(Reuters) - Highlights of the day for U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday:
SENATE SHOWDOWN ON GORSUCH
Moving toward a climactic showdown over Trump's Supreme Court nominee, the top Senate Republican says he will start the clock ticking toward a vote to cut off a Democratic effort to block conservative Judge Neil Gorsuch's confirmation.
HEALTHCARE OR TAX OVERHAUL?
As Trump and congressional Republicans lurch between repealing Obamacare or rewriting the federal tax code as their top priority, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan dampens White House hopes for a quick vote on healthcare legislation.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Trump vows to cut red tape to speed up approval of infrastructure projects and say his overhaul could top $1 trillion on roads, tunnels and bridges, one of his 2016 election campaign promises.
SYRIAN CHEMICAL WEAPONS ATTACK
The White House blames a deadly chemical weapons attack in Syria's Idlib province on the government of President Bashar al-Assad and says the incident was "reprehensible and cannot be ignored by the civilized world."
KUSHNER IN IRAQ
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner travels with the top U.S. general to an Iraqi base 10 miles (16 km) from Mosul, and voices hope the city's eventual recapture from Islamic State would be "a victory for the world."
CHINA SUMMIT
Although worried about the prospect of a trade war, American businesses operating in China nonetheless want Trump to wring some concessions on market access from China's leader Xi Jingping when the two meet this week.
CARBON TAX, VAT
The White House is exploring a value-added tax and a carbon tax as part of a planned tax code overhaul, The Washington Post reports, citing an unidentified administration official and a person briefed on the matter.
NEXT SEC HEAD
The Senate Banking Committee votes to advance Jay Clayton's nomination as the next chief of the Securities and Exchange Commission to the full Senate for approval.
Before his nomination to head the SEC, the Wall Street attorney communicated with more than a half dozen of Trump's transition representatives, including one whose company has a multimillion-dollar contract with the agency, according to documents seen by Reuters.
DODD-FRANK "HAIRCUT"
Trump says his administration is working on changes to Dodd-Frank banking regulations that will make it easier for banks to loan money.