• “Big, beautiful bill”: Senate Republicans will work this week on their version of the massive spending and tax cuts package advancing Trump’s domestic policy agenda. GOP leaders are trying to win over conservative critics concerned the bill will increase the federal deficit.
Our live coverage of Donald Trump’s presidency has ended for the day. Follow the latest updates or read through the posts below.
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Trump pulled his NASA pick after top aide lobbied against the nominee, source says
From CNN’s Jackie Wattles
Jared Isaacman testifies during a Senate confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, on April 9.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
A top Trump aide lobbied against the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a tech billionaire and longtime friend of Elon Musk whom President Donald Trump had tapped to lead NASA before abruptly reversing course Saturday, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Trump withdrew Isaacman’s nomination days after Musk, the SpaceX CEO who served as a senior adviser to the president, departed Washington with a plan to refocus on his companies.
The source told CNN that Musk’s exit left room for a faction of people in Trump’s inner circle, particularly Sergio Gor, the director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office and longtime MAGA supporter, to advocate for installing a different nominee.
Trump selected Isaacman in December, and the spaceflight trailblazer was potentially days away from Senate confirmation.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump said on social media Saturday night that he pulled Isaacman’s nomination after a “thorough review of prior associations.” The White House said earlier Saturday that “It’s essential that the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with President Trump’s America First agenda.”
That indicated Trump’s team may have been angered over Isaacman’s political donation history. Records on OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan organization that tracks money in politics, show Isaacman donated to Democrats as recently as the 2024 election cycle, though he donated to Republicans in prior years.
But the source told CNN on Sunday that the president and his aides would have been well aware of Isaacman’s donation record.
As a nominee, Isaacman had to go through rigorous training processes for political appointees set to face questioning from the public or Congress. Such a process involves deep investigations into nominees’ track records, including of campaign donations.
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Rubio spoke with his Russian counterpart by phone today, State Department says
The call came “at Russia’s request,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
“Secretary Rubio reiterated President Trump’s call for continued direct talks between Russia and Ukraine to achieve a lasting peace,” Bruce said.
The call came after Ukraine launched a significant and ambitious operation targeting Russian air bases this weekend, causing $7 billion in damages, according to the Ukrainian Security Service.
Tomorrow’s talks: Russian and Ukrainian officials are expected to attend the meetings in Istanbul, though CNN has reported that neither side is optimistic about an imminent resolution to the war.
The US is not expected to have a presence at tomorrow’s meeting, though President Donald Trump has recently warned both Russia and Ukraine of consequences if they don’t engage in his peace process. The talks may be designed mostly to appease the US president.
