Bessent: ‘Perfect cannot be the enemy of the good' on GOP bill
'The perfect cannot be the enemy of the good, and it's legislative sausage making, which is new for me,' Scott said at the Faith & Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority event in Washington.
He said Republicans hailing from the Democratic states were 'going to get something' and that 'the Senate's going to get something,' adding that 'getting this passed is the single most important economic thing we're going to do this year.'
Bessent is scheduled to attend the Senate Republican luncheon later on Friday, two sources confirmed to The Hill, and Bessent met with blue-state Republicans over the state-and-local tax (SALT) deduction cap included in the bill last night.
Republicans were dealt a major blow on Thursday when Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough said that one of Republicans' Medicaid provisions on provider state taxes violated the Byrd Rule. That tax provision was supposed to be a major source of revenue for the legislation.
Another thorn in Republicans' efforts to pass the legislation has been blue-state House Republicans, who have urged for a higher SALT deduction cap. The House bill included a $40,000 SALT cap though the Senate's version initially included a $10,000 deduction cap.
Sources familiar with negotiations around SALT told The Hill the White House and SALT Republicans are closing in on a deal but will need buy-in first from Senate Republicans.
Despite the swirling uncertainty over the legislation, Bessent projected confidence at the Faith & Freedom Coalition event, 'we're going to get the one big, beautiful bill to the president's desk and signed on July 4.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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USA Today
18 minutes ago
- USA Today
Senate passes aid, public broadcasting cuts
On Thursday's episode of The Excerpt podcast: The Senate has passed another legislative victory for President Donald Trump. USA TODAY National Correspondent Trevor Hughes breaks down a new Trump policy that will keep immigration detainees locked up longer. Trump signed a bill making tough sentences for fentanyl trafficking permanent. Execution is back on for Texas inmate Robert Roberson who has strong innocence claims. Last year, we spoke with Brian Wharton, the former police detective who led the investigation and subsequent arrest of Roberson. Wharton said he got it wrong and Roberson is innocent. Listen to or watch that episode here. Gun groups want a law reversed on mailing through the postal service. USA TODAY Reporter Andrea Riquier takes a look at how the president has been amping up pressure on Fed Chair Jerome Powell and how investors are reacting. Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text. Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here Taylor Wilson: Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Thursday, July 17th, 2025. This is USA TODAY. It's The Excerpt. Today, the Senate passes another victory for Trump and Congress, plus what a new administration policy means for keeping immigrants detained longer, and a lawsuit deals with mailing handguns through the Postal Service. ♦ The Senate earlier today approved President Trump's plan for billions of dollars in cuts to funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting. It's his latest legislative win. Most of the cuts are to programs to assist foreign countries suffering from disease, war, and natural disasters, while the plan also eliminates all $1.1 billion the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was due to receive over the next two years. Standalone so-called rescissions packages have not passed in decades. Lawmakers have typically been reluctant to cede their control of spending, but Republicans in Trump's second term who hold narrow majorities in the Senate and House have shown little desire to resist the President's policies. Now that the Senate has signed off, the bill returns to the House where lawmakers must approve the upper chamber's changes. They're expected to do so before an end of week deadline. You can read more throughout the day on ♦ A new Trump policy will keep immigration detainees locked up longer. I spoke with USA TODAY national correspondent Trevor Hughes to learn more. Hello, Trevor. Trevor Hughes: Hey, good to be here. Taylor Wilson: Thanks for hopping on. So just what is this new Trump immigration policy? How does it change the existing detention landscape? Trevor Hughes: Really, this comes down to a difference between criminal court and immigration court. And criminal court, which most Americans are familiar with maybe from Law and Order operates differently than immigration court. And in the immigration court, the administration controls basically everything, the judges, the prosecutors, the custody, and so they have a lot more power over exactly how things run. And in this case, what's happened is the Trump administration has essentially said, we are no longer going to hold bond hearings for detainees, which means they can no longer ask a judge to release them on personal recognizance or maybe a $50,000 bond or a $5,000 bond or even GPS monitoring while their immigration case is pending. So that means more or less, most of the people who get detained by immigration authorities now will stay in custody until their case is disposed of either through a decision to release them back into the community with permission to remain or deportation. Taylor Wilson: And Trevor, what are you hearing from immigrant advocates about all this? Trevor Hughes: Well, there's a real concern that this is a solution in search of an actual problem. Statistics show that something like 85, 90% of people who are released on bond show up to their court hearings, because again, these are people who are being considered for release by judges. Many times they're being released with GPS monitors. These are not folks who are considered a danger to the community, right? Folks who are considered a danger are kept in custody. And so immigrant rights folks really are making the point that this is a loss of due process. We're locking up people who don't need to be locked up. They're not a flight risk. And it's sort of pulling apart families, pulling apart the people who are earning the money, and making it harder for people to fight their immigration cases. Taylor Wilson: Well then Trevor, if statistically they're not a flight risk, they're not, again, statistically speaking, committing crimes on a mass level, why does the Trump administration push for this? Trevor Hughes: Well, the Trump administration has been arguing for years that people who are living in this country without permission should not be living in this country without permission. And they've changed a lot of rules to increase the number of people targeted. But at the end of the day, the Trump administration's argument is if you want to live in America, you have to have come through the correct immigration process. And their argument is none of these folks did. Taylor Wilson: We should say that these detentions cost US taxpayers as well, right? Trevor Hughes: Oh, they're terribly expensive. But again, it's really important to remember, President Trump ran on a very specific platform of increased immigration enforcement. Everyone knew this would cost a lot more money. He said it would cost a lot more money. And the new federal spending plan contains billions of dollars to make that happen. Huge numbers of new ICE agents, huge numbers of new detention beds. But this is the priority of the current United States government. Taylor Wilson: Trevor Hughes is a national correspondent with USA TODAY. Thank you, Trevor. Trevor Hughes: You bet. ♦ Taylor Wilson: President Trump has signed a law that extends tougher prison sentences for fentanyl trafficking surrounded by relatives of people who died from overdoses and lawmakers who approved the bill. Donald Trump: We'll be getting the drug dealers pushers and peddlers off our street, and we will not rest until we have ended the drug overdose epidemic. Taylor Wilson: The law places fentanyl on the Drug Enforcement Administration's list of most serious drugs with no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. The list includes drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and LSD. Fentanyl has been temporarily assigned to the Schedule 1 category since 2018. The law makes the designation permanent. It also makes permanent mandatory minimum penalties of five years in prison for trafficking 10 grams of fentanyl and 10 years for 100 grams. ♦ A Texas judge has rescheduled the execution of a death row inmate who won a rare stay of execution last year as prison officials were poised to administer his lethal injection. The judge set Robert Roberson's execution for October 16th, almost exactly a year after the Supreme Court in the state granted him a stay on his last execution day. Roberson is imprisoned in the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki. Despite strong evidence that suggests he is innocent, he was convicted based on shaken baby syndrome, which has since been largely debunked. Last year with hours left to live, Roberson's life was spared following an effort by a bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers. We explored this case last year on a special episode of The Excerpt. The lead investigator in Roberson's case, Brian Wharton, told me that Robert is a completely innocent man and they got it wrong. Brian Wharton: Robert is a completely innocent man, and we got it completely wrong because we were looking for the wrong things. Taylor Wilson: You can go back and listen to or watch that episode with a link in today's show notes. ♦ Two gun organizations are challenging a 1927 law prohibiting mailing handguns through the Postal Service. Gun Owners of America and Gun Owners Foundation, together with Pennsylvania resident Bonita Shreve have filed a lawsuit in the Western district of Pennsylvania against the US Postal Service. Shreve wants to mail her father a handgun as a gift according to the filing, but is prohibited by federal law and Postal Service regulations. In their filing the plaintiffs argue the Postal Service allows businesses and government officials to ship handguns and that individual Americans should be able to do the same. Private shipping companies like UPS and FedEx have policies prohibiting shipping a handgun. A spokesperson for the Postal Service said it is USPS policy not to comment on pending litigation. ♦ President Trump is amping up pressure on Fed Chair Jerome Powell. I caught up with USA TODAY Reporter Andrea Riquier for more and a look at how investors are reacting. Thanks for joining me, Andrea. Andrea Riquier: Sure. Always a pleasure. Taylor Wilson: All right. So how is President Trump amping up the pressure on Fed Chair Jerome Powell? Andrea Riquier: Trump has been putting the pressure on the Fed Chair ever since the start of this year as he was inaugurated for a second term. But what's been going on over the past couple of weeks is that he's sort of started to enlist other people to bring the pressure. His budget director is one example. Other congressional Republicans are another example. In speaking with reporters, the president initially seemed to suggest that he was really getting ready to fire Jerome Powell, but then also sort of walked it back a little and sort of seemed to deflect some of that back onto Congressional Republicans saying, "I wouldn't fire him, but when I polled members of Congress, they all said they would fire him." Taylor Wilson: Well, you mentioned Congressional Republicans. I mean, what do we hear from lawmakers on this? Trump clearly is saying that at least some Republicans support firing him. Andrea Riquier: So another example is not just Congressional Republicans, but Bill Pulte, who is the Director of FHFA, the Federal Housing Finance Agency which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, again, the Office of Management and Budget Director, who among other things is talking about a headquarters renovation. The Fed has been spread among several different buildings in Washington DC. This renovation was planned for years and years and years, actually even pre-pandemic. And it's actually seen as a long-term money saver because it's going to modernize a lot of buildings, which we've also heard from other Trump administration agencies that they're working in very old, very dated, in some cases slightly unsafe buildings. So this was the Fed's very well-vetted effort to modernize, streamline and cut costs. But just about any construction project you've ever heard of, it has gone over budget. This spans the pandemic period when things were very difficult. The cost of labor was crazy. The cost of getting materials into the country was awful. So it's not surprising that this big project had cost overruns, but now it's sort of being used as a political tool to say, Powell's overseeing this project that's just gone completely amok. That's important because in order to be fired, in order to be removed from his seat as Fed Chair, there has to be cause. And so the idea is, while this is a very political step, it is seen as one step towards firing for cause. Taylor Wilson: Andrew, is this new terrain, the idea of a president pressuring the central bank in this way? Andrea Riquier: It's not new at all. President Nixon apparently rode hard on his Fed Chair. President Lyndon Johnson really wanted to bring interest rates down when he was fighting a war in Vietnam. What is different, at least what my sources have told me, is that Trump, as we know, does things very publicly. In some cases some people say that there is a private Trump who will often reassure people to their face and be friendly and polite and professional in one-on-one or small group settings, but then he kind of lashes out in public. Taylor Wilson: How is all this landing with either Powell himself or just kind of inside the Fed more broadly? Andrea Riquier: So my sense is that Powell is just sort of keeping his head down and trying to be professional and stay above the fray. He has said publicly that he will not resign. Nobody knows if he could be forced into something. He probably doesn't even know what kind of pressure could be coming from the White House. But one sort of telling moment came a couple days ago when the Fed put out a big response to these critiques about the headquarters that we just talked about. They went through an FAQ of frequently asked questions about the renovations, and pointed out what I just said. This was approved. It was vetted. Yes, there are cost overruns, but there's very good reasons for it, and ultimately it should save taxpayer money. And so a lot of people watching this think that this is the Fed sort of being really forced to respond, being backed into a corner as it were. Taylor Wilson: Well, all eyes are on the markets and investors. How have investors been reacting? Andrea Riquier: So markets yesterday did have an initial response to this discussion. Both stocks and bonds sold off when Trump was initially talking around the idea that Powell could be fired. But then when he's clarified and sort of walked it back a little bit, assets recovered. What we have not seen yet is we've not seen the kind of big freak out that we saw, for example, in April after the tariffs were first rolled out, that really caused politicians to sit up and take notice. So I wrote a piece saying, who knows when we'll see that, but we're not there yet. Taylor Wilson: Another interesting piece from you, Andrea. USA TODAY reporter, Andrea Riquier. Thanks for stopping by. Andrea Riquier: Thank you, Taylor. ♦ Taylor Wilson: And coming up later this afternoon, what if your hospital room had a view of trees instead of a parking lot? Turns out it could change your recovery. Dr. Jay Maddock: People with a view of the park-like setting, got out of the hospital faster, used less painkillers, and had less post-op complications. Taylor Wilson: Public health expert Dr. Jay Maddock joins my colleague Dana Taylor to share the surprising health benefits of greening our medical spaces. Catch that conversation today, beginning at four PM Eastern Time, right here on this feed. ♦ And thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio. And as always, you can email us at podcasts@ You can find a link to that email in today's show notes. I'm Taylor Wilson. I'll be back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA TODAY.
Axios
18 minutes ago
- Axios
Trump's immigration approval ratings sink to new lows
President Trump's approval rating on immigration plummeted to a new low since his White House return, according to a new poll. Why it matters: Curtailing illegal immigration was the backbone of Trump's reelection campaign, but his ratings have cratered across several recent polls as Americans confront the reality of his mass deportation push. Trump's crackdown sparked nationwide protests and pervasive humanitarian and legal concerns. A clash between protesters and federal agents during an immigration raid at a Southern California farm is one of the most recent symbols of discontent in a statethat's central to Trump's efforts. Meanwhile, illegal border crossings have plummeted. Driving the news: Trump's approval on immigration fell to 41% in an Ipsos-Reuters poll that closed Wednesday. Fifty-one percent disapproved in the poll. In May 16 to 18 polling by Reuters-Ipsos, 47% of Americans approved of Trump's immigration policies, a number that has gradually declined. Zoom in: In the Reuters-Ipsos poll of 1,027 U.S. adults, 54% disagreed with the statement "immigration arrests at places of work are good for the country," while 28% were in support. Another 18% were unsure or did not answer. There was a clear partisan divide on the issue, with 56% of Republicans backing the statement compared to just 7% of Democrats. Case in point: The Department of Homeland Security on Monday announced federal officers had arrested more than 360 people at two Southern California marijuana farms. Last month, Trump indicated his administration would pause raids hurting the agriculture and hospitality industries, but quickly reversed, Axios' Marc Caputo and Russel Contreras reported. Zoom out: A Gallup poll conducted June 2-26 of 1,402 U.S. adults found that many more Americans disapproved than approved of Trump's handling in immigration. Thirty-five percent approved of his handling of the issue, compared to 62% who disapproved. But there is a sharp partisan divide: 85% of Republicans approve of Trump's handling of immigration, compared with 28% of independents and just 2% of Democrats. In February, 46% approved of his handling of immigration, per Gallup polling. In Quinnipiac University polling released Wednesday, 40% of voters approved of Trump's handling of immigration, while 55% disapproved. And an NPR-PBS News-Marist College poll from late last month showed 43% of adults overall approved of Trump's handling on immigration, while 52% disapproved. That poll found that 54% overall — and 59% of independents — thought Immigration and Customs Enforcement had gone too far in enforcing immigration laws. In the Reuters poll, 42% said they opposed immigration officers wearing masks, compared to 38% in support. Seventy percent of Republicans supported masked officers, but only 15% of Democrats agreed.
The Hill
18 minutes ago
- The Hill
Senate votes to cut funds for NPR, PBS
It's Thursday. Does anyone else think the D.C. thunderstorms this summer have been particularly wild? Here's one 📹 video of last night's light show. In today's issue: Senate votes to defund NPR, PBS House breaks longest vote record Elon Musk pokes the Epstein file bear Hogg, McCarthy bring sass to Hill Nation Summit Obamas address divorce rumors Hope there's a Celsius restock in the Senate today: The Senate wrapped up its marathon voting session after 2 a.m. Thursday, passing a rare bill to take back $9 billion in federal funding. Where did this $9 billion come from?: Nearly $8 billion in cuts to foreign aid programs and more than $1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. What happens now?: The bill heads back to the House for a final vote. It's expected to pass. It's worth noting that congressional Republicans have some concerns about Trump's use of a rare tool to cut funding. Though they are still on the verge of approving the cuts, reports The Hill's Aris Folley. 🗨️ Follow today's live blog What do these cuts mean for PBS and NPR?: The bill cut nearly $1.1 billion in funding for public media. That includes PBS and NPR, plus many local stations. Larger stations in big markets may have an easier time fundraising to make up the funding gap (you know the famous slogan about donations 'from viewers like you'), but PBS's chief says it will be 'devastating' for rural areas. CNN estimates that stations will likely feel the funding cuts starting in the fall. Maybe Elmo will do a 'story time' on TikTok: Why Elmo is sad today Why Republicans wanted to defund NPR: Republicans have long accused public radio and television of political bias. Trump recently threatened to withhold support for any Republican who votes against this bill. ^ But not all Republicans agreed: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was concerned that cutting public broadcasting would hurt rural radio stations that often provide the only source of information during natural disasters. Democrats just walked out of a hearing in protest: Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee just approved two controversial Trump nominees. Democrats, who didn't have enough votes to block the nominations, got up, walked out of the room and did not vote. 📸 Photo of the walkout The first controversial nominee: Emil Bove, one of President Trump 's former criminal defense attorneys, has been nominated for a lifetime appointment as a jurist on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. Why Bove is controversial: 'He has been accused by a whistleblower of saying the administration should consider telling the courts 'f‑‑‑ you' and defy any injunctions imposed by judges blocking their use of the Alien Enemies Act.' The other controversial nominee: Former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro. She has been nominated for U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. Republicans cut off debate this morning, preventing some Democrats from speaking on Bove's nomination. At one point, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) appealed to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the committee chair. Booker told Grassley: 'You are a good man. You are a decent man, why are you doing this? What is Donald Trump saying to you that are making you do something which is violating the decorum of this committee, the rules of this committee, the decency and the respect that we have each other to at least hear each other out?' 📹 Watch the argument Meanwhile, the House had a drama-filled night: The House set a record for the longest vote in history. 😅 It took seven hours and 24 minutes to vote to advance three cryptocurrency bills while Republican leaders cut deals with GOP holdouts. Fun fact: The previous record was set roughly two weeks ago when the 'big, beautiful bill' vote was left open for more than seven hours. What was the holdup?: 'A key point of contention for hardline Republicans is the lack of a provision in the GENIUS Act that would block the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC).' Read Mychael Schnell and Julia Shapero's reporting in The Hill Tidbit: ABC News's John R. Parkinson noticed a cart of food, beer, wine and White Claw was rolled into Speaker Mike Johnson 's (R-La.) office during the negotiations. To see how today's Capitol Hill drama unfolds this afternoon, check out The Hill's Evening Report. Click here to sign up to get the next issue in your inbox. ➤ CAPITOL HILL TIDBITS: No rules after 10 p.m., apparently: The Hill's Mychael Schnell noticed Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) walking through the Capitol after 10 p.m. last night smoking a cigar. 'Inside. In the hallway,' she noted. I love the Senate sometimes: HuffPost's Igor Bobic posted what he called, 'Today's Murkowski Moment™': 'Asked how she felt about [rescissions], she said, 'Concerned. Apparently, that's what you journalists say, 'Murkowski is always concerned.'' Reporters: That's Collins Murkowski: 'So what's my version?' Rs: Frustrated M: 'Oh, true. Super frustrated.'' The video is … something: Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) posted a TikTok of a solo ride on the congressional subway. The caption read, 'omw to hold this administration accountable.' 📹 Watch. Looks like he's parodying the TikTok-viral 'aura farming' trend. Any excuse for a hot dog costume!: Michigan Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D) and Gary Peters (D) hosted a 'National Hot Dog Day & A Taste of Michigan' on Capitol Hill. Yes, there was a 📸 hot dog costume. Sen. Mullin, the influencer: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) brought back his behind-the-scenes Capitol tours during Wednesday's vote-a-rama. In this episode, he gives a quick tour of Senate Majority Leader John Thune 's (R-S.D.) office. 📹 Watch Elon Musk is poking the bear: Tech billionaire Elon Musk lit a fire last month when he alleged that Trump was named in the so-called 'Epstein files.' That claim, which the White House fiercely denied, began the very public breakup between the tech billionaire and the president. Well, Musk is continuing to fan the flames today. Musk publicly asked his artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, a series of questions about the Jeffrey Epstein saga. Musk: 'Are there likely to be electronic records in any government or commercial computers recording who traveled on Epstein's plane to the US Virgin Islands?' Grok: 'Yes, electronic records likely exist.' Grok then elaborated. Musk: 'Would that mean the government right now – as we speak – knows the names & ages of all those who traveled on Epstein's plane? In other words, they have a list of all unaccompanied minors on those flights, along with a list of all adults on those flights?' Grok: 'Yes, the DOJ and FAA hold extensive passenger manifests and flight logs from Epstein's jets.' This is just an excerpt. Read the full back and forth. This is a good read: The Hill's Niall Stanage writes in his column today, ' President Trump is trying, yet again, to climb out of the political mire into which he has sunk over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.' Excerpt: 'On Wednesday, Trump sought to pin the blame on unnamed Republicans for getting 'duped' by Democrats over the lack of new revelations about the disgraced financier and sexual predator. 'It's a hoax,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.' 'Trump further complained that 'some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans fall into the net, and so they try and do the Democrats' work. The Democrats are good for nothing other than these hoaxes.' Such claims point to a deep level of frustration on the president's part about a controversy that — unusually for him — has left his own base discontented.' This!: 'It remains to be seen whether his appeal to party and personal loyalty will be enough to quell the storm. Trump's strategy cuts against years of speculation on the right that more skeletons were about to fall out of Epstein's closet.' ➤ PLUS: The Hill's Brett Samuels reports how the 'Epstein files uproar puts spotlight on [FBI Deputy Director] Dan Bongino.' 'Bongino has been at the center of debate over the Epstein files after the Justice Department essentially closed the case in a joint memo with the FBI. The deputy FBI director has clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi over the issue and reportedly weighed resigning.' 'Sources close to the White House told The Hill that members of the MAGA movement view Bongino as one of their own. He has built a following over the past decade, and is considered a true outsider with a finger on the pulse of the base who was appointed to a position of power to act on issues they care about, including the Epstein documents.' The TL;DR: The inaugural Hill Nation Summit was a newsy day at the Willard InterContinental Washington. Let me catch you up on what happened in the afternoon: 🔷 David Hogg: Former Democratic National Committee (DNC) Vice Chair David Hogg had a fiery response when asked what he's most hopeful for as a Democrat. 'The fact that I am going to outlive a lot of people who are against me,' he said. 👀 Watch the clip During the interview, Hogg described his ouster from the committee as a 'double standard' — and argued some of the criticism against New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is 'racist.' 🔷 Kevin McCarthy: Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) took a shot at former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). The Hill's Emily Brooks began her interview with a casual question, 'How have you been enjoying post-Speakership and post-Congressional life?' McCarthy responded with some snark: 'Fabulous. We don't have Matt Gaetz anymore.' Keep in mind: McCarthy and Gaetz have beef. Gaetz was a key figure in McCarthy getting ousted as Speaker. 🔷 This was an interesting line: Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, praised President Trump 's foreign policy, particularly on the Middle East. 'I mean, the opening to Syria, I did not anticipate that. That's pretty amazing. You know, he's taken a practical approach in the Middle East that I think is, again, will the Iranian question, will play out over the next year or so,' Himes said. A lighter tidbit: NewsNation's Chris Stirewalt first asked Himes when he walked on stage what his 'walk-up music be?' 'YMCA,' Himes said without hesitation. 🔷 Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.): Khanna, a prominent House progressive, argued that one of Democrats' problems is being 'too judgmental' of people who voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Khanna said he hasn't made a decision on whether to run for president in 2028. 🔷 Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.): Donalds was in the Oval Office meeting Tuesday when Trump indicated to Republican lawmakers that he would likely fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell 'soon.' He wouldn't disclose details of the conversation but said he's not in favor of pushing Powell out. The Hill's Miriam Waldvogel and Filip Timotija wrote a great recap of seven memorable moments from the summit. The House and Senate are in. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EST) 1 p.m.: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream 2 p.m.: State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream 4 p.m.: Trump signs executive orders. 4:10 p.m.: First House votes. Last votes are expected at 7:30 p.m. 📆 Today's agenda 🐝 INTERNET BUZZ 🍑🍦 Celebrate: Today is National Peach Ice Cream Day. 👋 AND FINALLY…
