What is the ‘Trump Doctrine’?

The White House sought to define the “Trump Doctrine” Tuesday, with chief of staff Reince Priebus pointing to the president’s handling of conflicts in Syria and North Korea as examples of his foreign policy vision in action. What the Administration described though was less a clearly articulated doctrine, than it was a patchwork effort to place Trump’s actions under a single ideological framework, centered largely around his transactional view of the world.

Washington appears set to avoid a government shutdown, as Republicans and the White House move closer to a compromise continuing resolution that would fund border security, but not a border wall. The White House hopes that provides them enough to claim victory, while lawmakers on Capitol Hill hope it’s enough to avoid a showdown with Democrats. But several key sticking points remain, including defense spending and Obamacare funding.

Trump’s White House is releasing its tax cut package Wednesday, which Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin called the “biggest tax cut” and “largest tax reform in U.S. history.” The Administration calls its proposal a starting point for negotiations with Capitol Hill and is contrasting the approach to health care, where they initially took a back seat to GOP lawmakers. The proposal includes sharp cuts to corporate and personal tax rates and eliminates many tax deductions. The broad outlines will be released Wednesday afternoon, kicking off what the White House hopes will be 6-8 weeks of negotiations leading to the drafting of legislation for consideration this summer.

The Trump Administration inches toward remaining in the Paris climate pact. The administration’s sanctuary cities crackdown is blocked. And see how much lower President Trump’s approval rating is than his predecessors.

Here are your must reads:

Must Reads

White House Outlines ‘Trump Doctrine’ as President Nears 100-Day Mark
A transactional approach to dealing with foes and allies alike [TIME]

5 Questions Congress Needs to Answer to Avoid a Government Shutdown
The sticking points [TIME]

Trump Plans to Seek Tax Rate of 15% on Owner-Operated Companies
Beyond proposed cut from 39.6%, president wants to slash corporate levies on firms’ foreign profits [Wall Street Journal]

Massive Trump Tax Cuts Face Big Hurdles as Debt Mounts
Proposals appear set to explode deficit [Associated Press]

Instead of Launching Tax Reform, Trump Could Ground It
The main problem, observers say, is that Republicans are caught between two irreconcilable models for enacting major tax changes [Politico]

State Department Memo Boosts Case to Stay in Paris Climate Pact
As Trump administration weighs options [Bloomberg]

Slow Pace of Trump Nominations Leaves Cabinet Agencies ‘Stuck’ in Staffing Limbo
Few people in place to implement agenda [Washington Post]

Sound Off

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus cast the Tuesday restraining order issued by a federal judge against President Donald Trump’s sanctuary cities crackdown as an example of “The 9th circuit going bananas.”

“That would be a question for him and a law enforcement agency.” — White House spokesman Sean Spicer on whether former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn broke the law

Bits and Bites

Trump’s speaking style still flummoxes linguists [Associated Press]

Flynn May Have Broken Law by Not Disclosing Russia Dealings, Lawmakers Say [New York Times]

Preet Bharara on Why He’s Still Figuring Out His Next Career Move [TIME]

How Chess Helped the Washington Attorney General File the First Lawsuit Against Trump’s Travel Ban [TIME]

Federal Judge Blocks President Trump’s Plan to Cut Off Funding to Sanctuary Cities [Associated Press]

Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards on Ivanka Trump: ‘Women are Waiting to See a Sign From This White House’ [TIME]

Watchdog Group Files Complaint Over State Department Websites Promoting Mar-a-Lago [TIME]

The White House Says Trump Signed More Executive Orders So Far Than FDR. That’s Wrong [TIME]

President Trump: Canada Has ‘Outsmarted Our Politicians for Years’ [TIME]

See How Much Lower President Trump’s Approval Rating Is Than His Predecessors [TIME]