Transcript for The Briefing Room: Today's top political headlines

Hello welcome to ABC news live at least go to stated everyone we're just hours away from during the president's election we have our. Resident Supreme Court a court expert with us today Terry Moran. Along with Serena Marshall we've met Devin Dwyer joining us in New York outs now and at the White House and we'll get to the whole group and a second Terry. Let's lead off with the Supreme Court what's gonna happen when we now. Well I have depressed about things I I thought OJ it was going to be convicted dog always. Whenever I predict discounting. But it looks to me from what you are reporting and others is that the president is leaning. Towards either Brett Cavanaugh was a judge here in Washington or Thomas Hartmann as judge in Pennsylvania I can think it's going to be hard and partly because. Part of an strongest advocate is Donald Trump's sister who's a judge with Thomas Hartmann in Pennsylvania. And there's always seem to me that Ford did trump family in general there there's two kinds of people there's trumps. Everybody else's help and bielsa staff and especially in this one. She has Maryanne trump buried the judge in Pennsylvania has an expertise necessary should know is it. And she's the only person I've ever heard of who refers to delta as my little brother. Oh maybe analysts. And art are the list that we interviewed reporting the short list if some people that have these conversations include those two gentlemen addition to Amy Tony Barrett. And Raymond Catholic all of them are appeals court judges all of have a pluses and minuses terror what's your sense though the message. That could be conveyed by this pick is obviously people on this list that are easier to confirm that others may be see we're safe conventional fixed that some that have. Different backers in different parts of the Republican Party. I think he wants to address his base in the Republican Party and judges of the one thing really. That unite all Republicans right Republicans. Had a lot of different directions libertarian Republican social conservative Republicans. Neo con Republicans they all in this. In this area in the want to unite because it's been a project of the Republican party for decades. To take back the judiciary from what they saw as a liberal takeover. And I think he's gonna wanna send the signal as he already has with his shortlist. Which is you know fashioned by the Republican. And conservative Federalist society organization which kind of farm team right of Republican judicial nominations to reassure them. I'm with you got to quantify and shore up that base for that. He loves a fight Denny. Now but I I think people think income. Loss and you know they've got such a razor thin margin in the senate. And the Democrats desperately want to beat this one and I think he's he's active he's careful how much he spoils for a fight here. And listen a little bit these estimates McConnell who say look we got it does that before the mid terms let's get somebody that we get through. And Terry for the ego the president put that list out and he seems to a stop to these are all names from the list. I it seems to me like this could go down as a master stroke for president from putting that list out there if you feel like these folks have been vetted they be able to more. The may have even though we're gonna undergo quite a process starting at 9 o'clock. At the great point so he did this during the campaign when a lot of conservatives and especially the evangelical conservatives were very wary of this new Yorker with a rather colorful life behind him. When it came to these very issues and by putting out that list. Vetted by the Federalist society and other conservatives groups you know liberals had nothing like this about our society has recruits these people young. They groom they meant to them there's a network of clerk ships across the federal judiciary that put them in spot when Republicans aren't power. Or in congress and they rise them up into the judiciary. In a way that does reassure conservatives so it's something about president trapped he's got an instinct. Four how to do this is it that will enhance his standing with the people that he needs the most. Couple hours away will be on live at 9 o'clock Terry you're going to be up there watching it all and not ready report this out as it develops thanks for being with us and a thank you one to turn to the NATO summit which going to be a big headlines starting tomorrow with the president sets head off to Europe another area that Terry knows so well. Devin Dwyer joining us in New York today heads up our White House reporting team DeVon. What is on tap with its NATO trip the president has been sounding off about needle in some of the unfair. Commitments that he used some of the other members of appointed its term while going on in include portions of Europe at the same time. Yeah update trip ahead Rick this is the second time the president will head to NATO but a wrecking ball is getting ready to land in Belgium. This is Donald Trump more aggressive than we've ever seen him against this organization which is set up as you know. Ought to counter the Russian threat and the allies are very very nervous this time around in fact. Just this morning the president was tweeting again a common part this isn't a new Greg we've heard him complain before very popular with the base of the president that the United States is paying. Too much carrying too much of the burden in this multilateral organization. Of course all the countries that are prop party to NATO agreed to pay 2%. Of their GDP in defense spending that has not yet and that but that target is 20/20 four a message that he's gonna hear when he gets there its are we are working on it we are making headway. But if you know Donald Trump you know he's an impatient guy. He's an unpredictable guy and he hasn't been satisfied what he's been seen particularly from countries like Germany. The UK and others. And just. Last week he was sending letters to all of the countries Norway Germany. All those that haven't yet met that 2% threshold warning them that the US. Could consider withdrawing reducing. Its support for the alliance and in presence in Europe which so many of those countries American allies have come to rely on. Asa Ricky got to believe after seeing that theater at the G-7 just a couple weeks ago where the president made a huge splash in his tiff with just entry go. They are looking nervously at what sort of precedent they will meet when he arrives on Wednesday. And now it's Mallon joining us over the White House was in love struck by is that that seems like White House aides including. The NATO ambassador Kato Hutchison. Tones of unity at the same time the president brings this DeVon says the level of a wrecking ball. What kind of expectations are our White House aides setting out for this pretty high profile trip. Your right Rick I think they're taking a much different approach to use this summit and preparing. President trump for this. Just because of the timing of this that he's holding this meeting. With key NATO allies right before his summit with for a president Vladimir Putin of Russia. They essentially want to set this up so. They come out with a resilient tone saying that you know Europe is safe that that that the US's. No recommitted itself to the NATO alliance for the same time it's not exactly new thing in US policy and general. To express concerns over other nations in NATO not paying their fair share I mean we even heard former President Obama. Expressed concern over free writers but president trump has without a tent without a doubt. Bring brought those concerns to the forefront he's even you know promoted them in political rallies like last week. In Montana so there's obviously that concern of whether the US might unilaterally pull out of NATO or reduce. It's spending in India alliance but that really I think the aides are just trying to strike American solitary tone ahead of these meetings for sure. All right guys another big foreign policy headline on North Korea Mike Pompeo the secretary of state. Two but has is on his way back from a trip to North Korea's it has some other country's first but. Quite a reality check Serena that it seems like it seems like he was delivered in in hitting hitting in heading to North Korea. It's it was like the message on the north Koreans is a little less optimistic than. Well optimistic they called us gangsters. I wrote that wreck and it what's interesting about this is it's not a new North Korea at the seeing Korea we've seen over and over and over and over again for the past 2030 years they. Come to the table they make some agreements and then after that meetings over they pull back in those agreements have suddenly changed and that's what we're seeing here again. Now it's interesting as the president tweeted about this and he says he sells confident they can young and will maintain that agreement and will maintain that handshake specifically. About their agreements but it doesn't seem in the north Koreans are really playing ball on. Nine and DeVon he's citing a contract that he says was signed here we haven't seen at a cat tracker maybe the media were talking about the more informal verbal contract more than anything else but. But it it does seem like the president is. We're not back to fire and fury or are or. That all of the all of the bluster back that might expect from president. That's right into Ricky did get the memo eating get that it to page document but all the vibrant no we haven't seen it. You we remember a couple weeks ago down and in Singapore the president in a sign that boilerplate statement that the north Koreans promised to dean nuclear I. Op you know one wonders how long he's gonna remain patient here this is certainly the tweet that you see on the screen the president is is expresses some hopeful mess that perhaps this is just pick up. The party line at the White House is that they had expected this all along this is how the north Koreans play. But what we know about Donald Trump he doesn't like to be crossed he doesn't like to be embarrassed he's been campaigning now. On denuclearization. North Korea that he's essentially in his words eliminated the threat as you pointed out certainly that hasn't happened yet. So you know how long he can maintain this sense of patients' interest dean today though he did sort to sort of point the finger at China again. What's fascinating about all of these stories we've just been talking about the NATO story North Korea China. Is there all interwoven with those trade fights that he's initiated and so many fronts unprecedented we've never had trade wars popping up on both. Coast across the oceans and at the same time so many huge negotiations are under way. On you sort of heard from the president today that he thinks perhaps the Chinese. Could be and negative influence and North Korea in light of the tariffs that that he's imposed on them. Yeah certainly. Interesting to wreck because it's seven points out China did play a role in getting North Korea to the table by imposing those initial sanctions on them and the president. Praised them for their role in getting weaker it to the table initially as kind of interesting to watch his tone and Kim Jong-un. Giving him a little bit of the benefit of the doubt as he heads to NATO next week and hasn't given our allies that same benefit. Are moving onto another topic guys you've been covering for the last couple weeks this other crisis at the border the president's executive order I and the down. Ensuing drama out legal and personal of reuniting these children more than 2000 of them with the families and answer any you've been covering this and that the administration is now conceding they are not gonna meet the deadline that the court imposed to reunite children under age five with their parents. Some hundred of these cases represented in court. Up but a pretty stark admission that they just can't do it. It looks at Marley is the deadline to reunite children under the age of five this court imposed deadline with their parents who have been separated as part is this zero tolerance policy officially. They're 102 children under the age of five identified as being separated from. Their parents now roughly half 54. Will be able to be a reunited by tomorrow but there conceding that the other half they just won't be able to do because. They haven't identified the parents of the parents have been deported or in some cases they're going to send the kids to a sponsor here in the interior the United States. They found a legal brief on this wreck on Friday saying. Give and that the problems with confirming parentage in confirming the child's safety that this would it be able to be done in time. And wit I that was kind of fascinating number that I'd of those 102 children that were represented. Only six have been removed from the lawsuit because of a criminal violation and only if the re of them. Were separated from their parents because those warrant. So this is a vast majority we presume are the parents but there's still going to be and these are the just the youngest of the kids in just the youngest of the kids and another deadline to meet here in a couple weeks to reunite. All children under the age of eight are children under eighteen with their parents and it's unclear thome got that line as well. And Alex Mallon over the White House is this just faded from the white house of perspective that they did the president's view that this is already assault problem and muddy feet just deal with that are you hearing talk about it still in the hallways over there. Right now the talk in the hallways is basically right around the Supreme Court. I think that they've seen this issue it looked to handed off not only for the agencies but two the First Lady who a last week took her second trip. Down to the US Mexico border and met with some Border Patrol officials in -- as well as with some families that were down there I think that the the administration sees this kind of similar to the travel ban. As now being left up to that grueling bureaucratic quirk process and little left for the president himself to do you after. He pat after he signed that executive order halting the zero tolerance policy and so I think we're calling for the reuniting families. And still very human fallout from this policy that was imposed well a lot of implications for the children of the American academy of pediatrics the American. It's. That's psychic psychological association they all came out and says these children will have psychological impacts from the separation policy that's something we're going to be watching. And finally today a strange story that broke over the weekend the New York Times first to report. That the that the world health assembly was the subject of a bit of a political row over breast feeding of all issues and non binding resolution. That was put forward in the spring to support breast feeding initiatives. Apparently blocked by the United States and it threats with the against the country sponsoring it Ecuador. Of of cutting off military aid the criticism flying in very fast this that this is the top administration. A kowtowing to the manufacturers of formula. Up pretty angry denial from the presidents and others arena but what what do we know about what really happened. So this stuff fascinating story because it's not necessary the fact that the president or at and America the United States up at an international conference wins against international norms. Not even necessarily that they were pushing to water down those regulations it's the fact that they bully. Sister nations neighboring nations to not introduce this resolution. Over and over again threatening as you said a military funding and other kind of funding for these countries. And then when Russia and reduce the resolution something they backed off. And having a probably know the president did we about this. Just a little while going accuse them of saying it potentially denying some women access to formulas not by over breast adverse formula for a formula that an and Rick is something is clearly about to go to this might couple. That's not out there in the fight with this resolution resolution with up to encourage breastfeeding. Not to say. You can never feed a child formula is simply to encourage member states to help support women who want to breast feed which is a problem even here in the United States and especially here in the United States. Among malnutrition and poverty levels there is at report. By the US. Government back in 2011. Other reasons that women don't continue breastfeeding her don't start breastfeeding especially in month. Does and partly situations is that a lack of support by the US government by. Employers by family members there is no guaranteed medical leave the longer a mother's home with her child the more likely she is to breast feed and social norms that people think bottle feeding is bass and a lack of education. Providing it to those poverty stricken. Groups and information that yes. Breast is best and Bob that isn't there's a missed them there that they think it is actually better to formula feed your baby and so. This whole argument becoming formula ever expressed is kind of secondary to what really set up despite it did need to be in the national. The access to formula really not a part of what this resolution was and Devin Dwyer it. A we understand the presence that I'll on this and and he is he's his angry broadside. At the New York Times over this. But the fact is this seems to be quite a bit of political business that was put into. A world health assembly resolution a pretty unusual set of circumstances. Yet it definitely reckon it's part of a pattern this is an a one off we were talking about NATO we've talked about the UN. A lot of these multilateral organizations the president has gone and he's been a disrupt her. Certainly acting in the United States interest here is Serena points out this is something in that even though they sort of deny it is no denying that the US is the largest. Producer of formula in the world the seventy billion dollar industry. And so this is trump in my opinion again the and hate you know anti multilateral us going in balking this. This this sort of agreement to small agreement that no one really paid much attention to much like. You know the Paris peace accord -- of many of these other small deals that they sign onto it the at the UN. But looking to make his mark. And certainly creating waves when the times got wind of it. All right guys thanks so much on the speaks go to state but we can't go without getting some very quick. Handicapping from our team we know it's just guesses it's just guesswork but Alex Mallon now what's up what was on who's on the short is the short list that Alison Alice thought. Why I think an agreement with Teri it considering he is the resident expert on this entire topic. I think that Kavanagh is obviously seen within. The White House is a favorite along with part of Maine as our sources. Have told our reporters here but I mean again I can't help I think I think our right I don't know if I would go to judge Geneen. Well Brad kava. And it and I go to Kavanagh of that. Well we know the Palestinian fantasy baseball team is we'll take you would expect a nice guy made a lot often is this your ballot the Devin Dwyer I was older Charlotte all right Thom Hartmann all the way he was the runner up to judge corsets the first go round. And trump loves a good story this guy's got a great one humble roots used to be a taxi driver. I'm going Thom Hartmann. All right we hear that there will be censoring. I don't my the brain I will I wanna go with the opposite of what Terry said because if it's normally run on these kinds of things happen Alden. I know I Iceland how about I'm kind of leaning towards Amy Colin Barrett. You know I I've heard a lot wants that I I've heard a lot of money B Tony Barrett in the in the last couple hours even a lot of people I think if you tell present company can't do something. That may be the reason that he ends up doing all right guys are our team. Bringing all of it to you will be back tonight our thanks Alex Mallon Devin Dwyer at Marshall o'clock tonight with our live coverage of the Supreme Court announcement. Be they are here at ABC news.

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