Encore of Revival: America, July 1, 2019

It’s the Art of the Deal. Trump and his work in East Asia at G20 upstaged political niggling in the US. His visit to North Korea upstaged G20. Meeting with the estranged Xi Jinping at Osaka—after rumors of Xi not showing and/or not talking, being the first sitting president to cross the Koreas’ border into the north at the DMZ, then accompanying Kim inside for talks on the other side of the border in the south—this is bigger than anything going on in the Democratic presidential debates.

Meanwhile in Washington, the focus should remain on the courts. Justices are no longer divided evenly and clearly, neither along lines of politics nor judicial philosophy. Justice Gorsuch sided with the Constitution against the should-be Conservatives.

In politics, “Conservative vs Liberal” is about social tradition and whether to guarantee due process to ones opponents. On the Court, “Conservative vs Liberal” is about whether to strictly apply law as written vs trying to rule each case as an indirect way of “creating” new law. Both sides of the recent gun crime case voted on party lines—to let criminals walk vs to punish criminals—all except Gorsuch, who sided with the Liberals only because the law was too vague. It seems that Gorsuch is the only judicial Conservative on the court, while the rest seem to be Republican or Democratic activists.

We are looking at a third term for President Trump, along with a sixth Republican-appointed justice on the Supreme Court.

Happy Independence Week!

Election


Biden is top choice for climate-minded 2020 voters: Poll // The Hill

Democrats mimic 2018 House takeover strategy in bid to capture Senate // POLITICO

Trump


Trump Says U.S. ‘Winning’ Trade War After Reviving China Talks // Bloomberg

Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson describes Jared Kushner’s secret diplomacy // LA Times

As Trump touts stocks, bonds send an ominous message // The Hill

r/The_Donald, a pro-Trump Reddit forum, has been quarantined // Vox

Washington as Usual


Russianewsgategate


Trump not planning to block Mueller testimony: lawyer // The Hill

Security


TSA PreCheck sign-up: Coming to a festival or Red Sox game near you // USA Today

Man arrested for smuggling immigrants after answering Craigslist ad // Quartz

Senate OKs bipartisan border bill after rejecting ‘poison pill’ House version, as clock ticks // Fox News

Donald Trump delays ICE raids two weeks to see if Congress can ‘work out a solution’ // CNN

President Trump announces delay of mass immigration raids that were to start Sunday // NBC News

Border aid deal: Trump just got in the middle of Congress’s negotiations // Vox

Immigrants prepare for ICE raids despite cancellation of Trump order // pri.org

Econ & Tech


Boeing’s 737 Max Software Outsourced to $9-an-Hour Engineers // Yahoo News

As Stocks Hover Near Records, Growth Worries Linger // WSJ

Apple moves Mac Pro production from the US to China // CNBC

Rumors of More Foldable Samsung Phones Are Everywhere // Gizmodo

Dow posts worst day of June after Fed officials curb rate-cut enthusiasm // CNBC

Insider Blows Whistle & Exec Reveals Google Plan to Prevent ‘Trump situation’ in 2020 on Hidden Cam // Project Veritas

Culture & Climate


Eminem’s Father Marshall Bruce Mathers Jr. Dead at 67 // TMZ

The Isles


Boris Johnson Could Be Britain’s Prime Minister. Who Is He? // TIME

Boris Johnson ‘could face Tory coup’ over no-deal Brexit stance // Guardian

Mid East


Iran is in a dangerous economic position as US prepares new sanctions // CNBC

Iranian official warns more US spy drones can be blown out of the sky // Fox News

Trump signs executive order delivering ‘hard-hitting’ sanctions against Iran // Fox News

NATO Focus


‘Chernobyl on ice:’ Russia plans to tow a nuclear power station to the Arctic // CNN

Russia Thinks America’s Stealth Fighters Are ‘Paper Fiction’ // National Interest

The Reason Russia All of a Sudden Scrambled Half Of Its Stealth Fighters // National Interest

Trump could attack Iran legally using Obama’s justification for striking Libya. // Slate

I Knew the Cold War. This Is No Cold War. // Foreign Policy

Russian air force plane lands in Venezuela: report // Aljazeera