Tipsheet: Trump and Kim fight PR war as summit talks collapse

View in your browser     Trump and Kim fight PR war as summit talks collapse By Rebecca Kheel   President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are locked in an international public relations battle after Trump cancelled their planned summit. Pyongyang responded to Trump's cancelation with uncharacteristic graciousness, saying it was still open to talks. Trump replied by saying he hoped for "enduring prosperity and peace,” and later added the summit may take place on its originally scheduled date after all. Read the full story here     McConnell sees Ohio in play as confidence about midterms grows By Alexander Bolton   Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in an interview with The Hill said he thinks Republicans can make a play for Sen. Sherrod Brown’s seat in Ohio. Read the full story here     Election fears recede for House Republicans By Juliegrace Brufke House Republicans left town for the Memorial Day recess feeling more optimistic about their chances in the midterm elections, putting a spring in their step as they head toward the heat of the campaign season. Read the full story here     Trump issues orders to reduce restrictions on firing federal workers By John Bowden President Trump issued three executive orders on Friday aimed at cutting down on the time it takes to fire federal employees. Read the full story here       Senate harassment bill runs into opposition from House By Jordain Carney House lawmakers are expressing opposition to a Senate bill that would change how Congress handles sexual harassment claims, arguing it would not do enough to support victims of harassment. Read the full story here     GOP senators introduce Trump's plan to claw back $15 billion in spending By Jordain Carney A group of Senate conservatives are pushing forward with President Trump's plan to claw back more than $15 billion in spending despite concerns from several of their Republican colleagues. Read the full story here     Trump appears to confirm deal on Chinese firm ZTE By John Bowden President Trump late Friday appeared to confirm that his administration had reached a deal to put Chinese telecommunications company ZTE back in business, despite objections from members of both parties over the deal. Read the full story here     Giuliani: White House wants briefing on classified meeting over Russia probe By John Bowden Rudy Giuliani said Friday that the White House wants to know about details shared during a classified briefing for lawmakers this week on the origin of the FBI's Russia probe, and may use the info to justify trying to shut down the special counsel investigation. Read the full story here     Judge delays Manafort's trial in Virginia due to family member's 'medical procedure' By Max Greenwood A federal judge in Virginia on Friday postponed former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's jury trial on fraud and money laundering changes, moving the start date from July 10 to July 24. Read the full story here     Cohen still serving as RNC deputy finance chair, group says By Max Greenwood President Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen continues to serve as the Republican National Committee's (RNC) deputy finance chairman despite being the subject of an FBI raid and ongoing criminal investigation, RNC spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said Friday. Read the full story here     New Fed data paint a vivid picture of two Americas By Mayra Rodríguez Valladares OPINION | Data are powerful storytellers. The data tell a story of two Americas barely cohabiting within the same borders. One America is comprised of the people who are benefitting from a growing U.S. gross domestic product and having the lowest unemployment rate in 14 years. Read the full story here     Trump must move beyond the art of the deal in North Korea talks By James Dobbins OPINION | Any agreement between President Trump and Kim Jong Un would, at best, only be the opening of a multi-year process of denuclearization and reciprocal economic benefits, a process that has already failed twice for lack of follow through. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Summit or not, giant gulf separates US-NKorea on nukes By Matthew Pennington Even if conciliatory rhetoric revives U.S.-North Korea summit plans, President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un are still left with the gaping disconnect over what a deal on North Korea’s nukes would look like. Read the full story here     CNN: Key US allies 'perplexed' as Trump treats friends like enemies By Nicole Gaouette President Donald Trump's decision to cancel his historic meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un left South Korea's President "perplexed" and sparked angry protests in Seoul. One sign read: "We condemn Trump." Read the full story here     The New York Times: Banks Tried to Curb Gun Sales. Now Republicans Are Trying to Stop Them. By Alan Rappeport   When Congress decided not to take significant action after a spate of mass shootings this year and last, some big banks opted to take matters into their own hands by restricting financing for gun sellers. Read the full story here     Reuters: Suspect wounds teacher, fellow student in 23rd school shooting in 2018 By Brendan O'Brien   Indiana authorities on Saturday were yet to charge and identify the student who they say was responsible for wounding a teacher and student at a middle school in what media is reporting as the 23rd shooting on a United States campus in 2018. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Weinstein, infamous face of the #MeToo movement, now faces the public By Steven Zeitchik, Danielle Paquette and Dan Zak As the front door of a criminal courtroom opened to usher in Harvey Weinstein, the once-powerful movie mogul looked out at the large gathering of lawyers and reporters and, a dazed expression on his face, mouthed one word: “Wow.” 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.