FBI agents raided a home owned by Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, in late July.
Tensions between the United States and North Korea continued to escalate on Wednesday: President Trump said on Twitter that the U. S. nuclear arsenal is “stronger and more powerful than ever before, ” and Defense Secretary James Mattis warned that Pyongyang’s actions could lead to “the end of its regime and the destruction of its people.” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson struck a different tone, telling reporters that Americans should “sleep well at night.” FBI agents raided a home owned by Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, in late July. Trump called out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Twitter for not following through on the party’s promise to repeal Obamacare, two days after McConnell said the president had “excessive expectations” on health care.
The Second Korean War?: President Trump’s threats to North Korea suggest that the administration might be considering military efforts. But Eliot A. Cohen argues that the United States isn’ t ready for a war in North Korea.
‘Restaurants Are the New Factories’ : Despite President Trump’s focus on coal mining and manufacturing, the country’s most promising sector is the food-service industry. And unlike other industries, the restaurant boom is happening all across the country. (Derek Thompson)
Looking to China: President Trump has tweeted that China “could easily solve” the nuclear threat from North Korea. Could it ? (Uri Friedman)
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Who’s at Risk?: On Tuesday, President Trump warned North Korea that it would be met with “fire and fury” if it continues to threaten the United States. Here are four crucial points to understand about the escalating conflict. (Russell Goldman, The New York Times)
Javanka: When something good comes out of the White House, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner want to be associated with it; when there’s bad press, they want distance. Josh Raffel is the man who makes it happen. (Steven Perlberg, BuzzFeed)
Musical Chairs: The midterm elections are still more than a year away, but already, primary battles are heating up. These are the 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2018. (Eric Bradner, CNN)
Whose Side Is He On?: President Trump’s new chief of staff, John Kelly, has emerged as a rare apolitical force in the White House, and advisers are hopeful that his leadership will quash partisan infighting within the administration. (Robert Costa and Philip Rucker, The Washington Post)
Meet Trump’s Photographer: In an interview with PBS Newshour, Shealah Craighead describes what it’s like to document the daily doings of the commander in chief—and how she’s worked to earn his trust. (Elizabeth Flock)
America’s Own Truth: In this short video accompanying our September cover story, Kurt Andersen explains how Americans became “unhinged from reality.” (Nicolas Pollock and Sophia Myszkowski, The Atlantic)
Heating Up: A new federal climate report shows that humans are already experiencing climate change’s effects. Here are nine takeaways from the report. (Henry Fountain and Nadja Popovich, The New York Times)
On Friday, President Trump headed to his golf club in New Jersey for a 17-day working vacation. For years, presidents have left the nation’s capital for a few days in the summer to head to different destinations around the country: Harry Truman visited Key West, Florida, Ronald Reagan rode horses in California, and Barack Obama went to Martha’s Vineyard.
If you were president, where would you vacation—and why?
Share your response here, and we’ll feature a few in Friday’s Politics & Policy Daily .
-Written by Elaine Godfrey (@e lainejgodfrey)
