President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are holding a joint press conference at the White House on Tuesday where they are discussing the future of the Gaza Strip.
Several suggestions floated by Trump include permanently resettling Palestinians in Gaza and during a press conference said the U.S. would take it over, though he gave no details of what that entails.
Senate panels on Tuesday advanced the nominations of Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence and Robert F. Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Both votes were strictly along party lines, but they likely pave the way for two of President Trump’s most controversial nominees to be confirmed.
Also on Tuesday, federal employees filed a number of lawsuits against Trump moves.
Two Office of Personnel Management (OPM) employees are asking a court to block the agency from using computer systems and emails connected with its buyout offers to federal employees.
And 16 current agents are suing the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ), saying their review of those who worked on the cases of some 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants is a preparation to retaliate against agents.
Read on for updates on these stories and more.
Senate confirms Pam Bondi to lead Justice Department
The Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Pam Bondi as the next attorney general, giving her control of a Justice Department embroiled in controversy.
The vote was 54-46. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) joined all Republicans in voting in support of Bondi.
Bondi, a two-term attorney general in Florida, has been lauded for her prosecutorial experience and work battling the opioid epidemic in the sunshine state.
But she is also a former attorney for President Trump who worked on his 2020 election challenge and has been highly critical of the criminal investigations into him, even calling for “prosecutors to be prosecuted.”
Swalwell: ‘Wait what?’
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) responded to Trump’s suggestion by recounting the lands that the president has already suggested the U.S. get involved with.
“Wait what? The U.S. is going to occupy Gaza? We were promised no more endless wars. By my count we are occupying Greenland, Canada, Panama Canal, and now..Gaza?” he posted to X shortly after Trump’s press conference ended.
Murphy: Gaza ‘invasion’ is a ‘bad, sick joke’
Sen. Chris Murphy slammed Trump’s idea of bringing U.S. troops into the Middle East, minutes after Trump suggested it.
“He’s totally lost it. A U.S. invasion of Gaza would lead to the slaughter of thousands of U.S. troops and decades of war in the Middle East. It’s like a bad, sick joke,” Murphy posted on X.
Trump concludes press conference
The joint press conference with Trump and Netanyahu concluded after roughly 40 minutes.
Trump says he’ll visit Gaza
President Trump said he will visit the Gaza Strip, shortly after proposing the U.S. take ownership of the territory. Trump’s special envoy for Middle East, Steve Witkoff, visited the territory, becoming the most senior official to visit the territory in a decade.
Trump: West Bank decision is about a month away
President Trump said his administration will take a policy position on the West Bank within the next four weeks. Asked if he supported Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, a territory where both Israelis and Palestinians live, Trump said he hadn’t made a decision.
Trump threatens violence if all hostages not released
Trump told reporters that the U.S. would get “somewhat more violent” if Hamas did not release all hostages as part of a three-phase ceasefire agreement with Israel.
“We’d like to get all of the hostages, and if we don’t, it will just make us somewhat more violent,” Trump said. “I will tell you that. Because they would have broken their word.”
Trump thinks US taking over Gaza could bring stability to the Middle East
Trump said he thinks the U.S. ownership of Gaza could bring stability to the Middle East, not responding to a question about what authority would allow the U.S. to take over Gaza.
“I do see a long term ownership position and I do see it bringing great stability to that part of the Middle East and maybe the entire Middle East,” the president said.
Trump on sending troops to Gaza: ‘We’ll do what is necessary’
Asked about the possibility of sending U.S. troops to Gaza, Trump said the U.S. will “do what is necessary” as he laid out plans for the U.S. to take the area over.
“As far as Gaza is concerned, we’ll do what is necessary. If it’s necessary, we’ll do that,” Trump said.
“We’re going to take over that piece, and we’re going to develop it, create thousands and thousands of jobs, and it’ll be something that the entire Middle East can be very proud of.”
Ahead of appearing alongside Netanyahu in a joint presser, Trump had said that war-torn Gaza is “not a place for people to be living.”
Netanyahu praises Trump as greatest friend to Israel
Netanyahu called Trump “the greatest friend Israel’s ever had in the White House,” giving the president credit for the ceasefire deal struck at the end of the Biden administration.
“All this in just two weeks. Can you imagine where we’ll be in four years?” He said.
The comment from Netanyahu is a major dig to former President Biden, who consistently pledged his support for Israel despite the harsh pushback he received from fellow Democrats amid the war in Gaza.
Biden’s administration also sent Israel billions of dollars in weapons without conditions during the course of the 15-month war.
Trump suggests US would ‘take over the Gaza Strip’
Trump asserted during a press conference with Netanyahu that Gaza “should not be rebuilt,” and that the U.S. should instead take it over and create an economic development zone.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it,” Trump said. “We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited number of jobs and housing for the people of the area.”
Trump said the Palestinians who have lived in Gaza have “lived a miserable existence.” Instead, he suggested other countries invest millions of dollars to create “numerous sites or one large site” where Palestinians could relocate.
This is the first time anyone has suggested the U.S. take over the territory. It’s unclear what that means or how that would be implemented in any way.
Trump, Netanyahu begin joint press conference
President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began their joint press conference from the White House on Tuesday.
They are expected to take questions from the media involving a ceasefire deal in Gaza as well as other matters.
Judiciary Democrats call for second hearing on Kash Patel
Senate Judiciary Democrats are calling for a second hearing for FBI director nominee Kash Patel, arguing he must answer questions about a surge of firings at the agency as well as “false statements” made during his hearing.
Patel appeared Thursday, the day before the Trump administration fired a number of agents and career staff in a massive purge of agency staff.
The Justice Department is also reviewing the work of more than 2,400 agents who aided in the investigation into the 1,500 people that stormed the Capitol.
“These personnel actions contradict commitments made by Mr. Patel under oath before the Committee,” the committee’s Democrats wrote in the letter.
Trump: Gaza is ‘not a place for people to be living’
Trump on Tuesday said that war-torn Gaza is “not a place for people to be living” as he addressed reporters alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza. I think that Gaza has been very unlucky for them. They’ve lived like hell. They live like you’re living in hell,” Trump said during a pool spray in the Oval Office.
“Gaza’s not a place for people to be living. And the only reason they want to go back and I believe that strongly is because they have no alternative … If they had an alternative, they’d much rather not go back to Gaza and live in a beautiful alternative that’s safe.”
He suggested that a solution could be to build “really good quality housing” in other nations, including Jordan and Egypt “because Gaza is a guarantee that they end up dying,” Trump said.
Senate Dems ask Hegseth to probe potential price gouging on military families’ housing
Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee are asking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to probe what’s driving the price hikes in rent and housing costs for military families.
Specifically, 15 Democrats — led by the committee’s ranking member, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) — wrote a letter on Monday asking the Department of Defense (DOD) to investigate whether the high prices are a result of companies and landlords using RealPage’s rent-pricing system.
RealPage, a property management software company, is facing legal action from the Justice Department and 10 state attorneys general, who argue its rent-pricing system allows landlords to align their rents with each other to stifle competition and increase their own revenue, thereby hurting tenants.
Trump: ‘I deserve’ a Nobel Peace Prize
Att the top of a pool spray in the Oval Office with Netanyahu, Trump suggested he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize, the major award for peace negotiations.
“They would never give me a Nobel Peace Prize,” Trump said alongside the Israeli prime minister. “I deserve it. But they will never give it to me.”
The Tuesday meeting between world leaders comes against the backdrop of a ceasefire deal between Israel and the militant group Hamas in Gaza, which was announced just before former President Biden left office.
Netanyahu says Trump added ‘powerful leadership’ to ceasefire deal
Netanyahu on Tuseday said Trump added “powerful leadership” to the recent ceasefire and hostage return deal between Israel and the militant group Hamas in Gaza.
“I think President Trump added a great force and powerful leadership to this effort. I appreciate it,” Netanyahu said in the Oval Office with the president, ahead of their meeting and press conference.
The Israeli prime minister had been asked whether Trump or former President Biden deserves more credit for the deal, which was announced just before Biden left office.
Both Trump and former President Biden took credit for the agreement.
Netanyahu arrives at the White House
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived on Tuesday at the White House for a meeting with President Trump, the first visit of a foreign leader since Trump returned to office last month.
The two world leaders shook hands and waved to the press before heading inside.
Netanyahu and Trump are expected to hold a joint press conference roughly an hour after their meeting.
DEI leaders scramble to counter Trump actions
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) proponents are scrambling to find ways to counter President Trump as he moves to dismantle some of the programs and policies intended to bolster their movement.
Trump has signed multiple executive orders aimed at terminating DEI efforts in the federal government, including the military, and most recently took aim at DEI following the fatal plane crash at Reagan National Airport.
Now Democrats and others who see DEI as essential to maintaining diversity in the ranks of government and other sectors are struggling to find ways to combat the administration’s aggressive tactics.
“It is restoring barriers to equality, to opportunity and to access. When you take those things out, you are undermining the ability of the government … and you are ensuring that there is discrimination, that there is unfairness, that there is inequality,” Andrea Abrams, executive director of American Pride Rises (APR), told The Hill.
Senate preparing to move first on budget package amid House stalemate
Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) will brief Republican senators Wednesday about moving first on a budget resolution to lay the groundwork for a package focused on border security, energy and defense that could pass the Senate with a simple majority while House Republicans remain deadlocked on how to move forward.
Graham and other Republican senators are eager to get started on phase one of Trump’s agenda by moving a budget reconciliation package that would include about $100 billion in funding to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, reforms to expand oil and gas drilling and a substantial plus-up in defense spending.
Their plan would move legislation to extend the expiring 2017 tax cuts in a second budget reconciliation package later this year.
Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said that House Republicans “right now” are “not able to move at the level we’d like them to move.”
Democrats call for investigation into Musk access of Treasury payment systems
Two Senate Democrats called for an investigation Tuesday into tech billionaire Elon Musk’s access of Department of Treasury payment systems.
“We write to ask that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct an investigation of reports indicating that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent granted Elon Musk and other ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ employees unprecedented access to the federal government’s payment systems on January 31, 2025,” a letter from Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) head Gene Dodaro reads.
Senate panel advances Tulsi Gabbard nomination for DNI
The Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday advanced Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to become the next director of national intelligence (DNI), putting her in position to get confirmed by the full chamber after key senators threw their support behind her.
The 9-8 vote was along party lines. It puts Gabbard only days away from being considered on the Senate floor after a roller-coaster process.
The vote took place only hours after Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), a key GOP swing vote, announced that he would support her.
Agents sue FBI, DOJ amid fears of retaliation over work on Jan. 6 cases
The FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are being sued by nine current agents who say their review of those who worked on the cases of some 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants is a preparation to retaliate against agents.
The suit comes after a noon deadline for the FBI to turn over to the Department of Justice the responses to a 13-question survey about agents’ work on the cases brought against those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“The purpose for this list is to identify agents to be terminated or to suffer other adverse employment action,” the suit says, calling it an “unlawful and retaliatory” action.
“Plaintiffs reasonably fear that all or parts of this list might be published by allies of President Trump, thus placing themselves and their families in immediate danger of retribution by the now pardoned and at-large Jan. 6 convicted felons.”
Hawley makes push to allow parents to sue tech companies
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said Tuesday he will introduce legislation to empower parents to sue leading social media companies over alleged harms to children and teens.
“Social media platforms don’t change because they don’t have any incentive, which is a very polite way of saying, there’s no hammer on these people. They do whatever they want to do because they know nobody can effectively hold them accountable,” Hawley said during a Senate Judiciary Hearing on fentanyl Tuesday.
Hawley delivered the remarks after hearing from Bridgette Norring, who testified before the committee to discuss the loss of her son, Devin, who died at the age of 19 after buying a fentanyl-laced pill through social media.
“They’re making billions of dollars on their social media platforms, they’re killing our kids. They’re exposing them to all kinds of ungodly material, and they won’t do anything about it because we can’t hold them accountable,” Hawley said.
Collins to back Vought, OMB nominee, paving way for confirmation
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) told The Hill Tuesday that she plans to vote for Russ Vought, President Trump’s pick to head the White House budget office, paving the way for Vought’s likely confirmation later this week.
“Yes, I’m going to support it,” she said of Vought’s nomination to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Collins believes that senators should give presidents deference to pick senior executive branch officials as long as they are qualified for the job, according to a source familiar with her views.
Vought previously served as OMB director from 2019 to 2020 during Trump’s first term
Senate confirms Doug Collins as VA secretary
Former Georgia Rep. Doug Collins (R) will lead the Department of Veterans Affairs after the Senate on Tuesday easily voted to confirm him as secretary.
The chamber voted 77-23, with roughly half of Senate Democrats joining all 53 Republicans in voting for Collins.
The vote concludes a relatively painless confirmation process for Collins, who had an uncontentious nomination hearing before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee last month.
Raskin: ‘I’m with Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer’ and others saying ‘Watch Elon Musk’
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said Monday that the Trump administration needs to keep a close eye on billionaire Elon Musk, a key ally of President Trump — echoing a warning several outspoken far-right advocates have made.
“I’m with Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer and the people on the right who are saying, ‘Watch Elon Musk,’ because he’s the guy who’s trying to centralize all power behind him, and he hasn’t been elected to anything,” Raskin said in a Monday interview on MSNBC.
In recent months, Bannon and Loomer have criticized Musk Musk for his support of nonimmigrant H-1B visas, which they argued only help to spur immigration and place a burden on high-skilled American workers. As a response, Loomer said parts of her accounts on Musk’s social platform X have been demonetized and unverified.
RFK Jr. earned ‘yes’ vote from Cassidy with multiple commitments
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said on the Senate floor Tuesday that he had decided to vote “yes” on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to be Health and Human Services Secretary after the latter committed to having an “unprecedentedly close” relationship with the senator.
Last week, Cassidy openly acknowledged having “reservations” about Kennedy’s nomination due to his public anti-vaccine rhetoric.
The two continued to hold conversations since Kennedy’s confirmation hearing last week, during which both he and the Trump administration offered Cassidy several commitments.
“Mr. Kennedy and the administration committed that he and I would have an unprecedentedly close, collaborative working relationship if he is confirmed,” Cassidy said. “We will meet or speak multiple times a month. This collaboration will allow us to work well together and therefore to be more effective.”
Kennedy invited Cassidy’s input on HHS hiring decisions for positions that are not Senate-confirmed. He also committed to keeping “current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems,” maintaining the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and regularly meeting with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which Cassidy chairs.
Mystery OPM server that aided buyout offers prompts House Democrat probe
House Oversight Democrats are demanding answers about the installation of a “server of unknown nature and origin” at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that aided the agency in sending buyout offers to federal employees.
The letter asks for a list of employees that installed the equipment, the authority under which they were hired, and whether they faced background investigations – a nod to a Reddit post saying employees outside OPM installed the server.
The installation of the server appears to have been a stepping stone in OPM’s work to assemble a list of federal employee emails ahead of offering the “Fork in the Road” buyout package to nearly all employees – a brainchild of Elon Musk.
Musk: Trump ‘will succeed’ in dismantling Education Department
Elon Musk, the tech billionaire whom President Trump has tapped as the head of his new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), boasted on his social platform X on Monday night that Trump “will succeed” in the GOP goal of dismantling the Department of Education.
“Reagan campaigned on ending the federal Dept of Education, which was created by Carter in 1979, but it was bigger when Reagan left office than when he started!” Musk said in response to a report from The Washington Post that Trump is eyeing an executive order to dismantle the agency.
“Not this time. President @realDonaldTrump will succeed,” he added.
Completely shutting down the Department of Education would require legislative action, but it is likely Trump could take some actions to hamper the agency’s power in the meantime.