The July 4th holiday took a day out of the workweek, but the news didn’t stop.
After a wave of controversies, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt left the agency.
I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this. The Senate confirmed Deputy at EPA, Andrew Wheeler, will…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2018
That’s not the only job President Trump now has to fill. The President said he will announce his choice to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court on July 9, and the White House is rushing to meet that deadline. One of the leading contenders could be Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh. For 12 years, Kavanaugh has sat on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. On July 3, The New York Times reported that he’s President Trump’s leading candidate. But Kavanaugh is not without baggage.
While Judge Kavanaugh, 53, has long been thought to be the front-runner and a favorite of Donald F. McGahn II, the White House counsel, he has in recent days faced mounting opposition from social conservatives for aspects of his résumé.
His work in the George W. Bush administration; the perception that his opposition in his judicial opinions to abortion and Obamacare was insufficiently adamant; and even a 1991 clerkship with Judge Alex Kozinski, a former federal Ninth Circuit judge who retired last year after accusations of sexual misconduct, have all come into question.
Democrats in the Senate have called for Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to delay the vote on a Supreme Court nominee until after the midterm elections in November. But that seems to be an unlikely outcome. Those seeking to block the eventual nominee have targeted Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.
Even though the president issued an executive order to ostensibly stop children from being separated at the border, the issue continues to be controversial. On July 5, the president tweeted his hopes for immigration policy, but it wasn’t immediately clear what he wanted to see happen.
Presumably he means without documentation but this literally says no one should enter the country. https://t.co/v2vJYcJk84
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) July 5, 2018
And … is it getting hot in here? NPR reports:
In North America, a heat dome settling over the U.S. and Canada is responsible for the days-long heat wave, placing tens of millions of residents under watches, advisories and warnings. Heat indices, which account for how hot it feels with the humidity, regularly reached triple digits.
NPR also reiterates the National Weather Service’s guidelines for staying healthy in the heat.:
- Drink frequently, especially water, even before you feel thirsty.
- Limit strenuous activities outside; find shade.
- Never leave children or pets alone in a vehicle.
- Check on the elderly, the sick and those without air-conditioning.
And this week saw a viral story of love at 30,000 feet. Blogger and actress Rosey Blair documented the beginning of a real-life rom-com on July 3.
Last night on a flight home, my boyfriend and I asked a woman to switch seats with me so we could sit together. We made a joke that maybe her new seat partner would be the love of her life and well, now I present you with this thread.
— Rosey Blair (@roseybeeme) July 3, 2018
Ah, romance. It could happen to any of us. But is it, you know, a little odd that their connection was observed by hundreds of thousands of people?
Stow your carryons and join us for a review of the week’s top stories.
GUESTS
Domenico Montanaro, Lead political editor, NPR; @DomenicoNPR
Laura Barron-Lopez, Political reporter, Washington Examiner; @lbarronlopez
Naftali Bendavid, News editor, The Wall Street Journal; @naftalibendavid
For more, visit https://the1a.org.
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