***FIRST LADY RECOVERING AT WALTER REED MEDICAL CENTER*** WHITE HOUSE statement: "First Lady Melania Trump underwent an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney condition. The procedure was successful and there were no complications. Mrs. Trump is at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and will likely remain there for the duration of the week." 
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WHITE HOUSE & ADMINISTRATION: The Trump administration is at a crisis point over internal leaks since The Hill first reported on Thursday that White House aide Kelly Sadler had mocked Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) cancer diagnosis during a staff meeting. Many lawmakers and commentators from both parties have expressed outrage and urged public contrition for days now. Sadler has privately called McCain's family to apologize but the White House has otherwise been more intent to get to the bottom of who leaked Sadler's remarks than publicly saying "sorry." 
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Lawmakers were leaving town as the story broke last week, but they're certain to be asked about it in Washington as they get to work today, dragging the controversy into its second week. At Monday's press briefing, deputy press secretary Raj Shah, who oversaw the meeting where the incendiary comment was heard, would say only that the matter is being handled "internally." The Hill: Senate anger over the McCain insult grows. Kellyanne Conway: Heads will roll after latest leaks. The New York Times: White House will not apologize about McCain (or much else, really). Education Department: The New York Times reported on the administration's pull-back on investigating for-profit colleges. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt asked for 24/7 security detail before joining the Cabinet, watchdog says (The Hill). *** INTERNATIONAL: Middle East: The Hill — Deadly protests that broke out along the Gaza border on Monday marred ceremonies opening the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. Attending for the White House were Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Dozens were killed in Gaza as thousands of Palestinians sought to cross the border. Israeli and U.S. officials blamed Palestinian leaders for the violence, saying they were sending people into a situation they knew would result in violence to drive media attention. The Associated Press: Trump's Middle East policies fuel global worries for the region. Reuters: United Nations warns of more Gaza violence, condemns Israel's use of force. The Washington Post: Trump administration exclusively blames Hamas after Israeli soldiers kill Palestinians. NBC News: Dozens of Marines are added to U.S. Embassy security details in Israel, Jordan and Turkey, and may be added in seven other countries. i24News: Turkey and South Africa pull their ambassadors from Israel to protest Gaza deaths. The Hill: President Trump delivers prepared video message during U.S. Embassy opening. The Hill: Kushner at embassy opening: "This president delivered." The Hill: Pro-Trump banners hung in Jerusalem. The Hill: Schumer calls U.S. embassy shift to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv "a long overdue move," for which he said he applauded Trump. The Hill (opinion): The war over Trump's embassy. 
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The Hill's Niall Stanage explains how challenging it is to categorize President Trump's foreign policy, let alone describe a Trump doctrine. ❝There's a consistency in the Trump administration's approach to foreign policy that's worth discussing. It's transactional. It's unilateral. And it's risk acceptant.❞ – Ian Bremmer, political scientist and founder/president of the Eurasia Group. Iran: Trump told the departments of State, Treasury, and Energy to begin unwinding ties to Iran's energy made possible through the 2015 nuclear deal. "There is a sufficient supply of petroleum and petroleum products from countries other than Iran to permit a significant reduction in the volume of petroleum and petroleum products purchased from Iran by or through foreign financial institutions," the president wrote in a memo. The Hill opinion: Obama, not Trump, shattered U.S. credibility over Iran. China: The Hill — Trump stuns lawmakers with administration's sudden about-face to help China's ZTE Corp., which had been sanctioned by the Commerce Department for dealing with Iran. The Hill: Schumer accuses the president of working to make "China great again." ***BREAKING*** The fiscally conservative group Freedom Partners, which is part of the network of groups backed by Charles and David Koch, will launch a new digital ad today targeting attendees of the U.S. Trade Representative meeting, asking that they listen to public comments about the impact of tariffs ... "They raise prices on consumers, harm job creation and introduce great uncertainty into markets," Freedom Partners executive vice president Nathan Nascimento said. Trade: Reuters – NAFTA "hot topics" remain unresolved as a deadline looms, Commerce secretary Ross says. The lack of progress signals that an agreement among the U.S., Canada and Mexico on the North American Free Trade Agreement is unlikely before a Thursday cutoff facing the administration and Congress this year. CONGRESS: Sports Betting: The Hill — Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday, took immediate steps to lay the groundwork for congressional action to regulate sports betting directly. "I plan to introduce legislation in the coming weeks to help protect honesty and principle in the athletic arena," he said in a statement. >The Hill: Lawmakers are now scrambling to come up with legislation to regulate sports gambling. >The Hill -- The Supreme Court struck down a federal law that banned sports betting in almost every state, handing former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie a major win to bolster his legacy, and delivering to states a potential tax boon. >The Associated Press: States likely to take up sports betting within two years and five years (graphic map). John W. Kindt: Supreme Court decision creates a "Wild West" for sports betting. House Republicans: The Hill — A decade ago, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) were known as the young guns. They were a group of up-and-coming lawmakers who, along with former Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), aimed to change the House GOP conference. Now a new generation of GOP lawmakers is pressing their leaders for a fresh approach to policy and messaging. House Democrats: The Hill — The House Democratic lawmaker leading the impeachment charge against Trump criticized House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Monday for "trivializing" the effort Farm bill: Roll Call — The farm bill gets two days of House Rules Committee consideration. >The Hill (opinion): Farm bill once again stuffed with food stamps. Veterans Administration (opinion): The Hill — This week, the House will vote on the VA Mission Act, a package of reforms meant to be part of this spring's omnibus spending bill, but left on the cutting room floor. Immigration: The Washington Post — Five reasons why it's unlikely the House moves on immigration legislation this year, despite a flurry of recent activity. Harry Reid: Las Vegas Review-Journal — Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who led Democrats for more than a decade, underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore on Monday and will receive chemotherapy, his family said in a statement. Current and former colleagues from both sides of the aisle, including Sen. McCain, wished the 78-year-old Reid well. 
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