On Politics: The Biggest Stories of the Week

It’s been a busy week in American politics. Here are some of the stories you might have missed. [Trouble seeing this email? View in browser]( [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( April 6, 2019 | Morning Edition From Joe Biden to the border, it’s been a busy week in American politics. Here are some of the biggest stories you might have missed (and some links if you’d like to read further). ___________________ Joe Biden’s #MeToo moment. A former Nevada legislator, Lucy Flores, accused former Vice President Joe Biden late last week of [inappropriately touching and kissing her]( during a campaign event in 2014. Mr. Biden [scrambled to defend himself]( and contain the crisis, the first of his possible presidential bid. On Monday, a second woman accused Mr. Biden of touching her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable, intensifying the scrutiny of the former vice president’s [physical interactions with women](. It wasn’t until Wednesday that Mr. Biden addressed the allegations in a video, saying he realized that [“social norms have begun to change.”]( But it wasn’t an apology. He made a convoluted, joking attempt to deal with the issue on Friday, at a conference in Washington. “I’m sorry I didn’t understand more,” Mr. Biden said of his hands-on style of politicking over the years. [“I’m not sorry for any of my intentions.”]( ADVERTISEMENT Additional Reading • [Who Is Lucy Flores, the Woman Accusing Joe Biden of Kissing Her?]( • [Biden’s Tactile Politics Threaten His Return in the #MeToo Era]( • [Finding Biden in Familiar Fix, President Trump Adds a Jab]( Trump heads back to the border. ADVERTISEMENT On Sunday, White House officials defended Mr. Trump’s threat to [end assistance to three Central American countries and to close parts of the border with Mexico]( despite evidence showing that smuggling largely takes place at ports of entry. The president acknowledged Tuesday that closing the border could damage the economy, [but he said protecting America’s security was more important](. On Thursday, however, he [backed down from his threat]( to shut the border, saying he would give Mexico a “one-year warning.” Mr. Trump [visited a small border town in California on Friday]( with the goal of highlighting what he and his aides say is an out-of-control immigration crisis. The president has vowed to cut aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador over migration, [but such cuts could hurt the very programs designed to encourage people to stay.]( Additional Reading • [Waiting for Asylum in the United States, Migrants Live in Fear in Mexico]( • [House Adds Lawsuit to Challenges Against Trump’s Emergency Declaration]( • [Seeking ‘Tougher’ Direction for ICE, Trump Withdraws His Nominee]( Dealing with China and Venezuela. A trade deal with China would probably include a promise from the country to buy billions’ worth of American goods. But executing that pledge would reinforce the Chinese state’s role in the economy, [something the Trump administration doesn’t want](. The administration is [preparing an economic relief package for Venezuela]( in the event that President Nicolás Maduro’s government falls. The legislation would provide $200 million in aid for Venezuela and $200 million for neighboring countries taking in Venezuelan refugees. On Friday, the administration announced its latest economic sanctions against Mr. Maduro’s government. This round is [aimed at oil shipments between Venezuela and Cuba](. Here’s what else happened this week: • The House gave final passage to a resolution to end United States military assistance for the war in Yemen, [sending a bipartisan rebuke of Mr. Trump to his desk for a promised veto](. • A few Democratic presidential campaigns released fund-raising results for the first quarter. Bernie Sanders is currently leading the pack, [raising $18.2 million in the first six weeks of his presidential bid](. • Some of Robert S. Mueller III’s investigators believe Attorney General William P. Barr [failed to adequately portray the findings of their inquiry]( which they say were more troubling for President Trump than Mr. Barr indicated. • Democrats are not satisfied with Mr. Barr’s assurances that he will deliver a full, albeit redacted, copy of the special counsel’s report to Congress by mid-April. [So they prepared to vote to subpoena the full report](. • A manager in the White House’s Personnel Security Office said senior officials granted security clearances to at least 25 people whose applications had been denied by career employees. We don’t know who the people are yet, but we do know the applications were originally rejected for reasons including [foreign influence and conflicts of interest](. • Months after the success of rare bipartisan legislation overhauling the criminal justice system, Mr. Trump is putting the issue front and center. [But his budget allocates only $14 million for the law’s programs, a fraction of what the legislation calls for](. The White House promised to close the gap. • In a rare speech to a joint session of Congress, Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, [stressed the importance of the military alliance]( and the need to stand up to Russia. _____________________ Today’s On Politics briefing was compiled by Isabella Grullón Paz in New York. Is there anything you think we’re missing? Anything you want to see more of? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at [onpolitics@nytimes.com](mailto:onpolitics@nytimes.com?te=1&nl=politics&emc=edit_cn_2019040620190406). ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW NYTimes [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytimes]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »]( | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Politics newsletter. 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