CAMPAIGN FINANCE CASE: The Supreme Court will hear a case Tuesday that could redefine campaign finance rules in the U.S., cutting limits that have been in place for decades.
The case, brought by the Senate Republicans' campaign arm and others, asks the court to strike down limits on the amount of money that political parties can spend coordinating with a candidate's campaign, Supreme Court news site SCOTUSblog reported.
The limits have been in place since the early 1970s through the Federal Election Campaign Act, which regulates campaign finance in federal elections. The challenge was first brought in 2022, with a group of Republicans arguing the provision violates their First Amendment rights.
The Democratic National Committee is defending the law, arguing that the Constitution doesn't grant political parties an "unlimited right" to cover federal candidates' expenses. The organization said overturning the law could create "real and apparent quid pro quo corruption."
The ruling, expected by the summer, may also lead the court to overturn its 2001 decision in Federal Election Commission v. Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee, in which the limits were upheld.
▪ The Hill: Court appears likely to approve Trump's firing of agency official.
TEAMSTERS JOIN SUBSTACK: Teamsters President Sean O'Brien told The Hill in an interview that the union is looking to "control our narrative" by launching a new Substack newsletter.
The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports the Teamsters have become the first major union to use the online forum to reach people outside traditional media. The Teamsters are one of the country's largest and most diverse unions with 1.3 million members.
O'Brien said he felt positive coverage of the union during the start of his tenure as president has been overshadowed by "hit pieces" in mainstream media that he said didn't give the organization a real opportunity to respond.
"They don't tell the whole truth," he said of media outlets that have written harsh or critical pieces. "When you call them out on it and you want to do an editorial on what they said, that's completely edited, completely under their control."
O'Brien said the newsletter will target a direct audience focused on the union's main issues.
ZELENSKY STANDS HIS GROUND: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ruled out giving up Ukrainian territory to Russia as part of negotiations to end the war, even as the U.S. is looking for a "compromise."
The Trump administration's most recent peace proposal called for Ukraine to give up the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, much of which are under Russian occupation, along with Crimea, controlled by Russia since 2014. But Zelensky has generally remained steadfast that Ukraine wouldn't be willing give up its own lands.
"Undoubtedly, Russia insists for us to give up territories," Zelensky told reporters in a WhatsApp message on Monday, the AP reported. "According to the law we don't have such right. According to Ukraine's law, our constitution, international law, and to be frank, we don't have a moral right either."
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators completed three days of discussions on Saturday, but the proposal's call for Ukraine to cede territory has been a point of contention. Trump had said on Sunday he didn't think Zelensky was ready to approve the deal.
▪ BBC: Ukraine preparing new peace plan.
DEFENSE BILL HIGHLIGHTS: A full repeal of sanctions on Syria and some additional military assistance to Ukraine are among the key parts of the annual defense bill set to be voted on this week.
The text of the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual must-pass defense policy bill, was released Sunday night with a budget top line of around $900 billion, about $8 billion more than Trump had requested. Its release came after weeks of bipartisan discussions among the House, Senate and White House.
The legislation would implement a full pullback of sanctions on Syria as the Middle Eastern country marks a year since the overthrow of dictator Bashar Assad and the establishment of an interim government pushing to step away from his brutal, authoritarian legacy.
But the provision requires the administration to affirm every six months the interim government is following through on key benchmarks like fighting terrorism and respecting minority rights. The president can consider reimposing sanctions on individuals if the report is negative.
The bill will also direct $400 million to Ukraine for 2026 and again in 2027. The funding is a symbolic win for Ukraine's supporters but still much smaller than what the country needs for its fight with Russia.
It also includes new restrictions on U.S. investments in adversarial countries like China.
But the bill leaves out several controversial items, like the expansion of in vitro fertilization (IVF) coverage for military families, housing support and language to rename the Defense Department as the Department of War.
▪ The Hill: Key tech provisions included in and excluded from defense bill.
▪ The Hill: Democrats slam exclusion of IVF provision.
CROCKETT ENTERS TEXAS RACE: Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D) formally entered the state's Senate race Monday, adding a high-profile name to the contest in which Democrats are hoping to pull off an upset.
Crockett is only in her second term in the House but has become among the most prominent voices within the Democratic caucus as she's served as a chief antagonist to the GOP.
Her announcement came hours after former Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) announced he would end his bid for Senate and instead seek a House seat in anticipation of Crockett's entrance to the race. He said he wanted to avoid a "bruising" Democratic primary.
But Crockett will face a primary opponent in state Rep. James Talarico (D), who has taken a much more conciliatory approach toward Republicans. Crockett may be an early favorite for the Democratic nomination, but her critics have argued she may struggle in a general election, having only won an election in a solidly blue House district.
The incumbent, Republican Sen. John Cornyn, is facing a primary challenge of his own from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas). Polls have shown a competitive race.
▪ The Hill: AOC is early 2028 favorite for young voters.
HABBA STEPS DOWN: The president's former personal attorney Alina Habba announced she is stepping down from her role as the top prosecutor for New Jersey after an appeals court ruled she was unlawfully serving in the role.
Habba said in a post on the social platform X on Monday that she decided to leave her role as U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey in light of the ruling from a panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit that invalidated her appointment this month.
Habba blamed the judges and the long-standing Senate tradition that allows home-state senators to veto nominees to district courts and U.S. attorney offices. She said she would continue to serve in the Department of Justice (DOJ) as a senior adviser to Attorney General Pam Bondi for U.S. attorneys.
"Make no mistake, you can take the girl out of New Jersey, but you cannot take New Jersey out of the girl," Habba said.
While this marks the end of Habba's tenure as U.S. attorney, it likely isn't the end of the legal saga surrounding the Trump administration's push to keep its choices in place leading prosecutors' offices without Senate confirmation.
The administration has appealed the disqualifications of U.S. attorneys in Nevada and a California district, while it hasn't yet appealed the disqualification of one in a Virginia district.
▪ The Hill: DOJ receives setback in effort to reindict James Comey.
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