The Latest: Key Medicaid provision in Trump’s big bill found to violate Senate rules
The Senate parliamentarian has advised that a Medicaid provider tax overhaul central to President Donald Trump s tax cut and spending bill does not adhere to the chamber s procedural rules delivering a crucial blow as Republicans rush to finish the package this week Guidance from the parliamentarian is rarely ignored and Republican leaders are now forced to consider intricate options Republicans were counting on big cuts to Medicaid and other programs to offset trillions of dollars in Trump tax breaks their top priority Additionally the Senate s chief arbiter of its often complicated rules had advised against various GOP provisions barring certain immigrants from medical care programs Trump wants the statute which includes tax reductions Medicaid cuts and dividing line enforcement passed by July Here s the latest What we know about the damage done to Iran s nuclear campaign The big question following U S and Israeli attacks on Iran s nuclear activity is What remains of it Trump has announced three targets hit by American strikes were obliterated His defense secretary revealed they were destroyed A preliminary review issued by the U S Defense Intelligence Agency meanwhile declared the strikes did critical damage to the Fordo Natanz and Isfahan sites but did not totally destroy the facilities The head of the International Atomic Power Agency revealed it has seen extensive damage at several nuclear sites in Iran including those three Israel maintains it has set back Iran s nuclear operation by a great number of years Bureaucrats and experts are still assessing the damage and their evaluation could change Two major questions they are trying to address are where Iran s stockpile of enriched uranium is and what is the state of the centrifuges that enrich the fuel Read more about what we do and do not know regarding the state of Iran s nuclear venture Meet the Senate parliamentarian the official tying Republicans in knots over their tax bill A limited Republicans reacted with indignation Thursday after Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough advised that particular of the measures in their tax and immigration bill could not be included in the measure It s hardly the first time the parliamentarian s normally low-key and lawyerly role has drawn a blast of community criticism MacDonough also dashed Democratic plans in the past But the attention falling on MacDonough s rulings in up-to-date years also reflects a broader change in Congress with lawmakers increasingly trying to wedge their top approach priorities into bills that can t be filibustered in the Senate The process comes with special rules designed to deter provisions unrelated to spending or taxes and that s where the parliamentarian comes in offering analysis of what does and doesn t qualify Read more about what the Senate parliamentarian does and why lawmakers are so focused on her recommendations right now Macron says Trump is very determined to broker a new ceasefire in Gaza Speaking at a news conference in Brussels after a meeting of EU leaders French President Emmanuel Macron made his remarks following a phone call with the U S president Macron mentioned Trump was very much aware of the importance of a ceasefire for Gaza following the U S -brokered ceasefire that halted days of fighting between Israel and Iran I think his commitment is crucial on this issue Macron commented The two leaders discussed the Middle East and Ukraine according to Macron s office Nate Morris enters race to succeed Sen McConnell pledging loyalty to Trump The businessman joins a competitive campaign in Kentucky to succeed longtime power broker Mitch McConnell branding himself as a political outsider and loyal supporter of the president s Make America Great Again movement Morris mentioned his campaign would be a referendum on McConnell s record and he sought to link his GOP rivals U S Rep Andy Barr and ex-state Attorney General Daniel Cameron to the senator though Morris has his own past ties to McConnell You have two McConnellites who owe everything to Mitch McConnell versus the outside business guy that s running as the MAGA candidate Morris stated in a comment I think that contrast is gonna be very very striking to Kentuckians all over the state because they ve had enough of Mitch Morris has far less name recognition but can tap into wealth accumulated as a tech entrepreneur to unleash an advertising blitz He commented he supports a moratorium on immigration until every immigrant currently in the country illegally is deported Spain s PM sticks by decision to break with NATO spending goal despite Trump tariff threats Pedro S nchez walked away from this week s NATO summit with an opt-out from spending more on defense He also left with fresh threats of tariffs from Trump On Thursday the progressive prime minister stuck by his decision to break with NATO allies and responded to Trump s comments by pointing out that it was the European Commission not Spain that decided the bloc s pact procedures What is clear is that arrangement guidelines is a program directed from here from Brussels S nchez noted Spain is an open country It is a country that is friendly to its friends and we consider the United States a friend of Spain At the summit Wednesday NATO members agreed to raise their defense spending to of GDP But S nchez secured the last-minute exemption saying Spain will only spend up to which he called sufficient and realistic Supreme Court has cases to decide including birthright citizenship The high court is in the final days of a term that has lately been dominated by the Trump administration s exigency appeals of lower court orders seeking to slow the president s efforts to remake the federal ruling body But the justices also have six cases to resolve that were argued between January and mid-May One of the cases was an crisis appeal the administration s bid to be allowed to enforce Trump s executive order denying birthright citizenship to U S -born children of parents who are in the country illegally The remaining opinions will be delivered Friday Chief Justice John Roberts disclosed Read more about specific of the biggest remaining cases US signs agreements with Guatemala and Honduras to take asylum seekers The two nations signed the agreements to potentially offer refuge to people from other countries who otherwise would seek asylum in the U S Homeland Defense Secretary Kristi Noem revealed at the conclusion of her Central America trip The agreements expand the Trump administration s efforts to provide flexibility in sending expatriates not only to their own countries but also to third countries as it attempts to ramp up deportations Noem announced the agreements were in the works for months with the U S regime applying pressure on Honduras and Guatemala to get them done Honduras and now Guatemala after currently will be countries that will take those individuals and give them refugee status as well Noem noted We ve never maintained that the United States should be the only option that the guarantee for a refugee is that they go somewhere to be safe and to be protected from whatever threat they face in their country It doesn t necessarily have to be the United States Lawmakers remove revenge tax provision from Trump s big bill after Treasury requests its removal After Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made the request Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo R-Idaho and House Methods and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith R-Missouri disclosed we will remove proposed tax code Section Congressional Republicans stand ready to take immediate action if the other parties walk away from this deal or slow walk its implementation they noted Section would let the federal executive impose taxes on companies with foreign owners as well as investors from countries judged as charging unfair foreign taxes on U S companies The measure was expected to lead multiple companies to avoid investing in the U S out of concern that they could face steep taxes Bessent commented via the social platform X that he made his request after reaching an agreement with other countries on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Progress Global Tax Deal He reported that after months of productive dialogue they would announce a joint understanding among G countries that defends American interests Justice Department says it intends to try Kilmar Abrego Garcia on federal smuggling charges The department noted Thursday that it intends to try him before it moves to deport him This defendant has been charged with horrific crimes including trafficking children and will not walk free in our country again DOJ spokesperson Chad Gilmartin reported The Associated Press Gilmartin made the announcement after a federal prosecutor narrated a federal judge in Maryland that the Trump administration plans to deport Abrego Garcia to a country that is not his native El Salvador after he s distributed from jail in Tennessee Justice Department attorney Jonathan Guynn revealed removal proceedings would be to a third country But the prosecutor also reported there were no imminent plans to deport Abrego Garcia and the U S leadership would comply with all court orders Trumps drop Made in the USA label for new phone and a debate ensues How to define made The four words that just a minimal days ago appeared on a website where customers can pre-order the new Trump-branded phones with an American flag etched on the back have disappeared In their place are much vaguer words such as proudly American and brought to life right here in the U S A It s not clear why the Trump family is changing the language but the Federal Contract Commission requires that items labeled Made in USA be all or virtually all produced domestically Several companies have been sued over misusing the term The Trump Organization has not explained the change and has not responded to a request for comment Neither did an outside population relations firm handling the Trumps mobile phone business including a request to confirm a comment made to another media outlet T phones are proudly being made in America Trump Mobile spokesman Chris Walker mentioned according to USA At present Speculation to the contrary is purely inaccurate Trump says he hopes bill can be passed by July as celebration event ends The president shook hands with the people who stood on stage behind him before he left the East Room Demanded on the way out if the bill will be finished by Congress self-imposed July deadline he mentioned we hope so Trump s demarcation czar says it will be hard road to make US safer without the tax cut and spending bill The president required Tom Homan to say a sparse words and Homan mentioned he didn t understand what the holdup is in Congress He revealed it s a no-brainer that national guard and residents safety should be a nonpartisan issue Homan mentioned the bill has money for more agents beds and deportation flights to detain and get bad people out of the country I get irritated I get pissed off because I m sick of meeting angel moms and dads Homan reported using a description that refers to parents of children killed by immigrants in the country illegally You want to talk about family separation They bury their children Homan reported making the country safer without the bill will be a hard road Senators diverge sharply on damage done by Iran strikes after classified briefing Senators emerged with sharply different assessments of the U S bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites with Republicans calling the mission a clear success and Democrats expressing deep skepticism CIA Director John Ratcliffe Secretary of State Marco Rubio Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen Dan Caine chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff came to Capitol Hill to give the classified briefings originally scheduled for Tuesday A large number of Republicans left satisfied though their assessments of how much Iran s nuclear undertaking was set back by the bombing varied Sen Tom Cotton stated a major blow and catastrophic damage had been dealt Their operational capability was obliterated There is nobody working there tonight It was highly effective There s no reason to hit those sites anytime soon Sen Lindsey Graham noted Democrats remained doubtful and criticized Trump for not giving Congress more information Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer declared the briefing raised more questions than it answered Trump says his no taxes on tips campaign pledge originated with a waitress in Las Vegas The president says she came over when he was at a dinner at his hotel in the city He solicited how she was doing and she notified him the executive was killing me on tips She declared sir there should be no tax on tips Trump mentioned at a White House event organized to promote the sweeping bill that would end taxes on tips Trump noted he mentioned that s the coolest thing I ve ever heard He commented he later walked outside to hundreds of waiting journalists and revealed Ladies and gentlemen please announce tonight there will be no tax on tips And a legend was made Mexico s president criticizes sanctions on Mexican banks by Trump administration Claudia Sheinbaum responded sharply Thursday to the U S administration sanctions to block transfers from three Mexican financial institutions saying Washington has not shown evidence of its claims of money laundering The Treasury Department hasn t provided a single piece of evidence to show that any money laundering was taking place Sheinbaum reported We aren t going to cover for anyone there isn t impunity here They have to be able to demonstrate that there was really money laundering not with words but with strong evidence Shortly after ward Mexico s banking authority revealed that it was temporarily taking over management of two of the institutions CIBanco and Intercam Banco to protect creditors The U S Treasury Department revealed the sanctions Wednesday on those two banks and brokerage Vector Casa de Bolsa alleging that they facilitated millions of dollars in money transfers for drug cartels Trump holds celebration to spur action on tax cut and spending bill pending in the GOP-controlled Senate The White House East Room is packed for the celebration of the president s signature domestic initiative bill Several Cabinet members are there and on stage are about individuals who Trump and the White House say will benefit from the bill Senate Republicans are struggling with how to cut billions from physical condition care without harming people or hospitals and others care providers Treasury secretary asks lawmakers to remove revenge tax provision from Trump tax bill Scott Bessent requested them to scrap Section which would let the federal ruling body impose taxes on foreign-parented companies and investors from countries judged as charging unfair foreign taxes on U S companies The measure is anticipated to cause companies to avoid investing in the U S out of concern that they could face steep taxes Bessent revealed via the social platform X that its removal will provide greater certainty and stability for the global market and will enhance development and outlay in the United States and beyond Trump invites Republicans to White House House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP lawmakers are heading to the White House as Trump hosts an event designed to urge Congress to pass his big tax cuts bill As Republicans struggle to push the package to passage one invited GOP holdout Sen Ron Johnson of Wisconsin reported it s likely going to be a mass arm-twisting State Department confirms it approved M for Israeli-backed group distributing food in Gaza Deputy department spokesman Tommy Pigott notified reporters Thursday that the funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and its work should be commended and supported and called on other nations to contribute to it The private aid organization providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza that has been criticized by the United Nations and relief organizations for attempting to rebuild a distribution system for aid that has long existed The U S has revealed that traditional means of distributing aid to Gaza have been compromised by Hamas The Associated Press and other news organizations broadcasted Tuesday that the money had been approved citing unidentified personnel Trump and Emmanuel Macron discuss the situation in Ukraine and the Middle-East Trump called his French counterpart Macron s office commented The phone call took place as Macron was in Brussels for an EU summit during which European leaders were to discuss the world s major crises Trump and Macron decided to maintain close coordination on these issues according to Macron s office without providing other details Kennedy s advisers have endorsed flu vaccines for just about every American But they threw in a twist Only use certain shots free of an ingredient antivaccine groups have falsely tied to autism What is normally a routine step in preparing for the upcoming flu season drew intense scrutiny after Soundness Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr abruptly fired the influential -member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and handpicked replacements that include several vaccine skeptics That seven-member panel bucked another norm Thursday It deliberated the safety of a preservative used in less than of U S flu vaccinations based on a presentation from an antivaccine group s former leader without allowing the usual populace airing of scientific statistics from the Centers for Malady Control and Prevention Read more about flu vaccines and the committee WTO warns goods transaction could slow in the coming months The World Contract Organization informed Thursday that goods agreement rose strongly in the first part of as importers frontloaded purchases in anticipation of expected higher tariffs But it also cautioned that export orders have begun to weaken suggesting that the momentum earlier in the year may not last The Geneva-based deal body noted its latest goods pact barometer which tracks trends in global deal rose to in April up percentage points from the last reading in March A reading of is considered the baseline so any reading over that is above trend However the tracker on new export orders came in at The review alluded to uncertainty caused by sweeping U S tariffs under the Trump administration launched in early April that have since largely been eased Prosecutors say the US plans to initiate removal proceedings against Abrego Garcia Federal prosecutors reported a judge Thursday that the establishment plans to deport Abrego Garcia to a country that is not El Salvador upon his release from a Tennessee jail But the prosecutors also stated that they would comply with all court orders and that their plans are not imminent Trump tries to push his legislative agenda over the finish line Before wrapping up her briefing Leavitt expressed confidence that the big beautiful bill will be approved by Congress on the president s timeline I know everyone looks forward to being here at the White House for the bill signing next week she mentioned Trump is holding an event later in the afternoon to press his circumstance He wants the regulation which includes tax reductions Medicaid cuts and perimeter enforcement passed by July When you have a totalitarian regime you have to save face The White House brushed off the ayatollah s defiant message Any commonsense open-minded person knows the truth about the precision strikes on Saturday night Leavitt explained They were wildly accomplished Kilmar Abrego Garcia s lawyers ask judge to order him returned to Maryland when he s published from jail The lawyers say that would prevent attempts by immigration representatives to deport Abrego Garcia when he is published from jail in Tennessee A federal judge in Tennessee has ruled that Abrego Garcia has a right to be disclosed while he awaits trial on federal human smuggling charges But she hasn t circulated him over concerns of deportation Abrego Garcia lived in Maryland for more than a decade before the Trump administration mistakenly deported him to his native El Salvador in March mistakenly deported him in March to El Salvador Read more about Abrego Garcia s matter White House says Iran didn t move uranium The fate of Iran s uranium stockpile is a critical question after U S strikes over the weekend Leavitt mentioned the White House believes it was not whisked away from nuclear facilities between American missiles and bombs landed We were watching closely and there was no indication to the United States that any of that enriched uranium was moved she mentioned White House says Trump ended the immediate threat of Iranian nuclear venture Press secretary Karoline Leavitt began Thursday s briefing by touting a U S mission that will go down in the history books as an overwhelming success She also mentioned Trump wants peace and U S agents are in communication with Iranian leaders Right now we re on a diplomatic path with Iran Leavitt stated Israelis love Trump But specific are unnerved by vow to save Netanyahu from his corruption trial Trump s call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s corruption trial to be thrown out has plunged the American leader into one of Israel s the bulk heated debates unnerving particular in its political class just days after they unanimously praised his strikes on Iran Trump s social media post condemning the trial as a WITCH HUNT and his vow that the United States will be the one who saves Netanyahu from serious corruption charges came just two days after he called off an Israeli bombing raid in Iran to preserve a ceasefire Both were dramatic interventions in the affairs of an ally that previous U S administrations had invariably insisted was a sovereign nation that made its own decisions Now the one leader nearly all Israelis seem to assistance has fully embraced the one who most of divides them With all due respect for Trump he is not supposed to interfere in a legal process in an independent country opposition leader Yair Lapid communicated Israeli media Read more about Trump and Netanyahu Gov Pritzker dodges questions on presidential bid after announcing gubernatorial campaign Illinois Gov JB Pritzker was at a Thursday morning rally launching his bid for a third term in office next year I m running for governor currently because I want to be governor of Illinois the Democrat notified reporters Pritzker a vocal critic of Trump who was a top contender as Kamala Harris running mate in has often been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate for his party Pritzker also beat back against Trump on Thursday calling the president a megalomaniac narcissist and the GOP fascist freak show fanatics aiming to end democracy Our story doesn t have a king telling us what to do he declared as hundreds of supporters cheered JB at Chicago s Grand Traveling Park Field House where Pritzker publicized his first gubernatorial bid in RFK says US is pulling funding from global vaccine group Gavi U S Soundness Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr says the country is pulling its promotion from the vaccines alliance Gavi saying the organization has ignored the science and lost the population trust A video of Kennedy s short speech was shown to a Gavi meeting in Brussels on Wednesday where the organization that has paid for more than billion children to be vaccinated through routine immunization programs was hoping to raise at least billion for the next five years Kennedy a longtime vaccine skeptic mentioned Gavi s partnership with the World Vitality Organization during COVID- accusing them of silencing dissenting views and legitimate questions about vaccine safety Gavi disclosed in a report Thursday that its utmost concern is the soundness and safety of children adding that any decision it makes on vaccines to buy is done in accordance with recommendations issued by WHO s expert vaccine group Read more about Kennedy s announcement on the vaccine group Trump is now fundraising with Daddy shirts The president and his allies are taking a liking to the Daddy nickname inspired by comments made by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and are now selling orange T-shirts with his image and the word The new merchandise benefits his fundraising efforts linked to his and Vice President JD Vance s leadership political action committees and the Republican National Committee In a news conference with Trump Rutte stated daddy has to sometimes use strong language when the two were talking about his dealings with warring Israel and Iran The White House shared a mashup video on social media with highlights from the NATO summit in the Netherlands and the soundtrack of Usher s song Hey Daddy Daddy s Home Trump bureaucrats will give their first classified briefing to Congress on the Iran strikes Senators are set to meet with top national assurance functionaries Thursday as particular lawmakers question Trump s decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites and whether those strikes were ultimately effective The classified briefing originally scheduled for Tuesday also comes as the Senate is expected to vote this week on a resolution that would require congressional approval if Trump were to order another strike on Iran CIA Director John Ratcliffe Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are expected to brief the senators Democrats and particular Republicans have explained the White House overstepped its authority when it failed to seek the advice of Congress They also want to know more about the intelligence Trump relied on when he authorized the attacks Read more about the classified briefing to Congress Trump s latest rejection of intelligence assessments reflects a long distrust of spy agencies President Trump s fights with the intelligence society were a running theme of his first term as he raged against an analysis into his campaign s alleged links to Russia Now a sequel is playing out as Trump battles to shape the general s understanding of his foreign procedures gamble in Iran An early U S intelligence assessment noted Iran s nuclear undertaking has been set back only a minimal months after American strikes on three sites last weekend The Republican president has rejected the record and pronounced the project thoroughly and fully obliterated The dispute is unlikely to fade anytime soon Top administration leaders are pressing Trump s incident with Hegseth scolding the media at a Pentagon briefing Thursday for breathlessly focusing on an intelligence assessment he downplayed as preliminary Briefings also are scheduled for lawmakers though the White House plans to limit the sharing of classified information after the initial assessment leaked this week Read more about Trump s relationship with the intelligence area Source
