Principals

1. McConnell’s Ukraine win
2. Ammunition for Kyiv
3. FTC’s noncompete ban
4. Blinken’s China trip
5. Behind the protest masks
6. National Enquirer’s 2016 scheme
7. Pennsylvania primary results

PDB: Buttigieg’s new rules for airlines

Biden to sign package with $95 billion in foreign aid, possible TikTok ban … Johnson at Columbia … Politico: ‘How a second Trump presidency could tear Europe apart’

— edited by Benjy Sarlin, Jordan Weissmann and Morgan Chalfant

Mitch McConnell’s victory lap on Ukraine

The Senate overwhelmingly passed the House foreign aid package Tuesday, as a feisty Mitch McConnell declared “we’ve turned the corner on the isolationist movement.” The Republican leader singled out Tucker Carlson for fomenting the “demonization of Ukraine” among his “enormous audience” on the right, which he said made it far more difficult to corral Republican votes throughout the process. But the GOP’s long-term direction is still murky: McConnell noted that Donald Trump had “sort of mixed views” on Ukraine aid and at one point “didn’t seem to want us to do anything at all” after he successfully urged Republicans to kill a bill with bipartisan border security provisions attached. In the end, the former president didn’t oppose Tuesday’s vote and the House bill incorporated his suggestion to change $10 billion in economic aid into a loan. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., even told Semafor’s Joseph Zeballos-Roig that Trump was “silently supportive,” citing his TruthSocial post last week that described Ukrainian survival as “important” but demanded Europe step up funding. Trump did, however, make known his opposition to a provision forcing the sale of TikTok.

Ukraine will soon get lots of ammunition

The US is expected to rush ammunition and missiles to Ukraine as soon as President Biden signs the national security package containing $60 billion in aid for Kyiv. Reuters reported that the administration is already putting together a $1 billion package containing 155 millimeter artillery ammunition, vehicles, Javelins, and munitions for high-mobility artillery rocket systems and Stinger missile systems. That would be the largest single package in well over a year. How long will Ukraine have to wait on reinforcements? The ammunition “can move pretty quickly,” retired Lt. Gen. Stephen Twitty told Semafor. “I anticipate within weeks the Ukrainians will have those types of systems and those are the ones that they need more than anything.” Equipment like armored vehicles, he said will take longer — potentially months — and could be more useful if Ukraine decides to mount a counteroffensive in the summer.

— Morgan Chalfant

FTC noncompete ban sets up court fight

The Federal Trade Commission’s decision to largely ban noncompete agreements is about to set in motion another high stakes court battle over the power of federal regulators. The panel voted 3-2 on partisan lines Tuesday to largely prohibit the increasingly common contracts, which employers use to bar workers from hopping to a competitor. The rule is expansive: It would prevent companies from entering into new noncompetes and stop old ones from being enforced, except in the case of senior executives. (It does not apply to non-profits). The Chamber of Commerce swiftly vowed that it would sue to block the move, arguing the FTC overstepped its authority. Even advocates for noncompete reform appear nervous the rule could be knocked down: Economic Innovation Group President John Lettieri urged Congress to continue pursuing bipartisan bill on the issue because “workers and businesses deserve certainty that only legislation can provide.” New Republic legal affairs journalist Matt Ford was blunter: “Sounds great,” he posted to X. “A federal judge in Texas will probably block it from going into effect by Memorial Day.”

A tough trip for Blinken

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in China and might be in for a chilly reception. The trip comes hours after the US Senate passed a possible TikTok ban and days after a State Department report on global human rights blamed China for carrying out “genocide” against Uyghurs in Xinjiang. A Chinese diplomat recently accused the US of “naked economic coercion and bullying” in its criticism of China’s industrial “overcapacity.” Biden last week called for higher tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum, and the US Trade Representative launched a probe of China’s trade practices in shipbuilding. Topping it all off are tensions over the US push for tighter military cooperation with Japan and the Philippines. “There are so many issues … I would think the hardest thing that the Secretary is going to have to do is establish the priority list,” Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin told Semafor. Blinken is expected to warn China to stop the export of technologies to Russia that are fueling its war machine, armed with a new threat of sanctions on Chinese banks. The countries’ militaries are still talking, though.

— Morgan Chalfant

What’s up with all the masks at Israel protests?

Masks have become a ubiquitous sight at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, including the campus protests now roiling top universities. How did N-95s, bandanas, and keffiyehs over the face become the standard uniform? Semafor’s David Weigel found several causes: One, a persistent strain of COVID caution in corners of the left. “To us, the optics are communicating that we deny the Biden administration’s narrative about COVID — that it’s no longer a big deal,” Olan Mijana, a spokesman for the March on DNC 2024 coalition, said. Second, a desire among activists to avoid having their identities picked apart online — including by current or potential employers. And third, a pandemic rollback of anti-mask laws that were established to break up Ku Klux Klan rallies and sometimes employed against modern protestors, prompting some First Amendment groups to encourage activists to cover their face now that the threat of arrest is gone.

David Pecker’s testimony reopens old 2016 wounds

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified on Tuesday that the tabloid was part of an operation to boost Trump and smear his opponents during the 2016 election. In his appearance at the Trump trial, Pecker said the arrangement was coordinated through Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, and targeted candidates like Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, and — most famously — Ted Cruz, where Enquirer coverage baselessly tying his father to the JFK assassination ended up cited by Trump on the trail. “After the Republican debates, and based on the success that some of the other candidates had, I would receive a call from Michael Cohen, and he would direct me and direct [National Enquirer editor] Dylan Howard which candidate and which direction we should go,” Pecker said. The testimony was part of the prosecution’s effort to show that the Enquirer paying to kill potentially damaging stories about Trump, like his alleged Stormy Daniels affair, was an illegal campaign scheme to influence an election — and not a personal expense to protect Trump from embarrassment.

Progressives win in Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh Rep. Summer Lee fended off a Democratic primary challenge, days after voting against new funding for Israel. “There were a lot of people who were convinced we couldn’t be pro-peace and win in this district,” the first-term progressive said at her Tuesday night victory party, after defeating local town councilwoman Bhavini Patel by more than 20 points. Pro-Israel groups stayed out of the race, after spending nearly $5 million against Lee in 2022; they saw other left-wing Democrats, like Missouri’s Cori Bush, as more vulnerable in primaries. Israel critics won a statewide upset, too, with substance abuse counselor Erin McClelland taking the Democratic nomination for state treasurer, after promising to stop buying Israel bonds; Republican Treasurer Stacy Garrity bought $20 million worth of the bonds after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a progressive who came third in the 2022 U.S. Senate primary won by John Fetterman, easily won the nomination for state auditor; former auditor Eugene DePasquale just as easily won the attorney general nod. There were no major surprises in congressional primaries, but a right-wing challenger to moderate Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick won more than a third of the primary vote.

– David Weigel

Beltway Newsletters

Punchbowl News: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made a pact months ago to never split Israel aid from Ukraine aid in order to ensure the passage of the aid package. “McConnell and I locked arms on this,” Schumer said. “We saw it the same way early on.”

Playbook: President Biden’s political advisers aren’t worried about the Gaza war protests roiling college campuses. “It’s not going to be for the vast majority of young voters the thing that’s going to determine whether they vote or how they vote,” one campaign official said.

The Early 202: Chris Christie said that there are “two things that Donald Trump fears more than anything: going to jail or being broke.”

Axios: Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are playing large, unofficial roles planning for a second Trump administration, including by “vetting potential officials and staffers for ideology and loyalty.”

White House

• President Biden will give a speech in Washington today at the North America’s Building Trade Union National Legislative Conference, after the union alliance endorsed him for reelection. He’s also expected to sign the foreign aid package when it reaches his desk, and said in a statement last night he would “address the American people” afterwards.
• Biden will deliver two commencement addresses in May, to graduates of Morehouse College in Atlanta and the US Military Academy at West Point. — Politico
• Vice President Harris spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog about “deplorable cases of harassment and calls for violence against Jews” in the US, according to an unusually lengthy White House readout of Tuesday’s phone call. The two also spoke about the war in Gaza, and Harris expressed “deep concerns” about the humanitarian situation on the ground there.
• Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra’s plans to leave his post and run for California governor are more advanced than previously known. — Politico.

Congress

• House Speaker Mike Johnson is meeting with Jewish students at Columbia University today and will hold a press conference on “the troubling rise of virulent antisemitism on America’s college campuses,” according to his office.
• A bipartisan tax bill splitscreen from Semafor’s Joseph Zeballos-Roig: He asked Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, if it was time for last rites on the tax package. “I hope so,” Tillis responded. The two stepped into a Senate elevator with Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore, the bill’s cosponsor, who asked Joseph what his question was to Tillis. “That’s an awkward answer,” Tillis said with a laugh, adding he wanted to show “respect” to Wyden as Senate Finance chair. Tillis then spoke approvingly of the child tax credit expansion, but offered a caveat: “I’m not quite there yet.”

Regulators

The Department of Labor finalized a new rule that it says will extend overtime pay to another 4 million workers. Starting next year, salaried employees who earn up to $58,656 will be eligible for time-and-a-half.

Outside the Beltway

Tennessee’s Republican-controlled legislature passed a bill allowing teachers and school staff to carry concealed handguns on school premises, about a year after the Covenant school shooting in Nashville.

Economy

Tesla reported a 55% drop in its profits as it struggles with intense competition from Chinese automakers.

Courts

• The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in an Idaho abortion case today.
• The Justice Department reached a $138.7 million settlement with victims of former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, acknowledging that their claims of abuse “should have been taken seriously from the outset” by the FBI.
• Judge Juan Merchan sounded annoyed with Trump’s lawyers as they argued his social media posts did not violate a gag order around his Manhattan trial.
• The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared likely to side with Starbucks in its case to limit the National Labor Relations Board’s powers to determine whether fired union activists should get their jobs back.

Polls

• President Biden’s recent polling bump in key battlegrounds has basically disappeared, according to a new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll, amid lingering worries about the economy among voters. Biden leads Donald Trump in Michigan but trails him in six other swing states.
• Most Americans rate protecting the US from terrorist attacks as their top foreign policy priority, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center, while staunching the flow of illegal drugs into the country comes in second. (Promoting democracy in other nations and aiding refugees tied for last).

On the Trail

• Former GOP Rep. George Santos ended his brief independent bid for a House seat on Long Island.
• Venture capitalist and “All-In cohost” David Sacks is at work on hosting a fundraiser for Donald Trump as soon as next month. — Puck
• Donald Trump met with former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso at Trump Tower following his court appearance.

National Security

FBI Director Christopher Wray told NBC News that TikTok “represents a national security concern” for the US. Wray also indicated he would resist an effort by Donald Trump to investigate his political rivals.

Foreign Policy

• A Russian court rejected another appeal from jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who the US classifies as wrongfully detained.
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to tack on a stop in Saudi Arabia to his China trip this week. — Axios
• The UN called for an independent investigation of two mass graves found at two hospitals in Gaza following the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
• China has an edge over the US as its companies look to facilitate Africa’s transition to green energy.

Transportation

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will take part in a press conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport today as the department announces two final rules meant to make life a little more pleasant for flyers (and maybe banish memories of the 2022 Southwest debacle). One would require airlines to give automatic cash refunds to passengers whose flights are canceled or “significantly changed” or whose bags are delayed. Another would require airlines and ticket agents to provide costs upfront and avoid “surprise fees.”

Technology

Google said Tuesday it will miss its target of ending third-party cookies by the end of this year. It has told UK regulators it will begin phasing out cookies in 2025 if it receives their approval.

Media

Donald Trump on Tuesday qualified for an earnout bonus of 36 million Trump Media shares, worth about $1.15 billion.

Big Read

TikTok tried to recruit its 170 million American users to pressure Congress as it considered the first version bill to force ByteDance to divest the app weeks ago, but that backfired, Politico writes. A tweaked version of that bill passed the Senate Tuesday and will be signed into law by President Biden soon. But this time around, lawmakers said they received few calls from the app’s users. The relative silence from TikTok’s massive user base of mostly young and fiercely loyal audience shows more than a change of the company’s tactics. The app itself makes it difficult to drive action — or conversation — around breaking news issues. Another obstacle was that most of the app’s base aren’t major creators, with around half are adults who lurk on the app and have never posted a video themselves. Part of the challenge was activating those users is the nature of the app.

Blindspot

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, according to data from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an “obstacle” to a two-state solution and called on him to resign over Oct. 7 and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

What the Right isn’t reading: The Labor Department issued a rule imposing stricter standards on the advice that retirement plan advisers give to their clients.

Principals Team

Editors: Benjy Sarlin, Jordan Weissmann, Morgan Chalfant

Editor-at-Large: Steve Clemons

Reporters: Kadia Goba, Joseph Zeballos-Roig, Shelby Talcott, David Weigel

Judy Chu is a Democratic congresswoman from California.