FISA VOTE PUNTED: The clock is ticking for lawmakers to reauthorize the U.S.’s foreign spy powers after House Republicans pushed back a scheduled vote in the face of opposition from their own party.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had hoped for a procedural vote to take place Wednesday afternoon to allow for a final vote in the evening on renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). The provision allows the federal government to spy on foreigners abroad without obtaining a warrant, but it can sometimes gather U.S. citizens’ communications if they speak with anyone under surveillance.
That has raised criticism from members on both sides of the aisle who argue any information collected on Americans should only be accessible with a warrant.
Johnson and House GOP leadership have pushed for a “clean” reauthorization of Section 702, but GOP holdouts are pushing for a late amendment on warrant requirements. That and other issues forced Johnson to cancel the procedural vote, a leadership source told The Hill.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said the earliest any action is taken on FISA will be today.
Section 702 is set to expire Monday.
▪ NPR: Why Congress is fighting over a key surveillance tool
▪ The Hill: GOP battles over ‘last chance’ to enact Trump’s agenda
WAR POWERS: House Democrats plan to force a vote on a war powers resolution by the end of the week to restrict Trump’s authority in the offensive against Iran, hoping enough Republicans will defect for it to pass.
Party leaders had initially planned to move the resolution for a vote only if they knew they had enough support to pass it, but the plan has changed.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the resolution’s lead sponsor, said a small group of Republicans are “on the fence” and won’t commit to whether they will vote for it. Bringing the bill to a vote is the only way to force them to decide, he said.
“I can’t wait anymore to see what they’re going to do,” Meeks said. “Let ‘em vote, and we’ll see what happens.”
His resolution is similar to past ones that have failed in the lower chamber. While it is highly unlikely to become law, passing in the House would mark a significant rebuke of Trump’s management of the Iran war.
Senate Republicans blocked a war powers measure for the fourth time Wednesday in a mostly party-line vote, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voting with Democrats in favor and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) voting with Republicans against it. Even as Republicans have mostly voted against these measures, some have expressed concerns about Trump’s rhetoric on the conflict and his unclear endgame.
With the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is more than halfway over, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied reports Wednesday that the administration is seeking an extension. She echoed comments from the president that a second round of talks to follow up on the unsuccessful negotiations in Islamabad, Pakistan, last weekend are being discussed.
▪ The Hill: Iranian Embassy in Tajikistan posts AI video of Jesus punching Trump
DOUBLING DOWN: Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself being embraced by Jesus on Wednesday following the backlash over his posting of an image earlier this week depicting him as a Jesus-like figure.
“The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The image was originally posted by an account on the social platform X. It shows Jesus embracing Trump with their eyes closed and an American flag behind them.
It comes after Trump faced significant criticism even from members of his own base as conservative Christians called the first post blasphemous. That post was later deleted.
▪ The Hill: Trump’s religious mocking, Iran war distract from domestic agenda
▪ The Guardian: The AI images Trump can’t get enough of
'TRADE OVER AID': The Trump administration is pushing foreign countries to sign on to a joint declaration calling for "trade over aid," rejecting the U.S.'s historic role as a main provider of humanitarian assistance.
The Washington Post reported Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a cable Wednesday to all U.S. embassies and consular posts directing diplomats to formally call on countries around the world for their support for the declaration. It is set to be introduced at the United Nations at the end of April.
The cable states that the initiative is an opportunity to “promote America First values and create business opportunities for U.S. companies.” It comes as the administration has significantly reduced aid provided throughout the world, having dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The Post reported other major providers of international aid such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom have followed the U.S.'s lead in scaling back their efforts, but studies have suggested it could result in millions of deaths by the end of the decade.
SPECIAL ELECTION: Voters are heading to the polls today in a northern New Jersey House district to vote on who should fill Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s (D) old seat.
The race is pitting Democrat Analilia Mejia, a former campaign aide for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) 2020 presidential bid, against Republican Joe Hathaway, a city council member for Randolph, N.J.
Mejia, who pulled off an upset victory in the Democratic primary to win the nomination in February, is favored in the Democratic-leaning district. The district voted for Sherrill by close to 15 points in the gubernatorial race last year and for former Vice President Kamala Harris by about 9 points in 2024.
If Democrats win the seat, it will further narrow the GOP’s tight majority in the House.
▪ The Hill: What to know about the race
ANTITRUST RULING: A federal jury has found Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, violated antitrust laws in holding an illegal monopoly in the live entertainment industry.
After four days of deliberations, jurors ruled Wednesday in favor of dozens of state and district attorneys general who alleged Live Nation pushed out smaller competing promoters. They alleged this has disadvantaged artists and driven up costs for consumers.
Live Nation maintained artists, venues and sports teams are in charge of prices and ticketing practices.
The Trump administration, which had also been a party to the case, announced last month that it reached a settlement with Live Nation in which the company would pay $280 million in civil penalties to the states involved in the case. But more than 30 states argued the federal government didn't secure enough concessions and continued with the case.
“The jury’s verdict is not the last word on this matter. Pending motions will determine whether the liability and damages rulings stand,” Live Nation said in a statement.
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