 Beltway NewslettersPunchbowl News: DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., is sounding optimistic about the prospects of Democrats retaking the House majority in 2026, noting the party has the chance to flip seats in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona. Playbook: President Trump’s co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita said the White House is “not going to cut Social Security.” Elon Musk is “not the president. He doesn’t get to make those decisions,” he said. WaPo: Shortly after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would support the GOP funding bill, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries signaled his opposition to the decision at the House Democratic retreat. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once noted “that although everyone may not see it at the moment, the time is always right to do what’s right,” he told them. Axios: Immigration and Customs Enforcement told Congress it needs $2 billion more to carry out the Trump administration’s deportation plans this year. White House - President Trump threatened a 200% tariff on European wines and other alcohol products, escalating his trade war with the bloc.
- The White House withdrew its nomination of former Florida congressman Dave Weldon to be the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a move Weldon said came after it became clear he didn’t have the votes in the Senate to get confirmed. Senators had raised concerns about his past vaccine skepticism.
Congress- Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Arizona, on Thursday became the fifth House Democrat to die in office within the last year.
- The Senate Banking Committee advanced legislation to create a regulatory framework for stablecoins in an 18-6 vote; five Democrats voted with Republicans to support it.
- Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., wore a cowboy hat on the Senate floor.
@Markwayne Mullin/XOutside the Beltway- Columbia University said it expelled some students involved in pro-Palestinian protests last year.
Business- President Trump’s family has had talks about doing business with the crypto exchange Binance, which admitted to violating anti-money laundering rules. — WSJ
- Tesla warned the Trump administration it could be targeted by retaliatory tariffs.
Foreign Policy- China signaled, in a forceful commentary in a Beijing-backed newspaper, its anger over the sale of two Chinese-linked ports in Panama to a US asset manager, throwing the deal into doubt.
HealthCourtsNational Security- Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Troy Edgar didn’t give details when pressed by NPR about why pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil had been arrested.
Media- Newsmax on Monday quietly took down an interview with an executive who criticized the Federal Communications Commission, Semafor’s Max Tani scooped.
Principals TeamEdited by Morgan Chalfant, deputy Washington editor With help from Elana Schor, senior Washington editor And Graph Massara, copy editor Contact our reporters: Burgess Everett, Kadia Goba, Eleanor Mueller, Shelby Talcott, David Weigel |