Trump uses term viewed as antisemitic slur to refer to unscrupulous bankers
Trump deployed the language while touting the impacts of his signature legislation that had just passed Congress hours earlier.
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Randall County GOP chair charged with felony election fraud
The chair of the Randall County Republican Party was booked into jail Monday on a state felony election fraud charge. Kelly Kenten Giles, 64, is accused of providing false information on his application and petition to run for the Randall County Republican Party Chair seat in December 2023 for a spot on the 2024 primary ballot, according to the grand jury indictment signed late last month. It is unclear what about his application or petition was considered fraudulent. The offense is typically classified as a misdemeanor, but because Giles is accused of doing it while serving as an elected official, it becomes a felony. Giles did not respond to a request for comment, nor did anyone else with the Randall County Republican Party. The Texas Republican Party Chairman Abraham George said he learned of the allegations Tuesday. 'The Republican Party of Texas is steadfastly committed to upholding election integrity and the principles of the rule of law,' George said in an email. 'I am resolute in my duty to ensure that our commitment to securing Texas elections is upheld, which entails conducting elections with integrity by our elected party officials.' Giles' arrest comes after years of Texas Republicans cracking down on election integrity in the years that follow the 2020 election, despite no such evidence of widespread fraud. This crackdown escalated days ago when a former Democratic state House candidate was indicted alongside nine others for alleged vote harvesting in South Texas. The chairman was reelected to his seat as GOP chairman in the 2024 March primary election with 51% of the vote against two opponents, Brien Maxwell and Pat Bohlender. He was originally elected to his seat in May 2023 by the County Executive Committee, according to the Amarillo Tribune. Giles' indictment was handed down June 25 and the warrant was issued. He was booked into the Randall County jail and has since been released, according to the jail log. His case is being prosecuted by the Texas Attorney General's Office of the Election Integrity after the Randall County District Attorney recused his office. Shape the future of Texas at the 15th annual , happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin! We bring together Texas' most inspiring thinkers, leaders and innovators to discuss the issues that matter to you. Get tickets now and join us this November. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The IRS lets churches preach politics — and keep the tax break
Under the Trump administration, the Internal Revenue Service just changed a decadeslong ban on places of worship and other tax-exempt groups from advocating for a political candidate. That means church leaders now have the right to endorse political candidates from the pulpit without risking tax-exempt status. What does this mean for separation of church and state? The change in IRS code came after a lawsuit tried to challenge the Johnson Amendment, a longstanding principle of separation of church and state that exists to prevent religious organizations from functioning as de facto political PACs, which are financed through tax-deductible donations. The legal provision was named in 1954 for Lyndon B. Johnson, then a Texas senator years before he became a U.S. president. Previously, the law prohibited charities and churches from engaging in political campaign activity by defining a 501(c)(3) organization as one 'which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.' The case was brought against the IRS and its commissioner, Billy Long, by the National Religious Broadcasters, Intercessors for America, and two Texas churches, challenging the guardrails the Johnson Amendment has on 'their First Amendment rights to the freedom of speech and free exercise of religion, their Fifth Amendment rights to due process of law and equal protection under the law, and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.' The IRS made its decision in response to the lawsuit on Monday, stating that 'When a house of worship in good faith speaks to its congregation, through its customary channels of communication on matters of faith in connection with religious services, concerning electoral politics viewed through the lens of religious faith, it neither 'participate(s)' nor 'intervene(s)' in a 'political campaign,' within the ordinary meaning of those words.' It also said that it does 'not run afoul of the Johnson Amendment as properly interpreted.' Responses to the news were mixed, as some saw the shift by the IRS as desecrating the name of religion for political gain, while others viewed it as a fight against oppression that congregations faced when trying to teach biblical teachings to understand modern-day political issues. The National Council of Nonprofits stated in a press release that allowing churches to endorse political candidates 'assaults' the idea that nonprofits should remain nonpartisan. 'This action — long sought by President Trump — is not about religion or free speech, but about radically altering campaign finance laws. The decree could open the floodgates for political operatives to funnel money to their preferred candidates while receiving generous tax breaks at the expense of taxpayers who may not share those views," Diane Yentel, President and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, said. 'These institutions are among the last trusted spaces where individuals can come together across political lines to address community needs. Repealing or weakening the Johnson Amendment risks politicizing these spaces, undermining their integrity, effectiveness, and the public's confidence in them.' Some political leaders, including Republican South Carolina Rep. Mark Harris, said on social media that the IRS should never have had the right to 'infringe' on Americans' First Amendment rights. Doug Andersen, a spokesperson for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told the Deseret News that the church remains firm in its stance of neutrality. 'We're a global organization, along with appropriate individual member engagement,' Andersen said, emphasizing the political neutrality and participation policy for the Church that states it does not 'Endorse, promote or oppose political parties and their platforms or candidates for political office' or 'Allow its Church buildings, membership lists or other resources to be used for political purposes,' etc.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump considers taking over D.C. government, chides New York
By Andrea Shalal and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his administration was considering taking over governance of Washington, D.C., and suggested he could take similar action in New York because of his distaste for the leading candidate for mayor there. Trump has made a similar threat regarding Washington before, but has not followed through even as he criticized crime rates and bashed other institutions there. The president, speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House, said his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, was in close touch with Mayor Muriel Bowser, who favors making the city a U.S. state. "We have tremendous power at the White House to run places when we have to. We could run D.C. I mean, we're ... looking at D.C.," Trump said. "Susie Wiles is working very closely with the mayor." Bowser's office declined to comment. The District of Columbia was established in 1790 with land from neighboring Virginia and Maryland. Congress has control of its budget, but voters elect a mayor and city council, thanks to a law known as the Home Rule Act. For Trump to take over the city, Congress likely would have to pass a law revoking that act, which Trump would have to sign. Becoming the 51st state would give Washington's roughly 700,000 residents voting representation in Congress. Democrats support that plan, while Republicans, who are reluctant to hand Democrats any politically safe seats in the House of Representatives and Senate, oppose it. Trump suggested his administration would run the city better with an appointed leader than the democratically elected government. "We would run it so good, it would be run so proper. We'd get the best person to run it," he said. "The crime would be down to a minimum, would be much less. And you know we're thinking about doing it, to be honest with you." While Trump said his administration had a good relationship with Bowser, he had less complimentary words for Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who won the race to be the Democratic Party's nominee in New York's November mayoral election. Trump described Mamdani as a "disaster." A representative for Mamdani did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. "We're going to straighten out New York... Maybe we're going to have to straighten it out from Washington," Trump said. "We're going to do something for New York. I can't tell you what yet, but we're going to make New York great again also."
