The Hill

22 hours ago | thehill.com | Sarah Fortinsky

Small business optimism dipped in April for the fourth month in a row, according to the monthly National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) survey released Tuesday. April was also the second consecutive month in which the small business optimism index fell below the 51-year average of 98, in the poll of small business owners.

22 hours ago | thehill.com | Jonathan Easley

PRESIDENT TRUMP on Tuesday pushed for a realignment between the U.S. and strategic partners in the Middle East on the first major foreign trip of his second term, underscored by the opulent, lavender carpet rollout he received from Saudi Arabia. The welcome party from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) got underway before Trump even touched down in Riyadh, with a half-dozen Saudi F-15 fighter jets escorting Air Force One for the final leg of the journey.

22 hours ago | thehill.com | Elizabeth Crisp

President Trump said in a new interview that he thinks the U.S. “should have the most impressive plane” compared to aircraft used by other world leaders and described the existing Air Force One as “much smaller” and “much less impressive” than planes other countries have. “When you land and you see Saudi Arabia and you see UAE and you can see Qatar and you see all these — they have these brand-new Boeing 747s, mostly, ” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview aboard Air Force One.

23 hours ago | thehill.com | Elizabeth Crisp

Democratic Attorneys General from 20 states have filed two lawsuits against the Trump administration over its threats to withhold billions of federal dollars if they don’t meet President Trump’s new immigration enforcement demands. One suit is directed at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding federal funds for disaster recovery efforts.

23 hours ago | thehill.com | Ellen Mitchell

The Trump administration spent more than $21 million on military flights transporting migrants to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba within just three months, according to new figures provided to Congress by the Pentagon. The data, released by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Monday, revealed that between Jan. 20 and April 8 U.S. Transportation Command conducted 46 deportation flights on military aircraft to Naval Station Guantánamo Bay.