Tuesday, April 29 | By Alexis Simendinger |
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| ▪ Trump eyes more agenda hurdles ▪ President backs vulnerable GOP candidates ▪ Justice Department aims at sanctuary cities ▪ Recoiling from Trump, Canadians elect Carney |
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©️ Associated Press | Alex Brandon |
Trump's next 100 days hinge on Congress |
PRESIDENT TRUMP IN HIS NEXT 100 DAYS will shift his focus to Capitol Hill, where much of his agenda hinges on the ability of Republicans to deliver big wins while operating with slim margins in both the House and Senate. Trump's dizzying approach to U.S. governance so far in his second term has relied primarily on executive power, which he argues embodies voters' "mandate" but which has its limits — the bounds of which he is actively testing in the courts. As the focus shifts to Capitol Hill, keep an eye on Trump's approval numbers. The uncertain state of the economy and many Americans' misgivings about the president's handling of kitchen-table issues will put his political capital to the test in the weeks and months ahead. GOP lawmakers are trying to navigate a legislative obstacle course that will divide their ranks with debates about federal support for Medicaid and how to pass the president's sprawling agenda on tax cuts, border funding and more while also cutting spending. "We're working on the big, beautiful bill, the reconciliation bill," Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said after meeting with Trump on Monday. "Now is game time as the big developments will be coming together. We're excited about that. I think it's going to be a great piece of legislation." The Hill: Here are five ways Trump reshaped the government. At the 100-day mark of his second term, Trump argues that "Making America Great Again" entails speed and action — and the public's trust that his vision, on tariffs, for example, will bolster U.S. auto companies, farmers, tech firms and small businesses. The jury is still out on his tariffs bet, according to economists and opinions expressed in multiple public polls released this week. Surveys find majorities of respondents disapprove of Trump's reciprocal levies, which roiled financial markets and prompted the president to "pause" his tariff regime while seeking country-by-country accords. No completed agreements have been announced to date and Trump's strategy to confront China over trade remains at an economic impasse. Trump came into office boasting he was an astute negotiator and peacemaker on the world stage. His impatience with Russia's bloody war with Ukraine is an example of the limits of his transactional approach, yet the president's "America First" drive to see the U.S. step back from serving as the world's protector swiftly altered decisions among allies after January. The Hill: Five of the biggest mistakes during Trump's early months. Executive orders are by definition temporary — easy for a Trump successor to erase. What the president enacts with Congress this summer could have a more lasting impact. Among the GOP's goals: make tax cuts permanent, shrink U.S. debt, hike Pentagon spending and perhaps whittle federal spending on Medicaid and other benefits for the poor. The president pledged during his campaign to protect Social Security and Medicare benefits, even as his administration fired federal employees and ordered administrative changes within both federal behemoths. ▪ The Hill: Trump dismantled, cut and shook up the world of health during his first 100 days. ▪ The Hill: Where Trump's major campaign promises stand. The president remains on firm footing with his base, according to the latest polls, but Republicans are eager to expand thin majorities in Congress and worry that Trump's penchant for defying rule-of-law guardrails could undercut the Republican Party's pitch to voters next year. Trump on Monday backed a slate of vulnerable GOP candidates after conferring with the Speaker. If the economy contracts dramatically, the president and fellow Republicans fear they'll shoulder the blame. The Hill: GOP blames tariffs, economic uncertainty for low Trump approval rating. Trump says the nation's highest court is part of his strategy to push beyond legal and constitutional impediments to his agenda in lower courts. "Hopefully, the Supreme Court will come to the rescue of our country," the president told reporters Sunday while touting the administration's deportation of migrants, a central theme of his presidential campaign. |
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Here are five memorable moments from Trump's first 100 days, as seen through past editions of Morning Report: |
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| | Signal leak roils Washington The Trump administration scrambled to minimize the political damage from sensitive military information discussed on a group chat that accidentally included a veteran journalist. |
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| White House escalates fight over deportations In an "administrative error," the U.S. sent a man with legal status to an El Salvador prison and has refused to bring him back, inciting an uproar over the administration's immigration practices. |
— Curated by The Hill's Emily Martin |
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Smart Take
with Blake Burman |
| Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) made headlines with his New Hampshire visit in which he called out his own party and urged "mass protests" against the Trump administration. The appearance stokes 2028 speculation and comes as Democrats try to figure out the direction of their party. I asked Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer (D) if he felt this was the right tone. "I think the party that's going to win — the person that's going to win the future — is whoever delivers for Americans," Meyer told me. "What we need to do first and foremost is make sure we're delivering for people in this very challenging time." While Republicans have spent the last several months answering for whatever President Trump says, Democrats don't have a clear standard bearer driving their conversations. The appearance of a prominent Democrat in an early primary state provides a window into how the conversation could take shape among Democrats. |
Burman hosts "The Hill" weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation. |
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| ©️ Associated Press | J. Scott Applewhite |
GOP need for speed: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the Speaker and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Monday set a fast-paced new deadline of July 4 to pass the president's tax agenda. Trump and Republican lawmakers want to put multiple tax goals into the single legislative package, including potentially making the tax cuts passed in 2017 permanent and eliminating taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security, which were Trump campaign pledges. Lawmakers had initially wanted to deliver the package by Memorial Day, and Johnson says he still intends to get the measure through the House by then. But many Senate Republicans say that timeline is unrealistic. The Treasury Department will soon release an updated projection of when the U.S. will exhaust its borrowing authority, known as the X date. It will add urgency to Republican lawmakers' budget calendar. Trump backs vulnerable GOP candidates: After his Monday meeting with the Speaker, the president endorsed Reps. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Gabe Evans (R-Colo.), Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) and Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) for reelection in a series of social media posts. The battle for the House majority will likely come down to a few swing districts next year. The four Republican lawmakers are on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's target lists. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates Ciscomani's, Evans's, and Perry's seats as "toss-ups," while Van Orden's seat is considered "lean Republican." Trump formally endorsed in a GOP primary Rep. John McGuire (R-Va.), who is competing against former Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) The president through the White House issued a formal veto threat on Monday against the Senate's second major attempt to overturn his tariffs on foreign imports. The bipartisan measure, which is slated to receive a Senate vote this week, would "undermine" the president's efforts to combat threats to "national security and economic stability," the White House said. Legislative brass tacks: At least five House committees are set to meet this week to put granular details into the GOP's "big, beautiful" Trump agenda legislation. The markups are the first time the public is learning about the specifics in the legislation — a significant step in the prolonged process. House committees on Homeland Security, and the Education and the Workforce meet today. The Armed Services panel, which also meets today, unveiled its GOP legislative proposal, drafted with Senate committee counterparts, to increase defense spending by $150 billion. The House Financial Services Committee and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee will meet Wednesday. All those important tax details? House Republicans expect to dissect specifics in the Ways and Means Committee beginning early next month. Analysis from The Hill's and NewsNation's political editor, Chris Stirewalt: "Why the 'normies' can't make politics normal." Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly, 75, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, announced Monday he will step down from his leadership post on the panel and not seek reelection, citing the return of esophageal cancer, which was first diagnosed last year. His decision potentially opens the seat to a younger Democrat to serve on the powerful investigative panel. Connolly easily defeated Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to remain as ranking member at the start of the new Congress. Democrats await Ocasio-Cortez's next move. California: Former Vice President Kamala Harris, during a Wednesday speech at a San Francisco gala hosted by Emerge, will take aim at Trump publicly for the first time since her November presidential defeat. She is weighing a run for California governor and is expected to make a decision this summer. Georgia: Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) filed paperwork on Monday to begin raising money for a run for Georgia governor, with plans to formally launch her campaign within weeks. The contest next year to succeed term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp (R) includes state Sen. Jason Esteves (D), who threw his hat in the ring last week. |
- Morning Report's Kristina Karisch returns Wednesday.
- The House will meet at 10 a.m.
- The Senate will convene at 10 a.m.
- The president will tape an interview with ABC News's Terry Moran for a one-hour special report to broadcast at 8 pm ET. Trump will travel to Michigan and address the Michigan National Guard at Selfridge Air National Guard Base at 4:10 p.m. Trump will hold a 6 p.m. rally at Macomb County Community College Sports Expo Center in Warren, Mich., to mark his 100th day at the White House.
- The White House daily press briefing is scheduled at 8:30 a.m. with the press secretary and the Treasury secretary.
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©️ Associated Press | Alex Brandon |
Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Self-described sanctuary cities will be publicly listed for possible federal action if they are alleged to be thwarting compliance with administration policies and immigration laws, Trump ordered Monday. The president signed a separate order that aims to "strengthen and unleash America's law enforcement to pursue criminals and protect innocent citizens." Last week, the administration partnered during a four-day operation with Florida officials, a formal arrangement with state law enforcement, to arrest 780 immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. without legal status. ICE operations in communities involve research and surveillance. They also require many officers, which is why the Trump administration has pulled in several other law enforcement agencies. A large roundup of immigrants by the Drug Enforcement Administration took place in Colorado Springs, Colo., over the weekend. Education: As part of his focus on schools, Trump recently signed an executive order to create new federal school discipline guidance for K-12 institutions. While parents and educators agree something needs to be done to combat the problem, satisfying solutions for all parties are hard to find, reports The Hill's Lexi Lonas Cochran. |
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©️ Associated Press | Thomas Padilla |
Canada on Monday elected Prime Minister Mark Carney to a new term, according to projections, a remarkable turnaround for his Liberal Party, made possible, in large measure, by voters' recoil from Trump's trade tariffs and his "51st state" remarks suggesting U.S. expansion into Canada. The Conservative Party leader, Pierre Poilievre, conceded the election, but in a shocker, lost his seat in parliament. "As I've been warning for months," Carney said during his acceptance speech, "America wants our land, our resources, our water. President Trump is trying to break us so he can own us. That will never happen." Russia schedules a May ceasefire: Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Monday that his country's military will begin a unilateral three-day ceasefire against Ukraine beginning May 8. Ukraine's response was, why not now? Ukraine Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said, "If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately." Ukraine remained ready for a 30-day halt in the fighting, he added. Putin has thus far rejected that proposal. Moscow's announcement was the second time in two weeks that Putin promised a temporary pause in the fighting as Trump registers his disapproval of Russia's continued attacks on Ukraine amid U.S.-mediated peace talks. 💡Europe loses power: Large parts of Spain and Portugal and parts of France experienced major power outages Monday, impacting millions of people including travelers. Spain's power was largely restored as of this morning. What happened? The cause has not been identified. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez late Monday said, "This has never happened before." |
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©️ Associated Press | Martin Surbeck, Kokolopori Bonobo Research Project via AP |
And finally … ♀️We know girl power and girl math, but did you know that endangered bonobos in the Congo display both? Female groupings of the apes, which are smaller than chimpanzees, hold their own against larger, aggressive males because they team up together in the wild, according to scientists. Bonobos are among humans' closest relatives and live in primarily female-dominated societies. "It's very clear that you don't want to overstep as a male bonobo," said Martin Surbeck of Harvard University, whose study appeared in the journal Communications Biology. |
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