Trump offers an optimistic vision of relations with countries in the Middle East. The Supreme Court’s upcoming hearing on birthright citizenship will tackle the power of lower courts. And the Menendez brothers were resentenced in their parents’ 1989 killings.
Here’s what to know today.
Trump says he’ll end sanctions on Syria and seeks to deepen ties with Saudi Arabia
President Donald Trump spoke of a future for the Middle East steeped in prosperity, business deals and technological advances as he announced the U.S. would end sanctions against war-torn Syria and signed a $600 billion investment agreement with Saudi Arabia in his first visit to the region since his second term began. He also offered an image of rising regional powers steeped in homegrown economic self-development.
Applause followed Trump’s promise to withdraw sanctions in Syria. But in announcing his “fervent wish” that Saudi Arabia join the Abraham Accords, the diplomatic agreements Trump’s first administration made between Israel and several Arab nations, the president drew silence from the room. The ongoing conflict with Hamas remains a sticking point for Saudi Arabia, which has reaffirmed its support for a Palestinian state in recent months.
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The $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the U.S. includes $20 billion in AI data centers and other technologies, while companies like Google, Salesforce, Uber and Oracle will invest $80 billion in projects across both countries, according to a White House statement.
Also in attendance at yesterday’s ceremonial events were Sam Altman of Open AI, Palantir CEO Alex Carp, billionaire Blackrock co-founder Larry Fink and the leaders of companies like Amazon and Coca-Cola, to pitch Saudi investors as the kingdom promises to spend on technology, infrastructure and more. Elon Musk was also present.
Trump’s rhetoric and vision of a prosperous future with the region contrasted the words of former President Joe Biden, who deemed Saudi Arabia “a pariah” before taking office. And while rejecting the idea that U.S. policy should judge foreign leaders’ morals, he swiped at destructive forces in the region, calling out Iran for causing “unthinkable suffering in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Yemen and beyond.”
Today, Trump met with Syria’s new president in a major breakthrough for the former jihadi commander.
Read the full story here.
Also looming over Trump’s visit this week is Qatar’s proposed gift of a luxury plane to be used as a new Air Force One for the president. Trump has said he would accept it. However, aviation experts said converting the 747 jet would cost over $1 billion and might not be completed by the end of Trump’s term in 2029. The jet would have to be dismantled, part by part, to ensure there were no listening devices or other vulnerabilities, and then fitted with sophisticated systems for secure government communications. That’s not all.
More politics news:
- Key House committees are debating critical portions of a sweeping package for Trump’s agenda, from how much to cut Medicaid to what to do about the state and local tax deduction, with Speaker Mike Johnson still hopeful for a vote before Memorial Day weekend.
- A proposal from some House Republicans to cut more than $290 billion from the SNAP program has critics fearing the effect on low-income families at a time when food prices are climbing.
- Proposed Medicaid rule changes — which would include new work requirements, co-pays and tougher eligibility checks — could result in an estimated 8.6 million people losing coverage, an analysis found. Doctors are fearing the worst.
- More than a month after Trump’s “Liberation Day,” the White House celebrated tariff agreements with China and the U.K., which it called starting points. But so far, the U.S. has given up more than it has gained.
- A federal grand jury indicted Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan, who was arrested by the FBI for allegedly obstructing government agents seeking to detain an undocumented immigrant.
SCOTUS’ birthright citizenship hearing to focus on judges’ power
The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments tomorrow over President Donald Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship, but the court is not actually using the cases before it to give the final word on whether Trump can reinterpret the long-understood meaning of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. Instead, it will focus on the question of whether lower-court judges have the authority to block the policy nationwide.
The Trump administration is asking the court to limit the scope of the birthright citizenship injunctions so that they apply only to individual people, organizations that sued or potentially the 22 states that challenged Trump’s executive order. In recent months, his administration and allies have raged at judges for issuing “universal injunctions” concerning birthright citizenship and other policies which a DOJ official characterized as a “direct attack” on presidential power. While broad injunctions have also been used against former Presidents Joe Biden (18 during his term) and Barack Obama (19 during his two terms), Trump, who saw 86 injunctions during his first term, has sought to use executive power to circumvent Congress more than his predecessors.
Five of the six members of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority have, in various cases, raised concerns about universal injunctions and suggested they should be curbed in certain circumstances. Read the full story here.
Cassie’s testimony of abuse and humiliation at Diddy’s trial
R&B singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, took the stand on the second day of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking trial, detailing years of alleged abuse by the music mogul. Ventura is the prosecution’s star witness, and her 2023 lawsuit against Combs, which was settled privately one day after it was filed, became a framework for the government’s sprawling case against the music mogul.
In her first day on the stand, Ventura, 38, gave graphic and emotional testimony of alleged physical abuse and control that included dayslong, drug-fueled sexual encounters with male escorts under Combs’ direction. She said she first participated in the “freak-offs” around 2008, when she was 22, and they continued while she dated Combs on and off before the pair split in 2018. The sex would occur in Combs’ homes, her homes and hotel suites around the world, and Ventura said they might find escorts off Craigslist, paying them between $1,500 and $6,000. Combs appeared to listen intently during the testimony.
“I felt pretty horrible about myself,” Ventura said. “I felt disgusting. I felt humiliated.”
Ventura, who first met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 and signed a 10-album deal with his Bad Boy label, also testified that her music career stalled when arranging “freak offs” for Combs “became a job.” She went on to say that angering Combs would result in physical and ongoing psychological abuse.
Read more about Ventura’s testimony and her allegations against Combs. She’s expected to take the stand again today, and her testimony could last through the week.
NBC News is following the trial closely. Sign up for the Diddy on Trial newsletter to receive the latest news, including insights and analysis from our team inside the courtroom.
Menendez brothers resentenced, eligible for parole
After months of delays, opposition from Los Angeles County’s district attorney and a series of witnesses who advocated for them, Erik and Lyle Menendez are now eligible for parole in the 1989 killings of their parents at their Beverly Hills home. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic said in a ruling yesterday that the brothers would be resentenced to 50 years to life, adding that he did not believe they posed an “unreasonable risk” if released. Now, a California parole board will weigh whether the men are suitable for release and is expected to submit its clemency recommendation next month to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The brothers, who have been serving life sentences without the possibility of parole, gave statements after yesterday’s ruling. Lyle said he made no excuses for killing his parents or for seeking to have people perjure themselves on his behalf. Erik echoed those comments. Read the full story here.
Read All About It
- The FDA announced it will pull prescription fluoride drops and tablets for children off the market, arguing that the best way to prevent cavities is to stop eating so much sugar.
- Baseball’s all-time hits leader Pete Rose, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson and other deceased players were taken off the MLB’s permanently ineligible list, making them eligible for the Hall of Fame.
- Georgia police are dropping charges against a college student who they admit was mistakenly pulled over, but she’s still in ICE custody and faces deportation.
- A new study found that men die at twice the rate as women from “broken heart syndrome” even though the condition is more common in women.
- UnitedHealth Group announced a new CEO, a surprising shake-up as the company navigates the aftermath of UnitedHealthcare leader Brian Thompson’s killing.
Staff Pick : A genealogy scavenger hunt
I’ve always been fascinated with learning about Louisiana’s history and unique cultural stories. As someone who has done extensive family research myself in the state, it’s exciting to uncover unexpected connections. The process feels like a scavenger hunt.
So when I started seeing chatter about Pope Leo XIV’s ties to New Orleans on social media, I connected with genealogist Alex DaPaul Lee, who has assisted me in previous archival searches for my reporting in Louisiana. He told me that he had discovered evidence of Leo’s ancestral roots, which show his Creole background through his great-great-grandmother, Celeste Lemelle.
But historic documentation from Louisiana, as we saw while looking through the Lemelle family’s records, can reveal both the highs and lows of history: ownership, status, literacy, freedom and wealth, juxtaposed with racism, social class divides, slavery and discrimination. All of it adds spice and complexity to the perfect bowl of gumbo.
The resulting story of Pope Leo’s lineage shines a light on our imperfect American history while bringing an extra layer of pride to people from Louisiana. — Maya Eaglin, NBC News correspondent
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