Congress returns to stalled DHS talks and a high‑stakes agenda
The Senate returns to work today, while the House will hold a brief procedural session before getting back to regular business on Tuesday.
Lawmakers have still not passed a funding bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subagencies affected by the record-breaking partial government shutdown, now in its ninth week.
During the two-week recess, House Republican speaker Mike Johnson took no action to advance a Senate-passed measure that would reopen agencies like the Transport Security Administration (TSA) and Coast Guard, but withhold funds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol. Democrats have demanded stronger guardrails on federal immigration enforcement after the killing of two US citizens by officers in Minneapolis earlier this year.
A reminder that ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) were largely insulated from the shutdown because they received billions in Donald Trump’s sweeping tax policy bill, signed into law last year.
Johnson is also facing pressure from hardline House Republicans members who argue that the Senate bill hands Democrats a win. Now, John Thune, the Senate majority leader, and Johnson are expected to try to move a new tax package that includes immigration enforcement funding for at least three years, aiming to avoid another standoff on Capitol Hill. They hope to pass it through a process known as reconciliation, which only requires a simple majority to advance.
Senators will also spend much of today debating the Save America act, the president’s restrictive voter ID proposal that would require proof of US citizenship for new voters, among other measures. A reminder that the legislation is unlikely to clear the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
Key events
Federal judge dismisses Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday book reporting
A federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s $10bn lawsuit against Wall Street Journal and its publisher Dow Jones, after the president claimed the Rupert Murdoch-owned outlet defamed him by reporting on the president’s alleged message to Jeffrey Epstein, as part of the late sex offender’s 50th birthday album.
Judge Darrin Gayles said that Trump’s legal team failed to proved that the Journal acted with “actual malice”, a key requirement in defamation cases involving a public figure. The ruling also noted that the president failed to prove that the Journal’s reporting resulted in “special damages”, which amount to out-of-pocket losses.
Congress returns to stalled DHS talks and a high‑stakes agenda
The Senate returns to work today, while the House will hold a brief procedural session before getting back to regular business on Tuesday.
Lawmakers have still not passed a funding bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subagencies affected by the record-breaking partial government shutdown, now in its ninth week.
During the two-week recess, House Republican speaker Mike Johnson took no action to advance a Senate-passed measure that would reopen agencies like the Transport Security Administration (TSA) and Coast Guard, but withhold funds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol. Democrats have demanded stronger guardrails on federal immigration enforcement after the killing of two US citizens by officers in Minneapolis earlier this year.
A reminder that ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) were largely insulated from the shutdown because they received billions in Donald Trump’s sweeping tax policy bill, signed into law last year.
Johnson is also facing pressure from hardline House Republicans members who argue that the Senate bill hands Democrats a win. Now, John Thune, the Senate majority leader, and Johnson are expected to try to move a new tax package that includes immigration enforcement funding for at least three years, aiming to avoid another standoff on Capitol Hill. They hope to pass it through a process known as reconciliation, which only requires a simple majority to advance.
Senators will also spend much of today debating the Save America act, the president’s restrictive voter ID proposal that would require proof of US citizenship for new voters, among other measures. A reminder that the legislation is unlikely to clear the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
As we noted earlier, Eric Swalwell’s decision to suspend his campaign for governor on Sunday, even as he denies allegations from four women who accuse him of sexual misconduct and assault, did not end the pressure the congressman faces.
On Sunday afternoon, his troubles deepened when the US Department of Homeland Security announced an investigation into allegations the US representative hired “a Brazilian national as a nanny without lawful work authorization”.
The claim that Swalwell and his wife might have violated immigration law by employing a Brazilian woman who did not have a work permit to care for their children was detailed in a 68-page complaint filed with federal immigration officials in February by Joel Gilbert, a California film-maker who calls himself “the conservative Michael Moore”.
Gilbert, who mailed a conspiratorial documentary about Barack Obama to voters in swing states before the 2012 election, and has made films attacking Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton and Al Gore, and others celebrating Donald Trump, denied that he was a Republican political operative. “I just kind of follow the truth where I see it,” he said in an interview.
A reminder that my colleagues are covering the latest developments out of the Middle East at our dedicated live blog. This includes the latest reaction to Donald Trump’s declaration that the US Navy would start blockading the Hormuz strait of Hormuz at 10am ET.
Since Trump’s announcement, the price of oil has leapt again, beyond $100 per barrel. Brent crude – the international standard – rose 7% to $102.29.
Follow along here:
Donald Trump is in Washington today. He’s spending most of the day in policy meetings and signing time. These will be closed to the press but we’ll let you know if anything changes. At 7pm ET, the president and first lady will welcome King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands to the White House for a state dinner.
US-born Pope Leo XIV has defended his position of seeking peace, after Donald Trump criticised him for “catering to the Radical Left”.
“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the church is here to do,” the pontiff said.
“We are not politicians, we don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective (as) he might understand it,” he continued. “But I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker.”
This comes after Leo suggested over the weekend that “delusion of omnipotence” was fuelling the US-Israel war in Iran. In response, Trump said he doesn’t think the pontiff is not “doing a very good job”.
Both Trump and Pete Hegseth, his defence secretary, have invoked God and religious language in public messaging during the conflict. Hegseth has even framed the war effort as divinely supported, a sentiment that the pope has repeatedly refuted.
“Jesus is the king of peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war,” he said on Palm Sunday. “He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war but rejects them.”
Congressman Eric Swalwell’s departure from the California governor race comes at a pivotal moment in the “wide-open” primary race, just weeks before voters receive postal ballots ahead of the 2 June election.
This jungle primary sees candidates of all parties competing, and the top two finishers regardless of party will advance to the November general election. The winner of the election will replace outgoing governor Gavin Newsom and lead the United States’ most populous state.
The other Democrat candidates include billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who has put at least $110m into television advertising, former Rep Katie Porter, former secretary of health and human services Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, California superintendent of public instruction Tony Thurmond, San Jose mayor Matt Mahan, and former state controller Betty Yee.
The deadline to enter the race ended in March, meaning the current roster of candidates is set and ballots are due to be sent out at the start of May. While Swalwell has suspended his campaign, his name cannot be removed from the ballot.
“None of these candidates really have a lane,” said Garry South, a longtime California Democratic strategist, as reported by CNN. “The race is wide open,” he said in an interview. “Today is Day 1 of that new race, and we all move forward.”
Historically, Republican candidates have struggled to win statewide races in the heavily Democratic state of California. However, in this election, the Democrat-heavy voter base has been split between candidates, leaving two Republicans, Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, near the top of early primary polls.
The general election is due to take place on 3 November, and the top two finishers will advance to it, regardless of their party.
Calls grow for Democratic congressman to resign from House amid sexual assault allegations
Welcome to our live coverage of US politics.
Representative Eric Swalwell, the Democratic frontrunner in the fiercely contested race to be governor of California, has suspended his campaign amid a series of sexual assault and misconduct allegations by a former staff member and at least three other women.
The woman who worked for Swalwell said the California congressman had sexually assaulted her twice when she was too inebriated to consent, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, which was published on Friday.
Three other women also accused Swalwell of misconduct, according to CNN. The women said Swalwell had sent them unsolicited nude photographs or explicit messages.
In a statement posted online, Swalwell, 45, said he would “fight the serious, false allegations that have been made – but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s”.
Swalwell denies all allegations and claims that they are an effort to disrupt his campaign. He has sent cease-and-desist letters to all accusers.
But calls are growing for him also to step aside from the House with some representatives saying they would support the rare step of expelling him should he refuse to go.
With the House returning to session Tuesday, the question of whether to expel Swalwell could come to a head quickly. Republican Anna Paulina Luna, of Florida, said Saturday that she would be filing a motion to start the process.
Expulsion votes in the House are rare and require a two-thirds majority, but there is recent precedent for taking the step. Republican George Santos of New York in 2023 became just the sixth member in House history to be ousted by colleagues for his conduct.
Fellow Democrats Jared Huffman, Pramila Jayapal and Teresa Leger Fernández said they would vote to expel Swalwell from the House, though they said they also support expelling Republican Tony Gonzales of Texas who admitted to an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide.
In addition to the sexual assault allegation, Swalwell’s troubles deepened when the US Department of Homeland Security announced an investigation into allegations the US representative hired “a Brazilian national as a nanny without lawful work authorization”.
The claim was filed by Joel Gilbert, a California film-maker and conspiracy theorist who calls himself “the conservative Michael Moore”. In the 68-page-long complaint, Gilbert alleges that Swalwell and his wife employed a Brazilian woman who did not have a work permit to care for their children – and therefore violated immigration law.
Stay with us for all the developments. In other news:
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Pope Leo XIV has said he has “no intention” of debating president Donald Trump over the Iran war. This comes after Leo suggested over the weekend that “delusion of omnipotence” was fuelling the US-Israel war in Iran. In response, Trump said he doesn’t think the pontiff is not “doing a very good job” and that the US-born leader of the Catholic church was “a very liberal person”. “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said in a social media post, while also suggesting the pontiff should “stop catering to the Radical Left”. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Leo said: “I have no intention to debate with (Trump). The message is the same: to promote peace.”
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Trump has said the US Navy would start blockading the Hormuz strait and also prohibit every vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran. The US Central Command said later it would begin a blockade of all Iranian Gulf ports and coastal areas on Monday at 10am ET (5.30pm in Iran and 2pm GMT), effectively seizing control of maritime traffic in the strait of Hormuz.