Things Musk (and Trump) Did... Day 63 | Blog#42
What's worse than one nincompoop? Why, a cabinet-full of cocksure nincompoops!
Yesterday’s post
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Democratic News Corner
A Rising Democratic Star Is Ready for New Leadership — Without Chuck Schumer
Michigan Democrat Mallory McMorrow says it’s time for a new generation to take on Trump.
Mallory McMorrow doesn’t claim to have all the answers for the Democratic Party. But as the 38-year-old Michigan Democrat gears up for a likely Senate run this month, she says generational change is needed — including at the leadership level.
In an interview with POLITICO Magazine, McMorrow, a state senator, said it wasn’t clear to her that Chuck Schumer could continue in his role as Senate minority leader, and that she would not vote for him as leader should she ultimately win a highly-contested primary and general election.
“I think it is” time for Schumer to step back, McMorrow said. “There’s still this idea that Democrats and Republicans are still abiding by the same rules and still believe in the same norms and systems and structure. There seems to be a lack of recognition that this is no longer the Republican Party. This is a MAGA party. And the same approach is not going to work.” (A Schumer spokesperson declined to comment.)
It’s not the first time McMorrow delivered a difficult message to someone she respected.
President Joe Biden had reached out to McMorrow in 2022, leaving the young lawmaker a congratulatory voicemail after she went viral with a speech responding to vicious, false attacks calling her a groomer.
Continue reading at Politico
Now a mayoral candidate, Cuomo distances himself from rent reforms he signed into law
The former governor expressed regret over certain elements of the 2019 package in a meeting with the Real Estate Board of New York.
Cuomo, the frontrunner in the race to unseat Mayor Eric Adams, last week shared his belated concerns about the 2019 tenant-friendly laws during a closed-door meeting of the executive committee of the Real Estate Board of New York. He suggested he should have sought, during negotiations with the state Legislature, to curtail the laws he believes excessively limited allowed rent increases tied to apartment building repairs.
In a statement, his campaign spokesperson Rich Azzopardi substantiated Cuomo’s hindsight-is-2020 message to the REBNY board.
“While well-intentioned, the 2019 bill had unintended consequences in some places — specifically changes involving MCI and IAI repairs,” Azzopardi said, referring to state-administered programs that regulate how much owners can raise rents after making improvements. “There’s been widespread acknowledgment of these issues, which subsequently were the subject of legislative tweaks.”
Continue reading at Politico
Dems seethe over war plan group chat. How to stick it to the GOP is an open question.
“Incompetence incarnate,” said Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts.
Democrats seized on the revelation that senior Trump administration officials discussed war plans in a group messaging app in an effort Monday to outflank Republicans on issues of competency and national security.
Repeatedly they called out what they saw as hypocrisy from Republicans who litigated much of the 2016 presidential campaign over Hillary Clinton’s handling of classified information, even while several of the nearly dozen Democratic elected and appointed officials, strategists and staffers who spoke to POLITICO were reluctant to politicize what they described as a grave national security lapse.
“Incompetence incarnate,” Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts, the Democrat and former Marine infantry platoon commander in Afghanistan, told POLITICO. “What national security and foreign policy does is it influences the trust of the electorate in the competence and strength of the governing party.”
Auchincloss likened the political ramifications of the incident to then-President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, even as one involved major military decisions and the other a discussion of war plans. He said, “His approval ratings took a 10-point hit and never recovered. I don’t think people went to the polls three years later and said, ‘I’m going to vote for Trump because of Afghanistan. But there’s no question that ended his honeymoon.’” (Asked whether this marked a similar end of Trump’s honeymoon, he said, “No,” adding that “we should be very cautious in declaring one episode that.”)
However, he said, “I think Democrats have an opportunity to be the party of national security.”
Continue reading at Politico
Schumer should ‘of course’ remain as top Senate Democrat, Pelosi says
It’s a notable vote of confidence as Schumer faces questions about his leadership.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Tuesday Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should “of course” remain in his leadership amid a backlash in the party to the New Yorker’s handling of a recent government funding vote. It’s a notable vote of confidence in Schumer from his longtime legislative partner.
Pelosi had previously criticized Schumer’s handling of the bill,saying in San Francisco last week, “I myself don’t give away anything for nothing.” Schumer and a group of Senate Democrats voted to advance the GOP-written funding bill, incensing their House counterparts who had almost universally opposed the funding bill and pushed for a short-term extension instead.
Schumer responded to Pelosi during an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, saying Democrats had “no leverage point” and that he was prepared to take the heat for an unpopular decision: “I say to people: When you’re on that political mountain, the higher up you climb, the more fiercely the winds blow,” he said, adding, “I had to do the right thing for the country and for our party.”
Pelosi also expressed faith in House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, telling reporters Tuesday that “the more they hear from Hakeem, I think the better for our country.”
Continue reading at Politico
Scholten won’t seek Michigan Senate seat
Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.) announced on Tuesday that she would be forgoing a Senate bid to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) next year.
“It’s the honor of my life to represent my community, West Michigan, in Congress. That’s why I’m focusing all of my efforts on doubling down at home to fight for the people of this district. Strong leaders are needed now more than ever & I’m leading with strength,” Scholten said in a post on X.
She linked to an article from The Detroit News in which she told the Michigan news outlet that she would not be launching a bid for Peters’ seat.
“I see how scared people are,” she told The Detroit News. “I see how much they need a champion in Washington, and that’s why I’m deciding to just focus all of my efforts on doubling down at home and making sure that every last ounce of my energy is going to fight for the people of west Michigan.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Top House Democrat calls for Hegseth to resign: ‘Endangered lives of American troops’
The fifth-ranking House Democrat called Tuesday for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to resign for sending sensitive military action plans over an unauthorized group chat that included a prominent D.C. journalist.
Rep. Ted Lieu (Calif.), the vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and an Air Force veteran, said Hegseth’s messages — which detailed the Pentagon’s plans to strike Houthi rebels in Yemen earlier this month — were “reckless” and put the lives of U.S. troops at risk.
“Had that information gotten to the Houthis, American pilots could have been shot down [and] Navy sailors could have been targeted,” Lieu said during a press briefing in the Capitol. “His reckless actions endangered lives of American troops, endangered our national security, and makes it so that our allies don’t want to share sensitive classified information with us any more.”
Continue reading at The Hill
LIVE from the Senate Floor: Where do we go from here?
Jeffries calls for firing Hegseth over war plans group chat
Top Hill Republicans have expressed confidence in the national security officials.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be fired over using a group Signal chat to discuss war plans.
“His behavior shocks the conscience, risked American lives and likely violated the law,” Jeffries said in a Tuesday letter to President Donald Trump. “Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth should be fired immediately.”
Hegseth and other top national security officials had used the unsecured group chat to discuss plans to bomb Houthi rebels in Yemen and had inadvertently added a journalist, sparking the imbroglio. Some of those officials had faced pointedquestioning from Hill Democrats on Tuesday, and the minority party has sought to capitalize on the damaging revelations stemming from the incident.
Continue reading at Politico
GOP moves to censure Crockett for "Governor Hot Wheels" remark
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) is staring down a Republican censure effort for referring to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) — who is disabled and uses a wheelchair — as "Governor Hot Wheels."
Why it matters: Once a rarely used tool, censure is becoming the immediate go-to method for members of the House's majority party to punish members of the minority.
There have been five censures since 2021: Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) was censured when Democrats held the House, and four House Democrats have been censured since Republicans took control in 2023.
Until 2021, the last time the House had voted to censure one of its own members was in 2010. Before that, 1983.
Driving the news: "Y'all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there. Come on now," Crockett said of Abbott during remarks at a Human Rights Campaign dinner in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Continue reading at Axios
Note from Rima: Forbes is NOT a socialist publication.
Yesterday’s news worth repeating
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.
The world found out shortly before 2 p.m. eastern time on March 15 that the United States was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen.
I, however, knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing.
This is going to require some explaining.
Continue reading at The Atlantic
Buttigieg returns to talent management agency CAA ahead of possible White House bid
Pete Buttigieg is once again a client of a powerhouse Hollywood talent agency, inking a deal with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) amid chatter of a possible 2028 White House bid.
The Transportation secretary under former President Biden was previously represented by CAA following his 2020 presidential run in the Democratic primary.
CAA confirmed to ITK on Tuesday that Buttigieg had signed again with the company. He also will return as a client of Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Politico reported. A spokesman for Buttigieg didn’t immediately return ITK’s request for comment.
Buttigieg set the political world buzzing about his potential 2028 presidential plans after he opted not to run for a Michigan Senate seat earlier this month.
Continue reading at The Hill
Michelle Obama: Idea of running for president ‘unthinkable’
Former first lady Michelle Obama said on a recent podcast episode that the idea of running for president is “unthinkable.”
“When people ask me, would I ever run? The answer is no, you know … If you ask me that, then you have absolutely no idea the sacrifice that your kids make when your parents are in that role,” Obama told Kylie Kelce, the wife of former NFL player Jason Kelce, on a Thursday episode of the “Not Gonna Lie” podcast.
“It would be unthinkable,” Obama later added.
In a poll conducted last summer during the 2024 presidential race, Obama was the only Democrat to come out ahead of President Trump in a head-to-head matchup. The poll came amid a rough period for Democrats during the campaign season as multiple members of the party had already called for President Biden to step out of the race.
Continue reading at The Hill
Democrat wins Pennsylvania special election, handing party control of state House
Democrat Dan Goughnour has won the open Pennsylvania state House seat left vacated by the death of the most recent officeholder, restoring Democrats’ narrow majority in the body, Decision Desk HQ projects.
Goughnour, who is a member of the McKeesport school board and a police officer, will win over Republican Chuck Davis, the president of the White Oak Borough Council. The result is not a surprise in the Democratic-leaning House District 35, which voted for former Vice President Harris in November with about 58 percent of the vote.
The seat has been vacant since January, when the late Rep. Matt Gergely (D) died in office. He had first been elected to the state House in 2023 in a special election to succeed now-Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (D) and was reelected to a full term in November without opposition.
Continue reading at The Hill
Today’s news
National Security
Playbook
Signalgate
In today’s Playbook …
— The knives are out for NSA Mike Waltz over Signalgate. Will he last the day?
— Irony alert: Trump invokes state secrets laws to resist Judge James Boasberg.
— Crunch reconciliation talks at the White House with 17 days to the GOP’s deadline.
THE LAST WALTZ? Questions are swirling this morning about the future of national security adviser Mike Waltz over his role in what is surely — hands-down — one of the dumbest security breaches of recent times. Waltz has yet to comment publicly on The Atlantic’s jaw-dropping revelation that he set up an unsecured Signal chat group to discuss military battle plans with Cabinet colleagues — and then accidentally invited Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to join. POLITICO’s Dasha Burns, Rachael Bade and Eli Stokols revealed last night that multiple conversations are now underway among White House officials over whether Waltz should be forced to resign. All eyes are on the commander-in-chief for a final decision.
What’s on Trump’s mind? Ominously for Waltz, there has been no message of support thus far from the president, who instead spent last night posting videos on Truth Social about his own achievements. In fact, Trump — normally a vocal armchair pundit — has not commented at all on the story, beyond a few initial boilerplate attacks on The Atlantic. All the signs are he’s mulling his options.
Because let’s be clear … This is damaging stuff for the Trump administration. As a story, Signalgate is more than just a serious breach of national security. It’s colorful, it’s visual, it’s easy to understand and it raises the most dangerous charge of all for any government — one of rank incompetence. (They discussed military secrets in a group chat? They accidentally invited a journalist to join the group, and didn’t notice? These guys are running the country?) Yeah, it’s a bad one.
Behind the scenes: A senior administration official told Dasha, Rachael and Eli that they were involved in multiple text threads with other staffers about what to do with Waltz, “half of them saying he’s never going to survive or shouldn’t survive.” Two high-level White House aides floated the idea that Waltz should resign in order to protect the president. “You can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser,” one senior administration official said.
Quote du jour: A person close to the White House was even more blunt: “Everyone in the White House can agree on one thing: Mike Waltz is a fucking idiot.”
Continue reading at Politico Playbook newsletter
America's biggest cyber threat is inside the government
When government officials "move fast, break things," they risk unintentionally breaking systems they didn't realize were valuable to begin with — like their secure wartime communications protocols.
The big picture: America's biggest cyber threat is no longer Chinese and Russian spies lurking in government systems. It's high-ranking officials and government employees who accidentally leak or access classified information.
Case in point: Jeffrey Goldberg's jaw-dropping story in The Atlantic titled, "The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans."
For days, senior officials including Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, discussed an attack on Yemen's Houthi rebels in a Signal group chat — that accidentally included The Atlantic's top editor.
A White House spokesperson confirmed to Goldberg that the Signal chat was real.
Zoom out: Typically, communications about military operations follow a more traditional — albeit clunky — process.
Officials with the appropriate security clearances enter a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), like the White House Situation Room, which is designed to block out eavesdropping and surveillance attempts.
Even when officials are on the road, they enter a mobile SCIF that takes time to set up to get updates about an ongoing mission.
Zoom in: A Cabinet-level Signal chat is much more efficient. But while the app is end-to-end encrypted, it's much less secure.
Continue reading at Axios
How secure is Signal? Cyber experts weigh in on Trump administration’s use of the encrypted app for war planning
Regardless of app security, experts say communicating the military plans of the U.S. government in a non-classified space creates a massive security vulnerability.
Signal, an encrypted messaging app that prioritizes privacy, is considered to be one of the most secure messaging protocols currently available to the public — but lawmakers and experts are sounding the alarm after revelations that it was used by members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet to plan a recent U.S. government military operation.
The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg published a first-hand account on Monday detailing how he was mistakenly added to a Signal group chat where high-ranking Trump officials were discussing plans to conduct military strikes in Yemen. The Signal conversation included “precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing,” Goldberg said, describing the use of the open-source app to map out military strikes as “shocking recklessness.”
“I guess Signal is a few steps above leaving a copy of your war plan at the Chinese Embassy — but it’s far below the standards required for discussing any elements of a war plan,” said Mark Montgomery, senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
The app has become increasingly popular in recent months in Washington, following the discovery of a massive Chinese government-linked breach of U.S. telecommunications networks that allowed hackers to steal a trove of Americans’ cell phone records and spy on the conversations of senior U.S. political figures, including Trump and Vice President JD Vance. U.S. officials have since recommended that Americans use encrypted messaging platforms like Signal to better protect against hackers.
The app’s security is viewed as fairly strong due to its robust privacy features and minimal data collection, as well as default end-to-end encryption of all messages and voice calls. The app also includes a function that deletes all messages from a conversation within a set time frame, adding an additional layer of data protection. But experts agree that it shouldn’t be used by government officials as an alternative to communicating through more secure, sanctioned government communications — which Signal is not.
Continue reading at Politico
Trump advisers in war plans chat criticized Dems for fumbling secrets
“That’s why we have other devices,” a former Defense official said.
National security adviser Mike Waltz accidentally invited The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a text messaging group, the magazine reported on Monday, where leaders were hashing out a plan for the Pentagon’s strikes against Yemen’s Houthi fighters.
The extraordinary action made some of the nation’s top national security officials look like hypocrites — and possible violators of the law.
Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — all of whom were in the chat — have spent years criticizing top Democrats for improperly handling classified information, most notably former President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“Biden’s sitting National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan sent Top Secret messages to Hillary Clinton’s private account,” Waltz tweeted in 2023, referencing a POLITICO report that Sullivan had sent emails to Clinton’s Gmail account that the State Department considered government secrets. “And what did DOJ do about it? Not a damn thing.”
Continue reading at Politico
Fox’s Brit Hume on Hegseth’s response to war plans texts: ‘Oh for God’s sake’
Fox News political commentator Brit Hume on Monday afternoon pushed back on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s claim that “nobody was texting war plans” after news broke that Hegseth and other Trump administration officials discussed plans for an attack against Houthi rebels in Yemen on a text chain that mistakenly included the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic.
[…]
Hume reposted a video of Hegseth’s comments on the platform X, saying, “Oh for God’s sake, the administration has already confirmed the authenticity of the message.”
Continue reading at The Hill
White House defiant after messaging fiasco with The Atlantic
Trump administration true believers are closing ranks to try to protect top national security officials from being pushed out over Monday's Signal scandal, insiders tell Axios.
Why it matters: Democrats and critics of President Trump want him to fire National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. That's a major reason he could survive. So far, insiders are defiant.
Four top administration officials tell Axios they expect the controversy to die down and Waltz to remain. Four outside advisers concurred.
"We don't care what the media says," a Trump adviser said. "We can easily handle what would kill any other administration. This will blow over."
A senior White House official added: "Trump certainly wasn't pleased with this. But all this talk you see about Waltz not lasting is just way premature. There's a Washington feeding frenzy. And we all know that you don't give the mob what it wants."
Still, there's a debate in Trumpworld over whether Waltz will ultimately get sacked after accidentally adding Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, to an 18-member Signal group chat, "Houthi PC small group" (for Principals Committee, the National Security Council's top officials).
Continue reading at Axios
Intelligence officials to brief Senate on national security threats facing the United States
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration’s top intelligence officials face Congress for back-to-back hearings this week, their first opportunity since being sworn in to testify about the threats facing the United States and what the government is doing to counter them.
FBI Director Kash Patel, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, are among the witnesses who will appear Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee and Wednesday before the House Intelligence Committee.
Tuesday’s hearing will take place one day after news broke that several top national security officials in the Trump administration, including Ratcliffe and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, texted war plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen to a group chat in a secure messaging app that included the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic.
Continue reading at the AP
What is the new F-47 fighter jet Trump announced?
The new F-47 fighter jet announced by President Donald Trump is said to be “the most advanced, lethal and adaptable fighter ever developed,” according to Gen. David W. Allvin, Air Force chief of staff.
However, few details were offered about the new jet. Trump did reveal that Boeing has won the $20 billion contract to manufacturer and engineer the jet. He also promised during the announcement that the F-47 would be delivered before the end of his presidential term.
According to John Teichert, a former brigadier general with the Air Force, the F-47 will replace Lockheed Martin’s F-22 Raptor jet.
What is the F-47 announced by Trump?
Gen. David W. Allvin, the Air Force chief of staff, said in a statement that the F-47 is “a monumental leap forward in securing America’s air superiority for decades to come.”
Based on Trump’s promises, the F-47 should be the most advanced fighter jet available in the world. According to The New York Times, Russia, China and groups of European nations are working on sixth-generation jets.
Continue reading at The Hill
Capitol agenda: GOP defends Waltz after war plans group chat
Republicans largely defended National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who some White House officials think should be forced out over the incident.
There are growing calls within the White House for National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who added Goldberg to the group chat, to resign. But GOP lawmakers have pushed back on the idea, with some defense hawks regarding the former congressman and Green Beret as a key link to the administration and someone they can trust to be a serious voice in Trump’s circle.
And many Hill Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson, are digging in to defend Waltz.
“He was made for that job, and I have full confidence in him,” Johnson told reporters Monday night, hours after separately shrugging off the broader issues with the Signal chat as a “mistake.”
Many lawmakers were shocked — not just because seemingly no one noticed that Goldberg was added to the chat, but that senior officials would discuss sensitive national security information on a platform that could be hacked by foreign adversaries.
“At minimum, it’s totally sloppy,” said Rep. Nick LaLota, a military veteran who previously held top security clearance. Rep. Don Bacon, a member of the House Armed Services committee, said the incident was “unconscionable.”
Continue reading at Politico
Trump expresses confidence in Waltz amid war plans chat fallout
“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” Trump said.
The Atlantic reported Monday that its editor was mistakenly included in a Signal group chat discussing sensitive war plans, shocking national security officials and members of Congress. POLITICO reported Monday that Waltz may be the fall guy within the White House.
“Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” Trump said in the NBC News interview.
The president continued, saying that the journalist’s presence in the group chat had “no impact at all” and that the Houthi attacks were “perfectly successful.”
There are conversations happening between senior administration officials on what to do with Waltz, POLITICO previously reported, including forcing his resignation. “You can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser,” one senior official who was granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations said on Monday.
In response to reporting that Waltz is possibly on the chopping block, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday morning that Trump “continues to have confidence in his national security team, including Mike Waltz.”
“Stories claiming otherwise are driven by anonymous sources who clearly do not speak to the President,” she said.
Continue reading at Politico
Senate intel chair calls US intelligence agencies ‘inadequate’
Sen. Tom Cotton says “the intelligence community must return to its core mission.”
The U.S. intelligence community is “inadequate” when it comes to providing the president and Congress with the information they need to protect the country, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said in opening remarks at the Senate’s annual worldwide threat assessment hearing.
Cotton, chair of the Senate intelligence panel, railed against what he described a bureaucratic bloat, drift and “social engineering” in the intelligence communities distracting from their mission of gathering information on threats to the nation.
“After years of drift the intelligence community must return to its core mission,” he said.
Five of the nation’s spy chiefs, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, are testifying before members of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday on major threats to the United States and global stability, including potential risks from China and Iran.
Tuesday’s hearing came just one day after The Atlantic published a bombshell report, which revealed that the publication’s Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a Signal chat discussing plans to bomb Yemen.
Continue reading at Politico
Watch Live: Top Trump intel officials to be pressed on unclassified chat
Democrats say Signal chats highlight pattern of sloppy security by Trump officials
Senators and intelligence officials addressed threats to the U.S. — internal and external — in the annual worldwide threats meeting.
Democrats on the Senate Intelligence panel hammered Trump administration officials Tuesday about their participation in a group chat on Signal that discussed war plans — and broadened their attacks to call it a disturbing pattern of sloppy security under President Donald Trump.
“I think this is one more example of sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior, particularly towards classified information,” Senate Intelligence Vice Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) said at the annual worldwide threats hearing. “The Signal fiasco is not a one-off.”
Five of the nation’s spy chiefs, including CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, were testifying before members of the Senate Intelligence Committee on major threats to the United States and global stability, including potential risks from China and Iran.
But Tuesday’s hearing came just one day after The Atlantic published a bombshell report, which revealed that the publication’s Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a Signal chat with top Trump administration officials discussing plans to strike Yemen.
Gabbard said that the use of the Signal chat was currently under review. Ratcliffe confirmed his participation in the chat but sought to defend the use of the encrypted messaging app to discuss war plans, stating that he was under the impression it was permissible for work use.
Ratcliffe stressed that no classified information was shared in the channels.
Continue reading at Politico
‘A serious, serious issue’: Canada’s Carney jabs Trump admin after war plans leak fiasco
“Mistakes do happen, but what’s important is how people react to those mistakes,” Liberal leader needles Washington after a journalist received sensitive information about a bombing raid.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney rebuked the White House on Tuesday after sensitive American military plans were accidentally sent to a journalist on Signal.
Carney said the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network — which includes Britain, Australia and New Zealand as well as Canada and the U.S. — needs to learn lessons from the leak of intelligence, which saw the Atlantic’s Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg mistakenly included on a private message chain about U.S. plans to bomb Yemen.
“When mistakes happen, and sensitive intelligence leaks, lessons must be learned to prevent that from recurring,” Carney said in Halifax, Nova Scotia, when asked about the fallout from the chat that discussed upcoming air strikes.
“It’s a serious, serious issue, and all lessons must be taken.” Carney was speaking during a stop on the second day of campaigning for Canada’s federal election in late April.
Continue reading at Politico
"No classified material": Trump officials all but dare The Atlantic to release texts
Multiple top Trump officials insisted Tuesday — including under oath — that "no classified material" or "war plans" were shared in a Signal group chat that mistakenly included The Atlantic's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.
Why it matters: The White House has confirmed the authenticity of the explosive text messages published by The Atlantic, but disputed Goldberg's claim that he withheld "operational details" about U.S. strikes in Yemen out of concern that they were classified.
Goldberg, who was accidentally invited to the chat by national security adviser Mike Waltz, said the texts included the specific time, targets and sequencing of the operation.
"The information contained in them, if they had been read by an adversary of the United States, could conceivably have been used to harm American military and intelligence personnel," Goldberg wrote.
Driving the news: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom Goldberg said had shared the sensitive operational details, categorically denied Monday that "war plans" were discussed in the group chat.
Continue reading at Axios
Wall Street Journal: Trump now knows which deputies tried to block his policy
As the Trump administration faces fallout over top-level officials’ use of the Signal app to discuss sensitive military plans and the accidental inclusion of a journalist on their group text chain, The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board has highlighted deeper insight into discussions involving members of President Trump’s inner circle.
“The news is that the characters played to their public type,” the editorial board wrote in a piece published Tuesday. “National-security adviser Mike Waltz was a voice for U.S. leadership — and for carrying out the President’s policy. Vice President JD Vance was a voice for U.S. retreat even when Mr. Trump directed otherwise.”
The editorial board also noted that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has been accused of sharing sensitive details about the plans, backed Waltz’s position.
Continue reading at The Hill
4 dynamics to watch amid Signal chat leak fallout
Capitol Hill Bureau Chief and Senior Washington Columnist Rachael Bade lays out what to watch as Washington wonders about the fate of national security adviser Mike Waltz.
In a new video, Capitol Hill Bureau Chief and Senior Washington Columnist Rachael Bade discusses the big question on everyone’s minds at the White House right now: Is President Donald Trump going to fire national security adviser Mike Waltz for sharing what looks like a war plan in a group chat?
Waltz inadvertently added a reporter to a highly sensitive Signal conversation with himself and other top Trump officials, where they discussed U.S. plans to bomb the Houthis in Yemen.
A person very close to the White House, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told POLITICO last night: “Everyone in the White House can agree on one thing: Mike Waltz is a f–ing idiot.”
Continue reading at Politico
Europe fumes at Trump team’s insults in leaked Signal chat
British forces already took part in strikes against Houthis, so don’t call us “freeloaders,” former defense secretary says.
A U.K. diplomat said they had watched aghast as the spectacular leak emerged on Monday night, describing it as "wild." The diplomat noted that it underlined the impression that Vance was the driver of U.S. hostility towards Europe. This, the person said, forced others including Trump into a tougher position because he "doesn't want to look weaker than Vance."
In public, U.K. ministers and officials tried to minimize the damage from the revelations, insisting the alliance with the U.S. was strong and communications remained secure.
But Britain’s former Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said some in the Trump administration clearly need re-educating about their allies. It was wrong of them to say European militaries had done nothing to address the problem of Iran-backed Houthis targeting commercial shipping, he said.
The leaked messages even included a conversation about how to make Europe “remunerate” the U.S. for the cost of the military action. In fact, the planned air strikes detailed in the private Signal app group were supported by British refueling aircraft, according to reports.
“I agree Europe must do more on security,” Shapps posted on X. “But [Prime Minister] Sir Keir [Starmer] should remind USA the UK led from the front. I authorised 4 RAF strikes on the Houthis & the Royal Navy defended Red Sea shipping. Our forces risked their lives to protect trade. Some in DC need reminding.”
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Senate Armed Services chair confirms plans to investigate war plan group chat
Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) confirmed Tuesday that the committee plans to investigate The Atlantic’s reports of a Signal group chat where a journalist was apparently inadvertently added to a discussion regarding war plans with top Trump administration officials.
“We’re going to look into this and see what the facts are, but it’s definitely a concern. And you can be sure the committee, House and Senate, will be looking into this,” Wicker told CNN during a Tuesday morning interview.
“And it appears that mistakes were made, no question,” he added.
Continue reading at The Hill
McCabe suggests FBI ‘spreading their terrorism resources too thin’ with recent immigration activity
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe suggested that the FBI is “spreading” its “terrorist resources too thin” as some agents are being diverted to crack down on immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.
McCabe was discussing the FBI’s newly-established task force to investigate the increased number of vandalism incidents targeting Tesla vehicles and dealerships around the country. He contended on CNN that the bureau should not need to “move resources” because there is already a “long-established domestic terrorism section […] that was built to do exactly this.”
“So this raises questions for me about why isn’t the current state of the bureau’s defense domestic terrorism investigators good enough to handle this?” McCabe asked during his Tuesday appearance on CNN. “And could it be because they have recently [been] distracted and tasked with engaging in immigration activity.”
McCabe said he thinks the FBI relying on its Joint Terrorism Task Forces to help out Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations “is not a good idea.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump officials face records lawsuit over Signal chat
A government watchdog group is suing national security leaders for their use of Signal to discuss military actions, saying the move violated the Federal Records Act (FRA).
The suit from American Oversight, which routinely files public records requests, said the move obstructs their ability to access government documents.
The Atlantic revealed Monday that national security adviser Michael Waltz had added The Atlantic’s Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat to discuss a pending military action in Yemen.
Beyond the national security implications, federal employees are required to retain records in accordance with the law.
“This reported disclosure of sensitive military information in a Signal group chat that included a journalist is a five-alarm fire for government accountability and potentially a crime,” Chioma Chukwu, American Oversight’s interim executive director, said in a statement.
“War planning doesn’t belong in emoji-laden disappearing group chats. It belongs in secure facilities designed to safeguard national interests — something any responsible government official should have known. Our lawsuit seeks to ensure these federal records are preserved and recovered. The American people deserve answers and we won’t stop until we get them.”
Continue reading at The Hill
House Democrat: Hegseth shared classified info to make up for ‘personal inadequacies’
Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) suggested Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared top secret information in a Signal group chat with national security officials to alleviate “personal inadequacies.”
“What in the hell are you guys doing? And why are you doing that on a commercial chat platform? Makes absolutely no sense. And it’s, in fact, extraordinarily dangerous,” Garamendi said during a Tuesday appearance on NewsNation.
“And then you bring in the Secretary of Defense and perhaps for his own personal inadequacies for the job, he decides that he’s got to show that he’s got the really big, important stuff that he can then share with the other teenagers that are chatting about this,” the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee’s subpanel on military readiness added.
The California lawmaker’s comments referred to reports from The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who said he was mistakenly added to a chat with President Trump’s Cabinet members where war plans regarding strikes on the Houthis in Yemen were revealed.
Continue reading at The Hill
Waltz takes ‘full responsibility’ – and calls Atlantic editor ‘scum’
In an interview with Fox News, the national security advisor denied knowing how the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg joined the thread.
National security adviser Mike Waltz said Tuesday that he is taking “full responsibility” for the inclusion of a journalist in a group chat discussing war plans.
But first, he trashed The Atlantic editor who was included in the chat, denied any knowledge of how it happened and promised that Elon Musk would investigate along with other Trump administrators.
Waltz’s remarks on Fox News came as he labors under heavy criticism for including The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg on the chat, and as President Donald Trump defended his security adviser.
“I built the group. My job is to make sure everything’s coordinated,” Waltz said on Fox News with Laura Ingraham.
Waltz denied knowing Goldberg, the editor in chief of The Atlantic, saying that he “wouldn’t know him if I bumped into him or saw him in a police lineup.” He then spent a greater chunk of the interview listing off his criticisms of The Atlantic’s coverage, accusing the publication – without evidence – of lying about Gold Star military families and the Russia “hoax.”
Continue reading at Politico
Politico National Security Daily
When life gives you Yemen…
“I just want folks to own up to their mistakes and not blame The Atlantic or the reporter. Be honest,” said Rep. DON BACON (R-Neb.) “The worst part of this was transmitting highly classified information on an unclassified system, and one that Russia and China were clearly monitoring.”
It’s also worth pointing out that STEVE WITKOFF, Trump’s Middle East envoy, was added to the group chat while he was still in Moscow meeting with Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN for Ukraine talks. Being in Russia, to say the least, isn’t great for your phone’s privacy and security and also flouts the usual protocols for securely discussing sensitive military information.
Some Republican lawmakers defended Waltz, including Sen. JIM BANKS (R-Ind.), who cited Waltz’s longstanding ties with the president. “This relationship goes back way before being named the position. I mean, he traveled on the campaign almost nonstop ... with candidate Trump,” Banks said, “and he has President Trump’s trust on the big issues of the day.”
He also pointed to the success of the strikes in Yemen, despite the way in which plans were discussed. “I think the reason he’s standing by Mike Waltz is because it was such a successful strike and it accomplished the mission.”
Others didn’t bite when asked whether resignations were in order — but also notably didn’t rush to dismiss growing calls for resignations. “Well, the president is going to make that decision,” Sen. JOHN BARRASSO (R-Wyo.) said when asked about whether Waltz should face repercussions. “I think the whole thing is very unfortunate. We cannot allow it to happen again.”
“It’s too early to say that,” House Armed Services Committee Chair MIKE ROGERS (R-Ala.) said of whether the episode should cost Waltz his job, but added, “It was a mistake.”
Continue reading at Politico National Security Daily newsletter
General News
Trump zeroes in on Fed, setting up potential fight with Powell
President Trump is zeroing in on the Federal Reserve and setting up a fight with its leader, Jerome Powell.
The president is eager for the Fed to speed up planned interest rate cuts and ease pressure on the economy amid deepening concern about his trade agenda. The Fed, in turn, is preparing for a potential price shock driven by Trump’s tariffs, which would delay any rate cuts, even if the economy weakens.
Trump has shown so far only mild annoyance with the Fed. While he badgered the central bank after it held off on rate cuts Wednesday, he has held off on direct threats.
But as the White House takes aim at the independence of agencies, Powell is unlikely to bow to being forced out, even if tensions with the White House were to hit a critical point before his term is up next year.
Ian Katz, director at Washington research firm Capital Alpha Partners, said he doesn’t expect Trump to try to fire Powell, given the turmoil it could cause for markets.
Continue reading at The Hill
What are ‘secondary tariffs’? Trump says they’ll soon hit Venezuela
Secondary tariff places levy on countries who buy oil from Venezuela
China, who already faces hefty US tariffs, is Venezuela’s biggest buyer
Tariff announcement comes as Trump ramps up Venezuelan deportations
What is a ‘secondary tariff’?
Though not a technical term, a secondary tariff, per Trump’s post, is essentially a monetary sanction on countries that trade with a country the U.S. is at odds with. This time, it’s Venezuela.
Any nation that buys oil or gas from Venezuela will face a 25% tariff on “any Trade they do with our country,” he said. Presumably, that 25% would compound with existing tariffs enacted by Trump on any affected countries.
By enacting these tariffs, Trump aims to punish not only Venezuela but its trade allies — hence, the “secondary” designation.
Who will Trump’s ‘secondary tariff’ affect?
The majority of Venezuela’s oil exports go to China. In 2023, it bought 68% of Venezuela’s exported oil, according to a 2024 analysis from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Continue reading at The Hill
EU trade chief flies to Washington again in bid to defuse transatlantic trade fight
Maroš Šefčovič will be joined by Ursula von der Leyen’s top aide after Brussels delayed retaliation against Donald Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs.
BRUSSELS — European Union trade chief Maroš Šefčovič will meet with his U.S. counterparts Howard Lutnick and Jamieson Greer in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, in the EU’s latest effort to dampen soaring trade tensions with the United States.
In a sign of the political sensitivity of the trip, Björn Seibert, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s top aide, will travel with Šefčovič.
“We should be making every effort on both sides to avoid harmful tariffs and build — rather than tear down — the EU-U.S. trade and economic relationship, which is the strongest in the world,” Olof Gill, a Commission trade spokesperson, said on Monday.
The visit comes as the EU weighs imposing retaliatory tariffs on €21.5 billion in U.S. exports to “mirror” the new, and broader, steel and aluminum duties imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month.
Late last week, the Commission decided to delay one batch of its tariff response from April 1 to April 13.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Here's where you'd pay the highest state income taxes
Your annual tax bill depends at least partly on where you live, with state income taxes varying from nonexistent all the way up to nearly 14% for some especially high earners.
Why it matters: Some states with low or no individual income tax, like Texas and Florida, are attracting lots of new residents — but could find themselves in trouble in a world with less federal financial aid.
By the numbers: California (13.3%), Hawai'i (11%) and New York (10.9%) have the highest top marginal income tax rates for individuals.
Arizona and North Dakota (both 2.5%) have the lowest among states with an income tax.
How it works: That's according to data from the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank.
Local taxes, as well as some state-specific taxes in a handful of states and a capital gains surtax on high earners in Minnesota, are not included.
Between the lines: The rates shown in the map above are the highest paid by the residents earning the most money.
Continue reading at Axios
Job applications surge from workers at DOGE-targeted agencies
Job applications from federal workers inside DOGE-targeted agencies have surged this year, according to data out Tuesday morning from Indeed, the jobs site.
Why it matters: This is a highly educated bunch, spread around the country — and they're entering the job market at a time when hiring for those with advanced degrees has stalled out.
The big picture: The precise number of federal workers who will end up unemployed isn't known — some firings are tied up in court. It's still unclear what the broader impact on the economy could look like.
There was a decline of 10,000 federal government jobs in February, per the jobs report. But more cuts are coming.
How they did it: Indeed looked at the profiles and resumes of those who are either still employed by the federal government or were recently working there.
They compared their job search activity to 2022 levels. Back then, lots of federal employees were job hunting — along with many American workers, as the hiring market was hot.
By the numbers: This year, for most federal employees, applications aren't back to that 2022 level yet.
Continue reading at Axios
Come back or move on? Fired federal workers face choices now that a judge wants them rehired
Sam Peterson is one of thousands of fired federal workers who was offered his job back under a judge’s order, but he didn’t jump at the chance to go back to his park ranger position at Washington state’s Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area.
Instead, he quickly turned it down, opting to move with his wife to start a career outside the government at an Oregon museum.
“We signed a lease Monday and who knows what the next few months would bring if I were to return to federal employment,” said Peterson, 26.
Whether to return to the federal workforce is a decision confronting thousands of fired employees after two judges this month found legal problems with how President Donald Trump is carrying out a dramatic downsizing of the U.S. government. One ruling by a California federal judge would reinstate 16,000 probationary employees.
Continue reading at the AP
The fiscal hit from the IRS sharing immigration information
The more afraid immigrants are that the IRS will report them to immigration authorities, the less they may pay in taxes, experts warn.
Why it matters: Mere reports that the IRS might start sharing information, like this recent one from the Washington Post, are likely to significantly reduce tax collections, Carl Davis, research director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) tells Axios.
A formal acknowledgment of any information-sharing protocol would hit collections even more.
Follow the money: Undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022, per ITEP.
While much of that came in the form of sales and other taxes over which they have little control, about $57 billion is made up of "taxes that are likely to be prone to noncompliance," Davis says.
Already, the compliance rate for undocumented immigrants is low, at about 60%. If that were to fall to, say, 30%, then the fiscal cost would be more than $28 billion a year, per ITEP.
Between the lines: If undocumented immigrants stop filing tax returns in fear that the IRS will pass on their information to immigration authorities, that could actually increase total tax revenues this year, as the government holds onto withheld money that would otherwise be returned as a tax refund.
Continue reading at Axios
More than 300 rich people ask Congress to reject tax breaks for rich people
More than 300 wealthy individuals, including heiress Abigail Disney, are asking lawmakers to reject GOP plans for tax breaks for the rich.
Why it matters: "No more tax cuts for the wealthy. Not in our name," they wrote in a letter sent Monday to the Democratic minority leaders from New York, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, and first reported Tuesday.
The intrigue: Only two of these high-net-worth individuals agreed to share their names publicly: Disney and Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder of Seventh Generation, an ecofriendly-branded consumer products company.
She is well-known for advocating for higher taxes on the rich. He's long advocated for corporate social responsibility — a term you're hearing less of these days as any kind of progressive activism by companies appears under attack.
Zoom in: The rest include heirs from such prominent families as the Rockefellers, Pillsburys (as in the baking company) and Gambles (of Procter & Gamble fame), as well as some company founders.
Continue reading at Axios
Trump’s Canadian Collateral Damage
The prospect of a conservative in power north of the border thrilled the American right. Until Donald Trump torpedoed him.
Mere months ago, the Conservative Party in Canada looked headed towards a landslide victory. Its leader, Pierre Poilievre, was ascendant and drawing rave reviews from much of the American conservative movement — both from the foreign policy establishment and the more Trump-aligned new right.
But since Donald Trump ascended to office, the electoral fortunes of Poilievre and his conservative party have soured in a hurry. Trump’s decision to levy tariffs on Canada, his bellicose rhetoric and his insistence that the second largest country in the world by land mass would become the United States’ 51st state have torpedoed Poilievre, whose previous praise of Trump came back to haunt him. With the Liberal Party wielding a surge in Canadian nationalism against their main opponents, what was once a lead of about 25 points in the polls in December has shrunk to less than zero, with Liberals now projected to win an outright majority in parliament.
This weekend, newly minted Liberal Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney — who took over from Justin Trudeau earlier this month — officially called the election for April 28.
Some conservatives in the United States who once looked forward to an ideological ally north of the border are disheartened by the shift in the winds — and Trump’s hand in it.
Continue reading at Politico
Canada joins other countries in updating travel advisories for U.S.
Canada has updated its travel advisory for the U.S. following the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
The big picture: The update on a registration rule for visitors to the U.S. comes after several European nations changed their advisories in response to Trump administration rollbacks on transgender rights and as Canadians and other foreign nationals have been detained by U.S. immigration authorities over travel visa issues.
The new interim rule — set to take effect April 11 — requires Canadians staying in the U.S. for longer than 30 days to register with the U.S. government. It comes amid a Trump administration trade war with Canada and the president's talk of annexing the North American ally.
Driving the news: "Failure to comply with the registration requirement could result in penalties, fines, and misdemeanor prosecution," states the advisory that was updated Friday and which directs Canadians to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website to determine if they need to register with USCIS and how to do so.
Most Canadians are exempt from a fingerprinting requirement. However, the advisory says it will apply in certain circumstances.
Context: The rule follows a Trump executive order requiring previously unregistered foreign travelers to comply with an existing law that says foreign nationals 14 or older not already registered with the U.S. government must do so if they plan to stay in the country for 30 days or longer.
Continue reading at Axios
How "Project Esther" forecast Trump's plan to silence protests, boost deportations
The Trump administration's push to cast pro-Palestinian protesters as Hamas supporters — and then use anti-terror and immigration laws to quiet campus demonstrations — was forecast in a little-known plan last year from the creators of Project 2025.
Why it matters: That plan — dubbed "Project Esther" and based on months of chatter among some GOP leaders — was reflected in the White House's moves to arrest Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil and pull universities' funding over antisemitism allegations.
The administration's strategy is to eventually ask the Supreme Court to give President Trump more power to deport immigrants with fewer judicial restraints.
Zoom in: Project Esther was quietly unveiled just before the presidential election, on the one-year anniversary of Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct.7, 2023.
It was produced by the Heritage Foundation, the conservative group behind Project 2025, and took aim at what it called antisemitism on college campuses.
Like Project 2025, Esther envisions expanding executive power and reshaping American life with a conservative agenda — this time focusing on colleges and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Continue reading at Axios
Trump’s crackdown on top law firms spreads to Congress
An email sent to Senate Republican offices and obtained by POLITICO puts Covington & Burling and Perkins Coie on a Capitol Hill blacklist.
Donald Trump’s retribution tour against Big Law has arrived on Capitol Hill.
An email circulated by a high-level Republican Senate staffer to GOP Senate offices Friday instructs them to pay heed to the lobbying clients of Covington & Burling and Perkins Coie, two prominent law firms that Trump has singled out for punishment. The Friday missive mimics the president’s recent efforts to crack down on law firms, universities and other entities deemed excessively liberal or anti-MAGA.
“We wanted to let you know that these firms also lobby the Senate and you can find a list of their lobbying clients at this link,” the missive, addressed to “Friends” and obtained by POLITICO, states. The email links to the official Senate lobbying database with names of clients and dollar figures, while providing instructions for how to best sort the information to see who has recently paid these firms.
The directive is the latest turn in Trump’s campaign to tame the liberal establishment with strong-arm tactics that have already brought an Ivy League university and a top Washington law firm to heel. So far, the effort has emanated solely from the White House; now, with the Senate email, it has spread to Capitol Hill.
Continue reading at Politico
Law firms divided over response to Trump orders
The diverging paths taken by three law firms targeted by the Trump administration show a major divide over how the legal community is responding to a White House ratcheting up the pressure.
The administration has stripped security clearances at a trio of firms, targeting one attorney at Covington & Burling and all attorneys with clearances at Perkins Coie and Paul, Weiss.
The orders for Perkins Coie and Paul, Weiss additionally barred their attorneys from entering federal buildings, which could include places like courthouses, as well as requiring federal contractors doing business with the firms to disclose the relationship.
The chair of Paul, Weiss said the move “could easily have destroyed our firm,” describing the Trump administration as bringing “the full weight of the government” down on it.
Actions have not been limited to those three firms.
Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sent letters to 20 top law firms demanding information about their employment practices, a sign it plans to target their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Continue reading at The Hill
Danish PM condemns Trump team over imminent Greenland visit
Mette Frederiksen vows to “stand against” aggressive overtures from the White House toward Arctic island.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen lashed out at President Donald Trump’s U.S. administration for putting “unacceptable pressure” on Greenland, as she slammed the upcoming visit to the Danish territory by U.S. Second Lady Usha Vance.
“This is clearly not a visit that is about what Greenland needs or wants,” Frederiksen said, about the scheduled trip involving Vice President JD Vance’s wife, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
“Therefore, I have to say that it is unacceptable pressure being put on Greenland and Denmark in this situation. And it’s a pressure we will stand against,” the prime minister added.
Frederiksen’s condemnation marks her most trenchant criticism of the White House since Trump turned his attention to seizing the self-ruling Danish territory, with its vast reserves of critical minerals and vital geostrategic location in the Arctic.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
"Personal gift": Putin sent Trump a portrait
The big picture: While Trump's criticism of one portrait of himself at the Colorado State Capitol prompted its removal on Monday, Witkoff described the gifted portrait — one by a "leading Russian artist" — as "beautiful" during an interview with Tucker Carlson that was broadcast over the weekend.
Why it matters: Imagery forms a key part of Trump's brand, from the president's official portrait this year that evokes his historic mug shot to the iconic photo of his bloody face and raised fist in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on him at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally last year.
Details: "It was an absolutely personal gift that the president gave to his American counterpart," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the state-run Tass news agency, as U.S. and Russian negotiators again met for talks in Saudi Arabia as part of Trump administration efforts to end the war in Ukraine, declining to comment further.
Continue reading at Axios
South Africa president says persecution of whites a ‘false narrative’ as Musk repeats genocide claim
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday the claim that white people are being persecuted in his country is a “completely false narrative.” It was his latest attempt to push back against allegations made by U.S. President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and some white minority groups in South Africa.
South African-born Musk, who has regularly accused South Africa’s Black-led government of being anti-white, repeated a claim this weekend in a social media post that some of the country’s political figures are “actively promoting white genocide.”
Ramaphosa said in his weekly message to the nation that South Africans “should not allow events beyond our shores to divide us or turn us against each other.”
“In particular, we should challenge the completely false narrative that our country is a place in which people of a certain race or culture are being targeted for persecution.”
Continue reading at the AP
Czech PM accuses election front-runner of helping Putin
Skirmishes heat up ahead of this fall’s vote in Czechia, which threatens to dramatically reorient Prague’s political direction.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala on Tuesday accused the parliamentary election front-runner, populist Andrej Babiš, of helping Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The current Czech government coalition, consisting of four parties led by Fiala, has been one of Ukraine’s closest allies in its fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion — but that could all change after this fall’s election.
“Babiš is against this ammunition initiative, against spending on defence, he talks about peace without any conditions,” Fiala, leader of the conservative Civic Democratic Party (ODS), told the Financial Times in an interview.
“He helps Vladimir Putin, it’s very clear,” he added.
Fiala went on to say that the Czech-led ammunition initiative — set up to to gather donations from allied countries to cofinance the purchase of ammunition for Ukraine from producers around the world — could be in danger if the government changes.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Jordan announces hearing on ‘judicial overreach’
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan has officially scheduled a hearing for next Tuesday on ways to rein in federal judges whose rulings are unfavorable to President Donald Trump.
The hearing, which the Ohio Republican previewed to reporters Monday night, will be titled “Judicial Overreach and Constitutional Limits on the Federal Courts,” according to a notice sent to Judiciary panel members and viewed by POLITICO.
Continue reading at Politico
The media platforms that just won't die
Napster on Tuesday was acquired in a $207 million deal by Infinite Reality, a VC-backed metaverse unicorn.
Why it matters: Brand equity sometimes outlives the underlying business of internet platforms that were once popular with young users. That can prove irresistible to dealmakers.
Catch up quick: Napster didn't really disappear, although it's gone through a ton of ownership changes since pioneering what would evolve into music streaming.
That included a 2022 purchase by Hivemind and Algorand, after which it raised funding from VC backers like Pegasus Tech Ventures, SkyBridge Capital, G20 Ventures, Outpost Ventures and F-Prime Capital.
Now it will join Infinite Reality, which recently raised $3 billion at a $12.25 billion post-money valuation.
Zoom in: Infinite Reality's plan is to reimagine Napster as "a social music platform" that prioritizes active fan engagement over passive listening.
Continue reading at Axios
Mike Huckabee, Trump’s pick for Israel ambassador, tries to distance from past Palestinian rhetoric
Mike Huckabee, President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel, attempted to distance himself Tuesday from his past controversial statements about the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people, pledging on Capitol Hill to “carry out the president’s priorities, not mine.”
“I am not here to articulate or defend my own views or policies, but to present myself as one who will respect and represent the President whose overwhelming election by the people will hopefully give me the honor of serving as ambassador to the State of Israel,” Huckabee said in his opening statement.
Continue reading at the AP
US announces Black Sea deal with Russia and Ukraine
The region’s shipping safety has vexed the international community amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The White House announced Tuesday that it had reached separate agreements with Russia and Ukraine to allow for “safe navigation” in the Black Sea, eliminating a major roadblock for peace talks between the two countries.
The Trump administration, in two statements, said that technical-level talks between U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, resulted in agreements to “ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.”
The U.S. also said it would help restore Russia’s “access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports” and take steps to improve Moscow’s access to global shipping.
Both sides, according to the U.S., also agreed to work toward the implementation of the energy infrastructure ceasefire Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to in calls with President Donald Trump earlier this month. And the U.S. reiterated its commitment to “helping achieve the exchange of prisoners of war, the release of civilian detainees, and the return of forcibly transferred Ukrainian children.”
Neither the Kremlin nor Ukrainian government issued immediate statements, so it is unclear if the countries agreed to these exact terms.
Continue reading at Politico
Johnson stresses Congress’s power over courts: ‘Desperate times call for desperate measures’
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday drew attention to Congress’s power over the federal judiciary as Republicans plot how to legislatively channel their outrage over district judges who have blocked Trump administration actions.
“We do have authority over the federal courts,” Johnson said in a press conference Tuesday. “We can eliminate an entire district court. We do have power over funding over the courts and all these other things. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and Congress is going to act.”
Johnson clarified that he was not calling to eliminate courts, but rather meant to illustrate Congress’s broad scope of authority, Punchbowl News reported.
Article III of the Constitution specifically vests judicial power in the Supreme Court and in “inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.” The structure of the district court system, and how they are funded, are determined by Congress.
Continue reading at The Hill
Social Security: How it works, and why it's the "third rail" of U.S. politics
The Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE)'s incursion into the Social Security Administration is threatening to slow or even unravel the system that provided income to about 73 million Americans last month.
Why it matters: The Elon Musk-led effort to eradicate purported fraud at the agency long known as the "third rail" of American politics could jeopardize the SSA's ability to execute its core mission — and the financial stability of elderly and disabled people across the country.
What the richest person in the world has called the "biggest Ponzi scheme of all time" is a lifeline for some of the U.S.'s most vulnerable residents.
One stunning stat: As of December 2024, roughly nine in 10 Americans over the age of 65 and millions of people with disabilities receive benefits from the system.
The average benefit last month was around $1,800, according to the SSA.
State of play: The Trump administration announced last month that it would cut its workforce by about 7,000 employees — or 12% of its staff of about 57,000.
Continue reading at Axios
New Trump order pours gasoline on DOGE's data quest
President Trump signed an executive order last week that compels federal agencies to tear down internal barriers to sharing government data, with no new cybersecurity requirements to prevent misuse or breaches.
Why it matters: The order gives DOGE and other agencies sweeping access to sensitive personal data, and experts warn it attempts to sidestep longstanding privacy laws that judges have used to block similar efforts.
The big picture: Critics of the Trump administration fear that DOGE and other offices could weaponize existing government databases to monitor people's finances, addresses and other sensitive personal information.
The Washington Post reported Saturday that the IRS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are nearing an agreement to share the addresses of individuals suspected of being in the country illegally.
Meanwhile, targeted attacks against protesters and researchers are on the rise. ICE has detained several protesters and academics tied to pro-Palestinian causes.
Zoom out: Trump signed his new order before Monday's jaw-dropping revelation that his cabinet members had planned a Yemen bomb strike in a Signal chat to which they'd also accidentally invited a journalist.
Continue reading at Axios
5 transgender service members ask judge to shield them from military ban
Five transgender service members are requesting a judge block the Trump administration from enforcing a policy that bars trans people from serving openly in the military, while a case against the executive action proceeds.
A motion filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia asks the court to issue a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement on behalf of the five plaintiffs, each of whom “are currently being subjected to specific adverse treatment,” according to court filings.
It asks the court to shield them from the Pentagon’s policies effectuating Trump’s order, arguing the plaintiffs otherwise face “immediate and irreparable harm.”
Last week, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, an appointee of former President Biden, indefinitely blocked Trump’s order on transgender troops, which she said is “soaked in animus,” from taking effect.
Continue reading at The Hill
Before resigning, top prosecutor drafted letter to Bondi in last-ditch bid to salvage Eric Adams case
The draft letter from former interim U.S. attorney Danielle Sassoon was revealed Tuesday in new court filings.
NEW YORK — The top Manhattan federal prosecutor who resigned over the Justice Department’s orders to drop the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams drafted a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi opposing the dismissal and asking to discuss the case with her directly.
It’s not clear if Danielle Sassoon ever sent the undated letter, which was disclosed in court filings on Tuesday. But the draft shows that Sassoon, who was at the time the interim U.S. attorney for Manhattan, considered appealing directly to the Justice Department’s top official as she tried to safeguard the Adams case in the face of what Sassoon saw as political interference.
The letter appears to have been written in early February, and in a separate letter on Feb. 12 announcing her resignation, Sassoon said she and Bondi hadn’t met or discussed the five-count corruption case against the Democratic mayor.
Sasson didn’t respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Her opposition to dismissing the Adams case has been well documented, but the draft letter to Bondi reveals new details about the behind-the-scenes discussions as career prosecutors in Manhattan tried to preserve a corruption case they had spent years building. Top officials at DOJ have argued that the case should be dismissed because it has hindered Adams’ ability to help President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Continue reading at Politico
Trump family crypto venture to launch a stablecoin
The move comes as the Trump administration and congressional Republicans are working to enact regulatory changes that could benefit the crypto industry.
The cryptocurrency venture run by President Donald Trump’s sons announced Tuesday it will launch a digital token known as a stablecoin that is pegged to the value of the U.S. dollar, expanding the first family’s ties to the crypto industry.
The crypto company, World Liberty Financial, was launched by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump last fall during the home stretch of their father’s presidential campaign, the first of several moves by the Trump family to get into the digital assets business.
The launch comes as the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are gearing up to enact regulatory changes that could benefit the crypto industry — including, specifically, stablecoin issuers. GOP lawmakers are moving quickly to pass legislation that would establish a new regulatory framework for stablecoins, which could give the crypto world new legitimacy alongside traditional banks.
The firm’s stablecoin, called USD1, will be “backed by short-term US government treasuries, US dollar deposits, and other cash equivalents,” according to an announcement from the company posted on Medium. World Liberty also sells a separate crypto token called WLFI.
The announcement is the latest way the Trump family is seeking to cash in on crypto. Donald Trump and Melania Trump both launched so-called memecoins prior to the Inauguration and the president’s social media company, Truth Social, has also been expanding into crypto.
Continue reading at Politico
Trump orders declassification of FBI’s Russia investigation
President Trump on Tuesday signed a memorandum directing the declassification of FBI files related to the investigation into his 2016 campaign’s potential ties to Russia.
The memorandum calls for the declassification of “all files related to Crossfire Hurricane investigation,” White House staff secretary Will Scharf said as Trump prepared to sign the order at the White House.
“We believe that it’s long past time for the American people to have a full and complete understanding of what exactly is in those files,” Scharf said.
“This was total weaponization. It’s a disgrace…but now you’ll be able to see for yourselves,” Trump said as he signed the memo.
Continue reading at The Hill
Waltz attacks Atlantic journalist over war plan chat, says they ‘never met’
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz on Tuesday sought to distance himself from Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who was mistakenly included in a group chat with Waltz and other officials about plans for a military strike.
Waltz, who has come under scrutiny for Goldberg’s inclusion in the group, said during a meeting with President Trump and ambassadors at the White House that he “never met” Goldberg.
“There’s a lot of journalists in this city who have made big names for themselves making up lies about this president,” Waltz said. “Whether it’s the Russia hoax or making up lies about Gold Star families, and this one in particular I’ve never met, don’t know, never communicated with, and we are looking into and reviewing how the heck he got into this room.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Note from Rima: As many analysts have explained, Goldberg didn’t “enter the room” and the chat was not a “chat room” but a chain that Waltz himself initiated and invited participants to.
Trump pardons Devon Archer
President Trump on Tuesday pardoned Devon Archer, arguing that the former business partner to Hunter Biden was treated unfairly.
Archer become a key figure in House Republicans’ investigation into Biden’s business dealings after he was convicted in 2018 by a federal jury on charges of defrauding a Native American tribe by fraudulently issuing and selling more than $60 million of tribal bonds.
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Fox News’ Baier nabs interview with Elon Musk and DOGE team members
Fox News anchor Bret Baier will interview billionaire Elon Musk and members of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team amid their controversial efforts to reduce the size and spending of the federal government.
The interview will air during Baier’s “Special Report” newscast on Thursday and feature both Musk and seven members of his closely watched DOGE team, the network said.
The interview will mark the first time that members of DOGE have spoken in a group interview on a major network, and Fox said they will examine their findings within various departments of government thus far.
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DHS suspends green card processing for refugees, asylees
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it is pausing review of green card applications for some refugees and asylees, leaving in limbo those who came to the U.S. after fleeing unrest.
The directive from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would impact refugees already approved to come to the United States, as well as those who were granted asylum after petitioning for the protection in immigration court.
While both groups are thoroughly vetted, DHS said it would press pause on those seeking to become lawful permanent residents for “additional screening.”
“To better identify fraud, public safety or national security concerns, USCIS is placing a temporary pause on finalizing certain Adjustment of Status applications pending the completion of additional screening and vetting,” DHS said in a statement, pointing to two different executive orders by Trump.
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Judge temporarily bars effort to defund Radio Free Europe
A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked Kari Lake and the Trump administration from moving to defund Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth found that the administration and Lake, who oversees U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which funds the radio station and Voice of America (VOA), likely violated the law by attempting to terminate RFE/RL’s funding and granted its request for a temporary restraining order.
“RFE/RL has, for decades, operated as one of the organizations that Congress has statutorily designated to carry out this policy,” Lamberth, appointed by former President Reagan, wrote in a 10-page opinion. “The leadership of USAGM cannot, with one sentence of reasoning offering virtually no explanation, force RFE/RL to shut down — even if the President has told them to do so.”
The efforts to freeze RFE/RL’s funding followed President Trump’s executive order aimed at eliminating USAGM.
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Russia says US to ease sanctions as part of targeted ceasefire deal with Ukraine
Russia said Monday that it expects the U.S. to ease certain sanctions as part of an agreement for a limited ceasefire with Ukraine, lifting restrictions on certain banking sectors which are a major piece of international penalties on Moscow over its full-scale invasion launched in Feb. 2022.
The sanctions lifting is part of an agreement for Russia and Ukraine to halt military attacks in the Black Sea, the office of Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a statement on Tuesday. The statement came following a round of U.S.-brokered shuttle diplomacy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from Sunday to Tuesday.
Putin’s office said the ceasefire in the Black Sea would only come into force after sanctions relief.
The Russian president’s office said the U.S. will help “restore access for Russian agricultural and fertilizer exports to the world market, reduce the cost of marine insurance, and expand access to ports and payment systems to conduct such transactions.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Academic groups sue over deportations of international students, scholars
Multiple academic groups filed suit against the Trump administration Tuesday over its actions to deport foreign students and faculty who participated in pro-Palestinian protests on campuses.
The American Association of University Professors, the Middle East Studies Association and Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University argue the administration has created an environment “terrorizing students and faculty for their exercise of First Amendment rights in the past, intimidating them from exercising those rights now, and silencing political viewpoints that the government disfavors.”
The federal government revoked the student visa of one Columbia student and is looking to take away the green card of another who participated in the pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump signs order targeting law firm that employed Mueller team prosecutor
President Trump on Tuesday signed an order targeting a law firm that previously employed Andrew Weissman, a former federal prosecutor who worked on then-special counsel Robert Mueller’s team.
The order, which targets the law firm Jenner and Block, is the latest move from Trump to punish major firms with ties to critics and individuals he holds grudges against.
White House staff secretary Will Scharf alleged the firm had engaged in “weaponization of the legal system against American principles and values.”
“And Andrew Weissman is the main culprit with respect to this firm?” Trump asked, calling Weissman a “bad guy.”
Scharf said Weissman was “one of a number of reasons” the order was being issued.
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Vance to accompany wife to Greenland amid backlash
Vice President Vance said he’s traveling to Greenland on Friday, a move that comes after the Trump administration provoked backlash from officials in Greenland and Denmark when it was announced that second lady Usha Vance would be heading there.
“There was so much excitement around Usha’s visit to Greenland this Friday, that I decided that I didn’t want her to have all that fun by herself, and so I’m going to join her,” Vance said in a video released on X on Tuesday afternoon.
Vance’s announcement adds another layer of tension to an already fraught atmosphere surrounding his wife’s planned visit, which officials in Denmark and Greenland reject as a provocation part of President Trump’s repeated claims of his intent to take over the arctic island for what he says are “international security concerns.”
Plans for National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright to also travel to Denmark are further inflaming tensions between Washington and Copenhagen and Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.
Officials in Denmark and Greenland have denounced the visits. Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede called Waltz’s visit in particular “highly aggressive.” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederickson called the U.S. delegation an “unacceptable pressure” and vowed resistance.
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Trump signs order to overhaul federal elections process
President Trump signed Tuesday an executive order to make sweeping changes to federal elections that includes a proof of citizenship requirement and aims to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day.
Why it matters: Trump said on Truth Social his administration believes this is "the farthest-reaching executive action taken in the history" of the U.S. to "Secure our Elections" — and it's likely to face legal challenges, with Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold's among those already calling the order "unlawful."
Trump has long railed against mail-in voting and Tuesday's order directs the Election Assistance Commission to include in its national mail-in voter registration form a stipulation for proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or Real ID.
States that don't comply with the new requirements could have federal funding cut, according to the order.
Between the lines: While Trump's order is called "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American elections," UCLA law professor Rick Hasen wrote in a Tuesday blog post the action was an "executive power grab" that would disenfranchise "millions" of voters.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump signs sweeping executive order targeting election rules
Election law experts were quick to question whether the order is legal.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a sweeping executive order seeking to change how elections are administered across the country, especially rules related to citizenship and mail-in voting.
The order immediately sparked concern among voting rights experts, who said the president may not even legally have the authority to do some of the things he directed in the order. If allowed to go into effect, it could disrupt how Americans vote and have their ballots counted in ways that may disenfranchise many legitimate voters for every potential illegitimate voter it stops.
Trump’s order asserts that federal law requires all states to reject ballots not received by Election Day, directing the Justice Department to “take all necessary action to enforce” the requirement. The move seemed directly targeted at mail-in heavy states from California to Alaska.
Across the country, states have wide latitude to administer elections differently — but none allow votes to be counted if they are cast after Election Day. Some accept absentee ballots after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked by Election Day, while many others require ballots to be in the possession of election officials by the time polls close. For example, in Florida a ballot must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, while in California, a ballot must be postmarked on Election Day but can arrive up to seven days later.
Continue reading at Politico
Judge orders a June trial for US government’s felony case against Boeing
A federal judge in Texas has set a June trial date for the U.S. government’s years-old conspiracy case against Boeing for misleading regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed, killing 346 people.
U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor did not explain in the scheduling order he issued on Tuesday why he decided to set the case for trial. Lawyers for the aerospace company and the Justice Department have spent months trying to renegotiate a July 2024 plea agreement that called for Boeing to plead guilty to a single felony charge.
The judge rejected that deal in December, saying that diversity, inclusion and equity policies the Justice Department had in place at the time might influence the selection of a monitor to oversee the company’s compliance with the terms of its proposed sentence.
Since then, O’Connor had three times extended the deadline for the two sides to report how they planned to proceed. His most recent extension, granted earlier this month, gave them until April 11 to “confer on a potential resolution of this case short of trial.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Supreme Court weighs which courts can hear Clean Air Act disputes
The Supreme Court appears poised to keep at least some Clean Air Act disputes in federal courts outside of D.C. — preventing what at least one justice described as “home court advantage” for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The justices heard a pair of cases on Tuesday about whether certain Clean Air Act disputes should be heard in federal court in D.C. or in federal court in various regions around the nation.
Certain regional courts may have a more conservative or liberal ideological bent, depending on which president appointed its justices.
The Clean Air Act states that “nationally applicable” determinations made under it should be heard at the D.C. Circuit while “locally or regionally applicable” decisions should be reviewed in the circuit court that has jurisdiction over that region.
The law also contains an exception for locally applicable decisions where the EPA administrator finds they were based on “a determination of nationwide scope or effect.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Social Security chief: DOGE access to systems revoked after court order
Leland Dudek, acting commissioner for the Social Security Administration (SSA), said as of Monday the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) no longer has access to the agency’s systems in an effort to comply with court orders.
Dudek submitted a declaration confirming that DOGE employees’ access to systems containing personally identifiable information (PII) or systems of record was revoked.
He also claimed Elon Musk and Amy Gleason, who were named as DOGE Defendants, have never had access to SSA systems of record.
“Before seeking to provide access to systems or records containing PII any DOGE Defendant, SSA DOGE Team member, or DOGE Affiliate, SSA will ensure that the individual seeking access has been provided all training required for such access; that a background investigation has been completed comparable to the quality of an investigation for SSA employees with similar access, including execution of SSA documents acknowledging the duty to protect PII; and that any agreement concerning the individual’s employment at SSA (such as detail agreements) is complete,” Dudek wrote.
Continue reading at The Hill
Florida considers bill to roll back child labor laws to fill jobs once held by undocumented migrants
Florida lawmakers are considering major changes to state child labor laws that would loosen restrictions on when and how long teens can work, as the state braces for a shortage of migrant workers under GOP-led immigration crackdowns.
A state Senate panel narrowly advanced a proposal Tuesday to eliminate regulations that bar 16- and 17-year-olds from working jobs before 6:30 a.m. or after 11 p.m. on school days, working more than eight hours on school days and working more than 30 hours a week while in school. The proposal also would end a requirement that teens receive at least 30-minute meal breaks when they work eight-hour shifts.
Additionally, it would eliminate some restrictions on employing 14- and 15-year-olds who are home-schooled or enrolled in virtual schools.
Continue reading at The Hill
Noem says she plans to ‘eliminate FEMA’
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she planned to “eliminate” the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during a televised Cabinet meeting Monday.
While giving a status report on border security, Noem added, “and we’re going to eliminate FEMA.” She did not elaborate.
“That’s great. Great job,” President Trump said — appearing to respond to her broader status update.
Trump has been highly critical of the emergency management agency, having suggested in the past that he would consider cutting it.
“I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA. I think, frankly, FEMA’s not good,” Trump said in January.
Continue reading at The Hill
The Laws That May Have Been Broken in the War Planning Group Chat
Our legal expert explains the possible fallout.
Many of the Trump Cabinet officials involved — including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, National Security Adviser Michael Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — were among those who called Hillary Clinton reckless for using a private email account and server while she was secretary of State. Democrats, including Clinton, were eager to claim hypocrisy.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has insisted that no “war plans” were discussed in the messages. But will there be any legal consequences for the Trump officials’ unorthodox use of Signal or for the disclosures to Goldberg?
Here’s what to know about the laws that may or may not have been broken — and the possible fallout.
1 Did the Signal chat violate the Espionage Act, and will anyone be prosecuted?
There’s certainly an argument that using Signal for these kinds of chats was so careless that it violated the Espionage Act — but when it comes to someone actually being prosecuted, I wouldn’t hold your breath.
It is true that the Espionage Act makes it a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison to handle national security secrets with such “gross negligence” that it allows them to fall into the hands of an unauthorized person. In theory, that should be worrisome for those texting war plans to a journalist.
Continue reading at Politico Magazine
NASA wipes vow to land woman on moon from website amid Trump DEI purge
NASA has removed a pledge to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon from its website in an effort to meet President Trump's demands.
The big picture: There has been a massive purge of articles from government websites following Trump's executive order ending federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The administration has targeted DEI programs, including by removing language and historical facts from agency websites.
Driving the news: A page about NASA's Artemis campaign, originally published in 2023, read: "NASA will land the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut on the Moon using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before."
It's removal, first reported by the Orlando Sentinel, was made sometime on or after March 14, an archive of the site shows.
Yes, but another web page about the delayed mission on NASA's site still contained language about landing the first woman and first person of color on the surface of the Moon as of Tuesday afternoon.
Continue reading at Axios
Meeting with House panel, OPM officials cut short after clash between top lawmakers
A closed-door meeting between members of a House subcommittee and officials from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was cut short on Tuesday after the top two lawmakers on the panel clashed over the terms of the gathering.
The disagreement was confirmed to The Hill by the two lawmakers involved, Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), as well as two other sources familiar with the matter.
The huddle, according to an invitation obtained by The Hill, was organized as a roundtable discussion where OPM officials could brief members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) on “updates and recent activity” by the agency.
Continue reading at The Hill
Senate confirms Michael Kratsios to lead White House science, tech office
Kratsios will play a crucial role in molding the administration’s artificial intelligence (AI) agenda and will assist Trump in science and technology.
“It’s an honor to serve as Director of the @whitehouse Office of Science & Technology Policy,” Kratsios said in a Tuesday post on the social platform X. “Advancing American dominance in AI, emerging tech, and breakthrough science has never been so critical. Under @POTUS’ leadership, we will unleash the Golden Age of American Innovation!”
Trump announced in December last year that he would tap Kratsios to be the director of OSTP. Kratsios graduated from Princeton University and has most recently been a managing director at Scale AI, a data annotation company based in San Francisco, according to his LinkedIn.
Continue reading at The Hill
Boebert suggests GOP could rename DC ‘District of America’
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) urged lawmakers to stop making fun of President Trump’s decision to rename the Gulf of America, suggesting the nation’s capital could undergo the same change.
“I would caution my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to refrain from making jokes about the Gulf of America because next up may be the District of America that we are working on,” Boebert said during a Tuesday hearing for the House Natural Resources Committee.
Boebert made these remarks at a legislative hearing for the Gulf of America Act to support Trump’s executive order through technical amendments.
The Hill has reached out to Boebert’s office.
Continue reading at The Hill
Two very different types of Republicans are fighting over Mike Waltz
“Both sides are using this scandal to advance their agenda,” said one Republican Senate staffer.
Trump allies were divided Tuesday over the fate of Mike Waltz, with some MAGA-aligned insiders calling for the national security adviser’s ouster and others demanding he get another chance, despite bearing public responsibility for including a reporter on an unsecure group chat that discussed war plans.
It’s a split that shows Waltz’s unique position in the administration. Traditional defense hawks — who care most about the breach in security at the center of the controversy — are also more likely to want Waltz to stay. They view him as someone who, given his close personal rapport with President Donald Trump, can sell a more aggressive foreign policy to hardcore MAGA ideologues who are wary of more traditional Republican policies. This could apply to advocating for military strikes against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen or strengthening the U.S. military posture against Russia.
Other conservative commentators who view Waltz’s positions as too neoconservative, however, were eager to use this episode to try and kickstart conversations on forcing him out.
Continue reading at Politico
Hegseth’s slip-ups follow him abroad: ‘Allies don’t have high expectations’
Every international trip the Pentagon chief has taken has been clouded by controversy.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is spiraling through yet another overseas trip eclipsed by a controversy largely of his own doing.
Hegseth’s first foreign trip to Brussels last month turned tense after he ruled out Ukraine joining NATO before the Trump administration had settled the debate. Now, as he lands in Asia, the Pentagon chief is in hot water again. This time, it’s for sharing war plans in a Signal chat — which accidentally included a journalist — about the military’s strikes against Yemen’s Houthi fighters.
The latest slip-up — a contrast to his camera-ready social media persona — threatens to overshadow Hegseth’s introduction to two key Indo-Pacific allies, Japan and the Philippines. The incidents also vindicate criticism from Democrats and some Republicans that the former Fox News host is unqualified for the role.
“You do not need to be a member of the military or intelligence community to know that this information is exactly what the enemy would want to know,” said Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant Defense secretary under the first Trump administration. “And it does clearly put our military members at risk.”
Hegseth will spend his Asia trip attempting to shore up alliances in the Pacific that could be critical to countering China. He’ll head to Guam, the epicenter of U.S. air defense in the Indo-Pacific, and then meet with the Japanese and Philippine presidents in both countries. But he’ll be dogged by questions about whether he mishandled classified information and violated the law, even if the White House denies that information shared in the chat was classified.
Continue reading at Politico
NC Republicans revive "bathroom bill" themes in new legislation
Two North Carolina Republican state senators unveiled legislation Tuesday that echoes the state's 2016 "bathroom bill," also known as HB2, which banned transgender people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity.
Why it matters: It's been nine years — almost to the day — since state legislative Republicans filed the infamous HB2, sparking nationwide backlash that cost the state billions, aided Democrats in winning the governor's mansion and forced Republicans to backtrack.
Driving the news: This year's bill, titled the Women's Safety and Protection Act, includes language much like HB2 in that it defines "biological sex" and restricts access to bathrooms, but it is more sweeping in scope.
Continue reading at Axios
Senate likely to send repeal of IRS DeFi broker rule to White House
The Senate looks set to vote again on repealing the Internal Revenue Service's broker rule, which it updated at the end of 2024, a Republican Senate staffer tells Axios.
The big picture: The move fits into the current administration's larger goal of making the U.S. friendly to the nascent crypto industry.
State of play: The Senate already passed a similar CRA resolution on March 4 by a vote of 70 to 27. Due to the Constitutional requirement about the origination of budget measures, the House passed a new version in a 292-131 vote, which was then sent to the upper chamber.
This time, a passing vote in the Senate would send the resolution to the White House for President Trump's signature.
Context: Critics of the revised IRS rule argue it would discourage innovation.
Written in an attempt to bring in more tax revenue from crypto trading, the IRS expanded the reach of its broker reporting requirements.
Continue reading at Axios
Troops to start surveillance at border
The deployment of Stryker vehicles with surveillance capabilities will mark a new phase in the Trump administration’s effort to use the military to detain migrants.
Hundreds of troops will start conducting surveillance across the southern border, putting them for the first time on the front lines of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The previously unreported plans call for service members to station their armored infantry vehicles near the border in the coming days and use night vision surveillance capabilities to monitor open spaces, according to three defense officials with knowledge of the planning. The troops will also be authorized to conduct foot patrols.
The deployment of sophisticated eight-wheeled Stryker vehicles will mark a new phase in the Trump administration’s effort to use the military to detain migrants. The 9,000 active-duty troops already dispatched to Texas and Arizona have primarily carried out logistics and back-end work. The new plans will turn service members into more active participants.
The troops, from the 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, will also help transport border patrol to areas where they’re needed. The service members are prohibited by law from detaining civilians or carrying out law enforcement duties, although they can defend themselves if attacked.
Continue reading at Politico
House to vote on a second bill dealing with federal judges
Rep. Darrell Issa’s JUDGES Act is a version of a bipartisan bill that was vetoed last Congress.
Republican leaders are aiming to bring legislation adding more federal judges to a House vote during the week of April 7, according to two people who were granted anonymity to discuss internal plans.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) confirmed in a brief interview that his team had spoken with Republican leadership about plans to call a vote on theJUDGES Act, which he introduced this Congress. A similar bill passed both chambers last session, but former President Joe Biden vetoed the measure after Donald Trump won the election in November.
Issa’s bill, which passed out of committee earlier this month, would add dozens of new seats on federal district courts before the end of 2035 over a staggered timeline. Congress has not added new district court judges in more than two decades.
Continue reading at Politico
‘It’s so unbelievable': Cyber world stunned over war planners using Signal
Regardless of app security, experts say communicating the military plans of the U.S. government in a non-classified space creates a massive security vulnerability.
Lawmakers and experts are sounding the alarm after revelations that Cabinet members were using Signal to discuss war plans, saying the encrypted messaging app is still vulnerable to hacking.
The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg published a first-hand account on Monday detailing how he was mistakenly added to a Signal group chat where high-ranking Trump officials were discussing plans to conduct military strikes in Yemen. The Signal conversation included “precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing,” Goldberg said, describing the use of the open-source app to map out military strikes as “shocking recklessness.”
“I guess Signal is a few steps above leaving a copy of your war plan at the Chinese Embassy — but it’s far below the standards required for discussing any elements of a war plan,” said Mark Montgomery, senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Continue reading at Politico
Trump signs order targeting mail-in ballots, proof of citizenship in federal elections
President Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order that would dramatically overhaul how federal elections are run, a move that follows years of exaggerated claims from Trump about mail ballots and noncitizen voting.
Trump signed an order that directs states to require proof of citizenship when individuals register to vote.
The order, which drew immediate skepticism from legal experts, includes a section titled “Enforcing the Citizenship Requirement for Federal Elections.” The section indicates that state or local officials should record on voter registration forms “the type of document that the applicant presented as documentary proof of United States citizenship,” such as a passport, a Real ID or another federal- or state-issued identification that proves citizenship.
In addition, the order directs the attorney general to target states that count absentee or mail-in ballots that are received after Election Day. Many states count mail-in or absentee ballots as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.
Continue reading at The Hill
DOGE efforts should be counted alongside megabill’s cost-cutting, Thune says
The Senate majority leader said Elon Musk’s agency cuts could help bring the GOP’s right flank aboard.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he plans to use the cuts undertaken by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative as he tries to get Republican fiscal hawks on board with a budget blueprint paving the way for a massive party-line tax, border and energy bill.
The strategy, confirmed in a brief interview Tuesday, comes as Senate GOP leaders face a growing challenge in convincing a handful of conservatives members who want to go beyond the $2 trillion in cuts contained in the House budget framework.
“In the end, a lot of our folks who want to see a more aggressive approach to that realize that there are political considerations, and it’s all [about] what you can get the votes for,” Thune said.
Thune said that in addition to the massive domestic policy bill, “hopefully we’ll get other opportunities to” cut spending, naming DOGE as one of “a lot of good opportunities to get our country on a more sustainable fiscal path.“
Asked if the DOGE cuts could help sell a deal to conservatives, Thune said, “Anything that complements efforts to demonstrate that we are making serious headway in reducing spending and getting the deficit and debt under control is going to be progress. So however we get there, we want to get there.”
Continue reading at Politico
Senate Republicans eye big changes to House budget
It’s the latest sign that the two chambers are nowhere near resolving the major differences on the GOP agenda.
House Republicans want the Senate to adopt their budget blueprint and get the ball rolling on enacting President Donald Trump’s agenda. Senate Republicans have other ideas.
GOP senators made clear Tuesday they intend to revamp the House-approved framework for the sweeping domestic policy bill — most crucially, by likely tweaking the amount of spending cuts congressional committees would need to achieve to finance the package of tax cuts, border security enhancements and energy provisions.
It’s the latest sign that House and Senate Republicans are nowhere near resolving the major differences between their competing plans, allowing them to move forward on a filibuster-skirting reconciliation bill, which party leaders in both chambers want to pass in the coming months.
Both the House and Senate are eyeing the week of April 7 to finish work on the budget resolution — a necessary first step for the reconciliation process — before leaving for a two-week Easter recess.
“They said they needed time to do one big, beautiful bill,” Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham told reporters, referring to House Republicans. “They had a chance; the product is woefully inadequate.”
Continue reading at Politico
Judge blocks immigration officials from arresting Columbia student
Activist Yunseo Chung, who has a green card, claims she’s being targeted for pro-Palestinian views.
A federal judge has ordered immigration authorities to halt, for now, their efforts to detain a Columbia University student who claims she is being targeted for her involvement in pro-Palestinian protests.
Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Naomi Buchwald issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday at the request of lawyers for Yunseo Chung, 21, a Columbia junior who was born in Korea and holds a green card after coming to the U.S. as a child.
Chung filed suit Monday after Columbia officials advised her earlier this month that immigration enforcement agents were looking to detain her. Chung’s attorneys said they believe Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered Buchwald’s green card revoked on grounds that her presence in the U.S. was undermining U.S. foreign policy.
Rubio has issued similar findings in recent weeks that triggered deportation efforts against another Columbia student, Mahmoud Khalil, and a Georgetown researcher, Badar Suri. Both are now in immigration custody in Louisiana, but have filed lawsuits demanding release.
All the suits contend that the detentions violate First Amendment free-speech rights.
Continue reading at Politico
Tesla chair remains silent amid backlash to Musk's political activities
Tesla chair Robyn Denholm is maintaining radio silence about the corrosive effect of Elon Musk's political activities on the company's electric vehicle sales.
Why it matters: Denholm's arrival at Tesla in 2018 was seen as a potential stabilizing moment after Musk's tumultuous tussle with U.S. securities regulators.
The big picture: In contrast to Musk, Denholm largely shuns the spotlight and isn't outwardly political.
She hasn't posted on X in more than a year and rarely gives interviews.
Driving the news: Faced with questions at a conference in Australia Tuesday about whether "she was concerned about Musk's apparent right-wing allegiances, or his opposition to diversity and inclusion initiatives," Denholm "said nothing," Bloomberg reported.
"Asked if she had a message for Tesla shareholders, she didn't respond," the newswire added.
Also, "a woman accompanying Denholm as she entered the conference venue said they wouldn't comment or respond to any questions."
Continue reading at Axios
Less than 1 in 5 favor US annexing Canada, Greenland: Survey
Less than one in five Americans favor the U.S. annexing Canada and semiautonomous island Greenland, according to a new survey released Tuesday.
The Yahoo News/YouGov poll found that 17 percent of U.S. adults favor Canada becoming the U.S.’s 51st state, an idea that President Trump has brought up several times since winning the 2024 presidential election. Over half of the respondents, 57 percent, are opposed to the potential expansion of the U.S.’s territory, while 26 percent said they were unsure.
Similar figures were discovered when respondents were asked about the possibility of Washington annexing Greenland, a foreign policy goal Trump has talked about in his first term and reiterated in the last few months. Around 19 percent of Americans are in favor of the U.S. annexing Greenland, a mineral-rich island whose foreign policy and defense are overseen by Denmark. Nearly half of Americans, 49 percent, are opposed to the idea while another third, 32 percent, were unsure, according to the survey.
Continue reading at The Hill
Palestinians take part in largest anti-Hamas protests in Gaza since start of war
Palestinians demonstrated against Hamas in northern Gaza on Tuesday, in what appeared to be the largest protest against the militant group since its attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Video obtained by CNN showed large crowds, estimated to be thousands of people by a CNN journalist on the ground, marching through the streets of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, chanting “For god’s sake, Hamas out,” “Hamas terrorists” and “We want an end to the war.”
Continue reading at CNN.com
Health news
Injuries from recalled products reach 8-year high
Injuries from recalled consumer products reached an eight-year high in 2024, according to a new report released Tuesday.
Why it matters: 869 injuries and at least 15 deaths were linked to hazardous products that were recalled during the year, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund analysis found.
The "Safe At Home in 2025?" report is based on data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
By the numbers: There were 305 recall announcements in 2024 accounting for more than 83 million hazardous products that ranged from tools to toys to treadmills, the report said.
Fires were a top hazard with 568 fires or "thermal events" such as explosions reported in connection with recalls.
Other top hazards were fall risks, burns, entrapment, poisoning, laceration, suffocation and choking.
The eight products linked to deaths were: infant swings, spa pumps, portable power stations, bookcases, rechargeable lights and three brands of adult bed rails.
What they're saying: "This is gut-wrenching on so many levels," Teresa Murray, PIRG consumer watchdog and author of the analysis, said.
Continue reading at Axios
Long Covid office ‘will be closing,’ Trump administration announces
The move comes as part of the administration’s reorganization of HHS, according to an internal email seen by POLITICO.
The Trump administration is shuttering HHS’ long Covid office as part of its reorganization, according to an internal email seen by POLITICO.
The email was sent Monday by Ian Simon, the head of the Office of Long Covid Research and Practice. It said the closing is part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ reorganization.
The office’s handful of staff were not told whether they would remain employed in the federal government or whether the office would close immediately or wind down operations over time.
“We are writing to let you know that the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice will be closing as part of the administration’s reorganization coming this week,” the email reads. “We are proud of what we have accomplished together advancing understanding, resources, and support for people living with Long COVID.”
One HHS employee who works on long Covid, granted anonymity to share details of the move, argued closing the office would not save much money and could cost more over time. Not only could suspending the office’s coordination work lead to overlapping and duplicated efforts, the employee said, but abandoning work that could cure Long Covid means the country’s health care system will have to provide years if not decades of costly care for tens of millions of chronically ill people.
“We did the not-sexy, behind-the-scenes work that it takes to make the federal government function well,” the staffer said. “We made sure doctors at the VA are talking to scientists and researchers and epidemiologists at CDC and NIH — that they’re learning from each other. It was a very, very cost effective way to make sure that people are talking to each other and that we’re making the best use of federal resources.”
Continue reading at Politico
23andMe bankruptcy underscores health privacy gaps
The demise of 23andMe illustrates the vulnerable state of Americans' health data, as med tech companies vacuum up more personal information with little regulatory oversight.
Why it matters: Fitness trackers, wellness apps, genetic tests and other direct-to-consumer tools that capture personal health information aren't subject to federal health data privacy laws. That could open the door to fraud or discrimination.
"We're getting into an era where we have more entities sitting on these big datasets," said Sara Gerke, an associate law professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Catch up quick: 23andMe filed for bankruptcy Sunday to facilitate a sale of the company, which has been in financial distress and saw its board of directors quit last year.
That raises questions about what an acquiring company would do with the genetic and personal data of the more than 15 million people who have provided saliva samples for 23andMe's testing kits.
Where it stands: 23andMe said in a release that the bankruptcy filing won't change the way it protects customer data and that data privacy will be a key consideration in a future sale.
But as things currently stand, a buyer could change the privacy policy after the sale.
Continue reading at Axios
3. 2025's early spate of hospital closure plans
Ten U.S. hospitals have announced plans to close so far in 2025, including five in the month of February alone, Becker's Hospital Review reported.
Why it matters: When hospitals close, it can rock entire communities if alternatives aren't available nearby to fill gaps in patient care left in their wake.
It can strain remaining hospitals in a region and also impact local economies if they result in large scale layoffs.
The big picture: While many of America's hospitals see improving balance sheets, a growing number of hospitals — often smaller nonprofits in rural areas — face the threat of shuttering critical services or complete closure.
[…]
4. Data du jour: Avoidable deaths
Avoidable mortality rose across every U.S. state between 2009 and 2019, jumping about 25 deaths per 100,000 people across states over that time frame, according to a study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Why it matters: At the same time, many of America's peer nations in the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) were seeing improvements.
What they found: Avoidable mortality refers to annual deaths in the population before 75 years "that could have been prevented through timely, effective health care and public health interventions."
Between 2009 and 2019, total avoidable mortality in the U.S. increased from nearly 256 deaths per 100,000 people to 280.
There was a wide variation in avoidable deaths state-to-state compared with other countries.
Reality check: Between 2019 and 2021, avoidable mortality increased for all U.S. states and nearly all comparator countries, the authors pointed out.
Continue reading at Axios
5 high-level officials leave CDC
The CDC is one of several agencies facing potentially drastic staff reductions under Trump’s overhaul of the federal workforce, and CBS News recently reported that employees were bracing for “devastating” cutbacks. The CDC is juggling response to ongoing outbreaks of measles and bird flu, along with other diseases.
The officials who announced their retirements this week, according to the AP, are: Leslie Ann Dauphin, who oversees the Public Health Infrastructure Center; Dr. Karen Remley, who heads the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities; Sam Posner, head of the Office of Science; Debra Lubar, who runs the Office of Policy, Performance and Evaluation; and Leandris Liburd, head of the Office of Health Equity.
Continue reading at The Hill
Oz moves closer to confirmation as Medicare, Medicaid chief
Mehmet Oz is a step closer to being confirmed as the next head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, after the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday advanced his nomination.
The vote was 14-13 along party lines.
Democrats slammed Oz for not committing to stop potential GOP cuts to Medicaid, as well as his previous support for Medicare Advantage plans and privatizing Medicare.
“Dr. Oz’s plans to privatize Medicare would deliver worse care to 66 million Americans and waste billions of taxpayer dollars – all while giving giant insurance companies a fat paycheck. Donald Trump and Elon Musk are already gutting Social Security. The Trump administration does not care about America’s seniors,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said in a statement following the vote.
But Republicans backed the nominee as someone able to make what they see as necessary reforms.
Continue reading at The Hill
Senate confirms Trump’s nominee to run NIH
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed health researcher Jay Bhattacharya as the next leader of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Bhattacharya was confirmed on a party- line vote, 53 to 47.
Bhattacharya became a celebrity among many Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic for criticizing masking orders, school closures and other measures meant to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Bhattacharya was one of the primary authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, a document signed by thousands of public health experts in late 2020 that pushed the argument of “herd immunity;” allowing the virus to spread among lower-risk, younger people to build up immunity while having “focused protection” on older, high-risk people.
Federal officials like former NIH Director Francis Collins, top COVID adviser Anthony Fauci and many others criticized the letter as dangerous and unethical.
Continue reading at The Hill
DC reports measles case
A person with measles traveled through the District of Columbia while contagious, city health officials said Tuesday, marking the city’s first recorded infection this year.
The individual traveled on Amtrak’s Northeast Regional route heading southbound on March 19 and walked through the concourse at Union Station between 11:00 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.
The person sought treatment at an urgent care facility three days later, the DC Health Department said. The agency is informing people who were at these locations that they may have been exposed.
Measles is highly contagious, but high vaccination rates stop it from spreading. Measles was officially eliminated in 2000 due to a highly effective vaccination program, but it’s not uncommon for states to see a handful of cases every year tied to travel.
Continue reading at The Hill
Economics
Axios Macro newsletter
Another month, another ugly reading on consumer confidence. More below.
But first, a look at what might be driving some of that lack of confidence in the economy: beneath-the-surface evidence of strains on at least some Americans' household finances.
More cracks in household finances
In the aggregate, American households' finances are looking just fine. But nobody lives in the aggregate, and there is evidence of rising financial strain for a meaningful slice of the population.
The big picture: Cracks have appeared in many household balance sheets over the last year and widened further in the final months of 2024, leaving some Americans more vulnerable to any disruptions that are to come.
But it has not been obvious from top-line numbers, as disproportionately affluent families have benefited from a surging stock market, rising home prices, and fixed-rate mortgage debt held over from the low-interest environment of three years ago.
What they're saying: "The number of people falling behind on debt payments has risen sharply, even though households collectively built up their holdings of liquid assets" at the end of last year, wrote Samuel Tombs, chief U.S. economist at Pantheon Macro, in a new note.
By the numbers: The net worth of American households — the cumulative value of their assets minus debts — edged up to $160.3 trillion in the fourth quarter, up 9.3% from a year earlier.
Household debt service as a share of disposable personal income was at 11.3% in Q4, below its pre-pandemic levels, per Federal Reserve data.
Continue reading at Axios Macro newsletter
The return of economic pessimism
For the fourth straight month, consumer confidence — as measured by the Conference Board's index — dropped, alongside rising fears about inflation and tariffs.
Why it matters: It is safe to say the receding number is no blip. President Trump now faces the same economic discontent that plagued the Biden administration.
Consumers' pessimism is raising fears about the economy's health, even as official government indicators suggest healthy conditions.
By the numbers: The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index fell by more than 7 points in March to 92.9.
A sub-index that measures confidence in the short-term outlook for income, business and employment conditions dropped almost 10 points to the lowest level in 12 years.
Just one sub-index improved, though only slightly: Consumers' assessment of the current labor market ticked up.
The intrigue: Add this to the sign of weakening household balance sheets that we note above: For the first time in months, the group's survey showed weaker expectations about household income.
Continue reading at Axios Macro newsletter
The fiscal hit from the IRS sharing immigration information
The more afraid immigrants are that the IRS will report them to immigration authorities, the less they may pay in taxes, experts warn.
Why it matters: Mere reports that the IRS might start sharing information, like this recent one from the Washington Post, are likely to significantly reduce tax collections, Carl Davis, research director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) tells Axios.
A formal acknowledgment of any information-sharing protocol would hit collections even more.
Follow the money: Undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022, per ITEP.
While much of that came in the form of sales and other taxes over which they have little control, about $57 billion is made up of "taxes that are likely to be prone to noncompliance," Davis says.
Continue reading at Axios
Trump tariffs, inflation fears push consumer confidence to multi-year low
Americans felt worse about the economy in March, according to a long-running survey released on Tuesday that also showed optimism about the outlook at a 12-year low — the latest sign of tariff threats rattling consumers.
Why it matters: President Trump now faces the same economic discontent that plagued the Biden administration.
Consumers' pessimism is raising fears about the economy's health, even as official government indicators suggest healthy conditions.
By the numbers: The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell by more than 7 points in March to 92.9.
What they're saying: "Consumer confidence declined for a fourth consecutive month in March, falling below the relatively narrow range that had prevailed since 2022," Stephanie Guichard, a senior economist at The Conference Board, said in a release.
Zoom in: A sub-index that measures confidence in the short-term outlook for income, business and employment conditions dropped almost 10 points to the lowest level in 12 years.
Continue reading at Axios
Key Republican says savings goal for Trump agenda bill can be reached without cutting Medicaid benefits
The Energy and Commerce Chair’s promise comes as many Republicans worry about slashing a popular program.
House Energy and Commerce ChairBrett Guthrie is defending his panel’s savings target to help offset President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda as “realistic” — and suggested Republicans could meet their goal of cutting $880 billion from programs under the committee’s jurisdiction without taking away Medicaid benefits.
The Kentucky Republican’s comments, made during a Washington Post event Tuesday morning on artificial intelligence and tech, comes as the House and Senate are at a standstill over how to resolve the differences between their two budget resolutions. The two chambers need to agree on a single blueprint to be able to move ahead on drafting and passing a bill to enact tax cuts, border security enhancements and energy policy through the filibuster-skirting reconciliation process.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has determined that the Energy and Commerce Committee’s aggressive goal for identifying spending cuts would require lawmakers to make major changes to Medicaid, which insures millions of low-income Americans. Many Republicans across the ideological spectrum on both sides of the Capitol are nervous about the prospect, as Democrats have pummeled the GOP over the issue.
But Guthrie doubled down on the House instructions for $880 billion in spending reductions, saying his committee could hit that goal by rolling back Biden-era climate initiatives. He also said members could find significant savings from Medicaid by targeting what he sees as the program’s unsustainable growth.
“There’s an opportunity to preserve benefits, to make sure people have the benefits they’ve been promised but also get a handle on the large growth … and not take away any benefits,” Guthrie said.
Continue reading at Politico
House GOP will hear from Wall Street deficit hawk as lawmakers struggle over tax cut costs
Hedge fund manager Ray Dalio will address the conference this morning at the invitation of Budget Chair Jodey Arrington.
Ray Dalio, a billionaire investor who repeatedly has warned about America’s unsustainable debt trajectory, will brief House Republicans on Tuesday morning, at the invitation of Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas).
His appearance comes as Republicans struggle with how to account for the cost of their tax cut plans, with some pushing for an accounting strategy that would zero-out the price tag and others warning that would amount to fiscal fraud.
Just in recent weeks, Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, has said that America’s debt situation could cause an “economic heart attack” and “shocking developments.”
“It is imperative that members of Congress engage with thought leaders like Mr. Dalio, who have extensive, real-world experience that can help guide us as we work to restore fiscal sanity in Washington before it’s too late,” Arrington said ahead of the briefing.
Dalio’s appearance, planned for after the House GOP conference meeting, comes as congressional Republicans are still hashing out some of the big-picture questions on a huge budget package this year, including how much a potential plan might add to deficits.
Continue reading at Politico
Trump tells Senate GOP he wants a debt limit increase in his tax bill
The issue is expected to come up again at a White House meeting on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump wants the debt ceiling dealt with in the party-line package to enact his sweeping domestic agenda, Senate Majority WhipJohn Barrasso told reporters Tuesday.
The issue, according to Barrasso, came up during a meeting earlier this month when Senate Finance Committee Republicans visited the White House to discuss the path forward for the “one big, beautiful bill” that Trump is envisioning to link an overhaul of the tax code to border, energy and defense policies.
“We’ve discussed that with the President ... at the White House. He’s called for including it as part of the reconciliation bill,” said Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican who is also a member of the Finance Committee.
The topic is due to come up again later Tuesday afternoon, when Senate Majority LeaderJohn Thune, Speaker Mike Johnson and the top congressional tax writers head back to the White House to meet with Trump administration officials about the reconciliation bill and how to harmonize the House-approved budget blueprint — which would include a debt limit hike — with the Senate’s — which is silent on the matter.
Barrasso, asked if he thinks some of his colleagues will advocate for or against its inclusion, demurred: “Every member will speak for himself,” he said.
Continue reading at Politico
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