It is a tough morning for Egypt in the American press: The New York Times’ editorial board has penned a piece arguing that Trump should threaten to suspend aid to Egypt when President Abdel Fattah El Sisi visits Washington on 9 April. Why? The planned constitutional amendments and Egypt’s human rights record.

And a survivor of a 2015 attack in the White Desert is campaigning to halt arms sales: April Corley, an American survivor of the army attack that accidentally killed 12 tourists, is lobbying to stop Egypt’s USD 1.2 bn purchase of 10 Apache helicopters, according to the Wall Street Journal. She has the backing of Sen. Patrick Leahy, who is attempting to suspend some USD 105 mn in aid to Egypt.

Other stories worth a quick skim this morning:

• Egypt’s export strategy: Highenergy costs, inefficient customs duties and high interest rates on loans hamper the competitiveness of Egyptian products in the international market, Hassan Abdel Zaher writes in the The Arab Weekly.
• The Arab League still has its uses: Egypt sees the Arab League as crucial for diplomatic purposes despite the organization’s increasing dysfunctionality, says the Arab Weekly.
• As does Israel: Egypt uses Israel’s desire for normalization as “a bargaining chip” to further its national interests, Haisam Hassanein writes in Mosaic.
• Urban planning: It’s going to take some serious work to transform Egypt’s slums into “safe zones,” Al Arabiya columnist Sonia Farid writes.