First Draft on Politics: Pruitt Resigns

President Trump announced Scott Pruitt's resignation in a tweet sent from Air Force One. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, July 6, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. administrator, appeared before Congress earlier this year and faced questions about his management of the agency.]( Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. administrator, appeared before Congress earlier this year and faced questions about his management of the agency. Pete Marovich for The New York Times Good Friday morning, Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today: - Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and architect of President Trump’s aggressive effort to rewrite the government’s rule book on environmental regulations, [resigned on Thursday]( in the face of numerous ethics investigations. - The departure of Mr. Pruitt means that the agency will be led in the coming months by his deputy, Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist who [shares Mr. Pruitt’s zeal]( to undo environmental regulations. Mr. Wheeler is viewed as a consummate Washington insider who avoids the limelight and has spent years effectively navigating the rules. - Before he resigned on Thursday, Mr. Pruitt was facing new questions about whether aides deleted delicate information about his meetings from his public schedule and [potentially violated the law]( in doing so. - Mr. Trump will speak one on one with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia this month when they meet in Helsinki, Finland, the administration confirmed Thursday, [injecting an element of unpredictability and mystery]( into an encounter that White House advisers describe as a chance to reset a tense relationship. - Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, the front-runner to replace Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on the Supreme Court, [once argued that]( President Bill Clinton could be impeached for lying to his staff and misleading the public, a broad definition of obstruction of justice that would be damaging if applied to Mr. Trump in the Russia investigation. — 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 »]( [13 Reasons Scott Pruitt Lost His Job as E.P.A. Chief]( By LISA FRIEDMAN Photo Illustration by The New York Times; Photo by Tom Brenner/The New York Times Scott Pruitt, the embattled administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, [has resigned]( amid 13 federal inquiries into his spending and management practices. President Trump announced Mr. Pruitt’s departure [in a tweet]( on Thursday. Investigators are reviewing reports that Mr. Pruitt retaliated against aides who questioned him, and that he used federal employees to perform personal errands like helping his wife find employment. There are also inquiries into Mr. Pruitt’s first-class travel expenses, the installation of a $43,000 soundproof phone booth in his office and his rental of a $50-a-night condominium from the wife of a lobbyist with business before the agency. [Here is a guide to the investigations, which are proceeding despite Mr. Pruitt’s departure »](  [A recent poll shows that half of American voters believe the Supreme Court is driven mainly by politics.]( On Washington [Political Polarization Takes Hold of the Supreme Court]( By CARL HULSE The court’s reputation for independence has faded even before the arrival of a new justice, a development that is expected to make the partisan divide even more stark. [President Trump with Matt Rosendale, Montana’s Republican Senate candidate, on Thursday. Mr. Trump was in Montana, he told the crowd, to settle a political score with Mr. Rosendale’s opponent, Senator Jon Tester.]( [Trump Mocks Warren, Tester and #MeToo, but Praises Putin at Montana Rally]( By EMILY COCHRANE The president, at a rally for the state’s Republican Senate candidate, revived his “Pocahontas” attack on Senator Elizabeth Warren and said that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia is “fine.” [Bill Shine, the former Fox News executive, had talked to President Trump about a job since the spring.]( [Fox News Official Ousted in Scandal Joins White House Communications Team]( By MAGGIE HABERMAN Bill Shine, who was forced out at the network over his handling of sexual harassment scandals, is expected to help revamp a team that has been the target of President Trump’s ire. [A father laced up his son’s shoes after being released from detention without shoelaces in McAllen, Tex., on Tuesday. The Trump administration is scrambling to reunite migrant families before a deadline.]( [Trump Administration in Chaotic Scramble to Reunify Migrant Families]( By CAITLIN DICKERSON Officials are facing political and judicial pressure to reunite families separated at the border, with the authorities struggling to identify connections among family members. [A demonstration against President Daniel Ortega in Managua, Nicaragua, last week. The protests began in April as a series of student-led rallies but have morphed into a national rebellion.]( [U.S. Imposes Sanctions on 3 Top Nicaraguan Officials After Violent Crackdown]( By CATIE EDMONDSON The penalties are the latest condemnation of the Nicaraguan government’s response to protests against President Daniel Ortega that have resulted in more than 200 deaths since mid-April. [Lanny J. Davis, the Washington lawyer and public relations consultant best known for serving in the Clinton White House.]( [Michael Cohen Hires Lawyer Close to the Clintons]( By MAGGIE HABERMAN Lanny Davis said he was persuaded to help after Mr. Cohen said publicly that his loyalty was to his family and the country, as opposed to Mr. Trump. [United States Border Patrol agents detaining a man near Penitas, Tex., last month. Border Patrol agents arrested 34,114 people trying to enter the country along the southwest border last month.]( [Arrests at U.S.-Mexico Border Drop for First Time in Months]( By RON NIXON The drop in apprehensions, to just over 42,500 people in June, follows weeks of chaos along the border amid the implementation of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy. [Scott Pruitt, the E.P.A. chief.]( [E.P.A. Drafts Rule on Coal Plants to Replace Clean Power Plan]( By LISA FRIEDMAN AND BRAD PLUMER The Trump administration is conceding that it has a legal obligation to address greenhouse gases, but it uses a light regulatory touch. [Mark Vaughn and his sons Bryant, center, and Will at Vaughn Manufacturing in Nashville. As the year started, the company planned to add several machinists in $28-an-hour jobs. Because of the Trump administration’s tariffs, jobs may be cut instead.]( [Tariffs? Time for a Plan B: ‘Gobble Up Every Bit of Material That I Can’]( By PATRICIA COHEN With trade disputes growing and new American tariffs on Chinese goods imposed Friday, some businesses have halted hiring, put off purchases or cut costs. [Supporters of California’s sanctuary policies demonstrated in Santa Ana, Calif., in March.]( [Judge Rules for California Over Trump in Sanctuary Law Case]( By THOMAS FULLER A federal judge ruled that California was not impeding federal immigration enforcement. “Standing aside does not equate to standing in the way,” he said. 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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