OnPolitics Today: Empty chairs at not empty tables

President Trump shows off who he didn't meet with today and more

with Jessica Estepa OnPolitics Today: Empty chairs at not empty tables Happy Tuesday, OP friends. Today was filled with political stunts, big court rulings and, of course, North Korea. So, you know, your basic Tuesday in Washington. Subscribe here and let's get to it. Chuck and Nancy aren't so chummy President Trump wants you to know that he doesn't think Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi are playing nicely.  And how best to show that than to have two empty chairs sitting next to him at a meeting that did include the presence of the GOP leadership? Chuck and Nancy have been all talk and no action, the president said. And now? They're "not even talk." From the Democrats' perspective, though, the meeting would have been a waste of time. They already knew ahead of time that the president didn't think they would work out a deal to fund the government, thanks to a tweet he sent this morning. CFBP, meet your new acting director After a day of drama, the path forward for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a bit more clear. A judge ruled Tuesday that Mick Mulvaney is the new interim head of the agency , blocking a lawsuit from CFBP deputy director Leandra English - who also considered herself in charge of the agency - that challenged Mulvaney's appointment by President Trump. "Denying the president's authority to appoint Mr. Mulvaney raises significant constitutional questions," U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said. You may recall that Mulvaney is already the director of the Office of Management and Budget. But don't worry about that, Kelly said. There's nothing in the statutes that prevents him from holding both positions. More on North Korea So. North Korea has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, and this one might make you nervous. According to experts, it had the range to reach Washington, D.C. (It didn't actually go very far, according to the Pentagon; it made it about 600 miles before crashing into the sea.) President Trump's reaction: The United States "will take care of it. ... It is a situation that we will handle." And there's an upside: He thinks it will bring his critics back to the table. (See above.) Elsewhere in politics • Deal-making moves Senate Republicans closer to passage of tax reform bill • As Republicans seek 50 votes for tax bill, here's what's in play • JFK files: Code names for Soviet informants in U.S. named in latest batch of documents • Sensitive personal information of 246,000 DHS employees found on home computer MOST SHARED USA TODAY STORIES Rep. John Conyers stepping down from top Judiciary Committee post as ethics probe continues "In light of the attention drawn by recent allegations made against... Read more Continued after advertisement President Trump attacks Roy Moore's opponent: 'Jones would be a disaster' Meanwhile, Republican senators continued their calls for Moore to... Read more Trump presidency spurs cottage industry of ethics watchdogs Nonprofits are bombarding the new administration with lawsuits,... Read more Trump signals changes are coming to tax bill as new study says those at the bottom are hurt Senate Republicans, who cannot afford to lose more than three of... Read more President Trump: There should be a contest about which network is 'most dishonest' "Winner to receive the FAKE NEWS TROPHY!" he said in a tweet on... Read more FOLLOW US Thank you for subscribing to On Politics. © 2017 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22102 Unsubscribe from On Politics Why did I get this? Update my subscription preferences