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The United States “will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine,” the US and Ukraine said in a joint statement about their meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Kyiv also “expressed readiness to accept the U.S. proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation,” the statement said.
“The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace,” it said.
The two sides have met for more than eight hours in the Saudi port city Tuesday.
President Donald Trump is continuing to warn GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of a primary challenge, as the Kentucky congressman plans to oppose the stopgap bill to fund the government.
Calling Massie a “GRANDSTANDER” and criticizing him for voting no on “virtually on every other vote,” Trump posted, “The Great People of Kentucky are going to be watching a very interesting Primary in the not too distant future!”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing Tuesday that Trump has been “active in this process” and working to whip Republican votes.
“He believes that everybody needs to get on board with this bill,” Leavitt said. “He’s been making calls to get this over the finish line, and we’re urging every Republican – and Democrats, too – to do what’s right for the American public to prevent a government shutdown,” she added.
Leavitt also told reporters that a vote against the continuing resolution will “kill the incredible momentum” Trump has made since his inauguration.
“He is encouraging all Republicans to vote ‘yes’ on this clean CR, which freezes funding at current levels, and will prevent the Democrats from getting their long awaited government shutdown,” Leavitt said. “Voting against the CR will hurt the American people and kill the incredible momentum that President Trump has built over the past 51 days.”
Earlier, after Trump’s initial post attacking Massie, Republican political strategist and former co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita threatened to find a primary challenger to Massie in a pair of posts on X.
President Donald Trump will welcome the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House for a traditional Super Bowl victory visit on April 28th, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday.
“April 28th — I can confirm that the Philadelphia Eagles will be here at the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl victory,” Leavitt said during Tuesday’s press briefing. “I know there was a lot of fake news about an invitation that wasn’t sent or was sent. We want to correct the record — we sent an invitation they enthusiastically accepted, and you will see them here on April 28th.”
Asked during an executive action signing last month if the Eagles would be invited to visit, Trump said, “They will be. We haven’t yet, but we will be.”
When the team won its first championship in 2018, the Eagles decided not to celebrate the championship with Trump, who was in his first term in office.
The decision sparked a storm of criticism from Trump, who falsely accused the Eagles of taking a knee during “The Star-Spangled Banner” that year and disrespecting the National Anthem in other ways before uninviting the whole team.
GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee told reporters Tuesday that he spoke on the phone with President Donald Trump within the last hour about the House spending bill vote, which is on track to take place around 4 p.m. ET.
Burchett said he remains undecided on his vote, but the lawmaker said his conversations with the president have been “cordial” and Trump has not pressured him but instead “asked me what my concerns are.”
He said he would still like to “see some reduction, and I need a commitment there, and so we’re working in that direction.”
Asked when he’ll make a decision, the congressman from Tennessee said he’s going to “sweat it out.”
Remember: House Republicans are hoping to vote Tuesday on a stopgap bill aimed at funding the federal government through September 30 and preventing a shutdown after Friday.
Republicans are counting on a sizable chunk of members to vote for the continuing resolution to fund the government who have never done so before in order to pass their bill without relying on Democratic votes.
The chamber’s GOP leaders are racing to lock down support among their members for the package so they can send it this week to the Senate, where it faces hurdles in securing the backing of enough Democrats to reach the 60 votes needed to pass.
CNN’s Alayna Treene, Annie Grayer and Tami Luhby contributed reporting to this post.
The White House said Tuesday that “perhaps” Canada is “becoming a competitor now,” though press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted the country is a “partner” and “an ally.”
“Well, I think Canada is a neighbor. They are a partner. They have always been an ally. Perhaps they are becoming a competitor now,” she said.
“But as the president also laid out in his Truth Social post today, he believes that Canadians would benefit greatly from becoming the 51st State of the United States of America,” Leavitt added. “So the president has made it clear that he believes Canadians would be better served economically, military, militarily if they were to become the 51st state of the United States of America.”
On Truth Social earlier Tuesday, Trump pitched Canadian statehood as an opportunity for them to have reduced taxes and stronger security.
“Canada pays very little for National Security, relying on the United States for military protection. We are subsidizing Canada to the tune of more than 200 Billion Dollars a year. WHY??? This cannot continue. The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State,” Trump wrote. “This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear.”
CNN’s Kit Maher contributed to this report.
The Department of Homeland Security is spending millions of dollars on campaign-style ads featuring Secretary Kristi Noem touting the administration’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants.
DHS has spent nearly $4 million on the ad campaign so far, with bookings that began late last month and run through mid-July, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.
And the agency has given contracts worth more than $200 million total to a pair of conservative firms for the media campaign, noting that the contracts were awarded without a fully competitive process and citing the “national emergency at the Southern Border.”
The ads have aired in several major media markets including Los Angeles, New York, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Phoenix, Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, and as far north as Boston, with Spanish-language versions of the spots also in rotation.
According to federal contracting documents, DHS awarded the pair of “marketing consulting services” contracts to two firms — “People Who Think LLC” and “Safe America Media LLC” — totaling more than $200 million in mid-February.
“People Who Think LLC,” awarded the larger contract with a value up to $200 million, was founded by Jay Connaughton, who served as a media advisor to Trump’s 2016 campaign. Connaughton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In documents, DHS described the expenditures as “National Emergency at the Southern Border: Task Order 1 for Stronger Borders, Stronger America Campaign Advertising and Media Support Services.”
In addition, DHS noted that the contracts were awarded without a fully competitive process, citing federal regulations that allow for an “unusual and compelling urgency,” permitting the agency “to limit the number of sources from which it solicits bids or proposals, full and open competition need not be provided for.”
In a statement provided to The Associated Press, DHS still called it a “competitive process.”
The talks in Jeddah between senior American and Ukrainian officials about ending the war in Ukraine have lasted more than eight hours.
The delegations started just after noon local time and took around an hour break about three hours in. As of 8:30 p.m. local time, there was no word yet that they had ended.
The lengthy discussions could indicate positive moment in the relationship that took a major hit after the meeting in the Oval Office last month deteriorated into a shouting match between US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
At the beginning of the hour-long break, US national security adviser Mike Waltz told reporters, “We’re getting there.” Journalists following the talks in Saudi Arabia are camped out in various holding rooms in the Ritz-Carlton hotel, where Tuesday’s discussions are taking place.
Topics on the table: The two sides were expected to talk about Ukraine’s proposal for a partial aerial and maritime ceasefire, the suspension of US military and intelligence assistance and US security guarantees, among other subjects.
The meeting between the US and the Russians in Riyadh last month, by comparison, lasted roughly four and a half hours.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s decision to detain — and attempt to deport — Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, telling reporters during Tuesday’s press briefing tht the decision to revoke his visa falls under Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s authority.
“Secretary Rubio reserves the right to revoke the visa of Mahmoud Khalil,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Secretary of State has the right to revoke a green card or a visa for individuals who serve or are adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States of America. And Mahmood Khalil was an individual who was given the privilege of coming to this country to study at one of our nation’s finest universities and colleges, and he took advantage of that opportunity, of that privilege, by siding with terrorists – Hamas terrorists who have killed innocent men, women and children.”
Khalil, who helped lead Columbia’s student protest movement demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, was arrested Saturday night by federal immigration authorities who said they were acting on a State Department order to revoke his green card, according to his attorney.
More context: A federal judge blocked efforts to deport him until a conference Wednesday, according to court documents. Khalil is currently being held at a detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, according to a source with direct knowledge of the case.
During Tuesday’s briefing, Leavitt blasted Khalil, claiming he “distributed pro-Hamas propaganda flyers with the logo of Hamas,” during student protests at Columbia University, where he completed his master’s degree in December.
And she left the door open to further arrests for those who participate in anti-war demonstrations, telling reporters, “We fully believe that we are going to move forward with more arrests, as President Trump previewed in his statement yesterday.”
President Donald Trump is expected to view a Tesla at the White House on Tuesday, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
“He is going to be viewing a Tesla that is making its way to the White House complex now, I can confirm. Perhaps the press pool today will have an opportunity to witness this very exciting moment later this afternoon,” Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday.
Asked if the president will purchase the vehicle, Leavitt added that the president is “definitely going to buy one.”
“He’s definitely going to buy one, but he’ll take a look at it when it gets here later this afternoon,” she added. “Full market price.”
As CNN has previously reported, the market broadly slumped on Monday, but shares of Tesla fell even more sharply.
In a show of support, Trump said early Tuesday morning he would buy a Tesla.
“Elon Musk is’ ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “I’m going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American.”
Musk thanked Trump in a post on X.
CNN’s Hadas Gold contributed to this report.
Responding to what he called “a moment of crisis for veterans,” the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs unveiled new legislation on Tuesday designed to protect Department of Veterans Affairs employees from being targeted by sweeping staffing cuts being undertaken by the Trump administration.
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s bill, entitled the “Putting Veterans First Act,” calls for the reinstatement of VA employees who he said were “illegally fired,” demoted or suspended during the terminations so far. It also seeks to protect others from being fired during planned cuts in the future.
Congressional staffers who have corresponded with VA employees tell CNN that about 2,400 workers have been terminated so far, including many veterans.
Asked about plans to lay off about 80,000 employees, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins told Fox News on Monday: “That is our goal, our target.”
The VA employed more than 470,000 people as of October 2024, according to the department.
In addition to trying to protect VA employees from being fired, Blumenthal’s bill would require the department to certify to Congress that, for each removal of an employee, the move will not impact veterans’ care or benefits.
CNN has reached out to the VA for response.
A congressional staffer tells CNN the bill will be formally introduced later this week in the committee. The Republican chair of the committee, Sen. Jerry Moran, would then decide whether to move it forward.
The White House framed significant stock market losses in recent days caused by President Donald Trump’s shifting tariff policies as a “period of economic transition” and cast blame on the Biden administration amid major concerns from the business community.
“When it comes to the stock market, the numbers that we’ll see today, the numbers we saw yesterday, the numbers we will see tomorrow are a snapshot of a moment in time,” White house press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday.
Stocks have plunged as the president continues to levy tariffs and threaten tariffs on Canada. Over the weekend, Trump said tariffs on some goods from Canada and Mexico planned for April 2 “could go up,” and would not predict whether the United States will have a recession in 2025.
Today, he announced an additional 25% tariff on Canadian electricity and a 50% tariff on all steel and aluminum exports, continuing to rock markets, which the president closely follows and often points to as an indicator of his success.
His press secretary claimed Tuesday that the “economic nightmare” Trump inherited from President Joe Biden is to blame.
“We are in a period of economic transition. We are in a period of transition from the mess that was created under Joe Biden and the previous administration. Joe Biden left this country in an economic disaster,” she said.
President Donald Trump has not yet spoken with the newly elected leader of Canada’s Liberal Party, the White House said on Tuesday.
“But certainly his phone is always open to leaders who wish to speak with him,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during Tuesday’s press briefing.
Mark Carney was elected Sunday to lead Canada’s Liberal Party into the next federal elections later this year. Carney will replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister after a short transition period.
Asked whether Trump would call Carney “governor,” a taunt that he’s aimed toward Trudeau after saying he wants Canada to become the 51st US state, Leavitt did not directly answer.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt officially announced that President Donald Trump will welcome Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) Micheál Martin to the White House for the annual “shamrock ceremony” on Wednesday.
Vice President Vance and second lady Usha Vance are also hosting Martin and his wife Mary for a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast at the vice president’s residence.
Looking ahead to Thursday, Leavitt said that Trump will welcome NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for “a working meeting and lunch.”
The newly-elected leader of Canada’s Liberal Party, Mark Carney, denounced US President Donald Trump’s “latest tariffs” as “an attack” in a social media post on Tuesday.
“President Trump’s latest tariffs are an attack on Canadian workers, families, and businesses,” Carney wrote on X. “My government will ensure our response has maximum impact in the US and minimal impact here in Canada, while supporting the workers impacted.”
Carney, who will take over from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, added that “my government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect and make credible, reliable commitments to free and fair trade.”
Carney will become prime minister once incumbent Trudeau steps down. Yesterday, Carney told reporters that the transition will be “quick” without giving an exact date.
House Speaker Mike Johnson placed blame on Democrats ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s vote on the continuing resolution to fund the government.
“I hope some of them will have a moment of clarity themselves and do the right thing, but it looks like they’re going to try to shut down the government,” Johnson said. “It’s a striking new posture for Democrats, who have always … been apoplectic about the prospect of government shutdowns.”
Johnson also said he will continue to support Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie after President Donald Trump said he would back a primary challenger because the congressman has been firmly against the continuing resolution.
“Thomas and I have had disagreements, but I consider Thomas Massie a friend,” Johnson said. “He’s a thoughtful guy, and I guess he’ll tell you he’s doing what he thinks is right on this. I just vehemently disagree with his position, but I’ll leave it at that.”
President Donald Trump on Tuesday escalated his threats against America’s neighbor to the North, as Canada has responded to Trump’s tariff threats by threatening to cut off electricity to states it supplies.
In a Truth Social post, Trump questioned why the United States allows Canada to supply electricity to certain states in the first place and said the nation will pay a large “financial price” for using electricity to Americans as a “bargaining chip.”
“Why would our Country allow another Country to supply us with electricity, even for a small area? Who made these decisions, and why? And can you imagine Canada stooping so low as to use ELECTRICITY, that so affects the life of innocent people, as a bargaining chip and threat? They will pay a financial price for this so big that it will be read about in History Books for many years to come!” Trump said.
This comes as Trump said earlier that he would respond in kind to Ontario’s 25% surcharge on electricity to New York, Minnesota and Michigan with a 25% tariff on Canadian electricity and threatened to levy even larger tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum than he had planned Wednesday.
Earlier, Trump continued to taunt Canada about becoming the 51st state, if Canadians want to see tariffs disappear, pitching it as an opportunity for them to have reduced taxes and stronger security militarily and at the border.
“Canada pays very little for National Security, relying on the United States for military protection. We are subsidizing Canada to the tune of more than 200 Billion Dollars a year. WHY??? This cannot continue. The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State,” Trump said. “This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford once again repeated his threat to shut down electricity exports to the US but stopped short of giving a timeline.
“Is it a tool in our tool kit? 100%,” Ford said in an interview on CNBC, adding that as President Donald Trump “continues to hurt Canadian families, Ontario families, I won’t hesitate to do that. That’s the last thing I want to do.”
Ford earlier on Tuesday told MSNBC that he “will respond appropriately on the electricity. Stay tuned.”
The Ontario premier has repeatedly threatened to completely turn off his province’s electricity exports to US states if Trump levies new tariffs. Yesterday, Ford imposed a 25% surcharge on electricity flowing to New York, Minnesota, and Michigan, which he apologized about to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“I just got off the phone with Gov. Whitmer,” Ford told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday. “I consider (her) a friend, worked together for seven years. She’s a wonderful person, and I apologize to her. She understands.”
In response to Ford’s actions, Trump today said on social media that he would enact a 25% tariff on Canadian electricity, and add “an ADDITIONAL 25% Tariff, to 50%, on all STEEL and ALUMINUM COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM CANADA.”
Ford also said he would speak with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Tuesday, telling CNBC that he hopes they’ll “have a good discussion.”
“We can’t go tit for tat, back and forth,” Ford continued. “We need to sit down at the table, get our differences out.”
The House is preparing to leave Washington after voting Tuesday on the spending measure to fund the government through September 30, leaving the Senate to accept the bill or risk a shutdown.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s office announced Tuesday morning that “members are further advised that upon completion of today’s legislative business, votes are no longer expected in the House tomorrow.”
This is a change from the official schedule, which had the House’s last legislative day listed as Wednesday.
GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin said earlier Tuesday he thinks the House will pass a bill to fund the government through September — and warned Senate Democrats will be blamed for a shutdown if they don’t provide the votes to adopt the package.
Mullin, a former House member who maintains close ties with his House Republican colleagues, said “absolutely, it’ll pass” in the House, but added that the bill’s fate in the Senate “depends on (Senate Minority Leader Chuck) Schumer.”
“I think we’ll be able to put 51, 52 on the board, and then we can’t do it alone. So if Schumer doesn’t want to support us, and it becomes a Schumer shutdown at this point — because we have to have the Democrat support in the Senate, unlike in the House,” he said.
Mullin added, “We can deliver our numbers. I can’t speak for the Democrats. So, if the Democrats want to shut us down, it’s in their control.”
Several Senate Democrats are not tipping their hand yet on whether they would vote for a funding package to keep the government open until the end of September, as they wait to see if the House can pass it this afternoon.
Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said, “I’m going to wait to see how I’m going to vote until I know exactly what they’re sending to us, because I think that their passing it today is by no means a sure thing.” Blumenthal added, “It’s not a CR, it’s actually a budget bill that contains drastic reductions in non-defense spending, is really repugnant, and I’m hoping that the House will think twice about passing it, given that it’ll have great difficulty here in the Senate.”
Other senators also panned the House bill, but still didn’t rule out voting for it.
New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said “I think we need to have an appropriations process.” However, pressed on whether she would vote for the bill to keep the government open at the end of this week, she did not answer.
Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen did not answer when asked if she’d vote for the package.
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine panned the bill and called on the House to knock it down, but he would not answer when pressed on how he would vote on it.
Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said that he also “hasn’t decided yet.” Adding, “I want to see what’s in it.”
Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego agreed, saying: “We’ll see what happens when it comes out of the House.”
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly said he “will take a look at it,” while noting that “this White House is already shutting down parts of the government, and they walked away from negotiations on appropriations bills, but I will take a look at it when we get the text of it.”
Meanwhile, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley made clear he doesn’t think any of his Democratic colleagues should cross party lines to support a GOP-led bill, calling the continuing resolution “a slush fund for Trump.” He argued in favor of the Democratic plan to pass a bill to extend funding for 30 days so bipartisan talks can continue over longer term appropriations bills because “the power of the purse rests with Congress.”
“I’m a hell no,” he added.
CNN’s Alison Main, Manu Raju and Sarah Davis contributed reporting to this post. This post has been updated with more senator reactions.
Several Republican holdouts on the House GOP bill to fund the government through September still declined to say they’ll support the measure after a meeting with Vice President JD Vance Tuesday morning.
Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne told CNN she’s currently “undecided,” saying, “I think Congress needs to be doing its job.”
Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, who has said he’s a “no” until he gets assurances about scrutinizing military spending, has “not yet” changed his mind, telling CNN he’s going to have more discussions about the bill.
Florida Rep. Kat Cammack told reporters she’s “undecided,” but “looking forward to my conversations with the White House today,” though she would not say who she plans to speak to or if she has talked to President Donald Trump.
“We have assurances from the vice president that they are working on that top line number that will help us get to a place where we can all be united behind a yes, which is ultimately where we all want to be,” she said.
With Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie already a staunch “no,” Speaker Mike Johnson has virtually no room for error when he brings the bill to the floor later Tuesday afternoon, as House Democrats say they’ll be united against it. Johnson, as well as Trump and Vance, have been working to flip GOP holdouts to back the bill.
Speaking earlier today at a news conference, Johnson said he believed Republicans would have the votes and pass the continuing resolution.
”What I’m saying is Democrats ought to do the responsible thing, follow their own advice in every previous scenario, and keep the government open,” he added.
