Trump flexes foreign policy muscle

Today: Trump focuses on legacy; new tariffs; DOJ under fire; Texas officials on defense

MORNING REPORT  MORNING REPORT Wednesday, July 9 | By Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch  Listen and Subscribe: In today's issue: ▪ Trump focuses on foreign policy legacy ▪ Copper, pharmaceutical tariffs coming 'soon' ▪ DOJ under fire over Epstein memo ▪ Texas officials on defense amid tragedy  © The Associated Press | Evan Vucci Trump flexes foreign policy muscle President Trump, fresh off a major win in Washington with his massive tax and domestic policy bill, is increasingly turning his focus abroad to cement his presidential legacy as a dealmaker. Trump opened the week by threatening steep new tariffs on two major trading partners, Japan and South Korea, along with a dozen other countries starting next month as he puts pressure on nations to come to the negotiating table. The president then hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as his administration pushes to reach a Gaza ceasefire deal by the end of the week and eyes a new round of peace talks with Iran. On Tuesday, Trump amped up his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a sprawling Cabinet meeting, dismissing the Russian leader's warm words as "meaningless" and accusing him of spewing "bulls---" without agreeing to end the Ukraine war. Foreign policy will be in focus again Wednesday as Trump hosts African leaders at the White House for lunch, with trade and investment opportunities expected to be topics of discussion. Throughout the week, the administration has also focused on Texas following the flash flooding tragedy over the holiday weekend that killed more than 100 people. At least 161 people are still missing from the flooding, the governor said. Trump plans to visit Kerr County on Friday. This week's spate of foreign policy moves, with many of the meetings with heads of state long planned, comes on the heels of Congress clearing Trump's signature second-term "big, beautiful bill" full of his spending priorities. That's opened up Trump to turn his attention to potential legacy-defining efforts to end multiple wars and revamp global trade. NETANYAHU AND TRUMP met at the White House again Tuesday evening to discuss Gaza amid renewed optimism surrounding negotiations for a ceasefire. The U.S. put forward a proposal for a 60-day truce between Israel and Hamas, which would open the door to negotiations for a permanent end to the war. Netanyahu has welcomed the U.S. proposal, and Hamas leaders have entered into negotiations in Qatar. A Qatari delegation spent hours in meetings with senior White House officials on Tuesday. Diplomats in Doha serve as mediators in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, said during Tuesday's Cabinet meeting that issues surrounding a 60-day ceasefire agreement have been reduced from four down to one, with hopes for an agreement "by the end of the week." Witkoff is expected in Doha later this week. Here is the latest on the ceasefire negotiations — and what's on Trump's agenda when it comes to the future of Gaza. "We need both sides to agree," Netanyahu said Tuesday afternoon following meetings in Congress. "I hope we will pass the finish line. The less I speak about this publicly the better." ▪ CNN: What issue remains in the ceasefire draft between Israel and Hamas? ▪ The New York Times: How do Israel and Hamas negotiate in Qatar? Trump, who for years has made no secret of his ambition to win a Nobel Peace Prize, was nominated by Netanyahu on Monday for his efforts to broker a ceasefire last month between Israel and Iran.  "My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier. That's what I want to be, a peacemaker and a unifier," the president said during his January inauguration address. TRUMP IS ALSO PRESSURING to end the three-year war in Ukraine, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The president has acknowledged a tougher time getting both sides to quickly end the conflict. "We get a lot of bulls--- thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth," the president said Tuesday. "He's very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless." While he has had a contentious relationship with both sides in the war — alternately supporting and villainizing both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin — his latest comments show a further souring on the Russian leader, who refused to attend a summit in Istanbul, organized by Washington, in an effort to wind down hostilities in Ukraine. ▪ The Wall Street Journal: Putin's strategy of paying lip service to peace falters as Trump loses patience. ▪ The Hill: GOP lawmaker: Trump's 'patience' with Putin 'wearing thin' ▪ The Associated Press: Europe's top human rights court rules Russia violated international law during the conflict in Ukraine.  The latest rebuke of Putin came as the Pentagon said it would send more defensive weapons to Ukraine, a reversal from the Trump administration's decision last week to halt shipments of some missiles and munitions to Kyiv. Trump said the U.S. must send more weapons to Ukraine so the war-torn country can defend itself against Russia's ongoing attacks. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told Punchbowl News on Tuesday he's eager to pass a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill in coordination with the House and White House to send "a very strong message" showing U.S. leadership. The president said he's looking at the measure "very strongly." Trump's move this week to resume sending weapons to Ukraine drew praise from one member of his party who has at times notably broken with the president: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). The former Senate GOP leader praised Trump for walking back the pause in aid while chastising "isolationists and restrainers" in his administration for moves that he said undermine U.S. credibility abroad.  "I'm glad that President Trump wants to resume deliveries of lethal capabilities to Ukraine. America's policy of providing lethal support to Ukraine began during his first term, and likely helped deter earlier Russian escalation," McConnell said. Smart Take  with Blake Burman Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins promises the U.S. will crack down on farmland ownership by Chinese nationals, calling it a national security issue due to proximity to American military bases. Rollins also discussed the potential to try to claw back Chinese-owned farmland. I talked with Rep. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), who sits on the bipartisan Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and he said a process to take back Chinese-owned land could be possible.  "There may be an issue about whether there has to be any kind of payment for that, but the ability of the government to acquire land from someone who is engaging in nefarious activities against [the] United States national interest — of course, we should have that right," he told me.    The Trump administration could potentially find partners on Capitol Hill, as countering China is one of Washington's rare bipartisan issues.  Burman hosts "The Hill" weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation. 3 Things to Know Today Prices for used cars in the U.S. are rising amid tariff-driven volatility. Trump loves letters, the fancier the better. What does it say about his presidency? The Department of Veterans Affairs massively scaled back a plan to lay off more than 76,000 employees. The agency said it "eliminated the need" for the huge workforce cut. LEADING THE DAY © The Associated Press | Fernando Llano  TRADE: A pharmaceutical trade announcement Trump has been talking up since April will come "very soon," he said during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. Countries would be given up to "a year and a half" before implementation, "and after that they're going to be tariffed … at a very, very high rate, like 200 percent," he predicted. Depending on how pharmaceutical companies pass on tariff costs, import taxes on prescription drugs could lead to higher prices for American patients through larger copayments, higher insurance premiums or more restrictive coverage plans.  Metals: "Today we're doing copper," Trump said Tuesday while describing an upcoming 50 percent U.S. tariff on the ubiquitous metal. Copper prices surged to all-time highs after he spoke. The U.S. last month doubled to 50 percent its tariffs on steel and aluminum.  Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers, eyeing Trump's desire since April for "reciprocal" trade deals with individual countries, find the administration's lack of progress and the possible economic impacts dismaying, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports.  The administration previously announced trade agreements with the United Kingdom and Vietnam and a partial framework deal with China.  Trump, trying to secure dozens of agreements that he predicts would benefit U.S. companies and consumers, has extended deadlines twice and announced 25 percent tariffs on Japan and South Korea, both of which are major suppliers of cars, appliances and electronics — and a 32-percent levy on products from Indonesia, a major supplier of apparel.  Rigidly flexible? A day after telling reporters his new Aug. 1 tariff deadline for trade agreements had some wiggle room and was "not 100 percent firm," Trump on social media said there would be "no extensions."  Trump later turned to Truth Social again to suggest he will today unveil tariffs on at least seven countries. ▪ The Hill: Financial markets sputter as Trump pushes his newest tariff deadline.  ▪ NBC News: China says it will retaliate against unfavorable trade deals after Trump warns Asia of higher tariffs after Aug. 1. WHEN & WHERE The president will host a multilateral lunch at 12:05 p.m. with leaders from Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal. The Senate meets at 10 a.m. The House is out until July 14. ZOOM IN © The Associated Press | Jacquelyn Martin  MAGA FUROR: The Trump administration is feeling the heat from key boosters after its promises to release details about the Jeffrey Epstein case have fallen flat with supporters. The administration infuriated MAGA allies this week with a memo concluding the disgraced financier, accused of sex trafficking of underage girls, was not murdered and did not keep a list of his clients.  Epstein ran in high-powered circles with figures that included Trump, former President Clinton, Britain's Prince Andrew and a number of other celebrities and ultra-wealthy individuals. His associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. Some Trump administration officials have long embraced and even promoted conspiracy theories swirling around Epstein's death. Critics now say the administration is in a mess of its own making. "You couldn't try to hurt yourself worse, you couldn't try to discredit the FBI worse than what they've done — Pam Bondi, all of it," commentator and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones said in a video Monday, referring to the attorney general. A release of documents related to Epstein in February, which Bondi had similarly talked up, fell flat, drawing widespread derision as much of the information was already in the public domain. Bondi during Tuesday's Cabinet meeting sought to defend her past comments when she suggested an alleged Epstein client list was sitting "on my desk," saying she meant the full case file on the financier.  Trump interjected to slam questions about the topic.  "Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?" Trump said to a reporter. "This guy's been talked about for years…are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That's unbelievable." ▪ The Hill: Bondi explained a missing minute in the Epstein video. COURTS: In a major win for Trump and affirmation of presidential power, the Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for mass firings at federal agencies. In an unsigned emergency order, the court lifted a lower court's ruling that blocked the president's plans to shrink the size of the executive branch and the federal civilian workforce. The decision allows the administration to proceed with layoff plans while legal challenges proceed. In a written dissent, liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson called it the "wrong decision at the wrong moment, especially given what little this Court knows about what is actually happening on the ground." A federal appeals court on Tuesday struck down the Federal Trade Commission's "click to cancel" rule requiring businesses to create an easy way to cancel recurring charges because the rulemaking process was flawed. The rule was set to take effect next week. Wisconsin's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a state legislative committee controlled by Republicans violated the state constitution when it rejected a state agency rule to ban conversion therapy practices. The ruling clears the way for the state to enforce the rule and blunts the Legislature's power to block state regulations.  AI imposter: Someone using artificial intelligence (AI) impersonated Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Signal by emulating his voice and writing style while contacting at least three foreign ministers, a U.S. governor and a member of Congress "with the goal of gaining access to information or accounts," The Washington Post reports. The cable advised diplomats worldwide that they "may wish to warn external partners that cyber threat actors are impersonating State officials and accounts." Venezuela: Top administration officials including Rubio and Richard Grenell, the U.S. envoy to Venezuela, reportedly worked at cross purposes on a possible swap of Venezuelans imprisoned in El Salvador for detained Americans and others. In the confusion about who spoke for the United States and Trump, a deal did not happen, according to The New York Times. ELSEWHERE © The Associated Press | Ashley Landis State Watch: In Texas, more than 160 people are missing as recovery efforts continue in Central Texas on Day 6 following Friday's deadly flooding, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said at a news conference. The rain-induced disaster along the Guadalupe River and elsewhere in Texas killed more than 100 people.  Public officials declined to answer reporters' questions about who was monitoring the weather and who issued warnings before and during the night of July 4. Leaders in Kerr County, where searchers have found 87 bodies, were on defense while saying their priority is recovering victims, not immediately reviewing what happened in the hours before flash floods roared through the state's Hill Country. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R), who was on a family vacation in Greece until arriving back in the Lone Star State on Sunday, said federal staffing cuts at emergency response and prevention agencies did not impact flood and weather warnings in his state.  "This is not a time for partisan finger-pointing and attacks," he said, arguing that examinations of how to prevent loss of life can take place after disaster recovery and rebuilding. "It should not happen in a bitter and partisan sense," he said at a news conference with officials in Kerr County, noting his daughters' decade of summer camp experiences in the area.  Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) was attending July 4 events in his home state when his wife and other members of his family were stranded on Friday at property they own on the Guadalupe River in Texas. They were unharmed by the devastating flash floods, he said Tuesday. 🎁 PERSUASION: The enactment of the GOP's "big, beautiful bill" last week sparked a new determination among Republicans to sell the details of the mammoth law to voters ahead of next year's midterm elections. Vulnerabilities, according to some GOP senators: federal Medicaid and food assistance cuts. Democrats, who are searching for party cohesion and a platform to pitch to voters while in the minority, say they can persuasively portray Trump's newly enacted agenda as a threat to working-class voters. They argue that the White House and Republicans handed them a political gift. The impact could be felt this year with a pullback of federal funds needed to extend ObamaCare insurance subsidies, Democrats say. Allowing that support to expire would mean significant hikes in insurance premiums and the loss of health care coverage by millions of people across the country. 🗳️ A conservative group is launching a summer push around an animating cause for Trump and the right: noncitizen voting, according to an interview with The Hill. Tea Party Patriots Action, a major conservative grassroots organization, plans to urge lawmakers to attach the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections, to must-pass legislation such as a budget resolution or the annual National Defense Authorization Act. 💰 There's a stealth fundraising project brewing in the philanthropic world to battle Trump, The New York Times reports.  📉 Trump is slipping among Black voters in recent polling after making tangible inroads during last year's elections, The Hill's Jared Gans and Julia Mueller report.  New York City: Jewish Democrats are increasingly nervous about Zohran Mamdani's recent victory in the Democratic primary for mayor, openly worrying that the 33-year-old candidate's refusal to condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada" or to recognize Israel as a Jewish state are harmful during a moment of rising antisemitism in the U.S.  Multitasking: Billionaire Elon Musk's creation of the America Party to compete with the Republican and Democratic parties has hurt Tesla's stock, alarmed investors who back Musk's company and want him to concentrate on his businesses, and was described by the president this week as "ridiculous."  "I think it will help us," Trump told reporters during a Tuesday Cabinet meeting. "Third parties have always been good for me. I don't know about Republicans, but for me." Despite his falling-out with Musk, Trump said he was not second-guessing the federal spending cuts that Musk identified when he led the Department of Government Efficiency. The president conceded Musk could have done the work "differently a little bit," but he called his efforts "dramatic" and "important." ▪ The Hill: Musk said exposing the Epstein files will be a priority of the America Party he launched.  OPINION Why voters probably won't punish Republicans for cutting Medicaid, by Perry Bacon Jr., columnist, The Washington Post. Trump calls out the Putin charade, by The Wall Street Journal editorial board. THE CLOSER © The Associated Press | Kevin M. Cox  And finally … Small dog, big catch: A French bulldog on Monday retrieved the ceremonial first pitch at the Cincinnati Reds v. Miami Marlins game but decided to perform catch-me-as-you-can zoomies. ESPN featured a clip and the entertaining "first fetch" video is HERE. Stay Engaged We want to hear from you! Email: Alexis Simendinger and Kristina Karisch. Follow us on X (@asimendinger & @kristinakarisch) and suggest this newsletter to friends! Privacy Policy   |   View in Browser   |   Manage Subscriptions Sign Up for Other Newsletters   |   Unsubscribe   400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2025 Nexstar Media Inc.   |   All Rights Reserved