over Mueller report, knocks her network.
Senator proposes ban of Candy Crush, other so-called 'loot box' apps that he says target kids.
MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
Judge Napolitano: Trump within legal rights to pile up massive tax losses.
Americans have 'incredible' misconceptions about Social Security.
Tips for saving during periods of low interest rates.
#TheFlashback
2017: President Trump fires FBI Director James Comey.
1958: "Vertigo," Alfred Hitchcock's thriller starring James Stewart and Kim Novak, premieres in San Francisco, the movie's setting.
1712: The Carolina Colony is officially divided into two entities: North Carolina and South Carolina.
SOME PARTING WORDS
2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar discusses representing voters' wants during her town hall on Fox News.
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Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Have a good day! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Friday morning.
