Tuesday, July 15 | By Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch |
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| ▪ Trump threatens Russia, arms Ukraine ▪ Epstein uproar raises midterm question ▪ Education Dept. layoffs get green light ▪ EU braces for U.S. tariffs |
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© The Associated Press | Evan Vucci |
Trump toughens his stance on Russia
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President Trump is providing fresh support for Ukraine and hardening his position on Russia in an effort to force Moscow to end its war by September. Trump's announcement Monday of sending more American weapons to Ukraine and his threat to hit Russia's trading partners with 100 percent tariffs are aimed at securing peace within 50 days, he said. The weapons the U.S. would sell to NATO, which would then be passed to Ukraine, include Patriot missile systems — critical defensive weaponry for Kyiv to ward off increased Russian air attacks. The president insisted during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that Europe would pay for the arms, but didn't drill down on details. He suggested the weapons could move quickly to Kyiv. The deal comes after NATO nations agreed to ramp up defense spending. Since the start of the war in 2022, Washington has committed more than $175 billion in aid for Ukraine, most under the Biden administration. In Trump's second term, the U.S. briefly paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine and last month halted the delivery of defensive weapons to Kyiv. Trump has oscillated between praising Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and calling him "ungrateful" for U.S. assistance during a February White House meeting. But more recently he has stepped up his rhetoric targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin. The president had more harsh words for Putin on Monday, accusing him of stringing along multiple American administrations and failing to be serious about ending the war in Ukraine, which is now in its third year. "I always hang up and say … 'Well that was a nice phone call,' and then missiles launch into Kyiv or some other city," Trump said. "That happens three or four times, you realize the talk doesn't mean anything." "I don't want to say he's an assassin, but he's a tough guy," he said of Putin. Accusing Putin of engaging in double-dealing or disingenuousness has become more of a centerpiece of Trump's rhetoric recently, The Hill's Niall Stanage writes in The Memo. But the question remains of how meaningful Trump's shift will be — and how long his staunch support for Ukraine will last. Trump told the BBC in an interview published Tuesday he is "disappointed" in Putin, "but I'm not done with him. But I'm disappointed in him." Asked whether he trusts the Russian leader, Trump said: "I trust almost no one." IN KYIV, Zelensky on Monday met with Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine. Zelensky said in a statement that he is "grateful to President Trump for the important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries. We deeply value the support of the American people." ▪ The Hill: Here's what to know about the Ukraine weapons deal. ▪ The New York Times: Trump's willingness to arm Ukraine puts him closer to former President Biden's approach. ▪ The Times: Doubts and missing details clouded Trump's tough talk on Russia. UKRAINE HAWKS IN THE GOP cheered Trump's Monday announcements, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) calling the weapons and sanctions threats against Moscow a "turning point" in the war. But the president's MAGA base might not be as enthusiastic. Trump is already dealing with fallout from his core supporters over his administration's handling of the Justice Department and FBI's Jeffrey Epstein memo (more on that below), and it remains to be seen how the GOP's isolationist wing will react to tough moves to support Ukraine. ▪ The Associated Press: In his own words: Trump's evolving rhetoric about Russia and Ukraine and their respective presidents. ON CAPITOL HILL, senators are pushing even further. A bipartisan bill that would implement 500 percent tariffs on Russia and its economic partners currently has 85 co-sponsors. Trump discussed the bill Monday with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) at the White House. "I'm not sure we need it, but it's certainly good they're doing it," Trump said. The Senate bill, as well as the secondary tariffs Trump announced if Russia doesn't agree to a ceasefire within two months, both threaten Russia's already weak economy. The president cast the tariffs as "severe." Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of the country's Security Council, dismissed Trump's tariff threats in an online post, calling it "a theatrical ultimatum" and suggesting "Russia didn't care." |
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Smart Take
with Blake Burman |
| President Trump heads to Pennsylvania today to reportedly announce billions of dollars in artificial intelligence (AI) and energy investments. Cabinet members and Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) are among those expected to attend, making it a bipartisan event. Yesterday, the Pentagon unveiled its awarding contracts, worth up to $200 million, to Google, OpenAI, Elon Musk's xAI, and Anthropic. The government says they want the best AI talent searching for military use cases. For most, comprehending AI, its future and ramifications of the new technology are hard to comprehend. However, expect more events like today's to be bipartisan, as it also involves competing against China. |
Burman hosts "The Hill" weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation. |
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- Federal immigration authorities subpoenaed some landlords in Atlanta to turn over leases, rental applications, forwarding addresses, identification cards and other information on their tenants in an apparent drive to turn up undocumented residents.
- Timing is everything. Chart the years when key tax provisions take effect in Trump's "big" new law.
- Join The Hill and NewsNation on Wednesday for the Hill Nation Summit. Speakers include White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and more.
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© The Associated Press | Evan Vucci |
TRUST: Conservative influencers and personalities are warning that the uproar in MAGA World over the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein report could prove costly in next year's midterms by depressing enthusiasm for Trump, The Hill's Emily Brooks reports. Brooks reports in today's The Movement newsletter that national GOP strategists are for now dismissing the prospect of the Epstein files being a major factor for voters more than a year from now. Yet the backlash among the president's base is increasingly intense, with supporters demanding more information surrounding the disgraced financier and sex offender. (Click here to sign up to read Brooks's full reporting later this morning.) For their part, Senate Republicans want nothing to do with the Epstein debacle, reports The Hill's Alexander Bolton, and they worry the blowup is supplying oxygen to Democrats' anti-GOP messaging ahead of 2026. Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), called for the release of the documents. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said he plans to push House Republicans today to hold a vote demanding the Trump administration release the "FULL Epstein files." "Why are the Epstein files still hidden? Who are the rich & powerful being protected?" Khanna wrote in a post on the social platform X. The concern on the right: MAGA allies of Trump are accusing the administration of hiding evidence surrounding Epstein's death in a jail cell in 2019 and failing to come up with his rumored "client list," which the Justice Department now says is nonexistent. The MAGA World's open revolt tests the president's command over his most loyal supporters. Steve Bannon, a former Trump White House adviser, told young Republicans on Saturday that he sees a real political risk for Trump. "You're going to lose 10 percent of the MAGA movement," he said, warning the controversy could cost Republicans dozens of House seats in the midterm elections next year. Trump on Saturday deflected into a new suggestion, baselessly claiming that then-President Obama and former 2016 rival Hillary Clinton created fake Epstein files. The financier was arrested in 2019, jailed and was awaiting trial when he died of apparent suicide during Trump's first term. Conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk said he is trusting the Trump administration to handle what it knows. "I'm going to trust my friends in the administration, I'm going to trust my friends in the government to do what needs to be done, solve it, ball's in their hands," he said on Monday. ▪ NBC News: Tucker Carlson leads MAGA's worried warriors in questioning Trump. MONEY PIT? Amid Trump's ire over interest rates and White House assertions that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell could be fired "for cause," the price tag of renovations planned for the 1937 central bank headquarters in Washington is a new controversy. It prompted Powell to appoint a watchdog last month to examine the planned project, which is estimated to cost $2.5 billion. White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought — along with the National Capital Planning Commission — is investigating Powell over testimony he provided to Congress and questions about whether the project adhered to the National Capital Planning Act. White House national economic adviser Kevin Hassett told ABC News on Sunday that firing Powell on the basis of the project's price tag is "being looked into." Hassett is one of four reported candidates to replace Powell, whose term as chair ends next year. "The cost overrun for this Federal Reserve project is about the same size as the second biggest building overhaul in American history, which was the FBI building. And so, the Fed has a lot to answer for," the economist added. MEANWHILE ON CAPITOL HILL, Senate Republicans face a Friday deadline to either claw back billions of dollars in federal funding already approved by Congress or let the money flow as previously enacted. Trump wants his party to rescind $9.4 billion in foreign assistance and public media, including about $1 billion in support for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. But some red-state senators, reflecting their constituents, value local programming on public media stations that receive key funding from the corporation. To line up sufficient votes to pull back funds as Trump wants, Thune has been weighing changes to the measure but intends to forge ahead today. Budget director Vought will answer senators' questions behind closed doors in the Capitol during lunch. "We still are lacking the level of detail that is needed to make the right decisions," Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters on Monday. A procedural vote is scheduled today — if support lines up. A simple majority is needed to bring the package to the floor, but that means Republicans can lose just three votes from their ranks. House Republicans are wary of receiving a Senate version of the measure that includes changes they'd be pressed to accept. ▪ Bloomberg News: House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) said during an interview that the next House budget bill is taking shape to follow the Trump agenda enacted July 4, adding it would include deeper Medicaid cuts and Medicare spending reductions. |
- The president at 12:30 p.m. will depart the White House for Pittsburgh to participate at 2:30 p.m. in the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University. Trump will return to the White House by 7 p.m.
- The House convenes at 10 a.m.
- The Senate will meet at 10 a.m.
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© The Associated Press | Gene J. Puskar |
SUPREME COURT: Trump's moves to remake the executive branch through closures, firings, layoffs and buyouts have been embraced by conservative justices on the high court, at least when it comes to shrinking the State and Education departments. And pending court challenges suggest there will be more. The Supreme Court in a 6-3 ruling on Monday said Trump can resume efforts to dismantle the Education Department. The conservative majority lifted a lower court order that would have reinstated hundreds of department employees terminated through mass layoffs. Trump's latest victory and affirmation of his sway to remake the executive branch moves his administration closer to fulfilling a campaign promise to eliminate the Education Department and send public education responsibilities to the states while parceling out remaining federal education tasks to other agencies. Ineligible for bond hearings, locked up: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a new memo declared that migrants without legal status are ineligible for court bond hearings before an immigration judge to fight deportation. In a shift, ICE says immigrants are to be detained "for the duration of their removal proceedings," which can take months or years. Lawyers say the policy will apply to millions of immigrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border over the past few decades. Schools: Twenty-four Democratic states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging the administration's pause on $6 billion in education funding for after-school programs and specialized instruction. The lawsuit argues the administration violated the Constitution and several federal laws by halting funds for after-school initiatives, English lessons for nonnative speakers, training for teachers, expansion of science and arts curricula and antibullying programs. Afghan nationals: A U.S. appeals court on Monday temporarily blocked the administration from removing the temporary protective status of thousands of Afghans in the United States, a protection that will remain in place until July 21, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit said in an order granting a request from immigration advocacy organization CASA. New York City: Former Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo switched gears to run as an independent candidate for mayor and says he's staying in the general election race against independent Mayor Eric Adams and Democratic primary victor Zohran Mamdani. "I'm in it to win it," Cuomo said. Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee, and independent Jim Walden will also be on the ballot. Arizona: Here are five things to watch during the House Democratic primary to try to capture the seat held by the state's late Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D). Democratic past presidents: Obama encouraged members of his party to "toughen up" during remarks at a recent fundraiser. Meanwhile, some members of the Democratic Party are wringing their hands over former President Biden's reemergence from private life to give a New York Times interview to defend his decision making end-of-term pardons, commutations and use of the autopen. They lament he's taken GOP bait after allegations by Republicans that an end-running by staff with an autopen was meant to protect a cognitively ebbing president. Biden denied it. |
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© The Associated Press | Omar Havana |
TARIFFS: European Union trade ministers, representing the largest trading bloc in the world, on Monday announced solidarity in response to Trump's surprise threat of 30 percent tariffs. "The EU remains ready to react and that includes robust and proportionate countermeasures if required and there was a strong feeling in the room of unity," Denmark's foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, told reporters after a meeting in Brussels. ▪ CNN: The EU warns that its trade with the U.S. could be effectively wiped out if Trump follows through on his threat. ISRAEL: Israel's Defense Ministry is promoting a plan to force much of Gaza's population into a small and largely demolished area in the enclave's south. The proposal threatens to derail the latest ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Israeli officials have presented a plan to move hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians into an area close to the border with Egypt, which would be controlled by the Israeli military. Legal experts have warned that the plan for a "humanitarian city" would violate international law because the civilians would not be able to return to their homes in other parts of Gaza. Such a restriction would constitute a form of ethnic cleansing. The plan is sowing conflict between military and government officials in Israel, who disagree on its cost and potential for implementation, as well as whether it draws resources away from efforts to free the remaining hostages in Gaza. ▪ CNN: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert compared the displacement plan to a "concentration camp." ▪ The Wall Street Journal: Israel struck southern Syria in a new flare-up of violence. UKRAINE: Zelensky is looking to shake up his government amid battlefield setbacks. Zelensky said in a post on Facebook that he would nominate Yulia Svyrydenko, now serving as a first deputy prime minister, as prime minister. She played a prominent role in negotiating the rare minerals deal with the Trump administration. The move, which would be the highest-level government shuffle since Russia's invasion more than three years ago, needs to be approved by a vote of Parliament. |
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- In squeezing Putin, Trump "escalates to de-escalate," by David Ignatius, columnist, The Washington Post.
- The Supreme Court gives Trump power: Justice Sotomayor warns SCOTUS "willfully blind" to Trump's lawlessness, by Robert McCoy, opinion contributor, The New Republic.
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© The Associated Press | Godofredo A. Vásquez |
And finally … 🐣 Twitter launched on this day in 2006. The microblogging platform, founded by Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams and Biz Stone gained more than 300 million users in the following decade. After tech billionaire Elon Musk acquired the social network in 2022 following a protracted legal battle, he changed its name to X and initiated a large-scale overhaul. The blue bird that became synonymous with the platform may be gone, but one thing remains — the use of the verb "tweet" to describe an activity of a distinctly human nature. |
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