Good Thursday evening. In this edition: Israel and Lebanon agree to ceasefire extension; Senate advances plan to fund ICE and CBP with GOP votes; and Justice Department eases restrictions on medical marijuana.
Plus, Lutnick, Regeneron and Navy secretary.
Middle East
President Trump announced a three-week extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon after meeting with diplomats from both countries at the White House.
"This is a rather historic meeting,"he said in the Oval Office. "We had a great conversation, and I think it's the beginning of something very important. It would be a wonderful thing to get this worked out simultaneously with what we're doing in Iran."
The extension materialized during a second round of talks between the two countries, following their historic first meeting last week.
In the hours before the deal, Israel and Hezbollah — the Iran-backed militant group that operates out of Lebanon — had been trading attacks, testing the limits of the existing ceasefire struck on April 16.
Lebanon has no direct control over Hezbollah, but ending the fighting in the country has been seen as critical for peace talks between the U.S. and Iran.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agreement will buy more time to work out a longer-term deal.
"It gives everybody time to continue to work on what's going to be a permanent peace between two countries that want to be at peace. Both are victimized by the same terrorist organization," he told reporters.
"The people of Lebanon deserve to live in a country that's peaceful and prosperous," he added. "What's standing in the way is an organization that operates — a terrorist organization that operates within their national territory. That threat needs to be eliminated."
Earlier in the day, President Trump grew frustrated with reporters when asked how much longer the war in Iran will continue.
"Don't rush me,"he said, highlighting the length of previous American wars. "I've been doing this for six weeks. And their military is totally defeated."
The president said he was extending the ceasefire with Iran as he awaits a unified response from the regime's remaining leaders, who he said were "fighting like cats and dogs" for control of the country.
"They want to make a deal. We have been speaking to them, but they don't even know who's leading the country," he said. "They're in turmoil, so we thought we'd give them a little chance to get some of their turmoil resolved."
The Senate approved a budget resolution that will serve as the blueprint for a future Republican reconciliation bill to fund the nation's immigration enforcement agencies through a party-line vote.
The resolution passed 50–48, with Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Rand Paul (KY) joining all Democrats in opposition. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) did not vote.
The final vote followed a marathon overnight session known as a "vote-a-rama," during which senators cast a series of rapid-fire votes on amendments, none of which were adopted.
Democrats used the process to force votes on cost-of-living issues, a central part of their messaging ahead of the midterms.
The budget resolution does not carry the force of law but allows Republicans to move forward with a reconciliation bill that can pass with a simple majority, bypassing the Senate's 60-vote filibuster threshold.
Republicans plan to provide three years of funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with their bill.
The Homeland Security Department has been shut down for more than 68 days, the longest federal funding lapse in history, amid a standoff over proposed changes to immigration enforcement operations following the killings of two American citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents earlier this year.
After failing to reach a deal with Democrats on potential reforms, Republicans chose a two-track plan to reopen the agency: fund immigration agencies through a party-line reconciliation bill and approve funding for the rest of the department through a normal appropriations bill.
The House must now pass the budget resolution to unlock the reconciliation powers that will allow both chambers to later advance funding for ICE and CBP.
House Republicans have been waiting for the Senate to make progress on reconciliation before signing off on the previously Senate-passed bill to fund the rest of the agency. It's unclear when that vote might take place.
The Trump administration reclassified state-licensed medical marijuana, loosening restrictions as part of a broader nationwide easing of policies on the substance.
The move shifts marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from Schedule I, the highest level of regulation, to the less strict Schedule III.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed the order, saying it was "delivering on President Trump's promise to expand Americans' access to medical treatment options."
"This rescheduling action allows for research on the safety and efficacy of this substance, ultimately providing patients with better care and doctors with more reliable information," he said in a statement.
The order largely legitimizes medical marijuana programs in the 40 states that have adopted them and establishes an expedited system for state-licensed medical marijuana producers and distributors to register with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
It also prevents cannabis researchers from being penalized for obtaining state-licensed marijuana or marijuana-derived products for use in their work, and it allows state-licensed medical marijuana companies to deduct business expenses on their federal taxes.
The move is part of a broader change in perceptions and policies related to marijuana, which has long been classified by the federal government alongside drugs such as heroin, ecstasy and LSD.
Nearly all states — with the exception of Idaho and Kansas — have approved cannabis use in some form.
Two dozen states and the District of Columbia have authorized adult recreational use, 40 have medical marijuana programs, and eight others allow low-THC cannabis or CBD oil for medical use.
The Justice Department also said it would hold a hearing on June 29 to consider the broader rescheduling of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act, following through on President Trump's Dec. 18 executive action aimed at finalizing a reclassification push begun under the Biden administration.
"Together, these actions provide immediate and long-term clarity to researchers, patients, and providers alike while still maintaining strict federal controls against illicit drug trafficking," the department said.
Nevertheless, the department's order does not decriminalize or legalize marijuana for recreational use at the federal level.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnickrepeatedly declined to answer questions about his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. "I'm not going to spend the budget day discussing something I've set aside time to address with your House colleagues," he told Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) during an Appropriations Committee hearing on his department's FY 2027 budget request. The secretary is slated to appear before the House Oversight Committee on May 6 for a closed-door, transcribed deposition as part of the panel's investigation into Mr. Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
The Trump administrationannounced a deal with pharmaceutical giant Regeneron to lower the costs of its medications as part of the White House's drug pricing initiative. Regeneron has agreed to lower prices for its drugs for Americans on Medicaid and to sell its Praluent cholesterol drug for $225 on the TrumpRx website. The president announced the deal in an Oval Office news conference with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Regeneron CEO Leonard Schleifer. "It's the biggest price reduction in drugs in history," President Trump said. "By itself, we should win the midterms, but it doesn't work that way."
President TrumpsaidJohn Phelan left his role as Navy secretary due to conflicts within the Pentagon over naval priorities. "He's a hard charger," the president said at an Oval Office press conference. "He had some conflicts with some other people, mostly over building and buying new ships." Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced Mr. Phelan's departure in a post Thursday afternoon. Under Secretary Hung Cao will serve as acting secretary until the appointment and confirmation of a new nominee.
For your radar…
Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Mark Amodei (R-NV) join host Dasha Burns on Friday's episode of C-SPAN's "Ceasefire," which also includes a conversation with Republican strategist John Feehery and Democratic strategist Arshi Siddiqui. Watch on C-SPAN at 7pm ET.
