Trump's high-stakes Putin call

🙏 Plus: Biden thanks well-wishers

12:30 REPORT 12:30 REPORT Monday, May 19 | By Cate Martel Today in DC: ⛅ 79°  Sign up It's the Monday before Memorial Day weekend. Who thinks the House will pass Trump's agenda by the end of the week? *nervous laugh* Let me know your thoughts. In today's issue: Trump's critical calls with Putin, Zelensky Vance at the Vatican Biden thanks well-wishers after cancer diagnosis GOP's next steps to pass Trump agenda ⛪ AT THE VATICAN Vance met two popes in one month: AP ^ That *has* to be some kind of record. Vice President Vance met with Pope Leo XIV this morning after attending his inaugural Mass on Sunday. How did the meeting go?: The Vatican says it was "cordial." They discussed religion, religious freedom and international issues. Tidbit: Vance passed along a letter from President Trump and first lady Melania Trump inviting the pope to visit the White House. 📸 Photo of the letter handoff  Vance also gave the pope a Chicago Bears jersey. Meanwhile, on this episode of the very-real 'Let's Make a Deal': President Trump spent his morning trying to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. He held a critical call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump has vowed to end the conflict but has had little success so far. Vance weighed in on expectations for the meeting: "We're more than open to walking away," Vance told reporters. "The United States is not going to spin its wheels here. We want to see outcomes." He also speculated that Trump would ask Putin, "are you serious? Are you real about this?" ^ From Vance: "I think the president's going to say to President Putin, 'Look, are you serious? Are you real about this?' Because the proposal from the United States has always been: Look, there are a lot of economic benefits to thawing relations between Russia and the rest of the world, but you're not going to get those benefits if you keep on killing a lot of innocent people," Vance said. "If you're willing to stop the killing, the United States is willing to be a partner for peace." 🗨️ Follow today's live blog ➤ WHAT ELSE IS ON TRUMP'S MIND TODAY? BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Trump is calling for a "major investigation" into why some celebrities performed for former Vice President Harris. He posted: "HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT? WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS? ISN'T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ? …AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO???" The market is feeling moody: The stock market opened with losses this morning after the Moody's ratings agency downgraded the federal government's credit rating from triple-A to double-A. Keep in mind this was the agency's first time changing the U.S.'s creditworthiness. JOIN OUR EVENT: Invest In America Thursday, June 5 at 8 a.m. EDT  — Washington, D.C.  Join The Hill for a half-day summit featuring titans from Washington and Wall Street, focused on solutions-oriented conversations that will deliver insights into the future of the domestic and global economy, covering everything from tariffs, investing, AI, crypto, taxes and more.   Key speakers include: Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) Christine Todd Whitman, Former Administrator of the EPA RSVP Now 🏥️TALK OF THE MORNING Sending all the positive vibes: Former President Biden thanked the outpowering of support following his cancer diagnosis, noting in an X post that "cancer touches us all." 📸 Biden posted a photo with Jill and their cat, Willow If you missed the news: Biden, 82, announced has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. What we know about his diagnosis: His doctor found a "small nodule" during a recent medical exam, which was then tested. On a Gleason scale, which usually ranges from 6-10 in terms of aggressiveness, Biden's cancer has been scored as a 9. Read more: What is prostate cancer? What happens now?: "The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians," according to his office. Prostate cancer experts told The New York Times that once the cancer spreads to the bones, it cannot be cured, but a Duke University expert says it's possible to live many years with it. There has been a flood of well wishes to the former president since the announcement, including several of his political foes. President Trump wished "Joe a fast and successful recovery." Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she was "sorry" to hear the news, adding that "cancer is truly awful." Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he would be praying for Biden. Keep in mind: The new book from CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson on Biden's mental decline is coming out tomorrow.  Some, particularly on the right, have questioned the timeline of the Sunday announcement — and why Biden's cancer wasn't discovered sooner. CNN political commentator David Axelrod suggested that discussions about Biden's mental acuity should be put aside for now, also saying this comes at a "stressful time" for the former president. Vance just weighed in: "We really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job...I don't think that he was in good enough health," Vance told reporters today on Air Force Two. "This is not child's play. We can pray for good health, but also recognize that if you're not in good enough health to do the job, you shouldn't be doing the job," Vance continued.  📹 Watch the clip ⏱️ON CAPITOL HILL Ahh, the classic 10 p.m. Sunday vote (??): House Republicans inched forward in passing President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" late last night. They successfully advanced the reconciliation bill out of the Budget Committee after a group of conservatives joined Democrats in torpedoing the Friday vote. Did those conservatives agree to it?: They voted "present," allowing the bill to move forward but without having to vote "yes." To give you a sense of how high-stakes this was: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and White House Legislative Affairs Director James Braid made appearances at the Sunday night vote. And just before 1 a.m. Monday, Trump posted, "CONGRATULATIONS REPUBLICANS!!!" on Truth Social. Now, what?: The bill stops at the House Rules Committee, which will make last-minute changes to reflect any compromises made during negotiations. Johnson still has a lot of hurdles left before the bill can pass the House — and House Republicans are still hoping to have that completed by the end of the week. Punchbowl News says Republican leadership won't recess for Memorial Day weekend until the House passes it. ➤ THE SENATE ISN'T WILD ABOUT ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL: Senate Republicans argue that combining the president's priorities into one bill has too many "problems" to pass. They want to break it up into smaller pieces to help some of the less controversial portions quickly pass, reports The Hill's Alexander Bolton. The politics of the proposed Medicaid cuts are not great for some Republican senators.  If this debate feels familiar to you, it should: This has been the crux of the debate Capitol Hill Republicans have had since January. Read Bolton's reporting on what senators are privately saying: 'Senate Republicans want to break up House's Trump bill into bite-size pieces' COMING UP The House and Senate are in. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EST) 3 p.m.: Trump and first lady Melania Trump participate in a bill signing ceremony. 💻 Livestream 4:30 p.m.: Trump participates in a law enforcement event in the Oval Office. 5:30 p.m.: The Senate holds a cloture vote. 📆 Today's agenda 6:30 p.m.: First and last House votes. 📆 Today's agenda 7 p.m.: Trump participates in a Kennedy Center board dinner. 🐝 INTERNET BUZZ 🍰 Celebrate: Today is National Devil's Food Cake Day.   🎷 The SNL season finale: NBC's "Saturday Night Live" mocked Trump's Middle East visit during 📹 the cold open. And "Weekend Update" segment hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che did their classic 📹 joke swap. 🍪 Elmo is going to Netflix: The next season of "Sesame Street" will premiere on Netflix.   👋 AND FINALLY… Because it's a Monday and I want to leave you in a cheery mood, check out this pickle-of-a-situation this goat has gotten itself into.  Stay Engaged  📺 Miss Friday's newsletter? Catch up with a 1-minute video. I love hearing from you — send your feedback, tips and favorite cookie recipes 🍪 to cmartel@thehill.com. Check out more newsletters here. See you next time! Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe |  View Online  | Sign Up for Other Newsletters 400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 © 1998 - 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.