Trump’s Supreme Court pick just the beginning of a consequential week

[ad_1]

Trump will unveil his second pick for the Supreme Court Monday night, a nomination that promises to lock in a conservative majority for years to come and could have sweeping implications on issues like abortion, the role of religion in public life, civil rights and business regulation.

On Tuesday, Trump heads to Europe for a crucial visit that includes what may be an acrimonious NATO summit in Brussels as he accuses US allies of freeloading off of the United States. Then, Trump will travel to Britain, which is in political uproar over its exit from the European Union, for talks with embattled Prime Minister Theresa May and a long-awaited meeting with Queen Elizabeth II.

After a weekend of golf at one of his courses in Scotland, Trump will hold his first standalone summit with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki next Monday amid deepening concern among NATO allies about his odd deference to the Russian leader, who they view as a threat to the peace and order on the continent.

Trump’s Supreme Court nominee announcement

Trump is set to announce his nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy on Monday night. His shortlist includes Brett Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge, Amy Coney Barrett, Amul Thapar, Joan Larsen and Thomas Hardiman.

Court reconvenes on immigrant family reunification

A district court will reconvene on Monday to address whether to extend Tuesday’s deadline to reunite undocumented children under 5 years old with their parents. There were nearly 100 children under 5 who were separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border, according to a list released by the Trump administration.

Government officials say they need additional time to track down dozens of parents who are no longer in custody, including 19 who were already deported, Justice Department attorney Sarah Fabian said at a hearing Friday.

NATO meetings begin

Trump is set to meet with NATO members in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday. Trump ratcheted up demands in letters sent to NATO member countries last week, asking that they increase their defense spending and threatening to shift the US military presence in Europe if they do not.

Strzok hearing on Capitol Hill

Peter Strzok, an FBI agent who has been criticized by Republicans for sending text messages disparaging then-presidential candidate Donald Trump when he worked on the Clinton email investigation and the Russia investigation, will testify before the House Judiciary and Oversight committees on Thursday.

NATO meetings close

Trump will depart from the NATO summit in Brussels and arrive in the United Kingdom early Thursday afternoon.

Trump visits Britain

The President and first lady Melania Trump will attend a Blenheim Palace dinner hosted by Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday evening before retiring for the night to the residence of the US ambassador in London.

Scores of anti-Trump protesters are expected to travel to London, where Trump and May will visit a defense site “to witness a demonstration of the UK’s cutting-edge military capabilities and integrated UK-US military training,” according to a spokeswoman for May.

Trump will also meet Queen Elizabeth during his visit, but in a break from custom for a visit by a foreign leader, he will not visit 10 Downing Street.

The UK trip — billed as a “working visit” rather than a state occasion — was finally confirmed last month, ending a months-long back-and-forth over when Trump would at last pay a call on America’s closest ally.

On Friday evening, the Trumps will travel to Scotland, where the President owns two golf properties, Trump Turnberry and Trump Aberdeen. It’s not yet been confirmed whether the President will play golf while there for the weekend.

His next stop will be Helsinki, Finland, for a much-anticipated summit on July 16 with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

CNN’s Jeremy Herb, Laura Smith-Spark, Ariane de Vogue, Kate Sullivan, Veronica Stracqualursi, Catherine E. Shoichet, Eli Watkins, Ryan Browne, Zachary Cohen and Michelle Kosinski contributed to this report.

[ad_2]

Source link