National News at a Glance

Abuse Case Exposes Fissures in a White House in Turmoil

The furor over spousal abuse allegations that forced the resignation of one of President Donald Trump’s top advisers last week has exposed fissures within the White House that had been papered over since John Kelly took over last summer as chief of staff. Aides to the president said they remained confused over the handling of the accusations against Rob Porter, the staff secretary who stepped down. Days after his departure, the White House was struggling Sunday to provide a consistent explanation of who knew what and when, even as questions swirled about whether anyone might be felled as a result.

NASA Budgets for Trip to the Moon, With a Role for the Private Sector

Sending astronauts back to the moon is one of the top space priorities of President Donald Trump. But his administration wants to accomplish that without giving NASA additional money, and it won’t occur until after he leaves office, even if he wins re-election. Instead, it aims to give the private sector a greater role, according to a budget proposal to be released Monday. The administration is also looking to end American payments for the International Space Station by 2025. The space station is scheduled to operate through 2024, but the expectation was that it would be extended through 2028.

FDA Chief Goes Against the Administration Stereotype

Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, came to the job with a résumé straight out of the Trump administration’s playbook. A millionaire with a libertarian bent, he made his money working for the industry he now regulates, and had investments in 20 health care companies whose products could come before the agency for approval. More than nine months after he was confirmed, Gottlieb has achieved something unusual: He has quieted some skeptics, while also managing to keep industry supporters content and the president on his side. He has done so by making moves to protect public health while offering rewards to industry.

Conspiracy Suit Over Charlottesville Assails ‘Alt-Right’ Leaders

In the hours after last summer’s white power rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, erupted into violence, planners of the protest mounted a defense: They claimed they had a First Amendment right to self-expression, and none of the bloodshed was their fault. Six months later, that narrative of blamelessness is being tested in the courthouse. In a direct assault on the “alt-right” movement, a sprawling lawsuit contends that the leaders of the gathering engaged in a conspiracy to foster racial hatred, and are legally responsible for the 30 injuries and the death of a woman, Heather Heyer, that occurred.

Trump’s Plan to Finance Infrastructure Faces Hurdles

President Donald Trump on Monday will propose offering $100 billion in federal incentives to encourage cities and states to invest in road, bridge and other building projects, the centerpiece of a plan to spur $1.5 trillion in infrastructure spending over the next decade without devoting significant federal money. The proposal faces long odds on Capitol Hill, where members of both parties are skeptical of any plan that fails to create a dedicated new funding stream to address the nation’s crumbling infrastructure. Lawmakers are also doubtful that such a small federal investment will be sufficient to spur an infrastructure spending boom.

As DeVos Signs Education Plans, She Finds Skeptics in GOP Governors

The majority of states have the green light from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to begin implementing a federal law to replace No Child Left Behind. But state and federal education policymakers are running into opposition from governors. DeVos has approved 35 plans that provide a strategy to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act. Every state education department was required to submit a plan. Of those 35, six are from states where the governor refused to sign on and three others are pending approval. Of those nine, seven are opposed by Republican governors. They have protested their states’ goals, deeming them underwhelming at best and at worst unjust.

A Famed Fishing Port Staggers as Its ‘Codfather’ Goes to Jail

Carlos Rafael, whose initials are on boats all over New Bedford, Massachusetts, boasted that his fishing empire was worth more than official records showed. His trick? When he caught fish that are subject to strict catch limits, like cod, he would report that his nets were filled with something more plentiful, like haddock. “We call them something else,” Rafael told visitors who were actually IRS agents. As Rafael sits in prison, having pleaded guilty to lying about his catches and smuggling cash out of the country, his boats have been barred from fishing, grinding part of the centuries-old maritime economy in the nation’s most lucrative fishing port to a halt.

Harvard Chooses Lawrence Bacow as Its Next President

Harvard University’s next president will be Lawrence S. Bacow, a former president of Tufts University and a top academic officer at MIT, who was chosen for his diplomatic and leadership skills at a time when higher education is under fire, the university announced Sunday. The departure of Drew Gilpin Faust, Harvard’s first female president, created an opportunity for Harvard to choose a leader who would reflect the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements that have shaped campus dialogue in recent years. Instead, it chose Bacow, 66, who is better known as a manager and institutional leader than as a scholar.

Fiery Helicopter Crash in Grand Canyon Kills at Least 3 and Injures 4 Others

A helicopter tour in the Grand Canyon this weekend ended in a fiery crash, killing three of the seven people onboard and injuring the other four, police said. The chopper from Papillion Grand Canyon Helicopters was carrying six passengers and a pilot when it went down around 5:20 p.m. Saturday on the Hualapai Reservation near Quartermaster Canyon, the Hualapai Nation police chief, Francis Bradley, said, according to The Associated Press. The names of the dead and injured were not immediately released. Four of the people injured sustained Level 1 injuries and were treated at the scene, officials said.