12:30 REPORT

Monday, March 30 | By Cate Martel

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Happy Monday. Welcome back! I cannot stop thinking about the KitKat heist that happened last week in Europe. What will the perpetrator do with 12 tons of KitKat bars? That's more than 413,000 chocolate bars!

In today's issue:

Airport wait times improve
TSA employees begin receiving backpay
US reportedly preparing Iran ground operation
Iran warns against US sending ground troops
Military complex to be built under Trump's ballroom
GOP's next immigration target

Programming note: The Hill's 12:30 Report will not publish for the rest of the week. We will be back on Monday, April 6, with everything you may have missed. Happy Easter! 🐰🐣

🧳 DHS SHUTDOWN

Airport wait times are finally calming down a bit:

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Airport wait times have started to ease this morning as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees begin receiving their missed paychecks after working without pay for more than a month.

Two TSA workers in Atlanta told CNN they have received two full paychecks. However, it's unclear how many TSA employees have received their backpay. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told The Hill that TSA officers will begin seeing their paychecks as soon as today.

✈️ In Baltimore: Wait times have improved in Baltimore after a chaotic weekend. 📸 Photos from BWI this morning 📸 More photos

✈️ In Atlanta: Travelers experienced shorter wait times in Atlanta on Sunday, per Fox 5 Atlanta. However, the airport is still warning passengers to arrive at least four hours before their departure.

✈️ In Houston: Fox News's Brooke Taylor posted a video of airport workers at George Bush Intercontinental Airport taking down the makeshift lanes that had been made outside of the terminal. 🎥 Watch

Reminder: President Trump has ordered DHS to pay TSA workers despite the ongoing shutdown. He pulled the funds from his One Big Beautiful Act that Republicans passed last summer.

Where the shutdown stands: Congress left town despite the spiraling crisis at some major U.S. airports with big security lines and TSA employees calling out from work. The Senate unanimously voted to end the shutdown on Friday, but House Republicans rejected the plan because it didn't include funding for the immigration leg of the department.

TMZ is getting involved: Entertainment tabloid TMZ asked travelers to submit photos of U.S. lawmakers on vacation "at your expense" after leaving town for a two-week recess.

The outlet has posted several photos so far, including:

📸 Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) spotted at a Disney World hotel.

📸 Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on a flight out of DC

🎥 Senate GOP Leader John Thune (S.D.) at the airport

📸 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on a flight out of DC

📸 Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) flies to his grandson's baseball game

By the way: The White House doesn't think Congress can stay out of Washington for two weeks, per Punchbowl News.

🛢️ IRAN OPERATION

Could this turn into a US ground operation?:

The situation in the Middle East has become even more tense over the past few days as reports emerged that the U.S. may escalate with ground troops.

The Washington Post's Dan Lamothe reports that the Pentagon is preparing for U.S. ground operations in Iran — and thousands of American soldiers have arrived in the Middle East, waiting for Trump to approve the plans.

Iran responded to this threat with fury: Iran says that any U.S. ground troops who enter Iran would be "set on fire," according to The Associated Press. Iranian state media reported the Parliament speaker said Tehran also wants to "punish" the U.S.'s regional partners "forever."

(For what it's worth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaled that Iran officials' public remarks don't "necessarily reflect" their conversations in private.

Meanwhile, Trump threatened Iran's energy infrastructure: Despite touting "great progress" in negotiations, Trump threatened to "completely" obliterate the country's energy infrastructure.

From Trump's threat this morning: "Great progress has been made but, if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately 'Open for Business,' we will conclude our lovely 'stay' in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet 'touched.'" 🔎 Read Trump's full threat

Oil prices jump: Oil prices surged again this morning amid Trump's threat.

Another angle to watch: The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump is debating extracting roughly 1,000 pounds of uranium from Iran as part of a plan that would also require a U.S. presence on the ground. Read more

For your radar: Pakistan says it would host talks between the U.S. and Iran. But it's unclear whether the two sides are willing — they've sent conflicting signals about next steps.

💬 Follow today's live blog

➤ A HIDDEN COST IN THE WAR THAT WILL LIKELY AFFECT YOU:

The price of plastic goods may rise because of the war in Iran, experts warned CNN. That's because plastic products are made partially from oil. Read more

⛳ OTHER NEWS:

I'm having déjà vu:

Golf star Tiger Woods was involved in a rollover crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., on Friday — and has been arrested and charged with DUI. Luckily, no one was hurt in the crash.

This is not his first incident: Woods has a history of car crashes. Golfweek noted he has been involved in three other high-profile incidents since 2009.

Will he play in the Masters?: The Athletic explains all the factors that go into that decision.

Keep in mind: Tiger Woods is dating Vanessa Trump, who is Donald Trump Jr.'s ex-wife.

Republicans' next immigration target:

Republicans are increasingly debating whether to overturn a Supreme Court decision that allows children of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally to attend public schools in the U.S., reports The Hill's Lexi Lonas Cochran.

Where are these talks picking up steam?: "The talks have stretched from Republican states such as Tennessee to the White House, accelerating an immigration crackdown in education under President Trump that began at U.S. universities with foreign students who struggled to get visas or were arrested for their political activism."

Trump's top immigration adviser appears on board: The New York Times reports that White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller argued in a meeting with Texas lawmakers they should consider cutting off funding for children who lack permanent legal status in U.S. public schools.

How many of these kids are enrolled in U.S. public schools?: "An analysis from the Center for Immigration Studies in 2023 estimated that in 2021, 3.2 million children in public schools were from households headed by an immigrant in the country without legal permission, but there is no reliable data calculating the total number of students from these households in public school classrooms."

Are there any concrete plans to stop the kids from attending public schools in the U.S.?: There's a bill in Tennessee that would require proof of immigration status upon enrolling in public schools.

Another layer to the White House ballroom:

Trump revealed on Sunday night that the U.S. military is "building a massive complex" under his controversial new White House ballroom.

The president said last week there would be a national security component to the construction project but said it was "supposed to be secret." However, a lawsuit revealed the plans.

➤ QUICK HIT:

— More than 70 people were arrested at a "No Kings" protest at a federal detention center in Los Angeles over the weekend, according to the AP.

➤ MORE READS:

The New York Times: New Homeland Security Chief Wants Deportations, but Without the Backlash

The Washington Post: Severe weather risks dot central U.S. as calendar turns to April

Politico: One casualty of Democrats' affordability pivot: Climate goals

The Hill: Trump support for warrantless spy powers leading to FISA flips on both sides of the aisle

The Atlantic: The Surprising Reason for the New Homophobia

The Washington Post: Protests and cancellations mar Trump administration's America 250 tour

COMING UP

The House and Senate are out. Trump is at the White House. (All times EDT)

1 p.m. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream

1:30 p.m. Trump participates in a policy meeting.

4 p.m. Trump participates in "signing time."

5 p.m. NASA holds a news conference about its preparations for the Artemis II launch. 💻 Livestream

🐝 INTERNET BUZZ

🌶️ Celebrate: Today is National Hot Chicken Day.

🐰 I think this chocolate bunny ate all the other chocolate bunnies: Costco is selling a 10-pound chocolate Easter bunny. It costs up to $140, depending on location.

👋 AND FINALLY…

Because this video made my day, I want to spread the cheer. I'm so convinced this dog is a paid actor.

Stay Engaged

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