In an interview with Bloomberg, President Trump threatened to pull out of the World Trade Organization "if they don't shape up" and give the United States better treatment.
The big picture: Trump has previously said he was not actively looking to pull out of the WTO, but has lobbied for better treatment of the United States in the past. Axios previously reported that Trump had been privately saying he wanted to withdraw from the WTO and later obtained a draft of a bill declaring the U.S.' abandonment of fundamental WTO rules.
President Trump told Bloomberg on Thursday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions' job is safe until after the midterm elections, but he declined to say whether he'd keep Sessions beyond November.
Former Vice President Joe Biden gave an emotional tribute to Sen. John McCain at his service in North Phoenix Baptist Church on Thursday, referring to him as a "gentle giant" who fought for civility in politics, even when certain sides disagreed.
Key quote: Biden emphasized that, for McCain, politics were not most important — it was the underlying values that mattered. He "could not stand the abuse of power wherever he saw it, in whatever form, in whatever country,” Biden said.
In a letter sent to House Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday, President Trump announced that a majority of civilian federal employees will not receive pay increases next year, undoing the original 2.1% pay increase that was set to take effect in 2019.
The details: The president explained the change is an effort "to put our Nation on a fiscally sustainable course, and Federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases." No change has been announced for pay increases of military troops, which are still on track to receive a 2.6% bump according to the Military Times, marking their biggest pay raise since 2009. Congress can effectively reverse the decision by passing a spending bill that includes a federal pay raise.
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Sen. Lindsey Graham said during a CBS This Morning interview Thursday that the manner in which President Trump handled the death of Sen. John McCain this week was "disturbing" and the way Trump speaks about McCain "pisses" him off "to no end."
The big picture: President Trump has said he doesn’t think McCain is a war hero because he likes "people who weren't captured," he’s left McCain’s name out when lauding a bill named after him, and upon his passing, the White House lowered its flags to half-staff to honor McCain, but only temporarily. The flags are at half-staff again and will remain that way until McCain’s burial this weekend.
The share of the U.S. population made up by immigrants has returned to the levels at the turn of the 20th century — although the makeup of today's immigrant population looks very different.
Why it matters: As we saw a century ago, and are witnessing again now, immigration brings needed labor and economic benefits, but is often met with backlash from those who fear the America they know is slipping away.
The State Department is denying U.S. citizens who live near the border with Mexico and have lived in the country for decades of passports, raising questions about residents' citizenship, reports The Washington Post.
The big picture: The State Department has cracked down on issuing passports amid the Trump administration's accusations that possibly thousands of Hispanic citizens along the southern border have been using fake birth certificates their whole lives.
President Trump continued his Twitter campaign against Google Wednesday evening, posting a video that shows Google home pages promoting several of former President Obama's State of the Union addresses, but not the two Trump has so far delivered.
Why it matters: Although promotions on the Google home page are not, strictly speaking, search results at all, this is the first concrete evidence the president has offered in his repeated charges that Google's results are biased against conservatives.
President Trump told reporters on Wednesday afternoon that Google, Twitter, and Facebook are "trying to silence a very large part of the country," saying they treat conservatives and Republicans very unfairly.
Why it matters: The dig comes one day after Trump tweeted similar criticism claiming the tech giants suppress conservative voices and news. When asked Wednesday whether he would want to further regulate the companies Trump said, "We're just going to see. You know what we want? Not regulation, we want fairness."
The late Sen. John McCain laid in state in Arizona's State Capitol Rotunda in Phoenix Wednesday on what would have been his 82nd birthday. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Sen. Jeff Flake, and former Sen. Jon Kyl all spoke during the service.
Picturing an Arizona without McCain is like picturing Arizona without the Grand Canyon. It’s just not natural.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, replied to President Trump's Twitter confirmation of Axios' report that White House counsel Don McGahn would leave the West Wing: "I hope it's not true....U can't let that happen."
The big picture: Grassley's office told Axios that he "has admired" McGahn's work at the White House and believes "there’s not been any White House Counsel who has worked so well and so efficiently with the chairman’s office and the Senate Judiciary Committee on judges."
Our thought bubble: It's a little premature, given that the rest of the Senate hasn't agreed to the name change. And the display might not last long. Google Maps lets users suggest labels for notable locations, and sometimes users play pranks to make a point, but they rarely leave a permanent mark.
French President Emmanuel Macron responded to attacks Wednesday from Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the right-wing, populist leaders who met Tuesday to discuss a migration plan to present to the EU, reports Bloomberg.
"I won’t retreat in front of the nationalists and those preaching hatred. If they want to see me as their main opponent, they’re right."
— Emmanuel Macron
The big picture: Salvini attacks Macron almost on a daily basis because of his inclusive stance on migration, per Politico, which has become a source of strife between the EU establishment and populist governments all over Europe. In his meeting with Orbán, Salvini confirmed that he is seeking to form a populist alliance with the Hungarian leader ahead of the 2019 European parliamentary elections.
Speaking to Christian leaders Monday evening, President Trump said he revoked a law prohibiting charities and churches from giving formal political endorsements, NBC News reports citing recorded excerpts.
"Now one of the things I'm most proud of is getting rid of the Johnson Amendment... That was a disaster for you."
— President Trump to Christian leaders
Why it matters: Despite Congress' attempts to rid the law, per NBC, it remains in effect. Trump warned the Christian leaders they were "one election away from losing everything" they have as conservative Christians, and warned that their opponents were "violent people."
