President Trump said Germany is "captive" to Russia over its energy dependence on the country. He also asked NATO allies to increase defense spending immediately and double their long-term target.
Kennedy has given the president the ultimate political gift — the chance to reprise his Greatest Hit (Neil Gorsuch) and shape the political debate in the months before the November midterm elections.
"It's going to take different leadership at the top," said Don Fox, a former acting director of the Office of Government Ethics. "And that means a different occupant in the White House."
The federal judge is conservative and just 53. He is a former Bush White House staffer with deep political ties and the most experience as a judge on Trump's shortlist. But he is also controversial.
A Washington insider with roots in politics, he believes a sitting president should be protected from litigation and criminal investigations. If confirmed, he would solidify the conservative majority.
The president has made up his mind, but he's not saying who it is just yet. He will announce his pick officially to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy in a prime-time ceremony Monday night.
Of the 102 young children in custody, the Justice Department says at least 54 will return to their parents by Tuesday as ordered by a court. But a judge still voiced optimism about "real progress."
It matters, because important stories are getting less attention, coverage and prominence than they should — a state of affairs likely to worsen in the weeks and months ahead.