What's happening in the political world:
Cruz believes "El Chapo" should pay for border wall
-- Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said he has an idea for how to fund President Trump's proposed border wall: have drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman pay for it.
The Texas senator thinks the $14 billion in assets the U.S. government is trying to get from El Chapo would be a nice down payment on the wall.
Cruz introduced the (E)nsuring (L)awful (C)ollection of (H)idden (A)ssets to (P)rovide (O)rder Act on Monday. The bill would take any assets that the government would get from prosecuting El Chapo and apply the funds toward building the border wall.
Mnuchin: Trump planning "largest tax reform" in U.S. history
-- Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says President Donald Trump's tax plan will amount to -- in Mnuchin's words -- "the biggest tax cut" and the "largest tax reform" in U.S. history.
The White House is set to release the broad outlines of Trump's proposed overhaul later in the day. Trump wants cuts for individuals and businesses, even as the government struggles with mounting debt. The president is trying to make good on promises to bring jobs and prosperity to the middle class.
Trump reacts to sanctuary cities ruling
-- Hours after a federal judge blocked his order to withhold federal funding from "sanctuary cities," President Trump took to Twitter to express his displeasure with the ruling.
Trump tweeted Wednesday morning:
First the Ninth Circuit rules against the ban & now it hits again on sanctuary cities-both ridiculous rulings. See you in the Supreme Court!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2017
Out of our very big country, with many choices, does everyone notice that both the "ban" case and now the "sanctuary" case is brought in ...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2017
...the Ninth Circuit, which has a terrible record of being overturned (close to 80%). They used to call this "judge shopping!" Messy system.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2017
On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a threat to take away funds from sanctuary cities. Judge William H. Orrick sided with Santa Clara, the city of San Francisco and other cities, who argued that a threat to take away federal funds from cities that do not cooperate with some federal immigration enforcement could be unconstitutional.
Health care, border wall are hot topics as spending bill deadline looms
-- Congress is continuing to work to avoid a potential government shutdown, and as the Friday deadline fast approaches, the issues of funding for the proposed border wall and how to handle the health care situation have taken center stage.
Congressional Republicans have privately proposed a funding bill that does not include money for the border wall, a Congressional source told CNN on Tuesday, a sign congressional Republicans are willing to buck the President to avoid a government shutdown.
Congressional negotiators are now trying to work through another major issue: what to do about cost-sharing reduction payments, money the government pays to health insurers to reduce the out-of-pocket costs of low-income people. The payments are a major way Democrats ensured low-income people would be covered under the Affordable Care Act, but with a new Republican administration, their future is uncertain.
Caitlyn Jenner -- politician?
-- Caitlyn Jenner said she would consider running for public office, adding she -- a Republican -- would not give President Trump or the Republican Party a pass if they "screw up."
Jenner, a Republican who came out as transgender in 2015 and says she voted for Donald Trump, told a crowd at the 92nd Street Y community center in New York City that over the next year or two, she will look at where she thinks she could be more effective: On the inside of government or from the outside working with her foundation.
"My loyalties are not with Donald Trump. I will come after him and come after Republicans if they come after my community," said Jenner, who also is known for appearing on reality television shows like "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" before, during and after her transition. "I've got a voice and they better listen, OK? I will come after them."
Jenner reaffirmed her Republican leanings, saying that she's always "believed in something called the Constitution and limited government," and that the GOP leans closer to limited government than the Democrats, in her opinion.
CNN contributed to this report
