Author: Michael Wilner

WASHINGTON — House Republican leadership is pressing ahead toward a vote on landmark legislation that would codify President Trump’s agenda this week, the first major push to pass his “big, beautiful bill” since he resumed office.The bill would overhaul the tax code and extend many of the tax cuts passed during Trump’s first term, while increasing spending on defense and border security — costly policies that would be offset by new work requirements and conditions on Medicaid, cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and the phasing out of green energy tax credits.Success is far from guaranteed for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who is navigating negotiations with fiscal conservatives and coastal moderates within his caucus to secure enough votes within his razor-thin majority. But the bill did take one procedural step forward Sunday night, clearing the House Budget Committee in a rare weekend vote.Four members of that committee voted “present” and have not committed to ultimately vote in favor of the bill. Those four alone — Freedom Caucus members Reps. Chip Roy of Texas, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma and Ralph Norman of South Carolina — are enough to sink the bill in a final floor vote.More moderate Republican lawmakers from states such as California, New York and New Jersey, where residents face higher state and local taxes than in much of the rest of the country, are pushing for an increase in the state and local tax deduction cap, known as SALT, to be included in the bill — a provision that is opposed by the Freedom Caucus. They also are pushing back against efforts to wind down green energy tax credits that are popular with their constituents.The debate puts two wings of Johnson’s caucus on a collision course this week, with neither side appearing prepared to back down.Roy, of Texas, wrote Monday on X that there are positives to the legislation. “But it also (currently) leaves half the green new scam pumping, judges blocking deportations, Medicaid scams funding illegals & the able-bodied at the expense of non-expansion states like Texas, & massive deficits over first 5 years,” he said, listing several concerns with the bill in its current form. “Quite the dilemma.”On the other ideological side of the caucus, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), a member of the House Financial Services Committee, told Fox Business that talks are still underway over several aspects of the bill.“We’re still in negotiations with the speaker and leadership, and the White House, on lifting the cap on SALT further than is outlined in the bill — I suspect we will have made some progress today into tomorrow,” Lawler said. “Obviously, there are still some issues to work out.”“Look, this is a very complex bill, and there’s a lot of aspects to it, where the details still need to be adjusted a bit. And that’s what we’re going through the process of doing, and ultimately advance the bill forward. Failure is not an option here — we all understand that. We all understand there’s going to be a need for compromises.”The Congressional Budget Office issued a preliminary estimate that new conditions to Medicaid coverage built into the bill would result in at least 7.6 million people losing health insurance by 2034. The CBO has yet to release a full assessment of the bill’s effect on the debt and deficit.Johnson has said that the bill will go to the House Rules Committee on Tuesday or Wednesday. He then aims to put the bill to a vote on the House floor on Thursday.The White House has been involved in the negotiations in recent days.“Passing this bill is what voters sent Republicans to Washington to accomplish,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said Monday. “That’s why it’s essential that every Republican in the House and Senate unites behind President Trump to pass this popular and transformative legislative package.” If Johnson succeeds in passing the legislation, the bill will then move to a Senate filled with Republicans who have expressed skepticism of the House legislation.“Not only myself, but a number of us in the Senate have been very clear: We have to reduce the deficit,” Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah said in an interview with CNN. Asked whether he wants serious changes to the House bill, Curtis said, “Yes.”Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said he didn’t believe that people who voted for Trump “thought that we’d continue spending at President Biden’s levels.” And Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) also questioned whether the House bill would result in a significant increase in the debt ceiling.Speaking with reporters on Capitol Hill, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said that, “as you know, I’ve been very wary of cutting Medicaid.” And earlier in the week, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said the House bill represented “real Medicaid benefit cuts” that he would not vote for.“I can’t support that,” Hawley said. “No Republican should support that. We’re the party of the working class. We need to act like it.”In a statement Monday on social media, Johnson called the bill a “once in a generation opportunity to help restore our economy to greatness.”“The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will bring the historic relief and prosperity President Trump and Congressional Republicans promised the American people,” he said. More to Read

WASHINGTON — Former President Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer, his office said Sunday, a devastating development after having dropped his bid for reelection last summer over widespread concerns over his age and health. Biden’s personal office said he was examined last week after the president reported a series of concerning symptoms.“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone,” the office said in a statement.“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” the statement added.The former president, 82, had been making his first public appearances since leaving office in recent weeks, including a public address and a lengthy sit-down on ABC’s “The View,” and also hired a communications strategist to help burnish his legacy amid the publication of a series of books critically examining his time at the White House.Biden has a tragic personal history with cancer, losing his son, Beau Biden, to glioblastoma in 2015, when he was serving as vice president. At that time, he launched the “cancer moonshot,” a government-wide push for improved cancer treatments that he relaunched during his presidency.The spread of cancer to the bones will make Biden’s cancer difficult to cure. But its receptiveness to hormone treatments could help his medical team inhibit the cancer’s growth, at least temporarily. Biden dropped out of the 2024 race in July under immense pressure from leadership in the Democratic Party after a disastrous debate with the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, laid bare concerns over his age and acuity.Within hours of dropping out of the race, Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to run in his place. She quickly coalesced the party around her nomination and avoided a primary battle, but lost to Trump in November.In a post on X, Harris said she and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were saddened to learn of Biden’s diagnosis. “We are keeping him, Dr. Biden, and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time,” she wrote. “Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery.”Last week on “The View,” Biden said he took responsibility for Trump’s return to power, because he was in office at the time. “I do, because, look, I was in charge and he won. So, you know, I take responsibility,” he said.But he continued to reject criticisms that he and his team worked to conceal the effects of his age on his performance as president, saying he was not surprised by Harris’ loss and suggesting he still believes he could have beaten Trump had he stayed in the race.“It wasn’t a slam dunk,” he said, referring to President Trump’s victory. “Let me put it this way. He’s had the worst 100 days any president’s ever had. And I would not say honesty has been his strong point.”Trump expressed concern about Biden’s condition in a Truth Social post Sunday. “Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” he wrote.California Gov. Gavin Newsom was among the many politicians from both parties who posted their warm wishes and prayers for the former president. “Our hearts are with President Biden and his entire family right now. A man of dignity, strength, and compassion like his deserves to live a long and beautiful life. Sending strength, healing and prayers his way,” Newsom wrote on X.House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote on X: “This is certainly sad news, and the Johnson family will be joining the countless others who are praying for the former President in the wake of his diagnosis.”Biden was spending the weekend in Delaware with family, an aide said. More to Read

WASHINGTON — The California attorney general’s office said Tuesday that it will seek a preliminary injunction in its case challenging President Trump’s tariff policy, a move that could result in a court order freezing sweeping import duties on worldwide products that have rocked the global economy and U.S. markets since last month.The case, filed last month in the Northern District of California, argues that Trump lacks authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose the tariffs he announced April 2 on nearly all U.S. trading partners, as well as those levied against China, Mexico and Canada due to the fentanyl trade, a set of tariffs that used the same national security rationale.A hearing in the case is scheduled for next week, and a decision on the preliminary injunction could come from the San Francisco federal court as soon as mid-June, an official with the attorney general’s office told The Times.Trump announced a new baseline for global tariffs on April 2 and a series of country-specific tariff rates that sent banks and financial institutions into a panic. The White House has retreated on several of the harshest elements of the policy, but tariffs remain far higher on most trading partners, inflicting continuing harm on California, the state’s lawyers argue.“Uncertainty and unpredictability are bad for business, bad for the economy, and bad for California,” Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said in a statement. “California is set to experience an outsized share of losses due to our larger economy, workforce, and exposure to trade. We are pulling out all the stops and will today ask the court to immediately halt these illegal tariffs while California argues its case.”In a filing in another case, the attorney general’s office submitted an amicus brief supporting an effort by other states to halt the tariffs in the Court of International Trade, which could issue a ruling on the matter even earlier.“President Trump has overstepped his authority, and now families, businesses, and our ports are literally paying the price,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said. “As the largest economy in the nation, California has the most to lose from President Trump’s weak and reckless policies.” More to Read