MORNING REPORT

Monday, March 16 | By Jared Gans

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In today's issue:

▪ Voting bill coming to Senate floor

▪ Trump seeks help on Strait of Hormuz

▪ DC braces for severe storm Monday

▪ US, China laying groundwork for Trump visit

Senate faces marathon SAVE America Act debate

The SAVE America Act voting reform bill is set to dominate the week on the Senate floor in a major test for GOP leaders, with allies of the president pushing for an extended debate.

President Trump has declared the bill, which would add new requirements for registering to vote and casting a ballot, to be his top legislative priority. He's made clear he sees the bill as crucial to GOP success in the midterm elections and called on Senate Republicans to do whatever is necessary to get it passed and sent to his desk, including changes to the upper chamber's longtime filibuster rules.

But Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has insisted Republicans don't have the votes needed to change the filibuster.

Thune plans to bring the bill to the Senate floor this week after it already passed in the House last month. But Democrats, who are broadly opposed to the legislation, would be able to block it from advancing under current Senate rules, effectively killing it.

Trump and conservatives in Congress have pushed for Republicans to change Senate rules to implement a "talking filibuster," in which the opposition would need to continuously speak while holding the floor to delay the legislation. Once they cede the floor, the bill could pass by a simple majority.

But without Thune's support and backing from enough Senate Republicans, the chances of that change appear unlikely.

Instead, as The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports, Trump's allies plan to take over the Senate floor this week to try to build momentum for the bill. Thune is planning a workaround to get the bill to the floor and keep it there for as long as possible, forcing Democrats to defend their position.

The majority leader plans to hold a vote on a motion to proceed to the SAVE America Act so it will be considered as a message from the House, allowing it to come up for debate with a simple majority.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a top proponent of the bill, told Bolton he is hoping a long debate will wear down some opposition.

"Debating a bill that continues to get more popular even as people are trying to slow it down and stop it and obstruct it sometimes sharpens the minds of individual lawmakers and makes them more amenable in the end to negotiation," Lee said. "That's what we're looking at here."

Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) said Republicans are preparing for a battle and plan to hold the floor for quite a while.

Still, Democrats are opposed to the bill and won't vote to advance it for a final vote, keeping a key roadblock in place.

The legislation would require people to provide proof of citizenship before registering to vote and an ID before casting a ballot. In a sign of its importance to the president, Trump has said he won't sign other legislation until the SAVE America Act reaches his desk.

He has portrayed it as critical to the GOP's hopes of holding onto control of Congress in the midterms.

"The people are demanding it. Every time I go out, 'Save America! Save America! We want the SAVE America Act!' That's all they talk about. They don't talk about housing. They don't talk about anything. That's what they talk about. And if you send it up there, you will win the midterms and you will win every election for a long time," Trump said last week.

A handful of House Republicans have also vowed to oppose any Senate bills until the legislation passes.

▪ The Hill: Trump, Thune head for showdown.

▪ The Guardian: What Trump's voting bill includes.

STORM PRECAUTIONS: The federal government is taking precautions Monday ahead of what could be a strong storm hitting the nation's capital.

The House has canceled its scheduled votes for Monday, though it is still planning to hold debate, while the Office of Personnel Management is allowing its federal employees to work remotely.

The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center is warning that severe thunderstorms with damaging winds are expected in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Winds up to 75 miles per hour or more and several potentially strong tornadoes are the main concerns as the storms move from the Appalachian Mountains to the East Coast, the center said.

Meteorologist Matthew Cappucci said those in cities including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Richmond and Charlottesville should be prepared for multiple rounds of storms. The first round in the morning will be sporadic, but the main event will come in during the afternoon between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Some D.C.-area schools are also set to dismiss early or use remote learning Monday.

3 Things to Know Today

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said the administration has "what we need" for funding the operations against Iran for now, though officials will look into whether more money from Congress will be necessary.
Trump told reporters that Cuba "wants to make a deal" after Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed his government is holding talks with the U.S. The Trump administration has imposed a quarantine against fuel imports to the island since January.
Matt Floca is expected to be announced as the new CEO and executive director of the Kennedy Center at a meeting today, replacing Ric Grenell. The board is also expected to vote on plans to close the center in July for Trump's announced renovations to the building, which are set to last two years, The New York Times reported.

LEADING THE DAY

HELP FROM FRIENDS: The Trump administration is turning to the U.S.'s allies for assistance in opening up the Strait of Hormuz as Iran continues to close off the passageway amid the ongoing conflict.

United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz said Sunday the U.S. is calling on international allies to help escort ships through the strait, arguing the entire world is affected by Tehran's moves. The Iranian government has declared the passageway, through which 20 percent of the world's oil passes, closed and begun placing mines in the area to ward off ships.

Trump said Saturday that "many countries" will send warships to the strait along with the U.S. to keep the area "open and safe." He said he hopes China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and other affected countries will send ships.

"In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water," Trump said in a Truth Social post. "One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!"

But questions remain about whether other countries will choose to get involved. Many of the U.S.'s allies have condemned the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and signaled they won't help the operations.

The U.S. itself is also facing difficult options in how to approach Iran's pledge to attack any tankers that attempt to cross the shipping route, The Hill's Ellen Mitchell and Filip Timotija report.

While Trump has said the U.S. would be willing to have the Navy escort vessels through the strait, it has yet to do so. Using naval escorts could be risky, while sending ground troops to secure the Iranian coast would mark a significant escalation in the war.

Negotiating an end to the conflict to open the waterway may leave the Iranian regime in place and with nuclear material, undermining key goals Trump has laid out for the operation.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Sunday he thinks the conflict could end in the next few weeks if not sooner, which would result in a decline in surging gas prices. But pressure is on the rise as the economic impacts of the offensive continue to be felt.

Democrats are jumping on Trump's downplaying of concerns about the rising cost of gas and oil ahead of the midterms, The Hill's Rachel Frazin and Julia Manchester report.

The average national gas price surpassed $3.70 per gallon early Monday, according to AAA.

▪ The Hill: Israel planning at least three more weeks of Iran strikes.

▪ Axios: Legal experts alarmed by Hegseth's 'no quarter' comment.

LICENSE REVIEW: Trump publicly threw his support behind Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr's pledge to review broadcast corporations' licenses over their coverage of the Iran war.

"They get Billions of Dollars of FREE American Airwaves, and use it to perpetuate LIES, both in News and almost all of their Shows, including the Late Night Morons, who get gigantic Salaries for horrible Ratings, and never get, as I used to say in The Apprentice, 'FIRED,'" Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Carr on Saturday accused news networks of perpetuating lies about the Iran conflict, saying in a post on the social platform X that they have an opportunity to "correct course" before their license renewals come up.

The FCC chairman's post came after he was seen meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, CNN reported.

The White House has been strongly critical of media outlets' coverage of the conflict over the past two weeks.

If Carr follows through, it could set up a major legal battle over First Amendment rights. A license renewal application hasn't been denied in decades.

But Carr is getting some pushback from at least one Republican, as Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.) said Sunday that he doesn't support the government interfering with First Amendment rights.

"I do not like the heavy-handed government, no matter who is wielding it. … I would rather the federal government stay out of the private sector as much as possible," Johnson said on Fox News's "The Sunday Briefing."

MICHIGAN ATTACKER DETAILS: More details are coming out about the alleged suspect in last week's attack on a major synagogue in Michigan.

The suspect, whom officials identified as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a Lebanese national who became a naturalized U.S. citizen, was allegedly armed with a rifle and fireworks when he drove his vehicle into Temple Israel near Detroit on Thursday.

Officials said Ghazali carried out the attack after he learned four of his family members, including his brother, were killed in an Israeli strike on Lebanon. Israel's military alleged Sunday that the suspect's brother, Ibrahim Ghazali, was a Hezbollah commander who managed weapons for a unit that launched rockets at Israel, The Associated Press reported.

Hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have ramped up in the past two weeks amid the strikes on Iran.

Ayman Ghazali died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound during the attack, and only one security guard was injured during the incident.

▪ The Washington Post: How years of planning averted tragedy.

▪ The Guardian: Moving forward will be difficult for the community.

PAXTON PRESS: A super PAC backing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) for Sen. John Cornyn's (R-Texas) Senate seat is running TV ads in Palm Beach, Fla., where the president spent the weekend at Mar-a-Lago.

In the ad, Lone Star Liberty PAC accuses Cornyn of having "betrayed" Trump in voting to confirm former Attorney General Merrick Garland and former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in 2021. The ad comes as Paxton and Cornyn are facing each other in a runoff for the GOP primary for Cornyn's seat.

Paxton and Cornyn are eagerly vying for Trump's endorsement, which could put either candidate over the top in clinching the nomination. But while reports initially indicated after the primary this month that Trump planned to endorse Cornyn, the president still hasn't gotten involved in the contest.

Trump told NBC News in an interview that he thinks he'll make a decision in the next week but believes both candidates are electable against the Democratic nominee, state Rep. James Talarico. That comment comes despite lobbying from national Republicans for Trump to back Cornyn, the incumbent whom they view as a much stronger general election candidate.

▪ The Washington Post: GOP seeks to brand Talarico as radical.

CLARIFYING STATEMENT: The president's nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, has clarified that she believes the public should take the measles vaccine after she avoided directly saying so during her confirmation hearing.

Means told members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that she agrees with Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, that people should receive the vaccine, according to responses obtained by MS NOW.

Means faced scrutiny from both parties during her hearing this month when she said vaccinations "save lives" but stopped short of broadly advising parents to vaccinate their children against diseases such as measles, the flu and whooping cough.

The nomination of Means to be the country's top public health official has attracted controversy as she doesn't have an active medical license and is a prominent online influencer of the "Make America Healthy Again" movement.

▪ The Hill: Trump proposes to loosen rules on cancer-causing gas.

WHEN & WHERE

The president will participate in executive time at 8 a.m. He will participate in a policy meeting at 11 a.m. and have lunch with the members of the board of the Kennedy Center at 11:45 a.m. He will participate in an interview at 2:30 p.m. He and Vice President Vance will participate in signing time at 3:30 p.m. The president will meet with U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass at 4 p.m.
The House will convene at noon.
The Senate will meet at 3 p.m.

ZOOM IN

MEME WAR: The Trump administration is turning to memes to promote the offensive against Iran, leaning into its social media strategy of using pop culture, AI and sarcasm to sell the president's policies.

The memes have become a regular part of posts from various Trump officials' social media accounts, making references to cultural staples from "SpongeBob SquarePants" to "Wii Sports" to "Grand Theft Auto." But The Hill's Miranda Nazzaro reports the posts have drawn backlash from lawmakers and experts who say they're blurring the line between the fiction and truth of war.

"By making war like a game or cartoon, that removes the reality of war from people's minds," said Peter Loge, the director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at the George Washington University.

The videos started days after the conflict began and have continued past the two-week mark.

In one video, a former professional bowling player is shown throwing a "strike" at bowling pins labeled "Iranian regime officials." In another, SpongeBob is shown, saying "Want to see me do it again?" as real videos of military strikes play.

The posts play into a frequent strategy from the Trump administration, using trends and humor to promote its policies and go after opponents. But Democrats and experts argue it presents war as a joke and a message of unseriousness to the world.

▪ The Hill: Conflict casts shadow on Middle East AI investments.

▪ Axios: Trump officials target media over war reporting.

ELSEWHERE

TRADE TALKS OPEN: The U.S. and China have begun economic and trade talks in Paris, paving the way for an expected state visit by Trump to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of the month.

Representatives from Washington, led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and from Beijing, led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, met Sunday to discuss issues that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said are of "mutual concern." Trade has remained a tense issue between the two powers, with the Commerce Ministry slamming the Trump administration's trade investigations into 16 countries, including China.

The investigations are part of a contingency plan for the White House to try to continue its tariff policies after the Supreme Court struck down most of them last month.

The White House has said Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2, though Beijing hasn't officially confirmed this. The visit will be the first by a U.S. president to China since Trump traveled there in 2017, during his first term.

Trump and Xi met last year in the South Korean city of Busan, agreeing to a one-year truce to cool a raging trade war.

▪ The Hill: U.S. Embassy raises flag in Venezuela after seven-year hiatus.

▪ The Associated Press: Taiwan reports large Chinese military aircraft presence.

OPINION

One year later, ICE is still ignoring court orders to release my cousin, Hamzah Abushaban writes in The Hill.
Americans are now diagnosing their political opponents instead of understanding them, Jonathan Alpert writes in The Hill.

THE CLOSER

And finally … Conan O'Brien leaned into politics with several one-liners during his opening monologue for the Academy Awards on Sunday, among a few instances that politics came up during the awards show.

"I should warn you, tonight could get political," O'Brien said.

"And if that makes you uncomfortable, there's an alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock," he followed up, referring to the alternative halftime show headlined by the singer last month, held to compete with Super Bowl halftime performer Bad Bunny.

O'Brien also struck a more serious note during the monologue, saying he hoped the Oscars would bring optimism in "chaotic times."

"We pay tribute tonight not just to film, but to the ideals of global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience, and that rarest of qualities today: optimism," he said.

"Let us celebrate — not because we think all is well — but because we work and hope for better."