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12:30 REPORT
It’s Tuesday. The breeze is blowing, the skies are blue, and all eyes are on New York — but not for the sparkly lights. Here’s what’s going on today:
- Former President Trump’s hush money trial in New York continues, and the judge in that case heard arguments today on whether Trump violated a gag order.
- President Biden will visit Florida today, where a six-week abortion ban is set to take effect next week, to deliver a speech focused on reproductive rights.
- The Senate is set to advance Ukraine aid, among other provisions, after a contentious battle in the House, with the first procedural vote on the $95 billion package expected this afternoon.
This is Julia Mueller and Steff Danielle Thomas, filling in for Cate today, with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.
🧑⚖️ Trump Hush Money Trial
Did Trump violate his gag order?
We have made it to week two of former President Trump’s first criminal trial. Phew.
Opening arguments in the hush money trial wrapped up yesterday. But before witness testimony could pick up again today, Judge Juan Merchan heard arguments on whether the former president violated a gag order barring him from making public comments about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and the judge's family.
Prosecutors want him fined: They asked the judge to find Trump in contempt and fine him for violating the order 10 times, pointing to several posts on Trump’s Truth Social platform.
After this morning’s hearing: The judge said he’ll reserve a decision on the alleged gag order violations. Witness testimony in the case resumed, however, with former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker taking the stand once again.
Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the case, connected to a hush money payment made around the 2016 election to adult film star Stormy Daniels to silence her allegations of an affair with Trump a decade earlier.
The Hill’s Ella Lee has the details on the gag order.
You can follow along with The Hill’s live coverage of Trump’s trial here.
➤ MEET THE JURORS:
The chosen: Seven men and five women heard opening statements Monday in Trump’s criminal trial, the first-ever of a former or sitting U.S. president.
A hard task: The jury, selected from hundreds of New Yorkers, is charged with determining the former president’s guilt or innocence as the trial unfolds in the coming weeks.
Here’s what we know about each juror from The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld.
➤ UPDATE TO DOCUMENTS CASE:
New court documents reveal Trump brushed off warnings that he could be charged for keeping the classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence, promising to pardon one of his now co-defendants if charges were filed.
The details, laid out in unsealed documents as part of a broader legal battle in the documents case, lay bare the candid advice from an unnamed witness as well as other details about the federal investigation.
Here's the full story from The Hill's Rebecca Beitsch.
💰In Congress
$95 billion in foreign aid on the line:
Finally, some movement.
After months of congressional squabbling: The Senate is poised to advance a $95 billion aid package that would help Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region.
All eyes on the Senate: The upper chamber is set for a procedural vote on the foreign aid this afternoon, starting a 30-hour clock toward a vote on final passage, which would take place Wednesday night absent a deal on amendments, The Hill’s Al Weaver reports.
Any amendment vote is expected to fail because alterations to the aid package would force the House — which is out for recess — to vote on it again, Weaver reports.
The timing of a final vote: That’s up in the air, but the deal is expected to pass with ease — bringing Congress closer to the end of a long-running battle on Capitol Hill that raised questions about Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) leadership.
➤ ICYMI: BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS
The Associated Press breaks it down:
- $61 billion for Ukraine in military and economic aid
- $26 billion for Israel, including humanitarian relief in Gaza
- $8 billion for helping U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region and countering China
Greene sees steep climb to oust Johnson:
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is escalating her threat to remove Speaker Mike Johnson from power as conservative fury against the Speaker grows over his leadership style and his handling of the debate around aid to Ukraine.
“He needs to do the right thing — to resign — and allow us to move forward in a controlled process. If he doesn’t do so, he will be vacated,” Greene said on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures."
But it’s an uphill climb: The Georgia Republican, a vocal supporter of former President Trump, hit a roadblock when Trump offered a defense of the top House Republican yesterday, arguing that Johnson “is in there and he’s trying” amid the conservative blowback. And, Democrats also appear ready to rescue Johnson from a conservative coup, reports The Hill’s Mike Lillis.
That leaves Greene with little force behind her removal resolution in a chamber that Republicans hold by a thinning majority.
➤ INTERESTING READS:
- ‘Trump defends Johnson, rips prosecution in post-court radio interview’: Politico
- ‘How Republicans castrated themselves’: Axios
- ‘The Circus Trump Wanted Outside His Trial Hasn’t Arrived’: The New York Times
- ‘House Republican infighting getting worse after foreign aid vote’: The Washington Post
☀️ On The Campaign Trail
Biden heads to the Sunshine State:
While former President Trump is stuck in Manhattan and Senators debate foreign aid, President Biden is hitting the campaign trail. He is heading to Tampa, Fla., where he’s expected to hit on the six-week abortion ban that is set to take effect in the Sunshine State on May 1.
Trump takes credit: The former president has claimed responsibility for the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022. In the wake of the decision, Biden's reelection campaign has blamed the former president for strict abortion bans that have cropped up in states across the country. (Read about the laws here, organized by state).
In Tampa: The president is going to “forcefully advocate for reproductive freedom and call out Donald Trump’s abortion bans,” his team said.
The Biden campaign has set its sights on flipping Florida in the fall, targeting Trump’s home state.
Biden’s Florida plans appear as part of a broader campaign push to make Trump the face of the anti-abortion movement as Democrats hope the issue — from strict bans to ballot measures that would enshrine protections for the procedure — motivates voters to turn out and boost blue candidates up and down the ballot in November.
They also hope Trump’s hush money trial, set to continue four days a week for several weeks, gives Biden a chance to steal some campaign trail spotlight while his rival is mired in the Manhattan courtroom proceedings.
The Hill’s Nathaniel Weixel breaks down Biden’s Tampa travel today.
🏫 Campus Tensions
Rise of pro-Palestinian protests:
Tensions on college campuses across the nation have risen since the University of South Carolina nixed its pro-Palestinian valedictorian’s speech earlier this month over “security concerns.”
Since the incident — a symptom of the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas — Columbia University has canceled in-person classes; dozens of protestors have been arrested at New York University and Yale University; and Harvard Yard was forced to close its gates to the public.
Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik is also facing calls to resign after giving testimony before the House Education Committee about campus antisemitism last week. The school has now moved all main campus classes — excluding art-based programs — to a hybrid format for the remainder of the semester.
Read more about the unrest from The Hill’s Lauren Sforza.
➤ MAJOR DONOR WEIGHS IN:
Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and founder of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, said he would withhold his donation to Columbia University if the school cannot protect its students and staff from the unrest.
“I am no longer confident that Columbia can protect its students and staff and I am not comfortable supporting the university until corrective action is taken,” he said, according to a post on social media platform X.
🐝 Internet Buzz
🍒 Celebrate: Today is National Cherry Cheesecake Day!
📚 Today is also World Book and Copyright Day. So grab a book, a cup of tea and curl up with your favorite read. 👓 The New Yorker staff has a great list of books for the year so far.
🎵 Are you livin’ on a prayer? Well then, you are in luck. In honor of his 40th music anniversary, Jon Bon Jovi let a film crew follow him around. The four-part docuseries, called “Thank You, Goodnight,” debuts Friday on Hulu.
🗓 On The Agenda
The House is out. The Senate is in. President Biden is in Tampa, Fla., today for a couple of campaign events. Vice President Harris is in Washington. (all times Eastern)
Today: Former President Trump is back in court in Manhattan for his hush money trial.
12 p.m.: Biden departs for Tampa.
1:20 p.m.: White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates will brief reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Tampa. 💻 Stream
3 p.m. and 4:15 p.m: The president participates in campaign events in Tampa.
This afternoon: The Senate is considering the House-passed foreign aid supplemental.
Also happening today: Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will host a Passover Seder in Washington.
7:30 p.m.: Biden gets back to the White House.
Tonight: Pennsylvania holds presidential and state primaries.
👋 And Finally…
Because you made it this far, here’s a cute video of a Giraffe being the best babysitter.
Stay Engaged
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