What to know today
- President Donald Trump announced this afternoon that the NFL draft will be held on the National Mall in Washington in 2027. He also touched on his plans to impose tariffs on imported movies and reopen Alcatraz prison.
- Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he would not run for the Senate next year against Democrat Jon Ossoff in what is expected to be one of the most competitive midterm races.
- The Department of Homeland Security ramped up its push to boost the removal of unauthorized immigrants by offering $1,000 and travel assistance to those who self-deport.
Trump calls for former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters to be freed from prison
In a Truth Social post tonight, Trump called for former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters to be released from prison and said he was directing the Justice Department to take "all necessary action" to help secure her release.
Peters, who has peddled 2020 election conspiracy theories, was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Colorado state judge in October for official misconduct after a security breach of her county’s election equipment. She was convicted after she used another person’s security badge to give an associate of Mike Lindell access to her county’s voting systems, which resulted in secure information’s being posted online.
“Colorado must end this unjust incarceration of an innocent American. I am hereby directing the Department of Justice to take all necessary action to help secure the release of this ‘hostage’ being held in a Colorado prison by the Democrats, for political reasons. FREE TINA PETERS, NOW!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The Justice Department asked a federal judge in March to consider a petition Peters filed challenging her conviction.
Trump administration to pay $1,000 to undocumented immigrants who self-deport
The Department of Homeland Security is intensifying its efforts to persuade unauthorized immigrants to self-deport by offering a $1,000 stipend and travel assistance.
The agency announced today that those who use the CBP Home app to voluntarily leave the United States will receive assistance “to facilitate travel back to their home country” and $1,000 “paid after their return to their home country has been confirmed through the app.”
The announcement comes as the number of deportations has remained stagnant during Trump’s first 100 days in office. One of his key campaign promises was that he would enact mass deportations as soon as he took office.
DHS did not immediately respond to questions about how the funds would be provided or what proof would be required to show people had returned to their home countries.
Pence says Trump's tariff policy will 'harm the American economy'
Former Vice President Mike Pence criticized Trump’s tariffs in an interview, saying the administration is advancing policies that will “ultimately harm the American economy.”
“I do have concerns that with the president’s call for broad-based tariffs against friend and foe alike, that ultimately the administration is advancing policies that are not targeted at countries that have been abusing our trade relationship but rather are essentially new industrial policy and that will result in inflation that will harm consumers and ultimately harm the American economy,” Pence said in an interview that aired tonight on CNN.
Pence added that even a minimum 10% tariff would “stifle American growth, limit prosperity, drive up costs for American consumers.”
He also commented on Trump's remarks to NBC News' "Meet the Press" that children should have fewer dolls and fewer pencils, saying keeping toys affordable is “part of the American dream.”
“What I will give the president credit for is conceding the fact that his tariff policies will raise the cost of goods for consumers, whether it be toys or pencils or other products. And I appreciate him being forthright about that,” Pence said.
Roadblocks could stymie Trump’s call to reopen Alcatraz as a prison
In its heyday, Alcatraz Island housed more than 260 prisoners, with notorious gangsters such as Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and James “Whitey” Bulger serving time on the rocky outpost.
With its closing in 1963 after it fell into disrepair, the federal prison off San Francisco found a new life as a popular tourist destination — one that continues to draw more than a million visitors a year as a national historic landmark.
That could all change again if Trump gets his way. Trump wrote yesterday on social media that he is directing the federal Bureau of Prisons, the Justice Department and other agencies to “reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt Alcatraz” to the most “ruthless and violent offenders.”
But federal corrections experts and historians caution that while such a project may be especially “symbolic” to Trump, any plan would be incredibly expensive and inefficient, particularly when the federal government’s mission is to slash spending and prisons remain strained by staffing shortages.
Former official targeted by Trump says the president is trying to silence critics
A former Homeland Security official whom Trump accused of potentially “treasonous” conduct fears he is under federal investigation and plans to challenge what he calls an illegal attempt to silence critics.
In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Miles Taylor said that he is prepared to “fight back” in court and that his repeated warnings that Trump would use presidential power to retaliate against perceived political enemies have proved accurate.
“My concern was he would turn the government into a revenge machine, and that’s what’s happening,” Taylor said.
Since Trump signed a memorandum last month calling for a review of Taylor’s conduct as a Department of Homeland Security official during Trump’s first term, government authorities have contacted former high school classmates and others associated with him, Taylor said.
Pete Hegseth orders 20% reduction of top officers in the military
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today directed a minimum of 20% reduction of four-star service members, as well as a 20% reduction of general officers in the National Guard and an additional 10% reduction in general and flag officers.
Most of the affected officers will be eligible for retirement.
Hegseth has argued that too many generals and admirals lead to wasteful spending and too much bureaucratic decision-making.
“The Department of Defense is committed to ensuring the lethality of U.S. Military Forces to deter threats and, when necessary, achieve decisive victory. To accomplish this mission, we must cultivate exceptional senior leaders who drive innovation and operational excellence, unencumbered by unnecessary bureaucratic layers that hinder their growth and effectiveness,” the memo said.
The Trump administration has implemented or proposed cuts across the federal government, including agencies focused on national security.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, indicated Hegseth's explanation for the dismissals was insufficient.
“I have always advocated for efficiency at the Department of Defense, but tough personnel decisions should be based on facts and analysis, not arbitrary percentages," Reed said in a statement. "Eliminating the positions of many of our most skilled and experienced officers without sound justification would not create ‘efficiency’ in the military — it could cripple it."
"Secretary Hegseth has shown an eagerness to dismiss military leaders without cause, and I will be skeptical of the rationale for these plans until he explains them before the Armed Services Committee,” Reed added.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won’t seek the top Democratic seat on the House Oversight Committee
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said tonight that she won’t seek the top Democratic post on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the panel that would be in the strongest position to investigate the Trump administration if Democrats were to win back the chamber next year.
Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., ran for the coveted position in December but was defeated by a more senior member of the committee, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. Last week, though, Connolly said that because his esophageal cancer had returned he would not seek re-election to Congress and would be stepping back from his day-to-day responsibilities on the Oversight panel.
After speaking to colleagues, Ocasio-Cortez said tonight that she believed another bid for the post would be an uphill climb against another more senior member.
“It’s actually clear to me that the underlying dynamics in the caucus have not shifted with respect to seniority as much as I think would be necessary, and so I believe I’ll be staying put at Energy and Commerce,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters, referring to a separate committee.
In a new court filing, the Justice Department asked a federal judge in Texas not to revive the mifepristone abortion pill case. It is the first time the Trump administration has formally weighed in on the lawsuit. NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez reports on the context of the case.
Rep. Maxine Waters says Democrats will walk out on Republican crypto hearing to hold their own
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said today that she will block the House Financial Services and Agriculture committees from holding a joint hearing on crypto tomorrow, adding that the Democrats will walk out and hold their own hearing “to discuss Trump’s ties to crypto and blatant abuses of power.”
Waters is the top Democrat on the Financial Services Committee, meaning her consent is needed for the panel to hold a joint hearing with another committee.
The Agriculture subcommittee on commodity markets, digital assets and rural development and the Financial Services subcommittee on digital assets, financial technology and artificial intelligence are scheduled to hold a hearing at 10 a.m. tomorrow titled “American Innovation and the Future of Digital Assets: A Blueprint for the 21st Century.”
Trump meets with formerly imprisoned Russian-American ballerina at the White House
Trump met with Russian-American ballerina Ksenia Karelina today, who thanked Trump and the U.S. government in a video clip on X for bringing her home after she spent time in a Russian jail.
“President Trump, I’m so grateful for you to bring me home. I’m here with your team today and feeling overwhelmed with all the great feelings. Feeling that I’m going to be home soon. And thank you and the government for bringing me home. It’s a lot of feelings which I would want to express. But the biggest one, I’m so proud and so blessed to be American citizen today. Thank you very much,” Karelina said in the video.
White House adviser Margo Martin posted a video of the two meeting earlier today during which Karelina told Trump about how long she had been in jail.
Karelina was released last month. She had been detained by Russia’s Federal Security Service in January 2024 while she was visiting family in Russia and was sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony for committing “high treason.” The FSB did not provide details of her alleged crime; a Russian legal group said she had donated more than $50 to a group that sends aid to Ukraine.
