National News at a Glance

Kushner’s Security Clearance Downgraded

Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, has been stripped of his high-level security clearance after months of delays in completing a background check, limiting his ability to view highly classified information, a White House official and another person familiar with Kushner’s situation said. Kushner’s top-secret clearance was reduced to secret and his portfolio, especially with regard to his conduct of foreign affairs, is expected to contract in the days ahead, the people said Tuesday. Officials have not said what has held up Kushner’s background check, though extensive contacts with foreign officials are usually scrutinized closely by the FBI.

Parkland Massacre Thrusts Guns into the Midterm Spotlight

In Minnesota, a Democratic candidate for governor with rural roots is running from his past affiliation with the National Rifle Association. In South Florida, endangered House Republicans are embracing an assault weapons ban. In Ohio, the moderate Democratic candidate for governor, feeling heat from his left, is embracing a more stringent gun-violence platform than his past relations with the NRA would suggest. The mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, has thrust gun rights into the midterm campaign, scrambling traditional game plans in both parties as the debate shifts toward action on firearms restrictions.

Cutting Ties to NRA Pits Businesses Against Republicans

Delta Air Lines, one of Georgia’s largest employers, contributes an estimated $435 billion a year to the economy. But in the wake of the Florida school shooting, the airline announced it was ending a promotional discount with the National Rifle Association, and found itself in the rare position of being openly dressed down by Republicans who control the statehouse. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who has received an A-plus grade from the NRA, joined other conservative lawmakers in threatening to remove a $50 million sales tax exemption on jet fuel that some hoped would encourage Delta to open even more routes.

Ben Carson’s HUD, Planning Cuts, Spends $31,000 on Dining Set for His Office

Department of Housing and Urban Development officials spent $31,000 on a new dining room set for Secretary Ben Carson’s office in late 2017 — just as the White House circulated its plans to slash HUD’s programs for the homeless, elderly and poor, according to federal procurement records. The purchase of the custom hardwood table, chairs and hutch came a month after a top agency staff member filed a whistleblower complaint charging Carson’s wife, Candy Carson, with pressuring department officials to find money for the expensive redecoration of his offices, even if it meant circumventing the law.

Offer of Pay Raise Ends Strike by Teachers in West Virginia

A teachers strike that ground public schools to a halt across West Virginia is set to end Thursday, Gov. James C. Justice and teachers union representatives said Tuesday. Justice, a Republican, said he had promised the state’s teachers a 5 percent raise and he would create a task force to address the problem of rising insurance costs for public employees, a key issue in the strike. The strike left more than 250,000 children out of school in the state’s 55 counties. The teachers frequently cited data showing that they are among the lowest-paid public educators in the United States.

Justice Dept. Backs High-Stakes Lawsuit Against Opioid Makers

The Justice Department is throwing its weight behind plaintiffs in a sprawling, high-stakes prescription opioids lawsuit in Ohio, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Tuesday. Sessions said the Justice Department plans to file a statement of interest in the lawsuit, a technique that past administrations have typically reserved for cases that directly affect the federal government’s interests. The lawsuit pending in U.S. District Court in Cleveland consolidates more than 400 complaints by cities, counties and Native American tribes nationwide. They accused manufacturers, distributors and dispensers of prescription opioids of using misleading marketing to promote the painkillers.