Trump’s Israel comments signal break with GOP |
Following a series of criticisms against the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, former President Trump‘s comments signal a break from the GOP’s stance on the issue. In an interview last week with Israeli reporters — and again in a Thursday interview with Hugh Hewitt, a conservative radio host — Trump said Israel’s bombings in Gaza were a “very big mistake” and that the country needs to “get back to normalcy.”
“You’ve got to get it over with, and you have to get back to normalcy. And I’m not sure that I’m loving the way they’re doing it, because you’ve got to have victory,” Trump said when asked about his support for Israel. “Israel has to get better with the promotional and with the public relations because right now they’re in ruin … They’re being hurt very badly, I think, in a public relations sense.”
Trump allies were quick to tamp down the significance of Trump’s comments, insisting the former president would continue to be a staunch supporter of Israel if reelected.
“The former president still remains by far favorably inclined toward Israel and the nature of the strategic alliance. I don’t think that’s going anywhere,” a former senior Trump administration official said.
But his recent comments underscore “Trump’s ambiguous positions on some of the major national security issues he will face should he return to the White House,” write The Hill’s Laura Kelly and Brett Samuels.
John Bolton, former White House national security adviser who served for 17 months in the Trump administration, told The Hill that Trump’s stance regarding Israel will largely depend two things: - The environment he inherits
- What would best serve his own interests
“At bottom, Trump doesn’t have a national security policy,” Bolton said. “He sees things primarily through the prism of, ‘Does this benefit Donald Trump?’” Trump has previously gone after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: - In 2021, Trump in an interview said “F— him,” referring to Netanyhu’s recognition of President Biden‘s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
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After the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Trump said said the country wasn’t prepared, and he invoked Israel’s choice in 2020 to back out of a joint strike on a top Iranian general, saying, “I’ll never forget that Bibi Netanyahu let us down.”
Read more at TheHill.com.
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Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Liz Crisp, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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Earthquake hits New York City, East Coast |
The New York City area was rocked by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake Friday morning. The unusual quake has been confirmed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The epicenter was near Lebanon, N.J., about 50 miles from New York City.
It was the strongest quake in the New York City area in the past 140 years.
About 42 million people felt the effects of the earthquake, according to USGS estimates. People more than 200 miles from the epicenter reported feeling the earthquake. Here’s what you need to know via The Hill. |
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House Freedom Caucus lays out demands for Baltimore bridge funding |
The House Freedom Caucus has laid out its conditions for funding the reconstruction of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, as Congress considers a supplemental request from the Biden administration.
In an official position released Friday, the conservative group demanded that any funding for the bridge be “fully offset” and called on the Biden administration to first lift its pause on approvals for natural gas export projects before discussing a supplemental for the bridge.
The Hill’s Mychael Schnell has the details here. Related coverage: President Biden is in Baltimore to talk about the bridge collapse. |
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Schumer’s post-recess to-do list
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) detailed Friday a lengthy to-do list for the upper chamber, telling his Democratic colleagues that they will have “a busy agenda” in the months to come. On the list: - Ukraine aid
- Senate’s national security supplemental
- Bills related to kids’ online safety, an expansion of the Child Tax Credit, rail safety, and potentially banning TikTok.
But, most importantly: Handling articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and other House Republican will send Schumer two impeachment charges against Mayorkas on April 10, following Congress’s Easter recess.
House Republicans accuse Mayorkas of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” regarding his handling of the migrant situation at the southern U.S. border.
Schumer has not yet said how he’ll deal with the impeachment articles, but it’s widely suspected among lawmakers that he’ll dismiss them one way or another, whether through outright dismissal on the floor or referring the articles to a special committee.
The Hill’s Alexander Bolton breaks down the situation here. |
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CBS “Face the Nation”: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.).
NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: RNC chair Michael Whatley, Tal Heinrich, spokesperson for the Israeli prime minister.
MSNBC “The Sunday Show”: Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.).
CNN “State of the Union”: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). |
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Millions of Americans to see solar eclipse
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Parts of North America will go dark Monday because of a rare total solar eclipse that will not happen again for decades.
The celestial event is set to take place Monday for the first time since 2017 with the moon completely blocking the sun.
The eclipse will begin around noon, with the total blockout coming a couple hours later. (The Hill) Related coverage: |
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DNC launches Florida billboard campaign targeting Trump on abortion
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The Democratic National Committee (DNC) will place billboards around Florida this weekend hitting former President Trump on abortion access.
The effort, which was shared first with The Hill, will include billboards in the Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach areas. They will run in English and Spanish and read, “Abortion is banned in Florida thanks to Donald Trump. He won’t stop until it’s banned nationwide.”
Trump appointed three anti-abortion judges to the Supreme Court during his term, and they ultimately upended the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, which guaranteed a right to abortion, last year.
Since then, several states, including Florida, have adopted more abortion restrictions.
“Donald Trump is the reason that millions of women across Florida and millions more across the U.S. can no longer make decisions about their own bodies, and he’s ‘proud’ of it,” DNC spokesperson Jackie Bush said in a statement to The Hill. “As Trump campaigns on a plan to ban abortion nationwide, women in states like Florida are ready to fight back and make their voices heard at the ballot box this November to put a stop to Trump’s assault on their rights and freedoms.”
Related coverage:
Here’s what to know about Trump’s glitzy fundraiser Saturday. |
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“Why do millennials keep failing at political leadership?” writes Eoin Drea, senior researcher at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies. “Want Black votes? Offer Black voters true empowerment,” write Katrina Gamble, founder of Sojourn Strategies, and Terrance Woodbury, chief executive officer of HIT Strategies. |
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101 days until the Republican National Convention.
136 days until the Democratic National Convention.
213 days until the 2024 general election. |
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Monday: A rare total solar eclipse will happen. Millions of people will be able to see the moon block the sun, at least partially, in the afternoon.
NASA and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum will host a watch party on the National Mall. Grab your eclipse-safe glasses and join. |
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