First Draft on Politics: Nearing a Nominee

President Trump told reporters he would make a decision on a Supreme Court nominee by noon on Monday. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Monday, July 9, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [Judge Thomas M. Hardiman, the first member of his family to graduate from college, has a personal story President Trump is said to like.]( Judge Thomas M. Hardiman, the first member of his family to graduate from college, has a personal story President Trump is said to like. Matt Slocum/Associated Press Good Monday morning, Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today: - President Trump [sought to mine]( a last bit of drama from his decision on a Supreme Court nominee on Sunday, telling reporters it would come before noon on Monday, just hours before he is scheduled to announce the pick in a prime-time address. He had previously said the choice would be made by Sunday. - Mr. Trump spent the weekend soliciting opinions from dozens of people about the Supreme Court nomination, but said that “you can’t go wrong” with any of his four finalists. Senator Mitch McConnell has recommended to him Judges Raymond M. Kethledge and Thomas M. Hardiman, [arguing that they would be easier to confirm](. - The House [returns from its July Fourth recess this week]( in a state of remarkable uncertainty, with both Democrats and Republicans facing open questions about their leaders’ futures and neither party sure about which will be in control after the November elections. - The Trump administration said it was [suspending a program]( that pays billions of dollars to insurers to stabilize health insurance markets under the Affordable Care Act, a freeze that could increase uncertainty in the markets and drive up premiums this fall. - The Trump administration, [embracing the interests of infant formula manufacturers]( turned to threats as it tried to derail a World Health Organization resolution that encouraged breast-feeding. Based on decades of research, the resolution says mother’s milk is healthiest for children and that countries should strive to limit the inaccurate or misleading marketing of breast milk substitutes. — 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 [The Upshot]( Get the best of The Upshot’s news, analysis and graphics about politics, policy and everyday life delivered to your inbox. [• Sign Up »]( [‘It’s a Terrible Vote’: Red-State Democrats Face an Agonizing Supreme Court Choice]( By CARL HULSE [Senators Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, center, and Joe Donnelly of Indiana, right, broke with their party last year and backed Neil M. Gorsuch, President Trump's first nominee to the court.]( Senators Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, center, and Joe Donnelly of Indiana, right, broke with their party last year and backed Neil M. Gorsuch, President Trump's first nominee to the court. Tom Brenner/The New York Times Democratic senators running for re-election in Trump Country face an agonizing choice over President Trump’s coming Supreme Court nominee: Vote to confirm the pick and risk demoralizing Democratic voters ahead of the midterm elections, or stick with the party and possibly sacrifice their own seats — and any chance at a Democratic majority in 2019. The actions of a handful of Senate Democrats struggling to hold their seats in red states where Mr. Trump remains popular — notably Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia — will have broad implications for the party at a critical political juncture. A decision by one or all of them to try to bolster their standing with Republican-leaning voters in their states by backing the president’s nominee would undermine Democratic leaders as they try to sustain party unity. [Read more »](  [Scott Pruitt, who resigned as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency last week, still owns a home in an affluent neighborhood of Tulsa, Okla. Some Oklahomans think he could make a comeback in the state where he served as attorney general.]( [Scott Pruitt, Fallen E.P.A. Chief, May Rise Again in Oklahoma]( By RICHARD FAUSSET For many in his home state, Mr. Pruitt’s rollback of environmental rules and his loyalty to the oil and gas industry count for more than ethical issues they see as liberal exaggerations. [A member of the audience at President Trump’s rally last week in Montana with a sign bearing one of Mr. Trump’s campaign promises. Upon taking office, Mr. Trump made moves to strengthen some lobbying restrictions but weakened others.]( [Government Work Done, Tax Policy Writers Decamp to Lobbying Jobs]( By ALAN RAPPEPORT As businesses scramble to navigate the new tax law, they are recruiting the people who wrote it to help look for loopholes. More than a dozen people have moved on. [A Planned Parenthood clinic in Arizona. While the Trump administration has suffered a series of court setbacks on health care, that does not mean its efforts have reached a dead end. On the hot-button topic of Planned Parenthood, the lower courts are divided.]( [A Fatal Flaw as Trump Tries to Remake Health Care: Shortcuts]( By ROBERT PEAR The court cases that the Trump administration has lost on health care have a common theme: Federal judges have found that the administration cut corners in trying to advance its political priorities. [U.S. troops in Farah province, Afghanistan, in May. One American service member was killed and two others were wounded in an attack in southern Afghanistan on Saturday.]( [‘Insider Attack’ Kills U.S. Service Member in Afghanistan]( By MUJIB MASHAL AND THOMAS GIBBONS-NEFF Two others were wounded in the attack, which occurred at a base where American soldiers train their Afghan counterparts. [Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with the North Korean official Kim Yong-chol on Saturday in Pyongyang.]( [North Korea Criticizes ‘Gangster-Like’ U.S. Attitude]( By GARDINER HARRIS AND CHOE SANG-HUN After talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the North Korean Foreign Ministry accused the Trump administration of pushing a “gangster-like demand for denuclearization.” [Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, in Tokyo on Sunday with Foreign Minister Taro Kono of Japan, center, and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha of South Korea.]( [Pompeo Sharpens Tone on North Korea: ‘The World Is a Gangster’]( By GARDINER HARRIS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that the United States would not ease economic sanctions until North Korea completely eliminated its nuclear program. 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? 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