WAR AND PEACE: The state of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran remain unclear after President Donald Trump extended the United States’ truce with Iran — as well as the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. That announcement came hours ahead of Trump’s initial two-week ceasefire deadline, after VP JD Vance delayed his trip to Pakistan for a fresh round of peace talks. A Pakistani official familiar with the negotiations told Reuters today that “we were all prepared for the talks, the stage was set.” The official called the pause a “setback we were not expecting.” It’s “possible” that the talks could resume as soon as Friday, Trump told the NY Post’s Caitlin Doornbos today — but the president’s timelines usually come with a healthy grain of salt. Iranian state television said today that Tehran has yet to respond to Trump’s ceasefire extension, including if its military plans to adhere to it. The always unsteady truce now appears to be on even shakier ground. Iran fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz today and seized two of them, escorting them to Iranian shores, per the AP. And the U.S. has deployed Ukrainian counter-drone technology at one of its bases in Saudi Arabia to close a gap in its air defense capabilities, Reuters’ David Jeans scoops. As the war approaches the two-month mark and the prospect of an imminent off-ramp fades, oil prices risk becoming a bigger political liability for the White House heading into the midterms. GOP campaign veterans told POLITICO’s James Bikales time is running out for the party to avoid a disaster at the ballot box come November. And as gas prices in some states surpass $5 a gallon, Democrats are striking while the iron is hot — turning the gas price attacks they once faced from Republicans back on the GOP, Reuters’ Nathan Layne reports. The White House — fully in midterms mode — is dispatching the Cabinet to go into damage control. “I think the conflict will end, I think gasoline prices will come back to where they were, or perhaps lower,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the Senate Appropriations Committee today. Experts say it’s likely that energy prices will remain high for months after the war ends. Expect a similar line from Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who is following Bessent’s testimony at 2:30 p.m. |
1. BILL OF HEALTH: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is still on his marathon run on the Hill this week. This morning, RFK Jr. appeared before the Senate Finance Committee, where he faced Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a consistent critic and key confirmation vote for Kennedy. Cassidy did not question RFK Jr. on vaccines during his turn of questioning, choosing instead to focus on fraud, per NBC. Democrats on the panel sharply criticized Kennedy over his views on vaccines, and the hearing closed with a tense back-and-forth between Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Kennedy over a report of a 3-year-old girl being abused at a foster home, of which Kennedy said he was not aware. Meanwhile, the CDC has now canceled the publication of a study that shows the Covid-19 vaccine lowering hospitalization and emergency visits, WaPo’s Lena Sun scooped. The study was originally delayed from a March 19 publication. “The report had cleared the agency’s scientific-review process, which includes dozens of scientists, according to two of the three people who spoke to The Post. Stopping an MMWR report at that stage is highly unusual, former CDC officials say.” Acting CDC chief Jay Bhattacharya raised objections to the study’s design, per NYT’s Apoorva Mandavilli. 2. THE EPSTEIN SAGA: “House Democrat pushes DOJ on possible pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell,” by POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs: “Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi wants answers from the Justice Department about internal communications regarding a possible pardon for Jeffrey Epstein’s co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. In a letter sent Wednesday to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the Illinois Democrat pointed to a recent POLITICO story where Maxwell’s attorney, David Oscar Markus, said there was ‘a good chance and for good reason that [Maxwell] would get a pardon’ from President Donald Trump. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in the sex trafficking scheme.” 3. DATA POINTS: House Republicans rolled out a big legislative push to create a national data privacy standard, aiming to enact sweeping changes to how tech and financial data are regulated, POLITICO’s Gabby Miller and Jasper Goodman report. “The effort includes two bills — the SECURE Data Act, which deals with tech companies’ consumer data, and a second financial data privacy measure dubbed the GUARD Financial Data Act. The new proposals would preempt dozens of state data laws and set a federal standard for how tech and finance companies handle their customers’ data. They would require companies to limit the collection of people’s data, and give consumers the right to request and access a copy of their data.” Centers of attention: Several House Democratic candidates are pushing to stop data centers from expanding across the country as a move to challenge incumbents on their energy stances, POLITICO’s Nico Portuondo reports. “The moratorium idea is gaining traction beyond insurgent campaigns. In Tennessee, state Rep. Justin Pearson is mounting a serious primary challenge to Rep. Steve Cohen (D) in the state’s 9th District and says a federal moratorium on data centers is not only sound policy but also a potential political winner across party lines.” |
4. FOR YOUR RADAR: “DOJ readies up to $3.5 billion in law enforcement grants, 1 year after steep cuts elsewhere,” by CBS’ Sarah Lynch: “The Justice Department is preparing to solicit applications for up to $3.5 billion in grants to pay for mostly immigration-related law enforcement programs, equipment and personnel, multiple sources familiar with the plans told CBS News. The grant solicitations, most of which are not yet public, will fund everything from the construction of immigration detention facilities and the purchase of police surveillance equipment to the hiring of law enforcement personnel.” 5. POLL POSITION: “Americans’ disapproval rating of Congress matches historic high,” by POLITICO’s Cheyanne Daniels: A new Gallup poll finds “that only 10 percent of Americans approve of Congress, just barely above 2013’s all-time low of 9 percent. In contrast, 86 percent of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing — matching the historic high in the over 50 years Gallup has been asking Americans for their opinions on the legislature.” 6. THAT’S THE SPIRIT: The Trump administration is weighing an agreement to loan as much as $500 million to claim a stake in Spirit Airlines after Trump hinted at the government helping the beleaguered airline yesterday, WSJ’s Alison Sider and colleagues scooped. “The Transportation Department and Commerce Department are involved in the discussions, which aren’t yet final, and the terms of any agreement could still change. President Trump met Tuesday night with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to hash out a deal to keep Spirit Airlines alive” 7. CLIMATE CONTROL: “States strip power from cities, counties,” by POLITICO’s Adam Aton and Jeff Tomich: “Republican-controlled states have been the most energetic in preempting local energy and environmental policies. Almost every GOP-governed state has banned local governments from restricting natural gas in buildings. Others have blocked outdoor heat protections for workers and even climate goals themselves. Democratic-controlled states have become increasingly comfortable with the practice, too, overruling local control over wind and solar energy projects as well as restrictions that slow housing development.” |
PUMPING THE BRAKES — A federal judge yesterday paused the Trump administration’s plans to remove a bike lane running along 15th Street NW between Constitution Avenue and the Tidal Basin days before construction was expected to start, The 51st’s Martin Austermuhle reports. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson called the plan to remove the bike lane “arbitrary and capricious.” FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION — “The Spy Museum’s New Historian Might Persuade You to Rethink What You Share Online,” by Washingtonian’s Andrew Beaujon: “Mark Jacobson sees parallels between today's info environment and the Cold War.” SPOTTED: Michelle Obama having dinner last night at Balos. OUT AND ABOUT — The Former Members Of Congress held its annual Statesmanship Awards at the Library of Congress last night, where honorees included Sens. John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Reps. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) and Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.). SPOTTED: Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), Aaron Bean (R-Fla.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Tim Moore (R-N.C.) and Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), Russ Carnahan, Barbara Comstock, Donna Edwards, Dennis Ross, L.F. Payne, Bart Gordon, Jim Slattery, Martin Frost, Tom McMillen, Elizabeth Esty, Joe DioGuardi, Mike Kopetski, Ron Kind, Kathy Manning, Finnish Ambassador Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, Slovenian Ambassador Iztok Mirošič, Liechtenstein Ambassador Georg Sparber, Filipino Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez, Singaporean Ambassador Lui Tuck Yew and Dutch Ambassador Birgitta Tazelaar. — Doug Bunch and Kevin Walling hosted “An Evening Above the Headlines” WHCD Week kickoff last night. SPOTTED: Irish Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Joe Crowley, Jeff Ackerman, James Adams, TW Arrighi, Olivia Beavers, Francesca Craig, Ameshia Cross, Angie Goff, Evan Hollander, Liz Johnson, Jim Lokay, Erin Maguire, Julia Manchester, Marina Marraco, John McCarthy, Kellie Meyer, Joe and Helen Milby, Lisa Camooso Miller, Kenneth Morton, Hannah Muldavin, Alex Nason, Larry O’Connor, Johanna Persing, Jesse Rodriguez, Vanessa Santos, Sabrina Singh, Cassie Smedile, Alex Stroman, Alex Thompson, Ryan Tillman, Puru Trivedi, Alex Wagner, Emma Weir and Zach Leighton. — The U.S. Capitol Historical Society and former Rep. G.K. Butterfield’s (D-N.C.) portrait committee held an unveiling of his portrait last night. SPOTTED: Reps. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Don Davis (D-N.C.), Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Troy Carter (D-La.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), Emmanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Alma Adams (D-N.C.), Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.) and Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Tony Cárdenas, Lloyd Austin, Simmie Knox, Yebbie Watkins and Vince Evans. — The Missouri State Society and the Kansas Society of D.C. hosted a Missouri-Kansas Happy Hour at the German Embassy last night. SPOTTED: Martin Thümmel, Stefan Busch, Kevin Dibb, Rep. Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), Richard Fordyce, Brooke Appleton and Ken Selzer. TRANSITION — Celeste Drake has joined Demand Justice as chief counsel. She previously worked for the White House’s National Economic Council under President Joe Biden. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Giuseppe Macri and deputy editor Garrett Ross. |
