Politics

Politico reports: Clarke Tucker’s first general election ad for an Arkansas-based House race tries to defuse one of the GOP’s most potent attacks: “I’ve said from Day One,” the Democrat declares, “that I won’t vote for Nancy Pelosi.” Tucker, an Arkansas legislator who’s running against Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), is one of at least 20 House Democratic challengers who’ve publicly …

Just in from DNC chairman Tom Perez:  “The United States should be leading the world on human rights, not retreating into isolation and separating young children from their families. Because of our seat at the table, we’ve been able to give voice to the voiceless around the world while fighting for the council’s fair treatment of our allies like Israel. …

The BBC reports: The US has pulled out of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the US UN envoy Nikki Haley made the announcement at a joint news conference in Washington. Ms Haley last year accused the council of “chronic anti-Israel bias” and said the US was reviewing its membership. Formed in 2006, the …

Politico reports: A foundation established by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and headed by his wife is playing a key role in a real-estate deal backed by the chairman of Halliburton, the oil-services giant that stands to benefit from any of the Interior Department’s decisions to open public lands for oil exploration or change standards for drilling. A group funded by …

Axios reports: Donald Trump Jr. and George P. Bush had formed an unlikely alliance despite their fathers, Donald Trump and Jeb Bush, loathing each other — with Don Jr. backing George P. in his re-election campaign for Texas land commissioner, and even planning to headline a New York fundraiser for him on June 25. Two sources close to Don Jr. …

The Hill reports: President Trump son-in-law and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner on Tuesday met with King Abdullah II of Jordan to discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. “Building on previous conversations, they discussed increasing cooperation between the United States and Jordan, regional issues, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the Trump Administration’s efforts to facilitate peace between the Israelis and …

ABC News reports: Sixty-seven percent of Americans call it unacceptable to separate children from parents who’ve been caught trying to enter the U.S. illegally. Much of this is driven by large percentages of Democrats (90 percent) and independents (66 percent) who find it unacceptable, while Republicans are more divided overall, with 39 percent calling it unacceptable, and one in five …

From a wide-ranging interview with the Daily Beast: “I certainly understand the intense interest in the investigation and certainly some of the wild-eyed reporting in the media. I have spoken voluntarily to Congress and I also cooperated with the special counsel. I have plenty of opinions about the various investigations but there’s no question some people are taking it seriously …

Newsweek reports: President Donald Trump’s warm relations with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un have now extended to the decoration of the White House, with photos of the two men’s historic meeting last week adorning the West Wing. And, in a move that symbolically resembles the president’s cooler relations with the United States’s chief allies, the photos of Trump and …

The Associated Press reports: China’s government has denounced President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods as blackmail and warned it would respond with “strong countermeasures.” The Commerce Ministry on Tuesday gave no details but said Beijing is ready to “defend the interests of the Chinese people and enterprises.” Trump ordered the U.S. Trade Representative to …

This is certainly unexpected: Dear NASA Workforce, NASA has a unique ability to recruit and retain the finest workforce in the country. If we are to accomplish the awesome and sometimes daunting tasks ahead of us, we must maintain this unique ability. In June, we recognize that part of this amazing workforce includes members of the LGBT community. You have …

Talking Points Memo reports: A federal judge on Monday ruled that Kansas’ proof of citizenship voter registration requirement was a violation of the Constitution as well as the National Voter Registration Act. U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson had in previous orders temporarily blocked the requirement, which was championed by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. Robinson on Monday handed down …

The New York Times reports: “Mami!” the children’s voices cry out, between sobs. “Papá!” A recording of immigrant children calling out desperately for their parents after being separated from them by United States immigration authorities was released on Monday by the investigative news site ProPublica. The recording, nearly eight minutes in length, added disturbing and intimate notes to the debate …

CBC News reports: The Liberal government’s bill to legalize recreational marijuana has cleared another vote in the House of Commons — but it still has to get a final stamp of approval from an unpredictable Senate before it can become law. The Senate had proposed 46 amendments to The Cannabis Act but the Liberal government rejected several major ones last …

Glorious Leader will be ever so pissed: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) on Monday shared photos of a child detention facility in Texas that he called “the real Trump Hotel.” The photos shared by the former Democratic vice-presidential nominee show young undocumented immigrants in cages on Sunday at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility in McAllen, Texas. Kaine’s tweet came …

Via press release from Sen. Kamala Harris: “The government should be in the business of keeping families together, not tearing them apart. And the government should have a commitment to transparency and accountability. Under Secretary Nielsen’s tenure, the Department of Homeland Security has a track record of neither. As a result, she must resign. “During her time as the manager …

The Hill reports: Minnesota Senate candidate Richard Painter (D) released his first campaign ad this week, likening Washington to a “dumpster fire.” Painter, who previously served as White House ethics lawyer under former President George W. Bush and switched political parties for the Senate bid, is first shown in the ad standing in front of a dumpster fire. “Some people …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump is set to sign a space policy directive Monday to make it easier for commercial companies to operate in space and mitigate the creation of more trash in orbit. Space Policy Directive-3 “seeks to address the challenges of a congested space environment,” said Scott Pace, executive secretary of the National Space Council. The document directs …

The Washington Examiner reports: The U.S. Supreme Court sent back a partisan gerrymandering case from Wisconsin that challenged the legislative map drawn by Wisconsin Republicans to the lower court. With its ruling, the high court tossed out a ruling from a district court and sent the case back. It ruled against Wisconsin Democrats who argued state Republican lawmakers engaged in …

The Independent reports: The US president claimed refugees and migrants has “strongly and violently” changed European culture and said the continent had made a “big mistake” in giving sanctuary to those fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. Without specifically naming the Germany chancellor but instead pointing the blame at Germany’s “leadership” he said: “The people of Germany are …