President Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia and touted $600 billion in new investment in the U.S. But he’s facing growing criticism over his decision to accept an offer from Qatar for a replacement Air Force One jet. NBC News’ Garrett Haake reports.
grillingmet with Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia this morning and urged him to recognize Israel's statehood. Trump then left for Qatar, the second leg of his Middle East trip, where he attended an arrival ceremony at the Amiri Diwan Royal Court and is taking part in a bilateral meeting.
The White House said that the president signed a $1.2 trillion economic deal with Qatar, though it did not provide documentation to support that figure. NBC News is unable to verify its accuracy.in his department's programs and staff during his testimony at a separate House hearing on the administration's budget.Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in his new add-on role of national security adviser, is expected to significantly scale down the size of the National Security Council and make a drastic change to how it works, four people with direct knowledge of the plans told NBC News. Shrinking the staff at the NSC would be in part designed to more closely align how it operates with the way Trump makes decisions, these people said. Rather than a large staff generating policy recommendations for the president, the idea is to create a version along the lines Trump prefers — more top-down, with the president directing the national security adviser who then leads the staff to carry out those orders, two of the people said.The White House said today that Trump has signed an agreement with Qatar worth at least $1.2 trillion, though the White House didn't provide documentation to support that figure."President Trump also announced economic deals totaling more than $243.5 billion between the United States and Qatar, including an historic sale of Boeing aircraft and GE Aerospace engines to Qatar Airways," the White House added.Conservative website Townhall.com shared a video on X of Dingell with her eyes closed during the House Energy and Commerce markup of the GOP reconciliation bill. "Been up for 31 hours straight fighting Republicans trying to gut Medicaid," she said about the overnight markup."Closed my eyes to think about an America where everyone has access to quality, affordable health care."Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sidestepped a question about vaccines and whether he would choose to vaccinate his children today against a number of diseases, saying “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.” Kennedy’s comment was in response to Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., during a House Appropriations Committee hearing this morning. Amid an ongoing measles outbreak in west Texas and other parts of the U.S. that’s killed two children and one adult — all unvaccinated — Kennedy has pushedIn her closing remarks, top Democratic appropriator Rosa DeLauro told Kennedy that she is"horrified" that he won't encourage families to vaccinate their children against measles, chicken pox or polio. "Vaccines are one of the foundations of public health. Vaccines, yes, save lives, and the fact that the secretary of Health and Human Services refuses to encourage children to be vaccinated is a tragedy, and we have already had two children in the United States who have died needlessly from measles," DeLauro said.DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, also criticized what she said was the administration's plan to withhold funds for lifesaving research at the National Institutes of Health. "The OMB director has indicated that you are going to illegally impound billions of dollars of congressionally appropriated funding for NIH research in 2025," DeLauro said."To make matters worse, you are proposing to cut NIH funding by $20 billion in 2026. You do not have the authority to do what you are doing." "We can't eliminate some of these programs," DeLauro added."The havoc that we are going to cause in dealing with research and cutting back on research is going to put lives at risk."Rep. Josh Harder, D-Calif., stated that about half of people in his district are on Medicaid and that the budget reconciliation package that Republicans in Congress are considering would leave 50,000 of them without health insurance. "Why do you think that a community like mine doesn't deserve access to that same basic health care provided by Medicaid that you benefited from?" Harder asked. "I don't know if you understand this, or whether you're just mouthing the Democratic talking points, the cuts to Medicaid are for fraud, waste and abuse, and I'll tell you what that means," said Kennedy, who said that DOGE determined that people were claiming Medicaid benefits from multiple states."That's illegal. It's theft."Kennedy suggested that people who are"adults who are able-bodied, who refuse to look for a job, to volunteer, to get a job" shouldn't have access to Medicaid. "That is absolutely not true," Harder said."The vast majority of folks in a community like mine who are on Medicaid are working. They want to work."Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., expressed frustration with the Trump administration's moves to target federal programs that help Black communities. "It should not be controversial to make right a health care system that was not built to help people like me to take my concerns, my pain, my health very seriously in this country," said Watson Coleman, who is Black. The congresswoman asked how eliminating minority health offices and other programs that are designed to review the disparities in health care makes the public healthier."President Trump's vision of this country is the same as Martin Luther King's — that we should have color-blind administration," Kennedy said. "I don't need this rhetoric about Donald Trump and the lie that he cares about me and Black people," the congresswoman said. Kennedy said that he's spent a lifetime working on minority health and said"the commitment is there." Watson Coleman asked Kennedy for his rationale for eliminating a program that was formed to specifically address the needs of low-income and minority families with heating and air conditioning.Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., sparred with Kennedy over health agencies during her line of questioning, though first she started by making a statement. "Draconian abortion restrictions are killing and maiming women, and that is a tragedy. You don't need to respond to that. I want to thank you for being here. I just want you to know I'll try to ask my questions as kindly as possible. Do not take them personally," she said.She then criticized the cuts happening at HHS and asked,"So your decisions, were they based on merit or generated by an algorithm?" "I disagree with your entire characterization," said Kennedy, who denied cutting thousands of scientists and clinical trials."Everything you said was essentially dishonest ... don't take that personally."Asked whether he would vaccinate his kids today for measles, Kennedy paused briefly before answering that he would"probably" vaccinate them."I don't think people should be taking medical advice from me," the health secretary added. He said his team aims to lay out"pros and cons." Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., asked Kennedy if he would vaccinate his kids today for chickenpox and polio. The HHS secretary declined to answer."I don't want to give advice," Kennedy said after being asked about chickenpox. He reiterated that he did not want to give advice on polio vaccines.Kennedy, a top anti-vaccine activist before he joined the Trump administration, has pushed unproven remedies for measles, including a steroid called budesonide, an antibiotic called clarithromycin and cod liver oil, a supplement high in vitamin A. None are proven treatments for the measles, experts say. High doses of vitamin A can cause nausea, vomiting and liver damage, especially in small children.Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., pushed back in his questioning against Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s move to ban synthetic dyes in food. The colors currently allowed for food have been approved by the FDA and have"been deemed safe for many years," Fleischmann said. He said he represents manufacturers of various snacks, including M&Ms, in his district. "But on a very serious note, we want to make sure that FDA has done due diligence to ensure the safety of these replacement colors," the congressman said aboutthat the federal government would phase out all artificial dyes from the food supply by the end of the year.Just 10 minutes into a subcommittee budget hearing, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is already receiving bipartisan pushback to Transportation Department cuts to staff and programs. Duffy's testimony comes as Newark Liberty International Airport has seen dozens of delays and cancellations that have snarled air traffic amidThe chair of the House Appropriations subcommittee, Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., voiced concerns over"efforts to restructure the department without congressional approval." "I want to make something clear," Womack said."Efforts to restructure the Department of Transportation without congressional approval, to not execute programs appropriated by this committee, or to not give proper congressional notification when awarding or amending grants concerns me." Subcommittee ranking member Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., also said he was"deeply concerned" about the administration withholding funds and reducing the department's workforce.The top Republican and Democrat in the Senate, John Thune, R-S.D., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., are joining Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., to reintroduce the Kids Online Safety Act. Notably, Apple has now backed the measure, which has faced significant opposition from tech companies who lobbied members of Congress to block the bill, which would give parents more control over what their children can access online.Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, who worked as a dentist before being elected to Congress, questioned Kennedy's push to remove fluoride from drinking water. "I am concerned about the fluoride issue. I've seen the benefits, having been a practicing dentist for 22 years," Simpson said at the appropriations hearing. "We better put a lot more money into dental education, because we're going to need a whole lot more dentists," Simpson said, adding that he wants to see the studies pushed by Kennedy that suggest fluoride is more harmful to children.Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, sent a new letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi asking how she came to a conclusion that the Qatari gift of a $400 million jet to Trump would be “legally permissible” and pressing her to provide the committee with information about whether the Justice Department determined there were no potential conflicts of interest. In the letter, provided first to NBC News, Durbin asks Bondi if she recused herself from decision-making related to the matter because Bondi previously worked as a lobbyist for Qatar. “There are serious questions about whether you should have recused yourself from this matter,” Durbin writes in the letter, noting that Bondi “did not list the State of Qatar as a conflict of interest on your Senate Judiciary Questionnaire, despite serving as a lobbyist for this foreign government prior to your confirmation as Attorney General.”The letter asks Bondi to provide the Senate Judiciary Committee the following info by May 28:The names and titles of the department ethics officials with whom Bondi consulted on her potential conflict of interest in this matter and any records or materials related to this consultation. The letter comes as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on Bondi to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying he will“As reported, this gift clearly violates the Constitution and the statutory regime enacted by Congress to govern such gifts,” Durbin wrote in his letter to Bondi. “The Constitution unequivocally bestows on Congress the power to control whether any officer of the United States, including the President, may accept a gift ‘from any King, Prince, or foreign State.’”The top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, of Connecticut, slammed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a hearing this morning over the cuts the administration's cost-cutting initiative, the Department of Government Efficiency, has made to the nation's health agencies. "You and Elon Musk have fired or driven out nearly 5,000 personnel, including some of the world’s most pre-eminent scientists, frozen billions of dollars in research to develop cures for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, women’s health, and the list goes on," DeLauro said about cuts at the National Institutes of Health."Mr. Secretary, you are gutting the life-saving work of the Department of Health and Human Services and its key agencies while the Republicans in this Congress say and do nothing," she said. DeLauro said Kennedy and DOGE have eliminated scores of prevention programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including ones that address HIV, tobacco use, asthma, lead poisoning and gun violence."I’m worried about a future public health crisis that emerges," DeLauro said, calling the cuts already made to the agencies"dangerous" and warning that people would likely die as a result.OMAHA, Neb. — Omaha’s first female mayor has conceded the mayoral race to a man who will likely be the community’s first Black mayor.Voters in Omaha were making history yesterday by either re-electing the city’s first female mayor to a rare fourth term or electing the community’s first Black mayor.Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky., told MSNBC that his party has “probably not fully” grappled with former President Joe Biden’s role in the party’s 2024 election loss. “I think that Joe Biden said he was going to be a transition president, and he was. I don’t think he should have run for re-election,” McGarvey, 45, who's in his second term in Congress, said when asked about a new book that focuses on concerns with Biden's health. He added,"I do think that it put the party in a much tougher spot to win, which — we needed the best person on the field, right?, Because we knew what was at stake."The Democratic National Committee announced plans to fly a banner over Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida today mocking his ties to Qatar and the Middle East.From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET, a banner that says"Qatar-a-Lago" will fly over the president's Palm Beach resort as Trump visits Qatar on his first trip abroad of his second term. Trump has come under fire for his administration's potential acceptance of a luxury jet from Qatar designed for use as Air Force One. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.,In a statement, DNC Chair Ken Martin accused Trump of using the presidency to personally enrich himself. "His corruption is a slap in the face to the millions of Americans who are struggling to get by and put food on the table," he said."Today, the DNC is highlighting what foreign autocracies around the world already know: Trump has no loyalty to the American people, national security, or the Constitution — his only allegiance is to his bank account and his billionaire buddies." The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment about the DNC banner and criticisms of the president's willingness to accept the new plane and his business ties in the Middle East.Lower U.S. and Chinese tariffs on each other’s goods took effect today, after the world’s two largest economies agreed to drastic reductions that Trump administration officials say could lay the groundwork for a broader trade deal. “We have the confines of a very, very strong deal with China,” Trump said in a Fox News interview aboard Air Force One on his way to Saudi Arabia that aired last night., the U.S. will lower its tariff rate on Chinese imports to 30% from 145%, while China will lower its tariff rate on U.S imports to 10% from 125%. The tariffs, which amounted to a trade embargo between the two countries, had rattled global markets. Also as of today, the “de minimis” tariff on packages from China worth less than $800 is reduced to 54% from 120%, with a minimum flat fee of $100, giving China-linked e-commerce sites such as Temu and Shein time toThe House Ways and Means Committee advanced the tax portion of Republicans' reconciliation bill on a party-line vote this morning after a markup that took more than 17 hours. The committee voted 26-19 to send the tax section to the full House. All of the various committee sections will be combined into one bill for consideration on the House floor. The markup started yesterday at 2:30 p.m. and wrapped up at 8 a.m. today. The committee did not take a break overnight. The lack of sleep caught up to Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, who missed his name being called by the clerk during an amendment vote as he dozed off in his chair. Rep. Michelle Fischback, R-Minn., who was seated next to him, had to touch Moore’s arm to wake him up.Trump has landed in Doha, Qatar, on the second day of his Middle East tour. He was greeted by the emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who hosted a welcome ceremony.Trump participates in an arrival ceremony with the emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the Amiri Diwan, the official workplace of the emir.Trump and Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, briefly spoke before reporters to kick off the second leg of the president's Middle East trip. Trump praised Al Thani, saying the two have been friends for"a long time." The president also said he thought there could be"good news" about the Russia-Ukraine war soon. "I think we're having some pretty good news coming out of there today and maybe tomorrow, and maybe Friday, frankly, but we'll see about that," Trump said. Al Thani said the two leaders would discuss investments, energy, military and security cooperation issues, and peace efforts in the region. Qatar has previously acted as a mediator in talks over the Israel-Hamas war. President Donald Trump is greeted by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as he arrives in Doha today.Trump told reporters traveling with him that he was still considering traveling to Turkey tomorrow for Russia-Ukraine talks, sharing that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants him to be there. "I don't know if he's showing up," Trump said of Putin."I know he would like me to be there, and that's a possibility. If we could end the war, I'd be thinking about that. Tomorrow we're all booked out, you understand that." Responding to a reporter's questions about tomorrow's talks, Trump said the full schedule"doesn't mean I wouldn't do it to save a lot of lives and come back." He added that he doesn't know if Putin would be there if he did not attend. Trump previously floated the idea that he might attend the talks, but yesterday he said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would go. A senior White House official told NBC News yesterday that special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg also would attend.it had stripped legal protections for thousands of Afghans in the U.S., saying that the security and economic situation in Afghanistan no longer justified granting them temporary protected status, or TPS. “We’ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer” prevents Afghans from returning to their home country, she said.After landing in Doha, he begins his state visit with an arrival ceremony at the Amiri Diwan Royal Court, followed by the introduction of delegations, a ceremonial tea and coffee, a bilateral meeting, a working lunch and a signing ceremony.Syria has always been the heart of the Middle East as its cultural capital. This development is hugely significant both for Syrians and for the Middle East in general.The gulf is the business center, it’s where the oil and gas are in the kingdoms and the emirates, and it’s the commercial engine that drives the region. But Syria is the home of the ancient capitals. It has two of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on the planet in Aleppo and the capital, Damascus, and it is dotted with ancient palaces: Roman, Byzantine and Islamic ruins and art. It has a fantastic layered history.This vital country has been gone since the civil war began more than a decade ago. After that, it became a no-go, chaotic death-zone, one of the most dangerous places on the planet. Former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime was dropping chemical weapons, it became a hornet's nest of different militia groups, and the ISIS caliphate was there exporting terrorism around the world.On a geopolitical level, it’s very important. During the civil war, the country fell more and more under the sway of Iran, Russia and Hezbollah. Now, it is coming back to the Arab world. The fact that Trump lifted these sanctions with help from Saudi Arabia shows where the country is going. It is coming back to the Middle East.More than a month after Trump’s tariff-focused “Liberation Day,” just about all America has won is more deadlines and assurances of ongoing talks.Richard Hamilton Smith / Universal Images Group via Getty Images The White House has said both agreements are starting points. While it’s been enough to soothe international markets and“We are currently exploring normalizing relations with Syria’s new government, as you know, beginning with my meeting with President Ahmad al-Sharaa,” he said at a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a grouping of six Gulf nations. Trump had earlier met with al-Sharaa, a former rebel leader who became Syria's president in January after the ouster of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad.The Supreme Court could give a major boost to the Trump administration’s muscular use of executive power when it hears arguments tomorrow over his plan to end birthright citizenship. The court is not actually using a trio of cases before it to give the final word on whether Trump can radically reinterpret the long-understood meaning of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. Instead, it will focus on the power of judges to block presidential policies across the country. Trump’s plan to limit birthright citizenship to people born to at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident is likely to ultimately be struck down,. The 14th Amendment states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.” But for now, the Supreme Court — which has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three Trump appointees — is focusing only on the question of whether lower court judges had the authority to block the policy nationwide, as three did in different cases.In a meeting this morning in Saudi Arabia, Trump encouraged Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to recognize Israel's statehood, according to a White House readout.Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was also present and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, joined by phone. The readout said both leaders praised Trump's decision toTrump told al-Sharaa that he had"a tremendous opportunity to do something historic in his country," the readout said. He urged the Syrian leader to sign on to the Abraham Accords, a framework for Arab states to recognize Israeli sovereignty that the U.S. mediated during Trump's first term. He also advised al-Sharaa to tell foreign terrorists to leave Syria, deport Palestinian terrorists, help the U.S. prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State terrorist group and assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in Syria's northeast.Al-Sharaa affirmed his commitment to Syria's 1974 disengagement with Israel and invited American companies to invest in Syrian oil and gas, the readout said.Trump announced the sanctions rollback yesterday during a speech at a Saudi investment forum, saying it was intended to give Syria “a chance at greatness” after the ouster last year of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad. “Oh, what I do for the crown prince,” Trump said in reference to Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler.in January, had previously led a rebel group that helped overthrow Assad, whose family ruled the country with an iron fist for more than 50 years. But he faces major challenges in uniting a country divided by 14 years of civil war.After his 33-minute meeting with al-Sharaa, Trump was set to join a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, made up of Saudi Arabia and five other Gulf countries, before continuing on to Doha, Qatar, for a state visit. He will also visit the United Arab Emirates during his four-day Middle East trip, the first planned trip of his second term.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will testify today on Capitol Hill, where he is certain to face tough questions about persistent problems with the air traffic control system at Duffy will testify before the House Appropriations Committee in the morning to defend the White House budget proposal for his department.Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is scheduled to testify today in both the House and the Senate to discuss the White House budget proposal. It will be the first time he has testified before a congressional committee since his confirmation hearing for his Cabinet post. When he speaks before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, it will be the first time in two decades that an HHS secretary has testified about the president’s budget, according to the panel. The hearing is likely to shed light on the status of Kennedy's relationship with committee Chair Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who had expressed concerns about Kennedy's nomination over his attitude toward vaccines.During the confirmation process, Kennedy had agreed to appear before the committee on a quarterly basis, if requested, to secure Cassidy's support. Asked whether Kennedy had kept his commitment to not spread misinformation or sow distrust in vaccines, Cassidy recently said: “All I'll say about the commitments is that so far, he's lived up them.” Cassidy also said he had a “good working relationship" with Kennedy. Other Senate Republicans who were on the fence about supporting Kennedy have had positive things to say about him keeping them in the loop. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said she often texts the secretary, but still plans to press him on cuts to the National Institutes of Health. Democrats are also likely to focus on the NIH cutbacks, as well as the measles outbreak, cuts to medical research, prescription drug costs and his vaccines policy, according to multiple senators. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., told NBC News that Kennedy should be prepared to answer questions about"some of the alarming statements that he’s made over his tenure as secretary." Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., said that he might take a more generalized approach"and just ask him, does he think America is investing enough money in science?" Yesterday, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., who sits on the committee, filed a resolution of disapproval against Kennedy and called on him to resign, citing concerns about cuts to cancer research, the National Firefighter Cancer Registry and IVF. Alsobrooks is expected try to pass the resolution on the Senate floor this week via unanimous consent, but a Senate Republican will most likely block that effort.
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