President Donald Trumpis heading to Capitol Hill early Tuesday to seal the deal on his "big, beautiful bill," using the power of political persuasion to unify divided House Republicans on themultitrillion-dollar packagethat isat risk of collapsingahead of planned votes this week. Trump hosted theKennedy Center's leadership at the White House on Monday night,reinforcing his effortsto overhaul the social and ideological dynamics of the national arts scene. And Secretary of State Marco Rubio is defending the nearly 50% cuts to his department's budget. He'll tell the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday that focusing on core priorities will strengthen the U.S. position on the global stage. Here's the latest: Trump has arrived at the US Capitol ahead of a meeting with House Republicans Trump arrived after the short drive down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. He's makingthe rare visitto try to unite divided House Republicans behind his multibillion-dollar tax cut and spending package. Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" is at risk of collapsing due to internal divisions even before scheduled votes this week. Trump will address House Republicans behind closed doors at their weekly meeting. Senate Democrats get first chance to publicly grill Trump's top diplomat Senate Democrats are getting their first chance to publicly confront Rubio over dramatic cuts in foreign aid and other major changes in U.S. foreign policy. Democrats on the Foreign Relations Committee have urged the former senator for months to come answer their questions about the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Trump's clashes with traditional allies including Canada and other drastic changes. In her prepared remarks, the ranking Democrat, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, argues that the Trump administration has "eviscerated six decades of foreign policy investments" and given China openings around the world. "Mr. Secretary, I urge you to stand up to the extremists of the administration," Shaheen says. 'Today, America is back,' Rubio will tell the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Rubio's testimony echoes the line President Joe Biden used when he took office and ended many of Trump's first-term "America First" policies. Rubio's prepared remarks claim four months of foreign policy achievements, even as these efforts remain frustratingly inconclusive: the resumption of nuclear talks with Iran, efforts to bring Russia and Ukraine into peace talks and efforts to end to the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. And he'll praise agreements with El Salvador and other Latin American countries to accept migrant deportees, saying "secure borders, safe communities and zero tolerance for criminal cartels are once again the guiding principles of our foreign policy." Secretary of State is defending cuts of nearly 50% to his department's budget Marco Rubio says in his prepared remarks to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday that the cuts serve America's foreign policy interests by eliminating waste, duplicative programs and unnecessary personnel. He asserts that by focusing on core priorities, the cuts actually strengthen the U.S. position on the global stage. "Every bureau and office will have a clear mission. The Department will speak with one voice, guided by our statutory mandates and national interests — not fads or fringe academic theories," Rubio will say. The proposed budget of $28.5 billion reflects the recession of some $20 billion in what Rubio called "ideologically driven programs" focusing on diversity, equality, inclusion and climate change. Trump is heading to Capitol Hill to persuade divided GOP to unify around his 'big, beautiful' bill Trump is heading to Capitol Hill early Tuesday to seal the deal on his "big, beautiful bill," using the power of political persuasion to unify divided House Republicans. Trump has implored GOP holdouts to "STOP TALKING, AND GET IT DONE." But negotiations are slogging along and it's not at all clear that thepresident's top domestic priorityof extending the tax breaks while pumping in money for border security and deportations and imposing new limits on Medicaid has the support needed from the House's slim Republican majority. Conservatives are insisting on quicker, steeper cuts to federal programs to offset the costs of the trillions of dollars in lost tax revenue. At the same time, a core group of lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states want bigger tax breaks for their voters back home. Worries about piling onto the nation's $36 trillion debt are stark. House Speaker Mike Johnsonis determined to push the bill forward and needs Trump to provide the momentum, either by encouragement or political warnings or a combination of both. A key committee hearing is set for the middle of the night Tuesday in hopes of a House floor vote by Wednesday afternoon. ▶ Read moreabout Trump's visit to Capitol Hill Things are getting nasty between Springsteen and Trump They have some similarities, Bruce Springsteen and Donald Trump — guys in their 70s with homes in New Jersey and big constituencies among white American men middle-aged and older. And both, in very different respects, are the boss. That's about where it ends. The veteran rock star, long a political opponent of the president, stood up as one of Trump's most prominent cultural critics last week with a verbal takedown from a British stage. As is his nature, Trump is fighting back — hard. He calls Springsteen a "dried out prune of a rocker" and is even bringing Beyoncé into the fray. On Monday, the presidentsuggested Springsteen and Beyoncéshould be investigated to see if appearances they made on behalf of his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, last fall represented an illegal campaign donation. Opening a tour in Manchester, England, Springsteentold his audiencelast Thursday that "the America I love, the America I've written about that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration." ▶ Read moreabout the spat between Trump and Springsteen Trump vows to turn the Kennedy Center around as he seeks to remake arts and culture in America Trump hosted theKennedy Center's leadership at the White House on Monday night, reinforcing his efforts to overhaul the social and ideological dynamics of the national arts scene. The meeting of the center's board in the State Dining Room followed Trumpfiringits previous members and announcing in February that he'd serve as the board's chair. The new board, which unanimously approved Trump as its chair, is stocked with loyalists. Trump has called the center's past programming "woke" and "terrible," while more broadly seeking to slash federal funding for the arts — complaining that too much programming promotes leftist ideology and political correctness. In his view,molding the Kennedy Centerto his own liking can go a long way toward creating a new arts and social culture nationwide. ▶ Read moreabout Trump's plans for the Kennedy Center Developer to resume NY offshore wind project after Trump administration lifts pause The Trump administration is allowing work on a major offshore wind project for New York to resume. The developer, the Norwegian energy company Equinor, said Monday it was told by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that a stop-work order has been lifted for the Empire Wind project, allowing construction to resume. Work has been paused since Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last month directed the Bureau of Ocean Energy Managementto halt constructionand review the permits. Burgum said at the time that it appeared former President Joe Biden's administration had "rushed through" the approvals. Equinor spent seven years obtaining permits and has spent more than $2.5 billion so far on a project that is one-third complete. Equinor President and CEO Anders Opedal thanked President Donald Trump for allowing the project to move forward, saving about 1,500 construction jobs and investments in U.S. energy infrastructure. ▶ Read moreabout the project Trump signs a bill to make posting 'revenge porn' a federal crime. He had the first lady sign, too Trump on Monday signed into law theTake It Down Act,a measure that imposes penalties for online sexual exploitation that first ladyMelania Trumphelped usher through Congress, and he had her sign it, too, despite what sounded like a mild objection on her part. "C'mon, sign it anyway," the president told his wife. "She deserves to sign it," he said. After she added her signature, the president held up the document to show both of their names to the audience at the ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. Melania Trump's signature is merely symbolic since first ladies are not elected and they play no role in the enactment of legislation. In March, Melania Trump used her first public appearance since resuming the role of first ladyto travel to Capitol Hill to lobby House membersto pass the bill following its approval by the Senate. At a signing ceremony, she called the new law a "national victory" that will help protect children from online exploitation, including through the use ofartificial intelligenceto make fake images. ▶ Read moreabout the "Take it Down" Act
