Good morning! Bob from Chicago kicked off his reign as Pope Leo XIV yesterday with a blessing and a call to end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, pleading, “Never again war.” Meanwhile, the pope’s Florida Man brother (who probably needs to wipe his Facebook history) joked that “Jeez, it was like just yesterday, I was throwing him down the stairs. And now he’s pope!” And you thought your sibling was an overachiever.

PRESIDENCY

✈️ Trump may have a new Air Force One

At least the doors won’t yeet themselves off of this one mid-flight. Probably. After years of delays on new Air Force One jets from Boeing, the Trump administration is reportedly working on a backup plan involving a plane from Qatar… which may or may not be a gift… which may or may not be illegal.

The current Air Force One is pushing 40. The two identical Boeing 747-200s (gotta have a backup) were ordered in 1985 and delivered in 1990. Cruising the skies in a 40-year-old plane isn’t ideal. Operating these puppies is more expensive now, parts are hard to find, and the tech is becoming outdated.

Replacements? In January 2015, the Air Force announced that a pair of new Boeing 747-8s would serve as the next-gen Air Force One. Contracts were signed, planes were purchased, and construction began. Yadda, yadda, yadda, the new official delivery date is 2028.

• But rumors are swirling that Boeing might not have the new planes ready until 2035. Even for Boeing... yikes.

Enter Qatar. The country occupies a little peninsula off Saudi Arabia that’s about half the size of New Jersey. It’s tiny. But it’s also loaded with oil money and is a big player on the international diplomatic scene. Despite some concerns about Qatar maaaybe funding a wee bit o’ terrorism, President Biden designated it a major non-NATO ally in 2022.

News emerged on May 1 that the Trump administration was working on a backup plan. A small defense contractor, L3Harris, would overhaul a Boeing 747 once owned by Qatar's government. This plane would serve as Air Force One while Boeing plugs away on the two permanent replacements.

Ethical questions arose on Saturday when ABC News reported that the $400 million plane was a gift from Qatar to President Trump. The military would retrofit the plane, and Trump would use it while in office. In 2029, the government would transfer it to the Trump Presidential Library, so he could use it in retirement.

The Emoluments Clause of the Constitution basically makes personal gifts like this illegal. Presidents get weird gifts all the time, but they’re owned by the government. If a president wants to keep something, he has to pay for it.

• Most presidential libraries are owned by the government. And the Reagan Library even has an old Air Force One. But it’s a display piece, not something Ronnie used in retirement.

The president on Sunday defended the arrangement as a good deal. But the Department of Defense says there isn't a deal yet, and the details here are still foggy.

Related: President Trump is headed to the Middle East this week. He'll start in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and chase that with visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates before heading home on Friday.

GOVERNMENT

👩‍⚕️ After pulling his last pick over resume controversy, President Trump has now nominated Dr. Casey Means as the next U.S. surgeon general. The surgeon general has a big title, but is only a third-tier official at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). If confirmed by the Senate, Means will oversee the Public Health Service’s Commissioned Corps — a military-style uniformed service — and take the rank of vice admiral. Dr. Means graduated from Stanford’s medical school but dropped out of residency after becoming disillusioned by the healthcare system. She later opened a medical practice, let her medical license lapse, wrote a book called "Good Energy," and became a close advisor to RFK (whom Trump credited with this appointment).

📚️ On Thursday, the president fired Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Hayden was just the 14th person since 1802 to lead the Library of Congress and had served since 2016. The White House said Hayden’s alleged “pursuit of DEI” was not “serving the interests of the American taxpayer." Also getting the axe last week? The now-former head of the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO), Shira Perlmutter. The USCO is a sub-agency of the Library of Congress, and Perlmutter was hired by Hayden.

💊 On Monday morning, President Trump will sign an executive order he claims will reduce pharmaceutical prices "almost immediately, by 30% to 80%." The downside? Prices will supposedly rise around the world to make up the difference. Details are TBD, but this appears to be a redo of his first-term "Most Favored Nation" policy, which was rescinded by President Biden in 2021. That rule would've, in part, had Medicare pay the same price for some drugs that other developed nations pay.

TRIVIA

Sad news time. Retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter passed away on Thursday, aged 85. He served an honorable 18 years on the high court before retiring at the otherwise normal age of 69. RIP.

Souter was picked for the court in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush. Almost immediately after taking his seat, Republicans realized they’d goofed bigly: Souter was a liberal. Whoops! He retired in 2009 after President Obama took office and was replaced by another liberal, Sonia Sotomayor. Bush took another, more ideologically successful whack at it in 1991 and appointed a strong conservative. That justice is still serving on the court today, more than 33 years later. Which current Supreme Court justice was appointed in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush?

Hint: He’s often considered the court’s most conservative member.

BRIEFS

● On the heels of a new deal with the United Kingdom, U.S. Trade Representative Jameison Greer says the U.S. and China struck a deal on trade during their weekend negotiations in Switzerland. Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent will drop the deets later today.

● President Trump on Saturday announced a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Two days later, that truce seems to be holding. India had struck Pakistan on Wednesday as retaliation for a terrorist attack, and Pakistan quickly retaliated for that retaliation.

● President Trump is considering a “tiny” tax increase on wealthy Americans. The move could help fund his campaign promise to stop taxing tips as Congress debates a budget bill chock-full of deficit spending despite efforts to cut non-essential programs.

● The last living American held hostage in Gaza by Hamas will be released, purportedly as a gesture of goodwill toward Trump. Edan Alexander is an Israeli soldier who grew up in New Jersey and was taken captive during Hamas’s war-launching Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

● The leaders of Ukraine and Russia are going back and forth on the details of a potential peace deal. Russia’s Putin wants to start talks in Turkey on Thursday. Ukraine’s Zelenskyy has tentatively agreed but is still pushing for a 30-day ceasefire to start today.

● Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy said on Sunday that the equipment used by FAA air traffic controllers is so old that replacement parts are often bought on eBay. The Trump administration is pushing for a $12.5 billion equipment modernization spree.

QUOTE

ANSWER

Imagine if Biden had appointed an arch-conservative. Oof. Could’ve really hurt his legacy there. Papa Bush accidentally appointing a liberal in David Souter is a big reason why Republicans take Supreme Court appointments so seriously these days.

Thankfully for his legacy, Bush got it right the next time around and selected conservative hero Clarence Thomas. If Thomas is still serving by mid-2028, he’ll become the longest-tenured Supreme Court justice in U.S. history. And he’ll only be 79! So, by Supreme Court standards, he’ll have a good 20-25 years left in the tank.