National News at a Glance

Justice Department Can’t Tie Police Funding to Help on Immigration, Judge Rules

The Justice Department cannot require that local police departments help immigration agents to receive federal funding, a federal judge has ruled. The ruling is a significant victory for local governments that have opposed the Trump administration’s stance on immigration and vowed to stay out of enforcement efforts. U.S. District Judge Manuel Real in Los Angeles issued a permanent, national injunction against the federal funding rules, giving the city an important win in a long-running battle with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the White House. A Justice Department spokesman, Devin M. O’Malley, suggested that an appeal was likely.

Teacher Walkouts Threaten Republican Grip on Conservative States

An intensifying series of red-state battles over education funding and teacher pay threatens to loosen Republicans’ grip on some of the country’s most conservative states, as educators and parents rebel against a decade of fiscal austerity. The clashes could elevate public education into a major issue in several midterm races this fall. Republicans are defending dozens of governorships and state legislative chambers, including in several Southern and Western states where all-Republican governments have passed sweeping reductions in taxes and spending. Both Republicans and Democrats in these strongly conservative states see the unrest as symptomatic of broader unease about years of budgetary belt-tightening that have followed popular tax cuts.

Ryan Tries to Ensure Orderly Succession, but Unrest Simmers

One day after he stunned fellow Republicans by announcing his retirement, House Speaker Paul Ryan moved Thursday to tamp down a succession fight, throwing his weight behind his second-in-command, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California. But Ryan’s surprise exit set the stage for an unpredictable leadership battle, with the ideological direction of the conference at stake. McCarthy’s ascension is hardly assured; the last time he sought the speakership, he angered Republicans with a series of gaffes. If he stumbles again, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana would be there to step in — and take the conference in a still more conservative direction.

Major Energy Move in New Jersey Lifts Renewable Sources, and Nuclear

New Jersey significantly altered the future of its energy sector Thursday, passing two bills that set ambitious goals for expanding renewable power and curtailing greenhouse gases in the state. The bills, which require power companies in New Jersey to generate 50 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and subsidize existing nuclear power plants, mark one of the biggest policy steps any state has taken toward cutting greenhouse gases since Donald Trump was elected. The bills passed by a wide margin in both the Assembly and Senate.

Top Trump Officials Reach Truce in Fight Over Tax Law’s Implementation

The Treasury Department has relinquished some of its authority over implementation of the Trump tax cuts, with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin ceding the ability to review regulations to the White House Office of Management and Budget, headed by Mick Mulvaney. An agreement announced Thursday by two of President Donald Trump’s top economic advisers marks the end of a monthslong turf war that some tax experts feared could delay rollout of the law. The agreement centralizes more power within the White House, giving it more control over how the tax bill is interpreted.

Trump, Having Denounced Amazon’s Shipping Deal, Orders Review of Postal Service

President Donald Trump abruptly issued an executive order Thursday demanding an evaluation of the Postal Service’s finances, asserting the power of his office weeks after accusing Amazon, the online retail giant, of not paying its fair share in postage. In the executive order, Trump created a task force to examine the service’s “unsustainable financial path” and directed the new group to “conduct a thorough evaluation of the operations and finances of the USPS.” Postal Service experts and even Trump’s advisers have urged him to back off the accusations, noting that the huge number of packages shipped by Amazon is actually helping to keep the Postal Service financial solvent.