The Note: Which Trump will come to the table today with Putin

Trump and Putin meet today during the G-20 summit.

ByABC News
July 7, 2017, 6:47 AM

— -- WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

  • Trump and Putin face off. Possible topics for the two leaders' high-stakes meeting: U.S. sanctions against Russia, Syria, Ukraine and, just maybe, Russian hacking of elections. Trump and Putin have already shook hands on the sideline of the G-20 summit, according to the Kremlin.
  • Trump tweeted that he's looking forward to the meeting with Putin and there's "much to discuss"... and about Hillary Clinton's former campaign chairman John Podesta?
  • The G-20 summit discussions kick off today. Trump and other world leaders converge in Hamburg, Germany, and could butt heads over trade, climate change and refugee migration. While in the backdrop, thousands of protesters and police clashed in the streets, with at least 76 officers left injured.
    • Make it 10 Republican senators who are now opposed to the Senate GOP health care plan. Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota said he "doesn't support the bill as it stands." This as some of his fellow Republican colleagues (Ted Cruz, Mitch McConnell, Cory Gardner) faced a few protesters at their town halls or had sit-ins held outside their offices in their home states.
    • THE TAKE with ABC News' Rick Klein

      Happy Putin day. But who's smiling? Probably not the Russian leader who's had years to perfect his poker face; the guy who has taken the art of body language around U.S. presidents to levels approaching science. Yet it's easy to imagine the Russian president enjoying the sit-down with a counterpart who has "no specific agenda" and who, just a day earlier, handed him the dual gift of slamming U.S. intelligence services and media organizations. Vladimir Putin has already gotten more than he could have hoped out of his relationship with Donald Trump. The question becomes how Trump responds, with issues on the table that are big and even bigger: meddling in the election, and also North Korea and Syria, and Ukraine and missile defense, and the clash of civilizations Trump just outlined in Poland. Even without an agenda, the meeting is on the president's mind. Trump tweeted that he will "represent our country well," and then complained: "Fake News Media will never cover me accurately but who cares!" He cares, of course. So does the man who knows he holds some considerable power over the president he's sitting down with.

      WHAT TO WATCH

      Trump holds a meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, where the two will discuss renegotiating NAFTA. The last time the two tried to meet, Pena Nieto canceled on Trump.

      THIS WEEK ON ‘THIS WEEK'

      George Stephanopoulos goes one-on-one with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, exclusively on "This Week" Sunday. Plus, Walter Shaub comes to "This Week" Sunday after announcing he will resign as director of the Office of Government Ethics. And the Powerhouse Roundtable debates the week in politics, with Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., Wall Street Journal columnist and author of "False Black Power?" Jason Riley, and editor and publisher of The Nation Katrina vanden Heuvel.

      THE ETHICS DIRECTOR EXITS

      The former director of the Office of Government Ethics, Walter Shaub, who resigned Thursday, might have quite the story to tell. Trump's cabinet picks have had complicated financial portfolios with a surplus of potential conflicts of interest. The White House asked the office for a head-scratchingly large number of waivers for its people to retain business ties while they served in government. And on top of all that, the controversy surrounding the president himself and his continued financial interest in his own family business empire. After stepping down Thursday night, Shaub said the president had a long way to go before the American people could know the true motivations behind his decision. He added he felt he had achieved all he could "under current circumstances." Does that mean there were red flags so serious he was too uncomfortable to stay? Was he forced out? Will the job be carried out according to its mission moving forward? Do Americans care? Big picture: Would Shaub say anything more under oath? In all fairness, maybe not. Shaub was nearing the end of his term and maybe his decision to leave was relatively benign. Still, his resignation teed up an opportunity for the recently appointed House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., to assert himself in his new role without much controversy. Holding a hearing with Shaub could go a long way in proving his intention to do basic, independent oversight of this administration and not stick to partisan stories, ABC News' MaryAlice Parks writes.

      NEED TO READ with ABC News' Daksha Sthipam

      "Powerhouse Politics" podcast - Sen. Lankford: Trump needs to "apply pain" to Putin regime to deter from meddling. Sen. James Lankford took a much clearer stance on ABC News' "Powerhouse Politics" podcast Thursday amid the president's insistence in Poland of "not [being] really sure" of Russian interference. "It is incredibly clear that Russia was trying to interfere in our election," the Oklahoma Republican said. "There is no question on that, by any means, that Russia was trying to engage -- try to destabilize our democracy." http://abcn.ws/2tmwjPx

      Russian reporter: Russians seeking "normalcy" out of Putin-Trump meeting. "The ultimate goal of the Russians in this meeting, and I'm quoting my ambassador here, Ambassador [Sergey] Kislyak, is 'normalcy,'" Andrei Sitov, the Washington bureau chief for the Russian state-run TASS news agency told ABC News' "Powerhouse Politics." "They want to come back to the normal state of relations." http://abcn.ws/2sSG5pc

      Protesters opposing GOP health care bill descend upon lawmakers. Protesters around the country Thursday responded to lawmakers who declined to hold town halls by bringing their complaints straight to the doors of their elected officials' offices. http://abcn.ws/2sME3vH

      WHO'S TWEETING?

      @APWestRegion: Trump rules for travel ban remain after US judge denies Hawaii motion to clarify qualifying family relationships http://bit.ly/2tOHt0s

      @kasie: Fascinating from @SenateMajLdr in KY on healthcare state of play: Acknowledges if he can't get 50, will need bipartisan fixfor markets

      @mviser: Paul LePage: I'm the governor. I make up fake stories. The press reports them. The press are inaccurate! http://bit.ly/2sTu7eQ

      @BraddJaffy: Folks, Poland's first lady did not diss Trump's handshake attempt. She was looking at Melania, shook her hand, then shook Trump's. Stop.

      The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the key political moments of the day ahead. Please check back Monday for the latest.

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