Here’s what you need to know at the end of the day.
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Good evening. Here’s the latest.
1. Scott Pruitt may be out at the E. P. A., but his legacy lives on.
His successor, Andrew Wheeler, is expected to continue dismantling Obama-era regulations and reshaping the agency into one more friendly to industry. Mr. Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, is seen as a consummate Washington insider who has spent years effectively navigating the rules.
We looked at five E. P. A. policy battles that lie ahead, including loosening restrictions on car emissions and scaling back the Clean Water Act. Above, a Tennessee Valley Authority Fossil Plant involved in a Clean Water Act dispute.
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2. It’s official: Tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports took effect at 12:01 Friday morning, setting up a clash between the world’s two biggest economies.
China’s reaction was swift: It responded by imposing tariffs of its own, and the Ministry of Commerce said the U. S. had started “the biggest trade war in economic history so far.”
For now, it’s unclear how, or whether, the war will end. But businesses and consumers on both sides are already feeling the pinch.
In spite of the brewing conflict, hiring in the U. S. remained strong: The economy added 213,000 jobs last month.
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3. The primary victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, above, in New York rattled the Democratic establishment and added a powerful voice to the national stage calling for democratic socialist policies.
Now, she’s using her fame and platform to support other upstart politicians, wading into local and national campaigns with the same message: The time for discounting female and outsider candidates has passed.
Many female candidates said the most important outcome of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s win was the legitimacy it lent to networks of women who had previously been dismissed.
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4. The euphoria is fading after the discovery of 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach alive in a cave.
Rescuers face a steep challenge: The cavern is treacherous and difficult to reach, even for experienced divers, and a Thai rescue diver has died trying to help the group. Above, a ceremony for the diver.
Oxygen in the caves is running low, at about 15 percent and decreasing. Boulders block passageways, and currents can flow in quickly. None of the children are believed to be able to swim.
One diver called it the underground equivalent of climbing Mount Everest — but with no guides to make things easier.
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5. For the thousands of migrant children held in federal custody, shelters are becoming makeshift schools.
Federal law requires that all children on American soil receive a free public education, regardless of their immigration status. But teachers in the facilities face huge challenges. Above, a shelter for children in Brownsville, Tex.
Instructors offer classes on English and civics and set up field trips. But some teachers do not have state certification or cannot communicate in Spanish.
And the Justice Department asked for more time to reunite migrant families, saying the government could not safely return children to their parents by the deadline a federal judge set last week.
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6. The E. U.’s own migration debate is threatening a founding value of the bloc: the free movement of people and goods within its borders.
A wave of populist leaders has taken office, helped by anti-migration platforms, and public revolts against immigration from the Middle East and Africa are taking hold. The continent is only now reckoning with a backlash against the very policies, including a unified currency and open borders, that were intended to draw the people of Europe together.
But the bloc is hardly unified on the issue. A French court ruled a farmer could not be prosecuted for smuggling migrants into the country, saying he had a constitutional right to “fraternité.”
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7. From the World Cup:
Brazil’s run in the tournament ended with a 2-1 loss to a talented Belgium team. The defeat stunned the five-time world champions (and their fans, above), and added to a list of pretournament favorites like Germany and Spain that have gone crashing out. Elsewhere, France secured a place in the semifinals after a 2-0 win over Uruguay.
Our Spot the Ball feature heads into the knockout round: Try your luck here, and keep up with all of our World Cup coverage .
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8. Brett Kavanaugh, a front-runner to replace Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court, once argued a broad definition of impeachment.
Judge Kavanaugh, above, said that President Bill Clinton could be impeached for lying to his staff and misleading the public. That interpretation of obstruction of justice could be damaging if applied to President Trump in the Russia investigation.
At a minimum, those views are sure to come up in a confirmation hearing, and would allow a light to be shined on Mr. Trump’s handling of the Russia investigation.
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9. This week in the Magazine, we look at Rob Wielgus, who had been one of America’s pre-eminent experts on large carnivores — until his research into wolves left his career in shreds.
No conservation issue in the West today is more polarizing. Some people want to see the return of wolves, an important predator, to the landscape. Others believe their livelihoods are endangered by the animals, which kill what people value, like pets and livestock.
A wolf, in this debate, is always much bigger than a wolf.
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10. Finally, this is your periodic reminder that it’s not all bad news out there. Here’s the Week in Good News, which includes the return of one of classical music’s biggest stars; older, blind athletes competing in a boat race, above; and a step toward resurrecting the northern white rhino.
Have a great weekend.
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