XCR1250
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Joined
Posts posted by XCR1250
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MC's just an helpless Idiot who only believes what the DU tells him to believe. MC needs Psychiatric Mental help just like Biden and Kameltoe.
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Republican-led House passes Trump agenda bill by a single vote
LAUREN PELLER, JOHN PARKINSON, ARTHUR JONES II and ALLISON PECORIN
Thu, May 22, 2025 at 10:57 AM UTC
4 min read
After days of internal GOP wrangling, the Republican-led House early Thursday passed the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," critical to advancing President Donald Trump's tax and immigration agenda.
A smiling Speaker Mike Johnson announced the massive measure passed by a single vote -- 215-214 -- and was greeted with applause. He had struggled to get it done -- as he had promised -- by Memorial Day, before lawmakers go on recess.
The sweeping package of tax cuts, Medicaid reform and immigration spending delivers on many of the president's domestic campaign promises.
Following debate that stretched Wednesday through the entire night and into early Thursday morning, the vote was another triumphant moment for Johnson, who conquered sharp divisions among his conference "through a lot of prayer" amid a historically low 3-vote majority.
"The bill gets Americans back to winning again, and it's been a long time coming," Johnson proclaimed during his speech on the floor moments before the final vote. "It quite literally is again morning in America, isn't it, all right?"
During the final vote, Republican lawmakers approached the speaker with congratulatory handshakes and back slaps. Someone also played Queen's "We Are The Champions" off a phone for about 10 seconds while the vote was underway.
Republicans cheered, whistled and applauded when the threshold for passage was achieved at 6:54 a.m.
The successful vote, with 1 voting present, sends the reconciliation bill to the Senate, where the Republican majority is expected to revise the legislation over the next month or longe
Two House Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio, opposed the vote alongside the entire House Democratic Caucus. Rep. Andy Harris, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, voted present.
After a marathon hearing that ended overnight, the House Rules committee voted 8-4 to tee up action on the House floor.
The committee vote came after changes to several of the bill's provisions, including a change to when Medicaid work requirements would kick in.
Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy, one of the GOP holdouts that had put the bill's fate in question, was absent for the committee's votes.
The key procedural step was needed before advancing the legislation to a final vote.
The slow march toward passage comes after Trump met with House Speaker Mike Johnson and members of the House Freedom Caucus on Wednesday, aiming to shore up support for the bill.
That meeting came after earlier negotiations with hard-liners fell apart Tuesday. The GOP is far from unified around the bill, which they earlier had said they hoped to move to a vote on Wednesday. Several sticking points, primarily regarding Medicaid work requirements and a cap on state and local tax deductions, still need to be worked out.
After the meeting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "The meeting was productive and moved the ball in the right direction. The President reiterated how critical it is for the country to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill as quickly as possible."
Clearing the House is just the first hurdle for the bill -- it will also have to pass muster with a Senate Republican conference that is already telegraphing that they plan to make changes.
Here are the major changes to the bill in the 42-page amendment:
Medicaid: The start date for new Medicaid work requirements will now kick in "no later than December 31, 2026." The original bill had the work requirements starting in 2029.
This alteration is a win for hardliners who have for days been pushing for steeper spending cuts to be included in the package. Medicaid work requirements are expected to reduce spending in the bill.
There is also a new incentive for states to not expand Medicaid. Medicaid expansion states are increasing state-directed payments up to 110% to maintain the structure.
State and Local Tax Deductions: SALT deduction rises to $40,000 for incomes under $500,000. This is a substantive change from the $10,000 cap that was implemented by Republicans in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
This is a concession geared toward satiating blue-state Republicans in states like New York and California. Many of them conditioned their support for the package on lifting or raising the cap on these deductions. Moderates will brand this as a big win.
MORE: Trump meets with GOP holdouts as negotiations over agenda bill falter
Maga Savings Account: The amendment changes the names of these accounts. Instead of MAGA Accounts, they will now be called "Trump" Accounts. The president's last name appears in the manager's amendment +50 times.
Expedited cuts to clean energy credits: Some of Biden-era clean energy tax credits will phase out sooner, allowing Republicans to recoup costs to apply toward the overall cost of the bill. To receive credits, new projects must break ground within 60 days or be "placed in service" by the end of 2028.
Billions in border security reimbursements: The Department of Homeland Security appropriates $12 billion to states for costs associated with Biden-era border actions through September 30, 2029. The DHS Secretary can authorize grants to assist with immigration enforcement.
Ends tax on silencers: The manager's amendment delists silencers from the National Firearms Act, effectively ending a tax on transferring silencers.
Republican-led House passes Trump agenda bill by a single vote originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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Edited by XCR1250
Americans will drive into summer with the lowest Memorial day gas prices since 2021. (CNN)
By CNN Newsource Staff
Published: May 20, 2025 at 5:08 AM CDT
(CNN) - Gas is set to be the cheapest it’s been in years as nearly 40 million Americans are expected to hit the road for Memorial Day.
The national average price of a gallon of gas is expected to be $3.08 on Memorial Day, according to projections released Tuesday by Gas Buddy. That’s the lowest price at this time of year since 2021.
If you consider inflation, it’s the cheapest gas has been since 2003, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Associated Press reports that renting a vehicle and staying in a hotel also may cost less, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index.
Oil prices in the United States have plunged about 20% since President Donald Trump’s second term began. Analysts say that drop has been driven in part by Saudi Arabia and OPEC’s sharp production increases, moves that Trump called for days after taking office.
Energy prices have also been muted over concerns that Trump’s tariffs will damage the U.S. and world economies.
Copyright 2025 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. Gray News contributed to this report.
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1 hour ago, steve from amherst said: Prop taxes are just brutal. A lot of ours is the retards running the school dept. They spend $25,000 per student per yr at the high school level.
A few weeks back I went into the ginzo restaurant on 101A to pick up take out . Bill was $53.16 , handed the chick $60 she had to go get a calculator.
Fucking $100,000 for 4 yrs of high school and ya cant do 5th grade math?
Surprised the cash register didn't do the math.
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10 hours ago, Mainecat said: You support convicted .rapists
Did Trump get any jail time for the politically involved scam the Dems tried to get him for, yup he got to be the president again..MC you lose again, you are such a fool.
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1 hour ago, Mainecat said: Seems like Trump getting millions from Musk doesn't matter……
He’s lost his fuckin mind….like his cult here….
Trump Calls for Investigation Into Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen Performances
Source: Newsweek
Published May 19, 2025 at 2:23 AM EDT
President Donald Trump called for a "major investigation" into celebrities who aided Kamala Harris's 2024 election campaign, including Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé, saying their appearances were potentially illegal contributions.
"HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT?" Trump posted to his Truth Social platform on Monday.
"WHY DID HE ACCEPT THAT MONEY IF HE IS SUCH A FAN OF HERS? ISN'T THAT A MAJOR AND ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION? WHAT ABOUT BEYONCÉ? ...AND HOW MUCH WENT TO OPRAH, AND BONO???
"I am going to call for a major investigation into this matter. Candidates aren't allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment. "In addition, this was a very expensive and desperate effort to artificially build up her sparse crowds. IT'S NOT LEGAL! For these unpatriotic 'entertainers,' this was just a CORRUPT & UNLAWFUL way to capitalize on a broken system."
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/trump-calls-investigation-beyonce-bruce-springsteen-performances-2073941Perfect, he should have done it long ago.
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Biden's woes converge: Last-minute pardons under fire, calls for prosecution mount following Hur tape release
Emma Colton
Sun, May 18, 2025 at 5:24 PM UTC
10 min read
The release of audio recordings of former President Joe Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur have intensified criticism of the administration's use of an autopen on official presidential orders and pardons.
The damning tapes, which bring Biden's alarming mental decline into sharp relief, were kept under wraps by Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland. Now that Biden's cognitive problems have been bared, some are calling for Garland to face prosecution for rejecting Congressional demands to release the tapes when he ran the Department of Justice (DOJ).
"Key decisions made in the final days of the Biden presidency, including using autopens to issue blanket pardons for the Biden Crime Family, must be fully examined. There are serious concerns that President Biden lacked the mental capacity to authorize those actions," House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., posted to X on Saturday.
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Trump is sentenced in hush money case — but gets no penalty or fine
President-elect Donald Trump looks on during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in December 2024 in Phoenix, Ariz.
President-elect Donald Trump received an unconditional discharge for his criminal conviction in New York on Friday, meaning he will not face fines, prison or any other penalties.
The former and future president appeared virtually in a Manhattan courtroom on Friday for his sentencing on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a payment to an adult film star.
During the brief hearing, New York state Judge Juan Merchan said the only lawful sentence that does not encroach on the office of the president is that of an unconditional discharge on all counts.
The 2024 election results loomed over the hearing, with Trump just 10 days away from being sworn into the Oval Office for a second term. Trump had argued the sentencing would interfere with his ability to govern, and said he plans to appeal.
This was the first time that a former, future or sitting U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges. And this was the only one of Trump's criminal cases to see trial.
"Trial was a paradox," Merchan said, noting the high level of security and media attention. But "once doors closed, it was no more unique than the other 32 trials taking place in this courthouse at the same exact time."
But while the trial could be seen as an ordinary procedure, Merchan said, the same cannot be said about the circumstances surrounding the sentencing because Trump is about to occupy the office of the president.
"Sir, I wish you Godspeed as you assume your second term in office," Merchan said before leaving the bench.
Prosecutors asked for minimal sentence
Trump on Thursday exhausted his last legal maneuver to stop the sentencing, after a narrow majority of Supreme Court justices declined to intervene.
Prosecutors in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg recommended that Trump get the minimal sentence of unconditional discharge, as a way to ensure the trial's finality and respect the jury's verdict, while not interfering with Trump's ability to govern.
An "unconditional discharge" means the president-elect must do nothing, but the conviction will remain on his record.
Right before being formally sentenced, Merchan offered Trump the opportunity to speak. During his remarks, Trump doubled down on his defense: that the business records were legal expenses, not hush-money payments, and recorded by accountants, not by him.
"I would just like to explain that I was treated very, very unfairly," Trump said, after reiterating the false claim that the trial is politically motivated, and arguing that he is innocent despite the jury conviction.
Prosecutors pushed back against Trump's attempts to characterize the trial as politically motivated.
"The defendant's conduct constitutes a direct attack on the rule of law itself," said Josh Steinglass, one of the prosecutors. "This defendant has caused enduring damage to the public perception of the criminal justice system and has placed officers and court in harm's way."
Since Trump's conviction in May, Merchan has postponed the sentencing several times, including to avoid any perception of political bias ahead of Election Day, and then to allow Trump to argue he had immunity in the case, based on a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
Merchan ultimately denied the immunity claims, and the dismissal, paving the way for the hearing on Friday.
Anna Cominsky, director of the criminal defense clinic at New York Law School, said the sentence does give the public a measure of closure about the case — even as the planned appeals could stretch on for years.
"It certainly makes sense that there be some finality to this case because as a nation, we should want to move on, in particular as he assumes the role of president, and be able to look forward to the next four years without this sentence pending," Cominsky said. "There has to be an end."
In May, Trump became the first former or sitting U.S. president to be tried on criminal charges and be convicted.
The jury in Manhattan state court heard from 22 witnesses during about a month of testimony in Manhattan's criminal court. Jurors also weighed other evidence — mostly documents like phone records, invoices and checks to Michael Cohen, Trump's once loyal "fixer," who paid adult-film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about her story of an alleged affair with the former president.
After about a day-and-a-half of deliberations, the 12 jurors said they unanimously agreed that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels in order to influence the 2016 presidential election.
But the conviction appeared to have little impact on Trump's popularity — and ultimate electoral victory during the 2024 presidential election. He has used the legal drama to mobilize donations for his campaign and mounting legal fees.
Within 24 hours of the guilty verdict, Trump's campaign boasted of raising millions of dollars.
And 49% of the nation's voters in November's election ultimately chose to bring Trump back to the White House. Todd Blanche, one of Trump's lawyers on the case, said the electoral results showed voters believed this case was illegitimate, and that he and Trump share the "view that this will never happen again in this country."
"The voters got a chance to see and decide for themselves if this was a case that should've been brought. And they decided," Blanche said during the hearing on Friday. Trump has nominated Blanche as deputy attorney general in his administration.
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Audio released of Biden interview with special counsel who described him as an ‘elderly man with a poor memory’
By Arlette Saenz, CNN
4 minute read
Jake Tapper explains what happened when Biden couldn't recognize Clooney before election
Audio of then-President Joe Biden’s interview with former special counsel Robert Hur in the now-closed probe over Biden’s handling of classified documents was published by Axios on Friday.
The interview became one of the most notable and politically controversial parts of Hur’s investigation, which concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Biden with criminal mishandling of records after his vice presidency. In a final report, Hur called Biden, 81 at the time, “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
While transcripts of Biden’s interview with Hur became public last year, these excerpts are the first audio recording of the interview to surface.
An official with the Department of Justice has confirmed the tapes’ authenticity to CNN.
A Biden spokeswoman, Kelly Scully, told CNN, “The transcripts were released by the Biden administration more than a year ago. The audio does nothing but confirm what is already public.”
The audio comes as questions about Biden’s physical and mental capabilities have returned to the spotlight. A forthcoming book – “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson – details signs of Biden’s decline while in office.
Biden sat for interviews with Hur for five hours over a two-day span in the fall of 2023 as part of the special counsel’s investigation into his handling of classified materials.
In one, nearly four-and-a-half-minute clip published by Axios, Biden was asked where he kept papers on matters he was “actively working” on after leaving office as vice president in 2017. Biden took a long pause and said, “I don’t know,” and then went on to talk about seemingly unrelated things that happened during that time period, such as people encouraging him to run for president in 2016. He also had trouble remembering when his eldest son, Beau, died, and needed confirmation from those in the room.
“What month did Beau die,” Biden asked before taking a pause. “Oh, God, May 30th…”
Two people finished the then-president’s sentence: “2015.”
“Was it 2015 he had died?” Biden questioned.
In a second clip from Axios, Biden, when asked whether he knew that he had kept a memo related to Afghanistan, first said, “I don’t know that I knew. But when pressed further, Biden said, “I guess I wanted to hang onto it just for posterity’s sake.”
Shortly after, one person from Biden’s team interjected and attempted to clarify the president’s answer.
“I just really would like to avoid for the purpose of a clean record, getting into speculative areas,” the person said, adding, “His recollection, as I understand it, is he does not recall specifically intending to keep this memo after he left the vice presidency.”
In February of last year, Hur declined to bring charges against Biden, but in a final report said the former president “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials.” The more politically damaging part of Hur’s findings came in his characterization of the president as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” one who would likely win over a jury if he faced prosecution.
Biden and his allies fiercely disputed Hur’s characterization as inaccurate and unfair, including pushing back on the special counsel raising that he didn’t remember when his eldest son Beau died in his report.
House Republicans sought records relating to the interview, including transcripts and audio recordings, in their long-running impeachment investigation into Biden, which ultimately fizzled out.
The Justice Department provided a transcript of the interview to Congress, but Biden asserted executive privilege over the audio recordings. House Republicans voted to hold then-Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for refusing to turn over the recordings, but the Justice Department declined to pursue contempt charges at the time.
On Friday, President Donald Trump told reporters Attorney General Pam Bondi and her team would determine whether the audio should be released.
“That’s up to Pam [Bondi] and the group. I haven’t really looked into,” he said before departing Abu Dhabi. “Everybody understands the condition of him. I know people that are 89, 90, 92, 93 years old and are literally perfect. But Joe was not one of them, and they did a lot of hiding. They were they were really playing games. And, you know, you can’t do that. Our country’s at stake.”
Top Democrats, including several potential 2028 contenders, have faced questions about the new revelations in Tapper and Thompson’s forthcoming book, including whether they knew of the former president’s decline. The new round of scrutiny comes as the party is eager to move past the 2024 election and focus on waging a more forceful opposition to Trump.
Biden’s team has pushed back on the book’s claims. “We continue to await anything that shows where Joe Biden had to make a presidential decision or where national security was threatened or where he was unable to do his job. In fact, the evidence points to the opposite – he was a very effective president,” a spokesperson for Biden told CNN.
In an interview on ABC’s “The View” last week, Biden, now 82-years-old, defended his time in office and pushed back on claims he experienced significant cognitive decline while in office.
“They are wrong,” Biden said last week. “There is nothing to sustain that.”
This story has been updated with additional details.
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1 minute ago, Snake said: The U.S. credit rating was downgraded from AAA to AA+ by Standard & Poor's on August 5, 2011, during President Obama's administration, marking the first downgrade in U.S. history. This decision was influenced by concerns over the effectiveness and stability of American political institutions amid ongoing fiscal challenges.
Is the OP an idiot... is he a lying partisan hack who will saying anything, regardless how insane....
He is!
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Four Months Into Trump's Second Term, Democrats Remain Deeply Pessimistic About Their Party
Top former Democratic counsel urges party to reject 'cultural leftism' after electoral lossesMadison Colombo
Sat, May 17, 2025 at 11:00 AM UTC
A former top Democratic legal adviser is calling on his party to move away from progressive policies, warning that the current approach is costing Democrats both voter trust and electoral success.
Julian Epstein, former chief counsel for the House Judiciary Committee, said on Fox News Radio’s "Brian Kilmeade Show" that the Democratic Party’s embrace of progressive ideology is damaging its credibility on both economic and cultural issues.
"[They] cannot divorce themselves from a discredited ideology which is progressive ideology, which has been a failure economically," Epstein said. "Look at the states, look at the state of California. And it’s a failure culturally. People just don’t believe in cultural leftism."
Epstein said the issue runs deep within the party, and even its leadership struggles to navigate the internal divide between moderate and progressive factions. He pointed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as a figure caught in the middle.
Four Months Into Trump's Second Term, Democrats Remain Deeply Pessimistic About Their Party
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., said she will not seek the top Democrat position on the House Oversight Committee because seniority dynamics have not changed in the Democratic Party.
"The Democrats just seem to be wandering in the wilderness without any real answer," Epstein said. "They [Democratic leaders] don’t have the guts to stand up to the groups and say, ‘We have to moderate and do what Bill Clinton did in the 1990s and go to the political center.’"
According to Epstein, Democratic leaders are hesitant to push back on the party’s more radical wing out of fear of backlash, particularly from online activists.
"The internet has been weaponized," he said. "They are scared of the flying monkeys of the internet who will call them bad names if they don’t do certain things or if they do certain things like cooperate with Trump a couple months ago on the shutdown."
Earlier this year, Sen. Schumer faced heavy criticism after backing a Republican bill to prevent a government shutdown. Though Schumer disagreed with aspects of the House-passed stopgap spending bill, he supported it to avoid what he called a political "gift" to former President Donald Trump.
Progressive Leader Says Schumer Faces 'Uphill' Climb To Win Back Democrats' Trust
The move drew backlash from progressive commentators. "The reality here is there was no message, no strategy, and, at the end of the day, no leadership," said former Democratic Rep. Donna Edwards, now an MSNBC analyst. "This is really a black mark, I think, on Chuck Schumer."
Democrats Are Out Of Step With The American People, Former Clinton Advisor Says
The criticism sparked speculation that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez might challenge Schumer for his Senate seat. When asked about those rumors, Schumer downplayed them.
"That’s a long time away," he told The New York Times, responding to reports that some Democratic lawmakers have privately encouraged Ocasio-Cortez to consider a Senate run.
Meanwhile, Schumer’s popularity in New York has slipped. An April poll by Siena College found that only 39% of New York voters view him favorably, where AOC, the multi-term congresswoman from New York City and a prominent progressive voice, got a 47% favorable mark.
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Trump is fried.
in Current Events
Political based conviction only ..Trump for the win as usual.
You said he was going to lose the election and would go to Jail, how'd that work out in your plan..LOL, YOU LOSE AGAIN as usual..