Can Bessent Hang in Trumpworld?

Today’s notice: How long can “polite” and cautious politics last in an era of chainsaw-brandishing? Replacing the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva might be Democrats’ first big electoral test. And, Congress is back in Washington. Yippee!

Making Scott Bessent Make Sense

How did Scott Bessent — a polite, bookish former top lieutenant for George Soros — wind up in Donald Trump’s administration?

After all, as NOTUS’ Claire Heddles details in her revelatory new profile of the treasury secretary, it would be difficult to overstate just how strange a fit Bessent appears to be.

“He’s not a Trump loyalist like Kash Patel,” Claire writes, “he’s not a middle finger to the D.C. establishment like Tulsi Gabbard or Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; he isn’t a hardcore conservative ideologue like Russell Vought or a product of Trump’s infatuation with media personalities like Pete Hegseth or Dan Bongino.” And he’s a gay man in an administration that has made opposition to LGBTQ+ rights key to its agenda.

To make Bessent’s cabinet position make sense is to embark on a world tour, from Kensington Palace in London, to Mory’s club in New Haven, Connecticut, to the financial markets of Japan, to elite parties in Manhattan and, ultimately, to the Treasury Department in Washington.

The result is a picture of a careful, well-liked operator willing to choose his battles. The type of guy who would criticize Janet Yellen’s monetary policy in 2023, then eight months later, upon conducting a studious review, adopt the same strategy. The type of guy who has risen the MAGA ranks despite Elon Musk calling him a “business-as-usual choice.”

Now the question for Bessent isn’t how he’s made it this far, but how long he can last.

Read the story.

Congress Is Back. So Are Reconciliation Fights.

Now that Congress has kicked its spending problems to September and the House passed its budget resolution, Republicans have plenty of bandwidth to tackle Trump’s legislative agenda.

The ball is in the Senate’s court to take up the House resolution. While there are no firm timelines, Sen. Rand Paul suggested that the Senate would soon pick up the legislation, NOTUS’ Ursula Perano reports.

But there are plenty of potential trip wires that could slow Senate consideration. Provisions that could cut Medicaid funding provisions in the House’s budget resolution have been a cause for concern for multiple Senate Republicans, including Sen. Jim Justice. Tax permanency disputes could also become a political brawl.

Another storyline to watch: how Republicans navigate Trump’s executive order dismantling the Education Department. NOTUS’ Reese Gorman reports that GOP members are skeptical that leadership will hold a vote to codify the move, let alone actually pass legislation.

Read the story on the reconciliation fight.

Front Page

• A Flu Recommendations Vote Was Scrapped From an Upcoming Vaccine Advisory Committee Meeting: It’s the latest sign that RFK Jr.’s department is not so focused on vaccinating against the flu.
• Some Republicans Doubt Congress Will Vote to End the Department of Education: Republicans say they want to see the details before committing to vote for anything.

Keeping the Faith

Trump’s White House Faith Office has ratcheted up its work in recent weeks, assembling donors, televangelists and others as it gears up to fight cases of alleged “anti-Christian bias” in the federal government. It’s also stirring criticism from across the ideological spectrum, NOTUS’ Helen Huiskes reports. Its leader, the pastor Paula White-Cain, is taking flack from some conservatives over her theology, and others argue the endeavor is out of step with the aims of religious charity groups.

Read the story.

Gatekeeping the Deportation Details

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is directly involved in discussions over whether the Trump administration ought to invoke “state-secrets privilege” to prevent a judge from determining when exactly planes carrying deportees bound for El Salvador took flight, a Friday court filing shows. The move would “amount to a powerful challenge to U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg’s ability to discern whether the Trump administration willfully ignored his order that the government immediately halt deportation flights,” NOTUS’ Jose Pagliery reports. A contentious hearing later on Friday capped off the week, with Boasberg calling the rush to put people on flights “incredibly troubling.”

Meanwhile, immigrant-rights activists are decrying the Trump administration’s move to deport migrants who aren’t facing charges. Advocates tell NOTUS’ Casey Murray they hope broader public outrage is coming but they are finding the tough-on-crime messaging difficult to counter.

Read Casey’s story. | Read Jose’s story.

The High-Stakes Race to Replace Raúl Grijalva

Democrats are racing to replace the late Arizona powerbroker Rep. Raúl Grijalva in a contest that will test the waters for Democrats’ 2026 messaging, NOTUS’ Torrence Banks reports.

“The Democratic Party is a very large and complicated entity, and I think there are a lot of folks sort of battling for the soul of the party,” Arizona Democratic strategist Adam Kinsey told NOTUS.

No high-profile Democrats have announced their candidacy ahead of the April 14 filing deadline. Grijalva’s daughter, Adelita Grijalva, a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, has not ruled out a run. Other possible candidates include Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and former Arizona state Rep. Daniel Hernández Jr.

Read the story.

Week Ahead

• The Trump administration has until Monday to inform Boasberg whether it’ll invoke the “state-secrets privilege” to stop the judge from asking questions about deportation flights to an El Salvador prison.
• PBS and NPR executives are set to testify before House Oversight’s DOGE subcommittee on Wednesday.
• The House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations is scheduled to host a hearing Wednesday on FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene.
• The confirmation hearing for Mike Huckabee, Trump’s pick for ambassador to Israel, is reportedly slated for this week.

Meet Us: Kim Breen

Welcome to “Meet Us,” where we introduce you to a member of the NOTUS team. Up today is Kim Breen, who joins us as our copy chief.

• Hometown: Vernon, Connecticut
• Past: I was a reporter for about five years in upstate New York before moving to The Dallas Morning News, where I worked as a reporter and editor for 15 years. My last job was as a fact-check editor at USA Today.
• Why journalism: A high school English teacher told me I should be a writer. I got hooked on news and I sincerely believe journalists contribute to the greater good every day.
• Why AJI/NOTUS: Great reporting and I love the mission of helping to prepare the next generation of journalists.
• Thing you can’t live without: A good podcast for dog walking.
• Best advice you’ve ever been given: Do one thing every day that scares you.

Not Us

We know NOTUS reporters can’t cover it all. Here’s some other great hits by… not us.

• Massie tests Trump’s appetite for a primary fight by Kadia Goba at Semafor
• As Trump and Musk loom, congressional spending leaders’ morale hits rock bottom by Katherine Tully-McManus at Politico
• Once again, a Trump win has ‘insiders’ questioning women’s electability. Mikie Sherrill shrugs it off in New Jersey. By Bridget Bowman at NBC News

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