Politics Daily

The Atlantic Politics & Policy Daily: Strzok in the Middle

During a contentious hearing before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, embattled FBI agent Peter Strzok denied accusations that his private political views influenced his official duties overseeing the Russia investigation.

By Elaine Godfrey
Evan Vucci / AP

-Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey)

Today in 5 Lines

  • During a contentious hearing before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, embattled FBI agent Peter Strzok denied accusations that his private political views influenced his official duties overseeing the Russia investigation.

  • President Trump released a letter he received from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in which Kim praised Trump’s leadership. “Great progress being made!” Trump tweeted.

  • Trump arrived in the U.K., where he met with Prime Minister Theresa May and attended a black-tie dinner. He’s expected to have tea with Queen Elizabeth II on Friday at Windsor Castle.

  • The Trump administration said that they have reunited 57 of the 103 children under the age of 5 who had been separated from their parents at the U.S. border. The 46 remaining children have been deemed “ineligible” for return.

  • The federal government reopened the investigation into the death of 14-year-old Emmett Till, 63 years after his murder.

Today on The Atlantic

  • The Nats’ Biggest Fan: Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh reportedly racked up between $60,000 and $200,000 in debt buying baseball tickets. How did he do it—and how did he pay it off so quickly? (David A. Graham)
  • ‘A Policy of Malign Neglect’: The Trump administration has turned its back on one of America’s greatest allies when it’s most in need of U.S. help, argues David Frum.
  • Enough With ‘Abolish ICE’: Conor Friedersdorf lays out an immigration message that Democrats can win on.
  • Make America Weak Again: America’s strength on the world stage rests in five different areas, writes Amy Zegart, and President Trump is weakening all of them except one.

Snapshot

FBI Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok testifies before a House Judiciary Committee joint hearing on “oversight of FBI and Department of Justice actions surrounding the 2016 election” on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Evan Vucci / AP

What We’re Reading


Third-Party Quirks: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez beat longtime Democratic Representative Joe Crowley in New York’s primary last month. But thanks to a technicality, Crowley will still appear on the ballot. (Lisa W. Foderaro, The New York Times)

Can the Senate Curb Trump’s Trade Powers?: Senate Republicans on Wednesday passed a symbolic rebuke of President Trump’s recent tariffs. But several lawmakers said they wouldn’t vote for the same bill if it counted. (Haley Byrd, The Weekly Standard)

‘If We Don’t Have a Vote, Then What Good Are We?’: A push to limit the powers of superdelegates has sparked infighting in the Democratic Party. Here’s what’s going on. (David Siders, Politico)

Differing Visions: Republicans have introduced a federal paid leave policy that Democrats think doesn’t go far enough. Ivanka Trump—a self-fashioned champion of the cause—agrees. (Natalie Gontcharova, Refinery29)

Visualized


Trade Wars, Explained: Here’s how the newly imposed tariffs on Chinese goods will affect the United States. (Sophia Myszkowski and Nicolas Pollock, The Atlantic)