Live updates: Trump hosts African leaders; NOAA nominee questioned on staffing

President Trump is hosting leaders from several African nations Wednesday, looking to shore up relationships. West African leaders will join Trump for a White House lunch to discuss areas of economic cooperation, security and democracy, according to the Liberian Embassy. Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau will be represented.

Over in the Senate, Trump's nominee to lead the nation's top scientific agency focused on climate and weather said in his confirmation hearing Wednesday one of his top priorities would be National Weather Service staffing levels.

Neil Jacobs, nominated to be the next leader of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is testifying in the Senate Commerce panel just days after a devastating flood in Texas killed dozens of people. Scrutiny has fallen on how forecast warnings were alerted to people in the area.

A Senate vote on a bill that would sanction Russia for its war with Ukraine could happen soon, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Wednesday on the floor. The veto-proof legislation, sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), would also punish buyers of Russian oil, like China and India.

In the House, former President Biden's doctor, Kevin O'Connor, would not answer questions in a closed-door interview with the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is investigating Biden's mental acuity while in office.

Also in the news:

• Jewish Democrats in Congress sound the alarm on Mamdani
• GOP lawmakers dismayed by lack of progress on trade deals

Follow along all day for updates.