National News

5 things for June 26: Politics, immigration, tariffs, Mexico, cannabis drug

Ever played one of those Mario Kart video games and wished you could race around like that in real life? Well, now you can, in Japan. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. (You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

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Doug Criss (CNN)
(CNN) — Ever played one of those Mario Kart video games and wished you could race around like that in real life? Well, now you can, in Japan. Here's what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door. (You can also get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)

1. Politics

Will the tone of our politics ever get better? Probably not anytime soon. Both parties are accusing the other of causing the current lack of civility. This round of finger-pointing started over the weekend, when White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said she was asked to leave a restaurant because she worked for President Trump. Later, Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters fired up a crowd of protesters by urging them to get in the faces of Trump administration officials when they're out in public. (She later said she wasn't urging violence.) Democratic leaders, like Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, condemned Waters' initial remarks, but others on the left noted that the GOP is led by a President who nicknames his political enemies.

Meanwhile, it's Primary Day in a handful of states, including Colorado, Maryland, New York and Utah.

2. Immigration

The Trump administration is still pushing for a way to get people who cross the border illegally out of the country faster. The President in recent days said they should be deported without seeing a judge first (that goes against the Constitution, btw). And Sarah Sanders said drawn-out court proceedings don't make sense for migrants who enter the country illegally.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security will ask the Pentagon to OK plans to house more than 7,000 unaccompanied children at Goodfellow Air Force Base and 4,000 more migrant family members at Fort Bliss, both in Texas. But it could be six weeks before either is ready.

And House Republicans are still planning a vote on some kind of immigration measure this week (even after President Trump tweeted that they were wasting their time). But this bill will probably suffer the same fate as the one that failed last week. Still, pressure would remain on lawmakers to come up with some kind of a more permanent fix for the family separation mess.

3. Trade & tariffs

The burgeoning trade war is hitting Harley-Davidson. The iconic motorcycle maker says it will move production of bikes it makes for European customers out of the US to avoid the EU's $3.2 billion in tariffs. Those tariffs, of course, are a response to the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Europe. Harley-Davidson said it stood to lose as much as $100 million a year. President Trump tweeted that Harley-Davidson was waving the white flag and urged patience to give his economic policies a chance to work.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary James Mattis is in Beijing to meet with Chinese officials and said he is prepared to "do a lot of listening" at a time when Trump is threatening more tariffs on that front.

4. Mexico

This sounds like it could be more than just a few bad apples. The entire police force in Ocampo, Mexico, was detained and questioned in the assassination of a mayoral candidate. Fernando Angeles Juarez of the Party of the Democratic Revolution was killed Thursday morning by unknown gunmen. When Mexican state police arrived a couple days later on an unrelated matter, some of the town's officers fired shots in the air and resisted their authority. So now all 28 of the town's police officers are being questioned about the assassination.

5. Cannabis drug

For the first time, the FDA has approved a cannabis-based drug. The drug is called Epidiolex, and it's used to treat two forms of epilepsy that affect children. Described as "a historic milestone," it's the first "pharmaceutical formulation of highly-purified, plant-based cannabidiol" that lacks the high associated with marijuana. Epidiolex will be available in the fall. It's considered an option for patients who have not responded to other treatments to control seizures.

BREAKFAST BROWSE

Too good to be true

Meet Lil Miquela, one of Instagram's biggest stars. She rocks designers' clothes and has more than a million followers. And she's not real.

Panther power

Wakanda really will live forever, now that the Smithsonian has added props from "Black Panther" to its collection.

Beautiful good-bye

The dying teacher didn't want flowers at her funeral. So mourners fulfilled her final wish by bringing backpacks full of school supplies for needy students.

Water works

These kids were carrying water in pots to fill up their pool. Then, the firefighters stopped by to help. 

Jarring juxtaposition

It's one heck of a video: Beachgoers in Italy frolic in the waters of the Mediterranean while a boat full of stranded migrants looms in the background.

TODAY'S NUMBERS

$10 million

That's the value of the marijuana that one police dog helped pull off Chicago's streets.

200

That's the number of Toys 'R' Us stores that are closing this week as the troubled retailer winds down its US operations.

TODAY'S QUOTE

"I'm really grateful to Joe -- a little bit of a sore rib for a couple of weeks is no big deal."

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, who was saved from choking by fellow Sen. Joe Manchin. One of her ribs was broken when Manchin performed the Heimlich maneuver on her.

AND FINALLY

A real lemon

A supercar powered by ... lemons? It's amazing what an ex-NASA engineer, an eccentric inventor and a group of creative kids came up with. (Click to view.)

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