What to know today
- President Donald Trump released a 40-page budget proposal including a mix of cuts to domestic programs involving public health, education and clean energy. Overall, the proposal calls for a 23% cut to discretionary funding and a 13% increase in military spending.
- Trump said in a Truth Social post that he would seek to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status. The administration froze billions in funds to the Ivy League school after claiming it wasn't addressing antisemitism on campus, resulting in the university filing suit.
- A federal judge struck down Trump’s executive order targeting the law firm Perkins Coie in a blistering opinion calling the president's efforts "an unprecedented attack” on the U.S. judicial system.
- Trump downplayed concerns about potential economic trouble, saying everything would be “OK” in the long term, even if the U.S economy experienced a recession in the short term.
Trump may get a new national security adviser — or he might just keep Marco Rubio
Reporting from Washington
Secretary of state is a big job. But try piling on top of that acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, acting head of the National Archives and Records Administration and acting national security adviser.
That’s Marco Rubio’s resume right now, and it might be that way for a while.
Rubio gained his latest title after Trump announced that Michael Waltz — who has been under scrutiny since his central role in the Signal chat leak — would be stepping down and instead be nominated for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
The White House raised the possibility of Rubio taking over Waltz’s job more than a month ago, according to a senior administration official. But it was tabled until recently, when Trump decided he’d had enough of Waltz.
Judge issues scathing rebuke of Trump's effort to target prominent law firm
Judge Beryl Howell issued an order today rebuking Trump's effort to target law firm Perkins Coie.
“No American President has ever before issued executive orders like the one at issue in this lawsuit targeting a prominent law firm with adverse actions to be executed by all Executive branch agencies but, in purpose and effect, this action draws from a playbook as old as Shakespeare, who penned the phrase: 'The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers,'" Howell wrote in her order.
In a 102-page opinion, Howell said an executive order from Trump barring federal agencies from working with the Perkins Coie and suspending security clearances held by its employees is “null and void,” arguing the effort was unconstitutional.
"The U.S. Constitution affords critical protections against Executive action like that ordered in EO 14230. Government officials, including the President, may not 'subject individuals to "retaliatory actions" after the fact for having engaged in protected speech,'" Howell wrote in her opinion.
The judge added that "the importance of independent lawyers" has been recognized "in this country since its founding era."
Howell's summary judgment in the case, in favor of Perkins Coie, is immediately appealable by the administration, as an accompanying order she wrote expressly states.
The ruling comes as other top law firms targeted by Trump, including Paul Weiss, have opted to settle with the president rather than fight him in court.
Trump downplays recession fears, saying the U.S. would be ‘OK’ in the long term
Trump downplayed concerns today about potential economic trouble, saying everything would be “OK” in the long term, even if the U.S. economy experienced a recession in the short term.
Asked twice by “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker whether it would be OK in the long run if there were a recession in the short term, the president said, “Look, yeah, it’s — everything’s OK. What we are — I said, this is a transition period. I think we’re going to do fantastically.”
Following up, Welker asked Trump if he was worried about a recession, to which he responded, “No.” Asked whether he thinks one could happen, Trump replied, “Anything can happen, but I think we’re going to have the greatest economy in the history of our country.”
PBS president and CEO does not rule out possibility of litigation against the Trump administration
President and CEO of PBS Paula Kerger would not rule out possible litigation against the Trump administration over its executive order aiming to block funding for PBS and NPR.
“I would not rule out the possibility that we would pursue litigation,” Kerger said on NBC’s “Meet the Press Now.”
Kerger said the order would have an “enormous” impact on PBS’ 330 stations. PBS is not a network, Kerger said, and was created by its member stations "to do for them at scale what individual stations couldn't do by themselves."
The stations that would be most at risk, Kerger said, are those in smaller communities that are not able to raise sufficient resources.
“People rely on us for children’s programming. And if for no other reason, that’s a powerful argument for funding,” Keger said, adding that local stations are also the backup infrastructure for the country’s early alert system.
“It’s an investment that the federal government has made because we are broadcasters. We reach every part of this country for free. And we also have a digital infrastructure that allows first alerts to go out,” Kerger said.
“There’s plenty of arguments of why, even if you don’t watch every night, why public broadcasting is a good investment for everyone,” she added.
Trump looms over New Jersey campaign as GOP looks to build on 2024 gains
The New Jersey governor’s race could be Trump’s first chance, since returning to the White House, to sway a major GOP primary — and allegiance to Trump has become a top issue in the race.
The top two contenders, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and radio host Bill Spadea, met with Trump at the president’s Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club in late March, and both want his endorsement. But it’s not clear if Trump will pick a favorite before the June 10 primary.
“It’s will he or won’t he? And as everyone knows, President Trump can be unpredictable at times,” said Jeanette Hoffman, a New Jersey GOP strategist who is not involved in the governor’s race.
“By and large, the issue in the primary is who’s the most Trump-loyal candidate in the race,” Hoffman added.
U.S. Army is planning a parade for its anniversary — and Trump’s birthday
Trump might finally get his parade.
The U.S. Army is planning a big celebration to recognize not only the 250th anniversary of its founding, but also Trump’s 79th birthday, both of which fall on June 14. That celebration will potentially bring tanks and hundreds of other military vehicles and aircraft onto and over the streets of the nation’s capital in June, according to three defense officials familiar with the planning.
During Trump’s first term, the president sought to have a big military parade, but the plans were shelved over cost and concerns that some of the military vehicles, particularly tracked vehicles like tanks, could significantly damage the streets of Washington, D.C., and incur a huge price tag for repairs. The estimate for the parade being planned now is “tens of millions of dollars,” according to two of the defense officials.
Trump didn’t forget and now is considering a military parade to honor both birthdays. Current plans call for more than 150 military vehicles and 50 aircraft to rumble through a parade route through Washington on June 10, the three defense officials said. That could include Army wheeled vehicles, like Humvees and trucks, and so-called tracked vehicles, like tanks, two of the officials said.
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow DOGE access to Social Security data
The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to access Social Security Administration data.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the court to lift an injunction issued by a federal judge in Maryland so that DOGE can carry out its stated function of modernizing systems and detecting waste and fraud.
"These teams have a business need to access the data at their assigned agency and subject the government's records to much-needed scrutiny," he wrote.
The lower court had ruled DOGE had no need to access the specific data at issue. The Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to block the decision, leading to the Trump administration filing its request at the Supreme Court.
NPR vows to challenge Trump executive order 'using all means available'
In a statement, Katherine Maher, NPR's president and CEO, vowed to challenge Trump's executive order gutting public funding for the station "using all means available."
"We will vigorously defend our right to provide essential news, information and life-saving services to the American public. We will challenge this Executive Order using all means available," Maher said.
Maher also said that the order "seeks to deprive tens of millions of Americans of their regular, trusted sources of information, and cut off resources to award-winning reporting and cultural programming."
She added, "NPR stands by the excellence and commitment of our journalists, staff, and Member organizations to seek out stories that matter to the American public."
Inside the Trump White House's early 2026 midterm strategy
Trump has historically bad poll numbers for a president through the first 100 days in office, but the White House’s 2026 midterms strategy will run through Trump himself, trying to re-create the energy behind his 2024 campaign.
Republicans and top White House advisers generally believe the midterm maps are favorable to them in the Senate and more up in the air on the House side. But Trump’s lagging poll numbers — and what has become an unpopular, tariff-dominated economic policy, at least for now — have some Republicans concerned that both chambers could be at risk.
The 2026 goal, according to nearly a dozen Republican operatives and Trump advisers NBC News interviewed, is to try to overcome negative economic sentiment by rekindling the energy Trump brings when he is on the ballot — a needed boost for the party after Democrats outpaced Republicans in recent special congressional and state-level elections.
Canadian PM Carney says he's set to meet with Trump in D.C. on Tuesday
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a post on X today that he's scheduled to meet with Trump in D.C. on Tuesday.
"We’ll focus on addressing immediate trade pressures — and the future economic and security relationship between our two sovereign nations," he wrote.
Carney's Liberal Party won re-election this week in part by campaigning on a platform of keeping Trump in check.
Justice Department reached settlement with Ashli Babbitt estate
The Justice Department has reached a settlement with the estate of Ashli Babbitt, the Jan. 6 participant who was shot when she jumped through the window of the Speaker's Lobby during the Capitol attack.
The settlement was confirmed during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes after attorney Terrell Non Roberts III — who was previously retained by Babbitt’s widower, Aaron Babbitt — filed for a temporary restraining order after learning from a journalist yesterday that the parties had reached an agreement. Roberts is seeking to establish a lien on the settlement for at least 25% of the total.
“The parties are in control of the settlement,” Robert Sticht of Judicial Watch, who is representing the estate, said during the hearing. “The parties have already decided what is rational, and they have an orderly process to play out.”
Reyes said Roberts would have an opportunity before the funds were disbursed to the Babbitt estate. She called for a joint status report next week and noted that the government and plaintiff had indicated it would be at least 30 days before the lawsuit was settled.
Kennedy to testify before Senate committee in the wake of proposed HHS budget cuts
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on May 14 to discuss Trump’s proposed HHS budget for fiscal year 2026, per an official notice from the committee.
Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, R-La., and ranking member Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., wrote a letter to Kennedy inviting him to testify before their panel three weeks ago following mass layoffs at HHS.
Cassidy, who publicly struggled with Kennedy's nomination, said that in order to get his support back in February, Kennedy had committed to appear before the HELP committee on a quarterly basis if requested. Kennedy made several other commitments to Cassidy to effort his vote, including committing to “an unprecedentedly close collaborative working relationship” between them.
The news of his testimony comes following Trump's budget proposal, which includes $500 million for the "Make America Healthy Again" agenda that Kennedy has promoted. It also includes cuts to the National Institutes of Health budget to the tune of $18 billion compared with 2025 and over $3 billion in cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention budget.
Senate Republicans raise red flags about Trump’s private dinner with his meme coin holders
Some Senate Republicans are raising concerns about an exclusive dinner and White House tour President Donald Trump is offering top investors in his $TRUMP meme token.
“This is my president that we’re talking about, but I am willing to say that this gives me pause,” said Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, who has been spearheading a legislative push on cryptocurrency regulation in the Senate.
The official website for Trump’s meme coin announced last week that the top 220 holders of the coin are invited to an “intimate private dinner” with the president at his golf club outside of Washington, D.C., later this month. The top 25 investors will also receive an invitation to a “VIP White House Tour” the following day, according to the website. The $TRUMP meme coin surged more than 50% after the dinner news broke, boosting its total market value to $2.7 billion.
The offer of access to the president for those who invest in an organization that funds Trump’s personal fortune has sparked scrutiny from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
McConnell, Wicker criticize Trump budget blueprint
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., criticized Trump's budget blueprint today in separate statements, specifically taking aim at the proposal for military spending.
McConnell said in his statement, "It is peculiar how much time the President’s advisors spend talking about restoring peace through strength, given how apparently unwilling they’ve been to invest accordingly in the national defense or in other critical instruments of national power."
The former GOP leader, who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees defense spending, accused the Trump administration of doubling down on "the Biden Administration’s material neglect for the glaring national security threats challenges about which they speak with great alarm."
In a separate statement, Wicker said that the White House budget office requested "a fifth year straight of Biden administration funding, leaving military spending flat, which is a cut in real terms."
"This budget would decrease President Trump’s military options and his negotiating leverage," he warned. "We face an Axis of Aggressors led by the Chinese Communist Party, who have already started a trade war rather than negotiate in good faith. We need a real Peace Through Strength agenda to ensure Xi Jinping does not launch a military war against us in Asia, beyond his existing military support to the Russians, the Iranians, Hamas, and the Houthis."
Trump's plan calls on Congress to increase military spending by 13%.
Speaker Mike Johnson praises Trump's 2026 budget proposal
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., praised Trump's 2026 budget proposal today, calling it "a bold blueprint that reflects the values of hardworking Americans and the commitment to American strength and prosperity."
"President Trump’s plan ensures every federal taxpayer dollar spent is used to serve the American people, not a bloated bureaucracy or partisan pet projects," Johnson said in a statement.
The speaker said that House Republicans are ready to work with Trump to implement a "responsible budget that puts America first."
"This budget also reflects the critical role the One Big, Beautiful Bill will play in securing our border and strengthening our national security," he said, referring to the reconciliation bill that House Republicans are crafting. "This proposal promises the American people that their government is finally listening, leading with commonsense, and restoring the principles of good governance."
Trump’s budget proposes slashing health, education and clean energy programs while growing the military
President Donald Trump released a budget proposal Friday calling for a mix of cuts to domestic programs involving public health, education and clean energy, while seeking to increase spending on the president’s priorities like border security and a bigger military.
The 40-page request was addressed to congressional leaders and accompanied by a letter from Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought addressed to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Overall, Vought said the proposal contains a 23% cut ($163 billion) to discretionary funding and a 13% increase to military spending.
The White House budget comes as the Republican-led Congress is seeking to craft a massive bill for Trump’s priorities of tax cuts, higher spending on immigration enforcement and the military, spending cuts in other parts of the federal government, and a debt limit increase. Vought mentioned the calls for border funding in the new budget blueprint.
After Canada, Trump could drag down conservatives in another election in Australia
Days after a Canadian election that hinged on who would best stand up to President Donald Trump, he is at the center of an election in another liberal democracy.
Trust in the United States is plummeting in Australia, which votes Saturday amid global financial turmoil sparked by tariffs Trump has imposed on trading partners around the world, including Australia, a U.S. ally and vital security partner in countering China.
Japan says its Treasury holdings could be a 'card' in U.S. tariff talks
Japan could use its more than $1 trillion in holdings of U.S. Treasurys as leverage in trade negotiations with Washington, its finance minister said, though he stopped short of threatening to sell them.
“I think it exists as a card,” Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said in a television interview today. “But whether to use it or not, that is another decision to be made.”
The U.S. was alarmed last month by a large global sell-off in U.S. Treasury securities after Trump imposed steep tariffs on trading partners around the world, including U.S. ally Japan.
Kato’s comments come a day after Japan held its second round of tariff talks in Washington with U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters in Tokyo today that while the discussions were “very positive and constructive,” no agreement has yet been reached.
Media executives blast Trump's move to end public funding for PBS and NPR as 'blatantly unlawful'
After the White House announced that Trump had signed an executive order ending public funding for NPR and PBS, PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger said in a statement that the president's decision is "blatantly unlawful."
“The President’s blatantly unlawful Executive Order, issued in the middle of the night, threatens our ability to serve the American public with educational programming, as we have for the past 50-plus years," Kerger said. "We are currently exploring all options to allow PBS to continue to serve our member stations and all Americans.”
Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, also responded to the order, saying that only Congress can approve changes in funding for public media.
“CPB is not a federal executive agency subject to the President’s authority. Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government," Harrison said.
Senate Democrats ask Treasury IG to investigate Trump's targeting Harvard's tax-exempt status
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and a group of Senate Democrats have sent a letter to the acting Treasury Department inspector general for tax administration asking her to open an investigation into Trump’s targeting of Harvard’s tax exempt status.
"It is both illegal and unconstitutional for the IRS to take direction from the President to target schools, hospitals, churches, or any other tax-exempt entities as retribution for using their free speech rights," the senators wrote.
"It is further unconscionable that the IRS would become a weapon of the Trump Administration to extort its perceived enemies, but the actions of the President and his operatives have now made this fear a reality," they wrote.
The senators specifically asked the Treasury official to investigate whether any request by Trump or an administration official that the IRS revoke Harvard’s exempt status violated a section of law aimed at insulating the IRS from political influence over those whom it chooses to audit, and whether any such requests have been made.
State versions of DOGE take a more modest approach than Elon Musk‘s shock-and-awe moves in Washington
States are continuing to roll out their own versions of the Department of Government Efficiency, the outside advisory commission led by tech billionaire Elon Musk that Trump tasked with cutting federal spending and staffing.
Many of the officials who launched these bodies, which take different forms in different states, say they’ve wanted to have the impact of Trump’s DOGE, with some explicitly comparing them to the federal commission.
But while Musk’s slash-and-burn approach has caused major disruptions in Washington and across the nation, the more than 20 state-level DOGE organizations that have been rolled out since Trump’s federal launch have so far taken a far lighter touch.
Marco Rubio’s swift rise to a central spot in Trump’s orbit
Marco Rubio was just two weeks into his new job when he got a critical lesson in being Trump’s secretary of state. In Latin America on his first trip outside the United States since he became America’s top diplomat, three senior administration officials said, Rubio was caught off guard by two policy decisions made in Washington: drastic changes to foreign aid and Trump’s publicly backing turning the Gaza Strip into a Middle East Riviera.
Rubio was similarly blindsided by foreign policy pronouncements from top administration officials two more times over the next 10 days.
Since then, he has figured out a strategy to minimize such frustrations.
Trump says he will revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status
Trump announced on Truth Social this morning that he will revoke Harvard University's tax-exempt status.
The president suggested he would take this action after the Ivy League school sued the Trump administration last week over its decision to freeze more than $2 billion in funding to the university.
"We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!" Trump wrote.
Any such move would face likely face litigation. The administration's funding freeze came after it accused Harvard of failing to take action on its demands to end antisemitism on campus.
In a statement, a Harvard spokesperson said Trump did not have legal grounds to pursue such an action, adding that the move would harm the university's mission and higher education more broadly.
"Such an unprecedented action would endanger our ability to carry out our educational mission," the spokesperson, Jason Newton, said. "It would result in diminished financial aid for students, abandonment of critical medical research programs, and lost opportunities for innovation. The unlawful use of this instrument more broadly would have grave consequences for the future of higher education in America.”
Brian Schatz racks up support to succeed Dick Durbin as the No. 2 Senate Democrat
The leadership election to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin as the No. 2 Democrat in the chamber is a year and a half away, but Sen. Brian Schatz is already racking up endorsements.
Since Durbin, 80, of Illinois, announced last week that he wouldn’t seek re-election in 2026, Schatz, 52, of Hawaii, has been aggressively working behind the scenes to consolidate support for the post of Senate Democratic whip, having key allies speak to colleagues and securing at least eight endorsements.
Others could still jump in the race to be Democrats’ top vote-counter. Amy Klobuchar, 64, of Minnesota, a former presidential candidate who is the No. 3 Senate Democrat, hasn’t closed the door on a potential bid. And others have floated Patty Murray, 74, of Washington, who has held various leadership roles over the years and is now the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Democrats announce new effort to target vulnerable House Republicans
The Democratic Party launched today a new initiative aimed at pushing vulnerable Republicans to join Democrats in opposing a Trump-backed congressional budget bill that is expected to include cuts to Medicaid.
The DNC plans to partner with the DCCC, the House Democratic campaign arm, to specifically target four House Republicans: Tom Barrett, R-Mich., Don Bacon, R-Neb., Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., all of whom are in toss-up districts.
Bacon, Lawler and Fitzpatrick represent the only Republican-held districts in the country that former Vice President Kamala Harris won during the 2024 election, according to the Center for Politics. Barrett’s seat was previously held by Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and is rated a “Republican toss up” by the Cook Political Report.
“The American people are furious at Trump and Republicans’ dangerous attacks on their health care and vulnerable Republican Representatives Barrett, Bacon, Lawler, and Fitzpatrick will seal their political fate if they go along with Trump’s disastrous budget,” DNC Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement.
Democrats plan to host town hall-style events in the lawmakers’ districts and direct voters to “make their outrage known” by calling and emailing the lawmakers.
The party said it has already held more than 100 town hall events nationwide in the last two months alone, but this new effort will additionally encourage Democratic voters to host their own community events in a bid to further galvanize its base. Doing so will also help build “grassroots power for critical elections still ahead,” Martin added.
The Democratic initiative will be a part of the party’s “Fight to Save Medicaid” month of action intended to “pressure vulnerable Republicans to stand up for their constituents.”
Washington Rep. Suzan DelBene, the chair of the DCCC, said "House Republicans have lost the trust of the American people and are on track to lose in the midterms because of their record of broken promises."
CORRECTION (May 2, 2025, 6:21 p.m. ET): A previous version of this post misidentified the state Rep. Suzan DelBene represents in Congress. It is Washington, not Alabama.
Trump signs executive order to stop federal funding for NPR and PBS
Trump signed an executive order late yesterday to end public funding of National Public Radio and PBS to stop what he called “biased and partisan news coverage.”
The order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to “cease federal funding for NPR and PBS” to the extent allowed by law. The order could be challenged in court.
Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson criticizes Trump’s attacks on judges
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said yesterday that attacks by Trump and his allies on judges were “not random” and seemed “designed to intimidate the judiciary.”
Chief Justice John Roberts rebuked Trump in March for urging the impeachment of a federal judge, laying bare tensions between the country’s executive and the judiciary as Trump’s sweeping assertions of power encounter judicial obstacles.
“The attacks are not random. They seem designed to intimidate those of us who serve in this critical capacity,” Jackson said at a judges’ conference in Puerto Rico.