On Politics: Pettiness and Pageantry

Good Tuesday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.

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Queen Elizabeth II welcomed President Trump to Buckingham Palace on Monday, while Mr. Trump carried on an ugly dispute with the mayor of London, whom he called a “stone cold loser.” The juxtaposition of high pageantry and low name-calling on the first day of Mr. Trump’s state visit to Britain captured the odd swath that this president cuts on the world stage.

In 1988, Joe Biden ran for president for the first time and it was a disaster, doomed in part by his tendency to embellish. While hints of that linger today, his message to voters is now clearer: He’s a stabilizing statesman in a tumultuous time.

A Congress that has struggled all year to legislate returned Monday to face two urgent deadlines. They could lead to a disastrous default on the federal debt, and to automatic spending cuts that would sweep through the military, federal health care and other popular programs.

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