Politics Daily

The Atlantic Politics & Policy Daily: Ag-itated

During a visit to Iowa, Trump touted his limited trade deal with Europe as a win for American farmers.

By Elaine Godfrey, Madeleine Carlisle, and Olivia Paschal
Evan Vucci / AP

Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey), Maddie Carlisle (@maddiecarlisle2), and Olivia Paschal (@oliviacpaschal)

Today in 5 Lines

  • Special Counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly examining President Trump’s tweets as part of his investigation into potential obstruction of justice.

  • House Speaker Paul Ryan said he opposes an attempt by the House Freedom Caucus to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing Mueller’s inquiry.

  • Representative Jim Jordan, who is facing allegations that he failed to report sexual abuse when he was a wrestling coach at Ohio State University, announced he would run for House speaker.

  • The Trump administration faces a court-appointed deadline Thursday evening to reunite families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border, but more than 900 kids won’t be reunited with their parents.

  • During a visit to Iowa, Trump touted his limited trade deal with Europe as a win for American farmers.

Today on The Atlantic

  • #MeToo’s Enduring Impact: These are the dozens of candidates for federal and state office who have ended their campaigns after #MeToo-related scandals. (Elaine Godfrey, Lena Felton, and Taylor Hosking)

  • A Clearer Sense of Purpose: A new study found that American conservatives find more meaning in life than liberals. But ideological labels don’t mean much right now. (Olga Khazan)

  • ‘Behind the Veil of Ignorance’: Eight years ago, Mike Pence gave a speech laying out the qualities a good president must possess. President Trump doesn’t have any of them, writes Conor Friedersdorf.

  • The Kids Are All Right? Federal spending on children’s programs is decreasing, just as young Americans are becoming more racially diverse. (Ronald Brownstein)

Snapshot

Nine-month-old Gavin McGill of Washington wears a "resist" onesie while attending a protest with his mother and brother against the separation of immigrant families on Capitol Hill. Jacquelyn Martin / AP

What We’re Reading

But Their Emails: Recently discovered emails show Michigan Republicans discussing gerrymandering as a route to Republican dominance in the state. (Michael Wines, The New York Times)

The Family Business: Ivanka Trump’s recent decision to shutter her clothing company reveals at least one thing about the president’s daughter: Above all else, she is a Trump. (Monica Hesse, The Washington Post)

What Can Feminism Do for Boys?: Young men in America are facing a crisis, writes David French. But the cure isn’t to reject traditional masculinity—it’s to embrace it. (National Review)

Turning Georgia Blue: To become the country’s first black female governor, Stacey Abrams will have to turn out a record number of minority voters, as well as progressive-leaning whites. She has no doubt she can pull it off. (Molly Ball, Time)

It’s Not for Everyone: The State Department’s ministerial on religious freedom has a clear audience, writes Jacob Lupfer: conservative evangelicals. (Religion News Service)

Visualized

Do You Live in a Political Bubble?: Find out by exploring this extremely detailed map of the 2016 election results. (The New York Times)

Limited Care: In many rural communities, the only hospital is a Catholic one—and under religious-freedom exemptions, they can legally deny certain types of care to patients. (Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux, FiveThirtyEight)