Tag Archives: Politics

Trump urges senators to get his big tax bill done by July 4th

Trump urges senators to get his big tax bill done by July 4th

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump wants his “big, beautiful” bill of tax breaks and spending cuts on his desk to be signed into law by Independence Day. And he’s pushing the slow-rolling Senate to make it happen sooner rather than later. Trump met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune at the White House earlier this week and has been dialing senators for one-on-one chats, using both the carrot and stick to encourage them to act. But it’s still a long road ahead for the bill. Senators want to make changes to protect Medicaid and ensure some tax breaks become permanent. Elon Musk called the whole bill a “disgusting abomination.”… Continue Reading

Trump gives Elon Musk an Oval Office sendoff

Trump gives Elon Musk an Oval Office sendoff

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump bid farewell to Elon Musk in the Oval Office. The billionaire entrepreneur is ending his work in the administration on Friday. He had spearheaded the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, to slash federal spending. However, Musk fell far short of his targets and struggled in the unfamiliar environment of Washington. Thousands of people were laid off or pushed out of their jobs while litigation piled up. Musk plans to go back to running his companies, including Tesla and SpaceX. He’s also said he’ll curtail political spending after becoming Trump’s biggest donor in last year’s presidential campaign.… Continue Reading

Chinese students anxious and angry after Rubio vows to revoke visas

Chinese students anxious and angry after Rubio vows to revoke visas

HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese students in the U.S. are scrambling to figure out their futures after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday some students would have their visas revoked. Many reacted with anger. A Chinese student at Johns Hopkins University described it as a “new version of Chinese Exclusion Act.” Chinese students have seen rising rejection rates for visas in recent years amid strained U.S.-China relations. Hong Kong has said it would welcome students from all over who were impacted by the U.S.’ changing policies to study in the city… Continue Reading

North Carolina revenue predictions fall with recession risk

North Carolina revenue predictions fall with recession risk

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina officials have downgraded anticipated state revenue collections compared to their recent forecast. Wednesday’s adjustments agreed upon by economists working in Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s budget office and at the General Assembly are in large part the result of higher economic uncertainty and the risks of a recession. The changes from the February forecast keep front and center competing tax-cutting plans passed by the Republican-controlled House and Senate. The updated forecast still envisions lower year-over-year revenues because of expected income tax rate reductions. Democratic Gov. Josh Stein wants to stop those rate cuts.… Continue Reading

Trump administration sues North Carolina over its voter registration records

Trump administration sues North Carolina over its voter registration records

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Trump administration has accused North Carolina’s election board of violating federal law by failing to ensure that registration records of some applicants contained identifying numbers. It wants a judge to force board officials to create a prompt method to obtain such numbers. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division sued in federal court on Tuesday alleging violations of the Help America Vote Act. The lawsuit is about the collection of a registrant’s driver’s license number or partial Social Security number. The department says it’s carrying out a recent executive order from President Donald Trump on elections. Registrant records were also an issue in a state Supreme Court race last year.… Continue Reading

NPR sues Trump administration over executive order to cut federal funding to public media

NPR sues Trump administration over executive order to cut federal funding to public media

NEW YORK (AP) — National Public Radio and three local stations are suing President Donald Trump, arguing that an executive order aimed at cutting federal funding for the organization is illegal. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Washington by NPR, Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio and KUTE, Inc. It argues that Trump’s executive order to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR violates the First Amendment. Trump issued the executive order earlier this month that instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and requires that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing for the news organizations.… Continue Reading

Trump administration moves to cut $100 million in federal contracts for Harvard

Trump administration moves to cut $100 million in federal contracts for Harvard

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is asking federal agencies to cancel contracts with Harvard University worth about $100 million. The move intensifies the president’s clash with the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university. The government already has canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants for the Ivy League school, which has pushed back on the administration’s demands for changes to several of its policies. A letter sent Tuesday from the General Services Administration directed agencies to review contracts with the university and seek alternate vendors. President Donald Trump has railed against Harvard, calling it a hotbed of liberalism and antisemitism. The school filed a lawsuit over the administration’s calls for changes to the university.… Continue Reading

North Carolina’s high court says elections board shift can continue while appeals carry on

North Carolina’s high court says elections board shift can continue while appeals carry on

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The North Carolina Supreme Court has confirmed it was OK for a new law that shifted the power to appoint State Board of Elections members away from the Democratic governor to start being enforced earlier this month. The court’s Republican majority declined or dismissed requests Friday that Gov. Josh Stein made three weeks ago to block for now the enforcement of the Republican law shifting authority to State Auditor Dave Boliek while Stein seeks to overturn it. But the court didn’t immediately act, so Boliek made his appointments May 1. The old Democratic-majority board now has a Republican majority. Appeals over the law’s constitutionality can continue.… Continue Reading

Federal judge blocks Trump administration decision to bar foreign student enrollment at Harvard

Federal judge blocks Trump administration decision to bar foreign student enrollment at Harvard

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has blocked a Trump administration decision to revoke Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students. The temporary restraining order stops the government from pulling Harvard’s certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which allows the school to sponsor international students as they obtain visas to study in the U.S. Harvard filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts earlier Friday.… Continue Reading

Judge blocks Trump’s order to dismantle the Education Department and fire employees

Judge blocks Trump’s order to dismantle the Education Department and fire employees

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Education Department and ordered the agency to reinstate employees who were fired in mass layoffs. U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston granted a preliminary injunction Thursday stopping the Trump administration from carrying out two plans announced in March that sought to work toward Trump’s goal to dismantle the department. It marks a setback to one of the Republican president’s campaign promises. The ruling came in two consolidated lawsuits that said Trump’s plan amounted to an illegal closure of the Education Department.… Continue Reading

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