Friday, March 28 | By Cate Martel |
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It's Friday! Well, this has been a doozy of a week. But good news, Washington's cherry blossoms just officially reached peak bloom! 🌸 |
- Supreme Court may get involved in deportations case
- White House officials instructed to save Signal chats
- Stefanik's pulled nomination spooks GOP
- ChatGPT's startling new image generator
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Hey, sorry to bother you guys, but we need you to settle something:
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The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow migrant deportations using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act after a federal judge blocked the effort. Back story: The White House used planes to send deported Venezuelan migrants, who it claims are part of a gang, to El Salvador. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg blocked the effort, setting off a fierce battle with the Trump administration. Trump's argument for the Alien Enemies Act?: "The 1798 Alien Enemies Act enables migrants to be summarily deported amid a declared war or an 'invasion' by a foreign nation. The law has been leveraged just three previous times, all during wars, but Trump contends he can use it because the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is effectively invading the United States." Read The Hill's reporting: 'DOJ asks Supreme Court to intervene in deportation flights case' |
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Save them for posterity … or comply with the law: |
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to save all communication that happened on the Signal messaging app when a journalist was unintentionally added to a high-level national security conversation. The ironic part: U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who has been feuding with Trump over Venezuelan deportations for the past several weeks, was randomly assigned to this case. Senate Republicans are taking that one step further: GOP senators are warning that *any* conversation happening between Trump officials on the Signal app should be saved to determine whether any classified intelligence was compromised. This is to comply with the Federal Records Act. The two top members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.), have worked on a letter to formally instruct the Trump administration to comply, Wicker told The Hill's Alexander Bolton. |
➤ HILLARY CLINTON HAS SOME THOUGHTS: |
Former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton railed against the Trump administration's Signal app leak. "It's not the hypocrisy that bothers me," she wrote in a New York Times op-ed this morning. "It's the stupidity." "Don't let the swagger fool you. Mr. Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (of group chat fame) are apparently more focused on performative fights over wokeness than preparing for real fights with America's adversaries." Read Clinton's op-ed: 'How Much Dumber Will This Get?' 💡 Why this matters: Do you remember how much scrutiny Clinton received for her use of a private email server when she was secretary of State. Trump and his supporters hyper focused on this during the 2016 presidential campaign, with regular "lock her up" chants. |
I always knew those pandas were up to no good: |
President Trump signed an executive order targeting "improper ideology" at the Smithsonian Institution and its museums. Like?: The order claims some museums have "have, in recent years, come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology." Specifically mentioned: "The order cites an exhibit at the American Art Museum titled 'Stories of Race and American Sculpture' and references at the National Museum of African American History and Culture that assert 'hard work,' 'individualism,' and 'the nuclear family' are parts of 'white culture.'" (The Hill) 🔎 Read the executive order |
The Wizard of Oz curtain is lifted: |
Several people involved in Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) made their first public appearance on Thursday. Musk and a group of seven DOGE staffers appeared on Fox News to chat with host Bret Baier to discuss their massive overhaul of the federal government. News from the interview: Musk and the DOGE staffers . "Almost no one has gotten fired," they claim, mentioning early retirement and severance offers. Who's part of it?: - Musk loyalist Steve Davis is working as the "chief operating officer."
- Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia is running DOGE's Digital Retirement Project.
- Aram Moghaddassi is working as a software engineer for the project.
- Health car entrepreneur Brad Smith is working for DOGE's Health and Human Services HHS effort.
- Anthony Armstrong, a Morgan Stanley banker, is handling the Office of Personnel Management OPM effort.
- Cloud Software Group CEO Tom Krause is handling DOGE's Treasury Department effort.
- Former oil executive Tyler Hassen is working on DOGE's Interior Department work.
, via The Hill's Julia Shapero 💻 Watch the full interview |
Tell me you're nervous without telling me you're nervous: |
President Trump's decision to pull Rep. Elise Stefanik's (R-N.Y.) nomination for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations caught Washington by surprise, exposing Republican vulnerabilities and nerves. There was no major controversy surrounding her, and her chances of confirmation were high — she was the No. 4 House Republican after all. But her confirmation hearing was repeatedly delayed until it was eventually yanked. Why?: Because the White House decided that House Republicans' margins are so tight that they need her to stay to help pass Trump's stalled legislative agenda. Republicans' slim margins have been clear for quite awhile, but a state Senate upset by Democrats in Pennsylvania this week is adding to GOP fretting. More GOP concerns: Stefanik's district is comfortably Republican (she won by 24 points and Trump won by 21 points) but the party has worried about how long it would take for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) to schedule the special election to replace her if she did join the Trump administration. Plus, a closer-than-expected race in a comfortably Republican Florida district has spooked some Republicans. If Republicans are worried about defending a very red seat, that could be a big warning sign. She got a lot of brownie points for giving up this opportunity: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) praised her for the "selfless" decision. Trump thanked her in a social media post. As The New York Times's Annie Karni points out, "Stefanik literally did a farewell tour." She made the rounds through her congressional district in New York last weekend. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), who is not planning to step down, The Hill's Mychael Schnell and Emily Brooks report. |
There's an important state Supreme Court race happening in Wisconsin. Tech mega billionaire Elon Musk says he will travel to Wisconsin this weekend and hand out $1 million checks to two people who have already voted. |
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told a British reporter Wednesday to "go back to your country" when a Sky News journalist asked about the Signal group chat drama. "We don't give a crap about your opinion and your reporting," Greene snapped. "Why don't you go back to your country?" They sparred back and forth for a bit. Greene then turned to an American journalist who told her, "I'm American and I'd like to hear your answer to what [the British reporter is] asking." 📹 Watch the back-and-forth |
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The House and Senate are out. President Trump is in Washington, traveling to Palm Beach, Fla., this afternoon. Vice President Vance is in Greenland. (All times EST) |
1 p.m. Trump participates in a swearing-in ceremony for the U.S. attorney for New Jersey.
1:45 p.m. Vance speaks to U.S. troops in Greenland. 💻 Livestream
2 p.m. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce gives a press briefing. 💻 Livestream TK p.m. Trump leaves for his Mar-a-Lago resort. TK p.m. A CNN special report, "Fentanyl in America: A Way Out," airs. |
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Because this has been a particularly intense week news-wise, let's end this on a happy note. We can all agree this dog is a piano prodigy, right? |
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