After the Senate parliamentarian advised that a Medicaid provider tax overhaul central to President Donald Trump鈥檚 tax cut and spending bill didn't adhere to the chamber鈥檚 procedural rules, senators worked overnight to revise the bill to meet the president鈥檚 self-imposed July 4 deadline.
accepted a number of revisions to GOP plans, but the attention falling on MacDonough reflects a broader change in Congress: Lawmakers are increasingly trying to wedge top policy priorities into bills that can鈥檛 be filibustered. That process comes with special rules designed to deter provisions unrelated to spending or taxes, and that鈥檚 where the parliamentarian comes in, offering analysis of what does and doesn鈥檛 qualify.
Here's the latest:
Lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia ask judge to keep him in jail over deportation concerns
The attorneys asked a federal judge in Tennessee on Friday to delay his release from jail because of 鈥渃ontradictory statements鈥 by President Trump鈥檚 administration over whether or not he鈥檒l be deported upon release.
A federal judge in Nashville has been preparing to release Abrego Garcia to await trial on human smuggling charges. But she鈥檚 been holding off over concerns U.S. immigration officials would swiftly detain him and try to deport him again.
Abrego Garcia鈥檚 attorneys are now asking the judge to continue to detain him following statements by Trump administration officials 鈥渂ecause we cannot put any faith in any representation made on this issue by鈥 the Justice Department.
鈥淭he irony of this request is not lost on anyone,鈥 the attorneys wrote.
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Pentagon renames Navy ship after World War II sailor
announced Friday that the USNS Harvey Milk replenishment oiler will be renamed after a World War II sailor who received the Medal of Honor, who served during the Korean War.
In a video, Hegseth said he was 鈥渢aking the politics out of ship naming.鈥 Instead, the ship鈥檚 new name will honor Navy Chief Petty Officer Oscar V. Peterson, who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions during the Battle of the Coral Sea.
The decision is the latest move by Hegseth to wipe away names of ships and military bases that were given by the Biden administration, which in many cases chose monikers honoring service members who were women, minorities or other leaders. It follows earlier actions by Hegseth and President Trump to of references to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Speaker Johnson says 鈥榞ood-faith talks鈥 with Iran needed after briefings
After classified briefings with top White House officials on the recent strikes in Iran, House Speaker Mike Johnson said it was clear 鈥渁 major setback鈥 had been struck to Iran鈥檚 nuclear program and called for direct diplomacy to follow.
鈥淲e now need Iran to engage with us in direct, good-faith talks, negotiations,鈥 said Johnson. 鈥淭hey need to sit down at the table with us and ensure that peace is truly lasting.鈥
Lawmakers remained divided on the effectiveness of the strikes. The briefings, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left some unconvinced the operation had achieved its goals.
California Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat, said it鈥檚 unclear 鈥渉ow far they鈥檝e actually set back鈥 Iran鈥檚 program. Khanna and others criticized Trump for not consulting Congress beforehand.
鈥淚 have not been happy for a long time that I鈥檝e learned about this strike sitting on my sofa with a cold beer looking at Twitter. That鈥檚 not the way this is supposed to work鈥 said Rep. Jim Hines, the Democrat鈥檚 top member on the House intelligence committee.
Vice President JD Vance hails 鈥榟uge鈥 Supreme Court decision
Vance said the justices were 鈥渟macking down the ridiculous process of nationwide injunctions.鈥
He also shared a post from conservative commentator Sean Davis, who said the court was 鈥渘uking universal injunctions,鈥 which liberals have sought from district judges to slow down Trump鈥檚 agenda.
State Department scaling down its evacuation flights for American citizens from Israel
That鈥檚 due to a sharp decline in demand as an Israeli-Iranian ceasefire appears to be holding and commercial airlines are resuming service.
In an internal notice obtained by The Associated Press, the department said the US embassy in Jerusalem had canceled two government flights from Tel Aviv to Athens, Greece, that had been scheduled for Friday 鈥渄ue to a lack of passengers.鈥 It added that only five U.S. citizens had departed on a final charter flight to Rome on Friday and that there had been a significant reduction 鈥 by at least one-third, to 89 鈥 in the number of Americans seeking information about departure options since Wednesday.
Since the embassy started evacuation flights last Saturday, roughly 650 Americans left Israel on government flights, although more than 14,650 had contacted the State Department to seek information about departing or to report their departure by either plane, ship or overland travel to Jordan or Egypt, the notice said.
Tentative SALT deal is, in fact, tentative
The White House and House Republicans have narrowed on a plan for one outstanding issue in Trump鈥檚 big bill 鈥 the state and local tax deduction, known as SALT.
As it stands, they鈥檝e tentatively agreed to the House-passed terms of a $40,000 cap on deductions 鈥 but for five years, instead of 10.
The SALT deduction has been a key holdup as lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states negotiate. They want to quadruple what鈥檚 now a $10,000 cap. Senate Republicans argued that鈥檚 too generous.
One GOP holdout, Rep. Nick LaLota of New York, says he can鈥檛 support the compromise.
House Speaker Mike Johnson says 鈥榲ery close鈥 to finishing Trump鈥檚 big bill
鈥淲e would still like to meet that July 4th, self-imposed deadline,鈥 Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said at the Capitol.
鈥淭he president likes that idea. I certainly like that idea鈥 and so does Senate Majority Leader John Thune,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e are very, very close.鈥
Trump plans a news conference to celebrate ruling at the Supreme Court
The president posted on his Truth Social media network that it was a 鈥淕IANT WIN.鈥
鈥淓ven the Birthright Citizenship Hoax has been, indirectly, hit hard. It had to do with the babies of slaves (same year!), not the SCAMMING of our Immigration process,鈥 Trump said in the post.
He announced he plans to have a news conference at 11:30 a.m. at the White House.
Food stamp cuts are back in Trump鈥檚 big bill
The Republican proposal to shift the costs of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, has been accepted by the Senate parliamentarian.
Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Nutrition, and Forestry Committee that handles food aid, said plans to make certain immigrants ineligible for food aid were also accepted.
鈥淭his paves the way for important reforms that improve efficiency and management of SNAP,鈥 he said.
But the panel鈥檚 top Democrat, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, said her party will 鈥渒eep fighting these proposals that raise grocery costs and take food away from millions of people, including seniors, children, and veterans.鈥
Supreme Court preserves key part of Obamacare preventive health care coverage requirements
The Friday ruling rejected a challenge from Christian employers to the provision that affects some 150 million Americans.
The 6-3 ruling comes in a lawsuit over how the government decides which health care medications and services must be fully covered by private insurance under former President Barack Obama鈥檚 signature Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare.
The plaintiffs said the process is unconstitutional because a volunteer board of medical experts tasked with recommending which services are covered isn鈥檛 Senate approved.
President Trump鈥檚 administration defended the mandate before the court, though the Republican president has been a critic of his Democratic predecessor鈥檚 law. The Justice Department said board members don鈥檛 need Senate approval because they can be removed by the health and human services secretary.
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Trump鈥檚 big bill back on track in the Senate
A flurry of overnight actions appear to be putting the sprawling package of tax breaks and spending cuts in place as senators race for weekend votes.
The Senate parliamentarian accepted a number of revisions to Republican plans that had stalled progress this week.
Senators hope to begin voting this weekend, in time for Trump鈥檚 Fourth of July deadline.
Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions, but fate of Trump birthright citizenship order unclear
A divided on Friday ruled individual judges lack the authority to grant nationwide injunctions, but the decision left unclear the fate of President Trump鈥檚 restrictions on .
The outcome was a victory for Trump, who has complained about individual judges throwing up obstacles to his agenda.
But a conservative majority left open the possibility that the birthright citizenship changes could remain blocked nationwide. Trump鈥檚 order would deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of people who are in the country illegally.
Birthright citizenship automatically makes an American citizen, including children born to mothers in the country illegally. The right was enshrined soon after the Civil War in .
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Tax breaks for gun silencers and school vouchers violate rule, Senate parliamentarian says
But steep cuts to and the have been revised by Republicans and are now accepted by as complying with the procedures for Trump鈥檚 big bill.
The package is getting back on track after several setbacks as senators race toward a weekend session for votes to deliver by Trump鈥檚 Fourth of July deadline.
Trump says US has signed a deal with China on trade, without giving details
And Trump said he expects to soon have a deal with India.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Bloomberg TV the deal was signed earlier this week. Neither Lutnick nor Trump provided any details about the agreement.
鈥淲e just signed with China the other day,鈥 Trump said late Thursday.
Lutnick said the deal was 鈥渟igned and sealed鈥 two days earlier.
It was unclear if the latest agreement was different from the one announced that he said would make it easier for American industries to obtain much-needed needed magnets and . That pact cleared the way for the trade talks to continue, while the U.S. agreed to stop trying to revoke visas of .
China鈥檚 Commerce Ministry said Friday the two sides had 鈥渇urther confirmed the details of the framework.鈥 But its statement didn鈥檛 explicitly mention U.S. access to rare earths.
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A key inflation move higher in May while Americans cut back on their spending
It鈥檚 the latest sign that prices remain stubbornly elevated.
Prices rose 2.3% in May compared with a year ago, up from just 2.1% in April, the Commerce Department said Friday. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.7% from a year earlier, an increase from 2.5% the previous month. Both figures are modestly above the Federal Reserve鈥檚 2% target.
At the same time, Americans cut back on spending for the first time since January, as overall spending fell 0.1%.
The inflation figures suggest President Trump鈥檚 on prices. The costs of some goods, such as toys and sporting goods, have risen, but those increases have been partly offset by falling prices for new cars, airline fares, and apartment rentals, among other items.
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Pardon applications are being crafted with one man in mind: Donald Trump
The White House and the Justice Department have received a wave of clemency requests 鈥 all carefully crafted to capture the attention and fancy of Trump or those who know his inclinations.
The flurry, legal experts said, has been sparked by Trump鈥檚 frequent and eyebrow-raising grants of clemency since retaking office in January. The Republican president has pardoned and commuted the sentences of more than 1,600 people, including many political allies, former GOP officeholders and hundreds . He even who were serving time for bank fraud and tax evasion.
In doing so, Trump has largely cast aside a process that historically has been overseen by nonpolitical personnel at the Justice Department who spent their days poring over clemency applications.
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Trump鈥檚 schedule, according to the White House
11 a.m. 鈥 Trump receives an intelligence briefing in the Oval Office
3 p.m. 鈥 Trump will meet with foreign ministers from Congo and Rwanda in the Oval Office
