Happy Friday! An earthquake shook New York City and the surrounding areas this morning. Between this and Monday’s solar eclipse, I’m packing my apocalypse bag. Here’s what else is happening:
- U.S. job growth beat expectations once again in March.
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President Biden called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and warned him that the U.S.’s support is contingent on Israel better protecting civilians in the war in Gaza.
- Former President Trump is shifting his tone a bit on Israel.
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.
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A 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook the New York City area this morning. The epicenter was in Lebanon, N.J., but some people felt the tremors as far as Boston and Philadelphia.
My X feed looked just like this. And this!
Was there any damage?: For what it’s worth, the New York City Fire Department said it hasn’t received any reports of damage. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said her team is assessing any damage and will update.
The Empire State Building posted on X: “I AM FINE.” I may be reading too much into this, but is the building mad at us?
OK, this is funny: The New York Times’s Michael Barbaro posted: “Everyone in NYC will have a little quake story from this little quake, here’s mine: it struck at the precise moment I turned on my gas range to make an egg. Thus, the first thing I thought was that I had somehow blown up my apartment building here in BK.”
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The U.S. economy once again beat expectations, adding a staggering 303,000 jobs in March, according to data from the Labor Department.
I know that figure doesn’t mean much without context: Economists had expected a job gain of roughly 200,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate: Unemployment dipped to 3.8 percent. This is the longest stretch of an unemployment rate under 4 percent since the 1960s.
What this means for interest rates: “The labor market has remained surprisingly resilient in the face of the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold interest rates at a two-decade high in recent months … Inflation has eased significantly since reaching a 40-year high of 9.1 percent in June 2022. As of February, consumer prices were up just 3.2 percent year-over-year. However, Fed officials have maintained in recent months that they need to see more good inflation data before beginning to cut rates.” (The Hill)
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President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday for their first phone conservation after an Israeli strike killed seven humanitarian workers in Gaza.
Biden’s message: Biden warned Netanyahu that the U.S.’s support of Israel is dependent on Israel’s ability to protect civilians and humanitarian workers. He urged Israel to agree to a cease-fire — and told Netanyahu that the drone strike killing humanitarian workers was “unacceptable.” I.e.: Biden is losing his patience.
What now — ‘US awaits Netanyahu’s response after Biden’s ultimatum’: Analysis from CNN’s Stephen Collinson
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“Former President Trump’s growing criticism of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza signals a glaring break from GOP talking points backing Israel’s right to self-defense,” report The Hill’s Laura Kelly and Brett Samuels.
How so?: “Trump allies played down the importance of his interview with Israeli reporters last week, saying his staunch support of Israel would continue in a potential second term. But his comments in recent days underscore Trump’s ambiguous positions on some of the major national security issues he will face should he return to the White House.”
Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt: “Israel is absolutely losing the PR war … You’ve got to get it over with, and you have to get back to normalcy. And I’m not sure that I’m loving the way they’re doing it, because you’ve got to have victory.” (The Hill)
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No Labels, the bipartisan group that had been considering putting forward a third-party unity ticket to challenge President Biden and former President Trump in November, is bowing out after failing to find a candidate.
From No Labels: “No Labels has always said we would only offer our ballot line to a ticket if we could identify candidates with a credible path to winning the White House. No such candidates emerged, so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down.” (The Hill)
Read The Wall Street Journal’s report. (WSJ broke the news.)
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🍬 Celebrate: Today is National Caramel Day!
🥨 It’s a hard yes from me: Chick-fil-A is testing a pretzel bread sandwich at some locations, according to Delish.
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The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in Baltimore this afternoon. Vice President Harris is in Washington, D.C. (all times Eastern)
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- 12:30 p.m.: Biden surveys the damage to the Francis Scott Key Bridge with an aerial tour in Maryland.
- 1:35 p.m.: Biden receives an operational briefing on the response and recovery efforts to the bridge. He then meets with first responders and local officials.
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2:30 p.m.: Biden delivers remarks to reaffirm his commitment to rebuilding the bridge and reopening the Port of Baltimore. 💻 Livestream
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3:15 p.m.: Biden meets with the families of the victims of the Baltimore bridge collapse.
- 4:45 p.m.: Biden leaves for Wilmington, Del.
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