Todd Young

The world's largest immigration detention system is on the cusp of explosive growth as Trump pursues his signature campaign promise of mass deportations.

Some of the rioters convicted of crimes while storming the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection are now considering running for office after being pardoned by President Trump.

A critical avenue of U.S.-China competition has slipped under the public's radar despite its potential outsize impacts on economies, militaries and weaponry: biotechnology.Why it matters: Better body armor, dynamic camouflage, foods synthesized in trenches, super soldiers, landmine-detecting bacteria and sabotaged materials shipped to the enemy are all promises of this field.And a new report concludes that Beijing is ascending to biotech dominance, at great risk to Washington.Driving the news: The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology filed that report to Congress this month after two years of research and debate.Commissioners include Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), also a member of the intelligence committee; Eric Schmidt, the former Google CEO; and Michelle Rozo, a vice president at In-Q-Tel and former principal director for biotechnology at the Pentagon.Here's a taste of the report's many findings, recommendations and warnings:China is sprinting ahead after prioritizing biotech 20 years ago. The U.S. must course correct in three years.Washington should dedicate $15 billion minimum over the next five years to supercharge the sector.Beijing's advancements are fueled by military-civil fusion. But the U.S. "should not try to out-China China; that is a losing strategy."There is "every reason to believe" the Chinese Communist Party will "weaponize biotechnology." Drone warfare "will seem quaint" the day the People's Liberation Army debuts genetically enhanced troops.Opportunities for greater collaboration already exist, namely through NATO's innovation accelerator, DIANA.Congress should require the Defense Department to incorporate military-relevant biotech into wargaming and exercises.What they're saying: U.S. leadership should consider biotech a distinct domain of warfare, according to Young, a Marine Corps veteran."Imagine if we could, in theater, biomanufacture shelf-stable blood, thereby seizing on that golden hour in which we need to provide emergency medical attention to warfighters who are under duress," he told Axios."Imagine a world in which we are able to develop new energetics through biological means, with far more thrust — power — to extend the range of our existing missile systems.""That would, obviously, change all sorts of calculations of warfare."Reality check: There's a lack of stateside industrial capacity. And moving from lab to market is an expensive ordeal, a red flag for increasingly risk-averse investors.What we're watching: What makes it into the National Defense Authorization Act, a logical home for this report's suggestions.The bottom line: "Just like the Industrial Age, just like the Information Age, this is the Biotechnology Age. Most people do not know that," Paul Arcangeli, a commissioner and former House Armed Services Committee staff director, said in an interview."In 10 years, people will be surprised what biotechnology will be doing for them."

At the end of election night, Shoecraft, a Republican, had pulled ahead of Shobe, a Democrat, by 282 votes. After Friday's count, Shobe was ahead of Shoecraft by 807 votes.

Thirteen weeks in session, 213 votes, 55 confirmations, two vote-a-ramas and a final 2am vote — Senate Republicans could not be more ready for a two-week recess.Why it matters: Republicans demanded that their new leader get the Senate working hard again. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) answered the call, but Republicans are feeling the effects of the Democratic opposition.Thune had to constantly haggle with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on vote times, and delays from Democrats have been particularly draining, Republicans told Axios.Senate staffers also had to stay nimble, needing to reschedule meetings or media appearances over the past few weeks.Tomorrow will mark the 100th day of the 119th Congress. Hopes for a Thursday afternoon fly-out were spoiled by Democratic holds on President Trump's nominee for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Between the lines: Nobody wants to admit they're tired, but most GOP senators chuckled when Axios asked about the level of fatigue among their colleagues. A couple of senators threw each other under the bus."Listening to our freshmen talk, I think this has been a rough stretch," Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told Axios."I think the older guys are getting tired," another senator told Axios, not wanting to be named.What they're saying: "My sense is people are looking forward to spending some time at home," Hawley said."I don't want to think like Washington. I want to make sure I think like home," Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said. "So getting home is really important.""I think we've set, pretty much, records," Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told Axios. He expects the Senate to "come back swinging again" but admitted that it will be good to "get away from each other and go back in the states."The bottom line: "We absolutely signed up for this," said Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.). "I think it is a critical moment in time ... and we'll certainly work around the clock, which is exactly what we're doing.""It's definitely different than my first two years when we were in the minority and we weren't doing a lot of stuff," Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) said."I've never been busier," Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) said. "But I'm proud of what we've accomplished."Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) said that despite "working long hours," the enthusiasm for nominees and tax reform "mitigates any physical exhaustion some of our members might feel."What's next: GOP leadership told senators to expect eight votes a day when they come back from recess, sources told Axios.

U.S. shippers argue the fees would disproportionately harm American-owned carriers serving short-sea routes between domestic ports.

House Dem More Supportive Of Trump Tariffs Than Many Republicans

The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems (CITI) holds a hearing on the Final Report of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology at 4 p.m. ET on April 8. Witnesses include Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), chair of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology; and Michelle Rozo, vice chair of the commission. [...]

Trump's trade representative Jamieson Greer told Senators that President Trump's tariffs prompted more than 50 countries to reach out to negotiate trade deals. But Greer declined to give a timeline.

When President Donald Trump unveiled another, broader series of tariffs this week, he sent markets reeling — and sparked bipartisan legislative pushback featuring Indiana’s senior U.S. senator.

The White House says a bipartisan Senate bill would dangerously limit the president’s authority to impose tariffs and conduct foreign policy.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) says that a bipartisan bill to curb President Trump’s tariff power backed by seven Republican senators doesn’t have a future in Congress because Trump has already threatened to veto it. Thune dismissed the possibility of bringing the legislation sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), [...]

Added cost from import tax will almost certainly trickle down to the consumer.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink reassures investors that this moment of economic anxiety will pass in his annual letter out Monday morning.Why it matters: Fink runs the world's biggest asset manager and is hugely influential — his widely read letter typically reflects the business trends of the current moment. This year it comes at a time of high market uncertainty, as tariff disruptions rock the business world.Where it stands: Fink treads cautiously in the 27-page letter, never explicitly mentioning President Trump, and only touches glancingly on politics at the very top."I hear it from nearly every client, nearly every leader—nearly every person—I talk to: They're more anxious about the economy than any time in recent memory. I understand why. But we have lived through moments like this before. And somehow, in the long run, we figure things out," he says in a draft of the letter viewed by Axios. The intrigue: Fink's letter comes at a politically fraught moment for BlackRock.The firm's deal to buy two Panama Canal ports from Hong Kong's CK Hutchison has become a political football among the governments of the U.S., Panama and China. What looked like an off-ramp for U.S. complaints that China had too much influence at the canal now threatens to become a bargaining chip in a larger geopolitical reordering. Between the lines: In past years, Fink has used the letter to espouse views on topics that are now toxic flashpoints for the Trump administration — like climate change, flexibility for workers or corporate social responsibility.This year, as fierce backlash has grown, the firm joined many others in walking back its DEI policies.Zoom in: Instead of politics, Fink focuses on private markets, a more opaque area of investment that's ballooned in popularity in recent years — and where BlackRock has made a series of deals over the past year, trying to become a dominant player. Some letter highlights:With deficits ballooning, governments are going to need private-market money to build bridges, power plants and other critical public buildings and utilities, he writes. "The markets are eager to step in where governments and corporations are stepping out."Instead of a traditional 60/40 split between stocks and bonds, Fink wants investors to diversify into these private market assets, a mix he calls 50/30/20 (stocks, bonds, private assets like infrastructure and real estate). "Economic democracy": Fink says capitalism has worked for "too few people" and wants to give more investors access to those private markets. Not coincidentally, bringing more investors into the markets is good for the firm's bottom line.Fink endorses the idea of baby bonds, proposed by Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.). "Imagine a child born today whose personal wealth grows in step with America's. That's what an economic democracy could look like: a country where everybody has a new avenue— investing—to pursue happiness and financial freedom."Dollar dominance under threat: "The U.S. has benefited from the dollar serving as the world's reserve currency for decades. But that's not guaranteed to last forever," Fink warns."If the U.S. doesn't get its debt under control, if deficits keep ballooning, America risks losing that position to digital assets like Bitcoin."BlackRock was the first to launch a Bitcoin spot ETF in 2024 — a move that helped legitimize cryptocurrency in the traditional investing world.Energy pragmatism: The world faces growing demand for energy that can't be filled with renewables alone, he said. Fink makes the case for nuclear power, an idea gaining steam as demand for electricity — fueled by AI — is surging.He also joins a bipartisan chorus pushing for permit reform to make it faster and easier to get things built.💭 Thought bubble, from Axios Generate's Ben Geman: The annual letter is a sign of the times from Wall Street — light on climate. But that said, Fink makes a competition-based case for clean tech.He notes China is aggressively building nuclear plants because "they see decarbonization as a way to own the future of industry."Fink also shouts out Chinese electric vehicle heavyweight BYD's remarkable rise.The bottom line: Finance executives like Fink are staying in their lane these days. Ben Geman contributed. Go Deeper: Read Larry Fink's letter to investors

The Journal Star asked Lincoln City Council, airport authority and school board candidates questions about issues in their races in the April 8 primary election. Find their responses here.

Some of Senate GOP leader John Thune's (R-S.D.) lawmakers are demanding more — in details, time and spending cuts — before they accept his accelerated clock on budget reconciliation.Why it matters: In the Senate, speed doesn't necessarily kill. But deliberation does, as Thune knows.He's betting that he and President Trump can quickly resolve the internal Senate GOP differences. The Senate had been eyeing the week of April 7 for a vote, but Thune's telling them to be ready next week.But even with that compressed calendar, senators want to extract promises on spending cuts — especially if they are going to vote for a debt ceiling increase."It feels like we're moving in the right direction," said Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.). "We short-circuit the process ... and vote prematurely, I won't be comfortable with signing up for that expedited timeline."Zoom in: "It makes it that much more important that we get the top-line budget numbers right," Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) told us about a debt ceiling increase. He's insisting that the budget use the Senate's $6 trillion number for next year's spending."I don't love it, but I understand that it is what the White House wants," Lee said about attaching a debt limit hike.Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) hinted he'd vote against any resolution that didn't cut more spending: "We have to return to reasonable level pre-pandemic spending and a process to actually achieve it,"Young still has reservations about adopting a current policy score, which would zero out the cost of Trump's tax cuts. "I'm hoping we get ample time to give me those details," he said.The bottom line: Trump thinks of the debt ceiling as a nuisance. Some GOP senators think of it as a tool.Trump tried to get the debt ceiling raised before he was even president, in December, but that failed.The House wants to roll it into their reconciliation bill, and Senate Republican leaders are now on board, but senators like Lee aren't convinced.

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether Columbia University concealed "illegal aliens" as the Trump administration intensified its campaign to deport people who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year.

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether Columbia University concealed "illegal aliens" as the Trump administration intensified its campaign to deport people who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year.

Lawmakers push the Department of Homeland Security to drop Chile from the visa waiver program, warning that gangs are exploiting it for organized burglaries in U.S. communities and businesses.

A Justice Department attorney details how she was fired, one day after refusing to go along with a request from her bosses to recommend that Gibson's gun rights be restored.

Baton Rouge Police say they are preparing warrants to arrest two additional suspects in connection with last week's hazing death of Southern University junior engineering student Caleb Wilson, 20.

‘The truth is, I doubt Congress will repeal CHIPS,’ a CHIPS and Science Act opponent, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), told The Epoch Times.

Republican lawmakers are starting to urge President Trump to reverse his decisions to pause U.S. military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, warning that a prolonged stoppage of U.S. help for the war effort would have a seriously detrimental effect. They say that Trump has the right to temporarily halt weapons shipments to Ukraine to assess [...]

'This legislation will help level the playing field to ensure the United States can outcompete the Chinese Communist Party,' Sen. Todd Young said.

Bove's recent moves have spurred intense criticism from legal scholars and former prosecutors.

How Senate Sherpa JD Vance Helped Guide MAGA's Favorite Cabinet Picks To Confirmation

The calls escalate an already-heated debate that Donald Trump embraced on the campaign trail over the rights of transgender Americans.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Tulsi Gabbard to be the next director of national intelligence in a 52-48 vote that demonstrated President Donald Trump’s political control over Republican lawmakers, and she was sworn in hours later in the Oval Office.

Gabbard, a military veteran and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, was confirmed by a 52-48 vote, with Democrats opposed in the sharply divided Senate where Republicans hold a slim majority. The only "no' vote from a Republican came from Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as President Trump's Director of National Intelligence, largely along party lines.Why it matters: It's a big win for the president's team, which worked hard to resuscitate Gabbard's nomination when it faltered earlier this year. The final vote was 52-48, with former Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) the only GOP opponent. "When a nominee's record proves them unworthy of the highest public trust, and when their command of relevant policy falls short of the requirements of their office, the Senate should withhold its consent," McConnell said in a statement after the vote. The big picture: Gabbard proved to be one of Trump's most controversial nominees, and the success of her confirmation was particularly questionable ahead of a committee vote earlier this month.The Senate Intelligence Committee approved Gabbard's nomination Feb. 4 in a razor-thin 9-8 party-line vote.That was after Intel Chair Tom Cotton made a concerted effort to get her through, even enlisting the help of former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) in swaying two of the panel's skeptical Republicans — Indiana's Todd Young and Maine's Susan Collins.Zoom in: Young announced he would support Gabbard's confirmation in committee after outlining several commitments Gabbard made to win his vote.Those included promising not to seek a pardon for Edward Snowden, regularly updating the Senate Intel committee on her foreign travel and working with the panel to reauthorize Section 702 of FISA.Vice President Vance and billionaire Trump lieutenant Elon Musk also pressed Young to support Gabbard.Zoom out: Gabbard faced tough questioning in her confirmation hearing, repeatedly refusing to call Snowden a traitor.Questions have also been raised about a trip she took to Syria, references she has made to conspiracy theories about U.S. bio labs in Ukraine and her history of questioning the findings of the U.S. intelligence community.Senators voted 52-46 on Monday to limit debate on Gabbard's nomination, paving the way for her confirmation.Go deeper: How Tulsi Gabbard's nomination came roaring back to lifeEditor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.

Tulsi Gabbard, a former U.S. representative with little intelligence experience, was confirmed as the top U.S. spy on Wednesday, as Republicans lined up behind a nominee once seen as among President Donald Trump’s most controversial picks.

The only "no" vote from a Republican came from Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

The Senate voted largely along party lines Wednesday to confirm Tulsi Gabbard to serve as the director of national intelligence, the nation’s top intelligence official, despite strong objections from Democrats and initial misgivings from Republicans who questioned her experience and judgment. The 52-48 vote caps two months of deliberations in the Senate over whether Gabbard, a [...]

Elon Musk is enlisting the help of his X army as he seeks to hack away at the U.S. government, responding directly to users who recommend specific cuts and posting an X poll to justify reinstating a staffer who resigned over racist tweets.Why it matters: Now the most powerful bureaucrat in America, Musk is leaning not only on access to sensitive government systems but also on his legions of fervently loyal, often-anonymous X followers as he weighs the fate of billions of dollars in spending.The big picture: Donald Trump broke new ground in his first term by carrying out the nation's business via tweet decrees.Musk, who typically posts between 50 and 100 tweets per day, is taking the bottom-up approach by letting foot soldiers supply suggestions that get seen — and acted on — by his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).Driving the news: Last weekend, Musk elevated posts decrying USAID uses of money in his push to gut the agency. Then on Monday, he declared that Trump "agreed" to shut it down.Media became a target when users initially claimed erroneously that Politico had received millions from USAID. In fact, federal agencies were paying for subscriptions to specialized Politico products.After users shared screenshots highlighting that spending, Musk agreed it was "wasteful." Within a few hours the White House announced the Politico subscriptions were being canceled. DOGE has since announced that subscriptions with the New York Times and other outlets are being scrapped.Targeting the National Endowment for Democracy, Musk solicited ammunition from X users, asking them to "reply to this post listing all the evil things that NED has done."In responding to a user who complained about the IRS's Direct File system, Musk wrote "That group has been deleted." Similarly, he wrote "deleted" in responding to a critical post about one of the General Services Administration's programs.He has been reposting users' screenshots of line items in the government's budget as well.Some of the recommended cuts are hyper-specific. After FlexPort CEO Ryan Petersen tweeted that DOGE should "look into" the U.S. Mint in San Francisco, Musk swiftly replied "noted."The latest: After the WSJ uncovered blatantly racist tweets apparently written by one key DOGE staffer, Marko Elez, the White House announced Elez had resigned.Then X users responding to Musk's poll (including Vice President Vance) overwhelmingly supported reinstating him, and Musk announced he'd be back.A spokesperson for DOGE did not respond to a request for comment.Zoom out: The X activism has extended beyond Musk's cost-cutting mission to law enforcement.Musk found an ally in Ed Martin, a Trump supporter and interim U.S. Attorney of District of Columbia. After a weekend of reports about DOGE staffers' standoffs with Treasury and USAID — with Musk contending it was a crime to identify members of his team — Martin released a letter calling for the protection of DOGE workers.Replying to a post calling for Martin to "look into" progressive commentator Will Stancil, Martin replied, "Thank you. Noted."Friction point: Trump appears on course to getting all of his most controversial Cabinet picks confirmed — with the exception of Matt Gaetz — due in no small part to the pressure campaign waged by Musk and the right-wing digital chorus on X.Senators who had wavered on some of the picks — Sen. Joni Ernst for Pete Hegseth, Sen. Bill Cassidy for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Sen. Todd Young for Tulsi Gabbard — all came around after being harangued online and inundated with threats of primary campaigns.Flashback: Musk has a history of crowdsourcing ideas for his businesses, and of posting prolifically on Twitter long before he bought it.Now, his posting habit is intertwined with his mission of slashing billions in government funding and waging digital war on Trump's behalf.

Senate Intel Chair Tom Cotton found a surprise ally in former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) to help resuscitate Tulsi Gabbard's nomination.The former Democratic senator approached Cotton and was deployed to help sway Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) into "yes" votes today, sources tell Axios.Why it matters: Cotton, the hawkish Arkansan who is No. 3 in GOP leadership, worked all the angles on Gabbard.He worked with Vice President Vance — who's been a crucial influence on undecided senators — Trump adviser Jason Miller and others on Gabbard's team. Cotton told Trump last year he could get Gabbard confirmed, Semafor's Burgess Everett first reported Tuesday.Cotton leaned hard on the White House to persuade, not pressure, arguing that an overly combative approach could be counterproductive for people like Young. (That didn't stop MAGA posters from trying over the weekend.)Cotton tapped former NSA adviser Robert O'Brien to whip other members of the committee.Inside the room: Cotton, Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and former Intel Chair Richard Burr (R-N.C.) huddled with Gabbard for over an hour ahead of last week's committee hearing trying to make sure concerns were addressed.Gabbard's hearing was anything but smooth, clearly frustrating Republicans who wanted to hear her call Edward Snowden a traitor.But she still won the Senate Intel Committee's recommendation on a party-line vote.Zoom in: Cotton worked closely alongside Vance, the White House legislative affairs office and Gabbard's sherpas, keeping the White House updated on the status of the nomination.As chair of the Senate Republican Conference, Cotton transformed the office — and its X account — into a war room for Gabbard.He dove into details too, helping Gabbard fill out required questionnaires and prepare for her high-stakes hearing. When Gabbard made a helpful comment during her closed-door prep, Cotton encouraged her team to get it out there, resulting in a Newsweek op-ed.The bottom line: There still could be other no votes in the Senate, most notably GOP Sens. John Curtis of Utah, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.But Senate GOP leadership and the White House feel confident with Young on board that Gabbard will be confirmed.

Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday cleared crucial hurdles toward winning Senate confirmation, handing President Trump a key win as he looks for an early display of loyalty from GOP lawmakers. Gabbard and Kennedy overcame high-stakes committee votes that went down to the wire in their bids to lead the U.S. Intelligence [...]

The Trump administration is mounting an aggressive push this weekend to secure Senate support for Tulsi Gabbard's nomination as Director of National Intelligence (DNI), according to Axios. With the Senate Intelligence Committee vote looming, officials are scrambling to ensure Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman and military veteran, clears the crucial first hurdle in her confirmation process.Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has transformed the conference's official X account into a makeshift Gabbard "war room," underscoring the urgency of the administration's efforts. To advance her nomination to the full Senate, Gabbard needs to secure every Republican vote on the Intelligence Committee, though skepticism among some GOP senators threatens to derail her path. The committee includes nine Republicans and eight Democrats.What's The Problem? ...Full story available on Benzinga.com

Officials in President Donald Trump's administration are reportedly "scrambling" in an all-hands-on-deck operation this weekend to gin up support for Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard.Axios reported recently that Senate Republican Conference chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has turned the conference's official X account into an unofficial Tulsi Gabbard "war room," in an effort to get her across the crucial first hurdle in her confirmation battle. Gabbard will need every Republican vote in the Senate Intelligence Committee to advance her nomination to the full Senate, and more than one Republican has indicated hesitancy in their support of Trump's pick to lead the United States' 18 spy agencies.According to the outlet, the Trump administration is focusing particularly on convincing Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) to back the former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and military veteran. During Gabbard's confirmation hearing this week, Young and other senators confronted her on her refusal to call National Security Agency contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden a "traitor."READ MORE: 'She lied to us': Ex-Gabbard staffers speak out about 'insane' meeting with Syrian dictatorTrump is reportedly considering reaching out to Republicans on the Intelligence Committee to assure them that he would not pardon Snowden — who was granted political asylum in Russia by President Vladimir Putin — in order to ensure they vote for Gabbard's confirmation. One unnamed Trump advisor told Axios that "the president will have those conversations" if necessary."We feel OK about Tulsi's chances," an anonymous senior White House official told the outlet. "But we want to feel better."Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) are among the other senators that could vote with Democrats against Gabbard's confirmation. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) already suggested that he wouldn't bring Gabbard's nomination before the full Senate if she failed to win over all nine Republicans on the Intelligence Committee. But MAGA activists are already promising to back primary challenges against any Senate Republican who votes against Gabbard."We are 100% serious," said Andrew Kolvet, who is a spokesperson for Turning Point Action. "GOP senators in red states will open themselves up to well-funded, well-organized primary challenges if they stand in the way of confirming the Cabinet the president wants and the American people voted for."READ MORE: 'Email Putin all our war plans': Experts blast Trump for picking 'Russian spy' Gabbard as intel chiefClick here to read Axios' report in full.

President Trump and his allies —including the online right, Vice President Vance and Sen. Tom Cotton — are scrambling to try to boost Tulsi Gabbard's nomination as director of national intelligence.Why it matters: The MAGA machine that helped Pete Hegseth narrowly win confirmation as defense secretary last week is now focused on Gabbard. Trump's team believes she faces the most headwinds of any of his current Cabinet nominees."We feel OK about Tulsi's chances," one senior White House official told Axios. "But we want to feel better."State of play: Trump plans to start making calls to Republican senators on the Intelligence Committee, where Gabbard faced tough questions Thursday about her past views questioning surveillance tactics and defending Edward Snowden. Losing just one GOP vote on the committee — which includes nine Republicans and eight Democrats — could sink her confirmation.Gabbard refused to call Snowden a "traitor" for leaking secret intelligence documents before ending up in Russia. That appeared to bother Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), whom Trump's team is most worried about. But Gabbard seemed to please another swing-vote Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, by saying she wouldn't ask Trump to pardon Snowden. Collins' reaction was a relief to Trump's team because of her penchant for bucking the president more than most other GOP senators.If that sounded like a deal in the making, Trump's team wasn't ruling it out."The president isn't really talking about pardoning Snowden, but if that's a guarantee they want to get Tulsi confirmed, the president will have those conversations," the White House adviser said.Catch up quick: Trump has been in a feud with the U.S. intelligence community since his first administration. He sees Gabbard — a former Democratic House member from Hawaii with similar disdain for the so-called "Deep State" — as a disruptor and change agent.Trump's Day 1 executive order, "Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government" specifically calls on the director of national intelligence to "review the activities of the intelligence community over the last 4 years and identify any instances" of political prosecutions and investigations.Zoom in: Vance and his team worked closely with Gabbard on her presentation to the committee. And Vance, a former Ohio senator, has been Trump's go-to representative to the Senate for all of his prominent nominees.Cotton, the Arkansas senator who chairs the intelligence panel, committed to getting Gabbard the votes she needed. The two are friends from their days serving in the House.The Senate Republican Conference, also led by Cotton, has turned its X page into a pro-Gabbard "war room," an operative involved in the process noted.Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said it's unlikely Gabbard would get a full vote by the Senate if she doesn't win a majority of the votes on the Intelligence Committee. Zoom in: Many MAGA diehards outside of the administration also are pushing for Gabbard because they see her — and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's Health and Human Services nominee and another former Democrat — as representing how Trump is growing his coalition beyond the GOP.Gabbard and Kennedy were dubbed "Blue MAGA" in Trump world because of the key roles they played on the campaign trail, touring the country on Trump's behalf. Donald Trump Jr. also has been involved in touting the pair. He told Axios in a written statement that both are "highly qualified" and are "also vital to the GOP's new governing coalition." "Unfortunately, there are still a few establishment Republicans in the Beltway who don't seem to get that," he said. "I think they are severely underestimating the backlash that would occur from our voters if either of them were blocked from being confirmed." Tucker Carlson, Judicial Watch's Tom Fitton, and Turning Point Action's Charlie Kirk also are pushing Gabbard on social media."We are 100% serious," Turning Point Action spokesman Andrew Kolvet said in a statement. "GOP senators in red states will open themselves up to well-funded, well-organized primary challenges if they stand in the way of confirming the Cabinet the president wants and the American people voted for."

'Gabbard's nomination is in the greatest peril'

Kristi Noem’s heated rhetoric on immigration belies a stark economic reality in her own state: With unemployment at 1.9% — the lowest in the country — South Dakota has grown increasingly dependent on the same migrants she may be tasked...

Republicans are cautioning that Tulsi Gabbard’s path to confirmation to lead the U.S. Intelligence apparatus is narrowing as she seemingly has trouble winning over key GOP senators. Gabbard, along with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kash Patel, are set for their high-stakes confirmation hearings this week as senators face some of President Trump’s most controversial [...]

President Donald Trump told reporters Friday that he was "surprised" Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins — both moderates and sometime critics of Trump — planned to vote against former Fox News host Pete Hegseth's nomination to lead the Defense Department.

Gov. Kristi Noem’s heated rhetoric on immigration belies a stark economic reality in her own state.

Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald Trump's intended nominee for Treasury secretary, testifies during his Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on Thursday.