Justice department intervenes to keep Manafort from notorious jail complex – as it happened

• The US is sending an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East “for defensive purposes.” Acting defense secretary Pat Shanahan said that the “recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence we have received on hostile behavior by Iranian forces,” but that the US “does not seek conflict with Iran”.
• The Trump administration will cut hundreds of millions in aid to to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. President Trump had blasted these three countries because thousands of their citizens had sought asylum at the US border.
• Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Kamala Harris closed out the Poor People’s Campaign Presidential Forum.

The New York Times is reporting that the Justice Department has intervened to keep former Trump adviser Paul Manafort out of the notorious Rikers Island jail complex.

Manafort was set to be transferred to Rikers this month to await trial on a separate state case, according to the New York Times. But then Manhattan prosecutors received a letter from Jeffrey Rosen, the top deputy for attorney general William Barr, that indicated that “he was monitoring where Mr. Manafort would be held in New York”.

And then, on Monday, federal prison officials weighed in, telling the Manhattan district attorney’s office that Mr. Manafort, 70, would not be going to Rikers.

Instead, he will await his trial at a federal lockup in Manhattan or at the Pennsylvania federal prison where he is serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence for wide-ranging financial schemes, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

A senior Justice Department official said that the department believed Mr. Manafort’s treatment was appropriate, but several former and current prosecutors said the decision was highly unusual. Most federal inmates facing state charges are held on Rikers Island.

The intervention of Mr. Rosen was just the latest twist in the case of Mr. Manafort, whose campaign work for Mr. Trump and political consulting in Ukraine put him in the cross hairs of a two-year investigation into Russian influence in the 2016 election.

He was convicted of financial fraud in two separate federal cases that came out of the investigation, which was led by the former special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III.

While that might have been the end of his criminal problems, in March, he was indicted on 16 New York state felonies, including mortgage fraud and falsifying records to obtain millions of dollars in loans. The charges, which are based on some of the same actions in the federal cases, were brought by the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr.

Mr. Manafort is expected to be arraigned next week in State Supreme Court in Manhattan.

Speaking of acting defense secretary Pat Shanahan, it appears his confirmation hearing has been delayed:

From the article:

Despite informally announcing more than a month ago acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan as his pick to get the Pentagon job on a permanent basis, President Donald Trump has yet to formally nominate Shanahan, forcing the Senate Armed Services Committee to postpone a confirmation hearing it had tentatively scheduled for Tuesday June 18.

Senators were told that the postponement was because the committee had yet to receive documents from the FBI’s background check, according to a staffer for a committee member.

With Shanahan’s confirmation on hold, press reports have questioned his relationship with the president, and the Pentagon has been fielding press queries about his personal life, including a messy divorce that involved an accusation of domestic violence from his ex-wife. Shanahan did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story. The Pentagon declined to comment.

The Department of Defense authorized the deployment of an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East, the acting defense secretary announced today, in response to last week’s attacks on oil tankers last week, which the US believed Iran was behind.

Here are some comments from acting defense secretary Pat Shanahan:

My, the difference a few months can make:

Just for some context, the latest Quinnipiac poll has former vice president Joe Biden leading at 30%, Senator Bernie Sanders at 19%, Senator Elizabeth Warren at 15%, Mayor Pete Buttigieg (who was virtually unknown in December 2018) at 8% and Senator Kamala Harris also at 7%. Beto O’Rourke trials at 3%, with Senator Cory Booker and Senator Amy Klobuchar tied at 1%.

Senator Kamala Harris has now taken the stage at the Poor People’s Campaign.

Here’s more on the 1,000 additional troops that the US is sending to the Middle East:

Senator Bernie Sanders is now on stage at the Poor People’s Campaign.

Looks like we have more details on the additional troops the US is sending to the Middle East:

Reuters is reporting that the US is preparing to send more troops to the Middle East in response to mounting concerns over Iran, which Washington blames for attacks on oil tankers last week.

Further details, such as how many troops and when they will be deployed, were not disclosed.

The Trump administration will cut hundreds of millions in aid to to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras after President Trump blasted the three countries because their citizens had sought asylum at the US border, Reuters is reporting.

The administration reportedly told congressional aides that it would reallocate $370m in aid that Congress approved for fiscal 2018, and suspend $180m approved for fiscal 2017.

The administration said in March it would cut aid to the three countries after Trump expressed unhappiness with the their immigration policies.

No funds will be provided until the administration is satisfied the countries are reducing the number of migrants reaching the U.S. border, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told reporters.

“This is consistent with the president’s direction and with the recognition that it is critical that there be sufficient political will in these countries to address the problem at its source,” she said.

Without elaborating, she added: “Working with Congress, we will reprogram those funds to other priorities as appropriate.”

Hey all, Vivian Ho taking over for Jessica Glenza. Let’s see where the day takes us.

• The Poor People’s Campaign in Washington DC honed 2020 Democratic candidates’ positions on progressive issues, including single-payer healthcare, universal childcare and a tax on America’s wealthiest.
• Warren had a receptive audience, talking about progressive issues central to her campaign. Biden said he would make poverty a focus.
• Trump supporters are already lining up at a stadium in Orlando, Florida in preparation for a rally tomorrow, and a Democratic super PAC is spending heavily on digital ads in the Sunshine state.
• Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with rightwing populist Matteo Salvini.
• The US Supreme Court issued a significant legal victory to Democrats in Virginia, and a defeat to a lesbian couple in Oregon who were denied a cake because they are gay.
• Sen. Michael Bennett of Colorado is speaking now at the Poor People’s Campaign, with Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sen. Kamala Harris of California.

View image in fullscreen

MSNBC’s Joy Reid asked Warren how she would win:

Vice President Mike Pence’s communications director will become the Vice President for communications at Lockheed Martin, one of the largest defense contractors in the US.

The crowd at Poor People’s Campaign is reacting to Warren’s message.

Senator Elizabeth Warren is on a roll on matters that are core to her platform – a tax on people earning more than $50m, free universal childcare, free pre-kindergarten, canceling student loans and $100bn over 10 years for the opioid crisis.

“Asking those at the very top to put in 2 cents is enough to be able to help all of our children build a future, not just some of our children, but all of our children,” said Warren.