Principals

1. Trump weighs Ukraine options
2. Biden’s autopen
3. Senate lines up SEC nom
4. House eyes vote on DC funding mistake
5. Schumer cancels book events
6. South Africa narrows ambassador search
7. Companies not sold on AI boom

PDB: Trump threatens “consequences” for Iran over Houthi fighting

Trump to release files on JFK assassination … NASA astronauts returning to Earth … Israel resumes Gaza bombardment, shattering ceasefire

Trump weighs recognizing Crimea as Russian territory

The Trump administration is considering recognizing Crimea as Russian territory as part of any future agreement to end Moscow’s war on Kyiv, Semafor’s Shelby Talcott and Morgan Chalfant report. Such a move — among a multitude of options being floated — would align the Trump administration with the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and would face significant resistance in Europe and Kyiv. The administration has “made no such commitments and we will not negotiate this deal through the media,” NSC spokesman Brian Hughes said. President Trump is preparing for a phone call with Putin today, during which the two will discuss the US push for a ceasefire in Ukraine (something Putin doesn’t appear in a hurry to agree to). “He’s dragging it out,” former Ambassador William Taylor told Semafor, adding that a ceasefire “doesn’t help” Putin toward his goal of fully controlling Ukraine.

Why Trump claims Biden’s pardons are moot

Trump claimed on Monday that the pardons signed by his predecessor are “void” and “vacant” because Joe Biden wasn’t mentally competent to sign them, or in some cases hadn’t actually seen the documents he was signing. And at least one Trump ally in Congress has argued that documents Biden signed via autopen are not legally binding. There’s no proof for either of those theories, but they didn’t bubble up out of nowhere; for days, Republicans like Missouri’s attorney general and conservative media figures like Lara Trump and the Heritage Foundation’s Kevin Roberts have been elevating the suggestion that Biden’s last actions in office could be invalid. It’s an example of twin patterns taking shape in the second Trump era, Semafor’s David Weigel and Shelby Talcott write — the president’s willingness to invoke questionable executive theories, and his allies’ eagerness to endorse his ideas.

Senate Banking eyes date for Trump SEC pick

Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott, R-S.C., is eyeing a Mar. 27 hearing on Trump’s nominee to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission, Paul Atkins, following a long wait for the White House to send lawmakers the necessary paperwork, three people familiar with the plans told Semafor Monday. The committee plans to meet to discuss Atkins’ selection this Friday, two of the people said. It’s still unclear whether the administration has finalized the paperwork, which includes Atkins’ financial disclosures. Other nominees on tap for next week include Jonathan Gould, Trump’s choice for Comptroller of the Currency, and Luke Pettit, who Trump tapped as assistant Treasury secretary for financial institutions. If Atkins’ paperwork doesn’t materialize, expect members to advance the other picks without him.

— Eleanor Mueller

House GOP to put DC bill on the floor

A plan to avert cuts to the DC budget could come to the floor as early as next week , depending on how ongoing discussions among House Republican leaders pan out, according to two sources familiar with the deliberations. After passing a stopgap government funding bill last week, the Senate unanimously passed a bill to fix language that forces DC to revert to the previous year’s spending levels — effectively prompting at least $1 billion in cuts, according to its mayor. The House may need to move the DC bill under suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds majority for passage, based on early opposition from Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., who called the potential cuts “TOTALLY JUSTIFIED.” But Mayor Muriel Bowser has the backing of the White House, and the bill will get enough Democratic support to sail through the House.

— Kadia Goba

Schumer postpones book events amid liberal outrage

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer postponed his tour for his new book, Antisemitism in America: A Warning, as progressive anger mounts over his support for advancing a deal to fund the government last Friday. “Due to security concerns, Senator Schumer’s book events are being rescheduled,” a spokesperson for the New York Democrat told Semafor. Schumer was scheduled to be in Baltimore, New York, DC and Philadelphia this week, and activists were already planning to upstage his book launch with complaints about his handling of the shutdown fight. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries similarly faced demonstrations last month, although at the moment Jeffries is on far safer ground with the left because just one House Democrat voted against the GOP’s spending bill. Meanwhile, some Dems are having events this week … in GOP districts.

— Burgess Everett

ANC veteran is frontrunner for South Africa’s US ambassador role

Andries Carl Nel, a veteran politician in South Africa’s African National Congress, has emerged as the leading candidate to be the country’s next ambassador to the US after the expulsion of its top diplomat in Washington deepened tensions between the nations, Sam Mkokeli writes for Semafor Africa. Currently the deputy minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Nel is said to be widely respected within the coalition government’s largest party. He’s held his current position since 2009. South Africa is scrambling to appoint a new ambassador to the US after Ebrahim Rasool was booted out of Washington last week, after he criticized Trump during a webinar. Nels “won’t speak out of line. He is a smart guy and his messaging will be disciplined,” said an ANC colleague. Rasool reportedly has until Friday to leave the US.

Turbine makers aren’t ready to bet on AI boom

Some of the world’s biggest makers of gas-fired electricity turbines are holding back on a full-scale push to ramp up manufacturing, despite an expected surge in demand from data centers and other big power customers, executives told Semafor’s Tim McDonnell. Tech leaders are desperate for electrons to power their AI ambitions, and there’s a widely held view within the Trump administration and the oil and gas industry that new gas-fired generation is the key to addressing the US power shortage. That’s driving a “gold rush” for gas turbines, said Bill Newsom, CEO of Mitsubishi Power Americas. Yet manufacturers are dragging their feet on increasing turbine production, out of concern that the boom in demand for power could go bust sooner than expected, making the backlog for turbines one of the biggest bottlenecks that the power ambitions of Trump and Big Tech face.

The World Economy Summit 2025 will bring together US Cabinet officials, global finance ministers, central bankers, and over 200 CEOs of the world’s largest companies. The three-day summit will take place Apr. 23-25, 2025, in Washington, DC, and will be the first of its kind since the new US administration took office. Featuring on-the-record conversations with top executives such as Robert Bradway, Chairman and CEO, Amgen; Aiman Ezzat, CEO, Capgemini Group; Adena Friedman, Chair and CEO, Nasdaq; Jenny Johnson, President and CEO, Franklin Templeton; Paul Knopp, Chair and CEO, KPMG LLP; and Nandan Nilekani, Co-Founder and Chairman, Infosys, the summit will advance dialogues that catalyze global growth and fortify resilience in an uncertain, shifting global economy.

Apr. 23-25 | Washington, DC | Learn More

Blindspot: Walls and words

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, curated with help from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: The Trump administration is restarting construction on the wall at the US southern border.

What the Right isn’t reading: Arlington National Cemetery purged references on its website to Black, Hispanic, and women veterans to comply with President Trump’s directive on federal DEI programs. References to Navajo “code talkers” have been similarly deleted, Axios reported.

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton signaled he’s likely to primary Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in 2026 if he can fundraise enough. “I think I can win if I have $20 million,” Paxton said. “I’ve run these primaries in Texas before. I honestly don’t see how [Cornyn] overcomes his numbers.”

Playbook: Some pollsters are challenging the White House’s view that it’s on solid ground with the public in its deportation efforts. “Public opinion varies dramatically depending on the kind of illegal immigrant you’re talking about,” said Republican pollster Whit Ayres.

WaPo: Republicans are trying to buck the trend of the party in power doing poorly in midterm elections.

Axios: Vice President Vance is “already positioned to be MAGA’s heir apparent for 2028.”

White House

• President Trump threatened consequences for Iran if the Houthis continue attacks in Yemen (causing oil prices to spike).
• The IRS’ taxpayer advocacy office is expected to cut a quarter of its staff. — WaPo
• The EPA is shutting down its research office, which is responsible for the data that undergirds the country’s environmental policies.
• The White House fired the chief of the US Institute of Peace and much of its board. When DOGE staffers forced their way inside USIP’s office, remaining USIP employees called the police.
• Trump ended Secret Service protection for Hunter Biden and Ashley Biden.

Outside the Beltway

• Harvard is scaling up its offer of free tuition for certain students.
• Kentucky state lawmakers passed legislation to remove restrictions on anti-LGBTQ “conversion” therapy and ban transgender Medicaid recipients from receiving gender health care. GOP members voted for the measure in sufficient numbers to override Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, should he attempt a veto, per AP.

Business

• Intel’s new CEO is considering “significant changes to its chip manufacturing methods and artificial intelligence strategies.” — Reuters
• Chinese authorities are looking into the proposed Panama port deal “for any potential security breaches or antitrust violations.” — Bloomberg

Economy

• Trump administration officials, scrambling to implement President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs by Apr. 2, are looking at simplifying them by sorting countries into three tiers. — WSJ
• US retail sales rose less than expected in February.

Courts

• Former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez appealed to President Trump ahead of his wife’s trial starting today.
• A Texas midwife arrested Monday became the first person charged with felonies under the state’s strict abortion ban.

Transportation

• President Trump has tapped Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford to lead the FAA.

National Security

• The Trump administration is targeting migrants who entered the US under the Biden-era “humanitarian parole” program for possible deportation. — WSJ
• The Justice Department said a doctor who was deported to Lebanon despite holding a US visa had attended the funeral of a Hezbollah leader and had “sympathetic photos and messages” on her phone.

Foreign Policy

• Taoiseach Micheál Martin condemned Irish UFC star Conor McGregor for anti-immigrant comments he made during a St. Patrick’s Day White House visit.
• President Trump said Chinese leader Xi Jinping would visit Washington in the “not too distant future.”
• The US will not return the Statue of Liberty to France.

Principals Team

Edited 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

President Trump attended a Kennedy Center board meeting in DC.