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"MY ROY COHN”: Attorney General Bill Barr is sitting at the center of Washington's universe. From President Trump's immigration agenda to his treatment of the Mueller report out tomorrow morning, Barr holds the keys to some of the biggest questions and hurdles of Trump's presidency.

If there was any concern the former Bush 41 administration official may have turned out more like ex-attorney general Jeff Sessions and less like “my Roy Cohn,” Trump's longtime mentor, loyalist and feared New York City lawyer, Barr has instead proven himself to be a useful booster to the president since joining the administration.

Thus far, Barr seems to have emboldened Trump and provided him with some of his most frequent talking points:

1. “No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION,” Trump has tweeted, referring to Barr's four-page summary of the 400-page Mueller report that sparked controversy and frustration among members of Congress and even Mueller's team for its brevity and conclusion that Trump did not seek to obstruct justice.
• Reminder: “It was much more acute than Barr suggested,” said one person, who spoke to my colleagues Ellen Nakashima, Carol D. Leonnig, and Rosalind S. Helderman on the condition of anonymity earlier in April.

2. “THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN (We will never forget)!," Trump has also tweeted, a reference to Barr's statement (without support) last week to senators he thought “spying did occur” during the 2016 Trump campaign by the FBI.
• "“The moment set off a firestorm, with those who have defended the FBI complaining that the attorney general had legitimized an outlandish conspiracy theory — while those critical of the Russia probe have embraced his remarks as vindication of their cause,” per my colleagues Devlin Barrett and Rachael Bade.

In the coming days and weeks, Barr will serve as the gatekeeper to even more significant and consequential moments of the Trump presidency: which parts of the Mueller report to redact before it is slated to be submitted to lawmakers on Thursday morning; and a new push to crack down on immigrants at the southern border.
• “The Trump administration on Tuesday took another significant step to discourage migrants from seeking asylum, issuing an order that could keep thousands of them in jail indefinitely while they wait for a resolution of their asylum requests,” the New York Times's Michael Shear and Katie Benner report. “In an effort to deliver on President Trump’s promise to end 'catch and release' at the border, [Barr’s] order directed immigration judges to no longer allow some migrants who have sought asylum to post bail.”
• “Unless stopped, this decision will result in the unlawful jailing of thousands of people who should not be behind bars,” Omar Jadwat, the ACLU's director of immigrant's rights project, tweeted. " . . . we will see the administration in court on this latest unlawful & inhuman attempt to deter and punish asylum seekers.”

As for the redaction process, Barr testified before lawmakers he would be “color-coding” redactions that fit four categories: material pertaining to grand jury proceedings; material that is “potentially compromising” to the intelligence community's sources; material referring to “other ongoing matters;” and “information that would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties.”

All of which is to say that Democrats are already prepared to fight Barr over the anticipated lack of transparency:
• “The House Judiciary Committee is expected to subpoena the Justice Department for [Mueller's] complete report as soon as Friday, according to a spokesman, as Democrats prepare to fight the Trump administration for access to the attorney general’s anticipated redactions,” my colleague Karoun Demirjian reports.
• “Obviously,” Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.), a senior member of the committee, told Karoun, “we will use the subpoena power to the full extent of the law.”

Barr's recent actions and statements have some Republicans applauding and others suggesting they have an audience of one: Trump.
• “The attorney general has created an environment that has caused a significant part of the public … to be concerned about whether or not there is full transparency,” U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton, an appointee of George W. Bush, said during a hearing yesterday on a Freedom of Information Act suit demanding access to the redacted portions of the Mueller report, reports Politico's Josh Gerstein.
• “The case, filed by BuzzFeed News, is the second such case to get a federal judge to review Barr's redactions once the Justice Department releases it on Thursday. “That's something we'll have to work through and something I'll have to think about,” Walton said, according to CNN's Katelyn Polantz.
• “As things stand, Barr has made it harder for the public to believe that he is not leaning on the wheel for his boss. Attorneys general are supposed to avoid that, in part to inspire confidence that justice and intelligence will never belong solely to any one politician or political party,” write former assistant AG for national security David Kris and ex-CIA acting director Mike Morrell in a Post op-ed.

All of Washington's eyes will be on Barr for some time to come . . .

TRUMP'S SECOND VETO: Trump uncapped his veto pen for the second time late last night. This time, Trump beat back a bipartisian attempt to "end the U.S.'s support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen," Felicia Sonmez, Josh Dawsey and Karoun Demirjian report.
• “This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future,” the president said in a statement.
• "The veto means the United States will continue its involvement in Saudi Arabia’s bombing campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, waged in the name of holding back Iran’s expansion in the region,” our colleagues report.
• Key detail: "Trump viewed the Yemen vote as a rebuke of his administration after the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and urged some senators not to go along with it, according to White House and congressional aides.”

Despite a narrow Republican Senate majority, Trump has now twice checked disapproval of his domestic policy (the national emergency declaration at the border) and now his foreign policy. In total, 16 House Republicans and seven GOP senators voted to end support for the Yemen conflict, despite the White House veto threats.
• Take a look at the Associated Press's Pulitizer Prize winning coverage of the Yemen conflict, along with The Post's Lorenzo Tugnoli's winning photos of "Yemen's shattering war.”

A DISPATCH FROM PARIS: Power Up touched base with James McAuley, our correspondent in Paris who has been covering the Notre Dame Cathedral fire, for his take on the city's mood in the aftermath of the massive blaze that torched Paris’s “eternal backdrop to life,” as James puts it. As he notes below, French President Emmanuel Macron ambitiously vowed to rebuild the monument in five years, “a breakneck pace for a project of monumental scale.”

James sent us an early morning email with some observations on the devastating week:
• L'humeur: “The mood in Paris is funereal, even though no one died in the blaze. The city has had its share of devastating events in recent years — notably the November 2015 terror attacks, when 130 were killed — but none of these quite compares to the fire at Notre Dame. The cathedral is the eternal backdrop to life here and a monument that has survived any number of historical sea-changes in the past 800 years. The point was always that Notre Dame was here before us, and it will be here after us,” per James.
• “But Monday's fire underscored a real fragility. The mood is heavy because that fragility is ultimately a result of neglect, which says something about people today. The feeling is that we've all failed to be proper custodians of the legacy we've inherited.”
• Macron's response: “Some say that Macron has been more presidential during the Notre Dame fire than he has at any other point since his election in May 2017. In general, he's a polarizing figure often accused of being aloof and tone-deaf, especially when presented with the economic struggles of ordinary people. France has just emerged from months of 'yellow jacket' protests -- an uprising largely motivated by Macron's tone and remarks perceived as critical of those who struggle to get by. When the cathedral burned, however, he rose to the occasion and delivered a moving address about France's culture and history, as well as its proud universalist values.”
• Macron “pledged to rebuild the cathedral in five years — when Paris will host the Olympics — because, as he put it, 'that's what the French expect.' They definitely do, and Macron has won praise from across the political aisle. For once, French commentators on national television have been saying that their president, often criticized for being too technocratic, spoke 'with emotion.' That means something.”
• On Trump's “flying water tankers” tweet: “I wouldn't say there's been much attention on Donald Trump or the spat with the fire services. The focus has been on the cathedral, and whether it can be rebuilt as quickly as Macron says it can. Another interesting debate has been the question of private financing — through massive donation pledges from the likes of French philanthropists Francois Pinault and Bernard Arnault — versus state financing. We still don't know the full extent of the damages and the costs of repairs, but that's an issue to watch.”

WHITE HOUSE MOVES TO REBUFF OVERSIGHT: The White House looks increasingly prepared to go to court over handing over documents related to security clearances and Trump's finances, among other things, demanded by House Democrats.
• “White House officials are already digging in their heels on a slew of requests related to Trump’s actions as president. The administration does not plan to turn over information being sought about how particular individuals received their security clearances, Trump’s meetings with foreign leaders and other topics that they plan to argue are subject to executive privilege, according to several aides familiar with internal discussions,” Tom Hamburger, Karoun Demirjian, Josh Dawsey and Rachael Bade reported last night.
• “Cabinet agencies have been told to seek White House permission before giving any documents to Congress, and lawyers in the counsel’s office are closely monitoring the requests, aides said,” our colleagues report.
• “They are fighting us on everything now. They’re fighting us on release of the uncensored Mueller report, they’re fighting us on the president’s taxes . . . they basically have decided that they want to thwart congressional oversight power,” Rep. Raskin said. “It’s an assault on the separation of powers and specifically the congressional oversight function.”

A POSSIBLE PROTRACTED LEGAL FIGHT: The White House is gambling that any congressional subpoenas will trigger court fights that will go on forever. Democrats think they have a workaround when it comes to some of Trump's finances as they're going directly to banks and accountants who provided loans to the former real estate businessman. Such a move could force the president's attorneys to file suit by arguing that Trump's private matters are not in Congress's domain.

Not everyone is buying that argument:
• “That’s a tall order. Congress’s oversight powers are pretty sweeping and pretty extensive,” Kerry W. Kircher, who served as House counsel for the Republican majority from 2011 to 2016, told our colleagues. “You can try that; I think that’s a loser.”

WAIT, THERE'S MORE: The House Judiciary Committee yesterday opened a probe into whether Trump encouraged an acting Cabinet head to break immigration law with the caveat that if he faced any repercussions the president would just pardon him, Rachael reports.
• “These allegations, if true, would represent a grave breach of duties of the president,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), chairman of the panel, and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), the subcommittee chairman on constitutional matters wrote in a letter asking acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin K. McAleenan to testify before Congress. (McAleenan was the official to whom Trump reportedly offered a pardon).

MUSINGS FROM A MAYOR: Following our report on the welcoming attitude of sanctuary city mayors if Trump sends immigrants their way, the mayor of Somerville, Mass., Joseph Curtatone, got in touch to explain why he's not worried should such a policy be implemented:

"Most of the governmental decisions that affect your life happen at the local level, and cities traditionally innovate quicker than states or the federal government. Yet with Trump, local government is an institution he can't erode or consume. We've rejected Trumpism and, worst of all for him, we're thriving. I think that's message, that the places which operate in the least Trump-like fashion are doing the best."

.... At least one mayor is ready to take Trump to court though. "It’s illegal. It is just plain illegal. We will meet him in court," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said Monday night, according to the New York Post. "We will beat him in court." (Unlike the other mayors, de Blasio is actively considering running against Trump in 2020).

Related 👀: de Blasio had lunch this past Saturday with Bernie Sanders's former top campaign adviser Tad Devine at Gracie Mansion to discuss a possible 2020 run "and what it takes," Devine told a group of reporters over dinner last night.</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution that sought to end U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen, the White House said on Tuesday.

“This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future,” Trump said in the veto message.

The resolution passed the House of Representatives in April and the Senate in March, marking the first time both chambers of Congress had supported a War Powers resolution, which limits the president’s ability to send troops into action.

Neither the 247-175 tally in the Democratic-majority House nor the 54-46 vote in the Republican-led Senate would be enough to override the veto, which would require two-thirds majorities in both chambers.

Backers of the measure said the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen had made the humanitarian crisis worse, harshly criticizing Riyadh for killing civilians.

They also argued that U.S. involvement in Yemen violated the constitutional requirement that Congress, not the president, should determine when the country goes to war.

The four-year-long civil war in Yemen, which pits the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels backed by Iran, has killed tens of thousands of people and spawned what the United Nations calls the world’s most dire humanitarian crisis, with the country on the brink of famine.</s>President Donald Trump vetoes resolution calling on US to withdraw support from Saudi-led war in Yemen

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump vetoes resolution calling on US to withdraw support from Saudi-led war in Yemen.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump vetoes resolution calling on US to withdraw support from Saudi-led war in Yemen.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump's veto of a congressional resolution on U.S. involvement in war in Yemen:

President Donald Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution to end U.S. military assistance in Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen.

The veto is just the second in Trump's presidency. It has been expected, and Congress lacks the votes to override it.

Passing the never-before-used war powers resolution has been viewed as a milestone for lawmakers, who have shown a renewed willingness to assert their war-making authority after letting it atrophy for decades under presidents from both parties.

In explaining his veto, Trump calls the resolution "an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities." He also says it endangers the lives of American citizens and service members.

Congress has grown uneasy with Trump's close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival.

President Donald Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution passed to end U.S. military assistance in the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen.

In a break with the president, Congress voted for the first time to invoke the War Powers Resolution to try and stop U.S. involvement in a foreign conflict.

Trump vetoed the measure Tuesday. Congress lacks the votes to override him.

Congress has grown uneasy with Trump's close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. Many lawmakers also criticized the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of a Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, who had been critical of the kingdom.</s>President Donald Trump has vetoed a bill Congress passed to end U.S. military assistance in the Saudi Arabia-led war in Yemen.

In a break with the president, Congress voted for the first time to invoke the War Powers Resolution to try and stop U.S. involvement in a foreign conflict.

Trump vetoed the measure Wednesday. Congress lacks the votes to override him.

RELATED: Senate votes to force US withdrawal from Saudi war in Yemen

Congress has grown uneasy with Trump's close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival. Many lawmakers also criticized the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of a Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, who had been critical of the kingdom.

President Donald Trump speaks about border security in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, March 15, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)</s>WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump vetoes resolution calling on US to withdraw support from Saudi-led war in Yemen.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed a resolution from Congress directing him to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, the second such move of his presidency.

The resolution was a harsh bipartisan rebuke to Trump that took the historic step of curtailing a president's war-making powers - a step he condemned in a statement announcing his veto.

"This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," Trump said.

The veto was the second of his presidency after he overrode a congressional resolution that aimed to reverse the border emergency he declared in order to secure more funding for his wall between the United States and Mexico in March.

Vetoing the measure is an "effective green light for the war strategy that has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis to continue," said International Rescue Committee president and CEO David Miliband.

"Yemen is at a breaking point with 10 million people on the brink of famine. There are as many as 100 civilian casualties per week, and Yemenis are more likely to be killed at home than in any other structure."

Trump argued that US support for the bloody war between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Iran-aligned Huthi rebels was necessary for a variety of reasons, "first and foremost" to "protect the safety of the more than 80,000 Americans who reside in certain coalition countries."

These countries "have been subject to Huthi attacks from Yemen," he said, referring to drone and missile strikes the Saudi-led coalition has either claimed were intercepted or denied altogether.

The president also said the resolution would "harm the foreign policy of the United States" and "harm our bilateral relationships."

And it would "negatively affect our ongoing efforts to prevent civilian casualties and prevent the spread of terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS, and embolden Iran's malign activities in Yemen," Trump said, referring to two Sunni Muslim militant groups and his Shiite bete noire.

The resolution, which passed the US House of Representatives earlier this month and the Senate in March, was a historic milestone, as it was the first time in history that a measure invoking the 1973 War Powers Resolution reached the president's desk.

Democrats argued that US involvement in the Yemen conflict - through intelligence-sharing, logistical support and now-discontinued aerial refuelling - is unconstitutional without congressional authority.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi - the country's most senior Democratic politician - took aim at Trump's veto in a series of tweets on Tuesday.

"The conflict in Yemen is a horrific humanitarian crisis that challenges the conscience of the entire world," Pelosi wrote. "Yet the President has cynically chosen to contravene a bipartisan, bicameral vote of the Congress & perpetuate America's shameful involvement in this heartbreaking crisis."

Senator Bernie Sanders, a lead author of the Yemen resolution and a Democratic 2020 presidential candidate, said that "the people of Yemen desperately need humanitarian help, not more bombs."

"I am disappointed, but not surprised, that Trump has rejected the bi-partisan resolution to end U.S. involvement in the horrific war in Yemen," Sanders tweeted.

Critics of the intervention warn that Saudi forces are likely using US weapons to commit atrocities in the four-year war.

Some 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen over the past four years, according to the World Health Organization, although rights groups say the toll could be five times higher.

Both the Saudi-led alliance and Huthi rebels have been accused of acts that could amount to war crimes, while the coalition has been blacklisted by the United Nations for killing and maiming children.</s>Trump vetoes measure to end US involvement in Yemen war

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed a resolution passed by Congress to end U.S. military assistance in Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen.

The veto — the second in Trump's presidency — was expected, and Congress lacks the votes to override it. But passing the never-before-used war powers resolution was viewed as a milestone for lawmakers, who have shown a renewed willingness to assert their war-making authority after letting it atrophy for decades under presidents from both parties.

"This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," Trump wrote in explaining his veto.

Congress has grown uneasy with Trump's close relationship with Saudi Arabia as he tries to further isolate Iran, a regional rival.

Many lawmakers also criticized the president for not condemning Saudi Arabia for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi who lived in the United States and had written critically about the kingdom. Khashoggi went into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last October and never came out. Intelligence agencies said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was complicit in the killing.

The U.S. provides billions of dollars of arms to the Saudi-led coalition fighting against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. Members of Congress have expressed concern about the thousands of civilians killed in coalition airstrikes since the conflict began in 2014. The fighting in the Arab world's poorest country also has left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and has pushed the country to the brink of famine.

Trump said the measure was unnecessary because except for counterterrorism operations against Islamic State militants and al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the United States is not engaged in hostilities in or affecting Yemen.

He said there were no U.S. military personnel in Yemen accompanying the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthis, although he acknowledged that the U.S. has provided limited support to the coalition, including intelligence sharing, logistics support, and — until recently — in-flight refueling of non-U.S. aircraft.

The president also said that the measure would harm bilateral relations and interferes with his constitutional power as commander in chief.

He said the U.S. is providing the support to protect the safety of more than 80,000 Americans who live in certain areas of the coalition countries subject to Houthi attacks from Yemen.

"Houthis, supported by Iran, have used missiles, armed drones and explosive boats to attack civilian and military targets in those coalition countries, including areas frequented by American citizens, such as the airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia," Trump said. "In addition, the conflict in Yemen represents a 'cheap' and inexpensive way for Iran to cause trouble for the United States and for our ally, Saudi Arabia."

House approval of the resolution came earlier this month on a 247-175 vote. The Senate vote last month was 54-46.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said that Trump's veto "shows the world he is determined to keep aiding a Saudi-backed war that has killed thousands of civilians and pushed millions more to the brink of starvation."

Kaine accused Trump of turning a blind eye to Khashoggi's killing and the jailing of women's rights activists in Saudi Arabia.

"I hope my colleagues will show we won't tolerate the Trump administration's deference to Saudi Arabia at the expense of American security interests by voting to override this veto," Kaine said.

The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, acknowledged the dire situation in Yemen for civilians, but spoke out in opposition to the measure when it was passed. McCaul said it was an abuse of the War Powers Resolution and predicted it could disrupt U.S. security cooperation agreements with more than 100 countries.

Trump issued his first veto last month on legislation related to immigration. Trump had declared a national emergency so he could use more money to construct a border wall. Congress voted to block the emergency declaration and Trump vetoed that measure.</s>WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Tuesday vetoed a resolution from Congress directing him to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, the second such move of his presidency.

The resolution was a harsh bipartisan rebuke to Trump that took the historic step of curtailing a president's war-making powers - a step the president condemned in a statement announcing his veto.

"This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities, endangering the lives of American citizens and brave service members, both today and in the future," Trump said.

Vetoing the measure is an "effective green light for the war strategy that has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis to continue," said International Rescue Committee president and CEO David Miliband.

"This veto by President Trump is morally wrong and strategically wrongheaded. It sets back the hopes for respite for the Yemeni people, and leaves the US upholding a failed strategy.

"Yemen is at a breaking point with 10 million people on the brink of famine. There are as many as 100 civilian casualties per week, and Yemenis are more likely to be killed at home than in any other structure."

The veto was the second of his presidency, after he overrode a congressional resolution that aimed to reverse the border emergency he declared in order to secure more funding for his wall between the United States and Mexico in March.

Trump argued that US support for the bloody war between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and Iran-aligned Huthi rebels was necessary for a variety of reasons, "first and foremost" to "protect the safety of the more than 80,000 Americans who reside in certain coalition countries."

These countries "have been subject to Huthi attacks from Yemen," he said, referring to drone and missile strikes the Saudi-led coalition has either claimed were intercepted or denied altogether.

The president also said the resolution would "harm the foreign policy of the United States" and "harm our bilateral relationships."

And it would "negatively affect our ongoing efforts to prevent civilian casualties and prevent the spread of terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS, and embolden Iran's malign activities in Yemen," Trump said, referring to two Sunni Muslim militant groups and his Shiite bete noire.

The resolution, which passed the US House of Representatives earlier this month and the Senate in March, was a historic milestone, as it was the first time in history that a measure invoking the 1973 War Powers Resolution reached the president's desk.

It was a reminder that Congress has the legal ability to compel the removal of US military forces, absent a formal declaration of war.

Democrats argued that US involvement in the Yemen conflict - through intelligence-sharing, logistical support, the sale of military equipment and now-discontinued aerial refuelling - is unconstitutional without congressional authority.

Critics of the intervention warn that Saudi forces are likely using US weapons to commit atrocities in the four-year war.

About 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen over the past four years, according to the World Health Organization, although rights groups say the toll could be five times higher.

Both the Saudi-led alliance and Huthi rebels have been accused of acts that could amount to war crimes, while the coalition has been blacklisted by the United Nations for killing and maiming children.
U.S. President Donald Trump vetoes a Congressional resolution that sought to end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Yemen.