As the White House continues to stonewall a federal judge's demand for information about efforts to secure a mistakenly deported Maryland man, politicians on both sides of the aisle are considering the case's wider implications — and its messaging.
On Tuesday, Justice Department lawyers revealed little information about Kilmar Abrego Garcia in court papers, saying they were engaging in "appropriate diplomatic discussions" with El Salvador, though they offered no detail. Abrego Garcia's lawyers, meanwhile, asked the judge for a hearing on the "government's failure to comply with this court's orders."
The White House has repeatedly resisted court orders — not only in Abrego Garcia's case, but in other legal proceedings as well. The posture is pushing the administration ever closer to an open showdown with the judicial branch that could threaten the constitutional balance of power. Three courts — including the Supreme Court — have directly told the Trump administration to "facilitate" Abrego Garcia's release and devise a way of handling his case as it should have been handled if the government had not flown him to El Salvador on March 15, in violation of an earlier court order.
As the legal and political battle over Abrego Garcia and the administration's deportation policy heats up, a divide is growing among Democrats over the handling of the case. The Hill's Al Weaver and Mychael Schnell write some worry about whether it's a winning issue as Republicans go on offense.
Four House progressives arrived in El Salvador on Monday to push for Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S., following Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who made the trek to the Central American country last week. The group has framed the effort as pushing back on a threat to basic constitutional rights.
Few Democrats dispute the issue of due process in Abrego Garcia's case as they slam President Trump's defiance of a Supreme Court ruling ordering the White House to "facilitate" Abrego Garcia's return. But some describe the administration's focus on the issue as a deliberate distraction from other news, including the dwindling stock market, rising price of groceries and widespread confusion over Trump's tariff policies.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) argued on CNN over the weekend that the administration "picked out this case and this man because it's about a subject that they want to keep in the news." The White House alleges Abrego Garcia has ties to the Salvadoran gang MS-13, which his family denies. Still, Democratic operatives say the optics matter.
"People can't afford eggs, and … you're flying to sit with someone who's accused of being in a gang," one Democratic operative told The Hill. "Republicans have given us such an opportunity with DOGE and … with Trump tanking the economy. Obviously, you can walk and chew gum at the same time, but I don't think we can take our eyes off the prize in terms of talking about real, real-world impacts and how people are being hurt in their everyday lives by some of these policies."
CNN: As Democrats rally around Abrego Garcia case, some worry a due process argument won't land with voters.
TARIFF TALK: As the economic consequences of Trump's tariff policies continue to reverberate, Trump said Tuesday that the hefty tariff rate on China will be significantly reduced after he negotiates with Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressing optimism about a trade deal. So far, no meeting between the two leaders has been scheduled.
"One hundred forty-five percent is very high. It won't be that high, it's not going to be that high … it won't be anywhere near that high," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It will come down substantially, but it won't be zero."
The Wall Street Journal: Trump said he is not planning to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, prompting relief from investors who had been spooked by the White House's aggressive moves in recent weeks.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a closed-door investor summit Tuesday that the tariff standoff with China is unsustainable and that he expects the situation to de-escalate. Negotiations haven't started but a deal is possible, the secretary said, according to attendees.
The White House says it is closing in on general agreements with Japan and India to stave off tariffs, but details are unclear.
▪ USA Today: Elon Musk said he'll "advocate for lower tariffs" during a Tesla earnings call.
▪ The Hill: U.S. stock markets closed with solid gains Tuesday as traders bought into the idea that Trump's trade war with China could cool down.
▪ Vox: The domestic fallout from Trump's tariffs, in three charts.
▪ The New York Times: Businesses plead for tariff breaks after Trump spares iPhones.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected Tuesday that U.S. tariffs will contribute to a global slowdown, saying the levies have unleashed a "major negative shock" into the world economy. It's a stark assessment of the impact of Trump's policies and comes as global finance ministers prepare to meet in Washington.
"We're entering a new era as the global economic system that has operated for the last 80 years is being reset," said Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, IMF's chief economist. "Beyond the abrupt increase in tariffs, the surge in policy uncertainty is a major driver of the economic outlook. If sustained, the increase in trade tensions and uncertainty will slow global growth significantly."
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