Rep. Ro Khanna wonders who might lead Democrats in 2028 — while making a case for himself
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., tossed out the question casually as he huddled with two dozen Yale Law students here this week: Who are your favorite Democrats?
“Present company excluded,” clarified Khanna, who was on campus to excoriate Vice President JD Vance and has been sending signals that he might like to run for president in 2028.
Trump administration sues Maine over participation of trans athletes in girls sports
The Trump administration said Wednesday it is suing Maine’s education department for not complying with the government’s push to ban transgender athletes in girls sports, escalating a dispute over whether the state is abiding by a federal law that bars discrimination in education based on sex.
The lawsuit follows weeks of feuding between the Republican administration and Democratic Gov. Janet Mills that has led to threats to cut off crucial federal funding and a clash at the White House when she told the president: “We’ll see you in court.”
DOGE has visited the National Labor Relations Board
The Department of Government Efficiency visited the National Labor Relations Board today, an official from the board said. The visit came a day after a whistleblower report about allegations related to DOGE activities became public.
NBC News witnessed three young men in business attire being greeted at NLRB headquarters by Chairman Marvin Kaplan and NLRB acting General Counsel William Cowen shortly before 11 a.m. NBC News has not verified their identities or DOGE affiliation. The three men departed a little over an hour after they arrived and did not engage with questions or confirm whether they were with DOGE.
NBC News has reached out to an NLRB spokesperson for further information.
Gov. Shapiro says he hasn't heard from Trump since arson attack on his home
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said today that he hasn't heard from Trump since the arson attack on his home on Sunday.
"I haven't, no," Shapiro said when asked at a news conference in Hershey if he had heard from the president.
Asked for comment, the White House pointed to Trump's previous remarks about the attack.
When asked about the attack, Trump told reporters Monday in the Oval Office: "The attacker was not a fan of Trump. I understand, just from what I read and from what I’ve been told, the attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody. He’s probably just a whack job. And certainly a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen."
Dem. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen says tariffs could hurt military readiness
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., is expressing concern about the impact Trump's tariffs are having on military readiness, saying in a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today that projected higher prices could hurt the military's "purchasing power and small contractors."
Shaheen is a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and serves on the Appropriations and Foreign Relations panels. She said that the Defense Department is already facing budgetary pressures and higher costs, and tariffs will only worsen the situation.
"In the short term, the announced tariffs alone will increase costs for U.S. defense industrial supply chain companies," she wrote. "In the long term, tariffs will drive up DOD's contracting and procurement costs, limit DOD buying power and ultimately harm the warfighter and our military readiness."
Shaheen noted that some industry producers, like those that make optical instruments, mechanical gears, welding equipment and printed circuit boards, get many of their parts "from outside North America."
The Democratic senator asked in her letter that Hegseth answer questions by April 30, including identifying imported supplies that are subject to tariffs this year and the impact of increased costs due to tariffs on the military's purchasing power.
Asked for comment, a Pentagon spokesperson said the department would respond directly to Shaheen and not provide further comment.
Judge finds cause to hold Trump administration in criminal contempt over deportation flights
A federal judge said in an order Wednesday that he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt over the deportation flights that it sent to El Salvador.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg found “the Government’s actions on that day demonstrate a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt.”
In latest media crackdown, White House limits newswire access to Trump
Wire services including Reuters and Bloomberg News will no longer hold a permanent slot in the small pool of reporters who cover Trump, the White House said today, as it moves to exert greater control over who gets to ask him questions and report on his statements in real time.
The decision comes after the Trump administration last week lost a court challenge brought by another wire service, The Associated Press, over its earlier exclusion from the press pool.
Lawmakers urge DOJ to reinstate prosecutor placed on leave after saying Maryland man was mistakenly deported
A group of Democratic lawmakers are urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to reinstate a Justice Department prosecutor placed on leave after he said in federal court that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador due to an administrative error.
Erez Reuveni, who was the acting deputy director of the Office of Immigration Litigation, made the admission in federal court last week in the case of Abrego Garcia, a Maryland father who was sent to a prison in El Salvador last month.
Though Erez argued against Abrego Garcia's return to the U.S., he was placed on leave by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who said he failed to "vigorously" advocate on behalf of the United States.
"We write with grave concern about your removal and firing of Acting Deputy Chief Erez Reuveni of the Office of Immigration Litigation on unethical and improper grounds," Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., wrote in the letter to Bondi. The letter was also signed by Reps. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich.; Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J.; Glenn Ivey, D-Md.; Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H.; and Shomari Figures, D-Ala.
The representatives argued Reuveni's dismissal could create a Justice Department culture where attorneys are "forced to choose between their jobs and their oath of candor to the courts."
"We therefore request that you reinstate Mr. Reuveni and clarify that Department attorneys must always be honest and forthright with the court, even if that undermines the Department’s position," the letter said.
Democrat requests GAO review DOGE activity at the National Labor Relations Board
The top Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee is requesting that Congress' investigative arm, the Government Accountability Office, review allegations detailed in a whistleblower complaint about potential DOGE activity at the National Labor Relations Board, according to a letter first shared with NBC News.
The letter, dated yesterday, was sent by Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va.
Scott wrote that in light of the allegations included in the whistleblower's document, "I write with urgency to request that you include the NLRB in the ongoing review and assessment that you initiated in response to my letter submitted on February 6, 2025, as well as other relevant letters submitted by other congressional requestors."
Scott had previously written to the GAO, urging it to review the security of IT systems at various agencies and DOGE's "interventions in those systems."
GOP Rep. Brian Mast faces pushback on DOGE and Trump's tariffs
Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., faced pushback from constituents over Trump’s tariffs and the Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to slash the size of government during town halls he held in his congressional district yesterday.
One attendee at Mast’s town hall in Jupiter, Florida, said, “He’s like an inoperable, malignant tumor to this country,” apparently referring to Trump, according to NBC affiliate WPTV.
Mast represents Florida's 21st Congressional District, located in the southeastern part of the state, north of West Palm Beach. Constituents at his meetings yesterday also expressed concerns that Social Security and Medicare could receive cuts.
"No. 1, let’s say this about Social Security and Medicare: No ifs, ands or buts, it is not on the chopping block," Mast said.
At the Jupiter town hall, one person was escorted out, according to WPTV. Another attendee said while leaving the event that he didn’t get “many good answers,” adding the lawmaker was “just agreeing with President Trump’s initiatives.”
At Mast's town hall in Palm City, he defended DOGE after attendee Tina Dunchey expressed concerns about the Elon Musk-run effort.
“You’re letting people not even sworn into the government wreak havoc on things,” Dunchey said.
“You can count on my 100% support for DOGE to continue today, tomorrow, next week, next month, all throughout the year,” Mast said.
Mast also staunchly defended the tariffs implemented by Trump, despite an attendee saying they’re “wildly chaotic” and will not “stimulate manufacturing in the United States.”
Mast responded that other countries have been putting tariffs on the U.S., adding, “We are not at a point of free trade. We are going to fight to get to a point of free trade.”