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I’m Jonathan Tamari, senior Washington reporter for Bloomberg Government, and each weekday I’ll be coming to you with inside-the-room reporting and insights that reveal what’s really happening in Washington—and how it impacts you. Email me with feedback and comments here. If this newsletter was forwarded to you sign up here. Today, Trump gets a delivery, Swalwell and Gonzales step down, and what electricity prices will do to the midterm elections. Trump, McDonald’s, and the PopeooAfter the president of the United States upped the ante in his war with Iran, he stepped outside the Oval Office Monday to pick up a McDonald’s DoorDash delivery, and deny that he had posted an image of himself as Jesus. That’s an actual, factual sentence no journalism teacher ever prepared me to write. It’s (admittedly) very 2015 to be surprised by Donald Trump’s behavior. But it’s one thing for the leader of the free world to spin up sideshows while the economy is cruising and the country is relatively stable. It’s another when he’s leading a war with worldwide consequences that has no clear endgame and that’s undercutting one of the main reasons many voters reelected him: his pledge to bring down prices. 
A cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz near Fujairah.
Photographer: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images
Overnight, there were signs that more talks to end the war may be coming. Negotiating teams could return to Islamabad later this week, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, the president continues his effort to stop a de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by imposing his own blockade. Back in Washington, however, the past few days have been something else. Just since Saturday, the most powerful man on Earth has:
That’s only a small sample. We’ve seen similar before, but in this moment, Trump’s volatile habits look less like a distraction and more like a window into the process that creates a volatile war strategy, volatile tariff policy, and volatile messaging to voters. Gasoline is up nearly 30% from a year ago, per AAA, and the president told Fox News Sunday they could rise even more by Election Day. Lost in the madness was the reason a DoorDasher from Arkansas arrived at the doors of the Oval Office Monday with two large McDonald’s bags: it was a PR gambit to highlight the no-tax-on-tips policy Trump signed into law last year. It’s one of the top achievements Republicans want to draw attention to in this year’s elections, especially as tax filing day approaches and they face a daunting political environment. 
Trump receives a McDonald’s food order from Sharon Simmons at the White House
Photographer: Salwan Georges/Bloomberg
But when Trump spoke to the dasher — with reporters watching — he asked her about transgender women in sports. “I really don’t have an opinion on that,” Sharon Simmons responded. “I’m here about no tax on tips.” Between the president and the delivery woman, one person was still focused. Top NewsOnly six members of the U.S. House of Representatives have ever been kicked out. At least two are quitting before joining those ranks: California Democrat Eric Swalwell and Texas Republican Tony Gonzales, both accused in sexual misconduct scandals, announced they plan to step down. BGOV’s Greg Giroux dives into the special elections to come and Maeve Sheehey looks at some of the pitfalls in unseating duly elected lawmakers before ethics inquiries are concluded and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has pitched senior government officials on combining his airline with American Airlines, according to a scoop from Siddharth Philip, Allyson Versprille and Sri Taylor. It’s an audacious idea that would link two of the top four US air carriers, and likely face intense scrutiny, they write. It’s unclear if any formal proposals have been made. Israel and Lebanon are set to begin their first direct talks today in more than 30 years, hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio here in the US. But few people expect a breakthrough — Hezbollah, the militant group Israel is fighting, isn’t invited. You know about gas prices. But how about electric bills? “Energy strains have propelled the once-mundane utility bill to the center of US politics,” write Josh Saul and Ari Natter. Their deep dive shows how the issue resonates in a hugely competitive House race around Allentown, Pennsylvania.  
Why energy bills may swing the US midterms
Can you say “demand destruction”? Global oil demand will decline this year for the first time since the 2020 pandemic as a price surge caused by the Middle East conflict wipes out growth, the International Energy Agency said. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said Monday that oil futures still don’t reflect the severity of the crisis, but soon will. It’s almost tax day, and Ben Steverman has some sobering news about what you’re paying: Not all millionaires are created equal. These days the biggest factor determining what high earners owe the government is how they make their money. And, for the rich and middle class alike, salaried professionals tend to pay far higher rates than other Americans with equivalent incomes. Liberal Party victories in special elections have given Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney a majority government, allowing him to push ahead faster with an economic agenda centered on expanding energy exports and reducing Canada’s reliance on the US. Millions of people in the US are expected to lose their health coverage in coming years because of shrinking funding for federal programs. Few states would suffer a bigger blow than Florida, Miquéla V Thornton and John Tozzi write. Congress’ top two Republicans, Senator John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson, will meet today to hash out their latest plan to fund the Department of Homeland security and end its partial shutdown, per BGOV’s Lillianna Byington. Watch & Listen
“Typically there is not, because the House essentially loses jurisdiction over the member who’s departed,” Democratic Representative Glenn Ivey, who serves on the House Ethics Committee, speaking about any investigation of Swalwell on Bloomberg’s Balance of Power
Go Deeper With BGOVThe House’s return today means Congress is now fully back and facing a daunting list of priorities, including fights over funding for DHS and defense. Here are some key dates to watch, according to the BGOV team: 
On Today’s AgendaThe House returns from recess. Republican Clay Fuller likely to be sworn in as Marjorie Taylor Greene’s replacement The IMF publishes its world economic outlook and global financial stability report The producer price index for March is scheduled for release More From BloombergLike Washington Edition? Check out these newsletters:
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