Monday, July 2

· The New York Times reported that President Donald Trump sent “sharply worded letters” to NATO allies last month in advance of next week’s NATO summit warning Germany, Belgium, Norway, and Canada, among others, that they are not spending enough on defense and that the United States was losing patience. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/02/world/europe/trump-nato.html?emc=edit_th_180703&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=295858790703

· Trump interviewed four federal appeals court judges to find a replacement for retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy: Amy Coney Barrett of the Seventh Circuit; Brett M. Kavanaugh of the District of Columbia Circuit; and Raymond M. Kethledge and Amul R. Thapar of the Sixth Circuit. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/02/us/politics/trump-supreme-court-nomination.html?emc=edit_th_180703&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=295858790703

Tuesday, July 3

· The U.S. Education and Justice Departments announced that they have reversed several Obama-era policy directives on affirmative action. As such, colleges will no longer be required to consider race as a factor in admissions. : https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/us/politics/trump-affirmative-action-race-schools.html?emc=edit_th_180704&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=295858790704

· NBC news reported that Republican representative Jim Jordan, leader of the congressional “Freedom Caucus” has been accused by at least three former wrestlers of turning a blind eye to sexual abuse when he was the assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State. Jordan’s office denied the allegations. https://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2018/07/nbc_report_former_ohio_state_w.html

· Federal prosecutors concluded an 18-month investigation of former congressional technology staffer Imran Awan by publicly debunking in a plea agreement allegations, promoted by conservative media and President Trump, suggesting he was a Pakistani operative who stole government secrets with cover from House Democrats. https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/congressional-it-staffer-reaches-plea-deal-that-debunks-conspiracy-theories-about-illegal-information-access/2018/07/03/3f22786a-7e30-11e8-b0ef-fffcabeff946_story.html?utm_term=.142c85d92a2c&wpisrc=al_news__a

Wednesday, July 4

· The New York Times reported that Trump’s trade wars will damage the industries he pledged to help during the campaign. One instance is that China imposed a tariff on soybeans from the United States in response to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/04/climate/trump-industry-policy-consequences.html?emc=edit_th_180705&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=295858790705

Thursday, July 5:

· Scott Pruitt, the controversial administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency resigned under a cloud of ethics investigations that compromised his effectiveness. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/climate/scott-pruitt-epa-trump.html?emc=edit_th_180706&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=295858790706

· Volunteers sought to assist the government in reuniting migrant families separated at the border by sorting through DNA tests to match parents with their children. The Trump administration confirmed for the first time about 3,000 children are still in federal custody, and that approximately 100 are younger than five years old. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/us/migrant-children-chaos-family-separation.html?emc=edit_th_180706&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=295858790706

· The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative confirmed that an additional 25 percent tariff on about $34 billion worth of Chinese goods will be imposed as of midnight. https://politi.co/2ze2xBx

· Mexico began imposing its second stage of retaliatory tariffs on dozens of U.S. goods in response to Trump’s duties on Mexican steel and aluminum exports to the United States. https://politi.co/2Nu9hP1

Friday, July 6:

· U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw said the U.S. Department of Justice must return all children under five years old to their parents by the July 10 deadline she previously imposed. http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/395916-judge-will-not-give-trump-admin-more-time-to-reunite-all-separated

· President Trump’s attorney Rudi Giuliani told the New York Times that special counsel Robert Mueller would have to prove that Trump had committed a crime before Trump would agree to an interview. He also said he thought Mueller lacked the authority to investigate Trump for obstruction of justice. : http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/395907-giuliani-mueller-needs-to-prove-trump-committed-crime-before-agreeing

· Job growth decelerated in June, the government reported, as employers struggled to find qualified workers to fill a reported 213,000 new jobs in June, down from 244,000 in May. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4 percent after falling to 3.8 percent in May. https://politi.co/2KUbzoP

Saturday, July 7:

· North Korea accused the Trump administration of making a “unilateral and gangster-like demand for denuclearization,” calling it “deeply regrettable,” just hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo characterized the same talks as “productive.” : https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/07/world/asia/mike-pompeo-north-korea-pyongyang.html?emc=edit_th_180708&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=295858790708

· U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw told a Justice Department attorney to provide by 5 p.m. PDT a tally of the roughly 100 children under age 5 who were split apart from adults at the border. https://politi.co/2tYojnO

Sunday, July 8:

· Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal told ABC News’ This Week that President Trump is a “puppet” for the right-wing Federalist Society and Heritage Foundation in his selection of candidates for the Supreme Court seat vacated by Justice Anthony Kennedy. http://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/395997-dem-senator-trump-a-puppet-for-outside-groups-making-supreme-court?rnd=1531059093

· The Associated Press reported that lawyers for Trump attacked former FBI Director James Comey in a confidential memo last year to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, casting Comey as “Machiavellian,” dishonest and “unbounded by law and regulation.” The June 27, 2017, letter was written by Marc Kasowitz, then the president’s lead lawyer, as Mueller and his team were in the early stages of their investigation into Trump associates. http://bit.ly/2zkfNEP