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What's next as Trump vents fury at Vladimir Putin: From the Politics Desk
Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In today's edition, Elon Musk and Donald Trump bid farewell from the Oval Office on live TV. Meanwhile, Kristen Welker digs into Trump's latest social media salvos at Vladimir Putin and what they could mean for the Russia-Ukraine war. And senior Supreme Court reporter Lawrence Hurley answers a reader question about a notable provision tucked into the House budget bill that passed recently. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. — Scott Bland Elon Musk stood next to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, but the physical proximity belied a growing philosophical divide between two of the world's most powerful men, resulting in the tech mogul's abrupt announcement that he is departing Washington — without having achieved his goal of decimating the federal government. 'He came, he saw, he folded,' Steve Bannon, a senior White House adviser during Trump's first term who is influential with the working-class wing of Trump's MAGA base, said in a text exchange with NBC News. Musk, who stood with his arms folded across his chest as he and Trump took questions, sported a bruise near his right eye — an unmistakable metaphor for his tumultuous government service — that he said was incurred while playing with his 5-year-old son X. Trump took a more charitable view of Musk's tenure during a sprawling news conference in which he also declined to rule out pardoning Sean 'Diddy' Combs, who is standing trial on charges of sex trafficking and other alleged crimes; said he dislikes 'the concept' of former first lady Jill Biden being forced to testify before Congress about her husband's mental fitness; and predicted again that Iran is on the cusp of making a deal that would suspend its pursuit of nuclear weapons. 'He had to go through the slings and the arrows, which is a shame because he's an incredible patriot,' Trump said of Musk. Trump and Musk both contended that DOGE will continue to wring out savings by rooting out waste and fraud without Musk as its face. 'This is not the end of DOGE, but really the beginning,' Musk said, vowing to reach the trillion-dollar mark in cuts by the middle of next year. At the same time he spoke of cutting government spending, Musk lauded Trump's remodeling of the Oval Office. 'I love the gold on the ceiling,' he said. Musk has argued that inertia throttled his efforts to reduce government spending — a conclusion that raises questions about whether he was naive about the challenge of the mission he undertook. 'The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,' he told The Washington Post this week. 'I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least.' Read more → President Donald Trump has ramped up the rhetoric attacking Russian President Vladimir Putin, but so far there's no teeth behind it. After months of cutting Putin slack on the world stage and clashing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump has undergone a stark rhetorical shift in recent days. He's taken to social media to blast Putin for having gone 'absolutely crazy' and for 'needlessly killing a lot of people' including Ukrainian citizens 'for no reason whatsoever.' He has warned that 'what Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He's playing with fire!' Trump appears to now be warming to the belief many Western leaders have held for years — that Putin isn't seriously pushing for peace, outside of total Russian victory. In recent weeks, we've seen some of the biggest bombardments of the entire war, including a massive drone attack in Kyiv that came in the shadow of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. None of this means Trump is buddy-buddy with Zelenskyy now, and he criticized the Ukrainian as 'stubborn' during Friday remarks in the Oval Office, even as he underscored his disappointment with Putin. Meanwhile, the issue of sanctioning Russia and sending aid to Ukraine obviously splits the GOP, and it doesn't necessarily sit well with the 'America First' wing of the GOP that Trump commands. But if Trump wants to act, as former Vice President Mike Pence told me he recommended during our conversation earlier this month, he has arrows in his quiver. Earlier this week on 'Meet the Press Now,' former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul told us that the only way to convince Putin to come to the negotiating table is to convince him he can't advance on the battlefield. While one might think the West is tapped out when it comes to sanctions, McFaul said there's a lot more on the table, including seizing more assets or banning Russia's 'shadow fleet' that ships oil from docking at Western ports. And just a few days ago, Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, an elder statesman in the Senate, called on Trump to be as 'decisive' in new sanctions against Russia as he's been in his push against Harvard University. So if Putin has run out of leash with Trump, then what's the president waiting for? Join us Sunday when we talk about this and a flurry of other important domestic and international issues with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. Thanks to everyone who emailed us! This week's reader question is on an under-the-radar provision in Republicans' 'big, beautiful bill.' 'I heard that the bill contains language that takes away a judge's authority to hold someone in contempt when they don't comply with the court's orders. Is that true? I've seen a lot about the financial implications but nothing on this.' To answer this, we turned to senior Supreme Court reporter Lawrence Hurley. Here's his response: The House bill does indeed include a provision that would limit the ability of federal judges to hold people in contempt for violating court orders. (Read it here.) The Republican-backed measure comes amid considerable pushback on the right against a number of judges who have not only blocked Trump administration policies but have also questioned whether the administration is complying with rulings and at least considered contempt proceedings. The provision in question would seek to limit the ability of judges to pursue contempt findings by withholding federal funds that could be used to enforce such a ruling unless the plaintiff posted a bond when seeking a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction. But there is no guarantee the Senate will include the language in its version of the bill, in part because it may fall foul of rules intended to ensure budget bill provisions have a direct link to federal revenues. 👩⚖️ A temporary win on temporary status: The Supreme Court said it would continue to let the administration revoke the temporary legal status of more than 500,000 immigrants from four countries as litigation continues. Read more → 🦷 Speaking of having teeth: A new study warns that a 50-state ban on fluoride in water could lead to 1 in every 3 children in America developing cavities in the next five years. Read more → 📉 A roller coaster: Trump's tweet accusing China of flouting a deal on tariffs sent stocks sliding amid the uncertainty related to the trade war between the two countries. Read more → ☔ The fate of FEMA: While the Department of Homeland Security is publicly saying it will get rid of FEMA, it's quietly moving to keep some key pieces in place ahead of hurricane season. Read more → 🚙 Getting out of dodge: A growing number of lawmakers are looking to ditch Washington for the governor's mansions, leaving a job without a term limit for a chance to move back home. Read more → ➡️ Inflation rate: Inflation didn't change much in April, according to new data released by the Commerce Department. Read more → 📱 Poke: The Trump administration wants more social media vetting of Harvard's visa applicants. Read more → ◼️ Bernie Kerik has died: The former New York City police commissioner who later spent three years in jail on tax and false statement charges before being pardoned has died at the age of 69. Read more → That's all From the Politics Desk for now. Today's newsletter was compiled by Scott Bland and Ben Kamisar. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@ And if you're a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here. This article was originally published on
NBC News
17 hours ago
- Business
- NBC News
What's next as Trump vents fury at Vladimir Putin: From the Politics Desk
Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In today's edition, Elon Musk and Donald Trump bid farewell from the Oval Office on live TV. Meanwhile, Kristen Welker digs into Trump's latest social media salvos at Vladimir Putin and what they could mean for the Russia-Ukraine war. And senior Supreme Court reporter Lawrence Hurley answers a reader question about a notable provision tucked into the House budget bill that passed recently. — Scott Bland Elon Musk's missed opportunity By Jonathan Allen Elon Musk stood next to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday, but the physical proximity belied a growing philosophical divide between two of the world's most powerful men, resulting in the tech mogul's abrupt announcement that he is departing Washington — without having achieved his goal of decimating the federal government. 'He came, he saw, he folded,' Steve Bannon, a senior White House adviser during Trump's first term who is influential with the working-class wing of Trump's MAGA base, said in a text exchange with NBC News. Musk, who stood with his arms folded across his chest as he and Trump took questions, sported a bruise near his right eye — an unmistakable metaphor for his tumultuous government service — that he said was incurred while playing with his 5-year-old son X. Trump took a more charitable view of Musk's tenure during a sprawling news conference in which he also declined to rule out pardoning Sean 'Diddy' Combs, who is standing trial on charges of sex trafficking and other alleged crimes; said he dislikes 'the concept' of former first lady Jill Biden being forced to testify before Congress about her husband's mental fitness; and predicted again that Iran is on the cusp of making a deal that would suspend its pursuit of nuclear weapons. 'He had to go through the slings and the arrows, which is a shame because he's an incredible patriot,' Trump said of Musk. Trump and Musk both contended that DOGE will continue to wring out savings by rooting out waste and fraud without Musk as its face. 'This is not the end of DOGE, but really the beginning,' Musk said, vowing to reach the trillion-dollar mark in cuts by the middle of next year. At the same time he spoke of cutting government spending, Musk lauded Trump's remodeling of the Oval Office. 'I love the gold on the ceiling,' he said. Musk has argued that inertia throttled his efforts to reduce government spending — a conclusion that raises questions about whether he was naive about the challenge of the mission he undertook. 'The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,' he told The Washington Post this week. 'I thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least.' The next steps as Trump vents fury at Putin By Kristen Welker President Donald Trump has ramped up the rhetoric attacking Russian President Vladimir Putin, but so far there's no teeth behind it. After months of cutting Putin slack on the world stage and clashing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump has undergone a stark rhetorical shift in recent days. He's taken to social media to blast Putin for having gone ' absolutely crazy ' and for 'needlessly killing a lot of people' including Ukrainian citizens 'for no reason whatsoever.' He has warned that 'what Vladimir Putin doesn't realize is that if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He's playing with fire!' Trump appears to now be warming to the belief many Western leaders have held for years — that Putin isn't seriously pushing for peace, outside of total Russian victory. In recent weeks, we've seen some of the biggest bombardments of the entire war, including a massive drone attack in Kyiv that came in the shadow of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. None of this means Trump is buddy-buddy with Zelenskyy now, and he criticized the Ukrainian as 'stubborn' during Friday remarks in the Oval Office, even as he underscored his disappointment with Putin. Meanwhile, the issue of sanctioning Russia and sending aid to Ukraine obviously splits the GOP, and it doesn't necessarily sit well with the 'America First' wing of the GOP that Trump commands. But if Trump wants to act, as former Vice President Mike Pence told me he recommended during our conversation earlier this month, he has arrows in his quiver. Earlier this week on 'Meet the Press Now,' former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul told us that the only way to convince Putin to come to the negotiating table is to convince him he can't advance on the battlefield. While one might think the West is tapped out when it comes to sanctions, McFaul said there's a lot more on the table, including seizing more assets or banning Russia's 'shadow fleet' that ships oil from docking at Western ports. And just a few days ago, Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, an elder statesman in the Senate, called on Trump to be as 'decisive' in new sanctions against Russia as he's been in his push against Harvard University. So if Putin has run out of leash with Trump, then what's the president waiting for? Join us Sunday when we talk about this and a flurry of other important domestic and international issues with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. ✉️ Mailbag: Congress and the courts Thanks to everyone who emailed us! This week's reader question is on an under-the-radar provision in Republicans' 'big, beautiful bill.' 'I heard that the bill contains language that takes away a judge's authority to hold someone in contempt when they don't comply with the court's orders. Is that true? I've seen a lot about the financial implications but nothing on this.' To answer this, we turned to senior Supreme Court reporter Lawrence Hurley. Here's his response: The House bill does indeed include a provision that would limit the ability of federal judges to hold people in contempt for violating court orders. (Read it here.) The Republican-backed measure comes amid considerable pushback on the right against a number of judges who have not only blocked Trump administration policies but have also questioned whether the administration is complying with rulings and at least considered contempt proceedings. The provision in question would seek to limit the ability of judges to pursue contempt findings by withholding federal funds that could be used to enforce such a ruling unless the plaintiff posted a bond when seeking a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction. But there is no guarantee the Senate will include the language in its version of the bill, in part because it may fall foul of rules intended to ensure budget bill provisions have a direct link to federal revenues.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Musk's missed opportunity: From the Politics Desk
Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In today's edition, Jonathan Allen reviews Elon Musk's stint in the White House as he prepares to leave Washington. Plus, we have the latest on the back-and-forth in the courts over President Donald Trump's tariff regime. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. — Adam Wollner Elon Musk rocketed out of the Beltway this week having blown a golden opportunity to make bigger, better and more beautiful changes to the way the American people are served by their government. The megabillionaire misjudged his own popularity and that of his mission, alienated key stakeholders in both parties, overpromised and underdelivered. The shame of it for those who believe in deficit reduction and government efficiency is that Musk might have found more utility in a scalpel than his famous faux chainsaw. It's not shocking that someone who is accustomed to making unilateral decisions about corporate strategies, budgets and functions would fail to live up to his own expectations about retrofitting a government in which power is diffuse and the shareholders — American citizens — have concerns that go beyond the bottom line. If voters cared only about profit and loss, the nation would not be $36 trillion in debt, with more deficits lined up on the horizon. Surely, Musk can claim success in having cut some federal programs, reduced the workforce and canceled contracts. But it's a drop in the bucket. Even his DOGE website claims only $175 billion in savings — a far cry from his target of 'at least $2 trillion.' And he and his team misrepresented their work over and over and over and over again. DOGE's most important legacy may be in catalyzing a modernization of government systems — though critics have raised concerns about his team's access to Americans' personal data. And it remains unclear how various lawsuits against DOGE actions will turn out. Musk could have come into Washington with the modest promise to make the government run more smoothly at a lower cost to the public. He could have taken bipartisan congressional interest in his plans as an invitation to work with lawmakers — the people who authorize and fund the executive branch — to make lasting changes. Instead of reading Donald Trump's election as a blank check from the citizenry, he could have marketed his plans through a national campaign to build public support. But Musk chose to see everyone outside his insular group of advisers as an enemy, and he tried to vanquish them all with a shock-and-awe strategy more suited to corporate warfare than governance. By the time the White House quietly acknowledged his departure Wednesday night, Musk had become a lightning rod in Washington. He emerged as a leading political boogeyman for the Democrats while angering some congressional Republicans by slashing programs they like and forcing them to try to fill the budgetary hole left by his unmet goals. By one measure, his national approval rating is slightly below 40% — making him a drag on Trump. Tesla, his car company, has recovered from bottoming out earlier this year, but its stock is still down about 5% for the year. And while SpaceX hasn't disintegrated without him at the helm full time, some of its projectiles have. Musk whisked into Washington with a mandate from the man in charge and he's walking away having failed to achieve it. A blast from the past: Musk isn't the first case of one of the world's richest men taking an influential position in Washington that didn't quite go as planned. As Scott Bland writes, his story has some key similarities to that of Andrew Mellon, who served as treasury secretary to three GOP presidents in the 1920s and '30s. This time, it was the courts that were responsible for a round of off-again, on-again tariffs. On Thursday afternoon, an appeals court reversed a federal trade panel's ruling some 24 hours earlier that struck down a slew of President Donald Trump's tariffs targeting other countries, Rob Wile and Steve Kopack report. A second court ruling earlier Thursday by a U.S. district court came to a similar conclusion as the trade court. By granting the Trump administration's request for a stay, the appeals court put those tariffs back into effect while it weighs the case. The trade court's ruling would have the effect of lowering the U.S.'s average effective tariff rate from 15% to 6.5%, according to Capital Economics consultancy. The ruling did not affect import duties on automobiles, auto parts, and steel and aluminum. How the markets responded: Markets initially cheered the possible elimination of some import taxes. But by Thursday afternoon, most gains had dwindled. Experts said the courts' decisions ultimately add another layer of uncertainty to Trump's trade war effort. How the White House responded: Trump administration officials said that they were considering alternative ways of reimposing the affected tariffs, but were confident that their original directives would be reinstated. 'We're going to see what happens on appeal, and we're very confident in our success there,' National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett told Fox Business. 'But the fact is that there are things, measures ... that we could start right now.' 'But we're not planning to pursue those right now because we're very, very confident that this really is incorrect,' Hassett added. Read more → Vote in our reader poll! 📝 Independence day: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told Trump during a meeting that monetary policy decisions would be 'based solely on careful, objective, and non-political analysis.' Read more → 💉 Health report: The Trump administration has axed a $766 million contract for Moderna to develop a vaccine against potential pandemic flu viruses. Meanwhile, a new Covid variant that's gaining momentum globally has landed in the U.S. ➡️ New crackdown: The U.S. will start 'aggressively' revoking the visas of Chinese students, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, including those with connections to the ruling Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. Read more → ⚖️ In the courts: A federal judge extended a temporary order blocking the Trump administration's revocation of Harvard's ability to enroll international students. Read more → 🗣️ Whitmer responds: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she's 'very disappointed' that Trump is considering pardoning the men convicted of conspiring to kidnap her. Read more → 🗳️ 2026 watch: The Medicaid cuts in Republicans' massive domestic policy bill are emerging as an early flashpoint ahead of next year's midterm elections. Read more → 📺 On air: Democrat Abigail Spanberger launched her first TV ad of the 2025 Virginia governor's race, framing herself as someone willing to work with both parties. Read more → 🛬 HBOuch: During an appearance on CNN, comedian Nathan Fielder called the Federal Aviation Administration and its response to his show 'The Rehearsal' — which has focused on airline safety this season — 'dumb.' Read more → Follow live politics updates → That's all From the Politics Desk for now. Today's newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Ben Kamisar. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@ And if you're a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here. This article was originally published on
NBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- NBC News
Elon Musk's missed opportunity: From the Politics Desk
Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In today's edition, Jonathan Allen reviews Elon Musk's stint in the White House as he prepares to leave Washington. Plus, we have the latest on the back-and-forth in the courts over President Donald Trump's tariff regime. — Adam Wollner Elon Musk's missed opportunity Analysis by Jonathan Allen Elon Musk rocketed out of the Beltway this week having blown a golden opportunity to make bigger, better and more beautiful changes to the way the American people are served by their government. The megabillionaire misjudged his own popularity and that of his mission, alienated key stakeholders in both parties, overpromised and underdelivered. The shame of it for those who believe in deficit reduction and government efficiency is that Musk might have found more utility in a scalpel than his famous faux chainsaw. It's not shocking that someone who is accustomed to making unilateral decisions about corporate strategies, budgets and functions would fail to live up to his own expectations about retrofitting a government in which power is diffuse and the shareholders — American citizens — have concerns that go beyond the bottom line. If voters cared only about profit and loss, the nation would not be $36 trillion in debt, with more deficits lined up on the horizon. Surely, Musk can claim success in having cut some federal programs, reduced the workforce and canceled contracts. But it's a drop in the bucket. Even his DOGE website claims only $175 billion in savings — a far cry from his target of ' at least $2 trillion.' And he and his team misrepresented their work over and over and over and over again. DOGE's most important legacy may be in catalyzing a modernization of government systems — though critics have raised concerns about his team's access to Americans' personal data. And it remains unclear how various lawsuits against DOGE actions will turn out. Musk could have come into Washington with the modest promise to make the government run more smoothly at a lower cost to the public. He could have taken bipartisan congressional interest in his plans as an invitation to work with lawmakers — the people who authorize and fund the executive branch — to make lasting changes. Instead of reading Donald Trump's election as a blank check from the citizenry, he could have marketed his plans through a national campaign to build public support. But Musk chose to see everyone outside his insular group of advisers as an enemy, and he tried to vanquish them all with a shock-and-awe strategy more suited to corporate warfare than governance. By the time the White House quietly acknowledged his departure Wednesday night, Musk had become a lightning rod in Washington. He emerged as a leading political boogeyman for the Democrats while angering some congressional Republicans by slashing programs they like and forcing them to try to fill the budgetary hole left by his unmet goals. By one measure, his national approval rating is slightly below 40% — making him a drag on Trump. Tesla, his car company, has recovered from bottoming out earlier this year, but its stock is still down about 5% for the year. And while SpaceX hasn't disintegrated without him at the helm full time, some of its projectiles have. Musk whisked into Washington with a mandate from the man in charge and he's walking away having failed to achieve it. A blast from the past: Musk isn't the first case of one of the world's richest men taking an influential position in Washington that didn't quite go as planned. As Scott Bland writes, his story has some key similarities to that of Andrew Mellon, who served as treasury secretary to three GOP presidents in the 1920s and '30s. This time, it was the courts that were responsible for a round of off-again, on-again tariffs. On Thursday afternoon, an appeals court reversed a federal trade panel's ruling some 24 hours earlier that struck down a slew of President Donald Trump's tariffs targeting other countries, Rob Wile and Steve Kopack report. A second court ruling earlier Thursday by a U.S. district court came to a similar conclusion as the trade court. By granting the Trump administration's request for a stay, the appeals court put those tariffs back into effect while it weighs the case. The trade court's ruling would have the effect of lowering the U.S.'s average effective tariff rate from 15% to 6.5%, according to Capital Economics consultancy. The ruling did not affect import duties on automobiles, auto parts, and steel and aluminum. How the markets responded: Markets initially cheered the possible elimination of some import taxes. But by Thursday afternoon, most gains had dwindled. Experts said the courts' decisions ultimately add another layer of uncertainty to Trump's trade war effort. How the White House responded: Trump administration officials said that they were considering alternative ways of reimposing the affected tariffs, but were confident that their original directives would be reinstated. 'We're going to see what happens on appeal, and we're very confident in our success there,' National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett told Fox Business. 'But the fact is that there are things, measures ... that we could start right now.' 'But we're not planning to pursue those right now because we're very, very confident that this really is incorrect,' Hassett added. Vote in our reader poll!
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3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Musk emboldens GOP critics of Trump's big bill: From the Politics Desk
Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In today's edition, we explore how Elon Musk is adding fuel to the fire for Republican skeptics of President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' Plus, Andrea Mitchell dives into how Trump is fundamentally reshaping the the postwar alliance between the U.S. and Europe. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. — Adam Wollner Elon Musk took some of the wind out of the sails of the 'big, beautiful bill' as it moves to the Senate next week after passing the House by the narrowest of margins. In an interview with CBS' 'Sunday Morning' that will air in full this Sunday, Musk said he was 'disappointed' that the massive domestic policy package would increase the deficit and said it 'undermines' the work of the Department of Government Efficiency. 'I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, I don't know if it can be both,' Musk said. It's not the first time Musk has broken with President Donald Trump on a major issue. (See his comments on tariffs last month). Nor is it the first time Musk has thrown a wrench into the middle of high-stakes legislating on Capitol Hill. (See his comments on a government funding bill late last year.) The criticism: Musk has suggested he's scaling back from his administration role to return his attention to the private sector. But his comments still served to embolden conservative critics of the multitrillion-dollar package, as the GOP faces a tight timeline and little margin for error for final passage. Rep. Warren Davison of Ohio, one of only two Republicans who voted against the bill in the House last week, said in response to Musk's interview on X: 'Hopefully, the Senate will succeed with the Big Beautiful Bill where the House missed the moment. Don't hope someone else will cut deficits someday, know it has been done this Congress.' Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Mike Lee of Utah reiterated their issues with the bill, which revolve around the deficit impact. The Congressional Budget Office has projected the legislation would add $2.3 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years. 'This bill isn't a done deal yet,' Lee said. 'The Senate version will be more aggressive.' Republicans can only afford three defections in the Senate, and any changes they make there would have to go back through the House before the bill can go to Trump's desk, which they are aiming to do by July 4. The defense: Trump's allies quickly rushed to defend the package, which is a product of delicate negotiations among Republicans with a thin House majority. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., took to X to say that their efforts to shrink the size of government would extend beyond the 'big, beautiful bill.' They said they would seek to cut spending through a rescission package — a clawback of money that Congress has already appropriated — and through the regular budget process for the 2026 fiscal year. 'The House is eager and ready to act on DOGE's findings so we can deliver even more cuts to big government that President Trump wants and the American people demand,' Johnson said. What Trump is saying: Asked about Musk's criticism, Trump said he was 'not happy about certain aspects' of the bill, but 'thrilled by other aspects of it.' Read more → Town hall heat: GOP Reps. Mike Flood of Nebraska and Ashley Hinson of Iowa faced intense questioning and jeers at town halls this week over their support for the 'big, beautiful bill.' Has the Trump administration decided America's closest European allies should be treated as adversaries? Setting aside President Donald Trump's long-standing aversion to NATO and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calling the Europeans 'pathetic' in a now-infamous Signal chat, now the State Department is sending diplomats to Ireland and France to chide their governments for allegedly censoring free speech by right-wing political parties and movements. Secretary of State Marco Rubio went on social media to criticize Germany for labeling a far-right opposition party 'extremist.' And Vice President JD Vance caused a furor at the Munich Security Conference by attacking his hosts for 'a retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values — values shared with the United States of America.' Vance's criticism, immediately rejected by some Republicans in attendance, was widely written off as an outlier. Now it has become policy. An even more inflammatory statement just published on the State Department's official Substack is expanding on Vance's critique and declaring U.S. support for the nascent right-wing movements across Europe. In a separate but related statement, Rubio announced visa restrictions against foreign nationals who try to censor Americans or foreign officials who demand that U.S. tech platforms moderate global content that reaches into the United States. Leaders of the European Union, the world's largest trading bloc, are also reeling from Trump's recent suggestion that the U.S. would impose a 50% tariff on E.U. exports — a proposal he put on hold after a sharp rebuke from the markets pending the conclusion of trade negotiations in July. But with plans underway for the annual NATO summit in June, European leaders are also bracing for the latest Trump salvo over their lagging defense commitments, coupled with a potential declaration that he will not sustain U.S. military support for Ukraine once the current pipeline of Biden-approved weapons runs out. As Europe scrambles to replace what it anticipates will be the U.S. abandonment of Ukraine, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is leading the charge to rally European contributions — although they cannot duplicate American air defenses or intelligence. And Starmer is rushing to try to repair his country's post-Brexit breach with the E.U. in expectation of an economic stalemate over tariffs with the White House. Meanwhile, the entire bloc looks toward Beijing as an alternative trading partner. What isn't clear is how the Trump administration's criticism of Europe and tariff fights advance either U.S. security or economic interests. But this appears to be only the beginning of the administration's reimagining of a postwar alliance that rebuilt a devastated Europe and created the greatest, most sustained economic boom in American history. 📝 Pardon politics: Trump said he would look into possibly pardoning the men convicted in a scheme to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Read more → 📝 Pardon politics, cont.: Trump's recent string of pardons highlight the Justice Department's pullback from public corruption cases. Read more → ➡️ Russia-Ukraine latest: Trump suggested he'll make a decision in the next two weeks on how he will deal with Russia's handling of peace talks with Ukraine. Read more → 📈 Deportation data: The Trump administration has dramatically stepped up its pace of deportations, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data obtained by NBC News, but is still lagging behind its target. Read more → 🚫 New directive: The Trump administration has stopped scheduling new interviews for international students seeking visas to study in the U.S. as the State Department prepares for expanded social media screening of applicants. Read more → Follow live politics updates → That's all From the Politics Desk for now. Today's newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@ And if you're a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here. This article was originally published on
