First Draft on Politics: Ivanka's Agenda

The president's daughter has a widening portfolio. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, May 3, 2017 [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [Ivanka Trump said in an interview that her goal was to be a moderating influence on the administration of her father, President Trump.]( Ivanka Trump said in an interview that her goal was to be a moderating influence on the administration of her father, President Trump. Brendan Smialowski/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Good Wednesday morning, Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today: - Ivanka Trump has the president’s trust and a widening portfolio. [So what will she do with it?]( - With Congress about to take a recess, no vote is scheduled for the revised health care bill even as Speaker Paul D. Ryan [tries for a third time to rally his party]( around one of President Trump’s priorities. Representative Fred Upton of Michigan, an influential voice on health care, was the latest Republican to say he would not vote for the current version of the bill. - People who have pre-existing medical conditions [fear that changes to the Affordable Care Act]( will result in higher health care premiums for them. - As a candidate, Mr. Trump criticized former President Barack Obama as weak in his defense of the South China Sea, but under Mr. Trump, the Pentagon [rejected three Navy requests]( to sail a warship near a shoal in the disputed zone. - In their first conversation since last month’s rupture over Syria, Mr. Trump told President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia he would [send a representative]( to Russian-sponsored talks on the conflict. - Hillary Clinton [sharply questioned Mr. Trump’s behavior in office]( criticizing his foreign policy pronouncements and habit of posting on Twitter. — 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 New York Times Magazine. In Your Inbox.]( The best of The New York Times Magazine delivered by email every week, including exclusive feature stories, photography, columns and more. [• Sign up »]( [Key Takeaways From a Report on Racial Gaps]( By MITCH SMITH [President Barack Obama delivered his farewell address in Chicago on Jan. 10. The National Urban League warned that gains in racial equality made under his tenure were threatened by President Trump and his policies.]( President Barack Obama delivered his farewell address in Chicago on Jan. 10. The National Urban League warned that gains in racial equality made under his tenure were threatened by President Trump and his policies. Doug Mills/The New York Times Progress made by black Americans in recent years is threatened by President Trump and his policies, the [National Urban League said in a report]( released Tuesday. The Urban League’s annual review found persistent racial gaps, but also notable headway toward equality, during President Barack Obama’s administration. The report warned that proposals to reduce education funding and limit federal oversight of local police departments could reverse those gains under Mr. Trump. “It would be difficult to pinpoint any moment in recent history where so much economic and social progress stood at such dire risk as it does today,” said Marc H. Morial, the civil rights group’s president. [Read more »](  [Whip Count: Republicans Who Are Against the Revised Health Care Bill]( By ALICIA PARLAPIANO, JUGAL K. PATEL AND THOMAS KAPLAN A revised bill to replace the Affordable Care Act is pending in the House. [Jimmy Kimmel shared the news on Monday of his new son, who was born with severe heart defects requiring emergency surgery. But the story seemed to have a happy ending.]( Best of Late Night [Jimmy Kimmel’s Emotional Monologue: His New Son’s Heart Condition]( By GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO The host of “Live!” revealed that he was off last week because his wife had given birth to a son. Then he told a frightening story. [Marine One carrying President Trump last month. The president is scheduled to visit New York City on Thursday for the first time since entering the White House.]( [Trump Is Visiting New York City for First Time as President]( By MICHAEL WILSON After an event Thursday on the decommissioned aircraft carrier Intrepid in Manhattan, the president will travel to his golf course in New Jersey. [President Trump walked to the Oval Office with Keith Schiller, his director of operations, on Tuesday.]( [President, in Wake of Deal to Avoid Shutdown Now, Calls for One Later]( By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS In two Twitter posts, the president appeared to defend a spending package that Congress is considering that fails to accomplish many of his goals. [A memorial to Alton Sterling at the Triple S Food Mart, where he was killed by police officers in Baton Rouge, La., in July 2016.]( [Officers Won’t Be Charged in Black Man’s Shooting Death in Louisiana]( By REBECCA R. RUIZ The shooting death of Alton B. Sterling by white police officers raised an outcry and prompted a Justice Department inquiry, fueling a national debate about race and justice. [Dan Coats, left, director of national intelligence, at his confirmation hearing in February. A report from his office offered a peek at how much data the N.S.A. is gathering now that bulk collection has ended.]( [Reined-In N.S.A. Still Collected 151 Million Phone Records in ’16]( By CHARLIE SAVAGE A system created in 2015 to end the bulk collection of calling records took in a large amount of data, but a fraction of what the N.S.A. once gathered, a report shows. [Israeli policemen at the scene of a Palestinian car attack near the West Bank city of Ramallah last month.]( [G.O.P. Pressures Trump to Take Tough Stance With Mahmoud Abbas]( By PETER BAKER With the Palestinian leader visiting the White House, Republicans are demanding an end to payments to the families of Palestinians who commit violence. [Robots painting a car body at the Chrysler plant in Sterling Heights, Mich. Fiat Chrysler sales fell 7 percent in April.]( [U.S. Auto Boom Seems to Be History, Just as Trump Counted on Jobs]( By NEAL E. BOUDETTE A fourth straight monthly sales decline, at a rate exceeding forecasts, put a dent in automakers’ shares. “The market is tapped out,” a dealer said. Right and Left: Partisan Writing You Shouldn’t Miss Read about how the other side thinks. We have collected political writing from around the web and across ideologies.  From the Right • [Ethan Epstein]( in [The Weekly Standard]( “Pre-emption works. ‘Post-emption’ is a lot harder.” Ethan Epstein explores the case for a pre-emptive strike against North Korea. In 1994, President Bill Clinton “strongly considered” such a strike but ultimately backed away from it, signing a negotiated deal instead. Mr. Epstein speculates that this decision might top the list of Mr. Clinton’s regrets. He concludes that a pre-emptive strike now would be a risky move, and perhaps not entirely effective. But, he writes, “the nuclear point is the most salient one”; one must address nuclear risks before they become reality rather than after. [Read more »]( _____  From the Left • [Collier Meyerson]( in [The Nation]( “I feel a visceral desire for that first black president, who left office with a high approval rating, to defend the policies and laws enacted during his presidency instead of standing idly by as they are destroyed.” What should former President Barack Obama’s role be during the Trump administration? While most ex-presidents have refrained from criticizing their successors, Collier Meyerson argues that Mr. Obama is in a unique position. Her recommendation? The former president should embrace his role as an educator and critique the current administration’s policies without attacking President Trump head-on. [Read more »]( _____  [More selections »]( 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). FOLLOW NYTimes [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@NYTPolitics]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »](  | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's First Draft newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2017 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018