Tipsheet: Supreme Court contender Kavanaugh faces pushback from social conservatives

View in your browser     Supreme Court contender Kavanaugh faces pushback from social conservatives By Jordain Carney   Brett Kavanaugh, a top contender to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, is facing pushback from social conservatives who say he’s too moderate to occupy a seat that will determine the balance of the Supreme Court. Read the full story here     Trump court decision energizes White House By Jordan Fabian   Many aides inside the West Wing feel excited about President Trump’s forthcoming Supreme Court pick, viewing it as a chance for Trump to score a victory that could energize his beleaguered team. Read the full story here     Giuliani: Mueller needs to prove Trump committed crime before agreeing to interview By Jacqueline Thomsen President Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani said Friday that Trump will only agree to an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller if the special counsel has evidence that Trump committed a crime and that the president’s testimony is needed to complete the probe. Read the full story here     Mueller alleges that bank executive helped Manafort obtain loans while trying to get Trump campaign role By Jacqueline Thomsen Special counsel Robert Mueller will present evidence that a bank executive allegedly helped former Trump campaign head Paul Manafort obtain more than $6 million in loans while that executive tried to land a position in the Trump campaign. Read the full story here       Pruitt is gone, but the investigations remain By Miranda Green and Timothy Cama Scott Pruitt has left the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but that doesn’t necessarily mean an end to the congressional and federal investigations that contributed to his downfall as head of the agency. Read the full story here     Jordan denies knowing of alleged Ohio State abuse, calls timing of claims 'suspect' By Jacqueline Thomsen and Melanie Zanona  Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Friday vehemently denied claims that he knew of alleged sexual abuse taking place on the Ohio State University wrestling team while he served as assistant coach, while calling into question the timing of the allegations. Read the full story here     China accuses Trump of launching ‘the biggest trade war in economic history’ By Morgan Gstalter China accused President Trump on Friday of starting “the biggest trade war in economic history” by slapping billions of dollars’ worth of tariffs on Chinese goods.  Read the full story here     Trump admin requests more time to reunite families separated at border By Justine Wise The Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly asking a federal judge for more time to reunite the thousands of families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. Read the full story here     Celebrities risk backlash with vulgar anti-Trump rhetoric By Judy Kurtz and Amie Parnes Hollywood celebrities have been raising the heat in their rhetoric against President Trump, but critics say the often-profane criticism could actually inflame a pro-Trump backlash ahead of November’s midterm elections. Read the full story here     Conservatives see Kethledge as 'Gorsuch 2.0' By Niv Elis Gorsuch 2.0. That’s how conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt described Raymond Kethledge, the Sixth Circuit judge who reportedly sits near the top of President Trump’s short list of candidates to fill Justice Anthony Kennedy’s Supreme Court seat. Read the full story here     Return the EPA to the states By Daniel Turner OPINION | Forget about #abolishICE. Scott Pruitt’s resignation provides an opportunity for President Trump to do something bold that will better protect the environment and help D.C. run more efficiently: return the powers of the EPA to the states.  Read the full story here     Birth control as basic health care hangs in the balance of the next Supreme Court pick By Ginny Ehrlich OPINION | In addition to so many other implications, it is essential that we consider the impact that the next Supreme Court Justice could have on women’s access to birth control. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Trump Starts a Trade War, but the Path to Success Remains Unclear By Ana Swanson and Neil Irwin The United States and China hit each other with punishing tariffs on Friday as the two nations tipped into a long-feared trade war that is only expected to escalate. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Back doors, tunnel help Supreme Court nominees stay secret By Jessica Gresko To keep his arrival in Washington secret, the Supreme Court nominee was driven along a back farm road and flown to the nation’s capital on a military jet. He stayed with friends, rather than at a hotel. That allowed President Donald Trump to build up the suspense until he revealed, in a 2017 prime-time address, his first pick for the high court: Neil Gorsuch. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Shift at EPA shows technocrats are replacing big-personality Cabinet members By Juliet Eilperin, Josh Dawsey and Brady Dennis   Scott Pruitt was known inside the Environmental Protection Agency’s headquarters for sipping $10 organic juice infused with kale, sporting Ferragamo shoes with his Hickey Freeman suits, and making biblical references in texts and conversations with aides. Read the full story here     CNN: Ready or not, Puerto Ricans rush to prepare as storm nears Caribbean By Gisela Crespo   With Puerto Rico still recovering from hurricanes Irma and Maria last year, cautious residents filled supermarkets and department stores Friday as the first Atlantic hurricane of the season approached the Caribbean. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: NATO, Under Fire From Trump, to Trumpet Its Heightened Readiness By Daniel Michaels Broadsides against NATO from U.S. President Donald Trump on European defense spending—and worries about Russia’s resurgence—have sped a transformation that has put the trans-Atlantic military alliance on its best operational footing in years. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet     You might like         Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.