First Draft on Politics: Closing the Trade Gap

President Trump, facing an economic war with China and a momentous meeting with North Korea, is considering a trade deal with Beijing that would soothe tensions. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, May 18, 2018 [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [A factory in Huaibei, China. Beijing is preparing to offer Washington a package of trade concessions, but economists are skeptical.] A factory in Huaibei, China. Beijing is preparing to offer Washington a package of trade concessions, but economists are skeptical. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Good Friday morning, Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today: - Chinese negotiators are preparing to offer the U.S. [a big package of promises]( to buy more American goods, in a bid to please President Trump by paring down the U.S. trade deficit. But economists say the measures wouldn’t actually amount to much. - The Trump administration plans to ban Planned Parenthood and other organizations from providing abortions, or offering referrals for one, at any facility that [receives federal family planning funds](. - Future lawmakers, not Robert Mueller, may decide Mr. Trump’s fate. [The threat of impeachment]( raises the stakes for control of Congress this November and could be front and center in the midterm elections. - The real estate company run by the family of Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, is close to getting a bailout of its [financially troubled flagship tower]( in Manhattan. The company is in advanced talks with Brookfield Asset Management, whose real estate arm has ties to Qatar, about a stake in the building. - The president’s irritation with his staff reached a new level last week after the leak of a morbid joke a junior aide made about [Senator John McCain’s brain cancer](. — The First Draft Team HAVE A CONFIDENTIAL NEWS TIP? Do you have the next big story? Want to share it with The New York Times? We offer several ways to get in touch with and provide materials to our journalists. [Learn More »]( ADVERTISEMENT Reader Center [Is Your U.S. Senator or Representative Retiring? We Want to Hear From You]( Tell us what issues you care most about and how you view what’s been happening in Washington. [• Share Your Thoughts »]( [Half of the Women Running in House Primaries Have Won So Far]( By DENISE LU AND KATE ZERNIKE Record numbers of women are [running for Congress](. And many are winning: Ten states have had [primaries so far]( and in those, 60 women have won and 63 have lost. But for all the energy, it’s not an easy road to Capitol Hill. There has been a [similar surge among men]( running for office, so the fields are crowded. And the dynamics of races are tough — most women are choosing to run in districts that do not favor them, either in the primary or in the general election in November. Still, there are opportunities to make history. In Pennsylvania, for instance, which has no women in its 20-member congressional delegation, eight women moved on to the general election from the primaries on Tuesday. The surge in the number of candidates is mostly among Democrats, who also comprise 52 of the 60 candidates to have won so far. But that does not make Democrats more likely to win. [View the graphics »](  [President Trump tweeted on Thursday that the F.B.I.’s investigative steps in the Russia inquiry could prove to be “bigger than Watergate!”]( [‘Bigger Than Watergate!’ Trump Fumes as Russia Inquiry Enters Second Year]( By EILEEN SULLIVAN President Trump tweeted that a confidential informant embedded in his presidential campaign would be a scandal bigger than Watergate, inviting comparisons. [Divisions between supporters of Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders were on display at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in 2016.]( [Superdelegates Are No. 1 on the Democratic Party’s To-Do List]( By ASTEAD W. HERNDON Party officials want to resolve differences over the role and influence of superdelegates, a major sticking point in the 2016 primaries. [North Korea’s unpredictable moves have already dampened some of the optimism generated at the summit meeting between its leader, Kim Jong-un, and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea on April 27.]( [North Korea’s Sudden Shift Puts South’s Leader on the Spot]( By CHOE SANG-HUN For President Moon Jae-in, North Korea’s threat to derail talks has underscored the difficulty of playing matchmaker between Kim Jong-un and Mr. Trump. [An employee of the Transportation Security Administration inspecting travelers’ documents last year at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va.]( [Watch List Shields T.S.A. Screeners From Threatening, and Unruly, Travelers]( By RON NIXON Assaults against airport security screeners are rising, but civil liberties groups worry about expanding government surveillance for minor infractions. [On the show, Michael Avenatti, left, the lawyer for the pornographic film actress suing the president, would square off with Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director.]( [Show Starring Avenatti and Scaramucci Is Being Pitched to Television Executives]( By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT AND MAGGIE HABERMAN The men are fixtures on cable news — Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for a pornographic actress suing the president, as Mr. Trump’s antagonist, and Anthony Scaramucci as the president’s supporter. [Representatives Diane Black, left, and Marsha Blackburn, right, both Tennessee Republicans, with President Trump at an executive order signing in Nashville in January. Both women are leaving the House to run for higher office.]( [As Democratic Women Surge, Ranks of Republican Women May Shrink]( By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG Democratic women are running for Congress in record numbers, and Republican women are trying to match the surge. But retirements may leave G.O.P. ranks depleted. [Senator Joseph McCarthy at his second appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee in 1950.]( Fact Check of the Day [Trump Stretches Facts by Claiming Record Successes During ‘Greatest Witch Hunt’ in U.S. History]( By LINDA QIU Historians say the Russia investigation can’t compare to McCarthyism, let alone the Salem witch trials. And among the last 10 presidents, only Barack Obama had signed fewer bills into law than Mr. Trump at this point in his term. [Gurbir S. Grewal, the attorney general of New Jersey, wrote a letter raising concerns about the status of federal investigations into for-profit schools.]( [A State Attorney General Calls Out Betsy DeVos on For-Profit Colleges]( By DANIELLE IVORY The New Jersey attorney general says federal education officials have stopped cooperating with the state on fraudulent activities at for-profits. [An oil tanker sailing through the Persian Gulf as it transports crude oil to export markets in Iran. The Trump administration is working to reduce Iran’s oil exports, and it is trying to persuade China, India and other countries to join in oil sanctions.]( [Sanctions on Iran and Venezuela May Empower U.S. Rivals]( By CLIFFORD KRAUSS Squeezing the two oil producers could increase demand for Russian crude and offer Beijing and Moscow a chance to deepen their ties to the Iranians. [American soldiers firing artillery last year in support of Iraqi forces fighting Islamic State militants, near the northern city of Mosul. National elections in Iraq have thrown into question how much American troops may continue to work with the Iraqis.]( [Anti-American Cleric’s Power Grows, Upending Pentagon’s Plans for Iraq]( By HELENE COOPER AND GARDINER HARRIS A political party led by Moktada al-Sadr, whose militia once targeted American troops, will wield considerable power in setting up Iraq’s next government. [President Trump at Capitol Hill on Tuesday at the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service.]( White House Memo [‘Bigger Than Watergate’? Both Sides Say Yes, but for Different Reasons]( By PETER BAKER Forty-four years after Richard Nixon resigned, critics of Mr. Trump see an even worse scandal. But Mr. Trump says the real outrage is the investigation. [A pipe-threading plant in Texas. President Trump’s trade representative said “gaping differences” on rewriting the North American Free Trade Agreement remained.]( [Chance of Nafta Deal in 2018 Diminishes as Talks Drag Past Congressional Deadline]( By ANA SWANSON AND ELISABETH MALKIN The Trump administration had hoped a revised deal would reach the current Congress, in which Republicans control both chambers. Now, those prospects are diminishing by the day. LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. 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