Today in one sentence: The Supreme Court upheld federal regulations on “ghost guns”; Democrats flipped a Pennsylvania state Senate seat in a special election that Trump carried by 15 points in 2024; a special election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, once considered safe for Republicans, has unexpectedly tightened; Trump signed an executive order requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and banning states from counting ballots received after Election Day; the Atlantic published the full Signal group chat showing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sharing real-time U.S. military strike details against Houthi militants in Yemen – including launch times and weapon types; Trump announced a 25% tariff "on all cars that are not made in the United States"; and the U.S. could default on its bills as early as August or September if Congress doesn’t raise or suspend the $36.1 trillion debt limit.

1/ The Supreme Court upheld federal regulations on “ghost guns,” ruling 7-2 that firearm kits sold online can be regulated like fully assembled guns. Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, said the Gun Control Act covers parts kits that can be “readily converted” into functional firearms. The 2022 Biden-era rule requires background checks, serial numbers, and sales records for these kits. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, meanwhile, dissented, calling the rule an overreach beyond the statute’s scope. (ABC News / NBC News / Washington Post / Associated Press / New York Times / CNN / Wall Street Journal)

2/ Democrats flipped a Pennsylvania state Senate seat in a special election that Trump carried by 15 points in 2024. James Malone defeated Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons by 482 votes in District 36, which no Democrat had held since 1889. “We flipped this seat by listening to what our community needs and cares about,” Malone said. The seat became vacant when Republican Sen. Ryan Aument resigned to join Sen. Dave McCormick’s staff. The victory narrows the Republican majority in the state Senate to 27-23. (The Hill / The Guardian / Downballot / New York Times / Politico / CNN)

3/ A special election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, once considered safe for Republicans, has unexpectedly tightened. Republican state Sen. Randy Fine, endorsed by Trump, is facing a challenge from Democrat Josh Weil, who raised nearly $10 million – compared to Fine’s under $1 million. Internal Republican polling shows Fine underperforming, and early voting data shows Democrats slightly ahead, despite the district’s strong Republican tilt. Trump and national Republicans have stepped in with robocalls and ad money. “We have a candidate that I don’t think is winning,” said Steve Bannon, while Gov. Ron DeSantis called it “a candidate-specific issue,” not a Trump referendum. (Wall Street Journal / Politico / NBC News / The Hill)

4/ Trump signed an executive order requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and banning states from counting ballots received after Election Day. The order directs federal agencies to share data with states to help identify noncitizens on voter rolls and threatens to withhold federal election funding from states that don’t comply. Legal experts, however, say Trump lacks the authority to make such changes, calling it “unlawful” and warning it could disenfranchise millions. Democrats pledged legal action, while Republicans called the order a “first step” toward restoring trust in elections. Trump said, “We’ve got to straighten out our election,” adding: “This will end it, hopefully.” (Associated Press / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / The Guardian / Bloomberg / Axios / New York Times / Politico / NBC News / Reuters / NPR)

5/ The Atlantic published the full Signal group chat showing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sharing real-time U.S. military strike details against Houthi militants in Yemen – including launch times and weapon types. The unclassified group chat, which mistakenly included The Atlantic’s editor Jeffrey Goldberg, showed Hegseth writing, “1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)” and “1415: Strike Drones on Target […] THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP.” While Trump officials denied any breach, insisting “no classified materials or war plans were shared,” former CIA officer Mick Mulroy called the content “highly classified and protected,” adding: “Next to nuclear and covert operations, this information is the most protected.” Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker said the messages were “of such a sensitive nature that […] I would have wanted it classified.” Despite administration attempts to downplay the incident, the National Security Council confirmed the messages were authentic. (NBC News / Associated Press / Axios / CNN / Washington Post / ABC News / CNBC / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

  • Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal. “The administration has downplayed the importance of the text messages inadvertently sent to The Atlantic’s editor in chief.” (The Atlantic)

6/ Trump announced a 25% tariff “on all cars that are not made in the United States.” The tariffs take effect April 2, which he called “the beginning of liberation day.” They apply to finished vehicles, including U.S. brands assembled overseas, and are expected to raise car prices by $4,000 to $12,000, depending on the model and origin. (Bloomberg / CNBC / New York Times / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal)

7/ The U.S. could default on its bills as early as August or September if Congress doesn’t raise or suspend the $36.1 trillion debt limit. The Treasury has relied on “extraordinary measures” since January to avoid breaching the cap but hasn’t said how long those steps will last. The Congressional Budget Office said the timeline could shift earlier – potentially to late May or June – if tax revenue falls short of expectations. House Republicans, meanwhile, proposed raising the limit by $4 trillion in a partisan budget package tied to Trump’s legislative priorities, including tax cuts. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he would provide a more precise estimate in May and urged lawmakers to act quickly. (Politico / Bloomberg / ABC News)

The midterm elections are in 587 days.

✏️ Notables.

  1. The Trump administration ordered the CDC to pull back $11.4 billion in COVID-19 funding from state and local health departments, NGOs, and international groups. The Department of Health and Human Services said the pandemic is “over” and the funds are “no longer necessary.” (NBC News / Associated Press / New York Times)

  2. The Trump administration will cancel a $2.6 billion grant for a nonprofit that provides vaccines to children in low-income countries. Gavi estimated the cut could lead to 75 million unvaccinated children and 1.2 million child deaths over the next five years. While some HIV, tuberculosis, and food aid programs will continue, USAID confirmed that 5,341 foreign aid awards will be cut, with only 898 remaining. (New York Times / Reuters / The Guardian)

  3. Seven transgender and nonbinary Americans sued the Trump administration over a new passport policy that blocks gender marker changes and bans the “X” designation. Trump’s executive order, issued on his first day back in office, defines sex strictly as male or female and halted pending gender marker updates. Plaintiffs say the policy prevents them from traveling and forces them to carry documents that misrepresent their identity. (Associated Press / Axios)

  4. A federal appeals court allowed the Trump administration to suspend new refugee admissions but ordered it to continue processing refugees who were already conditionally approved. The 9th Circuit narrowed a lower court’s ruling that had blocked Trump’s suspension of the refugee program entirely. The panel cited a 2018 Supreme Court decision that upheld Trump’s authority to limit entry into the U.S. (Associated Press)

  5. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to let it freeze over $600 million in teacher-training grants, arguing the money supports diversity, equity, and inclusion programs it now opposes. A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the cuts after eight Democratic-led states sued, saying the terminations were arbitrary and would harm schools already struggling with teacher shortages. Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris told the Court the judge’s order “irreparably harms” the government and accused federal courts of acting as “self-appointed managers of executive branch funding.” (CNN / Axios / New York Times / Bloomberg / Politico)

  6. A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s effort to detain and deport a 21-year-old Columbia student and green card holder arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at Barnard College. Judge Naomi Buchwald found no evidence Yunseo Chung posed a threat and ordered that she not be removed from the Southern District of New York. Chung, who immigrated from South Korea as a child and was valedictorian of her high school, sued the administration after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents attempted to locate and arrest her, citing a rarely used statute tied to foreign policy risks. The ruling follows the Trump administration detaining Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia graduate student and green card holder, who remains in ICE custody in Louisiana. The administration claims Khalil supported Hamas and failed to disclose affiliations with certain organizations on his green card application. His lawyers deny the allegations and argue his detention is retaliation for protected speech, saying Khalil “is being punished in the most autocratic way for his constitutionally protected speech.” A judge temporarily blocked Khalil’s deportation while his lawsuit proceeds. (New York Times / The Guardian / Washington Post / NBC News / Politico / NBC News / CBS News / Axios)

  7. Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old member of Elon Musk’s DOGE team who goes by “Big Balls,” once provided network support to a cybercrime group known for harassment and data theft. While still in high school, he ran a company that helped host a website that posted stolen data and stalked an FBI agent. (Reuters / New Republic)

Last year today: Day 1162: "Sufficient risk."
Four years ago today: Day 66: "Outrageous."
Six years ago today: Day 796: Invalidated.
Seven years ago today: Day 431: Conflicts.
Eight years ago today: Day 66: Shifting blame.