Deseret News archives: ‘Ping-pong diplomacy' took center stage in 1971
On April 10, 1971, the U.S. table tennis team arrived in China at the invitation of the communist government for a goodwill visit that came to be known as 'ping-pong diplomacy.'
That year, nine players from the U.S. Table Tennis team took a historic trip to China, becoming the first delegation of Americans to visit the country in decades. Following the 1949 Chinese revolution, there had been no diplomatic ties, limited trade and few contacts between the United States and China.
Their trip was the start of what became known as 'ping-pong diplomacy' and helped lay the groundwork for establishing official diplomatic relations between the United States and China. Ping-pong diplomacy also led to improved people-to-people understanding and cultural exchange.
According to historical accounts, the U.S. team was at the 1971 World Table Tennis Championship in Nagoya, Japan, when an encounter between Glenn Cowan of the U.S. team and Zhuang Zedong of the Chinese team became an international sensation. Cowan had missed his bus following practice and boarded the Chinese team's bus. Zhuang approached the American, shaking his hand and offering him a depiction of the Huangshan Mountains on a piece of silk cloth.
When they exited the bus, journalists snapped photos of the two together. Two days later, the U.S. team received an official invitation to travel to China and play exhibition matches against the Chinese team. The United States accepted the invitation and everyone rushed to make arrangements.
U.S. Department of State consular officials in Japan, in advance of the team's onward journey to China, made a simple but profound change to their passports. On the page warning travelers of legal penalties 'for travel to or in Communist-controlled portions' of the listed countries, the officials simply took a black marker and carefully crossed-out 'China.'
The headlines in the Deseret News in in mid-April followed the daily interactions with the American athletes.
'Tennis players in Red China'
'Small hope opens in Red China Wall'
'Table tennis team will talk with China'
In 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon made a trip to China. Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about the trip and diplomacy with China:
'Was Mao monster or Chinese hero?'
'Mao mementos a click away'
'Nixon's visit to China 20 years ago changed history'
'Soccer may help smooth ties between U.S., China'
'Qatar outreach widens with ping pong 'diplomacy''
'Deseret News archives: Nixon's trip to China concluded with a promise and a couple of pandas'
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The Hill
22 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump's new model to support Ukraine is a win-win
From the start, Ukraine's defense against Russia's full-scale invasion has been underpinned by a robust commitment from its Western partners. The Biden administration's pledge to support Ukraine 'as long as it takes' promised a sustained flow of military and financial aid directly from Washington. This 'direct donor' model was key to Ukraine's initial resilience, providing essential weaponry from U.S. stockpiles. Biden's approach primarily involved direct transfers from U.S. weapons inventories, prioritizing speed and ensuring that Ukraine received vital equipment quickly to counter Russian aggression. The American government provided extensive amounts of equipment, from air-defense missiles to artillery rounds and armored vehicles, directly to Kyiv. Now, under President Trump, the paradigm is shifting. The U.S. is transitioning from a direct donor to a 'strategic supplier,' where European allies purchase American weapons for Ukraine at their own expense. While this reorientation marks a significant change, it is far from the worst-case scenario for Ukraine. Instead, it represents a pragmatic and potentially more sustainable evolution of transatlantic burden-sharing, securing critical capabilities for Ukraine while invigorating the U.S. defense industrial base and recalibrating the nature of allied support. Support is still 'as long as it takes' but also 'at the others' expense.' This marks a departure from the traditional post-World War II donor-recipient model, particularly within the NATO alliance, towards a more transactional 'America First' approach. Future U.S. engagement in global security will likely be contingent upon tangible economic benefits and direct cost-sharing from allies. Such a shift could lead to a more predictable, albeit less altruistic, framework for security cooperation, where allies are compelled to demonstrate their commitment through direct financial contributions. This policy reorientation accelerates European strategic autonomy. While the immediate effect is Europe paying for U.S. weapons, the long-term implication is a forced impetus for greater European defense integration and self-sufficiency. European nations have already been increasing their defense spending and proactively planning for a future with less guaranteed U.S. aid. This new model, by making U.S. weapons available for purchase, encourages Europe to develop its own robust procurement mechanisms and potentially expand its own defense industrial base. Ukraine's most pressing and enduring need remains robust air defense against Russia's escalating missile and drone attacks. The U.S.-made Patriot air-defense system is critical, as it is one of the few systems capable of intercepting high-speed ballistic missiles. These systems are vital for protecting civilian infrastructure and population centers, which have been subjected to relentless Russian bombardment. A critical strategic reality for Ukraine is that not all American weapons are equally replaceable by European alternatives. While Europe is ramping up its own artillery production, the Patriot system's unique counter-ballistic missile capability makes it a requirement that only the U.S. can provide at scale. Europe, at the same time, has demonstrated a clear willingness and increasing capacity to shoulder a greater share of the burden. The European Union has already provided €165 billion in financial assistance and has launched an €800 billion Defense Readiness Plan. Frozen Russian sovereign assets may be used to finance what Ukraine needs. The shift to a foreign military sales model is explicitly intended to invigorate the U.S. defense industrial base. By integrating 'exportability features' into defense systems during the design phase, the U.S. seeks to advance its competitiveness abroad and potentially lower unit costs for both America and its allies. While the foreign military sales process has historically been slow and plagued by delivery backlogs, the new model offers a potential solution. Consistent, large-scale orders from European allies could provide the long-term contract certainty that the U.S. defense industry requires to invest significantly in surge capacity and overcome challenges. This transforms what was previously a 'drain' on American stockpiles, requiring replenishment at taxpayer expense, into a sustained stimulus for U.S. manufacturing, aligning with 'America First' economic principles. This shift is not merely about burden-sharing; it is about recapitalizing and modernizing the U.S. defense industrial base. While immediate fixes for current shortages remain challenging, this strategic reorientation creates a more sustainable industrial ecosystem. Trump's recent rhetoric marks a notable change from his earlier stance, which often appeared conciliatory toward Vladimir Putin. He has recognized that Russia, not Ukraine, is the core problem in negotiations, even threatening tariffs and sanctions on Russia and its trading partners if a peace deal is not reached within 50 days. The reality that Putin is not amenable to a quick 'deal' is now clear. There is now a crucial political opening for continued support to Ukraine, even if the funding mechanism changes. The narrative that Trump desires Ukraine's fall has been refuted. Instead, Trump is committed to ending the war on terms that align with his administration's interests. This represents a significant psychological advantage for Ukraine, as it lessens the fear of a complete U.S. abandonment.


Fox News
32 minutes ago
- Fox News
DOJ forms Russiagate 'strike force' to investigate declassified Obama-era evidence
Print Close By Brooke Singman Published July 24, 2025 The Justice Department has formed a "strike force" to assess the evidence publicized by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard relating to former President Obama and his top national security and intelligence officials' involvement in the origins of the Trump-Russia collusion narrative. The DOJ, on Wednesday evening, announced the formation of the "strike force," to investigate potential next legal steps which may stem from Gabbard's recent declassification of records suggesting that Obama administration officials "manufactured" intelligence to form the narrative that then-candidate Donald Trump was colluding with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. Justice Department officials told Fox News Digital that the DOJ takes the alleged weaponization of the intelligence community with "the utmost seriousness." A source familiar with the strike force told Fox News Digital that everything is being reviewed and that no serious lead is off the table. The source told Fox News Digital that the National Security Division of the Justice Department will "likely be involved in the investigation." BRENNAN DIRECTED PUBLICATION OF 'IMPLAUSIBLE' REPORTS CLAIMING PUTIN PREFERRED TRUMP IN 2016, HOUSE FOUND "The Department of Justice is proud to work with my friend Director Gabbard and we are grateful for her partnership in delivering accountability for the American people," Attorney General Pam Bondi said. "We will investigate these troubling disclosures fully and leave no stone unturned to deliver justice," she said. The strike force consists of teams made up of investigators and prosecutors that focus on "the worst offenders engaged in fraudulent activities, including, chiefly, health care fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, money laundering offenses, false statements offenses," and more, according to the DOJ. The formation of the strike force comes after a slew of developments related to the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation. RUSSIA SAT ON INTEL OF HILLARY CLINTON'S ALLEGED 'HEAVY TRANQUILIZERS' USE, NEW DOCS CLAIM Earlier this month, CIA Director John Ratcliffe sent a criminal referral for former CIA Director John Brennan to the FBI. The referral came after Ratcliffe declassified a "lessons learned" review of the creation of the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). The 2017 ICA alleged Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential election to help then-candidate Donald Trump. But the review found that the process of the ICA's creation was rushed with "procedural anomalies," and that officials diverted from intelligence standards. It also determined that the "decision by agency heads to include the Steele Dossier in the ICA ran counter to fundamental tradecraft principles and ultimately undermined the credibility of a key judgment." The dossier — an anti-Trump document filled with unverified and wholly inaccurate claims that was commissioned by Fusion GPS and paid for by Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign and the DNC — has been widely discredited. Last week's review marks the first time career CIA officials have acknowledged politicization of the process by which the ICA was written, particularly by Obama-era political appointees. Records declassified as part of that review further revealed that Brennan did, in fact, push for the dossier to be included in the 2017 ICA. FBI Director Kash Patel received the criminal referral and opened an investigation into Brennan. Patel also opened a criminal investigation into former FBI Director James Comey. The full scope of the criminal investigations into Brennan and Comey is unclear, but two sources described the FBI's view of the duo's interactions as a "conspiracy," which could open up a wide range of potential prosecutorial options. The FBI and CIA declined to comment. Neither Brennan nor Comey immediately responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Days later, Gabbard declassified documents revealing "overwhelming evidence" that demonstrated how, after President Donald Trump won the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton, then-President Barack Obama and his national security team laid the groundwork for what would be the yearslong Trump–Russia collusion probe. OBAMA OFFICIALS ADMITTED THEY HAD NO 'EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE' OF TRUMP-RUSSIA COLLUSION: HOUSE INTEL TRANSCRIPTS Gabbard said the documents revealed that Obama administration officials "manufactured and politicized intelligence" to create the narrative that Russia was attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election, despite information from the intelligence community stating otherwise. The new documents name former President Barack Obama, top officials in his National Security Council, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, then-CIA Director John Brennan, then-National Security Advisor Susan Rice, then-Secretary of State John Kerry, then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, among others. Gabbard, on Monday, sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department related to those findings. DOJ officials did not share further details on whom the criminal referral was for. And on Wednesday, Gabbard declassified documents that showed that the intelligence community did not have any direct information that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to help elect Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election, but, at the "unusual" direction of then-President Barack Obama, published "potentially biased" or "implausible" intelligence suggesting otherwise. That information came from a report prepared by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence back in 2020. The report, which was based on an investigation launched by former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., was dated Sept. 18, 2020. At the time of the publication of the report, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was the chairman of the committee. The report has never before been released to the public, and instead, has remained highly classified within the intelligence community. Meanwhile, Fox News Digital, in 2020, exclusively obtained the declassified transcripts from Obama-era national security officials' closed-door testimonies before the House Intelligence Committee, in which those officials testified that they had no "empirical evidence" of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election, but continued to publicly push the "narrative" of collusion. The House Intelligence Committee, in 2017, conducted depositions of top Obama intelligence officials, including Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, National Security Advisor Susan Rice and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, among others. OBAMA DENIES TRUMP'S 'BIZARRE ALLEGATIONS' THAT HE WAS RUSSIAGATE 'RINGLEADER' IN RARE STATEMENT The officials' responses in the transcripts of those interviews align with the results of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation — which found no evidence of criminal coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016, while not reaching a determination on obstruction of justice. The transcripts, from 2017 and 2018, revealed top Obama officials were questioned by House Intelligence Committee lawmakers and investigators about whether they had or had seen evidence of such collusion, coordination or conspiracy — the issue that drove the FBI's initial case and later the special counsel probe. "I never saw any direct empirical evidence that the Trump campaign or someone in it was plotting/conspiring with the Russians to meddle with the election," Clapper testified in 2017. "That's not to say that there weren't concerns about the evidence we were seeing, anecdotal evidence.... But I do not recall any instance where I had direct evidence." Lynch also said she did "not recall that being briefed up to me." "I can't say that it existed or not," Lynch said, referring to evidence of collusion, conspiracy or coordination. But Clapper and Lynch, and then Vice President Joe Biden, were present in the Oval Office July 28, 2016, when Brennan briefed Obama and Comey on intelligence he'd received from one of Hillary Clinton's campaign foreign policy advisors "to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service." "We're getting additional insight into Russian activities from (REDACTED)," Brennan's handwritten notes, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital in October 2020, read. "CITE (summarizing) alleged approved by Hillary Clinton a proposal from one of her foreign policy advisers to vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service." Meanwhile, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, according to the transcript of her interview to the House Intelligence Committee, was asked whether she had or saw any evidence of collusion or conspiracy. OBAMA ADMIN 'MANUFACTURED' INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE 2016 RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE NARRATIVE, DOCUMENTS SHOW Power replied: "I am not in possession of anything — I am not in possession and didn't read or absorb information that came from out of the intelligence community." When asked again, she said: "I am not." Rice was asked the same question. "To the best of my recollection, there wasn't anything smoking, but there were some things that gave me pause," she said, according to her transcribed interview, in response to whether she had any evidence of conspiracy. "I don't recall intelligence that I would consider evidence to that effect that I saw… conspiracy prior to my departure." When asked whether she had any evidence of "coordination," Rice replied: "I don't recall any intelligence or evidence to that effect." Meanwhile, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe was not asked that specific question but rather questions about the accuracy and legitimacy of the unverified anti-Trump dossier compiled by ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele. McCabe was asked during his interview in 2017 what was the most "damning or important piece of evidence in the dossier that" he "now knows is true." McCabe replied: "We have not been able to prove the accuracy of all the information." "You don't know if it's true or not?" a House investigator asked, to which McCabe replied: "That's correct." OBAMA OFFICIALS USED DOSSIER TO PROBE, BRIEF TRUMP DESPITE KNOWING IT WAS UNVERIFIED 'INTERNET RUMOR' After Trump's 2016 victory and during the presidential transition period, Comey briefed Trump on the now-infamous anti-Trump dossier, containing salacious allegations of purported coordination between Trump and the Russian government. Brennan was present for that briefing, which took place at Trump Tower in New York City in January 2017. The dossier was authored by Steele. It was funded by Clinton's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee through the law firm Perkins Coie. But Brennan and Comey knew of intelligence suggesting Clinton, during the campaign, was stirring up a plan to tie Trump to Russia, documents claim. It is unclear whether the intelligence community, at the time, knew that the dossier was paid for by Clinton and the DNC. The Obama-era officials have been mum on the new revelations, but a spokesman for Obama on Tuesday made a rare public statement. FBI LAUNCHES CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS OF JOHN BRENNAN, JAMES COMEY: DOJ SOURCES "Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response," Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said in a statement. "But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction," Obama's spokesman continued. "Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes." He added: "These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio." Print Close URL


Politico
42 minutes ago
- Politico
Jay Powell's new normal
Presented by Editor's note: Morning Money is a free version of POLITICO Pro Financial Services morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 5:15 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day's biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro. Quick Fix President Donald Trump's pressure campaign on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will intensify on Thursday, with a scheduled visit by him and other administration officials to the central bank headquarters as part of a probe into the ballooning price tag of its renovation. Expect to see it all over social media. The 4 p.m. inspection of the Fed's upgrades to two buildings will be yet another opportunity for officials to hammer Powell — those making the visit along with the president include White House officials James Blair and Russ Vought — and comes less than a week before the Fed's next interest rate decision. Trump has been hectoring Powell to slash borrowing costs – or perhaps just resign altogether, though the Fed chair has shown no sign of entertaining that possibility. There's also no sign that the administration and its allies are letting up. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has benignly compared Trump's broadsides against Powell to legendary college basketball coach Bobby Knight's strategy of 'working the refs' in an attempt to secure lower rates more quickly. A White House official told POLITICO last week that their goal in highlighting the costly renovations was, in part, 'to damage this guy's image.' Plenty of Trump allies are joining in on both counts. Take Tuesday, which represented what has increasingly become a normal day for Powell. At 8:42 a.m., Trump's top housing regulator, Bill Pulte, wrote on X: 'Jerome Powell should RESIGN,' one of many anti-Powell messages he posted that day. (Pulte is also among those scheduled to visit Fed HQ). A few hours later, Trump suggested in the Oval Office that he wouldn't try to fire Powell but also said: 'I think he's done a bad job, but he's going to be out pretty soon anyway,' calling him a 'numbskull' — one of his go-to insults for the central bank leader. A bit after 2 p.m. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) posted a (fake) resignation letter from the Fed chief with the caption, 'Powell's out!' bookended by siren emojis. (Lee later deleted the tweet, telling a group of reporters that he'd done so 'out of an abundance of caution,' saying he hadn't checked if it was legitimate.) At 3:04 p.m., Sen. Cynthia Lummis posted: 'It's time for new leadership at the Fed. We need a Chair who has the trust of ALL Americans.' During all of that, Powell was at the Fed's headquarters (at a building not under construction) participating in a conference about bank regulation. Powell certainly isn't the first Fed chair to face a backlash. A Bloomberg column out Wednesday bore the headline: 'Fed Legend Paul Volcker Would Shrug Over This Attack,' pointing to presidential pressure faced by the former Fed chair during his push to crush inflation through high interest rates. But the campaign by the administration to undermine Powell's reputation is particularly striking and persistent. 'Some of it is maybe to throw some interference at Powell,' Stephen Moore, a former economic adviser to Trump, told MM of the administration's crusade. 'Some of it is just legitimate complaints about the way the Fed operates.' 'President Trump can both call out the Fed for failing to do its job by its own stated objectives and ensure that taxpayer money is not wasted on things that do not benefit the American people,' White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement to MM. Notably, Powell and his fellow Fed officials are forecasting that the central bank will cut interest rates this year. It's just not likely they will do so next week, though Fed board member Christopher Waller, who is on the shortlist to be the next chair, is among those internally making the case that they should. Indeed, more economists have been arguing for lower borrowing costs, given growing weaknesses in the economy such as a slowdown in consumer spending, although inflation also creeped up in June. Unemployment remains low, but the job market is showing signs of strain. 'Interest rates are clearly above neutral and that is slowly pulling the economy down and that's sort of a slow-moving problem,' said Adam Ozimek, chief economist at the public policy research firm Economic Innovation Group. 'If we don't get interest rates back to neutral soon enough, the strength of interest rates alone could bring us into recession.' But, 'obviously, the Federal Reserve is holding off on rate cuts as a result of uncertainty from the tariffs,' he added. 'If we didn't have tariffs, the Fed would have cut by now.' Investors expect Powell to begin cutting in either September or October, according to CME's FedWatch tool, when economic weakness could become more evident. In the meantime, pressuring Powell is 'the rough equivalent of someone on an elevator hitting the button repeatedly hoping it will make the elevator go up or down faster,' said Neil Dutta, head of U.S. economic research at Renaissance Macro Research. It's Thursday — How do you think this Trump-Powell saga ends? Let me know: vguida@ And as always, you can direct your MM tips and pitches to Sam at ssutton@ MORNING MONEY: CAPITAL RISK — POLITICO's flagship financial newsletter has a new Friday edition built for the economic era we're living in: one shaped by political volatility, disruption and a wave of policy decisions with sector-wide consequences. Each week, Morning Money: Capital Risk brings sharp reporting and analysis on how political risk is moving markets and how investors are adapting. Want to know how health care regulation, tariffs, or court rulings could ripple through the economy? Start here. Driving the day New home sales data for June is out at 10 a.m. …. House Financial Services ranking member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) speaks at a Brookings Institution event at 11:30 a.m. … The view from Congress on Powell — Republican lawmakers still don't seem overly eager to engage on the question of whether Trump could or should fire Powell, according to reporting from our Katherine Hapgood, with many of them deferring both to Trump and to Fed independence. —'I've disagreed with some of the things that Chairman Powell has done, but also I think he's done a pretty good job of helping navigate through some of our tough financial times,' Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) said. But 'with the president and his staff looking at it, I would ultimately probably support a decision that he makes.' —'I'd support the president, whatever he decided,' Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) said. —'I don't think he's doing a terrible job,' said Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.). 'I don't really support removal of chairs without any reasonable, significant, credible reasons why we need to remove them. So I would support him staying in the office.' Former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' take, as told to our Ari Hawkins: 'If he tried to fire Powell and Powell resisted, that would mean there would be litigation — and if there's litigation, it can be very hard to end it in less than a year. … It's a little unclear to me why he would take on the headache for no gain in time.' The plan for AI — The White House released an action plan for artificial intelligence Wednesday, a sweeping federal initiative designed to cement U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence through deregulation, infrastructure expansion and global tech diplomacy, our Mohar Chatterjee reports. The 28-page policy blueprint runs through more than 90 federal actions with the goal of implementing them within the next year. It went public as part of a relaunched ' website Wednesday. —The plan also urges the SEC and other federal regulators to establish artificial intelligence-focused regulatory sandboxes, in a bid to boost the fast-moving technology's adoption, our Declan Harty reports. Fintechs fight back — The Financial Technology Association, American Fintech Council, Chamber of Progress Crypto Council for Innovation, The Digital Chamber Financial Data and Technology Association have sent a letter to Trump asking him to direct his administration to push back on a lawsuit filed by banks to block a new open banking rule. The government must file a brief on the lawsuit by July 29. Banks 'are exploiting regulatory uncertainty to preserve their market position and block competition, undermining your agenda and denying Americans access to the future of finance. This risks the future of fintech, digital assets, and America's financial innovation and global leadership,' they wrote. 'You can right this wrong.' Art of the deal — The European Union is eyeing a Japan-style deal with the Donald Trump administration that sets a 15 percent U.S. baseline tariff — but is ready to retaliate if no agreement can be reached by Aug. 1 deadline, our Koen Verhelst, Antonia Zimmermann and Nette Nöstlinger report. Wall Street Lawmakers probe big banks over IPO of Chinese firm — A congressional committee focused on the national security threat posed by China is demanding documents from JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America related to their roles in a Chinese battery giant's initial public offering, WSJ reports. On The Hill He's not running — Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, will not run for Senate in Michigan next year, he said Wednesday, our Gregory Svirnovskiy reports. Huizenga did not explicitly commit to running for another term in the House, but his southwestern Michigan seat will likely be competitive in November either way. Nom nom nom — The Senate Banking Committee advanced Trump's nominee to chair the Export-Import Bank, along with a slate of other economic policy nominees at HUD and Commerce, our Jasper Goodman reports. First in MM: Cortez Masto introduced bill to restore CFPB funding – Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and 14 of her colleagues introduced a bill to restore the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding levels to 12 percent of the Federal Reserve's operating budget and reward whistleblowers with financial compensation. Among the co-sponsors is Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Katherine reports. 'Slashing the CFPB's funding is a short-sighted decision that will have long-lasting effects on working families and our financial markets,' Cortez Masto said. 'It's important that we not only restore this funding but also give them more tools to keep us safe from scams.' Jobs report The Crypto Council for Innovation has named Ji Kim as its new CEO. Kim has been leading CCI as acting CEO since January. — Declan Megan Smith Thorpe is joining the Digital Chamber, a crypto trade group, as communications director. She is an alum of Kraken and former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's office. — Jasper