➔ INTERNATIONAL: North Korea: The Hill — Trump acknowledged Wednesday his planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un might not take place after Pyongyang threatened to scrap the historic meeting. Despite those threats, Trump said he would insist North Korea surrender its nuclear weapons while still keeping the door open to talks. © Twitter
TRADE: The Hill – Trump administration officials plan today to meet with Chinese officials in Washington to continue negotiations about trade. In a written statement, the White House said the meetings today and Friday at the Treasury Department are aimed at "rebalancing" the U.S.-China economic relationship. > Bloomberg reported a subplot Wednesday: China critic and White House adviser Peter Navarro was to be sidelined during the talks because of recent "unprofessional" behavior. The White House later indicated Navarro would be part of the U.S. team. > Axios added details with a report citing five sources saying Navarro blew up and cursed at Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin earlier this month during trade talks in Beijing. > Bloomberg: Trump tries to defend his sudden and controversial support for China's ZTE, saying trade talks with China are just beginning. > Reuters: Japan, seeking exemption from U.S. tariffs, now contemplating WTO retaliation. © Twitter
NAFTA: The Hill — Trade experts and lawmakers say a new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) deal, negotiated for months among the U.S., Canada and Mexico, is within reach. >The Wall Street Journal: Ryan had set this Thursday as an informal deadline to get a deal through Congress this year. The deadline is a soft one, but each day after that date makes U.S. ratification of an accord more difficult. Middle East – The Hill —The Treasury Department applied a series of new sanctions aimed at Hezbollah. >Reuters: Oil prices hit their highest level since November 2014 today, with Brent crude creeping closer to $80 per barrel as supplies tighten and U.S. tensions with Iran simmer. >Opinion from former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.): For Israel, today is one of real miracles. (The Hill) ➔ WHITE HOUSE & ADMINISTRATION: The president spent two hours visiting first lady Melania Trump at the hospital on Wednesday. It was the third consecutive day Trump made the trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to visit his wife, who is recovering from treatment for an unspecified kidney ailment. The Hill: The president acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday that he paid his personal attorney more than $100,000 to reimburse him for a hush-money payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, who says she had an affair with the president. The admission came in a financial disclosure released by the Office of Government Ethics (OGE). OGE acting Director David Apol said the payment "should have been reported" as a liability last year but that it's unclear whether the omission was "knowing and willful." Cabinet watch Perpetually embattled Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt faced a grilling from senators on Wednesday. The session was crashed by protesters holding "fire him" signs. Pruitt has been defiant but acknowledged that he has made some mistakes (The Hill). "There have been decisions over the last 16 months or so that, as I look back on those decisions, I would not make the same decisions again." Meanwhile, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to send Gina Haspel's nomination to the floor. She could become the first-ever woman to lead the CIA as soon as this week (The Hill). ➔ STATES: Michigan Americans for Prosperity (AFP), the conservative group backed by billionaire businessmen Charles and David Koch, is playing the Michigan Democratic gubernatorial primary. AFP is pumping $270,000 into digital ads and mailers attacking Gretchen Whitmer (YouTube). The Democratic primary is on Aug. 7 and Whitmer is locked in tight race against Shri Thanedar. The Detroit Free Press: Michigan State U. to pay $500 million in settlements to Dr. Larry Nassar's victims. West Virginia The Hill: Trump is planning several trips to West Virginia and intends to make Sen. Joe Manchin (D) a top target this cycle. Trump carried West Virginia by 42 points in 2016. Manchin is among the most vulnerable Democrats seeking reelection. California The Hill: California's jungle primary system is causing havoc in the primary. Democratic front-runner Gavin Newsom would love to face Republican businessman John Cox in the general election, rather than former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa or state Treasurer John Chiang. Robert G. Boatright: Could too many candidates be a problem for Democrats? The Associated Press: Liberal victories in primaries cheer some Democrats, worry others. |
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