ARRIVING ON A JET PLANE: President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today unveiled Boeing as the winner of the $20 billion contract to create the Air Force’s next-generation fighter jet, Reuters’ Mike Stone reports. Boeing beat out Lockheed Martin for the jet, which will be a big boost for a company that has struggled lately. Trump said the jet will be called the F-47 (in honor of him). The jets will probably include “stealth, advanced sensors, and cutting-edge engines” and fight along with unmanned drones, per Reuters.
The wave of the future: The military sees the new jets, which could come online in the 2030s, as a crucial step in deterring China and keeping ahead of U.S. adversaries. WSJ’s Michael Gordon reports the program could ultimately cost north of $50 billion, which would be “the most expensive fighter in history.” More from POLITICO’s Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch
Elon university: The announcement came as Elon Musk — who has opposed manned fighter jets and said drones will obviate them — visited the Defense Department this morning. His meeting at the Pentagon was not due to include classified war plans about China, POLITICO’s Paul McLeary and Jack Detsch report. After the NYT reported last night that it would, Musk declared early today that the leakers “will be found” and prosecuted. Hegseth said Musk’s meeting focused on Defense Department cuts: “There was no war plans.” Nonetheless, their meeting still amounted to “unprecedented” access for the defense contractor with China ties, Reuters’ Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Nandita Bose report.
More from the Oval: Trump announced that parts of the dismantled Education Department will “immediately” move to other agencies. Student loans will be overseen by the Small Business Administration, while “special needs” and nutrition programs will go to HHS, almost certainly prompting a court fight. More from The Hill … Trump also said that “I think we have the confines of a deal” for a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire, as CBS’ Jennifer Jacobs reports that U.S. technical negotiators will meet with Ukrainians on Sunday in Saudi Arabia on the eve of talks with Russia.
LIKING WHAT THEY SEE: Many Americans, even some Democrats, support the Trump administration’s moves to expel alleged Venezuelan gang members, WaPo’s Cleve Wootson Jr. and Natalie Allison report. Deporting violent criminals is broadly popular, though the administration hasn’t publicly substantiated its claims that all the men sent to El Salvador actually fell into that category (see the latest reporting casting fresh doubt from CNN). The White House sees this as a political winner for Trump, and one official tells the Post they love that the legal case this week dominated headlines over the economy and tariffs.
The latest in courts: Deputy AG Todd Blanche told federal judge Jeb Boasberg today that the Trump administration is indeed having Cabinet-level discussions about whether to invoke the state secrets privilege. That would be an attempt to avoid providing information about its deportation flights under the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which Boasberg blocked but the administration proceeded with nonetheless. The filing
Also getting high marks from some of the public: the Trump administration’s radical efforts to slash the federal government and fire tens of thousands of workers, WSJ’s Scott Calvert and Harriet Torry report. Many Americans have “a dim view of government workers at all levels” and “a sense that federal workers enjoy perks, like guaranteed pensions, which are rare in the private sector.”
The latest in government: The Small Business Administration will slash more than 40 percent of its staff, amounting to 2,700 people, in a massive restructuring, WSJ’s Meridith McGraw and Scott Patterson scooped. That will reverse the agency’s expansion since the pandemic, though the SBA will grow disaster relief efforts. Meanwhile, major cuts across the government have raised fears about the susceptibility of disgruntled former employees to foreign spies, POLITICO’s Amy Mackinnon reports, and fears about the quality of crucial economic data, POLITICO’s Sam Sutton reports.
On the Hill: Senate Republicans increasingly want to codify the Department of Government Efficiency’s sweeping cuts by passing a rescissions package. But the White House “does not appear to be in any hurry,” and House Republicans would have a tight margin to get it through, POLITICO’s Jordain Carney and Jennifer Scholtes report.
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1. WHAT KASH PATEL IS UP TO: The FBI has reassigned roughly 16 people from an office that tackles domestic terrorism and is considering scrapping it wholesale, Reuters’ Andrew Goudsward and Sarah Lynch scooped. The bureau has also ended a system that helped track which cases were linked to domestic terrorism. Sources warn to Reuters that the changes could “reduce the FBI’s ability to monitor threats posed by white supremacists and militia groups,” though the FBI says it remains focused on keeping Americans safe.
The domestic terrorism Trump is focused on: The president made an extraordinary post on Truth Social this morning suggesting that the Americans charged with burning Tesla property could be sent to El Salvador’s mega-prison. He called them “sick terrorist thugs” who should “get 20 year jail sentences” and, in a tacit acknowledgment of human rights abuse concerns in El Salvador, said its prisons “have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions.”
2. KENT UP: Far-right former congressional nominee Joe Kent “has been quietly working” as acting chief of staff to DNI Tulsi Gabbard, WaPo’s Ellen Nakashima and Ellie Silverman report. His nomination as head of the National Counterterrorism Center is pending. Like Gabbard, he has frequently been sympathetic to Russia’s views on Ukraine and skeptical of the intelligence community.
3. WHAT TRUMP IS TOUTING: The U.S. announced that the United Arab Emirates will pump $1.4 trillion into U.S. investments over the next decade following a meeting with Trump this week, Reuters’ Steve Holland scooped. The money will encompass AI, semiconductor chips, manufacturing and more. … Johnson & Johnson announced this morning that it will invest $55 billion in the U.S. over the next four years, including a groundbreaking on a manufacturing facility in North Carolina today. That’s a 25 percent increase from the last four years. More from Axios
4. TALKER: “The Bidens want back in,” by NBC’s Peter Nicholas, Carol Lee and Megan Shannon: “Joe Biden has told some Democratic leaders he’ll raise funds, campaign and do anything else necessary for Democrats to recover lost ground … Biden privately met last month with the new Democratic National Committee chairman, Ken Martin, and offered to help … So far, Biden’s overture seems to have fallen flat. Democrats find themselves adrift, casting about for a compelling messenger.”
Speaking of the next generation: Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) has kept a low profile in his first term. But as he gears up to run for reelection, “it’s an open question if Ossoff will take on that resistance mantle and become a national opposition figure,” Daniel Strauss reports in Vanity Fair.
5. THE HIGHER EDUCATION SQUEEZE: “Facing anti-DEI investigations, colleges cut ties with nonprofit targeted by conservatives,” by AP’s Cheyanne Mumphrey and Jocelyn Gecker: “Until recently, it was a little-known program to help Black and Latino students pursue business degrees. But in January, conservative strategist Christopher Rufo flagged the program known as The PhD Project … [The Education Department’s resulting investigations of 45 colleges] left some school leaders startled and confused … Many scrambled to distance themselves.”
6. LITTLE MARCO: Though Secretary of State Marco Rubio knew that doing the job under Trump wouldn’t be easy, he didn’t expect to be competing so much with special envoy Steve Witkoff, CNN’s Jamie Gangel, Alex Marquardt, Jeremy Herb, Jeff Zeleny and Jennifer Hansler report. As Witkoff, who’s close friends with Trump, travels all around the world to participate in key foreign-policy talks, Rubio is “frustrated,” one senator who talks with the secretary tells CNN. The State Department says the story’s “premise is false,” and that the two men have a “fantastic” relationship.
7. KNOWING VINCE HALEY: “Vince Haley Is the Most Influential Trump Adviser You’ve Probably Never Heard Of,” by WSJ’s Meridith McGraw and Natalie Andrews: “Haley, who leads the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, prefers to stay out of the spotlight. … [The longtime Trump speechwriter] is taking the lead on health policy, drug-price transparency, energy and housing … as well as other projects important to the president, such as America’s 250th birthday and a commission on religious liberty. … Haley’s deep knowledge of Republican policy stems in part from years working under Newt Gingrich … and connections across a constellation of conservative groups.”
8. PRIMARY COLORS: Trump and his allies want to oust Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), but the congressman has survived challenges before. This time, people involved in the effort want to find an ideal candidate “recruited locally,” who can appeal to both MAGA loyalists and traditional conservatives who dislike Massie’s libertarian streak, Semafor’s Kadia Goba reports. But Massie says he can withstand any challenger. The big question is whether Trump will actually devote the time and resources to a full-throated attempt to take him down.
9. FED UP: “Jerome Powell Says Trump Can’t Fire Him. That Might Change,” by Bloomberg’s Leah Nylen, Catarina Saraiva and Greg Stohr: “Trump has a long record of criticizing [Fed Chair Jerome] Powell, but the FTC firings are ramping up concern among Wall Street investors and economists that the Fed’s independence may now be in true jeopardy. … [But the] Supreme Court last year hinted that, even if it overturns Humphrey’s Executor and lets the FTC commissioners be fired, it might view the Fed differently.”
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BOOK CLUB: Justice Amy Coney Barrett is coming out with a new book, “Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution,” from Sentinel Books on Sept. 9, per AP’s Hillel Italie.
OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at the annual interfaith iftar dinner at the Waldorf Astoria last night, hosted by the state of Qatar: Qatari Ambassador Meshal Al-Thani, Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Rima Al-Sabah, Rep. André Carson (D-Ind.), Ian McCary, Ishaan Tharoor, Josh Rogin, Kim Dozier, Alex Marquardt, Amos Hochstein, Pastor Bob Roberts, Rabbi David Saperstein, Imam Mohamed Magid, Joel Rayburn, Alex Azar, Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar, Brian Hook, Jacob Magid and Jane Harman.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Nestpoint is adding Stuart Jolly and Tim Phillips as directors of government affairs and global strategies and Michael Murphy as senior adviser for Africa. Jolly is a Trump 2016 campaign alum. Phillips is a founder and former president of Americans for Prosperity.
TRANSITIONS — The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is adding Monica Woods as COO, Robert Weiner as director of the voting rights project and Michael Pillera as director of the educational opportunities project. Woods most recently was chief of staff at the National Archives and Records Administration. Weiner most recently was senior counsel in DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. Pillera previously was a senior civil rights attorney in the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights. …
… Ben Brubeck is joining Government Affairs Solutions as principal and CEO. He previously has been VP of state, regulatory and labor affairs at the Associated Builders and Contractors. … Sydney Stubbs will be VP of comms at Advancing American Freedom. She most recently has been comms director at Americans for Prosperity. … Jessica Porter is now digital director for Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. She previously was director of grassroots fundraising for the Harris campaign.
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