Donald Trump is going further than just public statements supporting Speaker Mike Johnson — he’s actually trying to mediate between the House GOP leader and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. So far, it’s unclear if the ex-president can convince one of his most loyal followers to back off her threat to force a vote ousting the speaker. Trump and the Georgia firebrand, who speak often, had a lengthy phone call over the weekend, according to three Republicans familiar with the matter. Trump’s message to her, per those people: Stand down from the so-called motion to vacate. “I have it under very, very ..read more

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman to serve in Congress, is demanding the International Criminal Court issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She made the demand in a statement Tuesday, as Democrats are grappling with deep intra-party divisions over the state of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the IDF began carrying out military operations in Rafah, a major city in Gaza. Meanwhile, House Republicans are reiterating their plans to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) over comments that some Jewish students were “pro-genocide," whic ..read more

After a two-hour-long meeting Monday with the speaker, Marjorie Taylor Greene — and Capitol Hill writ large — could get a much better sense Tuesday of the future of her efforts to oust Mike Johnson from the House’s top spot. Greene (R-Ga.), along with ally Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), met with Johnson in his office, but left without much in terms of steps forward. The trio are set to meet again at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. Greene is staying mum on what demands she’s making of Johnson, but our colleague Rachael Bade broke them down. The Georgia Republican is looking for promises of no more aid to Ukra ..read more

A bipartisan group of 85 House and Senate members is lining up against the Biden administration’s push to shift space-focused Air National Guardsmen into the Space Force. The lawmakers urged leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees in a letter Monday to reject the Pentagon push when their panels consider annual defense policy legislation in the coming weeks. The group argued the move undercuts state governors' authority and the Guard’s dual national security and state domestic response missions. They said it also "undermines the choice made" by Guard members to serve part-time ..read more

Rep. Henry Cuellar’s indictment marks the third high-profile Hispanic lawmaker to have been indicted in recent months. Critically, the influential Congressional Hispanic Caucus is coming to his defense. That’s a marked difference from how the group treated Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a fellow member who was indicted on charges that he and his wife accepted bribes in forms of cash, a car and gold bars to help aid the Egyptian government. Generally, the CHC has stayed far away from Menendez’s issues, but they’re explicitly defending Cuellar — who’s also accused of accepting bribes to help a fore ..read more

House Republicans are escalating their standoff with the Justice Department as they demand the audio of former special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden. The Judiciary Committee will vote on May 16 on recommending Attorney General Merrick Garland be held in contempt of Congress, a person familiar confirmed to POLITICO. Though the committee action next week will initiate contempt proceedings, it still needs to pass the full House before a referral is made to the DOJ. The move comes as Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Oversight Committee Chair James Comer ..read more

Rep. Jared Moskowitz aimed an off-color post at Kristi Noem — but ended up hitting himself. Moskowitz posted on X Monday about a CBS interview with the South Dakota GOP governor, who's facing national scrutiny for an upcoming memoir that discusses her killing of her dog and falsely claims she met North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. The Florida Democrat wrote of Noem: “Why am I getting the feeling that she wanted to eat dog with Kim Jong Un?" The tweet, while referencing Noem's controversial admission to shooting her dog Cricket dead, also invokes a broad ethnic stereotype about Asian Americans ..read more

Bernie Sanders will seek a fourth term in the Senate this fall, a move putting the best-known Senate progressive on track to win another six years in the chamber. The 82-year-old Vermont independent and two-time presidential candidate is currently at the peak of his power in Congress, chairing the Senate's top health care committee and working to push the Democratic Party to the left. "I have been, and will be if reelected, in a strong position to provide the kind of help Vermonters need in these difficult times," Sanders said in a video announcing his intent to seek his seat again. Sanders ca ..read more

A dozen Republican senators have warned the International Criminal Court against issuing arrest warrants for Israeli officials over the nation’s conduct during the war in Gaza. In a letter led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), the senators warn ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan, citing reports that the court may be considering issuing international arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. Such actions are “illegitimate and lack legal basis,” the lawmakers wrote, warning they would result in severe sanctions against Khan and the ICC. “Target Israel and we ..read more

Speaker Mike Johnson will face a vote this week on Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s effort to remove him from the speakership. But he is expected to prevail with the help of House Democrats and most of his GOP conference. Greene (R-Ga.) pledged last week to take action and officially move her Johnson ouster attempt onto the floor — even after it became clear House Democratic leaders will lead their caucus to kill her effort. A substantial majority of Republicans will not back Greene’s effort to remove Johnson. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) are the only Republicans on the re ..read more