Thursday's politics & policy stories

Sessions vows to take travel ban appeal to Supreme Court
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced the DOJ will ask the Supreme Court to review Thursday's ruling from a federal appeals court keeping the block on President Trump's travel ban in place:
"President Trump's executive order is well within his lawful authority to keep the Nation safe…The Department of Justice strongly disagrees with the decision of the divided court..."
The dissenters: Sessions is right, the court was split 10-3. The dissenters said that the law does not permit judges to second-guess a president's ability to make decisions about national security.
The majority: Chief Judge Roger Gregory, however, wrote the ban "drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination."

U.K. resumes sharing intel with U.S.
The U.K. has resumed sharing intel with the U.S. according to the U.K. Home Secretary, Reuters and BBC report. This comes after the U.K. halted sharing intel with U.S. officials due to undesired leaks to the media about the Manchester bombings and photos of the crime scene.
Why now? U.K. counter-terrorism officers reportedly received assurances today about the U.S. Earlier today Trump said he had asked the DOJ to launch review of the leaks and threatened prosecution.

What is NATO Article V and where does Trump stand on it?
The issue
At a NATO leaders meeting May 25 President Trump did not explicitly endorse the collective defense article, Article V, of the North Atlantic Treaty, which binds member nations to defend one another if one comes under attack.
The facts
Trump was expected to make a commitment to Article V in the speech, but then stopped short of doing so. He did discuss shared "commitments," using the example of the September 11 attacks (the only time Article V has been invoked):
"We will never forsake the friends who stood by our side. And we will never waver in our determination to defeat terrorism and to achieve lasting prosperity and peace."
Why it matters
Article V is the cornerstone of NATO, and NATO member countries have been waiting to hear Trump confirm the U.S. will honor it, especially as he has repeatedly stressed that not all members are paying their fair share of defense spending and once called the alliance "obsolete." After the backlash to the omission, Sean Spicer stepped in to explain they're "not playing cutsie" and that Trump is "fully committed" to Article V.

Trump's foreign trip day 6: highlights and schedule
It's day six of President Trump's first foreign trip, and he'll be spending it in Brussels where he'll meet with a series of European leaders and participate in Thursday's NATO summit before returning to Italy later this evening. Live updates per White House pool reports.
The latest: Trump's arrived for the night in Sicily.
- Trump threatens prosecution after U.S. leaks on Manchester
- What is NATO Article V and where does Trump stand on it?
- Trump to Macron: "You were my guy"
4:06am ET/ 10:06am GMT+2: President Trump departed the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium's Residence en route to the European Union Headquarters for a bilateral meeting with EU President Donald Tusk and European commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. He rode in the Beast, the president's armored Cadillac limousine, which carried the American and Belgian flags. The poolers note that there was a heavy security presence on the streets: the city was largely empty, large trucks blocked many intersections and scores of armed police lined the route.

5am ET/ 11am GMT+2: Trump, President Tusk, and President Juncker held a meeting at the newly-completed EU Headquarters, known as Europa. The two leaders sat across from each other at the center of a long, rectangular table. The conference room had EU and US flags along the wall, and small flower arrangements at the center of the table. Trump then told the leaders about his foreign trip. "I started in Saudi Arabia. We covered a lot of countries, a lot of leaders. Some great meetings in Saudi Arabia... It was very spectacular. I don't think there was ever anything like that. That was beyond anything anyone's seen. We went to the Pope. Very impressive. The Pope was terrific."


5:30am ET/ 11:30am GMT+2: Trump departed EU headquarters and arrived back the U.S. Ambassador's residence at 11:38am.

7:12am ET/ 1:12pm GMT+2: French President Emmanuel Macron arrived at the US Ambassador's residence, where he was greeted outside by Trump and Melania. Trump shook hands with Macron, who he was meeting for the first time, and asked, "How are you?" before the three went inside.

7:20am ET/ 1:20pm GMT+2: Before sitting down for a one-on-one meeting, President Trump and French President Macron delivered brief remarks. "It is my great honor to be with the newly elected president of France, who ran an incredible campaign and had a tremendous victory. All over the world they're talking about it. And we have a lot to discuss, including terrorism and other things. Congratulations. Great job," said Trump. Macron replied, "For my part, I'm also very happy to be with President Trump. We have an extremely large agenda to discuss: the fight against terrorism, the economy, climate and energy."
The pooler notes that the two leaders then shook hands for an extended period of time. "Each president gripped the other's hand with considerable intensity, their knuckles turning white and their jaws clenching and faces tightening."

8:58am ET/ 2:58pm GMT+2: Melania tweets her thanks to the Queen Fabiola University Hospital in Brussels, where she did arts and crafts with the patients.
10:15am ET/ 4:15pm GMT+2: Trump arrived at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. He will soon deliver remarks at the unveiling of Article 5 and Berlin Wall memorials.

10:45am ET/ 4:45pm GMT+2: Trump delivered remarks at unveiling of Article 5 and Berlin Wall memorials at the NATO headquarters:
"The recent attack on Manchester and the United Kingdom demonstrates the depths of the evil we face with terrorism... it was a barbaric and viscous attack upon our civilization... all people who cherish life must unite in finding, exposing and removing these killers and extremists, and yes losers. They are losers... The NATO of the future must include a great focus on terrorism, and immigrations... these grave security concerns are the same reason I have been very very direct with Secretary Jens Stoltenberg and members of the alliance in saying NATO members must finally contribute their fair share and meet their financial obligations."

10:55am ET/ 4:55pm GMT+2: Trump participated in outdoor ceremony to mark the transfer of NATO's new headquarters building from the Belgian government to NATO. Trump was seated in the front now, next to Belgian King Philippe, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and Prime Minister Theresa May (who he leaned over to speak with several times).

11:05am ET/ 5:05pm GMT+2: CNBC's Steve Kopack tweets a video of Trump shimmying his way to the front of a group of NATO members.
11:45am ET/ 5:45pm GMT+2: President Trump attended a working dinner in Brussels with NATO leaders at 5:45pm. WH Press Secretary Sean Spicer delivered a brief summary of the dinner to reporters. "Right off the bat, there was unanimous support for a resolution to commit to burden sharing and combatting terrorism, which are two things the president talked about during his campaign and now as president." said Spicer. He added that Secretary General Stoltenberg also gave a presentation, using "a big chart" to show how burden sharing was negative and has become more positive. "It was a very positive reaction and affirmation of the president's priorities today.


Ryan says Congress will move up deadline on debt ceiling
House Speaker Paul Ryan told investors Thursday that Congress will move up its deadline to raise the debt ceiling to avoid an economic default, reports AP. Congress was initially expected to vote on the debt limit this fall.
"The debt ceiling issue will get resolved." —Paul Ryan
Timing: His reassurance comes a day after Treasury Secretary Mnuchin warned that Congress needs to vote to raise the nearly $20 trillion ceiling before their August recess.

Trump to Macron: "You were my guy"
French officials said today that President Trump denied having supported far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen in the recent French presidential election while meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron today. Instead, Trump told Macron:
You were my guy.
Worth noting: While it certainly seems like Le Pen's nationalist positions would have endeared her to Trump, he stopped short of endorsing her in an April interview with the AP: "No, I have no comment on [endorsing Le Pen], but I think that [the April 20 shooting of Paris police officers] will probably help her because she is the strongest on borders and she is the strongest on what's been going on in France."

Appeals court upholds block on Trump travel ban
Thursday afternoon, a federal appeals court in Richmond upheld the nation-wide block on President Trump's travel ban, which prevented citizens of several majority-Muslim countries from traveling into the U.S.
Chief Judge Roger Gregory ruled that the order, "speaks with vague words of national security, but in context drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination."
This is administration's second attempt at a travel ban. The first was blocked in February after it caused chaos in airports across the country.
What's next: Trump has threatened previously to take the fight over the ban to the Supreme Court, and it appears that's where the final ruling will be made.

Paul Ryan: Gianforte outburst not "acceptable"
With the polls open for the special House selection in Big Sky Country, Paul Ryan addressed the alleged assault of Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs by GOP candidate Greg Gianforte during his weekly press conference:
I do not think this is acceptable behavior, but the choice will be made by the people of Montana.

Trump threatens prosecution after U.S. leaks on Manchester
Trump said he would hold those who leaked U.K. intel about the Manchester explosion accountable and said they "should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
This comes after the news that U.K. officials will stop sharing intel about the terrorist attack with U.S. officials due to leaks to the media. U.K. PM Theresa May is expected to speak with Trump about the importance of securing intel. The full statement:
"The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling. These leaks have been going on for a long time and my Administration will get to the bottom of this. The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our national security. I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is no relationship we cherish more than the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom."

Trump and Macron's awkward meeting
President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron met for the first time today before a working lunch together in Brussels. And the White House pool report makes it sound more than a little awkward:
The two presidents, each wearing dark suits and blue ties (Trump's was thick and royal blue; Macron's was skinny and navy) sat in antique cream-upholstered arm chairs, with two American and French flags behind them. They shook hands for an extended period of time. Each president gripped the other's hand with considerable intensity, their knuckles turning white and their jaws clenching and faces tightening.

Scoop: Top GOP senators urge Trump to exit Paris climate deal
A group of 22 heavyweight Republican senators, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, are sending a letter to President Trump today urging him to make a clean exit from the Paris Agreement to combat climate change. The letter applauds Trump for beginning the process of unwinding Obama's Clean Power Plan regulations, but says that goal is imperiled if he decides to remain in the Paris climate change deal.
Why this matters: Trump promised on the campaign trail to quit the Paris deal, but he's currently reconsidering the decision and his staff is divided.

Trump's "street fighters"
West Wing officials are prepping for a years-long war with investigators and the bureaucracy, with plans to beef up legal, surrogate, communications and rapid-response teams as part of a "new normal" for President Trump — besieged.
"The White House is embracing the fight, which is going to last as long as Donald Trump is president," said a Trump ally familiar with the preparations. "We're getting street fighters ready to go."

Fox News witness: GOP candidate "slammed" reporter
Alicia Acuna, a reporter for Fox News who was in the room with GOP congressional candidate Greg Gianforte when he allegedly assaulted reporter Ben Jacobs last evening, says she witnessed the candidate grab the reporter "by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground ... then began punching..."
In a statement late last night, Gallatin County Sheriff's office announced they'd issued a citation to Gianforte for misdemeanor assault, saying the injuries suffered by Jacobs did not warrant felony assault. Gianforte is due to appear before court on June 7.












