Highlights: The Trump presidency on March 9 at 3:40 p.m. EST
(Reuters) - Highlights of the day for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday: HEALTHCARE The Trump-backed Republican plan to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system clears its first hurdle but chances for passage in Congress look uncertain amid opposition by Democrats, conservatives and industry groups. ENVIRONMENT EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt says he is not convinced carbon dioxide from human activity is the main driver of climate change and wants Congress to weigh in on whether it is a harmful pollutant that should be regulated. DEFENSE AND SECURITY Trump's plan to boost military spending comes amid mounting evidence that potential enemies have new weapons that are able to destroy much of the United States’ expensive fleet of aircraft carriers. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will host a 68-nation meeting in Washington this month to discuss the next moves by the coalition fighting Islamic State militants, a Trump administration official says. REGULATION Trump meets with community bankers and promises them he will to strip away some Dodd-Frank financial regulations and ensure they can continue giving small businesses access to capital. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt says he aims to reduce regulatory uncertainty for industry and will put out an announcement on fuel efficiency standards very soon. DIPLOMACY Reports that Jon Huntsman will be the next U.S. ambassador to Russia stir anxiety in Moscow, with one politician calling him a hawk and pro-Kremlin media recalling what they said was his worrying history of hostile rhetoric. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approves Trump's nominee as ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, an outspoken bankruptcy lawyer aligned with the Israeli right. TRAVEL BAN Washington state's attorney general will ask a federal judge in Seattle to confirm that a previous court ruling halting Trump's temporary travel ban applies to a revised order signed by Trump this week. RUSSIA CNN reports that the U.S. Senate intelligence committee wants Michael Flynn, forced out as Trump's national security adviser, and other former Trump aides to testify in its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. EX-SPY A former U.S. spy, newly pardoned by Italy in connection with the CIA kidnap of a terrorism suspect in Milan, credits the Trump administration with saving her from an Italian jail. MISSING AMERICAN The Trump administration marks the 10th anniversary on Thursday of the disappearance of Robert Levinson in Iran with a pledge to bring the former FBI and DEA agent back to the United States. (Compiled by Bill Trott; Editing by James Dalgleish and Grant McCool)
