Originally published in the New York Times By Katie Rogers INDIANAPOLIS — In a speech to National Rifle Association members on Friday that was part political rally and part pep talk, President Trump called himself a champion of gun rights. Then he proved it, whipping out a pen onstage to sign a letter that would effectively cease America’s involvement in an arms treaty designed to regulate the international sale of conventional weapons. Mr. Trump said that his administration “will never” ratify the Arms Trade Treaty, which seeks to discourage the sale of conventional weapons to countries that do not protect human rights. Although the accord was brokered by the United Nations and signed by President Barack Obama, it has never been ratified by the Senate. Experts in arms control note that the accord, even if ratified by the Senate, would not require the United States to alter any existing domestic laws or procedures governing how it sells conventional weapons overseas. S...

Vice President Mike Pence (left) speaks with South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg in South Bend, Ind., in April 2013. Buttigieg has pointed to Pence when arguing that being gay was not a choice. | Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP The 37-year-old mayor has climbed the ranks of the 2020 Democratic primary with help from a fundraising surge after launching barbs at the vice president, an icon among many Republicans. Originally published in Politico By DANIEL STRAUSS Pete Buttigieg is creating a split-screen moment for gay Republicans: The rising 2020 presidential contender speaks passionately about the military, God and efficient government. Some gay conservatives have spoken positively about Buttigieg — a moderate-sounding Midwesterner who married his husband last year — being a leap forward for gay Americans and politicians. But the South Bend, Ind., mayor’s public squabbles with Vice President Mike Pence are pushing some gay Republicans to fire back at Bu...