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ELECTION? WHAT ELECTION? WHAT CONVENIENT TIMING?: Via The Hill’sRafael Bernal, the number of undocumented immigrants deported by President Obama is falling and could hit a 10-year low in 2016. 2012: 409,849 people deported 2015: 235,413 — the lowest number since 2006 Projected for 2016: 230,000. https://bit.ly/2bBN1BF
It’s Wednesday, and today is the 19th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of what you missed this morning — and what’s on tap for the rest of the day. Send comments, story ideas and happy thoughts to cmartel@thehill.com, @CateMartel and on Facebook.
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT GIFT OFFERING TRUMP WILL BRING TO MEXICO: Donald Trump is meeting meet with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto today, hours before his high-profile immigration speech tonight in Arizona. https://bit.ly/2bJcpEr Let’s set the scene for you:
Why: It’s not because they’re “besties,” it’s because there’s a decent chance Trump will be the next president. Via USA Today, “Peña Nieto has been one of Trump’s harsher critics. He has compared the GOP presidential nominee to dictators such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.” Ouch. https://usat.ly/2bR11oF
Optics: Trump and Peña Nieto are expected to give a joint press conference after the meeting, which could be a glimpse into Trump’s bilateral meetings as president. You can bet the photos taken here will be plastered across campaign ads! However, Trump’s traveling press was left behind, so it’s unclear how the press conference will work. Just questions from the Mexican press? This could be very worth watching: https://bit.ly/2bVxlcb
Livestream of Trump’s arrival in Mexico City: https://ti.me/2bGVgJU
Feeling in Mexico: In general, the reaction from the Mexican people to this meeting is not positive. However, Excelsior, a Mexican center-right, pro-government news outlet, called the confab a “diplomatic victory.” That’s a pretty bold statement. https://bit.ly/2bCjoQR
Mexican president’s likeability: Peña Nieto’s approval rating hit an all-time low earlier this month, at just 23 percent approval. https://reut.rs/2bQZIGA Keep in mind: Peña Nieto is giving his State of the Union address tomorrow (!). But with his approval so low, he switched the venue from addressing Congress to a town hall format.
Will Clinton meet with Peña Nieto? The Mexican president’s office said it had sent invitations last week to both Trump and Clinton. Clinton’s campaign would not comment on whether she had received the invitation. https://nyti.ms/2bBWUMu
Shade thrown from the former Mexican president: Former Mexican President Vicente Fox commented this morning, calling Donald Trump a “traitor” and saying he is “not welcome to Mexico.” https://read.bi/2bJdI6c
Behind-the-scenes planning: This trip was planned pretty last-minute. And via The New York Times’s Maggie Haberman: Chris Christie and Rudy Giuliani, whose firm did work in Mexico soon after he left City Hall, both helped with the planning. https://bit.ly/2c4ycqE
5 things to watch in Trump’s immigration speech: What’s his tone? What about deportations? Any movement on the wall? Will he make direct overtures to Hispanics? Can he keep his base engaged? Explanations for each: https://bit.ly/2c8pTcn
IT’S A GOOD DAY TO BE AN INCUMBENT!: … Unless you’re Rep. Corrine Brown that is. Here are the primary results from Florida and Arizona yesterday. In short: not too many surprises/upsets:
Senate:
· Florida — Dems: Rep. Patrick Murphy beat Rep. Alan Grayson, 59 to 18 percent. https://bit.ly/2cegAe1
· Florida — GOP: Sen. Marco Rubio easily beat businessman Carlos Beruff, 72 to 19 percent. https://bit.ly/2bBzWVA
· Arizona — GOP: Sen. John McCain easily beat state Sen. Kelli Ward, 53 to 37 percent. Ward throwback: Ward said last week that McCain, 80, is too old to stay in the Senate, implying he might die in office. https://bit.ly/2bBomPc
House:
· Florida’s 23rd — Dems: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz beat Tim Canova, 57 to 42 percent. https://bit.ly/2bByUsU
· Florida’s 5th — Dems: Rep. Corrine Brown lost to former state Sen. Al Lawson, 48 to 39 percent, amid Brown’s indictment. https://bit.ly/2bRzFDl
· Florida’s 9th — Dems: State Sen. Darren Soto beat Dena Grayson, Rep. Alan Grayson’s wife, in the seat he vacated to run for Senate, 36 to 28 percent. https://bit.ly/2bBtK63
Tweet from National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar: SORE LOSERS: Canova called DWS a “corporate stooge” AFTER losing; Grayson called Murphy a “Republican”; Beruff: Rubio made “life mistake” https://bit.ly/2cqPy4A
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