Trump holds first Cabinet meeting

The Cabinet Room was packed. President Trump sat in the middle of the full oblong table. On his right was his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who was voted in unanimously by the Senate; on his left a newcomer to politics, secretary of defense Pete Hegseth, whose appointment only passed the Senate thanks to the deciding vote of Vice President J.D. Vance. Vance was directly opposite the president — and crowded between the VP and the back wall were several journalists equipped with microphones and cameras, leering over Trump’s appointees.

In his introductory remarks, Trump said he was reelected to cut taxes, handle the border and balance the budget. He reaffirmed that his mandate to accomplish these tasks came from the US electorate. This mentality mirrored their opening prayer, in which those in attendance thanked “Father God” for appointing and anointing them “to do this job.”

Time was then turned over to Elon Musk. Musk stood up from his seat against the far wall and away from the table, wearing his “Dark MAGA” hat as he addressed the Cabinet and the press. He emphasized his desire to cut back on government spending, and regarding the “pulse-check” emails sent out by the Department of Government Efficiency team that ask every federal government employee list five things they accomplished last week, he said, “There are fictional individuals collecting paychecks. Are they alive, and can they write an email?”

When a member of the press asked if he was receiving any pushback from members of the Cabinet, Trump reflected that question to the rest of the room.

“Is anybody unhappy with Elon?” Trump asked. “If you are, we’ll throw them out of here,” he said, prompting laughter and applause.

The press then asked questions to Trump, Musk, RFK Jr., Hegseth and other heads of departments present. The appointees discussed Gold Card visas, China, Ukraine and a Texas measles outbreak before thanking the press and heading out.

–Derek VanBuskirk

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TRUMP BRUISE A large bruise spotted on the back of President Trump’s right hand is the result of Trump “constantly working and shaking hands all day, every day,” the White House says.

POST CHANGES COURSE Jeff Bezos announced that the Washington Post opinion pages will focus on “two pillars: personal liberties and free markets.” Bezos said the decision stemmed from a focus on the American spirit and adapting to the changing media landscape.

Mike Johnson pulls rabbit out of hat… again

Speaker Mike Johnson pulled a rabbit out of a hat — again — this week, securing just enough votes for the House to pass the first step in his one-step reconciliation bill. And once again, there was no shortage of drama.

“I was already in my pajamas,” Congressman Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican from Wisconsin, lamented about the timing of last night’s vote. Every Republican except for Thomas Massie backed Johnson’s bill, and every Democrat opposed it. Both parties had to pull out the stops in yet another reminder of the pitfalls of a narrowly divided House of Representatives.

On the Democratic side, Congressman Raúl Grijalva was out sick, but other lawmakers showed up despite illnesses or having recently given birth. Congressman Kevin Mullin appeared with the help of a walker because he is recovering from blood clots, and Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen, who gave birth less than a month ago, came to the floor to vote no.

On the Republican side, Fitzgerald shed his PJs, and Dan Crenshaw showed up despite being ill (the illness is likely not related to his mooted fight to the death with Tucker Carlson).

The 217-215 vote was a giant win for Johnson, because just hours before, he simply didn’t have the votes. But he and his whip team managed to flip every skeptical Republican, including Congresswoman Victoria Spartz, who had sounded implacably opposed to his measure only a few hours before she voted for it.

With one vote down, many more are still to come — and Democrats are eager to latch on to supposed cuts to Medicaid, with Republicans arguing that the criticisms are wrong. “This is good for people who are currently on Medicaid in Kentucky and around the country,” Congressman Andy Barr said. “We want people to not be on Medicaid, we want them to have good private-sector jobs that pay them more and give them better quality private health insurance.”

The ball is, once again, in the Senate’s court, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune having to decide just how much of the House’s proposal he wants to accept. Until now, the Republicans in both chambers have not been unified about whether to pass one “big, beautiful bill” or two bills in succession.

–Matthew Foldi

Trump and Zelensky reach preliminary deal

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to travel to Washington to meet with President Trump in the coming days. After days of back and forth, with the minerals-for-security deal introduced by Trump being initially labeled unacceptable, a preliminary deal has been reached.

According to the BBC, “Ukraine would contribute 50 percent of future proceeds from state-owned mineral resources, oil and gas to the fund, and the fund would then invest in projects in Ukraine itself… the New York Times reported, citing a draft document, that the US would own the maximum amount of the fund allowed under US law, but not necessarily all of it.”

“I hear that [Zelensky is] coming on Friday. Certainly, it’s OK with me if he’d like to, and he would like to sign it together with me. And I understand that’s a big deal, very big deal,” President Trump said from the Oval Office on Tuesday. Regarding what Ukraine would get from their end of the deal, Trump said: “$350 billion and lots of equipment, military equipment and the right to fight on.”

While unorthodox, the deal is one that Ukraine had to accept. Trump’s emphasis on the need for American taxpayers to “get their money back” and his labeling Zelensky a “dictator” deeply upset Ukrainian leadership. Nevertheless, as the junior partner, Zelensky’s wiggle room is small — he needs Trump more than Trump needs him. 

Ultimately, the logic for the agreement is that guaranteeing American investment would not only benefit the US, but by tying commercial interests into the equation, it will also solidify security guarantees. 

–Juan P. Villasmil