Trump holds White House meeting with Brazil’s president

Trump tonight defended a Republican proposal to spend $1 billion in connection with the White House ballroom, arguing the money would be for "safety" costs and not just the ballroom itself.

Asked why taxpayers should pay for something he said would be privately funded, Trump told reporters, "Well, they're not, because that's for many other projects."

"That's for projects having to do with safety in this, in a certain section of the White House grounds. That's not all for the ballroom," he added.

Senate Republicans this week proposed spending $1 billion for security improvements related to the overall ballroom construction as part a long-term immigration and Border Patrol funding bill.

Border czar Tom Homan turned to the workers helping paint the Reflecting Pool.

“I got a question, are y’all legal?” Homan asked the group.

The workers laughed, and one said, “Yes.”

“Actually, they’re from Oklahoma,” Trump said.

Trump paid a visit to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool this evening to tout the ongoing renovations that include coating the pool in an "American flag blue" hue.

"It's really beautiful, and it's going to be fantastic," Trump told reporters. "It's going to last many, many years, and it's going to have no leaks and have no problems."

He was joined by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and border czar Tom Homan.

Trump said last month that the pool would be coated in an "American flag blue" hue as part of its renovations, adding that he expects the job to be done "long before July 4" for the United States' 250th celebration.

The Justice Department and the country’s top commodity market regulator are investigating a series of oil market trades just ahead of major policy announcements from Trump and Iranian officials, according to a source familiar with the probe.

The statements and social media posts all pertained to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

ABC News first reported the investigation earlier Thursday; Reuters first reported the trades themselves in mid-April.

In addition to examining the oil markets for potential insider trading, the source told NBC News that investigators are also pursuing a separate probe into suspicious activity on prediction market platforms, also related to Iran war developments.

The source said that the investigations are in their early stages and that there is no conclusive evidence yet of criminal wrongdoing.

Read the full story here.

Tennessee’s Republican-led Legislature today passed a new congressional map dividing up the state’s lone majority-Black district, swiftly responding to the U.S. Supreme Court’s major redistricting ruling last week.

The redrawn district lines, which Gov. Bill Lee is expected to sign into law, put Republicans in position to gain a seat in this fall’s midterm elections and secure full control over Tennessee’s congressional delegation.

The new map carves up a Memphis-based seat held by longtime Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., into three districts, spreading the Democratic voters into more rural, Republican districts that stretch hundreds of miles east. It further divides the Nashville metropolitan area, the state’s other Democratic stronghold, into five districts.

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Protesters at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville oppose Republicans' redrawn congressional map Thursday.  Nicole Hester / The Tennessean / USA Today Network

Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., today denounced plans by Republicans in the state Legislature to redraw South Carolina's congressional map, a move that could threaten his re-election and the state's only Democratic-held House seat.

"Republicans in the South Carolina state legislature began the process of extending their session to allow for the redrawing of the state’s congressional map — with one goal in mind: eliminating the state’s only Democratic House district that is occupied by a Democrat," Clyburn wrote on X.

Clyburn, the only Democrat in South Carolina's House delegation, is running for re-election in the 6th Congressional District. He has held the seat since 1993.

"Republicans are trying to break apart South Carolina’s 6th District. Not because voters demanded it, but because Donald Trump requested it," wrote Clyburn, a senior member of the powerful Congressional Black Caucus.

Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, this week revealed a nervous system condition that she said she has had for decades but is not considered dangerous or an impairment to doing her job.

Collins, who at times has visible trembling in her hands and head, told NBC affiliate WCSH in Maine yesterday that she has had “an extremely common condition that is called a benign essential tremor” throughout her nearly 30 years in Congress.

“I have had it for the entire time that I have served in the United States Senate,” said Collins, who has represented Maine since 1997. “It has absolutely no impact on my ability to do my job or how I feel each day.”

Collins, 73, added that the tremor is “inconvenient at times, but that’s all.”

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Sen. Collins says her benign essential tremor is ‘extremely common’

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The White House criticized “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill today for sharing a social media post that depicted what appears to be an AI-generated image of Trump lying in a grave.

“If Only- He should live long enough to witness his inevitable devastating loss in the midterms, be held accountable for his unprecedented corruption, impeached, convicted & humiliated for his countless crimes,” Hamill wrote yesterday on Bluesky. “Long enough to realize he’ll be disgraced in the history books, forevermore.”

The image showed a headstone with Trump’s name and the years “1946-2024” etched on it.

The post had been removed from Hamill’s Bluesky profile by this afternoon.

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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., wrote an op-ed published in The Washington Post this afternoon reaffirming his role in the Democratic Party. Fetterman has been criticized for aligning more with those across the aisle than with his own team, particularly on Israel, Gaza and government shutdowns.

Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images file

Fetterman has repeatedly said he has no plans to switch parties — including at an NBC News event last month — even as Republicans say they would welcome him with open arms. Fellow Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick, a Republican, told NBC Philadelphia yesterday that he had not spoken with Fetterman about switching parties.

In his op-ed, Fetterman wrote: “Being an independent voice that works with the other side to deliver for Pennsylvanians might put me at odds with the party that I have stayed committed to and have no plans to leave — but I will continue to put the commonwealth and the country first.”

He also joked that he’d be “a terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats.”

The Minnesota man accused of wielding a syringe and lunging at Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., pleaded guilty today to a federal charge stemming from the frightening January incident.

Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, of Minneapolis, was arrested Jan. 27 after he charged a stage where Omar was speaking at a town hall and sprayed apple cider vinegar at her.

Kazmierczak was tackled before he could reach Omar, who was not injured.

The incident occurred while Omar was calling for the resignation of then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after federal agents killed two Minneapolis residents.

Octavio Jones / AFP via Getty Images

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Trump took to social media to say his meeting with the "very dynamic" Lula "went very well."

Ricardo Stuckert / Brazilian Government / Anadolu via Getty Images

"Just concluded my meeting with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the very dynamic President of Brazil. We discussed many topics, including Trade and, specifically, Tariffs. The meeting went very well," Trump said on Truth Social. "Our Representatives are scheduled to get together to discuss certain key elements. Additional meetings will be scheduled over the coming months, as necessary."

The two leaders were expected to take questions from reporters in the Oval Office during their meeting, but Lula left the White House without that happening.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., remained defiant today as he attended oral arguments in the case stemming from his lawsuit challenging the military's actions against him.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., outside the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington on Thursday. Julia Demaree Nikhinson / AP

“After 25 years in the Navy, I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by an administration that does not want to be held accountable,” Kelly said. “I will not back down.”

The oral arguments at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals come after a lower court blocked the Defense Department from taking steps to demote him or reduce his military retirement pay.

Former FBI Director James Comey’s legal team asked a judge in North Carolina to cancel his planned initial appearance there Monday. 

Comey's attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, wrote that because he appeared for an initial appearance last week in Alexandria, Virginia, in an effort to comply with the arrest warrant, it would be duplicative to have Monday’s hearing in Greenville.

“While Mr. Comey believes that in the ordinary course, and consistent with Rule 5, a second initial appearance would not take place, he is willing to execute any appropriate waiver to give the Court additional comfort if the Court so desires,” Fitzgerald wrote.

The government is not objecting to Comey’s request, so it’s likely that Monday’s planned initial appearance will be canceled unless the judge feels strongly about it.

IndyCar, which will be hosting the “Freedom 250 Grand Prix” on the streets of Washington, D.C., this summer, appears to have removed from its website a commemorative T-shirt it was selling to mark the occasion, which depicted an IndyCar driver seated in a way that mimics the Lincoln Memorial, along with the text “ONE NATION” and “ONE RACE.” “This fun graphic tee is going to be a piece that brings back great memories of this race,” the product description read.

The shirt received significant backlash online, with some users calling it “incredibly insensitive and inflammatory,” and calling on IndyCar to “fire your marketing people.” IndyCar has since pulled down the sale of the T-shirt.

The shirt was for sale for $50 on the IndyCar website as recently as last night, per the Wayback Machine. 

“A shirt was removed from INDYCAR’s online store following feedback from customers," INDYCAR said in a statement. "We understand that some individuals found its phrasing concerning and therefore have remedied the situation.” 

Lula arrived at the White House at 11:21 a.m.

Reporters are expected to be brought in soon to the Oval Office, where Lula will be meeting with the president.

Ricardo Stuckert / Brazilian Government / Anadolu via Getty Images

The Committee for the First Amendment, a coalition of artists in the entertainment industry, will host “Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment” in New York City next month, featuring actor Jane Fonda, actor Bette Midler, political commentator Joy Reid, singer Patti Smith and singer Rufus Wainwright.

The concert will take place on June 14, which is Flag Day and Trump’s birthday. The president will be turning 80 and plans to host a UFC match at the White House that day as part of the schedule of events in Washington this summer commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“Music has long been a tool to stand up to authoritarianism, and I am honored to spend the evening with these fiercely committed, talented, and brilliant people to celebrate our First Amendment rights,” Fonda, an activist who is also the founder of the Committee for the First Amendment, said in a statement yesterday. “As we continue to watch bad faith leaders take more and more power, it is critical that we gather together, raise our voices collectively, and stand united against this administration — and have some fun while doing it.”

The “Rise Up, Sing Out” event will be ticketed for attendees and streamed live online.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced today that she has given birth to her second child. She is the first person to give birth while serving in her position.

“On May 1st, Viviana aka ‘Vivi’ joined our family, and our hearts instantly exploded with love,” Leavitt said in a post on Instagram along with a photo of her holding her child.

Leavitt said her daughter, her second child, is “perfect and healthy” and her big brother is “adjusting to life with his new baby sister.”

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Vi Lyles, the first Black female mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, announced today that she'd be leaving her post at the end of June.

“Serving as Charlotte’s mayor has been the honor of my life,” Lyles, 73, said in a statement released by her office. “Now, it is time for the next phase of my life, to spend more time with my grandchildren and for someone new to lead us forward.”

The move was a surprise, since Lyles has been a fixture in the city's government for over 30 years and was just re-elected to her fifth term as mayor last year. She has a year and a half left in her term.

Vi Lyles arrives for a campaign event with then-Vice President Kamala Harris in Charlotte in 2024.   Allison Joyce / Bloomberg via Getty Images file

“As in all things politics, I am sure there will be speculation as to why I am making this decision now. Simply put, I am going to spend time with my grandchildren. Like many of us, I have missed some moments with them and intend to not miss anymore!” her statement said, adding she would not make any immediate endorsement of a potential successor.

“By leaving early, the voters will have more time to learn about their candidates. Our city is strong, our trajectory is positive, and now is the right moment for someone else to build on our progress from the past few years,” Lyles said.

In a post on Truth Social this morning, the president criticized House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., deriding him as a "lunatic" and "low IQ" and calling for him to be charged.

"This lunatic, Hakeem 'Low IQ' Jeffries, should be charged with INCITING VIOLENCE! The Radical Left Democrats actually want to Destroy our Country," Trump wrote alongside a photo of Jeffries with a sign that featured a photo of Trump and the slogan "maximum warfare."

A second attached photo included the words "Three days later" and an image from security cameras at the Washington Hilton, which was the site of an assassination attempt on Trump last month.

Jeffries responded in a post on X, saying: "The Knicks are up 2-0 and I have to wake up to another deranged rant from this guy. Gas prices are sky high, grocery bills are surging and families can't catch a break. Democrats are about to take back the House and you're losing your mind. Where's the luv?"

Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images file

Oral arguments are scheduled this morning in the case challenging the legality of the military repercussions imposed against Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona after he and other lawmakers advised members of the military not to obey illegal orders.

The arguments are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. before a three-judge panel in Washington, D.C.

Kelly, a Democrat, is expected to attend them in person. He sued Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in January after the Pentagon was taking steps to downgrade Kelly’s military retirement rank and pay because of what Hegseth described as "seditious statements."

Kelly and other Democratic lawmakers, many of whom are veterans, released a video last November urging members of the military and intelligence community not to follow illegal orders.

Trump will host Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the White House today. 

The president is scheduled to welcome him around 11 a.m. and will shortly after have a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office and a bilateral lunch.

Lula has been critical at times of Trump, including over the war with Iran and the U.S. blockade on Cuba.

Last year, the Trump administration imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian products.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo at the Vatican today, an audience that follows President Donald Trump’s criticism of the first American pontiff over the Iran war.

The closed-door meeting was the first between the head of the Catholic Church and a Trump Cabinet official in nearly a year.

It comes at a fraught time between Washington and the Holy See, with relations at a low after weeks of presidential attacks on Leo and the Chicago-born pope’s outspoken responses.

Asked by reporters Tuesday if he was going to the Vatican to “smooth things over with the pope,” Rubio, a practicing Catholic, said the trip had been planned before and “obviously we had some stuff that happened.”

He said there was “a lot to talk about” with the Vatican, including humanitarian aid for Cuba and concerns over religious freedom around the world.

Pope Leo and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Vatican today. @VaticanNews / via X

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