Today in 5 Lines
During a news conference, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he will continue to serve in his position “as long as that is appropriate,” a day after President Trump told The New York Times that he never would have nominated Sessions had he known he would recuse himself from the Russia investigation. The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously advanced the nomination of Christopher Wray for FBI director. Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley threatened to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. and Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager, if they don’t show up to testify before the panel on July 26. On Twitter, Senator John McCain thanked his well-wishers for their support and added that he’ll “be back soon,” following the news that he has been diagnosed with brain cancer. Senators Lindsey Graham and Dick Durbin introduced a new version of the Dream Act, which would grant legal status and a path to citizenship to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
Today on The Atlantic
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Visible Weaknesses: James Fallows explains how President Trump’s interview with The New York Times on Wednesday highlighted four of his greatest flaws.
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Careful What You Wish For: Ronald Brownstein argues Republicans are still focused on Reagan-era policies that shrink government even though their voters have grown more tolerant of federal spending that supports “people like them.”
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Trump vs. the Economists: President Trump continues to defend the widely anticipated steel tariff against China. But economists and U.S. businesses warn he could kick off a damaging trade war. (Annie Lowrey)
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Coming tomorrow: The first episode of Radio Atlantic will be available by tomorrow morning, July 21, including the world premiere of Jon Batiste’s full “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Our hosts, Jeffrey Goldberg, Alex Wagner, and Matt Thompson, will talk with David Frum and Molly Ball about the American idea in the era of President Trump. Molly Ball will discuss the reporting that led her to this conclusion: “I don’t think America elected Donald Trump because they didn’t realize that he doesn’t always tell the truth. They knew that and they wanted to elect him any way.” Listen and subscribe at TheAtlantic.com/radio.