10 things you need to know today: April 12, 2019

White House aides proposed releasing migrants in "sanctuary cities," the U.S. charges Assange with hacking conspiracy, and more

Julian Assange with police
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1. White House proposed releasing migrants in sanctuary cities

President Trump's top aides proposed releasing detained migrants into "sanctuary cities" represented by Democrats to retaliate against opponents of his immigration policies, The Washington Post reported Thursday, citing Homeland Security officials and administration emails. White House officials, led by immigration hardliner Stephen Miller, suggested sending detained undocumented immigrants to sanctuary cities in November, as Trump was condemning a migrant caravan approaching the U.S.-Mexico border, and in February, during a standoff with Democrats over border-wall funding. The San Francisco district represented by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reportedly was one of the Democratic strongholds the White House suggested targeting. Pelosi's office called it "despicable" to treat human beings as "pawns." The White House said the idea was "floated and rejected."

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.