First Draft on Politics: Trump Roils NATO Meeting

President Trump escalated his campaign of criticism against European allies on Wednesday, accusing Germany of being “captive to Russia” and demanding that all NATO members double their military spending targets. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, July 12, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [President Trump with the NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, at the American Embassy in Brussels ahead of the NATO summit meeting on Wednesday.] President Trump with the NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, at the American Embassy in Brussels ahead of the NATO summit meeting on Wednesday. Doug Mills/The New York Times Good Thursday morning, Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today: - President Trump escalated his criticism of European allies at NATO’s annual summit meeting, accusing Germany of being “captive to Russia” and demanding that all members of the alliance [double their military spending targets](. Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, politically weakened at home, [reacted mildly but pointedly]( to Mr. Trump’s remarks. - For some Democrats running for the House, Mr. Trump’s Supreme Court pick is a [key issue](. For senators in red states, it’s a landmine. - Democrats who once saw health care and abortion as their best lines of attack against Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court nominee, are now [zeroing in on his belief in broad presidential authority](. - In an unusual request, the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, asked each of the nation’s 93 United States attorneys to [provide up to three prosecutors]( to review Judge Kavanaugh’s government documents in preparation for his confirmation hearing. - The Environmental Protection Agency’s new boss, Andrew Wheeler, [told employees that he wants their advice](. Even as he has shown no sign of veering from Scott Pruitt’s course on environmental policy, Mr. Wheeler so far appears to be ushering in a change in style. - [See what’s coming up next on the primary calendar »]( — 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 »]( [How Trump’s Trade War Went From 18 Products to 10,000]( By KEITH COLLINS AND JASMINE C. LEE The dispute now includes about 10,000 products traded around the world, and could have a lasting impact on the global economy. Markets have been rattled, forcing companies to reshape their operations and raising the possibility of higher prices for businesses and consumers. For now, neither the United States nor China has shown signs of backing down. [View the interactive >>](  [Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, last month in Washington. “It is what it is,” he said of President Trump’s comments to the United States’ NATO allies on Wednesday in Brussels.]( [As Trump Bashes NATO, Republicans Are Largely Silent]( By ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON AND THOMAS KAPLAN Republicans on Capitol Hill said they supported the alliance, but they declined to offer opinions on President Trump’s slamming of NATO at a breakfast in Brussels. [President Trump met Chancellor Angela Merkel in Brussels on Wednesday. He had already made a jab at Germany over breakfast.]( Fact Check [Germany Imports Gas From Russia. But Is It a ‘Captive’?]( By PALKO KARASZ Mr. Trump attacked what he said was Germany’s dependence on Russian natural gas. Experts disagree. [An electronic board in Hong Kong showing a drop in a local stock index on Wednesday. Shares fell after the Trump Administration threatened to impose more tariffs on China.]( [New Round of U.S.-China Trade War Rattles Global Markets]( By ALEXANDRA STEVENSON The prospect of an intensifying clash with the Trump administration is adding to pressures that have sent Chinese stocks into a bear market. [The value of American soybean exports more than doubled in May, in part because Chinese buyers tried to stock up before tariffs were imposed.]( [A Soybean Surge Makes Trump’s Trade War Look Deceptively Good]( By JIM TANKERSLEY China rapidly increased purchases of American soybeans and crude oil before tariffs went into effect, temporarily bolstering economic growth. [Testing chemical solutions at Lynas Corporation. The company provides materials known as rare earths, which are used to make personal electronics like smartphones and televisions, and electric and hybrid cars.]( [How Rare Earths (What?) Could Be Crucial in a U.S.-China Trade War]( By ALEXANDRA STEVENSON Chinese companies dominate important parts of the global supply chain. The Australian chief executive of one alternative source of key minerals says her firm can’t fill the gap. [Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to replace Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who is retiring.]( [Judge Kavanaugh’s Former Clerks: Diverse, and Deployed to Vouch for Him]( By ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON Conservative advocates for the Supreme Court nominee coordinated a public relations campaign by his former clerks, more than half of whom are women. [Pfizer’s products include Celebrex, Lipitor, Viagra and Zoloft, as well as Ibrance, a breast cancer treatment that costs about $10,000 a month.]( [Pfizer to Postpone Some Drug Price Increases, After Criticism From Trump]( By ROBERT PEAR The company said it would roll back increases that took effect July 1 to give the president a chance to work on his “blueprint” to lower prices and to “provide more access for patients.” [The role of superdelegates caused deep tensions in the 2016 Democratic presidential race between Senator Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, including at the Democratic National Convention.]( [Democrats Take Major Step to Reduce Role of Superdelegates]( By ASTEAD W. HERNDON Under a new rule, superdelegates would not be allowed to vote during the first ballot of the presidential nominating process, except in extraordinary cases like contested conventions. [Backers of Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, vouched for his integrity. “I always have known Jim Jordan to be a man of honesty,” Speaker Paul D. Ryan said.]( [Unshaken by Abuse Scandal, Conservatives Are Sticking With Jim Jordan]( By CATIE EDMONDSON In addition to ex-wrestlers and coaches, the top three House Republicans have backed Mr. Jordan, a powerful House member who denies he ignored sexual abuse allegations. [Brian A. Benczkowski, left, the new head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, with Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont, who voted against him.]( [Justice Dept. Nominee Who Drew Scrutiny for Russian Bank Work Is Confirmed]( By KATIE BENNER Democrats had questioned the experience of Brian A. Benczkowski, who will lead the department’s Criminal Division. [Zellnor Myrie, at a news conference at City Hall earlier this year, will be endorsed by four Assembly members on Thursday in his bid to unseat Senator Jesse Hamilton in the Democratic primary.]( [New York Democrats Once Linked to G.O.P. Are Hearing Footsteps]( By JESSE MCKINLEY Challengers to members of the now-defunct Independent Democratic Conference, which worked with Republicans to help rule the New York Senate, are gaining steam. [Sarah Palin at a campaign event for Donald Trump in 2016. On Tuesday, Ms. Palin said that the comedian Sacha Baron Cohen had “duped” her for his new TV series, “Who Is America?”]( [Sarah Palin Says She Was ‘Duped’ by Sacha Baron Cohen]( By ALEX MARSHALL Ms. Palin has called the British comedian “truly sick” and “evil,” having realized she will apparently appear in his new Showtime series. LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. 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