Republicans’ horrible, no good, very bad week in Congress

President Biden signed off on a $95 billion foreign aid package approved by Congress this week. It includes military funds to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. While Democrats were happy to work with the Republican leadership to get the bill done, a more conservative wing of the GOP was less than thrilled. Will the package cost another speaker of the House their job? And how are U.S. allies feeling about the drawn-out fight to get a deal done? New polling from NBC shows a shift in support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign. The independent candidate is trending upward with voters who would otherwise be supporting former President Donald Trump. How will the Trump and Biden camps prepare to deal with a growing third-party challenge? Early electoral maps reveal a short list of battleground states. What will it take to capture the electoral votes that will define the 2024 election?

The embattled leadership of the Republican Party came together in a show of solidarity this week. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was joined by House Speaker Mike Johnson for a press conference at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago compound. Trump backed the speaker in the face of mounting pressure from conservative members of the House to remove Johnson from the role. This show of support came amid another legal challenge for the former president. Jury selection in Trump’s trial over alleged hush money payments began this week. It’s the first time a former president has faced criminal charges, and drew substantial media coverage. That coverage added increased difficulty to the selection process, with one seated juror dropping out over fears that media reporting on the case would reveal her identity. Can the media circus surrounding the case be wrangled to avoid further interruptions? Will Johnson be able to survive his own circus in the House to accomplish something — anything — as speaker before November’s election? U.S. colleges continue to struggle with the protecting free speech and fighting hate on campus. Another congressional hearing on campus antisemitism — this time with officials from Columbia University — arrived at the same time a valedictorian at the University of Southern California faced backlash for her support of pro-Palestinian causes. How can colleges navigate increasing tensions as the lines between anti-semitism and calls for an end to the conflict in Gaza continue to be blurred? An Oklahoma city councilman was elected last year, before reports he had ties to a white nationalist group became more widely known. For our 50 states series, we examine what lessons we all could stand to learn from the voters of Enid, Oklahoma.

This week, former President Donald Trump took credit for leaving decisions about abortion bans up to individual states, while pledging to maintain that choice for states if he’s re-elected. Can we expect the lack of federal guidance on individual rights to continue? And will Republican supporters hold any ill will for his lack of commitment to a classic conservative value? President Biden openly criticized Benjamin Netanyahu’s deadly campaign in Gaza following last week’s attack on World Central Kitchen aid workers. In an interview with Univision, Biden called for a temporary ceasefire and for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza. It’s a significant change of attitude publicly for the president. It could appease some more moderate observers who take issue with Israel’s military strategy. But many on the left believe nothing has actually changed regarding U.S. policy with Israel. President Biden vowed to federally fund the rebuild of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge following a tragic accident late last month. That promise could be slowed by opposition to commit taxpayer dollars towards the project without certain guarantees. We hear and use the phrase “taxpayer dollars” so often, but what does it really mean?

Donald Trump and Joe Biden aren’t the only ones preparing for a tight race this year. With every House seat and a third of Senate seats up for grabs in November, both Democrats and Republicans are hoping to take control of Congress. But will congressional candidates be able to overcome the unique situation that Trump and Biden’s policies and personalities present? More Americans than ever believe religion’s influence in politics is dwindling. Evangelical voters have pointed to President Biden’s support for abortion access and LGTBTQ issues as signs that he lacks a commitment to religious values, despite his Catholic faith. Those sentiments were on display last weekend in the conservative uproar over Biden’s choice to simultaneously acknowledge Transgender Day of Visibility and Easter Sunday. Why did a statement from the president cause so much outrage? Will the lack of religious faith in Biden play a role in 2024? As part of our 50 States series, we explore a proposal from Kansas Republicans that aims to change the mail-in ballot process.

Two dozen Democrats and over 20 Republicans plan to retire from Congress this year. Several members of the House have chosen to end their terms early, making the situation especially difficult for an already tight GOP majority. The most recent examples include Wisconsin Representative Mike Gallagher and Texas Congressman Ken Buck. In interviews prior to his exit this month, Buck called out a lack of professionalism in the current Congress. How serious is this wave of exits? And what are some of the underlying factors making it harder for well-intentioned members to do their jobs? Vice President Kamala Harris is campaigning for Joe Biden’s re-election with strong messaging on protecting abortion rights. It seems like an opportune time for Democrats to push the issue, with oral arguments in a Supreme Court case over access to the abortion drug mifepristone beginning earlier this week. There is hope that keeping abortion in the news could drive fringe voters to the polls this fall. But does a strong push on abortion miss the issues that matter to the class of voters at the foundation of the Democratic party? How would Biden’s re-election bid fare if the current realignment of non-college-educated voters continues? A new law in Indiana seeks to create more space for intellectual diversity in college classrooms. Supporters say the law could change a culture of silencing conservative voices on campus. It’s a serious problem, but will legislation provide a real solution?

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer upset critics on the right when he called for an election in Israel to remove Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister. Schumer’s counterpart, Mitch McConnell, called the move “disrespectful” of Israeli democracy and sovereignty. Many think Netanyahu’s administration is on the path to peace in Gaza, but a planned offensive in the southern city of Rafah could worsen the situation. Despite Schumer’s perceived overstep, was he right about the need for leadership to resolve the conflict and secure the return of Israeli hostages? Should American officials re-examine their relationship with Netanyahu? The House of Representatives’ consideration of a TikTok ban seems to fit with the federal government’s larger push to regulate social media. Members of the House say the effort is aimed at improving the content available to Americans online. Does it represent a larger trend of policies accused of stifling free speech? As part of our 50 states series, we examine a question that’s taken on increased importance in recent years: Who can we trust to run our elections?

An election rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump became official after the two clinched the nominations for their respective parties this week. Media outlets have experience reporting on the two of them, but the stakes seem higher this time around. Will covering 2024 like a traditional election create the same pitfalls journalists have fallen for in the past? Some of the flaws the media will have to confront were on full display following Special Counsel Robert Hur’s congressional testimony. The amount of focus on Hur’s assessment of Biden’s memory overshadowed coverage of the report and its accompanying transcripts. Our panel shares the issues they saw with the hearing. New York Governor Kathy Hocul proposed several new plans for addressing public safety in New York City’s massive transit system. One proposal included sending 1,000 National Guard members and state troopers into the subway to check passengers’ bags. Hocul said the decision wasn’t based on rising crime numbers, but on the perception that the subway had become unsafe for everyday riders. Is it a smart political move to rely on perception to create a policy? And how does it highlight the hypocrisy in responses to similar proposals in 2020?

In a 9-0 decision, the Supreme Court found that Colorado did not have the power to remove Donald Trump from the state’s primary ballot. Though the justices had a difference of opinion on how the ruling was decided, their overall agreement was that individual states should not have the power to decide who would be eligible to run for president. That may be the best-case scenario for the 2024 election, according to panelist Mo Elleithee.  “For anyone on the left, anyone who’s worried about Trump, [this election] has to be up to the voters. Trumpism has to be beat at the ballot box,” says Elleithee. As Trump’s candidacy moves forward, will the left shift its focus away from trying to beat Trump in the courtroom? Meanwhile, commitment to democracy across the globe remains strong, says a poll from the Pew Research Center. But a closer look reveals that satisfaction with the democratic process may be taking a hit. What’s at the root of a growing desire for stronger, singular leaders? Controversy over Google’s AI tool Gemini raises familiar questions about the trustworthiness of our institutions. Is it much ado about nothing, or a chance to deeply inspect our ideas about bias?

Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell announced that he would step down from his role as Senate minority leader this November, though he’ll still be a senator through the end of his term. McConnell had been the head of the Senate’s Republican members since 2006. What motivated the leadership exit? The 82-year-old pointed to personal concerns and the changing politics of his party. What should we remember about the longtime Republican figurehead, and what could the end of his time as a Senate leader look like? Immigration is among the most important issues for American voters. News stories and political messaging about a rise in border crossings play into that concern. But finger-pointing over the failure of the border security bill won’t lead to solutions, according to panelist Mo Elleithee. How can a shift in perspective resolve voters’ desires for a solution on immigration? Louisiana is the focus of our 50 States segment. The state’s governor, Jeff Landry, chose not to opt into a new federal initiative that would extend electronic benefit transfer (EBT) funds for families into summer. Several other states with Republican governors also opted out of the program for 2024. Why might states deny more federal dollars, even if they’re aimed at more nutrition for kids?

Mourning continues after the death of Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition leader and one of Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critics. Navalny, who returned to Russia in 2021 following an attempted poisoning, died in a remote prison last Friday. His widow Yulia vowed to take up his cause and urged the international community to join her as she seeks justice for her husband’s death. Will Putin tightening his hold on power in Russia motivate more direct support for Ukraine from the United States? Crime is trending back to pre-pandemic levels in most major U.S. cities, except for Washington, D.C. The district has seen troubling increases in youth offenders committing carjackings, thefts, and gun violence. For our 50 States series, we look at proposed solutions in the nation’s capital, including a controversial crime bill that could extend police powers throughout the city. The Senate is considering new legislation to regulate social media. Will the Kids Online Safety Act help protect children from the harmful impacts of being constantly online?