"Congressional leaders said on Wednesday they had agreed to another short-term stopgap spending bill to head off a partial government shutdown at the end of the week, paving the way for a temporary path out of a stalemate that has repeatedly threatened federal funding over the past six months," the New York Times reports.
"The deal, initially floated by Speaker Mike Johnson, would extend funding for some government agencies for a week, through March 8, and the rest for another two weeks, until March 22."
"With few options and the shutdown clock ticking, Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to do what he can to shift the dynamics of the government funding debate," Punchbowl News reports.
"For the first time, Johnson is making explicit to Democrats and the White House that he's willing to shut down federal agencies unless he has a global agreement – of sorts – on all 12 FY 2024 appropriations bills."
Key takeaway: "These kinds of course changes have become a hallmark of Johnson's speakership. Plans shift drastically without much notice. Lawmakers are often settling into one strategy when the entire scheme changes. It's neck snapping."
The Hill: Leaders gang up on Speaker Johnson at "intense" White House meeting.
Time: "So far, Biden has avoided government shutdowns during his presidency, a feat that some credit in no small part to Young, his senior budget official who's known inside Congress and the White House as a Republican whisperer."
"Fissures are forming among Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee over the House-passed $78 billion tax bill, with some looking to pass the legislation as-is while others demand concessions that risk sinking it," Semafor reports.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was confronted from all sides on government funding and Ukraine aid during a White House meeting with President Biden and fellow congressional leaders on Tuesday, Axios reports.
Said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY): "The meeting on Ukraine was one of the most intense I've ever encountered in my many meetings in the Oval Office."
"House Democrats are seething at Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as they press him to ignore hardliners' calls to allow a government shutdown," Axios reports. "Democrats see the window closing to prevent a partial shutdown on Friday unless Congress comes to a deal on funding legislation."
Said Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH): "It's literally up to one person, the Speaker, and whether he'll ignore his far right obstructionist members and let us vote on them."
Playbook: "Speaker Mike Johnson's margin of error gets that much smaller at 7 p.m., when he swears Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) back into the House after his special-election triumph earlier this month."
"That will bring the chamber split to 219-213, meaning Johnson can lose no more than two GOP votes on a party-line question if all members are present and voting. That margin is not likely to improve until after the June 11 special election in Ohio's 6th District."
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would decide whether Donald Trump is entitled to broad immunity from federal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts that occurred while he was in office, CBS News reports.
Oral arguments are set for April 22, an expedited timeline.
"It's unclear how much of an impact the court's decision to take up the case will have on the timeline for Trump's trial, since the justices could rule swiftly after hearing arguments."
It's not clear why the justices took so long to issue a one page order.
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear Donald Trump's appeal that he has immunity from prosecution in the federal election interference case because he was president at the time.
Oral arguments will be expedited and take place on April 22.
The case has taken on increasing urgency because its resolution will determine whether and how quickly Trump could go to trial.
That could affect his election prospects and, if he is re-elected, he could derail the prosecution entirely.
These are obviously important issues.
But I don't think it's really sunk into the public consciousness that Trump is asking the Supreme Court to rule that he's literally above the law.
Even if the justices decide Trump is not immune from prosecution, the resulting delay could allow Trump to escape trial before the election and avoid accountability entirely if he's re-elected.
We all grew up being told that no one — not even the president of the United States — was above the law. Apparently that had not been decided yet.
"Donald Trump offered a New York appeals court on Wednesday a bond of only $100 million to pause the more than $450 million judgment he faces in his civil fraud case, saying that he might need to sell some of his properties unless he gets relief," the New York Times reports.
"It was a stunning acknowledgment that Mr. Trump, who is racing the clock to either secure a bond from a company or produce the full amount himself, lacks the resources to do so. Without a bond, the New York attorney general's office, which brought the fraud case, could seek to collect from Mr. Trump at any moment."
"Mr. Trump's lawyers also asked the court to delay a wide range of other punishments the judge in the fraud case levied in his decision earlier this month. They include a prohibition on obtaining a loan from a New York bank for three years and a ban on running a company in the state during that same period."
An appeals court judge ruled Wednesday that Donald Trump must come up with the full bond amount to cover the $454 million verdict in the civil fraud trial, CNN reports.
The judge, however, lifted a ban on Trump's ability to obtain loans from a New York bank, which could allow him to obtain the necessary funds.
"Judge Arthur Engoron, who handed down a $355 million ruling against former President Donald Trump in his civil fraud trial, was sent an envelope containing white powder on Wednesday, causing an emergency response at his New York City courthouse," NBC News reports.
"Senate conservatives are signaling they'll block Wednesday's planned Democratic bid to enshrine protections for in-vitro fertilization into federal law – and they're calling IVF a states-rights issue," Politico reports.
Senate Democrats demanded a vote on a bill to federally protect in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments. The Access to Family Building Act, introduced in January by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who had her two daughters via IVF, would add federal protections for those seeking IVF and other reproductive assistance methods. Duckworth asked the Senate for unanimous consent, effectively daring Republicans to block its passage. Under unanimous consent, any one senator can object to moving the bill forward. In 2022, Duckworth tried to call for unanimous consent to pass the bill, but Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith blocked it without explanation.
"Donald Trump suddenly supports IVF after crowing and claiming and taking credit for the fall of Roe v. Wade. You can't do both," Duckworth said. "And so let's find out tomorrow if any Republicans show up to block the unanimous consent […] If you truly care about the sanctity of families, and you're genuinely, actually, honestly interested in protecting IVF then you need to show it by not blocking this bill on the floor."
Two-thirds of Americans oppose considering frozen embryos as people, with the issue rapidly resonating with Democrats already charged up by election-year messaging on reproductive rights, a new Axios-Ipsos poll finds.
Politico: "The court's decision left the GOP scrambling to answer the philosophical — as well as the logistical, medical and legal implications — that the ruling raised about how to handle unimplanted, viable embryos."
"At the same time that they are professing support for IVF, dozens of congressional Republicans have signed onto so-called personhood legislation with no carve-out for embryos in clinics, which, if enacted, would upend how the procedure is practiced in the United States."
"The struggle to address the details underscores the complex ethical quandaries surrounding the practice, which in the U.S. typically involves creating multiple embryos, implanting those with the highest chance of success and discarding or storing the rest."
Axios: Conservatives struggle to find coherent message on Alabama IVF ruling.
The US Supreme Court today will hear arguments on the fate of bump stocks, a modification that allows semi-automatic rifles to fire continuously with one pull of the trigger.
In Garland v. Cargill, a gunshop owner is challenging a 2018 ban on bump stocks, arguing they don't enable rifles to shoot multiple rounds "automatically" and "by a single function of the trigger" as per the government's definition of machine guns, which are banned. The owner points to the ongoing physical pressure required on a barrel when using a bump stock, arguing the process is neither automatic nor a "single function of the trigger." The government disagrees, pointing to a bump stock's reliance on a gun's recoil to trigger additional shots per a single press of the trigger.
In 2018, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives banned the accessory following its use in a deadly 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting. The ATF ordered over 700,000 bump stocks in circulation to be surrendered or destroyed, saying they violate a 1986 law that makes it illegal to own or produce new machine guns.
The New York Times reports that the "justices appeared split largely along ideological lines over the ban, which prohibits the sale and possession of bump stocks, attachments that enable semiautomatic rifles to fire at speeds rivaling machine guns. Some raised concerns about the broader implications of a reversal."
The anticipated testimony of a supposed witness to the romantic relationship between Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade fizzled in open court, leaving it even less likely that the trial judge will disqualify Willis from the case.
Wade's divorce attorney Terrence Bradley said he didn't know when the relationship started and that anything he may have previously said with certitude was mere speculation. Bradley was not a terribly convincing witness, but in the absence of any direct evidence that Willis and Wade were involved earlier than they claimed to the court, the judge isn't left with much to go on. And even if Trump and his co-defendants had established what they set out to, it's not clear if that would have been enough to warrant disqualification of the prosecutor.
I was left with the impression after watching yesterday's hearing that Judge Scott McAfee figured it would be better to have all this aired in court even if it didn't amount to much rather than leave lingering doubt about what may or may not have been testified to behind closed doors. Agree or not with that decision, it does seem to make any grounds for appeal much shakier given that McAfee allowed such a thorough airing of the issues and defendants came up with so little evidence.
Ed Kilgore: "Like a soufflé collapsing when it's overbaked, the effort by Donald Trump's Atlanta legal team to get Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis and her lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade, disqualified from his racketeering case has lost a lot of altitude and could soon get tossed in the trash altogether."
"The run-up to the trial of Trump and his confederates was sidetracked in January when Ashleigh Merchant, the attorney for minor Trump crony Michael Roman, made a motion to have Willis and Wade dismissed from the case for allegedly sharing the spoils of Wade's fees as part of a romantic relationship, which ostensibly explained why Wade was hired despite questionable credentials."
Patricia Murphy: "The underlying accusation in all of this is that Wade and Willis lied about the length of their relationship, the same relationship, mind you, that defense attorneys have failed to show is either a conflict of interest for the prosecution or a source of financial enrichment for either Willis or Wade."
"The real question now is why any of this is relevant? And more than that, why are defense attorneys, including those for Trump, spending so much time trying to discredit Willis and her team and so little time trying to prove their clients' innocence of the charges against them?"
"The judge presiding over the Mar-a-Lago documents case on Tuesday denied efforts by Donald Trump's co-defendants to view the classified records they allegedly moved around the former president's Florida residence for him," CNN reports.
"The men, political aide Walt Nauta and property staffer Carlos De Oliveira, wanted to view the classified records to prepare their trial defenses against obstruction of justice charges. They are accused of helping Trump conceal documents he unlawfully kept in Florida after he left the presidency."
This was a no-brainer decision, and it's a sign of how abnormal Cannon's handling of the case has been that this wasn't decided as a matter of course earlier in the proceedings and that there was any suspense around how she would rule. Giving classified information to criminal defendants who had not previously seen the information or had proper classification to see it would have turned CIPA, the classified discovery law, totally upside down. So yay that she got it right! But let's not judge her on too much of a curve.
Biden suggested that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could begin as soon as next week, saying talks were "close but not done yet." Negotiators are nearing an agreement that would halt Israel's military operations in Gaza in exchange for the release of many of the more than 100 remaining hostages being held by Hamas.
Biden also confirmed that Israel had agreed to pause fighting in Gaza during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, which begins in two weeks. He added that Israel risks losing "the overwhelming support of the vast majority of nations" if its "incredibly conservative" government continues down its current path. Israel, however, said it was "surprised" by Biden's optimism of a ceasefire deal.
"The Biden administration gave Israel until mid-March to sign a letter that provides assurances that it will abide by international law while using U.S. weapons and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza," Axios reports.
"President Joe Biden is visiting Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Wednesday for his annual physical exam — and the results are sure to be closely watched as the 81-year-old president seeks reelection," the AP reports.
"Biden is already the oldest president in U.S. history and would be 86 by the end of a second term, should he win one. After his last physical, performed in February 2023, doctors declared Biden 'healthy, vigorous' and 'fit' to handle his White House duties."
"But voters are approaching this year's election with misgivings about Biden's age, having scrutinized his gaffes, his coughing, his slow walking and even a tumble off his bicycle."
Kimberly Godwin, the president of ABC News, said privately that recent comments by President Donald Trump about Black people were "as racist as they come," Semafor reports.
Said Godwin in an email: "No matter one's politics, the fact that a person running for President of the United States made these remarks period — but also to a public crowd — and with so many black people present — and that they stand with him — is mind blowing. Shocking."
New York Times: "As the immigration debate grows increasingly polarized, a trip along the 2,000-mile frontier has become a compulsory bit of political theater for leaders who want to show they care about immigration. The imagery at the border — the wall, the Border Patrol officers, the crowded detention facilities — serves as a potent backdrop for drawing attention to the crisis or, increasingly, for seizing on the issue to attack political opponents."
"On Thursday, both of those factors will be at play when President Biden and Mr. Trump make dueling trips to the U.S.-Mexico border."
USA Today: Tired of photo ops, mayors and governors demand real action from Biden's border trip.
Sean Hannity slammed President Biden on Fox News for visiting the southern border as "a cynical sick political stunt and beyond disgraceful."
Without missing a beat, he then noted his upcoming show with Donald Trump will be aired from the border.
"Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, said she fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin will order arrests at her husband's funeral on Friday," Politico reports.
Said Navalnaya: "You cannot hurt Putin with another resolution or another set of sanctions that is no different from the previous ones, you cannot defeat him by thinking he's a man of principles who has morals or rules. He is not like that and Alexei realized that a long time ago. You are not dealing with a politician but with a bloody mobster."
Aaron Blake: "The relationship between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been one of intrigue and consequence from the start. What began with then-President Trump's attempts to leverage Zelensky for political gain over Joe Biden in the 2020 election — the thing Trump was initially impeached for — has more recently involved candidate Trump's efforts to kill two attempts at funding Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion."
"Through much of it, Zelensky has been mostly diplomatic toward the former and potentially future president who, regardless of the 2024 election results, holds considerable sway over the survival of Zelensky's country.
But increasingly, Zelensky has apparently decided that diplomacy involves putting pressure on and, in some cases, directly criticizing Trump."
Tucker Carlson claimed his attorneys advised him that he could be arrested if he chose to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Said Carlson: "Their sincere conclusion was, do not do this… a lot will depend on the questions you ask of Putin. If you're seen as too nice to him you could be arrested when you come back."
"Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday offered her strongest public support yet for the idea of liquidating roughly $300 billion in frozen Russian Central Bank assets and using them for Ukraine's long-term reconstruction," the AP reports.
Said Yellen: "I believe there is a strong international law, economic, and moral case for moving forward. This would be a decisive response to Russia's unprecedented threat to global stability."
"Vladimir Putin's forces have rehearsed using tactical nuclear weapons at an early stage of conflict with a major world power, according to leaked Russian military files that include training scenarios for an invasion by China," the Financial Times reports.
"The classified papers describe a threshold for using tactical nuclear weapons that is lower than Russia has ever publicly admitted, according to experts who reviewed and verified the documents."
"Many Republican senators are openly saying a negotiated settlement will be necessary to end Ukraine's ongoing war with Russia, as Speaker Mike Johnson resists a vote to send additional aid to the key U.S. ally," Politico reports.
"It's a position that was unpopular just months ago, as many lawmakers declined to discuss the possibility that Ukraine might have to give up something, including territory, to end the war."
"Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November," the AP reports.
"McConnell, who turned 82 last week, was set to announce his decision Wednesday in the well of the Senate, a place where he looked in awe from its back benches in 1985 when he arrived and where he grew increasingly comfortable in the front row seat afforded the party leaders."
Said McConnell: "The end of my contributions are closer than I'd prefer."
The three Johns — John Thune, John Barrasso and John Cornyn — are all expected to vie for the post.
Rep. Matt Rosendale's (R-MT) office is threatening legal action against former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) after she said on a podcast that he dropped out of the Senate race because he impregnated a staffer, Politico reports.
Said Heitkamp: "I think the GOP caucus may lose a member in the next couple days. Just to gossip a little bit: There's a reason why Rosendale backed out of that Senate race — the rumor is he impregnated a 20-year-old staff person."
Amidst a swirl of rumors about his personal life, Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT) hasn't said whether he'll run for re-election and declined to answer questions from reporters on Tuesday morning, Punchbowl News reports.
"Republicans in the Tennessee House voted Monday to advance a bill that would prevent local governments from reappointing state lawmakers who were expelled due to behavior," the AP reports.
"The proposal is one of several restrictions being considered after the GOP's high-profile expulsion proceedings last April against Democratic state Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. It would bar what happened after: Jones and Pearson were reappointed and quickly went back to work."
Republicans in the Tennessee House passed a bill to ban displaying pride flags in public school classrooms. The legislation on behalf of parents who were concerned about display of the pride flags the classroom. The bill would prohibit public schools from displaying flags other than the U.S. and Tennessee state flag. While the measure would allow schools to display the POW/MIA flag, a flag that represents a city or metropolitan government or an official school flag, among other exceptions, it does not explicitly prohibit display of the Nazi or Confederate flags in schools. The 70-24 vote sends the legislation to the state Senate, where a final vote could happen as early as this week.
Time: "Over the coming months, Donald Trump is set to carve out a singular place in American history: the first major party nominee to effectively run his campaign out of a courtroom. As Trump fights 91 felony indictments in four separate venues, some Republicans have a pressing question they want answered: How much money from the GOP machinery will go toward his legal expenses?"
"The answer, Trump campaign officials say, is none. Sources close to Trump tell TIME the former President plans to pay his legal bills mostly through his personal checkbook and the help of allied Super PACs. But they are still mobilizing against a proposed resolution from a Republican National Committee member to ban party funds from covering Trump's legal fees."
Said one Trump-allied committee member: "It's an insult. It's kind of an F You to the Trump campaign. That's why."
"A federal appeals panel on Wednesday denied former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows's request for a new hearing on whether to move the Georgia election interference case against him from state to federal court, a shift he had sought on the grounds that he was a federal officer at the time of the actions that led to his indictment," the Washington Post reports.
"The two-sentence ruling by a three-judge panel of the Atlanta-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit represents yet another setback for Meadows, who had asked for removal under a federal law that allows people charged with crimes while carrying out their official duties to be prosecuted in federal court, even in cases involving state law and state prosecutors."
"I did not involve my father in my business. Not while I was a practicing lawyer, not in my investments or transactions domestic or international, not as a board member, and not as an artist. Never."— Hunter Biden, quoted by Axios, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee and House Oversight Committee.
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