It’s Wednesday, and we’re halfway through the week! Unfortunately, the rain is expected to continue through the weekend.
In today’s issue:
- Trump touts record Boeing deal in Qatar
- House GOP wades through budget details
- Cabinet give updates to Congress
- Fallout over ICE-Democratic confrontation
✈️️ NEWS THIS MORNING
Not so-cookie Qatar:
President Trump is in Qatar amid scrutiny over plans to receive a jumbo jet from the Gulf nation as a gift to replace the aging Air Force One while he’s in office.
It’s the second stop on Trump’s multiday trek through the Middle East, following a visit to Saudi Arabia, with Trump pushing for hundreds of billions of dollars in investment pledges from Gulf countries.
Trump on Wednesday touted a deal for Qatar Airways to purchase 160 Boeing jets. It’s the largest deal in the U.S. planemaker’s history, Bloomberg reported.
Kelly Ortberg, Boeing’s CEO, and Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer signed the deal while flanked by Trump and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
“It’s the largest order of jets in the history of Boeing,” Trump said after the agreement was signed.
“I think after signing these documents, we are going to another level of relationship between Qatar and the United States,” Qatar’s emir said.
Wednesday’s deal comes as Trump tours the Middle East looking to get countries like Qatar to invest in U.S. manufacturing.
It also comes on the heels of a $600 billion investment deal with Saudi Arabia, which includes $20 billion for artificial intelligence data centers and energy infrastructure in the U.S, as well as $142 billion to equip Saudi Arabia with state-of-the-art war equipment.
➤ TRUMP WANTS AN UPGRADE:
In Washington, scrutiny has intensified this week surrounding Qatar’s plan to gift the Trump administration with a luxury jumbo jet for the president to use as Air Force One. It would then be transferred to Trump’s presidential library.
The president, a billionaire who personally owns a Boeing 757 dubbed “Trump Force One,” expressed to Fox News’s Sean Hannity how “much less impressive” the current Air Force One is compared to the Qatar jet.
“When you land and you see Saudi Arabia and you see [United Arab Emirates] and you can see Qatar and you see all these — they have these brand-new Boeing 747s, mostly. And you see ours next to it; this is like a totally different plane … It’s much smaller, it’s much less impressive — as impressive as it is.”
This has ignited a firestorm of criticism from all corners of Capitol Hill, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle raising concerns over ethics and national security while also raising Qatar’s human rights record.
^ Democrats clap back: Democrats are flying a plane over Palm Beach, Fla., near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, to blast his gift from Qatar. The sky banner’s message: “Qatar-a-Lago.”
➤ ARABIAN NIGHTS, ARABIAN DAYS:
Trump’s first stop on his Middle East trip in Saudi Arabia included friendly visits with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and top U.S. and Saudi business leaders.
The Hill’s Niall Stanage has the details on how Trump’s trip secured hundreds of billions in investments and made strides in reframing relations with the Middle East.
Earlier Wednesday: Trump met with new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during his swing through Riyadh, a signal of thawing relations between the two countries following the fall of former President Bashar Assad.
“We are currently exploring normalizing with Syria’s new government,” Trump told reporters after the nearly 30-minute meeting. “I’ve seen such progress.”
“The whole world is watching the Middle East,” he added.
➤ SIGHTS AND SOUNDS:
Dan Scavino and Margo Martin, both close aides to Trump, have been sharing behind-the-scenes photos and videos from the trip on social media:
➤ Air Force One was flanked by Qatari F-15 jets as it flew into Doha. 📹 Check out this view!
➤ Trump arrives in Qatar. 📹 Watch
➤ This is quite the escort. 📹 Watch
After signing the Boeing deal, Trump compared the Emir of Qatar with MBS, saying they were “both tall handsome guys who happen to be very smart.” 📹 Watch
⏱️ON CAPITOL HILL
Long hours, late nights:
The House Ways and Means Committee advanced many of President Trump’s top tax priorities Wednesday morning in a 389-page bill that made it out on a party-line vote after an overnight, marathon hearing.
The work now shifts to the House Budget Committee, which faces the monumental task of cobbling together all of the pieces of Trump agenda into “one big, beautiful bill” before it hits the House floor. The Senate faces further pressure to pass a final spending plan before Congress’s Memorial Day deadline.
Back to the Ways and Means plan: Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah) fell asleep in his chair near the end of hearing that lasted more than 17 hours, and almost everyone celebrated when the meeting finally ended. Here are all the latest updates from The Hill.
Key items that made it into the tax-side measure:
➤ 2017 income tax rates cemented.
➤ No tax on tips or overtime through 2028.
➤ Temporary boost to child tax credit.
But, but, but: House Republicans are still at odds over the state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap, which has emerged as one of the biggest hang-ups that complicates the GOP’s ability to pass the megabill with its razor-thin majority.
How did SALT get here? The Hill’s Mychael Schnell breaks it down: “The House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over taxes, included a $30,000 SALT cap for individuals making less than $400,000 in their portion of the mega bill — triple the current $10,000 deduction cap — but moderate Republicans from New York, New Jersey and California say that number is not high enough. Hardline Republicans, meanwhile, are pushing against increasing the deduction cap because of the ballooning deficit.”
➤ RIP, DOGE CAUCUS?
A House Democrat has declared the caucus created to back tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency effort is “dead.”
➤ OTHER HEARINGS:
Several members of the Trump administration are testifying on Capital Hill today, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is back at the Capitol for the first time since taking the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Watch his testimony here.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy testified that he recently altered his wife’s travel plans to avoid issues that have plagued Newark’s Liberty International Airport
ICE-y reception:
Tension is mounting between the Trump administration and Democrats in Congress, following the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D) after he tried to enter an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in New Jersey.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who is also testifying during a House hearing today, accused three Democratic lawmakers of committing “felonies” at the facility.
Democratic Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Robert Menendez and LaMonica McIver were present at the detention center Friday when Baraka was arrested.
“This wasn’t oversight, this was committing felonies. This was going out and attacking people who stand up for the rule of law. And it was absolutely horrible,” Noem said during a Tuesday appearance on Fox News.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) warned there would be a “problem” if more of her fellow Democratic colleagues are arrested.
🗳️ CAMPAIGN NEWS
On the trail:
While many races across various states haven’t yet broken through the whiplash-inducing national news cycle, campaign moves are underway.
Here are a few things that caught our eye this week, previewing what’s to come:
🔵 Upset in Omaha: Democrat John Ewing Jr. defeated incumbent Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert (R), according to a Decision Desk HQ projection. Ewing, a former deputy chief of police for Omaha, is set to become the city’s first Black mayor.
🌽 Hello, Iowa: Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had a town hall event in Iowa on Tuesday, fueling speculation about another presidential run. He told reporters after the meeting that Biden’s decision to run for reelection “maybe” hurt Democrats in last year’s presidential election.
💻 Hint of musk: Democrats are hoping that tech billionaire Elon Musk‘s alignment with the White House will taint Republican candidates in the upcoming midterms.
🍑 Not so peachy: Will Stacey Abrams make a third bid for Georgia governor after losing twice? Some Democrats hope not.
🤠 Deep in the heart of Texas: Sen. John Cornyn‘s battle against Lt. Gov. Ken Paxton for the GOP nomination in next year’s Senate race has been heating up. Politico took a deep dive into what could become a blistering battle in the Lone Star State.
📺 TV appearance: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), while on a break from his big crowd-drawing “Fighting the Oligarchy” tour with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), is scheduled to appear on CBS’s “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Thursday.
➤ MORE BIDEN NEWS FROM ‘ORIGINAL SIN’:
More damning details are emerging about the final stretch of former President Biden‘s time in the White House, thanks to “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” — the forthcoming tome by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson.
Highlights:
➤ Biden didn’t recognize actor George Clooney at a fundraiser in the last month of his 2024 campaign.
➤ Biden confused then-Health Secretary Xavier Becerra with then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — both key members of his Cabinet.
➤ A former senior aide admitted that the White House tried to cover up the then-president’s decline — even from staff.
The book’s authors, both leading journalists who covered Biden while he was in office, have responded to critics who have questioned their previous reporting.
COMING UP
The House and Senate are both in. President Trump is in the Middle East, and Vice President Vance is in D.C. for National Police Week events. (All times EDT)
1 p.m. Trump attends Qatari State Dinner at Lusail Palace.
1:30 p.m. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy testifies at the Senate Health Committee’s budget hearing for the Department of Health and Human Services. (📺Tune in)
2 p.m. House Appropriations panels will hold oversight hearings on the U.S. Coast Guard, Navy and Marine Corps.
3 p.m. Trump arrives at the St. Regis Doha for the evening.
🐝 INTERNET BUZZ
👩🍳 YUM: Today is National Buttermilk Biscuit Day! As a Southerner, I know there’s not much better than great biscuit, whether eating them with jam, gravy or fried chicken. Here’s a favorite recipe if you want to whip up a batch.
🤳Must follow: Pope Leo XIV plans to maintain an active social media presence with official accounts on X and Instagram.
🏒 #AllCaps: The Washington Capitals will be back at Capital One Arena Thursday for a crucial Game 5 match-up against the Carolina Hurricanes.
👋 AND FINALLY…
🦌 Check out this baby gorilla spending time with a deer friend.
