A roundup of the most important political news stories of the day
ADVERTISEMENTTRUMP AGENDA: Fact-checking the president's speech
President Trump's immigration speech, where he made the case for his border wall by declaring a "growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border," dominated the news Tuesday night.
Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer responded to Trump's address by panning the president for trying to "manufacture a crisis."
NBC News fact-checked both speeches by Trump and the Democrats.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, whose been a target of the president's criticism because of his role overseeing the special counsel probe, is slated to leave the administration in the coming weeks.
Special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutors believe that former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort lied to them about sharing polling information with a Russian linked to Russian intelligence services, a revelation discovered when Manafort's lawyers incorrectly redacted a new court filing.
Scientists say that the odd sound that caused U.S. embassy officials in Cuba to fall ill could have been made by crickets, instead of a more nefarious cause.
DEM AGENDA: Dems plot out investigations
House Democrats and former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was injured in a mass shooting in her district, announced a bill that would expand gun background checks.
With subpoena power and control of House committees, Democrats are slowly mapping out their plans to investigate the administration.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler could subpoena acting Attorney General Mathew Whitaker over his role supervising the special counsel probe, The Washington Post reports.
House Democratic committee heads want to know why the Trump administration is looking to ease sanctions on a Russian businessman.
2020: Steyer announces "political plans" in Iowa today
Beto O'Rourke hasn't tipped his hand about his presidential intentions, but two former Martin O'Malley staffers are building out a draft committee and organizing for him in key primary states anyways, The Washington Post reports.
The New York Times runs down how the 2020 Democrats are responding to President Trump's immigration speech.
Billionaire Tom Steyer, an environmentalist known for his aggressive call for President Trump's impeachment, is set to announce his "political plans for 2019 and beyond" during an Iowa event Wednesday.
Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, who is expected to announce his presidential bid this week, pitched a progressive agenda to Iowa voters that includes support for universal healthcare, the "Green New Deal" and a refusal to take PAC money if he decides to run.