Today’s edition of quick hits.
* A major legal setback for the administration: “A federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected the Trump administration’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelans it alleges are members of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua.”
* The on-again, off-again deal is apparently on again: “The White House said Wednesday night that it had signed an ‘economic partnership’ with Ukraine that, after weeks of volatile negotiations, will give Washington access to some of the war-torn nation’s critical minerals and natural resources.”
* This resolution would’ve passed, but two proponents missed the vote: “A bipartisan measure that sought to undo the sweeping tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on most countries this month failed in the GOP-led Senate on Wednesday. The vote ended in a tie, 49-49, with three Republicans — Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — joining all Democrats present in support of the resolution, which was designed to terminate the national emergency Trump declared to implement his global tariffs.”
* I wish reports like these were less common: “The Trump Organization has agreed to a new Middle East golf course and real estate deal that involves a Qatari government-owned firm, two weeks before President Trump is set to travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on a state visit.”
* The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was divided 9-6 in this case: “A divided federal appeals court rejected the Trump administration’s bid to lift an order blocking the U.S. Social Security Administration from giving the Elon Musk-spearheaded Department of Government Efficiency unfettered access to the data of millions of Americans.”
* The latest in a series of regressive steps: “The Trump administration abruptly cancelled roughly $1 billion in federal grants aimed at helping schools hire and train therapists. Hundreds of funding recipients across the country received letters April 29 from the U.S. Department of Education informing them that their mental health programs violated civil rights laws.”
* A burgeoning mess in Florida: “A Republican lawmaker shocked Florida’s political world when he accused representatives of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration of committing federal crimes by diverting $10 million from a Medicaid settlement to political activities last year. No one has been charged, and DeSantis administration officials have denied wrongdoing. But four former federal prosecutors told the Herald/Times that Rep. Alex Andrade could be on strong legal ground.”
* Petty and unnecessary retribution, Part I: “Chris Krebs, the former cybersecurity official in President Trump’s first term whom the president recently targeted for investigation because he had said that the 2020 election had been conducted securely, learned this week that his membership in a program giving travelers expedited status had been revoked. Mr. Krebs received an email on Wednesday alerting him that his status in the Global Entry program had changed, prompting him to log into his account.” * Petty and unnecessary retribution, Part II: “The F.B.I. is reassigning several female agents in supervisory positions who knelt during demonstrations protesting police violence in the District of Columbia in 2020, according to several people familiar with the matter. The move has raised concerns among current and former bureau employees that the F.B.I. is taking action against agents and analysts who were involved in situations denounced by allies of President Trump and the right-wing news media.” * Petty and unnecessary retribution, Part III: “President Donald Trump has ousted former second gentleman Doug Emhoff from the Holocaust Memorial Museum Council, just three months into what is typically a five-year term as a board member.” It’s a three-day weekend for me, but I’ll see you again on Monday, May 5.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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