Monday, March 17 | By Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch |
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| ▪ Democrats search for a reboot ▪ Venezuelans deported despite court order ▪ Trump, Putin to speak about Ukraine ▪ Dems reckon with Senate 2026 map |
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©️ The Associated Press | Rod Lamkey Jr.
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Democrats target Trump but battle each other |
Looming budget and tax battles in Congress threaten Democratic lawmakers, who are in open, internal revolt, even as weakened party leaders say they can thwart President Trump and Republicans. Some in the party, unable to agree on an offensive strategy against Trump and his GOP supporters, believe they can triumph if the president stumbles while striving to expand executive power — or fails to deliver on his economic promises. The latest norm-defying drama Saturday occurred when Trump deported Venezuelan nationals under rarely used wartime powers intended to resist a foreign invasion. A federal judge ordered an immediate hold on the deportations and demanded the return of planes already headed to Central America. The administration defied the court order. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told The New York Times that he worries about how Trump will impact democracy for years to come, let alone the next election. Asked if he believed the president would heed court rulings, Schumer said in the interview, "I think that even at the highest level, if you get the Supreme Court upholding the law, it will matter. What if Trump keeps going? That's the question everybody's asking. And I worry about this a lot. I wake up sometimes at 2, 3 in the morning thinking about this." The Wall Street Journal: Judges become targets in a combative political environment. House and Senate Democrats clashed Friday over whether to block a short-term spending bill crafted by Republicans. In the House, Democrats said they were willing to shutter the government to register their opposition to the GOP push to cut Medicaid in a new budget. But that strategy was upended by Schumer, who voted with nine other Senate Democrats and one independent to join the GOP before a shutdown deadline. Trump quickly signed the stopgap bill and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) soon confirmed the friction between Democrats in the two chambers. "There were many Senate Democrats who shared our view," Jeffries told MSNBC's "The Weekend." "Chuck and I disagreed as it related to the approach and outcome," he said, adding that Democrats in both chambers "are going to have to come together to move forward." The blowup inside the minority party put Schumer in the crosshairs and prompted news media questions about whether he should be replaced after crossing the aisle to support a continuing resolution, enacted through Sept. 30. "I'm not the only person, nor should I be," Schumer responded when the Times posed the question. "I'm sort of like an orchestra leader. And there's a great deal of talent in the orchestra. And my job is to highlight all those talents and emphasize those talents." Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told NBC's "This Week" he backs Schumer as leader, with a caveat. "I think the only way that we are going to be effective as a caucus is if we change our tactics. And we have to have a conversation inside our caucus about whether we are willing to stand up to Republicans," Murphy said Sunday. "I think the American people are demanding that we do that." Schumer suggested Democrats need to somehow repair what he sees as a messaging problem. "We just assumed we were on the side of working people, so they would naturally assume it, and it didn't happen," he said, referring to the November elections. "We lost them because they didn't think we cared about them enough. We always did care about them, but we didn't convey it," he added. Progressive voters say they want their representatives to "fight" Trump policies rather than compromise with the GOP. Democrats' favorability dropped to a record low in mid-March, according to a CNN survey conducted by SSRS as well as an NBC News poll conducted by Hart Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies. "With these numbers, the Democratic Party is not in need of a rebrand. It needs to be rebooted," said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt, who conducted the NBC survey along with GOP pollster Bill McInturff. The slump seen in the survey was partially driven by fed-up Democrats. For the first time as president, Trump's early job performance on the economy is getting a thumbs-down from majorities of registered voters (54 percent disapprove, 44 percent approve), according to the NBC News poll. And 55 percent of voters disapprove of how he's handling inflation and the cost of living compared with 42 percent approval. The Hill: Here's where Trump's approval rating stands on key issues |
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Smart Take
with Blake Burman |
| Town halls are still heated across the country, as Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) experienced last week. Edwards faced a tough crowd at a Thursday town hall in Asheville, N.C. Republican leadership has discouraged lawmakers from holding in-person town halls, but Edwards says he'll continue to prioritize them. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) touted virtual town halls when I interviewed him Friday. Bacon said he gets more attendees and more questions than he does at in-person events. "Frankly, some of these town halls get so bad that you can't even bring children to them," Bacon said. "And there's something wrong with that." Maybe that's the case, but Republicans who rode the Tea Party wave in 2010 remember the role town halls played in politics — and in their success — during that midterm election. If Republicans pass big tax-cut legislation in coming months, we will see if they revisit the town hall strategy when they head home for recess this summer. |
Burman hosts "The Hill" weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation. |
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©️ The Associated Press | AP Photo
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DEPORTATIONS: Hundreds of members of the Tren de Aragua gang have been deported under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Sunday, even as a federal judge ordered the removals to be temporarily stopped. "Under the president's direction, his administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act to initiate the removal of hundreds of dangerous members of Tren de Aragua (TdA), a vicious and violent Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), which has been threatening our nation, conducting irregular warfare, and terrorizing Americans," Rubio said in a statement Sunday. The announcement came a day after U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to halt deportations for individuals deemed eligible for removal under Trump's order for 14 days, as a result of the lawsuit filed by Democracy Forward and the American Civil Liberties Union. In a virtual hearing, Boasberg signaled that two planes with immigrants were in the air already, at the time of the order — one headed for El Salvador and the other for Honduras. Boasberg verbally ordered that the planes be turned around, but they apparently were not, and the directive was not included in the written order. In a statement Saturday night, Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized Boasberg, saying that he "supported Tren de Aragua terrorists over the safety of Americans." She added that the Justice Department would be "undeterred" in its work with the White House and the Department of Homeland Security to "stop this invasion." As White House and administration officials cheered the deportations, they tacitly acknowledged that the court battles over their legal rationale are likely to ramp up. ▪ Axios: How the White House ignored a judge's order to turn back deportation flights. ▪ The Washington Post: What is the Alien Enemies Act, and how is the White House using it? ▪ The New York Times: A professor at Brown University's medical school was deported from the U.S., even though she had a valid visa and a court order temporarily blocking her expulsion. TARIFFS: As Trump continues his plan for widespread tariffs, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday on NBC News's "Meet The Press" that "there are no guarantees" when it comes to a recession. Bessent's comments came after a rough week for the stock market that started with intense Monday losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 890 points that day, dipping 2.1 percent. Conversations about a possible recession also rose in prominence this week, with one of Bessent's predecessors as Treasury Department secretary, Larry Summers, saying on Monday that the odds of a recession were "close to 50/50." But Bessent said Sunday on "Meet the Press" that he is "not worried about the markets." "I can tell you that corrections are healthy, they're normal," Bessent said. "What's not healthy is straight up, that you get these euphoric markets. That's how you get a financial crisis." Rubio was also pressed on the president's tariff plans impacting the country's closest neighbors: Canada and Mexico have both been slapped with 25 percent tariffs on their goods. The plan has come under criticism as concerns grow about worsening relations with allied countries. On CBS's "Face The Nation," Rubio attempted to dispel those concerns, arguing the tariffs were a way for the U.S. to gain international economic standing after letting other countries off easier over the last several decades. "For 30 or 40 years, we have allowed countries to treat us unfairly in global trade, much of it during the Cold War because we wanted them to be rich and prosperous because they were our allies in the Cold War," Rubio said. "But now, that has to change." ▪ The Wall Street Journal: Trump's new world order is testing the U.S. dollar. ▪ The New York Times: In maps, how trade war retaliation will hit Trump voters the hardest. ▪ Politico: What other countries are taking away from Trump's trade battles with Canada and Mexico. ▪ The Washington Post: Nervous about Trump, international tourists are scrapping their U.S. travel plans. |
- Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘️
- The House will meet for a pro forma session on Tuesday at noon.
- The Senate will hold a pro forma session on Tuesday at 12:15 p.m.
- The president will participate at 3 p.m. in a board meeting and tour at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.
- The White House daily press briefing is scheduled at 1 p.m.
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Profit Sharing That Puts Employees First |
At Delta, we believe success is shared. This year, we're giving back $1.4 billion in profit sharing to employees—an average of five weeks' pay—because our people drive our success. Learn more. |
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©️ The Associated Press | John Tlumacki, The Boston Globe
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TOXIC CHEMICALS: Trump has repeatedly said he'll take on toxic chemicals — but many of his administration's actions are expected to allow for more pollution, not less. During his joint address to Congress, Trump talked about a boy whose cancer he blamed on a chemical exposure, saying that reversing the rise in child cancer rates in recent decades is "one of the top priorities for our new presidential commission to make America healthy again." But The Hill's Rachel Frazin reports the administration has taken significant steps to abandon or roll back efforts to reduce exposure to potentially toxic substances. ▪ The Hill: More than 50 days into the second Trump administration, the highly scrutinized relationship between Trump and Elon Musk is showing no signs of a real strain. ▪ The Hill: Meet Ed Martin, Trump's "ball of fire" top prosecutor in Washington, D.C. ▪ The Washington Post: Trump tapped Kari Lake to run the Voice of America. Then he dismantled it. ▪ The Hill: The Trump administration is taking advantage of the entanglement of university finances and government funding, seeking to put schools on a short leash tied to their research capabilities. ▪ The Washington Post: "The free-living bureaucrat," by Michael Lewis. POLITICS: Democrats are stumbling out of the gate ahead of the Senate elections in 2026, with early retirements stacking the odds against them in the battle for a majority they lost in November's elections. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.) on Wednesday became the third Democratic incumbent to announce she would not seek reelection in 2026, following Sens. Tina Smith (Minn.) and Gary Peters (Mich.). Jim Demers, a New Hampshire lobbyist and Democratic strategist, said the 2026 Senate map looked like it could be challenging for his party while adding, "Many Republican seats could end up really being in play, because I think voters are starting to get really concerned about what President Trump and Elon Musk are doing." The Hill: California Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) new podcast hosting prominent Trump supporters is raising questions about his political strategy as he wraps up his tenure as governor and keeps the door open to a 2028 presidential run. |
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©️ The Associated Press | Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik
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UKRAINE: Trump is expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday on ways to end the war in Ukraine. Negotiators have already discussed "dividing up certain assets," Trump said. His comments come after Ukraine last week accepted a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire, putting the ball in Russia's court. "We want to see if we can bring that war to an end," Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday. Special envoy Steve Witkoff, recently returned from meetings in Russia, said on CBS's "Face The Nation" that Trump is the "ultimate decisionmaker" in the process. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Putin of "prolonging the war" and "ignoring" U.S.-led peace efforts. Kyiv and Moscow have framed each other as the main hindrance to peace, in an effort to win Trump's backing. Zelensky on Saturday said Russian troops were assembling along the border with Ukraine. "This indicates an intention to attack," Zelensky said. "We are aware of this and will counter it. I would like all partners to understand exactly what Putin is planning, what he is preparing for and what he will be ignoring." Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from most of Russia's Kursk region, bringing to a close a months-long campaign to seize and occupy Russian territory. The New York Times: The U.S. is withdrawing from a group that is investigating the responsibility for the Ukraine invasion. HOUTHIS: U.S. officials said Sunday that their attacks on the Houthis in Yemen were designed as a show of overwhelming force, hoping to take on an enemy that previous administrations have failed to weaken. The strikes, which killed 31 people, were far more intense than the Red Sea shipping lane attacks under the Biden administration, and they hit directly at the Houthi leadership. National security adviser Mike Waltz said Sunday that the U.S. could also strike Iranian targets in Yemen as part of the military campaign against the Houthis. He said that targets that "will be on the table" include Iranian ships near the coast that aid the Houthis in intelligence gathering, Iranian military trainers, and "other things they have put in to help the Houthis attack the global economy." GAZA CEASEFIRE: Despite a nearly eight-week truce in Gaza, Israeli forces killed at least nine Palestinians in the enclave in strikes on Saturday. It's the latest in a string of Israeli attacks during the ceasefire, as Israel and Hamas struggle to negotiate a second phase and each side accuses the other of violations. Recent talks in Qatar to extend the ceasefire have failed to reach an agreement as the U.S. accused Hamas of making "entirely impractical" demands, the BBC reports. The first phase of the temporary truce ended on March 1. The U.S. has proposed to extend the first phase until mid-April, including a further exchange of hostages and prisoners, but Israel and Hamas disagreed over key aspects of the deal set out by Witkoff. ▪ The Hill: Witkoff said the administration is "exploring" alternatives for relocation of the Palestinian people after Trump said he would potentially take over Gaza to rebuild after its war with Israel. ▪ The New York Times: Why maids keep dying in Saudi Arabia. East African leaders and Saudi royals are among those profiting off a lucrative, deadly trade in domestic workers. |
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- Trump is ending democracy promotion abroad even as he assaults democracy at home, by Max Boot, columnist, The Washington Post.
- "Whiplash and worry" continues to plague Maine: It's challenging to respond to the Trump administration's destabilizing decisions and caprice. But we have to keep responding, by The Portland Press Herald editorial board.
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©️ The Associated Press | NASA
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And finally … 🧑🚀 A SpaceX Dragon capsule docked Sunday with the International Space Station, bringing a replacement crew and paving the way for NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to finally return home after an unexpectedly prolonged stay of nine months in space. After handover duties between the crews, the NASA pair will begin a journey back to Earth, possibly as early as Wednesday morning. |
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