CHECK, CHECK, CHECK: President Trump’s assertion that he received a clean bill of health from his physical on Tuesday is unlikely to quell speculation about his well-being.
“Just finished my 6 month physical at Walter Reed Military Medical Center. Everything checked out PERFECTLY. Thank you to the great Doctors and Staff!” Trump said in a short post on Truth Social.
The White House said Trump underwent a “routine” assessment as part of his “regular preventative health care.” But the fact that this was his third trip to Walter Reed in the past 13 months renewed discussions about the president’s health as he is about to turn 80 years old next month.
Trump first went to Walter Reed during his second term last April. He received an ultrasound of his veins and was eventually diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition in older people in which blood has more difficulty traveling up the body.
He returned to the medical center in October for a “secondary” exam and stirred confusion after he told reporters he underwent a “perfect” M.R.I. scan, declining to say why doctors ordered it. He later said he misspoke and underwent a C.T. scan, which physician Sean Barbabella said was to “definitely rule out any cardiovascular issues.”
Photos of bruises on Trump’s hands, often covered with makeup, have added to the questions.
The president has said the bruises are caused by taking aspirin every day, while the White House has blamed frequent hand shaking.
▪ CNN: Trump’s advanced age, threats to his life remind of his mortality.
IMPROMPTU GET-TOGETHER: Trump is holding a Cabinet meeting today as the U.S. and the world await news on whether an agreement to end the war with Iran will finally be reached.
A White House official confirmed the news first detailed by the New York Post, which reported that every Cabinet member will be in attendance. That includes Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who announced Friday that she would be stepping down from her role at the end of June.
The meeting had originally been scheduled to take place at Camp David, a relatively rare visit by Trump to the site, but it was moved to the White House because of possible poor weather.
The topics discussed will include “recent successes of the administration including economy and small business wins, Task Force to Eliminate Fraud highlights, and foreign policy updates,” a White House official told the Post. But Iran will likely be the main topic during the meeting.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that reaching a deal with Iran to end the war could take a “few more days” as the two sides try to finalize the outstanding details. Tensions ramped up in the past 24 hours as Tehran accused the U.S. of violating the ceasefire with its recent strikes in southern Iran.
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned U.S. bases in the Middle East shouldn’t be considered safe following the strikes.
Trump has vowed that any deal reached would be a “great deal for all” or no deal would be reached.
▪ The Hill: U.S.-Iran tensions put peace talks at risk.
▪ The Hill: Trump, allies seek to spin deal amid hazy details.
▪ Reuters: What’s involved in talks to end the war?
ONE STEP FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK: A series of decisions on redistricting in the South on Tuesday delivered a mixed bag to Republicans and Democrats, as states rush to finalize their congressional maps before the midterms.
In Democrats’ biggest victory of the day, the South Carolina state Senate voted against advancing a proposed new congressional map that would target longtime Rep. James Clyburn’s (D-S.C.) district, making it much more conservative-leaning. The vote marks a blow for Trump, who has openly pushed for southern states to redraw their district lines following the Supreme Court’s decision restricting the Voting Rights Act.
Some Republicans took issue with the new map as voting has already begun in South Carolina’s primaries.
The GOP also suffered a setback as a three-judge panel blocked Alabama Republicans’ new congressional map that would likely give the party a new seat in the state’s delegation. Republicans’ only remedy to restore the map is to appeal to the Supreme Court, which they have pledged to do.
But efforts to implement new maps in Tennessee and Florida notched wins as federal judges in the two states rejected legal challenges from various individuals and voting rights groups. The plaintiffs in both cases are expected to appeal, but the maps got one step closer to going into effect.
▪ The Hill: Black caucus calls on corporations to oppose redistricting push.
▪ The Washington Post: How this age of gerrymandering is transforming politics.
SILENCE IS GOLDEN: The Trump administration is proposing a new requirement for federal employees to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) as part of an attempt to crack down on leaks.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) filed a new rule with the Federal Register on Tuesday requesting public comment on a draft NDA for federal agencies to use for current and former employees. The public comment period will be open for 30 days from when the rule is published in the register Wednesday.
If enacted, the rule would go much further than past administrations have gone in restricting what federal employees can publicly share. NDAs already are in place in certain situations concerning national security and other information.
A draft agreement published to OPM’s website states that employees must agree to use confidential government information “solely” to perform their official duties and safeguard and protect such information from unauthorized disclosure. They would also agree not to disclose confidential information upon leaving an agency unless an authorized official grants permission.
The NDA would be effective for five years after an employee leaves the agency.
