After Tension, Trump Faces Allies At G-7 Summit

Get to know the quiet rage of Sen. Mazie Hirono [NPR Politics]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [President Trump speaks to reporters before leaving the White House on Friday to attend the G-7 Summit in Charlevoix, Quebec.] Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP The Big Picture: The Reluctant Leader Of The Free World President Trump ran for the White House under his “America First” banner. That philosophy has continued into his presidency -- as he [hit allies with trade tariffs]( withdrew from [the U.S.-led Iran nuclear deal]( pulled out of [a worldwide climate deal]( and continued to push for [a wall along the southern U.S. border](. All of that has inflamed tensions with U.S. allies, and that’s been highlighted again this week, as the G-7 summit takes place north of the border in Canada. Canada [hit the U.S. with retaliatory tariffs]( and France’s Emmanuel Macron, who was arguably one of Trump’s best friends among U.S. allies, [criticized Trump on the eve of the summit]( saying Trump “may not mind being isolated.” Trump, for his part, plans to leave the G-7 meeting early Saturday to head to Singapore ahead of his scheduled summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. The early presidential departure means Trump will miss a session on climate change, [a topic on which he clashed with other leaders in the group in 2017](. And, before he left for the summit, Trump also [argued that Russia should be allowed back into the group](. However, Russia was booted from the international collective in 2014 after it annexed Crimea. Despite all the recent tension and Twitter dust-ups, Trump met with both Macron and Trudeau Friday and [both meetings were cordial](. A lot has been unprecedented in the Trump era, but Western allies worry that his presidency is threatening to undo the world order that has led to the West’s security for the last 70 years after World War II. Trump and his political allies in the U.S. argue that they see a different world, one rife with terrorism, illegal immigration and insecurity. The battle between these two world views may very well determine the future security of the free world. — Domenico Montanaro, NPR's lead political editor --------------------------------------------------------------- [Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono may have a quiet demeanor, but that shouldn't be confused for a lack of toughness.] Drew Angerer/Getty Images ICYMI: Top Stories Trump embraces pardon power: President Trump has [embraced his power to issue pardons and commutations](. As NPR’s Don Gonyea writes, for Trump, "the pardon seems to have become the ultimate symbol of presidential power — the ability to use this exclusive authority as an act of benevolent largess and as the ultimate political perk.” “There will be more pardons,” Trump told reporters Friday. The president added that his staff has a list of thousands of requests, and he called his power to issue pardons “a beautiful thing.” “Super Tuesday” of primaries: Voters in eight states took to the polls this week, and across the country, [Democrats received good news]( in their effort to take back the House, NPR’s Domenico Montanaro writes. In California, Democrats [successfully avoided being left of]( the general election ballot in several key races, and they saw success in several suburban districts they hope to flip in November. Meanwhile, in New Mexico, Tuesday’s primary moved the country closer to [its first Native American woman in Congress](. Primary results before Tuesday’s showed [Democratic women are running and winning]( and the emergence of female Democratic candidates is one of the dominant storylines heading into November. Court narrowly sides with baker: The Supreme Court on Monday [ruled in favor of a Colorado baker]( who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. But as NPR’s Nina Totenberg reports, despite the decision’s 7-to-2 margin, the majority opinion was narrow in scope and did not resolve the key question of whether business owners have a free-speech right to refuse to sell goods and services to same-sex couples. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy explicitly noted that decisions in similar cases in the future may turn out differently. No Eagles at the White House: President Trump canceled a planned celebration for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, [instead turning the event into a “Celebration of America,”]( after it became clear few Eagles players would attend. Trump referenced the NFL’s new policy regarding the national anthem and the flag in a tweet canceling the event, but as NPR’s Brian Naylor writes, no Eagles players took a knee during the 2017 season (though some did protest in other ways). Mazie Hirono’s quiet rage: Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono is “[no stranger to determined badassery]( writes NPR’s NIna Totenberg. The Hawaii senator — and the only immigrant currently in the Senate — has taken her dogged fighting spirit to President Trump, whom she openly calls “xenophobic” and a “liar.” She’s also taken that fight to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she’s become known for her tough questions of President Trump’s judicial nominees. She is also the only senator who asks every nominee, for any position, whether they have ever been accused of sexual misconduct, and she tells NPR she wants judges who "care about individual and civil rights." Melania Trump re-emerges: The first lady made her first public appearance after weeks out of the public eye following a kidney procedure last month. NPR’s Sarah McCammon reports that Melania Trump [appeared alongside her husband]( at an event honoring the families of fallen military service members. She’d last been seen in public on May 10, and her long absence from public events sparked some questions about her health. Meanwhile, her “Be Best” initiative, which seeks to promote the well-being of America’s children, has [gotten off to a slow start]( which may be due in part to her health. — Brandon Carter, NPR Politics social media producer --------------------------------------------------------------- [House intelligence committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif. (right), and ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., speak to the media about committee's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, at the U.S. Capitol on March 15, 2017.]( Akexei Druzhinin/AFP/Getty Images The Russia Imbroglio: So Many Pieces Of The Puzzle Are Missing The Russia imbroglio is a tale told out of order about a puzzle with pieces missing. Without knowing what goes in the blank spaces, it's impossible to know what to make of the whole thing. The broadest outline has become clear: Russian President Vladimir Putin sought vengeance against the United States and the West after what he perceived as an outrageous overstep by Washington, D.C., into his own front yard in 2014 following his invasion of Ukraine. Putin ordered a historic spike in [Russia's decades-old "active measures,"]( a broad wave of both overt and clandestine actions aimed at sowing chaos, undercutting public confidence and, eventually, hurting or helping specific political actors. That strategy persists to this day, U.S. intelligence officials warn, and [they say they expect it to last]( through the 2018 and 2020 elections. If Americans are more on guard about future foreign interference, however, big questions still remain about the Russian effort that took place during the 2016 cycle. [Read the full imbroglio update on NPR.org](. Briefly: - [Prosecutors expand Manafort charges]( add new Russian defendant in his case - DOJ report — expected to be stinkbomb for Comey and Lynch — [now set for release]( - Feds, DOJ prepare [3rd secret briefing on confidential sources]( for Hill bosses - What you need to know about [the coming showdown between Trump and Mueller]( - I have "absolute" power to pardon myself, [but have done nothing wrong, Trump says]( - [Catch up on the previous imbroglio update here]( — Philip Ewing, NPR's national security editor You received this message because you're subscribed to our Politics emails. | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002 [NPR]