Good Monday morning, and happy St. Patrick’s Day. This is Jack Blanchard.
Feeling thirsty? Pints of Guinness are just 51 cents each at The Dubliner between 9 and 10 a.m. this morning. It’s a good job Congress is in recess, really.
DRIVING THE DAY
. The Trump administration vehemently insists it’s not defying the courts — but all that chatter about a “constitutional crisis” is now reaching fever pitch. | Chris Kleponis / CNP
SEE YOU IN COURT:Donald Trump’s White House is gearing up for the most significant legal showdowns of his second term thus far after dramatically escalating the deportation of foreign nationals this past weekend. In a Massachusetts courtroom this morning, Judge Leo Sorokin will demand answers after Customs and Border officials deported Rasha Alawieh, a 34-year-old Rhode Island-based doctor and reportedly a valid U.S. visa holder, back to Lebanon despite a court order blocking them from doing so. In D.C., an even bigger showdown is brewing after the White House chose to ignore a federal judge’s order that two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants being deported to a brutal El Salvador prison be turned around and flown back to the U.S. The Trump administration vehemently insists it’s not defying the courts — but all that chatter about a “constitutional crisis” is now reaching fever pitch.
First, to Boston … where at a 10 a.m. hearing this morning, Judge Sorokin will quiz government lawyers on the deportation last Friday of Alawieh, a kidney specialist with Brown Medicine. Alawieh flew into Logan Airport on Thursday after visiting family in her native Lebanon. She was detained despite holding a valid H1-B visa, her lawyers say, and on Friday, Judge Sorokin issued a temporary order demanding the courts be given 48 hours’ notice of any deportation attempt. But instead, that night, she was sent back to Lebanon via Paris. The Providence Journal has all the details.
Not happy: Judge Sorokin has ordered the government to explain itself in writing ahead of this morning’s hearing, where he will seek to ascertain both the grounds for Alawieh’s deportation and the reason why his order was not followed. Alawieh’s lawyers say the CBP “willfully” disobeyed the court order and have provided “a detailed and specific timeline in an under-oath affidavit” to support the accusation, Sorokin said, describing these as “serious allegations.”
Right of reply: The CBP issued a statement last night which failed to comment on the specifics of the case, but noted that “arriving aliens bear the burden of establishing admissibility to the United States” and insisted CBP officers “adhere to strict protocols to identify and stop threats.” We should learn a lot more in the next few hours.
Meanwhile in D.C.: Chief Judge of the District Circuit James Boasberg is mulling his next move after the White House chose to disregard his order on Saturday that two planeloads of Venezuelan migrants being deported to El Salvador be turned around midair. The Trump administration claims the men are members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and a threat to national security. Their deportation was Trump’s first big move after he became the first U.S. president outside of wartime ever to evoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act — an emergency set of powers last used, notoriously, by FDR during World War Two for the internment of Japanese-Americans. POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Myah Ward have more.
Boom: This story — already huge — went nuclear yesterday when Axios’ Marc Caputo reported the White House actively chose to disregard the court order, concluding that because the flights had left U.S. airspace by the time it was issued, Boasberg had no jurisdiction. That argument is hotly contested by other legal experts, and it’s pretty clear this one is headed for the Supreme Court. In the meantime, it seems likely either Boasberg or the deported men’s lawyers will demand further explanation for the government’s actions in court, possibly as soon as today. A short court filing from the White House legal team asserted only that “some gang members … had already been removed from United States territory” before the order was issued.
But but but: The nation’s finest legal and journalistic brains, including POLITICO’s own Josh Gerstein, have already spent the past 36 hours reviewing flight trackers and court records, trying to piece together exactly what happened. Josh messages Playbook to say the planes actually took off during a 40-minute break in Saturday’s court hearing, when Judge Boasberg had ordered the White House lawyer to go check with his bosses if it was true the deportations were imminent. By the time it was fed back to the judge that indeed they were, Josh says, and he issued the temporary blocking order, the planes were already in the air and flying — where else? — over a certain controversially named ocean basin off the coast of Mexico.
Important point: For all the talk of constitutional crises, the White House is vehement that it did not openly defy Boasberg’s order. “The administration did not ‘refuse to comply’ with a court order,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, per the WSJ. She said the order “was issued after terrorist TdA aliens had already been removed from U.S. territory,” and that “the written order and the Administration’s actions do not conflict.”
Loophole? The WSJ reckons Boasberg’s written order — the one cited by the White House both in Leavitt’s statement and its Sunday court filing — did not explicitly mention planes that were already in the air. His verbal order, however, per court records reviewed by Playbook, could hardly have been clearer. “You shall inform your clients of this immediately,” the judge told the White House lawyer. “Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States.”
Regardless of the legality ... For the Trump administration, this is a fight they purposefully picked, and one that’s now playing out exactly how they wanted. MAGA supporters want to see the hardest possible line on migration, and they’re getting it in spades — from the deployment of centuries-old wartime deportation laws to the bleak, made-to-go-viral social media clip of the deportees being shaved and forced into cells tweeted out by El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele. And all the surrounding controversy only serves to spread the message wider — and gives the White House ample opportunity to paint its critics as supporters of violent foreign criminals.
Fight fight fight: Indeed, the Trump admin wants to be seen forcefully taking on the judges who seek to contain them. Witness Bukele’s mocking “oopsie … too late” post on X aimed at Judge Boasberg, which was retweeted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and had Elon Musklaughing along. Or the truly extraordinary statement on Saturday night from Attorney General Pam Bondi, who dubbed Boasberg “a DC trial judge [who] supported Tren de Aragua terrorists over the safety of Americans.”
In fact: The court filings show Boasberg did indeed weigh up safety concerns — and concluded that given all the deportees were already in custody, the risk in delaying their deportation was effectively zero. He also made no judgement on their possible crimes. The issue, he said, was whether Trump really has the authority under a wartime act of Congress to declare a terrorist group an invading power and use emergency powers to throw out migrants without due process. “These are hard questions,” he said, “and I may end up coming out the other way on some of them after I have had more time.” But as ever, such nuances are drowned out in all the noise.
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WAR AND PEACE
TO RUSSIA, WITH LOVE: President Trump will hold his all-important call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, he told journalists as he flew back from a weekend of golf and foreign policy chat at Mar-a-Lago. “A lot of work’s been done over the weekend,” Trump said aboard Air Force One last night. “We want to see if we can bring that war to an end. Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance.”
Carving up Ukraine: Asked about what sorts of concessions may be discussed in tomorrow’s call with Putin, Trump said: “We will be talking about land. We will be talking about power plants … We have a lot of it already discussed very much by both sides, Ukraine and Russia. We are already talking about that, dividing up certain assets.” POLITICO’s Zoya Sheftalovich has the story.
My ex-best friend: Such talk of “dividing up” Ukraine’s assets with President Putin is exactly the sort of thing that has spooked America’s European allies, of course. The EU is now discussing a new €40 billion military aid package for Ukraine this year in lieu of American involvement, while French President Emmanuel Macron is now publicly telling European allies to stop buying American military hardware, as POLITICO’s Giorgio Leali reports. Trump’s reaction to that should be quite a thing.
Speaking of European friends: VP Vance hosted U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his family at his official residence on Sunday, our sister newsletter London Playbook reports. The two families dined together and took part in mass ahead of several hours of conversations between the two men — with Ukraine surely top of the discussion list.
The wit of man: Tomorrow’s big Trump-Putin call follows the trip by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow last week to speak with the Russian president in person. Witkoff told CNN yesterday the “positive” conversation lasted “somewhere between three and four hours” and was “a solution-based discussion,” which somehow manages to make Putin sound more like a logistics manager than a warmongering dictator.
Meanwhile on the battlefield: Putin’s “solution-based” approach to the war continues with the heavy bombardment of Ukrainian positions. Russian troops have now forced Ukrainian forces out of much of the Kursk region they attacked last summer, as NYT’s Marc Santora reports.
MIDDLE EAST LATEST: U.S. airstrikes against Houthi militants in Yemen are expected to continue in the coming days and weeks, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged “unrelenting” attacks until they stop shooting at ships. National security adviser Mike Waltz also said U.S. strikes may broaden to include Iranian targets in Yemen and off its coast. The Houthis raised the death toll from the weekend’s U.S. strikes to 53, saying that civilians were among those killed, per the NYT.
Not so easy: The Houthis have survived attacks from much bigger powers for years, WSJ’s Stephen Kalin reports. But unlike the Biden administration, which opted against targeting Houthi leaders, Trump has gone directly for them. “The question now is whether the U.S. strikes are enough to make the Houthis relent, or up the ante.” Iran, which backs the rebels, warned of retaliation against Trump’s threats, per WaPo.
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THE MAGA REVOLUTION
VOICE GOES QUIET: Voice of America broadcasts have started going dark around the world, as the Trump administration dismantles the agency that has beamed news and journalism into authoritarian countries for decades, the NYT’s David Enrich reports. Music replaced information in some cases; VoA satellite viewers got this weird message. VOA journos tweeted fond but angry farewells, and even Trump’s VOA axe-wielder-in-chief Kari Lake sounded like she won’t be sticking around much longer.
In the DOGE house: The departing head of the Commerce Department’s broadband program, Evan Feinman, warned that the Trump administration could “unduly enrich Elon Musk’s satellite internet company with money for rural broadband,” undermining Americans’ access to benefit Starlink, POLITICO’s John Hendel reports.
The latest DOGE fallout: “At Veterans Affairs facilities in Detroit and Denver, staff reductions have led to canceled health programs and left homeless veterans without their dedicated coordinator to help them find an apartment and line up a deposit,” WSJ’s Lindsay Ellis reports. … Fired federal workers who were in a public service loan forgiveness program could now be staring down massive financial burdens, WaPo’s Danielle Douglas-Gabriel reports. … Many young scientists face uncertain futures as universities retrench and federal funding dries up, AP’s Carolyn Thompson and colleagues report. ... And for families of disabled children who can’t afford lawyers to file school complaints, Education Department cuts may remove options, AP’s Annie Ma reports.
The non-fallout: Fears that DOGE cuts at the IRS could upend tax filing season have not come to pass — it’s been proceeding fairly smoothly so far, CNN’s Jeanne Sahadi reports. “But it has delayed other critical issues for taxpayers and may end up hurting US coffers.”
Just like he planned it: In his first major interview of Trump’s presidency, former Project 2025 chief Paul Dans tells POLITICO Magazine’s Michael Hirsh that despite the Trump campaign’s strenuous efforts to distance itself from the Heritage Foundation project he led, Project 2025 really has come to pass. “There really is almost no difference between Project 2025 and what Trump was planning all along and is now implementing,” Hirsh reports; Dans says he is thrilled “way beyond my wildest dreams,” and is open to joining the administration.
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NEWS FROM THE WILDERNESS
DEMS ON FIRE: With Congress out this week, Democrats return to their districts to lick their wounds after last week’s bruising shutdown showdown — boxed out of power and with their public polling through the floor. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who’s borne the brunt of grassroots anger for backing the GOP bill, could face tough questions (or protests) as he goes on tour for his new book, “Antisemitism in America: A Warning,” starting today in Baltimore at 7 p.m. and continuing in D.C. on Wednesday (7 p.m.; Sixth & I).
About that polling: CNN has the Democratic Party’s favorability at just 29 percent right now — “a record low in CNN’s polling dating back to 1992, and a drop of 20 points since January 2021.” Eeesh.
Schumer in the hot seat: After a harsh backlash from House Democrats in particular, Schumer defended himself in a lengthy interview with NYT’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro, saying a shutdown would have been much more damaging than the continuing resolution he helped pass. “I knew this would be an unpopular decision. I knew that. I know politics,” Schumer said. “But I felt so strongly as a leader that I couldn’t let this happen because weeks and months from now, things would be far worse than they even are today.”
Food for thought: Brendan Buck, a former aide to then-Speakers Paul Ryan and John Boehner, has a worthwhile NYT op-ed this morning drawing from his own experience on shutdown politics with some advice for Democrats about the Schumer affair: “It is dangerous territory for members of Congress to try to convince their base — or themselves — that they have more power than they do,” he writes. “At some point the bill comes due.”
Up next: The outcome has nonetheless triggered serious recriminations among Democrats, some of whom want a postmortem so they can figure out how to use their leverage and avoid a repeat in September, POLITICO’s Jordain Carney reports.
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BEST OF THE REST
GOOD NEWS FOR THE VILLAGE PEOPLE: President Trump’s main focus today will be a board meeting and tour of the Kennedy Center, the arts behemoth he now chairs. The NYT reported Saturday that Trump wants to give himself more power over the selection of Kennedy Center honorees — a distinction which recognizes people and institutions for lifetime artistic achievement — and is planning to change the rules so he can effectively hire and fire members of the committee which makes the nominations. He’s due at the center by 3 p.m.
CONSPIRACY THEORIES IN ACTION: “National Institutes of Health officials have urged scientists to remove all references to mRNA vaccine technology from their grant applications, two researchers said, in a move that signaled the agency might abandon a promising field of medical research,” KFF Health News’ Arthur Allen reports.
BORDER SONG: A Navy warship is being sent to the U.S.-Mexico border as the Trump administration steps up military involvement in fighting illegal immigration and drug trafficking, WaPo’s Dan Lamothe reports. … Meanwhile, Customs and Border Protection has given a $70 million contract to Granite Construction Co. for seven miles of border wall in Hidalgo County, Texas, per CBS’ Emily Mae Czachor.
THE VIEW FROM WALL STREET: Financial markets that once expected Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to be a buffer against major tariffs have been rattled by his full-throated MAGA embrace, POLITICO’s Sam Sutton and Michael Stratford report.
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PLAYBOOK DESIGN SECTION: “Flags, figurines and gold everywhere: Trump transforms the Oval Office into a gilded gallery,” by CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Kaitlan Collins and Jeff Zeleny: “Trump has tripled the number of paintings hanging on the office walls. Shelves and surfaces are adorned with flags, statues and ornaments. … Even the remote control for the television down the hall is wrapped in gilt.”
TRANSITIONS — Adrienne Elrod and Rufus Gifford are launching a public affairs and strategic consulting firm, the Elrod Gifford Group. They both previously held senior roles on the Biden campaign and in the Biden administration, and Gifford is a former ambassador to Denmark. More from Deadline … Mike Thom is launching a political and public affairs company, 515 Group. He most recently was political director at the NRCC for the past two cycles. … Jacqui Russell is joining Speaker Mike Johnson’s office as national security adviser. She previously worked in legislative affairs for Boeing, and is an alum of the Senate Appropriations and Intelligence Committees.
… Diem-Mi Lu is joining the National Venture Capital Association as a VP of government affairs. She previously was counsel to SEC Commissioner Jamie Lizárraga, and is a Chris Van Hollen and Bill Foster alum. … Austin Fiala is now digital fundraising director at the NRCC. He most recently was senior director of digital at Convergence Media, and is an RNC and Trump 2020 alum. … Jeff Cardwell is launching a consulting firm, Leonard Oak. He most recently was GTM strategy manager for the U.S. public sector at Snowflake, and is a Trump White House, DOJ and DOE alum.
ENGAGED — Margaret Mulkerrin, deputy chief of staff for Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and Feargal Gilmore, regional sales director at Hyundai Capital America, got engaged at the Arboretum. He brought her there under false pretenses of a walk and then their families were there, followed by a big surprise party with friends and family at Shaw’s Tavern, where the couple had their first (six-hour) date. They met on Hinge during the pandemic. Pic
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) … Laurel Strategies’ Alan Fleischmann … former Reps. Denver Riggleman (R-Va.) and Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) … Tim Burger … former CIA Director Michael Hayden … POLITICO’s Connor Foxwell … Burson’s Judy Stecker … Sarah Owermohle … Patrick Murphy of Murphy Strategics … Mark Paustenbach … Joe Hines of Stand Up America … Bloomberg's Kate Sullivan … Stefano Dotti … NBC’s Sally Bronston Katz … Carl Leubsdorf … NRDC’s Mark Drajem … Ben Miller of Convergence Media … Tiffany Mullon … Larry Farnsworth … Jon Blum … Mary Schaper … Andrew Kovalcin of Advanced Advocacy … Veronica Pollock … Alex Ball … Mike Goscinski … Angie Goff … GW’s Ethan Porter … Myrlie Evers-Williams (92) … 270toWin’s Allan Keiter … Paula Short … American Conservation Coalition’s Luke Dretske … Hank Butler … Hensey Fenton … Jay Malak of Rep. Nick LaLota’s (R-N.Y.) office … Data Foundation’s Nathan Varnell … Alexis Littrell of Rep. Mike Ezell’s (R-Miss.) office … Eileen O’Connor … Yahoo’s Dylan Stableford … Anna Rafdal … Adeline DeYoung … Trey Sherman
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