Things Musk (and Trump) Did... 04-21-25 | Blog#42
Francis, a role model for wayward leaders
Yesterday's post
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Yesterday’s News Worth Repeating
Former Clinton Adviser: Democrats Should Follow Bernie Sanders and AOC
Longtime Democratic strategist Doug Sosnik says the party should promote populist economics.
As Democrats grapple with how to find their way back to power, one party strategist has some surprising advice. Or at least, it may be surprising coming from him.
Doug Sosnik is a longtime Democratic strategist best known for being a top adviser to Bill Clinton. He’s a self-described member of the party’s centrist wing. But he says it’s now time for Democrats to take a page from the progressive left’s playbook.
“I think that what Bernie Sanders and AOC have been saying — which is really a populist economic agenda — I think that is an important element for the Democratic Party going forward,” he said in an interview with the Playbook Deep Dive podcast.
Sosnik is also blunt about Democrats’ predicament as President Donald Trump upends Washington, but argues the party has an opportunity to refine its message ahead of 2026, and more importantly, 2028.
“We’re out of power. We can’t get anything done,” he said. “But at least we need to be able to articulate a coherent narrative about the future that can appeal to the middle class.”
Sosnik also talked about which Democrats intrigued him as potential 2028 presidential contenders — mostly governors, but one senator did come up — as well as who was not likely to end up as the nominee.
“There are indoor politicians and outdoor politicians,” Sosnik said. “Indoor politicians have a roof over them. They’re senators, they give speeches. Outdoor politicians are people that are out there in the field, they’re in the crowds.” Keep an eye on the ones outside.
Continue reading at Politico watch the interview here:
Thousands Attend Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Montana Rally
Democrats dive into GOP districts, accusing Republicans of avoiding constituents
House Democrats are diving back into GOP districts to conduct town halls during the long spring recess, escalating an unusual tactic they’re hoping will help them win over battleground voters.
The gambit — aimed at districts held by Republicans facing tough reelection contests — was initiated after House GOP leaders advised Republican lawmakers not to meet face-to-face with voters in large, public forums amid the outcry over President Trump’s efforts to remake Washington.
In March, a handful of Democrats ventured into GOP districts to stage town halls put on by grassroots activists and local party affiliates. They’ve expanded the effort this month, using the two-week holiday break to visit Republican-held districts in states spanning from coast to coast.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have gained the most attention as they traverse the country on the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which launched in March. In recent days the pair has barnstormed through Republican strongholds in the West, including stops in Montana, Utah and Idaho, attracting large crowds in the process.
But they’re hardly alone. On a smaller scale, individual House Democrats — some coordinating with the Democrats’ national campaign arms, others not — are also hopping into Republican territory to take their anti-Trump arguments directly to voters. A large part of the message is calling out GOP lawmakers for declining to conduct similar public events.
“Republicans shouldn’t be hiding from their constituents,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said Friday in an email.
Continue reading at The Hill
Note from Rima: Sanders/AOC’s rallies have drawn tens of thousands consistently. See today’s Montana rally live above.
‘JB wants to fight’: Illinois governor embraces role as one of Trump’s fiercest foes
The two-term governor hasn’t announced whether he’ll run for reelection next year, but is increasingly making high-profile appearances across the country.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — JB Pritzker is at a political crossroads.
The popular, two-term Illinois governor would be a prohibitive favorite if he runs again in 2026.
But the fiery progressive Democrat is also increasingly burnishing his national political credentials, making high profile appearances across the country, using his vast personal wealth to bankroll Democratic causes and pillorying the divisive policies of President Donald Trump.
Pritzker has strong views about what Democrats need to do to claw their way back from the wilderness after the drubbing they took in November.
“Democrats shouldn’t fall into the trap that they fell into in 2024 of responding to everything that the Republicans say, given the way they twist things,” Pritzker said in a wide-ranging interview in his Capitol office where he signs bills. “Republicans keep asking the question, ‘Have you stopped beating your wife?’ There is no good answer to that.”
But at the same time, Pritzker stresses, Democrats need to vigorously defend core principles, saying it was a “mistake” that Kamala Harris’ campaign never came up with an effective answer to Trump’s attacks for her support of transgender rights.
Asked how he would have responded, Pritzker said: “First of all, stop picking on the smallest minority of people whose civil rights are just as important as yours. … Trans children are most likely of any group to commit suicide. Why do Republicans have no sympathy for that at all?”
Continue reading at Politico
Republicans are targeting a pillar of Obamacare. Millions of their own voters may pay a price
(CNN) — As the pressure grows on congressional Republicans to identify cuts in Medicaid, they are crashing into a familiar problem: The changes that could save the most money would impose heavy costs on many of their own voters.
Several key House Republicans have signaled in recent days that they may try to cut Medicaid spending by rolling back the expansion in eligibility for the working poor included in the Affordable Care Act approved under President Barack Obama.
That option may be attractive to Republicans partly because the states that have most aggressively used that authority to expand eligibility mostly lean Democratic. Most House districts where more people than the national average receive health coverage through the Medicaid expansion are also held by Democrats, according to an exclusive new CNN analysis of data from KFF, a non-partisan health care think tank.
Continue reading at CNN.com
Salvadoran President Bukele proposes prisoner swap with Maduro for Venezuelan deportees
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele proposed carrying out a prisoner swap with Venezuela on Sunday, suggesting he would exchange Venezuelan deportees from the United States his government has kept imprisoned for what he called “political prisoners” in Venezuela.
In a post on the social media platform X, directed at President Nicolás Maduro, Bukele listed off a number of family members of high-level opposition figures in Venezuela, journalists and activists detained during the South American government’s electoral crackdown last year.
“The only reason they are imprisoned is for having opposed you and your electoral fraud,” he wrote to Maduro. “However, I want to propose a humanitarian agreement that includes the repatriation of 100% of the 252 Venezuelans who were deported, in exchange for the release and surrender of an identical number (252) of the thousands of political prisoners you hold.”
Among those he listed were the son-in-law of former Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo González, a number of political leaders seeking asylum in the Argentine embassy in Venezuela, and what he said were 50 detained citizens from a number of different countries across the world. Bukele also listed the mother of opposition leader María Corina Machado, whose house the political leader has said was surrounded by Venezuelan police in January.
Continue reading at the AP
Today's news
Democratic News Corner
House Dems travel to El Salvador to secure Maryland man’s return
More Democrats are making the trip abroad to raise awareness for what they call a “constitutional crisis” surrounding Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation.
Four more Democratic lawmakers have landed in El Salvador as the party ramps up its efforts to secure the release of a Maryland man the Trump administration now admits it erred in deporting.
Democratic Reps. Robert Garcia of California, Maxwell Frost of Florida, Yassamin Ansari of Arizona and Maxine Dexter of Oregon are demanding the White House abide by a court order to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States. They’re planning to meet with officials at the U.S. embassy in El Salvador to advocate for Abrego Garcia’s release and to get information on other detainees transferred to El Salvador from the U.S.
Frost, in a statement, accused the Trump administration of “running a government-funded kidnapping program — illegally arresting, jailing, and deporting innocent people with zero due process,” of which Abrego Garcia is the “latest victim.”
“What happened to Kilmar Abrego Garcia is not just one family’s nightmare — it is a constitutional crisis that should outrage every single one of us,” Dexter said in a separate statement. “We will not rest while due process is discarded, and our constitutional rights are ignored.”
Continue reading at Politico
AOC seizes the moment as Dems seek a new identity
Democrats are scrambling for a new identity. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is racing to fill that vacuum with a party rooted in Sen. Bernie Sanders' left-wing populism.
Why it matters: Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is drawing tens of thousands of people to her rallies with Sanders — even in red states. She's breaking her own fundraising records, and surging in early polling of potential 2028 presidential candidates.
It feels to many top Democrats like she's grabbing Sanders' torch as a progressive leader — and that he's intentionally passing it to her. The two kindred spirits deny it.
Her rise comes as the Democratic Party base is increasingly agitated by the party's inability to push back against the Trump administration's sweeping agenda — and is searching for a champion to fight back.
Driving the news: Ocasio-Cortez has been cheered like a political rock star over the past two weeks as she and Sanders (I-Vt.) barnstorm the country with mega-rallies for a "Fighting Oligarchy" tour.
She and Sanders have mobilized large crowds in conservative states, including Utah, Idaho and Montana. Thousands in Salt Lake City chanted "AOC! AOC! AOC!" as she left the stage.
Continue reading at Axios
National Security
Trump defends Hegseth: ‘Ask the Houthis how he’s doing’
President Trump on Monday defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid new reporting about a Signal app chat and criticism from former Pentagon officials.
“He is doing a great job… Ask the Houthis how he’s doing,” Trump told reporters on the south lawn of the White House during the annual Easter Egg Roll.
Trump touted strong military recruitment numbers under Hegseth and waved off the latest controversies.
“It’s just fake news,” Trump said. “They just bring up stories. I guess it sounds like disgruntled employees. You know, he was put there to get rid of a lot of bad people.”
The New York Times reported late Sunday that Hegseth shared sensitive information about planned strikes in Yemen in a private chat on the Signal app that included his wife, his brother and his personal lawyer.
Continue reading at The Hill
Duckworth: Hegseth endangering troops with ‘singular stupidity’
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot and combat veteran, said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s “singular stupidity” is putting troops in harm’s way and demanded his resignation — after a new report alleges the secretary shared detailed military plans in a group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer.
“How many times does Pete Hegseth need to leak classified intelligence before Donald Trump and Republicans understand that he isn’t only a f‑‑‑ing liar, he is a threat to our national security?” Duckworth, who sits on the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, said Sunday on the social platform X.
“Every day he stays in his job is another day our troops’ lives are endangered by his singular stupidity,” she continued. “He must resign in disgrace.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Former Top Pentagon Spokesperson Details ‘Month from Hell’ Inside the Agency
A month of total chaos at the Department of Defense is becoming a major distraction for the Trump administration, writes John Ullyot.
John Ullyot is former chief Pentagon spokesman and led communications at the National Security Council and the Department of Veterans Affairs in President Donald Trump’s first term. He resigned from the Pentagon last week. He was a senior communications adviser on Trump’s 2016 campaign.
It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon. From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership.
President Donald Trump has a strong record of holding his top officials to account. Given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer.
The latest flashpoint is a near collapse inside the Pentagon’s top ranks. On Friday, Hegseth fired three of his most loyal senior staffers — senior adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, chief of staff to the deputy secretary of Defense. In the aftermath, Defense Department officials working for Hegseth tried to smear the aides anonymously to reporters, claiming they were fired for leaking sensitive information as part of an investigation ordered earlier this month.
Yet none of this is true. While the department said that it would conduct polygraph tests as part of the probe, not one of the three has been given a lie detector test. In fact, at least one of them has told former colleagues that investigators advised him he was about to be cleared officially of any wrongdoing. Unfortunately, Hegseth’s team has developed a habit of spreading flat-out, easily debunked falsehoods anonymously about their colleagues on their way out the door.
On Friday, POLITICO reported that Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, was leaving his role. Kasper had requested the investigation into the Pentagon leaks, which reportedly included military operational plans for the Panama Canal and a pause in the collection of intelligence for Ukraine.
Hegseth is now presiding over a strange and baffling purge that will leave him without his two closest advisers of over a decade — Caldwell and Selnick — and without chiefs of staff for him and his deputy. More firings may be coming, according to rumors in the building.
In short, the building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership.
Continue reading at Politico
Former Pentagon official warns department’s dysfunction could topple Hegseth
“The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon,” John Ullyot, the former top Defense Department spokesperson, wrote in a POLITICO Magazine opinion piece.
The Pentagon is in “total chaos” and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is unlikely to remain in his role, according to its former top spokesperson, who painted a scene of dysfunction, backstabbing and continuous missteps at the highest levels of the department.
“The building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership,” John Ullyot wrote Sunday in a POLITICO Magazine opinion piece. “The dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership.”
Ullyot, who resigned from the Pentagon last week, described a department in collapse. He accused Hegseth’s team of “falsehoods” about why three top officials were fired last week, saying they hadn’t leaked sensitive information to the media. He chastised Pentagon officials for how they handled revelations that Hegseth shared sensitive military information in a Signal chat, and he pointed to other leaks that caused embarrassment to the administration.
The remarkable accusations by a former official — who left only two days ago and insists he still supports the Trump administration’s national security policies — underscores the infighting and upheaval that has turned increasingly public in recent weeks.
But he also found himself in the center of several controversies that added to that chaos.
Ullyot was sidelined after he defended the removal in March of a story discussing the service of baseball legend Jackie Robinson, part of a larger purge of diversity-related military webpages.
“The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon — and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration,” he wrote.
The Defense Department and White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Continue reading at Politico
White House backs Hegseth, Leavitt says ‘entire Pentagon’ is resisting him
Hegseth “is doing phenomenal leading the Pentagon,” Leavitt said during a Monday “Fox & Friends” appearance.
President Donald Trump “stands strongly behind Pete Hegseth,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday morning, defending the scandal-plagued Defense secretary against escalating criticism from Democrats and former senior officials.
Hegseth “is doing phenomenal leading the Pentagon,” Leavitt said in a “Fox & Friends” appearance. “This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change you are trying to implement.”
Her comments came a day after The New York Times reported that Hegseth shared sensitive information about military operations in Yemen in a private chat on the Signal app that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer — the second reported instance of the secretary sharing operational plans in an unclassified chat. The revelations have reignited the so-called Signalgate scandal and deepened scrutiny over Hegseth’s judgment and leadership.
Former top Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot, who stepped down last week, also bashed the Pentagon leader for allegedly plunging the department into dysfunction in a POLITICO Magazine opinion piece published Sunday night.
Continue reading at Politico
‘An amateur person’: GOP Rep. Bacon says Hegseth should go
The Nebraska lawmaker is the first House Republican to recommend the president fire the secretary of Defense.
Rep. Don Bacon, a prominent Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, became the first sitting GOP lawmaker Monday to suggest President Donald Trump should fire Pete Hegseth — calling the chaos at the Pentagon one reason why many Hill Republicans were privately uneasy with the Defense secretary’s nomination in the first place.
“I had concerns from the get-go because Pete Hegseth didn’t have a lot of experience,” Bacon, a former Air Force general who now chairs of the subcommittee on cyber issues, said in an interview. “I like him on Fox. But does he have the experience to lead one of the largest organizations in the world? That’s a concern.”
The Nebraska lawmaker also said that while he didn’t feel it was his place to call on Hegseth to resign, he wouldn’t stand for Hegseth’s mismanagement were he the occupant of the Oval Office.
“If it’s true that he had another [Signal] chat with his family, about the missions against the Houthis, it’s totally unacceptable,” said Bacon, referring to the New York Times report that Hegseth shared sensitive information about military operations in Yemen in a private chat on the Signal app that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer. It’s the second report of administration officials using an unclassified messaging platform to share sensitive information.
Continue reading at Politico
Trump offers private reassurance to embattled Hegseth
Allies say Trump sees echoes of former staffers who questioned his own leadership.
President Donald Trump has privately told Pete Hegseth that he’s sticking by him, reinforcing his public support for the embattled Defense secretary who has faced calls for his ouster amid growing turmoil at the Pentagon.
The two spoke privately after a former Pentagon spokesperson criticized his leadership in a POLITICO op-ed on Sunday, stating that “the building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership.”
The message to Hegseth behind closed doors was consistent with the public one, according to a person familiar with the conversation granted anonymity to discuss the private discussion. Trump, at least for now, is voicing his support for Hegseth, according to the person and two others with knowledge of Trump’s stance.
Trump, who pushed hard to get the former Fox News Channel host confirmed as Defense secretary, stood firmly behind Hegseth after a journalist mistakenly added to a private group chat revealed that he’d shared classified details about an attack on Houthi militants in the unsecured channel earlier this year.
Continue reading at Politico
Economics
Markets plummet as Trump rips Powell
Markets nosedived on Monday as President Donald Trump blasted Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell for not cutting interest rates amid waning economic sentiment spurred by Trump’s tariff policies.
Trump escalated his war of words against Powell in a Truth Social post on Monday morning.
Trump called Powell “a major loser” after nicknaming him “Mr. Too Late” and told him to lower interest rates immediately.
“There can be a SLOWING of the economy unless Mr. Too Late, a major loser, lowers interest rates, NOW,” Trump wrote on social media.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average of big U.S. stocks was down more than 940 points, or more than 2.4 percent, on the day as of 11:30 a.m. on Monday. The S&P 500 was down more than 2.5 percent, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite was down almost 2.9 percent.
Securities markets have fallen off a cliff in recent weeks as Trump has ramped up his trade war.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump rips ‘loser’ Powell to immediately lower interest rates; markets fall
President Trump on Monday ramped up his pressure on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates, calling him a “major loser” and suggesting previous rate cuts were aimed at helping former President Biden.
The statement by Trump was watched closely by Wall Street, where markets reopened on Monday after a three-day holiday break. The Dow Jones was down 990 points or 2.53 percent at 11:30 a.m., with the dive accelerating after Trump’s remarks about Powell.
“‘Preemptive Cuts’ in Interest Rates are being called for by many. With Energy Costs way down, food prices (including Biden’s egg disaster!) substantially lower, and most other ‘things’ trending down, there is virtually No Inflation,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“With these costs trending so nicely downward, just what I predicted they would do, there can almost be no inflation, but there can be a SLOWING of the economy unless Mr. Too Late, a major loser, lowers interest rates, NOW,” the president continued.
Continue reading at The Hill
China warns against trade deals with US that harm its interests
China warned other countries against striking new trade deals with the U.S. that might come at the expense of Beijing’s economic interests, as tensions resulting from President Trump’s tariff policies against the country rise.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said Monday it would retaliate against any party that reaches a deal that comes at the expense of Chinese interests, multiple media outlets reported.
China said it “will take countermeasures in a resolute and reciprocal manner,” according to Reuters.
The Chinese embassy to the U.S. did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Hill.
“The unilateral imposition of additional tariffs was entirely initiated by the U.S. side,” the Commerce Ministry said in a Friday social media post. “We urge the U.S. to immediately cease its maximum-pressure tactics.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Phillips 66 strikes back at activist investor Elliott
Phillips 66 on Monday went on the attack against Elliott Investment Management, which has been pushing the Houston-based oil refiner to sell or spin off its midstream business.
State of play: In a shareholder letter, Phillips 66 accuses Elliott of being conflicted, because an Elliott portfolio company is simultaneously bidding for Phillips 66 competitor Citgo.
Continue reading at Axios
Trade deals and capital markets deals have become enmeshed
International trade negotiations often impact deals, but never before have the two seemed so enmeshed.
The big picture: Pending transactions have become high-stakes bargaining chips, in at least three situations.
Situation 1: TikTok
U.S.-China is the world's most significant trade dispute, and keeps escalating.
TikTok is hardly the centerpiece, but it has outsized political implications for domestic audiences in both countries. Capitulation will be noticed.
The latest is President Trump saying that he might just delay the divestiture deadline a bit longer until a trade deal can be worked out — even though the two countries haven't begun formal talks. Would that be legal? Nope. But neither were Trump's two prior extensions.
One wrinkle is that TikTok's continued existence is complicating life for Trump's FTC lawyers, who are trying to argue that Meta operates a social media monopoly.
Situation 2: Shein
European countries are becoming rope in the tug-of-war between the U.S. and China, and Shein could give Beijing a little leverage with London.
The fast-fashion giant last week received U.K. approval for its IPO, which would be a huge boon for the London Stock Exchange, but hasn't yet gotten sign-off from Beijing.
Continue reading at Axios
The Federal Reserve's dual mandate dilemma
With the U.S. economy shifting toward stagflation, the central question for the Federal Reserve will be which half gets worse: the stag- or the -flation.
Why it matters: The central bank faces challenges on both sides of its dual mandate — the responsibility to seek both stable prices and maximum employment.
Fed officials say they will assess on which side of the mandate they are most coming up short.
The big picture: Most forecasters think a recessionary impulse in the economy will be powerful enough (and trade war-driven, inflation-temporary enough) that the Fed's next move will be rate cuts to support the job market — even if those cuts won't come quickly enough for President Trump's taste.
But Fed officials have avoided committing themselves to that approach, leaving open the possibility that the next move could be a rate hike to combat inflation.
Indeed, modeling of the trade war's effects points to 2025 inflation being considerably further from the Fed's goals than the unemployment rate.
What they're saying: "We may find ourselves in the challenging scenario in which our dual-mandate goals are in tension," Fed chair Jerome Powell said last week.
Continue reading at Axios
Wall Street and the dollar tumble as investors retreat further from the United States
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street weakened Monday as investors worldwide get more skeptical about U.S. investments because of President Donald Trump’s trade war and his criticism of the Federal Reserve, which are shaking the traditional order.
The S&P 500 sank 2.4% in another wipeout. That yanked the index that’s at the center of many 401(k) accounts 16% below its record set two months ago.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 971 points, or 2.5%, while losses for Tesla and Nvidia helped drag the Nasdaq composite down 2.6%.
Perhaps more worryingly, U.S. government bonds and the value of the U.S. dollar also sank as prices retreated across U.S. markets. It’s an unusual move because Treasurys and the dollar have historically strengthened during episodes of nervousness. This time around, though, it’s policies directly from Washington that are causing the fear and potentially weakening their reputations as some of the world’s safest investments.
Continue reading at the AP
The Fiscal Times newsletter
Trump Attacks Powell Again, Spooking Investors
Trump Ratchets Up His Attacks on Fed's Powell, Spooking Investors
President Trump on Monday renewed his call for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and continued his attacks on Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who last week warned that Trump's tariffs have been larger than expected and are "highly likely" to cause at least a temporary rise in inflation.
In a social media post Monday morning, Trump argued that inflation has been tame and pressed for the central bank to lower rates to prevent a possible economic slowdown.
"'Preemptive Cuts' in Interest Rates are being called for by many," Trump wrote, adding that "there is virtually No Inflation." He then lobbed personal attacks against Powell. "With these costs trending so nicely downward, just what I predicted they would do, there can almost be no inflation, but there can be a SLOWING of the economy unless Mr. Too Late, a major loser, lowers interest rates, NOW," Trump wrote. "Europe has already 'lowered' seven times. Powell has always been 'To Late,' [sic] except when it came to the Election period when he lowered in order to help Sleepy Joe Biden, later Kamala, get elected. How did that work out?"
Continue reading at The Fiscal Times (newsletter)
Health and Science News
Pope Francis' legacy includes call for climate action
Pope Francis, who died Monday at 88, was an outspoken advocate of tougher moves to address climate change and brought unprecedented Vatican focus to the topic.
The big picture: A first-time papal encyclical on climate, Laudato Si', in 2015 expressed concern about harms to poor people and vulnerable nations.
In 2018, he addressed oil execs (and others) at a Vatican conference where he credited some of their work but called the continued search for new fossil fuel reserves "worrying."
More recently, Francis issued an "Exhortation" in 2023 that lamented the lack of global progress on climate and said "abandonment" of fossil fuels isn't happening fast enough.
He was slated to become the first pontiff to attend an annual UN climate summit that year, but he had to cancel due to illness.
In 2024, he told CBS News that "climate change at this moment is a road to death."
What they're saying: Climate advocates this morning are lauding Francis' influence.
Continue reading at Axios
NIH Centers Slashed, Consolidated in Leaked HHS Budget Document
— It's the first clear picture of how the Trump administration would like to reshape HHS
The Trump administration wants to cut down the number of NIH institutes and centers from 27 to just eight, according to an HHS budget proposal first sharedopens in a new tab or window by MedPage Today editor-in-chief Jeremy Faust, MD.
NIH's budget would also shrink from a current total of about $48 billion to $27 billion, according to the document.
Four institutes and centers would be scrapped entirely, including the National Institute of Nursing Research, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the Fogarty International Center, and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
The remaining institutes and centers would be consolidated into just eight entities.
Three would remain as they are: the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the National Institute on Aging.
The others would be combined within five overall agencies:
Continue reading at MedPageToday
Leaked Budget Document Confirms Axed CDC Offices
— Two key CDC journals also on the chopping block
A leaked HHS budget documentopens in a new tab or window confirms that a number of CDC offices are eliminated in their entirety, as the Trump administration sets out to refocus the agency on infectious diseases.
It also proposes to eliminate two CDC journals: Emerging Infectious Diseases and Preventing Chronic Disease. Funding for CDC's flagship weekly journal, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reportopens in a new tab or window, however, would be preserved.
The administration wants to "refocus CDC on emerging and infectious disease surveillance, outbreak investigations, preparedness and response, and maintaining the Nation's public health infrastructure," according to the document, which was first sharedopens in a new tab or window by MedPage Today editor-in-chief Jeremy Faust, MD.
"Realigning our focus to better address infectious disease outbreaks and leveraging data to drive more efficient responses is not inherently a bad thing -- in fact, it's necessary," one current HHS executive told MedPage Today. "We must significantly improve our ability to protect Americans from future outbreaks. However, the pace and scale of these changes, combined with limited expert input on what capabilities are needed now and in the near future, raise serious concerns."
The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion would be eliminated, ending all programs in the center, according to the document. MedPage Today previously reported that entire teams and divisions within this center were eliminated in the April Fool's Day layoffs, including the Division of Population Healthopens in a new tab or window, the Office of Smoking and Healthopens in a new tab or window, and teams in the Division of Reproductive Healthopens in a new tab or window.
Funding for CDC's Global Health Center is also eliminated, according to the document.
Continue reading at MedPageToday
Polling- Surveys
Nothing to see here, yet.
The Courts / Legal
Supreme Court declines to weigh gun ban on young adults in Minnesota
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from Minnesota seeking the revival of the state’s ban on gun-carry permits for young adults.
The justices said they would not consider whether the state’s law barring 18-to-20-year-olds from obtaining permits to carry firearms in public violates the Second Amendment, leaving intact a lower court’s ruling that determined it does.
The high court, however, also left in place a ban on guns at the University of Michigan by rejecting a separate appeal from a man who claimed it is his right to be armed on campus.
Neither case noted dissents from any justices, signaling an unwillingness to wade any further into constitutional gun rights, for now.
Minnesota’s law, which was enacted in 2003, was struck down by a federal judge in 2023 and again by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit the following year. More than 30 states and Washington, D.C., have similar measures.
Continue reading at The Hill
Supreme Court to hear Postal Service’s appeal of Black landlord’s bias suit
The justices agreed to hear the federal government’s appeal of a lower court ruling allowing Lebene Konan to seek damages over claims the Postal Service intentionally refused to deliver mail to two addresses she leased.
Konan claims two Postal Service employees engaged in a “racially motivated harassment campaign” against her, making it “impossible” for her or her tenants in Euless, Texas, to receive their mail “solely because she is Black.”
The postal workers’ alleged actions — which included changing the designated owner of one of her properties to a white tenant and changing the mailbox lock at the property so only the white tenant could access it — cost Konan thousands of dollars in rental income when tenants moved out after failing to receive important mail like doctor’s bills, medications and credit card statements, she said.
Konan sued the Postal Service under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), which typically bars tort lawsuits against the government for damages unless a federal employee commits a “wrongful or negligent act” within their official duties. However, the Justice Department says the FTCA doesn’t apply to claims “arising out of the loss, miscarriage, or negligent transmission of letters or postal matter.”
While a district court dismissed Konan’s suit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit unanimously allowed it to proceed.
Continue reading at The Hill
Homan: Deported migrants have ‘less’ due process but ‘no one’s removed just because of a tattoo’
Border czar Tom Homan on Sunday claimed migrants deported under the Alien Enemies Act have “less” due process but argued that no one has been removed based solely on their tattoos.
“The length of due process is not the same under the Alien Enemies Act,” Homan said Sunday while appearing on ABC News’s “This Week.”
Homan’s comments come as the Trump administration has removed more than 200 Venezuelan and Salvadoran men to a notorious prison in El Salvador after accusing them of having gang ties. None of the men had a chance to challenge their removal or accusation of gang affiliation in court, and the Trump administration has argued it has no ability to seek the return of any man once they are in Salvadoran custody.
Host Jonathan Karl pushed back on Homan, noting the Supreme Court has held that all those within the U.S. are guaranteed the due process protections of the Constitution regardless of their immigration status.
Continue reading at The Hill
Google back in court for search case remedies
Google and the Justice Department on Monday will begin working out remedies for the loss in their search trial in D.C. District Court.
Why it matters: The remedies could have huge implications for Google's products, and the trial comes at a time when the tech giant just suffered yet another antitrust court case loss around online advertising.
Federal judges have now ruled twice that Google acted illegally to maintain monopoly status.
Google is still planning to appeal the search case's ruling overall, even as it continues in the remedies phase.
Context: Last August, Judge Amit Mehta ruled Google is a monopolist and has acted as one to maintain its monopoly status.
Continue reading at Axios
FTC files suit accusing Uber of deceptive practices
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against Uber on Monday, accusing the ride-sharing and delivery company of charging users for its optional subscription service without permission and making it hard to cancel it.
The complaint, filed in federal court in California, alleges Uber engaged in deceptive bill and cancellation practices and failed to “deliver promised savings.”
The FTC claims customers are misled about savings of about $25 a month when signing up for the Uber One subscription. The complaint states Uber does not take into account the $9.99 monthly subscription when promising savings and obscures “material information” about the subscriptions with the use of small, grayed out text.
The 44-page complaint included anecdotes from consumers who expressed confusion over how to cancel their subscriptions and discussed the issues they faced in the Uber app. The FTC alleged some users were forced to navigate up to 23 screens when trying to cancel.
Continue reading at The Hill
Supreme Court grapples with challenge to ObamaCare preventive care panel
The Supreme Court seemed open on Monday to upholding the constitutionality of an ObamaCare requirement that insurance companies cover certain preventive care recommended by an expert panel.
Conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett both seemed inclined to support the position of the government and uphold the requirement, though their questions left room for uncertainty and interpretation.
Monday’s case was the culmination of five years of legal wrangling. It centered on the role of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in setting insurance coverage requirements.
The health law requires insurers to cover services the task force recommends with a “grade” of A or B, like cancer screenings and HIV-prevention drugs.
The task force is made of medical experts who serve four-year terms on a volunteer basis. They are appointed by the Health and Human Services secretary and are supposed to be shielded from political influence. Congress designed the task force to be “independent and, to the extent practicable, not subject to political pressure.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Patience runs thin as Trump’s battle with Supreme Court intensifies
Patience is running thin in the intensifying battle between the Supreme Court and President Trump, with the president’s allies heightening their criticisms as the justices burn midnight oil.
Just before 1 a.m. Saturday, the high court temporarily blocked the administration from deporting a group of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act.
Trump’s supporters responded to the ruling with fury, with some calling for the administration to ignore the emergency decision.
Paul Ingrassia, the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, wrote on the social platform X that generations of judges “have been infected with parasitical ideology.”
“The judges in law courts today, including the majority in the nation’s Highest Court, telegraph with these decisions that they have no understanding of law and its proper function and role,” wrote Ingrassia.
Continue reading at The Hill
ACLU pleads with Supreme Court on deportation flights case, accusing Trump of dodging order
Attorneys for Venezuelan migrants who fear they will be deported to a Salvadoran prison have asked the Supreme Court to review the legality of the move, arguing the Trump administration has not complied with an earlier order requiring they be given adequate time to contest their deportation.
The filing from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) details the swift actions on deportations by the Trump administration under the Alien Enemies Act over the weekend. It says the administration gave people less than 24 hours notice they may be deported and never told them they could be imprisoned in a notorious Salvadoran prison.
The ACLU made what it called an extraordinary request to review the legality of whether President Trump can deport migrants under the Alien Enemies Act based on assertions they are gang members.
The matter has already twice come before the Supreme Court for review.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump blasts Supreme Court while arguing trials for migrants ‘not possible’
President Trump on Monday complained of being “stymied at every turn” by the courts, arguing the administration can’t hold trials for migrants it plans to deport amid accusations they are gang members.
The remark was Trump’s first on the topic since the Supreme Court agreed to intervene early Saturday morning, halting flights as the administration prepared to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants, presumably to a prison in El Salvador.
“My team is fantastic, doing an incredible job, however, they are being stymied at every turn by even the U.S. Supreme Court, which I have such great respect for, but which seemingly doesn’t want me to send violent criminals and terrorists back to Venezuela, or any other Country, for that matter,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
While Trump complained of the inability to deport migrants to Venezuela, he has not been barred from deporting migrants there, though Venezuela in the past has resisted accepting deportation flights.
Continue reading at The Hill
Interior Department gives broad powers to DOGE-tied official
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Thursday gave sweeping authority to an official with ties to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
In a secretarial order, Burgum granted Tyler Hassen, who is the department’s assistant secretary for policy, management and budget, the authority to take “all necessary actions” to carry out “consolidation, unification and optimization” at the department and its bureaus.
Hassen, who recently appeared on Fox News, identified as a DOGE official at the Interior, will be able to issue “policy, directives and guidance,” according to the memo.
He was also given the power to make “appropriate funding decisions” and oversee the “transfer of funds, programs, records, and property, as well as taking required personnel actions.”
Interior spokesperson J. Elizabeth Peace said in an email the department was “implementing necessary reforms to ensure fiscal responsibility, operational efficiency and government accountability.”
“We are collaborating closely with the Office of Personnel Management to embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation,” Peace added.
Continue reading at The Hill
House Republican seeks prosecution of former New York governor
It’s the latest political setback from the New York City mayoral candidate.
House Oversight Chair James Comer is asking the Department of Justice to prosecute former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for lying to Congress as part of its investigation into New York State’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Comer, a Kentucky Republican, accused Cuomo, a Democrat now running for New York City mayor, of making “making criminally false statements” around the state’s management of the pandemic in nursing homes. Former Rep. Brad Wenstrup, the chair of the now-disbanded House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, had previously referred Cuomo to former Attorney General Merrick Garland for prosecution — a request that the Biden administration appeared to ignore.
But Comer’s decision to return to the referral suggests the Trump administration may now be willing to engage.
In a statement, Comer demanded Cuomo be prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law.”
“Andrew Cuomo is a man with a history of corruption and deceit, now caught red-handed lying to Congress during the Select Subcommittee’s investigation into the COVID-19 nursing home tragedy in New York,” he said. “This wasn’t a slip-up—it was a calculated cover-up by a man seeking to shield himself from responsibility for the devastating loss of life in New York’s nursing homes.”
The Justice Department did not immediately return a request for comment.
Continue reading at Politico
Supreme Court appears to reject conservative argument over Obamacare provision
Preventive care services for millions hang in the balance.
A majority of the Supreme Court appeared inclined Monday to reject a conservative challenge to Obamacare, leaving in place the federal government’s authority to require insurers to cover everything from depression screenings to HIV prevention drugs at no cost to patients.
And, in an odd twist, it was the Trump administration defending the health law that the president has spent more than a decade excoriating.
Over an hour and a half of in-the-weeds arguments, the justices seemed to favor the administration’s position — that Obamacare’s coverage mandates are constitutional because the task force that recommends them is made up of members who can be ignored or fired at will by the health secretary.
But a favorable ruling will not necessarily be an unqualified win for Obamacare advocates, since it would still leave the current administration with significant sway over those requirements going forward. The high court’s decision, expected by June, could also jeopardize or even erase many of the preventive care requirements set since Obamacare’s inception — allowing insurance companies to charge co-pays for tens of millions of people.
The Trump administration’s surprising defense of the Affordable Care Act, which President Donald Trump has long fought to repeal, seemed driven at least in part by a desire to maximize the authority of Trump’s Cabinet and avoid having a range of employees and advisers be subject to Senate confirmation.
Continue reading at Politico
Anti-DEI-Whitewashing
Record numbers of Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native women elected to state legislatures
Record numbers of Black, Hispanic, Asian and Native women are serving in state legislatures this year, according to a new analysis following the 2024 elections, but advocates for female representation in elected office say the numbers fall short of demographics.
The Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University found that the number of female state lawmakers has continued to trend up nationally, with more than a third of state legislative seats now held by women — the largest segment ever recorded and more than five times the female representation in 1971. Women make up slightly more than half the U.S. population, according to Census data.
CAWP’s analysis also found record-breaking diversity among the women elected.
Nearly 400 Black women are serving in statehouses this year, up from the previous record 386 set last year; 214 Latina state lawmakers this year bests last year’s record of 192; the 107 female legislators who identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander have broken the record of 100 set in 2023; and women who identify as Native American, Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian hold 44 seats, up from the record 36 set in 2023.
Continue reading at The Hill
The 7 Most Shameless Attention-Seekers in Congress
Our third annual list of representatives and senators who just can’t get enough attention from us.
Washington is a thirsty town. It always has been: It’s a city full of politicians, and no one has ever won an election by staying out of the spotlight.
But we at POLITICO Magazine think our lawmakers are getting thirstier — or at least more creative in how they go after the limelight. There are plenty of ways to get an audience in the age of TikTok, X with no guardrails, podcasts galore and Substack, and people are seizing the opportunity.
For the third year in a row, we pay tribute to those members of Congress who have once again proven that where there is a will, there is a way to go viral. Without further ado …
Sen. Chris Murphy
The Wannabe Leader of the #Resistance Award
Read the rest of the list at Politico Magazine
Trump threatens to pull another $1B in Harvard funding: WSJ
The Trump administration is looking to pull another $1 billion from Harvard University amid an escalating fight with the university as it stands in open defiance of the president’s demands to change many of its policies.
The additional $1 billion would target health research, people familiar with the issue told The Wall Street Journal.
The cut would follow some $2.2 billion in federal funding already frozen after the Ivy League school rejected the administration’s demands, which including changes to hiring and admissions policies, as well as eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
President Trump is also threatening Harvard’s tax-exempt status, and the Department of Homeland Security is looking into cutting off its ability to enroll foreign students.
The Hill has reached out to the White House and Harvard for comment.
Continue reading at The Hill
Walgreens to pay $300M in settlement over invalid opioid scripts
Walgreens Boots Alliance agreed to pay $300 million to settle a case alleging company pharmacists knowingly dispensed millions of illegal opioid prescriptions over more than a decade and billed Medicare and other federal health care programs for them.
Why it matters: The settlement will allow Walgreens to "close all opioid related litigation" with federal, state, and local governments, it told Axios in a statement Monday.
The details: The Justice Department alleged Walgreens from August 2012 through March 2023 pressured pharmacists to fill prescriptions quickly and without taking the time needed to confirm each prescription was legal.
The included prescriptions for excessive quantities of opioids and orders for a triple-drug combination known as a "trinity" that presents increased risk of overdose and death, per DOJ.
Continue reading at Axios
General News
Trump Jr.: Former Hegseth aide who described ‘chaos’ now ‘exiled’ from MAGA movement
Donald Trump Jr. said Monday that the former Pentagon official who publicly detailed the department’s “chaos” under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leadership in a new op-ed is “officially exiled” from President Trump’s political movement.
“This guy is not America First,” Trump Jr. wrote on social platform X. “I’ve been hearing for years that he works his ass off to subvert my father’s agenda. That ends today.”
“He’s officially exiled from our movement,” Trump Jr. added.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump directs flags flown at half-staff for Pope Francis
President Trump on Monday directed all federal and state flags to fly at half-staff in commemoration of Pope Francis, who died at the age of 88 earlier that morning.
The president said he signed an executive order to put the flags at half-staff just before exiting the White House for the traditional Easter Egg Roll event.
“He was a good man; he worked hard; he loved the world. And it’s an honor to do that,” Trump said, flanked by first lady Melania Trump and the White House Easter Bunny.
Francis died at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta after a long series of health complications stemming from a chronic lung disease.
Continue reading at The Hill
Noem’s purse containing DHS access badge, $3K in cash stolen at DC restaurant
Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem’s purse, containing $3,000 in cash and her DHS access badge, was stolen Sunday night at a restaurant in downtown Washington, D.C., an official confirmed to NewsNation.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told NewsNation’s Ali Bradley that Noem was eating dinner when a thief stole the purse, which also contained Noem’s passport, her driver’s license, blank checks and her keys.
CNN, which first reported on the incident, noted the thief also stole Noem’s medication and makeup bag.
McLaughlin explained to Bradley that Noem was celebrating Easter with her family, so she had those items with her.
“She had the case because her whole family was in town (including children and grandchildren) and was treating them to activities, dinner and Easter gifts,” McLaughlin said.
A law enforcement official told CNN that the Secret Service reviewed security footage from the restaurant and saw “an unknown white male wearing a medical mask steal her bag and leave the restaurant.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Germany bets on volunteers to fix a hollowed-out army — but will it work?
As troop numbers stagnate and Russia’s threat looms, Berlin is betting on a voluntary service model to rebuild the military — but time is running out.
Berlin’s incoming government, formed by Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), has released a coalition agreement outlining plans for a new voluntary military service to rebuild the overstretched and steadily shrinking ranks of Germany’s armed forces, the Bundeswehr.
The plan involves sending a mandatory questionnaire to all 18-year-old men — voluntary for women — to assess willingness and fitness to serve. Those selected would be invited to enlist, but only if they choose to.
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, an SPD politician who is expected to stay in his post in the new government, defended the approach as a pragmatic step forward.
“With a new military service, we will ensure both growth and staying power in the armed forces,” he said at a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Brussels last week. “We are making the Bundeswehr more attractive. That is both a prerequisite and a result.”
But without clear evidence of how many people would sign up under the plan, a warning light is already flashing inside Germany’s defense circles.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Von der Leyen warns X, Meta, TikTok to play by the rules in Europe — no matter who’s CEO
The European Commission will enforce its digital rulebook without fear, said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Big Tech companies including X, Meta, Apple and TikTok should be aware the bloc is ready to enforce its full digital rulebook no matter who is in charge of these firms or where they're located, the European Commission president told POLITICO.
"The rules voted by our co-legislators must be enforced," Ursula von der Leyen said in written replies to questions about the EU's commitment to its digital rules.
"That's why we've opened cases against TikTok, X, Apple, Meta just to name a few. We apply the rules fairly, proportionally, and without bias. We don't care where a company's from and who's running it. We care about protecting people," she added.
The remarks point to EU resolve to enforce an extensive package of digital rules that have come in for bitter criticism from senior members of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
Vice President JD Vance has led the charge against European laws such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), which governs content, or the AI Act, arguing that they censor free speech and stifle innovation in Europe.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
POLITICO at 10: The EU fights for its independence
A decade after we launched in Brussels, Europe's place in the world is ever more uncertain. The battle for relevance will dominate the next 10 years.
It was April 2015 and Jean-Claude Juncker’s kidney stones were the talk of the town.
As its first big splash in Brussels, POLITICO revealed the then European Commission president was suffering from an extremely painful medical condition, even as he tried to keep the eurozone from collapsing from the weight of its own debt.
It was the sort of up-close-and-personal story that would help to establish POLITICO as a media presence in Brussels and was followed by a string of other scoops — including one on a commissioner’s curious work habits, one on the so-called Monster of the Berlaymont (a powerful German official named Martin Selmayr ― remember him?), and one on French politician Marine Le Pen’s party owing nearly €1 million to the European Parliament.
But the kidney stone scoop was also a sign of gentler times — when a commissioner felt comfortable enough with the media to share some of his personal pain. Things have changed.
As POLITICO turns 10, we’re taking a moment to look back to see how power, politics and policy — POLITICO’s bywords — have changed since we started. We’ll look at how the Commission has morphed into a presidential system, concentrating power among a few individuals, even as its core mission as a titan of soft power has been radically called into question by harsher geopolitics.
And we’ll look at how the European Union, the self-described “peace project,” is handling the mother-of-all-crises ― the breakdown of the transatlantic relationship. And how that’s pushing Europe into a reluctant form of independence.
Buckle up, the trip down memory lane (and into the future) can be bumpy.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Could Canada join the EU? Unlikely … but not impossible.
EU scholars say Canada has the right vibe for Brussels — but there would be some major hurdles blocking a membership bid.
EU membership isn’t on the ballot in Canada’s crucial election later this month — but polling shows Canadians are intrigued by the idea of joining the bloc.
As U.S. President Donald Trump upends the relationship with his northern neighbor via a blizzard of punitive tariffs and belligerent social media posts, Canadians are wondering if they should cozy up to new, more reliable allies.
Enter Brussels.
In a recent poll, a whopping 44 percent of Canadians said they supported the idea of EU membership, compared with only 34 percent who dismissed the idea.
European Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho noted that Brussels was “honored with the results of such a poll,” but appeared to confirm that only European countries are eligible for membership, according to the bloc’s governing treaties.
But while Canada joining the EU might sound far-fetched even to the Commission, the EU experts who unpacked the question for POLITICO said that although such a gambit would be unlikely to succeed … it’s not actually impossible.
‘Canada would certainly qualify’
The case for Canada as the bloc’s 28th member seems to be based mainly on vibes, dude.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Pope Francis dies on Easter Monday at 88
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at age 88, the Vatican announced.
The big picture: Pope Francis pushed the Catholic Church to the left, which satisfied Catholics seeking modernization but dismayed traditionalists.
Francis, who had part of his lung removed in 1957, was released from hospital on March 23 after being treated for double pneumonia after being admitted with bronchitis symptoms five weeks earlier.
Details: The Vatican said in a statement that Francis died on Monday morning at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta.
"At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church," said Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, the Vatican camerlengo, in the announcement.
The late leader of the world's 1.4 billion Roman Catholics met briefly with Vice President JD Vance at the Vatican on Easter Sunday.
Vance, who was baptized as a Catholic in 2019, paid tribute to the pope in a post to X:
Flashback: Francis was elected in March 2013 and was tasked with cleaning up a scandal-ridden Vatican.
Continue reading at Axios
Here's how the Catholic Church will choose a new pope
Papal conclaves: explained
White smoke will soon rise again from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling a new era of leadership in the Catholic Church — but first, there must be prayers, meetings and a highly secretive conclave.
The big picture: Pope Francis' death puts into motion a meticulous process that brings faith leaders from across the globe to the Vatican for a historic vote on who will lead the Roman Catholic Church.
The conclave, a storied vote that has been chronicled in film and fiction, typically draws the attention of those in and out of the faith community and marks a new era for the Church.
Driving the news: Francis died Monday at 88, weeks after he was released from an extended hospital stay and bout with pneumonia.
Francis requested to be buried at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
The individual chosen to replace Francis will be the 267th pope.
Here's what happens when a new pope is chosen:
What happens right after a pope dies?
Continue reading at Axios
In Photos: Scenes from the life of Pope Francis
Vance meeting was one of Pope Francis' final acts
Pope Francis' meeting with Vice President Vance on Easter Sunday appears to have been one of his final engagements before he died Monday at the age of 88.
The big picture: The brief meeting took place despite a recent public rift between the two. Francis had criticized the Trump administration's deportation agenda and appeared to take issue with Vance's use of Catholic doctrine to defend it.
How it happened: Vance sat with the pope for a few minutes at around 11:30am on Sunday at Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican residence where Francis lived. The meeting was not announced ahead of time.
Francis gifted Vance a Vatican tie, large chocolate easter eggs for his three children, and rosaries for him and members of his family.
Vance told the pontiff "I pray for you every day."
The meeting took place shortly after Francis delivered the traditional Easter blessing in St. Peter's Square, an appearance that came as a surprise given his poor health.
A day earlier, Vance held a longer meeting with the Vatican's No. 2 official that included discussions of immigration and international affairs.
Continue reading at Axios
Raskin to Bukele: ‘Trump administration is not going to last forever’
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) had a warning for Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele about his growing relationship with President Trump, noting the Trump administration “is not going to last forever.”
Raskin joined MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki” on Sunday, just days after Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) met with wrongfully deported man Kilmar Abrego Garcia and as Trump and Bukele signaled they would not return him to Maryland.
“Look, President Bukele — who’s declared himself a dictator — and the other tyrants, dictators, autocrats of the world have to understand that the Trump administration is not going to last forever,” Raskin said.
“We’re going to restore strong democracy to America, and we will remember who stood up for democracy in America and who tried to drive us down towards dictatorship and autocracy.”
Raskin’s remarks come as Bukele, who recently met with Trump in the Oval Office, has brushed off calls to return Abrego Garcia to U.S. custody.
Continue reading at The Hill
Who are the favorites to succeed Pope Francis?
Will the Italians get the papacy back? Or is it time for the first African in the modern era? A conclave will gather in the weeks ahead to elect a new pontiff.
Pope Francis died at the age of 88 on Easter Monday, meaning a conclave will soon be convened to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church — a process that could prove decisive in either cementing or reversing the Argentine’s reformist legacy.
Proceedings are expected to begin two to three weeks after the pope’s funeral, when the College of Cardinals will gather in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to launch the highly secretive process of electing a new pope. In theory, any baptized male Roman Catholic is eligible for the papacy, but for the past 700 years, the pope has always been chosen from among the cardinals.
Picking a winner in advance is not easy. During the last conclave in 2013, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was far from a favorite to succeed Pope Benedict XVI. Yet he became Pope Francis after 24 hours and five rounds of voting.
Bookmakers and Vatican watchers had already begun speculating about potential successors as the pontiff’s health declined.
The stakes for selecting a new pope are unusually high. The next pontiff will inherit a deeply divided Church, grappling with ideological tensions over issues such as LGBTQ+ inclusion and clerical abuse, while also navigating a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, riven by territorial and cultural conflict.
Here are some of the key names you are likely to hear in the weeks ahead:
The Italian comeback
Is it time for the Italians to get the papacy back? Out of 266 popes, 217 have hailed from Italy — but the last three have come from outside the Vatican’s backyard.
Continue reading at Politico
Note from Rima: Pope Francis was born in Argentina to Italian emigres.
Pope Francis picked 80% of cardinals who'll elect his successor
Some time in the next three weeks, members of the College of Cardinals younger than 80 will enter the Sistine Chapel to elect Pope Francis' successor.
By the numbers: Out of the 135 cardinals eligible to vote, Pope Francis elevated 108. That means 80% of votes will be cast by cardinals who owe their position to Francis.
22 were selected by his conservative predecessor, Benedict XVI, and five by John Paul II.
The conclave is also more geographically diverse. When Francis was picked in 2013, a slight majority of the voting cardinals was European. This time around, Europe comprises 39% of the body — while 17% of voting cardinals come from Asia, 15% from North America, and 13% each from South America and Africa.
Breaking it down: The question is whether those cardinals will pick a successor aligned with Francis' modernizing worldview or perhaps coalesce around a more conservative pontiff.
Continue reading at Axios
Thousands of fired federal probationary workers have complaints rejected
As many as 2,000 fired federal probationary workers who filed complaints with the Office of Special Counsel have had their cases dismissed as lacking merit, a source familiar with the dismissals tells Axios.
Why it matters: These workers are among the tens of thousands caught in limbo after being fired — followed by a series of court rulings reinstating them, and then staying those reinstatements.
Continue reading these developing news at Axios
Education Department to begin garnishing wages on defaulted student loan borrowers
The Treasury Offset Program, a federal program that collects debts by garnishing federal and state payments, will administer collections.
The Trump administration announced Monday it will start the process of collecting on defaulted federal student loans on May 5.
The Treasury Offset Program, which collects debts by intercepting payments such as tax refunds and Social Security benefits, will administer the collections.
Following a required 30 day notice to borrowers, wage garnishment will start later this summer, a senior Education Department official said Monday on a call with reporters.
Key context: No federal student loan has been referred to collections since March 2020 when the Education Department paused federal student loan payments and collections during the Covid-19 pandemic.
About 5.6 million borrowers were in default at the end of 2024. Most federal student loan borrowers will go into default if they do not make a payment in more than 270 days.
Only 4 out of 10 borrowers are current on their student loans, Education Department officials said Monday. Thirty five percent of borrowers are 60 days delinquent and about 4 million borrowers are 91 to 180 days delinquent.
Continue reading at Politico
Hegseth could ‘implode on his own’ even as Trump sticks by him
Trump dismisses Pentagon controversies, but there are growing doubts about how long this can last.
President Donald Trump has privately reassured and publicly defended Pete Hegseth over the past 24 hours. But doubts among Trump’s allies are growing over how long the embattled Defense secretary can hold on.
While Trump and Hegseth have been aligned in brushing aside leaks to the press from former Pentagon officials, two people close to the White House suggested on Monday that he’s not out of the woods, because the turmoil inside the Defense Department is real.
The two people were granted anonymity to discuss internal personnel dynamics.
As one of them put it, the former Fox News Channel host may “implode on his own.”
The other person close to the White House acknowledged that Trump likes Hegseth’s “vitality and youthfulness,” but could grow tired by the distraction and disorder inside the Pentagon. “Central Casting can become problematic if all they’re doing is generating questions of instability,” the second person said, noting that one of the individuals Hegesth fired last week was his own former chief of staff.
“What’s so troubling about it is — it’s not like these were people that were forced upon Pete. They were his own guys he had to get rid of.”
Trump and Hegseth spoke privately after a former Pentagon spokesperson criticized his leadership in a POLITICO opinion piece on Sunday, stating that “the building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership.”
Continue reading at Politico
DOGE’s bark becomes a whimper
When President DONALD TRUMP and ELON MUSK stormed into office three months ago, their approach to remaking the federal government was all slash-and-burn — and shock-and-awe — as Musk’s DOGE brought a sledgehammer to the bureaucracy.
Now, it’s been a week since agencies were required to submit their updated reduction in force and reorganization plans to the Office of Personnel Management — a deadline that passed with little fanfare and few headlines, with the agencies and OPM itself remaining silent.
The first RIF deadline, March 13, rocked Washington, driving federal workers to leave voluntarily as tens of thousands of others were terminated. But the muted reaction around the second deadline signals that DOGE’s influence and firepower may be dissipating — or simply burrowing further into the agencies.
The roar of Musk’s chainsaw has quieted to more of a hum. The “five things” emails that spun the government into chaos two months ago have essentially fallen apart, WaPo’s HANNAH NATANSON, FAIZ SIDDIQUI and EMILY DAVIES report. And DOGE faced new and serious headwinds at agencies like IRS and the Social Security Administration, where Treasury Secretary SCOTT BESSENT fired DOGE staffer GAVIN KLIGER. DOGE was forced to abandon plans to cut telephone claims services for retirement, disability and Medicare benefits.
The loss of momentum comes as Musk has walked back DOGE’s savings goals from $2 trillion to $150 billion.
It also comes as more is happening in Washington. Three months ago, DOGE’s unprecedented power was the biggest story. But amid the administration’s latest controversial maneuvers — Trump’s sweeping tariff regime, refusal to bring KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA back from El Salvador, retribution against the country’s top universities, and allegations of dysfunction at the Pentagon, to name a few — Musk and his team are now sharing the spotlight. And their contentious actions have lost their shock factor.
That’s not to say DOGE has disappeared. Elsewhere across the government, DOGE implants like TYLER HASSEN at the Department of Interior have been given greater authority to finalize restructuring plans (more on that below). And Musk’s allies, now embedded across the federal government, are taking on other administration priorities like illegal immigration as they facilitate data-sharing across agencies and centralize core administrative functions.
OPM and OMB told agencies that their reduction in force plans should be fully implemented by Sept. 30.
Continue reading at Politico West Wing Playbook newsletter
Amazon Follows Microsoft in Retreat From Ambitious AI Data Center Plans
Two banks say Amazon has paused negotiations on some international data centers.
The number of tech giants paring back on their AI data center plans rises to two. According to banks Wells Fargo and TD Cowen, Amazon has paused negotiations on some co-location data center deals, primarily in Europe. The news comes shortly after several reports have indicated Microsoft has paused or cancelled some of its plans.
“It’s not clear the magnitude of the pause,” a Wells Fargo report reads, “but the positioning is similar to what we’ve recently heard from MSFT—they are digesting aggressive recent lease-up deals.” It goes on to emphasize that Microsoft still appears to be going through with deals already signed. Co-location is the concept of sharing enormous infrastructure costs by building data in partnership with other companies that need it.
It is important to keep in mind that other companies, including Meta and xAI, continue to aggressively build out data centers to fuel their AI models. Building out large-scale data centers requires significant amounts of power, which grids have struggled to satisfy, and Amazon may need more time to open data centers already under construction. The Wells Fargo report states that the e-commerce giant already has 9 GWs (gigawatts) of active power capacity in its existing data center infrastructure.
But the news further supports some concern that demand for AI infrastructure is cooling as businesses still struggle to find ways to actually use the new technology to save time and money. It does not help that President Trump’s ongoing trade war is causing stocks to tumble. Amazon is down 24% this year, and the company is exposed to tariffs on China, as estimates suggest more than 70% of goods on its namesake marketplace come from China.
There is concern amongst economists that the trade war and potential recession could slow down the AI boom as major players, including Nvidia, are caught in the crossfire. That company receives a substantial amount of its business from China and is under scrutiny for potentially turning a blind eye to high-end chips evading sanctions and landing in China. If Amazon cuts back investment on new data centers, that could further hurt Nvidia’s sales of chips.
Continue reading at Gizmodo
Note from Rima: Tech isn’t the only sector putting plant construction on hold. Automakers are also slowwalking on their promises to move operations to the US or reopen plants.
Club for Growth wades into Arizona governor race, with a shot at Karrin Taylor Robson
The influential anti-tax group released a poll that shows Rep. Andy Biggs with a lead in the gubernatorial primary.
Three years after losing to Kari Lake, Karrin Taylor Robson is running again for Arizona governor with a much clearer path toward claiming the MAGA mantle.
But the Club for Growth is firing a warning shot.
The influential anti-tax group is wading into the Arizona gubernatorial race with a new poll, shared first with POLITICO, touting the electability of GOP Rep. Andy Biggs, Robson’s chief opponent.
The Republican contest to face Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs next year will be one of the most hotly contested primaries of the midterms and test the durability of Donald Trump’s coalition in Arizona. Trump endorsed Robson, who has ties to the state’s GOP establishment, before she even entered the race. But Biggs, a former House Freedom Caucus chair and Arizona state Senate president, has been a Trump ally for years.
An attorney, business executive and wife of a wealthy real estate developer, Robson lost an exceedingly nasty gubernatorial primary in 2022 to Lake, who went on to lose to Hobbs. In that race, Lake claimed the MAGA lane and had Trump’s backing.
But this time it’s Robson who has the endorsement, and she has worked hard to amplify the president’s words and yoke herself to him, mentioning Trump by name a dozen times in her campaign announcement and placing him on the front page of her website.
Continue reading at Politico
Students from 2 Florida shootings demand the governor reject a law to lower the gun purchasing age
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Days after a deadly shooting, Florida State University students who also survived a deadly mass shooting in Parkland from 2018 sent a letter Monday to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, demanding he squash efforts to lower the firearm purchase age back to 18 years old.
The law that raised the minimum gun purchase age to 21 was passed as part of a gun reform package following a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018, known as one of the deadliest shootings in the country. For these former Parkland and current FSU students who sent the letter to the governor, this is their second school shooting.
One of the founders for March For Our Lives, a group formed following the shooting in Parkland, led a group of these 28 students in writing this letter, calling it “unthinkable” and “dangerous” for the Legislature to consider reverting the gun purchase age to 18. Jacklyn Corin said many of the students who demanded action in 2018 after the Parkland shooting are now FSU students who experienced this tragedy a second time.
Continue reading at the AP
Federal judge orders US to restore visas of 2 international students in Oregon
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge in Oregon on Monday ordered the U.S. government to restore the visa status of two international students and temporarily blocked their deportation from the country.
U.S. District Judge Michael McShane’s 14-day temporary restraining order came in response to lawsuits filed by a student at Oregon State University and another at the University of Oregon following the termination of their visas earlier this month.
At a hearing in federal court in Eugene on Monday, McShane questioned federal lawyers on which regulations they were following when terminating the students’ legal status, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
“There has to be some regulations for when it’s appropriate and not appropriate. What regulation is ICE following here?” McShane asked, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Continue reading at the AP
Trump endorses two candidates for Arizona governor
President Trump endorsed two Republican candidates vying to be Arizona’s next governor.
In a post Monday on Truth Social, Trump said he likes both GOP candidates, businesswoman Karrin Taylor Robson and Rep. Andy Biggs (Ariz.).
“I like Karrin Taylor Robson of Arizona a lot, and when she asked me to Endorse her, with nobody else running, I Endorsed her, and was happy to do so,” Trump said online. “When Andy Biggs decided to run for Governor, quite unexpectedly, I had a problem.”
“Two fantastic candidates, two terrific people, two wonderful champions, and it is therefore my Great Honor TO GIVE MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT TO BOTH. Either one will never let you down.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Hegseth’s job safe for now, sources say
Pete Hegseth's role as defense secretary is safe for now: Sources
Trump adviser: Hegseth lacks management skills, temperament for position
More responsibilities will privately fall to Steve Feinberg, adviser says
After a second report stated the secretary of defense shared classified information over a Signal group chat, an adviser to President Donald Trump told NewsNation that Pete Hegseth’s job is safe for now despite criticism over his judgment skills.
The former Fox News host was accused of sharing classified details about a U.S. attack on the Houthis with members of his family on Signal, according to a New York Times report Monday.
A current Trump adviser who spoke with NewsNation on the condition of anonymity said Monday that while The Atlantic Signal group chat report was a media fiasco, the mission itself in Yemen was accomplished, which still has the defense secretary in safe standing currently.
“It was a success. So, he has latitude,” the adviser said, but cautioned, “it’s still TBD only 3 months in.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Key House Republican defends Fed against Trump interference
The Republican leader of a congressional task force focused on the Federal Reserve tells Axios in an exclusive interview there is bipartisan interest in stronger guardrails around the central bank's independence.
Why it matters: The comments from Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Ok.) come as President Trump ramps up attacks on Fed chair Jerome Powell, stoking fears the White House might seek to remove him from the post.
What they're saying: Lucas said the task force has discussed the importance of Fed independence and how to build "the walls higher and stronger and taller."
"From my perspective, the challenge is how do you keep my friends in Congress and other political forces around from impeding price stability and impeding the focus of the Fed," Lucas said. "Independence matters to me."
The big picture: Lucas said it would be difficult for Trump to fire the Fed chair, and noted that Powell has publicly vowed to finish out his term that ends next year.
Continue reading at Axios
Von der Leyen: World is ‘lining up’ to work with Europe amid Trump’s trade war
In exclusive comments to POLITICO, the European Commission president touted the EU as a safe haven in an unpredictable world.
BRUSSELS — Countries are ready to work with reliable trade partners in Europe after United States President Donald Trump's blanket trade tariffs upended global markets, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told POLITICO.
"In a more and more unpredictable global environment, countries are lining up to work with us," the Commission president said without naming Trump or the U.S.
In recent weeks she has spoken to leaders from Iceland, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Canada, India and the United Arab Emirates who were looking for "strong, reliable partners."
The global order is "shifting more deeply than at any time since the Cold War ended," von der Leyen added.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Can France and Germany’s new love-fest survive their lingering differences?
Paris and Berlin have been at loggerheads for years, but things are at last looking up.
PARIS — Love is in the air.
The Franco-German couple (as the French say) or engine (as the Germans say) has rarely felt more in tune and more aligned. French and German officials are gushing that the relationship between incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron is already very close. In a sign of the budding entente, Merz has singled out Paris as his first foreign trip on May 7, as first reported by POLITICO.
“[Our] hope is that Macron, the Europhile, will at last find someone who can respond to him in Germany,” said a French diplomat who was granted anonymity to speak.
But how long will the honeymoon last will largely come down to where both men stand on key policy.
So here’s is the low-down on where Merz and Macron agree — and where they don’t.
Where things are going well
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Economic Analysis
Economist Jared Bernstein
Economist Dean Baker
Economist Mike Konczal
When Reality Isn't Bad Enough: Trump’s Fake ‘Private-Sector Recession’ of 2024
In which we dive into the labor market of 2024 and the question of whether an increase in health care jobs is evidence of or justification for a recession.
“Were we in a secret labor market recession in 2024? Was the labor market experiencing a ‘private-sector recession’ as the Trump administration took over? No. But as the reality of Trump's disastrous trade war and the growing threat of an actual recession set in, we’ll hear more of this excuse from Trump officials. It’s wrong—and worse, the Trump team's current actions represent the most harmful response possible to any underlying economic slowdown.”
The Federal Reserve vs. the Tariff Shock: What If It Isn’t Transitory?
As global supply chains fray and the economy veers towards recession, the Federal Reserve faces a different spin on a recent problem — one it can’t fully fix.
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Opinion: Thanks, George! Biden II would, indeed, have been a disaster... | Blog#42
Jake Tapper got himself an interview with George Clooney, the man who single handedly tanked Joe Biden’s bid for reelection last year, so late in the cycle that it is doubtful that any Democrat would have had the time to run a proper campaign. Clooney, an old hand at fundraising for Democrats, must have known it and decided to accuse Biden of what we all knew: old age, thereby forcing the party to turn against him and get him to exit left. Tapper was very delicate with Clooney, never once asking a tough question or getting Clooney to apologize to the rest of us. If anything, Tapper was the googoo-eyed fan boy interviewer.