Meeting between U.S. and Japanese officials set to begin this morning
A meeting between U.S. and Japanese officials on tariff negotiations is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET, according to a senior administration official. It is unclear if the meeting began on time.
Trump referred to the meeting earlier today in a post on Truth Social, saying he and some members of his Cabinet would attend.
California sues the Trump administration over the president’s sweeping tariffs
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta said Wednesday they are suing the Trump administration in federal court over President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on U.S. trading partners.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, argues that Trump doesn’t have the presidential authority to unilaterally impose tariffs using the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, according to Newsom’s office.
Vulnerable House Republicans vow to oppose 'any reduction in Medicaid coverage'
A group of 12 House Republicans, including several who represent swing districts, wrote a letter to GOP leadership drawing a red line against “any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations,” as the party considers significant Medicaid cuts to pay for a massive bill to pass Trump’s agenda.
The signatories are: Reps. David Valadao, R-Calif.; Don Bacon, R-Neb.; Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J.; Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa.; Young Kim, R-Calif.; Robert Wittman, R-Va.; Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y.; Nick LaLota, R-N.Y.; Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y.; and Jeff Hurd, R-Colo.
“We acknowledge that we must reform Medicaid so that it is a strong and long-lasting program for years to come,” they wrote. “We support targeted reforms to improve program integrity, reduce improper payments, and modernize delivery systems to fix flaws in the program that divert resources away from children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and pregnant women — those who the program was intended to help. However, we cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.”
“We are committed to working with you to preserve Medicaid and identify responsible savings through deregulation, streamlining federal programs, and cutting administrative red tape,” they added. “Communities like ours won us the majority, and we have a responsibility to deliver on the promises we made.”
In the narrow House GOP majority, these members have the power to block any bill if they’re unsatisfied.
As NBC News reported in February, Valadao, a top Democratic target for defeat in next year's midterm elections, represents the largest share of Medicaid recipients of any GOP-held district.
House Republicans mathematically cannot meet their own budget targets without making hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid or Medicare, according to the official scorekeeper. Those targets were included on demands from conservative hardliners who want to tackle red ink in this package.
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst gets her first Democratic challenger for 2026
Democrats have their first candidate in the race to unseat Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, in what will be an uphill battle in an increasingly red state.
Nathan Sage hopes his background as a Marine and Army veteran, mechanic and local sports play-by-play announcer — as he touts in his launch video — will connect with working-class voters.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen travels to El Salvador to advocate for Kilmar Abrego Garcia's release
Sen. Chris Van Hollen is flying to El Salvador today to push for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia after the mistakenly deported man was not returned by midweek, one of the senator’s conditions for embarking on the trip.
Van Hollen said in a video post from the airport that he was about to board a flight to the country’s capital, adding that his goal was show the Trump administration and El Salvador’s government “that we are going to keep fighting to bring Abrego Garcia home until he returns to his family.”
AFL-CIO plans nearly 400 events to protest government overhaul
The AFL-CIO will launch nearly 400 events nationwide over the next two weeks in an effort to push back on the administration’s changes to the federal government.
The events are organized under the AFL-CIO’s Department of People Who Work for a Living campaign — a shot at Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Some of the events, beginning during this two-week congressional recess and going until April 28, will be rallies outside federal agencies and protests outside lawmakers' offices.
But the centerpiece will be 19 "field hearings," according to Eddie Vale, who is consulting with the AFL-CIO. Workers from across different unions and sectors will be able to share their stories and solutions to the Trump administration's cuts.
The testimony will ultimately be collected and distributed as a report to the White House and Congress, "to show what actual working people and communities want and need from the government," Vale said.
Few Republican lawmakers are holding town halls during this recess, but some who have done so have already faced angry attendees.
Republicans reconsider their commitment to tax cuts for the rich in Trump agenda bill
Republicans are discussing an idea that has long been anathema within the party: a tax hike on the wealthy.
In a twist, members of the GOP are debating whether to allow tax rates to go up on top earners when major parts of the 2017 tax law expire at the end of this year as part of a massive bill to pass Trump’s agenda.
What happens if a president and the federal government fail to follow a judge’s orders?
The Trump administration has been accused of ignoring or flat-out defying recent federal court orders, including a Supreme Court decision that it must “facilitate” the release of a Maryland man who was sent in error to a Salvadoran prison.
The federal judge presiding over Kilmar Abrego Garcia's case yesterday chastised the administration for its inaction.
“I’ve gotten nothing,” said Judge Paula Xinis of the U.S. District Court for Maryland. “I’ve gotten no real response and no real legal justification for not answering.”
If Xinis or another federal judge decides that Trump and federal officials have failed to comply with their orders, what action can they take to enforce them?
Former Pa. governor says he is concerned about political violence after arson attack on Shapiro's residence
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said he is concerned about political violence in the wake of the arson attack on the governor’s residence, where Gov. Josh Shapiro resides.
Rendell said he felt safe when he lived in the residence, between 2003 and 2011, adding that even though there were demonstrations outside the home sometimes, it was “part of the business,” and there were troopers on-site around the clock.
“People are now taking violence into their hands as a way of resolving political divisions," Rendell told NBC's news station in Philadelphia. "It’s terrible. It’s going to tear the country apart unless we do something about it.”
Cody Balmer, who was charged in the arson attack at the historic governor’s residence, said he had hatred toward Shapiro and would have attacked him directly had they come face to face.
Rendell said he hopes stronger security measures will be put in place following the attack.
“I would hope that people who are more experienced in putting security around public officials would look at the house, look at the way it’s built, look at the outside, look at the television,” he said.
Trump to meet with Japanese officials over trade and military negotiations today
Trump announced this morning that he would meet today with Japanese officials to discuss trade and military cost issues, marking the latest public overture from another country in response to steep U.S. tariffs, which the president has temporarily reduced.
"Japan is coming in today to negotiate Tariffs, the cost of military support, and 'TRADE FAIRNESS,'" Trump said in a post to Truth Social "I will attend the meeting, along with Treasury & Commerce Secretaries. Hopefully something can be worked out which is good (GREAT!) for Japan and the USA!"
The White House previously hit Japanese imports to the U.S. with a 24% blanket tariff.
The U.S. and Japan had previously reached a trade agreement in 2019, during Trump's first term. Japan is one of the top five buyers of U.S. goods in 2022, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Japan also hosts tens of thousands of U.S. troops.