Politico: “The former president’s allies are bracing for the potential release of audio of Biden’s interview with Robert Hur … That’s in addition to an upcoming book by two high-profile journalists that promises to shed light on Biden’s decision to run for reelection.”
“For many Democrats, both events are dredging up past problems — not just around Biden’s age, but also inflation and the party’s handling of cultural issues.”
CNN: “When the Supreme Court gathers Thursday to hear oral argument in a high-profile emergency appeal involving Trump’s birthright citizenship order, the justices will technically be considering a procedural question about whether lower courts overstepped their authority by blocking the president’s efforts nationwide.”
“But the court’s answer to that question will have enormous on-the-ground consequences, even for people who are in the United States legally.”
“President Donald Trump plans to leave Monday for a four-day trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, a mission that is expected to focus heavily on business deals and new investments from the oil-rich region,” the Washington Post reports.
“The swing through deep-pocketed Middle East monarchies, Trump’s first major international travel of his second term, is a marker of the president’s priorities and another sign of his intention to de-emphasize the traditional U.S. allies that typically serve as the first foreign destinations for new presidents. It also reflects his affection for the region, its wealth, and the pageantry that the host countries plan to roll out for him.”
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“Halfway to a deadline set by President Trump, Iran and the U.S. remain divided on the key question of whether Tehran will be allowed to enrich its own uranium as the two sides meet in Oman on Sunday,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The continuation of the talks themselves is a sign that both sides would still prefer a deal amid tensions around Iran’s nuclear program and the risk of military action if they aren’t resolved diplomatically.”
Politico: Iran and US begin 4th round of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program in Oman.
New York Times: “Trade officials within the European Union are willing to make many concessions to avert a painful and protracted trade war and to avert higher tariffs. They have offered to drop car tariffs to zero, to buy more gas and to increase military purchases. Negotiators have even suggested they could buy more of certain agricultural products, like soy beans.”
“But Europeans have their limits, and those include America’s treated T-bones and acid-washed chicken breasts.”
The Hill: “On the House side, leaders are struggling to find consensus on a host of hot-button issues, headlined by Medicaid cuts and the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap. Top lawmakers are looking to advance key parts of the legislation next week, even as they haven’t been able to unveil legislation yet and their members remain far apart on the crucial questions.”
“Across the Capitol, meanwhile, Senate Republicans are raising an eyebrow at the slow progress being made by their counterparts, questioning when they will get their hands on the package.”
“In what may be the most valuable gift ever extended to the United States from a foreign government, the Trump administration is preparing to accept a super luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar — a gift that is to be available for use by President Donald Trump as the new Air Force One until shortly before he leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Trump presidential library foundation,” ABC News reports.
“The Trump administration’s global tariffs face their first major legal test this week when a little-known Manhattan court considers one of the president’s most sweeping assertions of executive power,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“A three-judge panel at the Court of International Trade will hear arguments Tuesday on whether to halt the levies, which have unleashed a trade war with the world and threaten to upend the global economy.”
“The federal court, which has nationwide jurisdiction over tariff and trade disputes, operates for the most part in obscurity, rarely garnering a mention in major publications and staying off the radar of most attorneys.”
President Trump posted on social media saying “great progress” was made in trade talks with China.
Said Trump: “A very good meeting today with China, in Switzerland. Many things discussed, much agreed to. A total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner. We want to see, for the good of both China and the U.S., an opening up of China to American business.”
“President Donald Trump’s special envoy broke with long-standing protocol by not employing his own interpreter during three high-level meetings with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, opting instead to rely on translators from the Kremlin,” NBC News reports.
“Steve Witkoff, a former real estate mogul and cryptocurrency trader, does not speak Russian. By using Kremlin interpreters, he ran the risk that some of the nuance in Putin’s messages was missed and he would not have been able to independently verify what was being said to him.”
“It’s time for Joe Biden to go away with all due respect and let the next generation of Democrats take the mantle. Every time he appears on a show or says something, it’s just another week or a month that we have to defend him and remind everybody that we got beat by Donald Trump, again. For those of us trying to rebuild the brand, it does no good when you’re constantly reminded about the old brand that won’t go away.”
— Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha, quoted by Politico.
Wall Street Journal: “Since April 2, declines in the prices of longer-term Treasurys have driven up the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to around 4.37%, according to Tradeweb. That climb happened even while shorter-term yields were falling, dragged down by bets that the Federal Reserve will respond to a slowing economy by cutting interest rates.”
“The unusual divergence, known in Wall Street parlance as a ‘steepening twist,’ is already challenging policymakers and raising borrowing costs for consumers.”
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Vladimir Putin to implement a full cease-fire starting Monday in order to facilitate talks on an end to the war, countering the Russian president’s offer that said talks should come first,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Putin a day earlier rebuffed the latest cease-fire ultimatum from Kyiv and its Western allies, instead calling for direct talks aimed at achieving his goal of weakening Ukraine and pushing back NATO.”
“European leaders had threatened new sanctions on Russia if it didn’t sign up to an unconditional 30-day pause in fighting backed by President Trump.”
“Democrats have one big hope as they scramble to find a top-tier recruit against GOP Sen. Susan Collins in Maine: Maybe she won’t run at all,” CNN reports.
“Collins, the lone New England Senate Republican, who is at the peak of her influence over 28 years in the chamber, has fended off one Democratic foe after another in hard-fought races to hang on to her seat. And again, her seat is pivotal in the Democrats’ uphill climb back to the majority.”
“But Collins, 72, has yet to make a formal announcement that she’ll run in what will almost certainly be a bruising battle for a sixth term. And high-profile potential Democratic candidates, like Gov. Janet Mills and Rep. Jared Golden, are weighing their next moves as they await the veteran senator’s final decision.”
“Federal judges say unsolicited pizza deliveries to jurists’ homes that began in February may number in the hundreds across at least seven states, prompting increased security concerns and a demand from a Senate leader for a Justice Department investigation,” the Washington Post reports.
“Many of the deliveries have gone to judges presiding over lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s policies.”
Ron Brownstein: “In 2024, Trump improved his performance among some big voting blocs that have historically favored Democrats, including Latinos, younger men, non-White voters without a college degree, and, to some extent, Black men. Trump’s advances generated exuberant predictions from an array of right-leaning analysts that he had achieved a lasting realignment and cemented the GOP’s hold on voters of all races without a college degree.”
“But the flurry of polls 100 days into Trump’s second term suggests that cement has not hardened as much as some allies anticipated. Across multiple surveys, Trump’s overall job approval rating has fallen below his 2024 vote share with these key groups, and they are consistently giving him even lower marks for his handling of the economy, particularly inflation.”
Wall Street Journal: “Ocasio-Cortez hasn’t made a decision on her future but isn’t ruling anything out, including primarying the Senate minority leader or even a presidential bid.”
“After bruising losses in November, Democrats have struggled to consolidate around a strategy to take on President Trump, even as voters across the ideological spectrum beg them to do more. Ocasio-Cortez has emerged as one of the party’s leading voices. But some Democrats worry she will turn off the centrist voters they need to win competitive races.”
“An early version of the House GOP’s tax plan would cost nearly $5 trillion, according to a new estimate from Congress’s non-partisan tax scorekeeper,” Politico reports.
“The cost far exceeds what is permitted by the budget resolution Republicans adopted earlier this year, which set the parameters for the massive package of tax cuts and extensions, energy policy and border security investments the party wants to pass in the coming weeks.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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