Politics

Most remote towns are shrinking, whether they like it or not. But if they take inspiration from industrial Eastern Europe after the Cold War, they can improve even as they get smaller.

Some items in the news worth a read as you begin your Tuesday.

Calls are mounting on Capitol Hill for the Trump administration to end the separation of families at the southern border ahead of a visit from President Trump to discuss legislation.

John Moore describes photographing the distressed Honduran toddler, whose mother was being searched by U.S. Border Patrol. That moment, he says, "was just part of a very, very long journey."

An audio recording that appears to capture the heartbreaking voices of Spanish-speaking children crying out for their parents is taking center stage in the growing uproar over the Trump administration's policy of separating immigrant children from their parents.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission worked through questions of Enbridge Energy and opponents of the Line 3 oil pipeline project on Tuesday, hinting that it might take them longer than expected to discuss the matter.

Pipelines are everywhere, 2.5 million miles of them, forming a web under our feet, our rivers, our roads. And today, nearly every time a new pipeline is proposed, it's met with protest. Now, the battle over those pipelines -- with all its costs and its chaos -- looks to be headed for Minnesota.

An American Public Media documentary about African-Americans who spoke out against injustice.

President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Trade Representative to prepare new tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports on Monday as the two nations moved closer to a potential trade war.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen went before reporters at the White House to defend the controversial practice, as more Republicans joined Democrats in criticizing the administration.

Under the legislation, children would be held in the same place as their parents if the parents are detained. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., says he'd back a compromise bill.

The president has added an official event to his schedule during his trip to Duluth for a political rally.

Congress is giving states $380 million to bolster the security of the 2018 elections. But getting that money out to local election officials has been a slow and laborious process.

Vowing to reclaim U.S. leadership in space, President Donald Trump announced Monday he is directing the Pentagon to create a new "Space Force" as an independent service branch aimed at ensuring American supremacy in space.

The court on Monday, in twin partisan gerrymandering cases from Wisconsin and Maryland, said either that challengers didn't have standing or didn't weigh in on the merits of the case.

What is going on behind the scenes with President Donald Trump and the brewing trade war?

Inside an old warehouse in South Texas, hundreds of immigrant children wait in a series of cages created by metal fencing. One cage had 20 children inside. Scattered about are bottles of water, bags of chips and large foil sheets intended to serve as blankets.

Some political stories in the news you may have missed over the weekend.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to grill Michael Horowitz and Christopher Wray about how the FBI and Department of Justice handled the investigation into Hillary Clinton's email server.

Former first lady Laura Bush called the policy "cruel" and "immoral" while GOP Sen. Susan Collins expressed concern about it and a former adviser to President Trump said he thought the issue was going to hurt the president at some point. Religious groups, including some conservative ones, are protesting.