Officials present for the first face-to-face meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin offered differing accounts of what was discussed.
The United States and Russia announced that a cease-fire in Syria will go into effect on Sunday. Officials present for the first face-to-face meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Germany offered differing accounts of what was discussed. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said if the U. S. policy of “peaceful pressure” on North Korea fails, “we don’ t have many good options left.” Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein visited Guantanamo Bay in a show of support for the detention center. The U. S. economy added 222,000 jobs in June, and the unemployment rate increased slightly to 4.4 percent.
An Unreliable Narrator: David Frum argues that the most troubling thing about President Trump’s address in Warsaw, Poland, “was the falsehood at its core; the problem is not with the speech, but with the speaker.”
The De-Facto Diplomat: Some of the White House’s critics have complained about the lack of experienced officials present for President Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. But those critics are discounting other very important people present: the interpreters. (David A. Graham)
What About Paris?: Many foreign leaders condemned President Trump’s decision to pull the U. S. from the Paris Agreement on climate change. But will they press him on it at the G20 summit? (Robinson Meyer)
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McConnell’s Rubik’s Cube: The majority leader’s instincts and understanding of Senate procedures might not be enough for him to find the votes to pass the Republican health-care bill. (Carl Hulse, The New York Times)
‘How Not to Primary Donald Trump’ : Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse’s upcoming visit to Iowa has sparked speculation that he’ ll launch a bid to unseat Trump in 2020. But GOP operatives in the state say there’s no appetite for a Republican challenger. (Katie Glueck, McClatchy)
Don’ t Panic Yet: Hackers have reportedly been targeting computer networks of U. S. energy companies, including a nuclear-power plant. Andy Greenberg explains why that’s not as serious as it sounds. (Wired)
Cuomo on the Scene: Once thought to be too “New Yorky” to run for national office, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is now showing up on people’s 2020 lists. But to run for president, he needs to get progressives to like him. (David Freedlander, Politico)
Nikki Haley’s Got to Go: The former South Carolina governor “comes across as the neoconservatives’ dream ambassador to the United Nations, ” writes Philip Giraldi. But it’s still not clear whether she’s speaking for herself or for the White House. (The American Conservative)
Same Old, Same Old: These graphs show that, nearly six months into Donald Trump’s presidency, the U. S. economy is looking a lot like it did during Barack Obama’s presidency. (Ben Casselman, FiveThirtyEight)
Lawmakers went back home this week for the holiday recess. Some held town halls, while others faced constituents during Fourth of July parades. This week, we asked what question you’d pose to your senator if given the opportunity. Almost everyone who submitted had concerns about health care. Below is a sample of the questions we received:
Fay Bowen would ask her senators how they could support a bill that “goes against everything President Trump campaigned on: cheaper healthcare, better healthcare, and no cuts to Medicare or Medicaid?”
Howard Cohen, from California, would “respectfully” ask Senator Dianne Feinstein to resign “after decades of exceptional service on behalf of all Californians in representing our values and beliefs in the U. S. Senate, ” so that “a younger Democrat can seamlessly move into her spot, and have a more powerful perch with which to get big things done.”
Finally Joe Bookman would ask this of his senators:
“After you have retired and the Trump era has ended, what will you tell future generations that you have done to make government work for all Americans, particularly the ‘least among us’ ?”
Thanks to everyone who submitted responses, and stay tuned for next week’s Question of the Week.
-Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey)
