The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Johnson’s Mar-a-Lago meeting with Trump

Happy Friday! I hope you can all get outside this weekend and do something springy. Here’s what’s happening:

The House is finally getting somewhere with the surveillance powers bill.
Former President Trump’s first criminal trial will begin Monday.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago today.
If you bring your own drinking vessel to 7-Eleven tomorrow, you can fill it up with Slurpee for $1.99. Do with that information what you will. 👀

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to [email protected]. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. 

After a week full of drama, the House just voted to pass the bill to reauthorize the U.S.’s warrantless surveillance authority.💻 Watch the vote live on C-SPAN

The drama this week: Nineteen House Republicans tanked the compromise House bill Wednesday, which would extend America’s spy program. Former President Trump played a major role in killing the bill, urging Republicans to vote against it. The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that Senate Republicans are furious about Trump’s efforts to derail the bill.

Trump posted on Truth Social: “KILL FISA, IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHERS. THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN!!!”

So, what changed since Wednesday?: Negotiators changed the bill to reauthorize surveillance powers for two years instead of five. Conservatives appreciated the changes.

When does the current program expire?: April 19, a week from today

Why is the bill necessary?: The U.S. could lose a lot of intel without it. “Republican senators are warning that the nation’s spy program is about to go ‘dark’ and that much of the intelligence that goes into President Biden’s daily briefing could be lost, putting the nation at risk for surprise attacks.” (The Hill)

From Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Marco Rubio (R-Fla.): “If we can’t spy on foreign terrorists and foreign spies overseas, we’re out of the intelligence business.”

➤ WHAT IS FISA?:

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) sets the rules for U.S. surveillance and searches.

The controversial part: “The FISA debate on Capitol Hill largely centers around Section 702, which allows the U.S. government to collect electronic communications of non-Americans located outside the country without a warrant. But it sometimes results in the collection of data on Americans who are in contact with those surveilled individuals, making it controversial.” (ABC News)

➤ RELATED READ:

The Washington Post writes how “Trump’s influence looms large over congressional Republicans.” The events this week particularly show that.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is traveling to Mar-a-Lago today to meet with former President Trump.

What we know: Johnson and Trump will hold a press conference to tout legislation to prevent noncitizens from voting. (That’s already illegal, btw.)

“The two men had been planning to get together for a political meeting, but Mr. Johnson’s team suggested a joint public appearance on a topic Mr. Trump cares deeply about, according to two people familiar with the planning.” (The New York Times)

Former President Trump’s first criminal trial is set to begin Monday, the first of four pending criminal cases against the former president.

Which case?: Trump is facing 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made to porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Trump denies both the charges and the sexual relationships Daniels and McDougal allege.

The Hill’s Niall Stanage lists five big questions we have for the trial.

How big a spectacle will Trump create?
Will Team Trump seek further delay — or try to get it over with?
Can prosecutors prove a felony?
Does Trump keep attacking the judge and his family?
Do President Biden and the Democrats weigh in?

Read Stanage’s context for each question

➤ IF YOU’RE WONDERING ABOUT SECURITY:

The security for Trump’s hush money trial is expected to be VERY tight. The U.S. Secret Service, New York City Police Department and New York State Unified Court System are all involved. (The Hill)

Many Democrats have been faced with pro-Palestine activists protesting their events. The way Democrats have handled those interruptions has varied, though, reports The Hill’s Alex Gangitano.

Biden has handled those interactions calmly: “President Biden, who has faced a host of cease-fire supporters across the country, has been markedly more sympathetic. Even though they wholly disagree with his Israel policy, he often sides with the protesters’ sentiments, urging event security to let them be before being escorted away.”

But not all Democrats have handled the interruptions that way: “Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) accused some protesters who confronted her at a theater of lying about her stance. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif), who has had protesters outside her San Francisco home, once accused them on television of puppeting a message by Russian President Vladimir Putin and then called for the FBI to investigate.”

Why this matters: “It marks another example of the divide among the Democratic Party about how to deal with addressing the Israel-Hamas war as it drags into its seventh month.”

The House is in. The Senate is out. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C. (all times Eastern)

2:45 p.m.: Biden delivers virtual remarks at the National Action Network Convention. 💻 Livestream
5:15 p.m.: Biden leaves for Rehoboth Beach, Del.
5:30 p.m.: Harris speaks about reproductive rights at an event in Tucson, Ariz.
6:50 p.m.: Harris leaves for Los Angeles.