First Draft on Politics: 'No Judges or Court Cases'

President Trump said immigrants who crossed into the United States illegally should be sent back immediately. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Monday, June 25, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [President Trump during a trip on Saturday to Las Vegas, where he said he wanted fewer immigration judges.]( President Trump during a trip on Saturday to Las Vegas, where he said he wanted fewer immigration judges. Al Drago for The New York Times Good Monday morning, Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today: The Immigration Debate - President Trump said that immigrants who crossed into the United States illegally should be sent back immediately without due process or an appearance before a judge. “We cannot allow all of these people to invade our Country,” he [tweeted while on the way to his golf course]( in Virginia. - Mr. Trump has [complained to aides]( about why he could not just create an overarching executive order to solve the immigration problem. The aides have had to explain to him why a comprehensive immigration overhaul is beyond the reach of his executive powers. - The United States government [has reunited]( 522 migrant children who were separated from adults as part of Mr. Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, the Department of Homeland Security said over the weekend. The Midterm Elections - While their goals like a higher minimum wage and “Medicare for All” have gained traction among Democrats, Senator Bernie Sanders and his allies [have struggled to win elections]( or build support in conventional ways. - Elizabeth Warren and President Trump [were both campaigning]( over the weekend for Senate candidates in Nevada, but their fast-burning exchange had the feel of a 2020 presidential campaign confrontation. - See a [calendar of upcoming primaries]( and Times subscribers can read [a guide on how to participate]( in government and politics. Trade Wars - With other countries raising tariffs on American products and signing trade deals without the United States, [the American cheesemaker is increasingly standing alone](. - How trade disputes play out will vary depending on the product and how hard it is to find a workaround. But tariffs on more countries mean more economic risk. [A look at the trade war with China from the front lines.]( — The First Draft Team HAVE A CONFIDENTIAL NEWS TIP? Do you have the next big story? Want to share it with The New York Times? We offer several ways to get in touch with and provide materials to our journalists. [Learn More »]( ADVERTISEMENT [Climate Fwd: Newsletter]( What on Earth is going on? Sign up to get our latest stories and insights about climate change — along with answers to your questions and tips on how to help. [• Sign Up »]( [As Critics Assail Trump, His Supporters Dig In Deeper]( By JEREMY W. PETERS [Supporters cheered for President Trump during a campaign rally in Duluth, Minn., on Wednesday.]( Supporters cheered for President Trump during a campaign rally in Duluth, Minn., on Wednesday. Tom Brenner/The New York Times Gina Anders knows the feeling well by now. President Trump says or does something that triggers a spasm of outrage. She doesn’t necessarily agree with how he handled the situation. She gets why people are upset. But Ms. Anders, 46, a Republican from suburban Loudoun County, Va., with a law degree, a business career, and not a stitch of “Make America Great Again” gear in her wardrobe, is moved to defend him anyway. “All nuance and all complexity — and these are complex issues — are completely lost,” she said, describing “overblown” reactions from the president’s critics, some of whom [equated]( the Trump administration’s policy of separating migrant children and parents to history’s greatest atrocities. “It makes me angry at them, which causes me to want to defend him to them more,” Ms. Anders said. In interviews across the country over the last few days, dozens of Trump voters, as well as pollsters and strategists, described something like a bonding experience with the president that happens each time Republicans have to answer a now-familiar question: “How can you possibly still support this man?” Their resilience suggests a level of unity among Republicans that could help mitigate Mr. Trump’s low overall approval ratings and aid his party’s chances of keeping control of the House of Representatives in November. [Read more »](  [Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, this month at the Rose Garden. Her encounter at a Virginia restaurant is the third time this past week in which a Trump administration official was confronted over his or her political stance.]( [Sarah Huckabee Sanders Was Asked to Leave Restaurant Over White House Work]( By EMILY COCHRANE The encounter, at a restaurant in Virginia, was the latest instance in which a White House official was singled out for President Trump’s policies. [Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said that he does not want to add “additional organizational and administrative tail” to the military.]( [A Space Force? The Idea May Have Merit, Some Say]( By HELENE COOPER The Pentagon has been cool to the president’s order to create a sixth military branch. But some lawmakers and aerospace experts, citing threats from Russia and China, say a case could be made for one. [A polling place in Dothan, Ala., in December. Alabama has enacted a series of restrictive voting policies since the Supreme Court opened the floodgates.]( [Seven Ways Alabama Has Made It Harder to Vote]( By MAGGIE ASTOR Five years ago, the Supreme Court struck down a key part of the landmark Voting Rights Act. Since then, Alabama has enacted a slew of restrictive voting laws and policies. [Trump Leaves His Mark on a Presidential Keepsake]( By KENNETH P. VOGEL Under Mr. Trump, once stately medallions have gotten glitzier, and at least one featured a Trump property. Ethics watchdogs are worried. [A newspaper salesman in front of the entry to the United States from Nogales, Mexico. Many Americans view immigration as a top concern ahead of this fall’s midterm elections.]( [75 Percent of Americans Say Immigration Is Good for Country, Poll Finds]( By NIRAJ CHOKSHI Several new polls shed light on attitudes toward immigration, including a partisan divide over the president’s family separation policy. [Jared Kushner, right, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in Jerusalem on Friday. Mr. Kushner told a Palestinian newspaper that the United States was “almost done” preparing its peace plan.]( [Jared Kushner Criticizes Abbas, Questioning His Ability to Make Peace]( By DAVID M. HALBFINGER Mr. Trump’s Middle East adviser told a Palestinian newspaper that the U.S. would roll out its peace plan even if the Palestinian leader remained on the sidelines. [Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, at the White House on Thursday. New emails contradict his statements about his ties to a lobbyist couple. ]( [New Emails Suggest Scott Pruitt Discussed Hiring a Friend of Lobbyist Landlord]( By LISA FRIEDMAN AND HIROKO TABUCHI The files, which hadn’t previously been disclosed, show a closer relationship between the E.P.A. and J. Steven Hart, the lobbyist husband of Mr. Pruitt’s landlord, than earlier acknowledged. [A Border Patrol vehicle parked near the border fence in Brownsville, Tex. While President Trump has cited an immigration “crisis,” Brownsville officials disagree.]( [Is the Border in Crisis? ‘We’re Doing Fine, Quite Frankly,’ a Border City Mayor Says]( By MANNY FERNANDEZ AND LINDA QIU Federal data show that the immigration crisis that Mr. Trump has cited the past week to justify the separation of families is actually no crisis at all. [Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon and an architect of the Chronic Care Act, which was included in budget legislation signed recently by President Trump.]( [Medicare Allows More Benefits for Chronically Ill, Aiming to Improve Care for Millions]( By ROBERT PEAR Medicare health plans will be able to combine medical and social services under a new law that had support from both parties in Congress and the Trump administration. [Migrant boys in a recreation area at Casa Padre, a shelter for unaccompanied minors, in Brownsville, Tex.]( [Teenager Is Missing After Walking Away From Migrant Children’s Center in Texas]( By MIHIR ZAVERI AND MANNY FERNANDEZ The operator of the center said it was not allowed to restrain children if they want to leave, raising questions about who is responsible for their safety. [The Hart Senate Office Building, home of the Senate Intelligence Committee.]( [How an Affair Between a Reporter and a Security Aide Has Rattled Washington Media]( By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM, SCOTT SHANE AND EMILY FLITTER The seizure of email records from a Times reporter alarmed First Amendment groups. Her relationship with an intelligence aide set off an ethical debate. [Barack Obama leaving the Oval Office for the last time as president in 2017. Since he left office, his aides have released a blitz of about two dozen memoirs of their time in the White House.]( White House Memo [Postcards From Another Era: Obama Team Memoirs Flood the Stores]( By PETER BAKER If it seems as if everyone who worked for former President Barack Obama has a new book out, that’s not far off the mark. And there are more to come. LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. And consider [subscribing to get unlimited access to nytimes.com and our apps.]( ADVERTISEMENT HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [washington-newsletter@nytimes.com](mailto:washington-newsletter@nytimes.com?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback). 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