What we covered here
• Supreme Court arguments: The high court appears ready to side with President Donald Trump on the firing of a member of the Federal Trade Commission. Liberal justices warned today that backing Trump could “destroy the structure of government” as conservatives tried to tamp down fears.
• Boat strikes: Trump said he’s tasking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with deciding whether to release video of the controversial “double-tap” strike on an alleged drug boat, marking a shift from his stance last week. This comes as top bipartisan lawmakers have expressed support for releasing the video.
• Farm aid package: Trump announced a $12 billion farm aid package at a roundtable this afternoon ahead of his expected trip to Pennsylvania tomorrow to tout his economic record.
Our live coverage of the Trump administration has ended for the day. Get the latest here.
Indiana Senate committee advances new congressional maps, setting up full Senate vote this week
An Indiana Senate committee on Monday voted to advance new congressional maps designed to allow Republicans to sweep all nine of the state’s congressional districts in next year’s midterm elections, setting the stage for the decisive vote in the full Senate later this week.
What’s not yet clear is whether enough Republicans support the new map to pass it and send it to Gov. Mike Braun’s desk to be signed into law.
Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray, who has previously insisted Republicans don’t have enough votes to pass new maps in the chamber they control 40-10, was far less definitive on Monday, as he laid out the timeline for a week of consideration that he said will likely culminate in a vote Thursday.
President Donald Trump and his allies, including the Club for Growth and Turning Point USA, have led a weekslong pressure campaign aimed at convincing reluctant institutionalists in the state Senate to make Indiana the latest state to redraw its maps to boost the GOP’s chances of holding its slim House majority next year.
Some background: Currently, Republicans hold seven of Indiana’s nine US House seats. The new maps would overhaul the district represented by Democratic Rep. Frank Mrvan in northwestern Indiana, and would slice the Indianapolis-based district of Democratic Rep. Andre Carson into pieces contained in four separate districts.
If the Senate rejects the maps, it would be a huge political black eye for Trump — one that would reflect the limits of his ability to bend the party to his will at the state and national levels. Some conservative senators have said their constituents are overwhelmingly opposed to mid-decade redistricting.
"Gang of 8" will be briefed by Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff chair tomorrow, sources say
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine are expected to brief the “Gang of Eight” lawmakers tomorrow afternoon, two people familiar with the planning told CNN.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also expected to brief the group of lawmakers with Hegseth and Caine, the sources said.
The briefing will be on a range of topics, one of the people said, and the other source said the officials are also likely to discuss operations around Latin America. The “Gang of Eight” includes the congressional leaders from each party and the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees.
Separately, outgoing Southern Command commander Adm. Alvin Holsey, who is set to retire this month after only one year in his position, is expected to virtually meet with the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees on Tuesday, one of the people and a congressional aide told CNN.
Holsey announced his retirement earlier this year, after raising concerns with Hegseth over the legality of the US military’s strikes on boats in the Caribbean, CNN has reported.
This post has been updated with additional information about the briefing.
GOP Sen. Mullin says he's seen video of follow-up boat strike after requesting access
Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin said that he was able to watch the video of the September 2 follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat boat after putting in a request to the administration.
Last week, Admiral Frank Bradley briefed top lawmakers on the House and Senate Armed Services and House and Senate Intelligence Committees, as well as several top appropriators, however other members of those committees were not included in the briefings.
Asked how he’d seen the video, when other Armed Services committee members had not seen it, Mullin said he asked.
“I personally made a phone call and said ‘can I do this?’” he added. “We were granted the opportunity, but it takes time — like I had to take time, I had to change my schedule, plus I had to read the 30 minutes of documents…and then I had to take the time to watch it.”
Mullin added that he thinks all lawmakers would be allowed to view the information, if they asked. He said it’s not his call whether the video should be released to the public and noted he wouldn’t object to it if the administration decided it could be declassified, but he did question whether Americans need to see the strike itself.
The Oklahoma Republican said he did not have to go down to the Pentagon to view the video and the files, but he did not say what secure facility he used.
Trump greenlights exports of Nvidia H200 chips to China
President Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social post today that he’s removing export controls on Nvidia’s H200 chips to China. The advanced chips are vital for completing tasks performed by AI.
Nvidia’s highly sought-after Blackwell chips and next-generation Rubin chips are not part of the deal, Trump wrote.
“I have informed President Xi, of China, that the United States will allow NVIDIA to ship its H200 products to approved customers in China, and other Countries, under conditions that allow for continued strong National Security. President Xi responded positively!” Trump wrote in the post.
He said, “25% will be paid to the United States of America,” possibly implying 25% of the revenue Nvidia earns from the sales will go to the American government. The news comes after Trump met with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang last week.
Nvidia in a statement praised the decision, saying it “strikes a thoughtful balance that is great for America.”
Trump also said the Department of Commerce is finalizing a similar approach for AMD, Intel and other American chip companies. AMD did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. Intel declined to comment.
It comes after Trump has struck arrangements with chipmakers earlier this year, including an agreement with Nvidia and AMD to pay the US government 15% of revenues from chip sales to China. Trump also announced in August that the government would take a 10% stake in Intel.
Democratic lawmaker says boat strike video should be released so "people can see for themselves"
Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, of Colorado, told CNN that the Trump administration should release the full video of the controversial September strike of an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean and allow people to see what actually happened.
Asked about President Donald Trump reversing his stance on releasing the footage, Crow told CNN’s Kasie Hunt, “I mean, the only thing this administration appears to be good at is a cover up. You know, we don’t have to have a debate about the video and what it shows and doesn’t show. They can just release the video.”
Crow added, “And we happen to know that … (Secretary of Defense) Pete Hegseth is actually very good at quickly releasing videos when he wants us to see what’s in it. Which is very telling, frankly, about why this one hasn’t been released.”
Pressed about differing conclusions about the legality of strike from top lawmakers who have viewed the footage, Crow reiterated, “We don’t have to debate this.”
“They can just release the video, much like I’ve been calling for them to release the Epstein files. People can see for themselves,” he said.
Remember: Trump signaled last week that he would be happy to release the fuller video of the strike. But the video still isn’t out, and the administration seems to have gotten cold feet about doing what Trump said it would.
CNN’s Aaron Blake contributed to this report.
Thune says Senate committee is "doing oversight" when asked about releasing boat strike video
Senate Majority Leader John Thune would not say if he believes the Pentagon should release the full video of the second strike in September that killed survivors of an alleged narcoterrorist boat in the Caribbean, after senior lawmakers on key committees reviewed the footage last week.
He also indicated he was not aware of a provision in the annual defense policy package aimed at compelling the Pentagon to release the footage to the Armed Services Committees. Asked why it was added to the legislation, Thune said, “I’ll find out.”
On health care: The GOP leader would not commit to an alternative vote on a GOP health care proposal this week, alongside the Democratic push for a three-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that is expected to get a vote later this week. He said Republicans are still discussing several possible proposals and are open to negotiating with Democrats in the future.
“We’re going to have a conversation tomorrow with our members and kind of decide the path forward,” he said, adding that he feels Democrats are performing a “political messaging exercise.”
“I don’t think they’re serious about wanting to do a deal yet,” Thune said of Democrats. Still, he acknowledged that Republicans “have people in different camps” on how to deal with the expiring tax credits.
Asked about expiring ACA subsidies, Trump repeats call for Americans to "buy their own health care"
President Donald Trump on Monday declined to say whether he’d allow enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire during his term, instead reiterating his call for money to go directly to Americans, rather than to insurance companies.
“I want the money to be paid to the people to go out and buy their own health care,” he told reporters at the White House.
If the subsidies expire, the premiums enrollees pay will more than double on average next year, according to nonpartisan health policy research group KFF.
“I want to pay the people and I want the people to go out and buy their own health care and that is what we want to do and that’s what the Republicans want to do because Obamacare is a disaster,” he said.
Earlier Monday, two key GOP senators unveiled a bill that would extend the subsidies for two years while making changes to the program Republicans have been demanding related to income caps and mandated premiums.
But Republicans haven’t been able to agree on their own plan to put on the floor, and the White House recently withdrew a proposal to extend the subsidies amid GOP opposition.
CNN’s Tami Luby contributed reporting to this post.
Trump says he'll let Hegseth decide on releasing video of "double-tap" boat strike
President Donald Trump said Monday that he’s tasking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with deciding whether to release video of the so-called double-tap strike on an alleged drug boat that killed two survivors, a shift from his position last week.
Trump’s stance on the video release represents a shift from last week, when he said he would have “no problem” making the footage available to the public. Trump on Monday denied he ever said that, instead leaving it up to Hegseth to make a recommendation.
Trump’s justification of the strike also marked perhaps his strongest defense yet of the military’s actions. The president initially said that he “wouldn’t have wanted” a second strike to be launched against the survivors, before adopting a more supportive stance in subsequent days.
On Monday, Trump insisted the action was necessary to save American lives.
“Every boat we knock out of the water, every boat, we save 25,000 American lives,” Trump said. “That was a boat loaded up with drugs.”
Some context: Trump’s comments come as top bipartisan lawmakers who were briefed last week on the strike say they would support the release of video from the attack, with some Democrats actively calling for it to be made public.
When asked Saturday whether he plans to release the full video, Hegseth said, “We’re viewing the process, and we’ll see.”
Trump suggests his administration will look into countries that are allegedly "dumping" rice into the US
President Donald Trump suggested his administration will look into foreign countries that are allegedly “dumping” cheap rice into the United States.
“They shouldn’t be dumping,” the president said during a roundtable event with farmers Monday at the White House.
The president then asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to mark down the list of countries that farmers attending the roundtable said were dumping rice into the country.
“India, Thailand, China into Puerto Rico, not into the continental US. But into Puerto Rico. Those are the main culprits,” Louisiana rice farmer Meryl Kennedy told the president. “I can get you a full list.”
Trump announces $12 billion farmer aid package
President Donald Trump on Monday announced a $12 billion farm aid package.
Most of the aid — $11 billion — will be directed toward crop farmers through one-time payments under the Farmer Bridge Assistance program, a White House official told CNN ahead of the announcement. The rest will go to farmers whose crops fall outside the umbrella of the assistance program.
“This money would not be possible without tariffs,” Trump said at a roundtable at the White House, while both Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent touted the president’s commitment to farmers.
Rollins said the money would be flowing by February 28 and explained that $1 billion of the funding is being held back to make sure all specialty crops are covered.
Key defense bill would limit Hegseth's travel budget unless he releases unedited video of strikes
Tucked into the massive defense policy bill is a provision that would limit Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s expense travel budget unless he provides the House and Senate Armed Services Committees with unedited video of US military strikes against designated terrorist organizations.
The mandate in the must-pass piece of legislation – known as the National Defense Authorization Act – comes as a September 2 “double-tap” strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean has come under intense scrutiny on Capitol Hill.
The video is currently classified and only top congressional lawmakers have seen it. But there is a bipartisan push to release the full video of the controversial strikes that day.
Last week, Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley traveled to Capitol Hill for private meetings with senior lawmakers of both parties to defend the follow-up strike on the boat. As part of those meetings, lawmakers saw video of the second strike, which killed surviving crew members of the first attack.
The bill puts other stipulations on Hegseth’s travel budget, including a written report on the “lessons learned” from the ongoing war in Ukraine.
GOP congressional leaders will have to navigate multiple hurdles to muscle this legislation through their narrow majority, with some Republican lawmakers having already expressed concerns with the bill.
Key moments from today’s SCOTUS hearing on a separation of powers case involving fired FTC commissioner
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding President Donald Trump’s power to capture control of independent agencies today in an important case that could reshape large swaths of the federal government and unwind a precedent that has been on the books since Franklin D. Roosevelt was in the White House.
At issue is Trump’s decision in March to fire Rebecca Kelly Slaughter from the Federal Trade Commission, despite a federal law that attempts to insulate the agency from political pressure. Trump’s appeal is a culmination of months of legal wrangling since he returned to power in January over his authority to fire the leaders of other agencies that enjoy similar protections.
The court’s ruling is all but guaranteed to influence a slew of other pressing cases, raising similarly weighty separation of powers questions.
If you’re just joining us, here’s a recap of today’s arguments:
- Conservatives lean toward siding with president: A majority of the Supreme Court today appeared ready to back Trump’s argument that he should be able to fire members of independent agencies. During more than two hours of oral arguments, the court’s 6-3 conservative wing leaned heavily into an attorney representing Slaughter, Amit Agarwal, suggesting that his argument could lead to a significant remaking of the federal government.
- On 1935 precedent case, Humphrey’s Executor v. US: Chief Justice John Roberts said, that historic precedent has “nothing to do with what the FTC looks like today.” That decision, he said, “was addressing an agency that had very little, if any executive power.”
- Liberal judges raise concerns: Liberal members of the Supreme Court sounded the alarm over Trump’s bid to vastly expand his ability to easily fire leaders of independent regulatory agencies, arguing he was trying to completely upend the federal government as it’s been known for decades.
A decision in the case is expected before the end of June 2026.
Santa Claus swaps reindeer for rotors with Melania Trump
Here comes Santa Claus — in an Osprey!
With Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and co. resting up at the North Pole before their big flight, the big guy hitched a ride aboard first lady Melania Trump’s helicopter for a trip to Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia for a Toys for Tots holiday drive Monday.
“Santa climbed aboard my Osprey and couldn’t stop smiling. I watched him gazing out of the window, grinning at all the wonderful American families below,” Trump told a crowd of military families gathered in a nearby hangar.
She added: “Santa told me that the Osprey floated through the sky like a giant snowflake — but it is way faster than his sleigh could ever fly.”
The first lady and Santa Claus packed up Christmas gifts for the Toys for Tots program with the US Marine Corps, joined by Buddy the Elf — yellow tights and all — who observed the toys with elf-like wonder. Festive chaos ensued as Trump and dozens of children moved toys into boxes for distribution to children in need.
Trump helped sort the toys as Santa Claus made his list and checked it twice, with all of the volunteers definitely making the nice list this year.
Supreme Court signals it will give Trump more control of government
A majority of the Supreme Court today appeared ready to back President Donald Trump’s argument that he should be able to fire members of independent agencies that for nearly a century have been protected from presidential politics.
During more than two hours of oral arguments, the court’s 6-3 conservative wing leaned heavily into an attorney representing Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, whom Trump fired from the Federal Trade Commission in March – suggesting that his argument could lead to a significant remaking of the federal government.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative, at one point asked Slaughter’s attorney about the argument that “independent agencies are not accountable to the people.”
Chief Justice John Roberts also pressed the attorney, Amit Agarwal, on the significance of a 1935 precedent, Humphrey’s Executor v. US, that Slaughter said should decide the case in her favor. In that decision – which has for years appeared in jeopardy of being overturned – the court ruled that Congress does have the power to require a president to show cause before firing independent agencies leaders.
But, Roberts said, that historic precedent has “nothing to do with what the FTC looks like today.” That decision, he said, “was addressing an agency that had very little, if any executive power.”
Roberts’ implication was that the modern FTC is wielding the kind of power that should fall within the president’s power.
A decision in the case is expected before the end of June.
GOP senators unveil ACA extension bill with changes, but it's not expected to get a vote this week
Two key GOP senators are unveiling a bill to that would extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies for two years while making changes to the program Republicans have been demanding related to income caps and mandated premiums.
The announcement from Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio comes the same week that Democrats will get a vote to extend ACA subsidies for three years without any changes, something Republicans agreed to vote on after Democrats shut down the government over the issue.
According to a senior GOP aide, Republicans are unlikely to have a vote on the Collins and Moreno bill or any other alternative to the Democrat plan this week. Republicans, who have struggled to coalesce around a health care bill, argue they have a lot of ideas to make changes to health care and are willing to talk with Democrats about them once Democrats have cast what the GOP sees as a messaging, designed-to-fail vote, and won’t be driven by their timetable.
The vote on the Democratic bill is likely to take place Thursday, but it’s not locked in.
Zelensky says unity between US, Ukraine and Europe "very important" following Trump comments on peace plan
European leaders met in London today to discuss an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, following a weekend of diplomacy between Kyiv and Washington, DC, which ended without any significant breakthroughs.
Yesterday, US President Donald Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of not having read the latest US peace proposal, saying that he was “a little bit disappointed” with Ukraine’s leader.
Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. also suggested that the US leader “may” walk away from Ukraine peace efforts.
At today’s meeting, Zelensky emphasized the importance of unity between Ukraine, Europe and the United States, speaking alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz struck a slightly more wary tone, saying that he was “skeptical” about some of the details he has seen in the US’ proposal for an end to the war.
While Europe is “trying to continue (its) support for Ukraine… on the other hand, we are seeing these talks and negotiations in Moscow and in the US,” Merz said, saying that the upcoming days “could be a decisive time for all of us.”
CNN’s Donald Judd and Charlotte Reck contributed to this reporting.
Conservative justices try to tamp fears about impact of backing Trump on firings
As they debate President Donald Trump’s power to fire the leaders of independent agencies, the Supreme Court’s conservatives are saying a ruling allowing a president to fire the leaders of some independent agencies wouldn’t be such a big deal.
The effort by some to suggest high-profile agencies like the Federal Reserve would remain insulated from the court’s decision in this case is one early sign that a majority of the 6-3 conservative majority is leaning toward Trump.
Justice Samuel Alito, a member of the court’s conservative bloc, asked Solicitor General D. John Sauer sarcastically whether the “entire structure of the government would fall” if the court ruled in Trump’s favor on the Federal Trade Commission, a throwback to Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s comments earlier.
“You want to take a moment to address that,” Alito asked, throwing Sauer a softball.
Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts asked similar questions that seemed to be aimed at drawing distinctions between the FTC and other agencies throughout the federal government — like federal tax court — that have for years enjoyed protection from the whims of presidential politics.
"You're asking us to destroy the structure of government": Liberal Supreme Court justices sound alarm
Liberal members of the Supreme Court are sounding the alarm over President Donald Trump’s bid to vastly expand his ability to easily fire leaders of independent regulatory agencies, arguing he was trying to completely upend the federal government as it’s been known for decades.
“Where else have we so fundamentally altered the structure of government?” Sotomayor added.
Minutes later, Justice Elena Kagan suggested Trump would soon attempt to strip away the legal guardrails that prevent him from removing members of the Federal Reserve for any reason, something the high court has already signaled it isn’t ready to help him do.
“Once you’re down this road, it’s a little bit hard to see how you stop,” she said. “It does not seem as though there’s a stopping point.”
“The result of what you want is that the president is going to have massive, unchecked, uncontrolled power,” Kagan added later. Kagan warned of a president “with control over everything.”
Sauer quickly responded: “He’d have control over the executive branch.” Sauer said the administration wasn’t currently challenging the removal restrictions enjoyed by members of the Federal Reserve.
More context: The President has already attempted to remove one member of the Fed, and the Supreme Court is poised to consider in coming weeks whether he identified a permissible justification for removing her earlier this year.
Democratic Rep. Castro says video of strikes on alleged drug boat "should be seen by the whole country"
Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro said Democrats are working to put pressure on the adminsitration to release the video of the so-called double-tap strike on the alleged drug boat in the Caribbean.
The Texas congressman, who sits on the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs Committee, said he believes the attack was illegal and a war crime.
He said Democrats added a provision to the National Defense Authorization Act that would affect funding for the Defense Department and Secretary Pete Hegseth “if he doesn’t do things like release this video to Congress.”
Asked if the provision will be enforceable, Castro said he hopes there will be bipartisan support. Beyond this strike that has attracted scrutiny from lawmakers, Castro said Congress should also see other attacks on alleged drug boats as the administration’s campaign continues.
“That should be basically the minimum of what the administration should provide to Congress,” Castro said.
“I think that it was a war crime and I think that it was murder,” he added. “Think about it this way, if somebody was charged in the United States with carrying drugs or even trafficking drugs there would be due process, we would follow the rule of law and most of all, the penalty would not be execution.”
