Welcome to the online version of Political officeAn evening newsletter that brings you the latest report and analysis of the NBC News Policy team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign campaign.
In today’s edition, Sahil Kapur and Garrett Haake explore the little margin of error in the face of a handful of Trump’s more controversial candidates this week. In addition, Matt Dixon reports from Tallahassee to a Florida GOP civil war which is preparing for the repression of Trump’s immigration.
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– Adam Wollner
A week of makeup for Trump candidates
By Sahil Kapur and Garrett Haake
After the defense secretary Pete Hegseth grinked through the Senate Through the thinnest possible margin, it will be another critical week for the candidates of President Donald Trump while he is trying to quickly fulfill his administration.
And the White House is Seeking to send a clear message to the GOP senators that all those who even oppose a single candidate will face political consequences.
Three of Trump’s most faced choices have planned Senate confirmation audiences this week: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the Secretary of Health and Social Services, Tulsi Gabbard for the National Intelligence Director, and Kash Patel for the Director of the FBI. Everyone faces a difficult path, and audiences could be decisive.
Gabbard is largely considered to be the most threatenedDue to concerns about her past relations with the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, with whom she had a secret meeting in 2017, and questions about her opposition prior to article 702 of Foreign Intelligence Act, which authorizes the surveillance without mandate of non-individuals.
“It is where the balance of firepower changes, and it is she who must do the most work for herself,” said a senior White House official. “She must emphasize that she knows how critical intelligence is, and it is a question of life or death.”
Patel was criticized skeptics Also unskilled and motivated to use the power of prosecution to fight against personal grievances and target Trump criticism. But the head of the White House seemed more optimistic about his chances. “Hegseth and Kash both worked very hard. They are hard and intelligent and they worked 24 hours a day. This is what you need to do to succeed. »»
Kennedy, for his part, faces the opposition Due to his support by the rights of abortion of a group founded by the former vice-president Mike Pence, who spends money in advertisements to derail his appointment. Wall Street Journal Conservative editorial committee Also called the GOP senators to reject Kennedy, warning that he could use his powers to undermine vaccines and “help his judgment friends” who “continued vaccines and drug manufacturers”.
The three Republicans who opposed Hegseth were Susan Collins of Maine, a Senator of the GOP with a blue state confronted with a re -election in 2026; Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a moderate who has overcome the challenges of law for many years; And Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, which recently resigned as the oldest leader in the history of the Senate and should largely retire after the end of his mandate in January 2027.
Trump has less leverage on these three senators than the other 50 Republicans, and they should be potential jokers for the president’s other candidates. If the three of them gathered at some point, it would only take one other defection of the GOP to sink a candidate, assuming that the Democrats were united in the opposition. There are no obvious candidates, for the moment, for a fourth defection.
To rush to align with the movements of Trump’s immigration stretches a guy’s quarrel in Florida
Immigration application operations of the Trump administration accelerate through Several large cities: Gabe Gutierrez and Nicole Acevedo report that the immigration authorities Process nearly 1,200 arrests on SundayAnd almost half of the detained persons do not have a criminal record.
Throughout the country, Republican leaders rush to align with Trump on the issue – the one they consider a political winner after he was at the heart of the party’s message in the last elections. This includes Governor Ron Desantis, a single Trump rival, who called a special session of the Florida Legislative Assembly to prepare the State to help implement the burst of executive decrees related to immigration signed by the president.
But as Matt Dixon reports from TallahasseeThe desire to synchronize with the Trump administration on immigration has exposed intra-party tensions in the state of Sunshine. The Republican leaders of the State House and the Senate suddenly ended the special session on Monday morning and quickly called theirs.
This decision actually killed the legislation already filed by the Allies of Desantis, and allowed the Republican leaders to write their own immigration proposals, including a language that places the governor in a delicate political position. The plan of legislative leaders would remove the supervisory authority for the immigration of Desantis and transmitted it to the commissioner for agriculture Wilton Simpson, an elected representative on the scale of the state which is Watching a race for the governor in 2026 And had an icy relationship with Desantis.
The return of Desantis in a corner. If the bill of republican leaders is adopted, as planned, Desantis must either sign a bill which has effectively knees its ability to coordinate the application of immigration in the state, or its veto to a proposal which Includes hard -line immigration reforms, many of which he supports him.
The episode also stresses that Desantis does not hold the political hold in the state he made in the conduct of his presidential campaign in 2024.
⚖️ in the courts: A group of Quaker congregations is Continue the Ministry of Internal Security To change a policy that prevented ice agents from conducting operations in “sensitive locations” such as worship, playgrounds, schools and hospitals, without approval of supervisors.
📺 Icymi: During an appearance on “Meet the Press”, Senator Lindsey Graham, Rs.C. urged her colleagues from the GOP at Congress To prioritize the sending of more money to the Trump administration for its mass expulsion plan.
🗞️ The best stories of today
- ⬅️ when leaving: The Ministry of Justice said he had dismissed several career lawyers involved in the pursuit of Trump. Learn more →
- 👀 The remuneration program: From dismissals to revoor security details to delete portraits, the message accumulates for those who may have crossed Trump: recovery arrives and quickly arrives. Learn more →
- 📝 The Pardon Agenda: Trump granted only one forgiveness during his first year of being able to be able to president for the last time. Now Trump has an average of forgiveness for all the few minutes when he is back to power, rewarding those who supported him – and he might not be done. Learn more →
- ➡️ Following: Trump should sign Four new decrees : a linked to the vaccine requirements coded within the army; Whoever creates a defense system for the United States as the Iron Dome of Israel; the one aims to restrict the military service of transgender people ; And one to suppress diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the army.
- 💧 Warshater Wars: Trump also signed an executive decree seeking to bypass the federal and state laws dealing with the California water system in order to provide the southern part of the state with the water resources necessary to combat forest fires. Learn more →
- 🔄 The trade war avoided: During the weekend, the White House declared that Colombia had accepted all Trump conditions after the president had threatened to impose radical reprisal measures against the country, including tariffs and sanctions by visa, After having denied the entry to two flights of American military deportation. Learn more →
- Engaging: The best political advisers from Vice-President JD Vance signed to help Vivek Ramaswamy when he is preparing to run for Ohio Governor. Learn more →
- Get the latest updates on our Blog Politics Live →
It’s all of the political bureau for the moment. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Ben Kamisar.
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