For Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Trump's big bill is a big test
When Republicans passed their last mammoth tax bill in 2017, the South Dakota Republican was a top lieutenant to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), the longtime majority leader. Now, it's all up to Thune to shepherd Trump's agenda through a narrowly divided chamber — where some Republicans are already bashing the bill.
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The Hill
a minute ago
- The Hill
6 in 10 voters view Democrats negatively: WSJ poll
The Democratic Party is viewed negatively by 63 percent of American voters — the lowest approval rating of the party in more than 30 years of The Wall Street Journal's surveys — according to a new poll from the newspaper. The survey found that while voters disapproved of President Trump's handling of a variety of issues, they generally said they trusted Republicans more than Democrats to take care of those issues in Congress. On tariffs, for instance, voters disapproved of Trump's policies by 17 percentage points, but trusted Republican lawmakers more than Democrats on the issue by seven points. Only 8 percent of voters viewed Democrats 'very favorably' in the poll. President Trump himself had an approval rating of 46 percent. The Wall Street Journal poll follows a survey from CNN released Thursday which found that just 28 percent of voters viewed the Democrats favorably. Democrats are confronting widespread voter malaise and perceptions that the party is listless ahead of the 2026 midterms as key parts of the party's national infrastructure have been rocked by infighting. Still, they are seeking to capitalize on Trump's more unpopular policies. They hope the GOP's 'big, beautiful bill,' with tax cuts favoring the wealthy alongside significant cuts to Medicaid and other social services, could galvanize voters. A slight majority — 52 percent — of voters in Friday's Journal poll disapproved of the bill. The ongoing controversy over the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — a flashpoint for MAGA voters that Democrats have sought to exploit — may also come into play as members of Congress head home for the August recess. The Journal's poll found that voters were highly skeptical that the Justice Department had thoroughly investigated the issue, with 65 percent of Democrats and 30 percent of Republicans saying they had 'no confidence' in the department's review. The poll of 1,500 registered voters was conducted between July 16 and July 20 with a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points. It was conducted by Democratic pollster John Anzalone and GOP strategist Tony Fabrizio.


New York Times
2 minutes ago
- New York Times
What I'm hearing about the Cardinals' trade deadline: John Mozeliak listening on relievers
ST. LOUIS — As the St. Louis Cardinals teeter above .500, president of baseball operations John Mozeliak has started to field calls regarding many of his players, not just pending free agents. Though the Cardinals have not publicly declared their intent to sell, Mozeliak has reached out to teams to inform them relievers Ryan Helsley, Phil Maton and Steven Matz are available, according to multiple league sources. All three pitchers will be free agents at the end of the season. Reliever JoJo Romero is also drawing interest from rival clubs, though he will not be a free agent until 2027. Advertisement Helsley, who wishes to remain in St. Louis, recently described his chances of being traded as '90 percent.' The two-time All-Star closer is the longest-tenured Cardinal, and expressed his hope for an extension in spring training. But the Cardinals' decline in July, combined with Chaim Bloom and a new front office taking over after the season, squashed all potential extension conversations. 'The likelihood is probably as great as it's ever been for me to get traded,' Helsley said recently to The Athletic. St. Louis will entertain offers on Nolan Arenado and Sonny Gray. Both players have full no-trade clauses, but could be motivated to waive them for the right fit. Mozeliak has started to gauge the interest of a handful of contending teams, though the talks are described as preliminary. The odds of either player being traded before the deadline remain slim, but the Cardinals are financially motivated to move their contracts. Gray is owed $35 million in 2026, his final guaranteed year of his three-year contract, while Arenado has $31 million (not including deferrals) remaining over the next two seasons. The Cardinals' attempts to trade Arenado date back to the offseason. Arenado provided Mozeliak with a list of five teams he would consider waiving his no-trade clause for: the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros. St. Louis believed it had a trade in place to send Arenado to Houston, but he vetoed the deal at the time. The Cardinals were unable to find a suitable trade partner for the remainder of the winter, leading to Arenado remaining in St. Louis. Arenado has posted a stellar year defensively, but his offensive decline is worrisome. Arenado entered play Friday hitting .241 with an OPS of just .677. His last homer came over a month ago, on June 21, against the Cincinnati Reds. Arenado, 34, has never demanded a trade from St. Louis, but he has been vocal about his preference to play for a contending team. Eugenio Suárez represents the best available third baseman on the market, but a team looking to upgrade the hot corner could target Arenado as a potential change-of-scenery candidate. Similar to the offseason, however, a team interested in acquiring Arenado must also be willing to take on a significant portion of his contract. Arenado must also be willing to expand his list of approved teams, and the third baseman has not yet indicated he'd be willing to do so. Advertisement Multiple teams have inquired about All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan, with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers known to have interest. Both the Dodgers and the Yankees were major pursuers for Tommy Edman last year, with Los Angeles edging out New York in a three-team trade that sent Erick Fedde and Tommy Pham from the Chicago White Sox to St. Louis. Donovan, a super-utility player who is hitting just under .300 this year, is a similar player to Edman and was part of the reason why St. Louis felt comfortable trading Edman. The Yankees made their first splash of the deadline Friday afternoon, acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies for pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz. It's unclear if netting McMahon changed the Yankees' interest in Donovan. The Dodgers expect to be one of the more active buyers this deadline and are looking to add a left-handed bat that can play the outfield. Donovan's natural positions are second and third base, but he's serviceable in both corner outfield spots. Donovan is not considered untouchable, and the Cardinals will listen, team sources said. But the asking price is sky-high, and St. Louis is in no rush to part with him, as he still has two years of arbitration remaining. Other position players gathering varying levels of interest are Iván Herrera, Alec Burleson and Lars Nootbaar. The Cardinals will not part with one of their position players unless they are blown away by the offer, and their conversations have not progressed past initial check-ins. The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya contributed to this report. (Top photo of Ryan Helsley: Joe Puetz / Getty Images)


Fox News
2 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump admin official analyzes the public's response to Trump's economic success
Counselor to the Treasury Secretary Joe Lavorgna discusses approval ratings for President Donald Trump's economy on 'The Ingraham Angle.'