LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:
Deep underground, in a network of caves, a mission is underway in Thailand to save the lives of a group of boys and their soccer coach. We’re following that story, and we will bring you updates throughout the morning.
But first, politics here at home. Tomorrow, we’re expecting President Trump to announce his Supreme Court pick. And then the president heads to Europe for the annual NATO summit and later to Finland for a one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. None of these things are expected to happen without controversy. Here to help us understand what to watch for is NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson. Good morning.
MARA LIASSON, BYLINE: Hi, Lulu.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: So what is the latest on the next nominee?
LIASSON: I think the choice is down to two or three judges. There’s Judge Brett Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge and Judge Amy Coney Barrett. People say Barrett needs more experience. She’s only been on the bench for less than a year. Kavanaugh has some detractors from people who think he’s too close to the Bush family. Kethledge is a little less known. He has a lower profile. But I think the bottom line is that none of these three would cause any member of the conservative coalition to revolt. In other words, none of them is unacceptable because they all come from that list, that prevetted list by the Federalist Society that the president says he’ll be choosing his judges from. Neil Gorsuch came from the list.
And that list has served two purposes. One, during the campaign, it showed conservatives that a candidate that didn’t have any conservative bona fides would pick pro-life conservative judges. And also, it served as a kind of organizing principle. It’s imposed some order on the process of picking a justice. Personnel appointments can often be chaotic and confusing in the Trump administration. But this is…
