Senate Passes Bill to Cancel $9 Billion in Foreign Aid and Public Media
The Senate narrowly passed a bill that would rescind $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and claw back $7.9 billion from foreign-aid programs. Photo: Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg News
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13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Steve Pagliuca deal to purchase, relocate Sun reportedly challenged by Connecticut-based group led by Marc Lasry
One day after reports about a deal led by Steve Pagliuca to purchase and relocate the Connecticut Sun, another competing bid appears to have emerged. Pagliuca, a minority owner of the Boston Celtics, confirmed Sunday that an investor group led by him has extended an offer to buy the Sun from the Mohegan Tribe, with reports that the $325 million deal includes plans to relocate the team to Boston. But additional reports on Monday show that the deal is far from over. A new, Connecticut-based bid is looking to challenge Pagliuca's bid and keep the team in Connecticut, per multiple reports. The group is reportedly led by former Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, who grew up in West Hartford, CT and still has ties to the area. Lasry sold his stake in the Bucks to the Haslam family in 2023, and is now looking to break into the WNBA. The Lasry-led group is reportedly only in the running due to some potential league intervention to slow down the sale process. Per Front Office Sports, a deal with Pagliuca was initially agreed on in early July, and was presented to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert. But it never went before the WNBA Board of Governors, who has to approve the sale. As a result, the exclusivity period expired, reportedly opening the sale back up to other groups, including the bid led by Lasry. The Mohegan Tribe purchased the team, then the Orlando Miracle, in 2002 for $10 million and moved the team to Uncasville, CT. The Sun have played in Mohegan Sun Arena, located inside the Mohegan Sun Casino, since the relocated team began play in 2003. Part of the Lasry-led bid would relocate the Sun, in-state, to play in PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, per the Hartford Courant. The arena is currently host to New York Rangers AHL affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack, as well as the UConn men's and women's basketball and men's hockey. Pagliuca, on the other hand, plans to move the team. Though his primary target seems to be Boston, Pagliuca said in a statement Sunday that the investment group has "the objective of keeping New England's WNBA team in New England," adding that the group had the support of both Massachussetts governor Maura Healy and Rhode Island governor Daniel McKee. As a result, Providence, Rhode Island appears to be in the running as another potential landing spot for the team. The Pagliuca group's $325 million price tag also reportedly includes a commitment to spend $100 million on a new practice facility, wherever the team ends up. But any team relocation would need to be approved by the WNBA. Additionally the WNBA can reportedly force a sale to a Connecticut-based group, with The Boston Globe reporting that the Mohegan Tribe would cooperate if that were to happen. The league has not explicitly said that it wants the team to stay in Connecticut, but did release a statement following reports on the sale to Pagliuca. In the statement, the WNBA pointedly noted that Boston had not applied for one of the expansion bids, which were eventually awarded to Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia, and that the cities that did apply would receive "priority" over Boston. "Relocation decisions are made by the WNBA Board of Governors and not by individual teams," the statement began, firmly setting the boundary. The Connecticut-based group has the backing of Connecticut governor Ned Lamont, who told reporters on Monday that he was doing everything he could to keep the team in the state. "Can't believe everything you read," Lamont said, via CT Insider. "When it comes to the Connecticut Sun, we're late in the fourth quarter, we still have some catching up to do, but it's not over until it's over. We're fighting like heck. Connecticut is the home of women's basketball. The Sun ought to be right here." Lamont also seemed inclined to kick in public money towards a potential in-state deal, saying that his administration will "do what it takes to keep the Sun in Connecticut." On the other end, Governor Healey told The Boston Globe on Sunday that "it would be great for Boston" to get a WNBA franchise. Healey mentioned that the Sun have played in Boston's TD Garden for two straight years, with both games recording sellout crowds. "I've been at this for a couple of years. It would be great for the Connecticut Sun to move to Boston and represent all of New England. We are the hub of New England and the place that basketball was invented," Healey said. "I think it makes a lot of sense." With multiple bids competing for the team, it is unclear how long the sale would take. The reported $325 million in the Pagliuca would be the largest sale in WNBA history, but it's possible that the Lasry-led group would be able to match that number, and that it would come down to the WNBA Board of Governors — who are already preoccupied with ongoing negotiations for the new collective bargaining agreement — for the final decision, rather than the Mohegan Tribe.
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Texas Democrats dig in as Abbott promises fines, extradition and arrests
CHICAGO — About two-dozen Texas Democrats huddled around a monitor inside a hotel auditorium just west of Chicago Monday to watch as their Republican colleagues gaveled back into session and threatened 'consequences' for their mass departure. Minutes later, as they stared at their phones, Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated the ordering of their arrest. The atmosphere, according to a person in the room, remained tense while the bell rang to call the session to order but turned more defiant and boisterous during the speakers' remarks and press conference. More than a thousand miles away in Austin, Texas, the Democrats who didn't flee the state hunkered down for the final 15 days of a special legislative session set to end Aug. 19. They gathered to address, in part, a mid-decade redistricting proposal pushed by President Donald Trump. The splitscreen capped a 24-hour frenzy that began when dozens of Texas Democrats fled the state to protest the remapped congressional lines designed to keep Republicans in power during next year's crucial midterms. And it underscored the high stakes of the standoff: A president clamoring to cling to partisan control at every level — helped by a high-profile red state governor — facing a coup from the opposing party. And despite an uncertain endgame and the possibility of Abbott simply calling for another special session, Democrats here are planning extended stays and making arrangements for children and relatives to visit them, according to one person close to the lawmakers who was granted anonymity to speak freely about a sensitive matter. Democrats, who broke quorum by leaving the Lone Star State, now face an uncertain path. Past quorum breaks, like their 2021 effort to block passage of an elections bill, have been minimally successful. Without the necessary number of legislators needed to conduct business, the Republican-controlled state House can't vote on the plan that could cement its party's power in Congress next year. 'See my bags here,' state Rep. Rafael Anchia said late Sunday evening as he headed to the bus bound for the Q Center, a hotel and conference center. 'I'm prepared to be here for as long as it takes to make sure that we stop the redistricting this session, and we're going to feel our way through additional special sessions, if they're called by the governor.' A White House official told POLITICO Trump's team is taking 'a pretty hands-off approach' to the brewing battle, deferring to Texas Republicans. 'We made our case and now we're counting on them to get it done,' added the person, who was granted anonymity to freely discuss a matter being privately negotiated. State Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos, chair of the Texas Legislative Progressive Caucus, captured her group's predicament in an interview. 'We really do not have a choice,' she said. 'What is our alternative? Rolling down and rolling over for Trump's economy to continue to destroy America?' The risks are big for Texas Democrats — from $500-a-day fines, to extradition, to the more unlikely scenario of Abbott replacing them with hand-picked legislators, to facing civil arrest for violating the Legislature's rules. They do not, however, face any civil or criminal charges and can only be forced back into the Capitol to take votes. It's unclear who would foot the bill for the hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines members are collectively racking up by abstaining from the legislative session. There are also political risks. Texas Democrats are not just missing votes related to redistricting, but also on legislation that would provide relief following last month's devastating floods. 'No one is fooling around this time in Texas,' said Dave Carney, an adviser to Abbott. 'In the past, it was like, they came back. Everything was forgiven. It was like kumbaya. That's not happening. There's no appetite to say, 'Okay, never mind. We're going to let you do this anytime you fucking want.' Abbott also threatened to arrest Texas Democrats in 2021 when they used the same walkout tactics. If Abbott chooses to call multiple special sessions to pass the redrawn map that would net five GOP-friendly seats, lawmakers could run into time constraints: New lines must be adopted by early December in order to take effect for the 2026 midterm cycle. The Legislature could collide with filing deadlines for the midterms. Under state law, candidates can declare their intent to seek office from Nov. 8 through Dec. 8, but the state legislature has the authority to extend the deadline. Each side lacks good options to resolve the stalemate. Earlier in the day, appearing on the MAGA influencer Benny Johnson's show, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton acknowledged the struggles ahead for Abbott and his fellow Republicans, saying his 'first move would have been to chain them to their desk and not let them out of the door,' before adding, 'I think the governor is going to be forced into calling several special sessions." In an interview on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" Monday, Abbott said the lawmakers 'have forfeited their seats in the state legislature because they are not doing the job they were elected to do.' And across blue state capitols from Austin to Springfield Monday afternoon, planes flying "Mess With Texas" banners arced through the skies, capturing the newly weaponized redistricting arms race playing out at fever pitch. As more than two dozen Texas Democrats huddled in Chicago, some of their colleagues met in the New York State Capitol with Gov. Kathy Hochul. Flanked by six Texas lawmakers, the governor openly embraced a full-fledged gerrymandering of congressional districts in New York to favor fellow Democrats, a further escalation of the national drama. There, Texas Rep. Jolanda Jones questioned Abbott's legal rationale. 'I'm a lawyer. Part of my practice is criminal defense work. There is no felony in the penal code for what he says,' Jones said. 'So respectfully, he's making up shit. He's trying to get sound bites, and he has no legal mechanism, and if he did, subpoenas in Texas don't work in New York, so he's going to come get us how?' Others traveled to Boston for a National Conference of State Legislatures meeting, among them: state lawmakers Sarah Eckhardt, Royce West, Armando Walle and Ana Hernandez. They plan to fly to Illinois on Wednesday. Leaving a private lunch with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker in Boston, Walle said Democrats are fundraising on their behalf. Back in Texas, Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows said he would entertain a motion for civil arrests of those who fled the state. The House then voted to send the sergeant at arms to bring the departed members back to Texas. Lawmakers voted to arrest their absent colleagues — a vote that only applies to Democrats within state lines. While Burrows can sign civil warrants compelling state troopers to arrest legislators and bring them to the Capitol, they will not face civil or criminal charges for leaving. The House is set to reconvene Tuesday at 1 p.m. "The people of Texas are watching, and so is the nation," Burrows said to Democrats from the House floor. "And if you choose to continue down this road, you should know there will be consequences." Bill Mahoney and Kelly Garrity contributed to this report.
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Scranton mayoral races picks up two independent candidates
Scranton's mayoral election picked up two independent candidates who each hope to oust Democratic incumbent Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti in the Nov. 4 general election. Republican Patricia 'Trish' Beynon previously secured the GOP nomination to challenge Cognetti, who won the Democratic nomination in the May 20 primary. Now, as expected, Eugene 'Gene' Barrett, a former longtime executive director of the Scranton Sewer Authority and a former city councilman, met Friday's deadline to file paperwork to run for mayor as a independent. Earlier this year, Barrett had announced plans to run in the Democratic primary for mayor but then didn't and decided instead to run as an independent. On Friday, the Cognetti campaign communications director, Wendy Wilson, issued a statement that called into question Barrett's record as sewer authority director and as a councilman. As a councilman, Barrett voted in late 1991 in favor of having the city designated as financially distressed under state Act 47. The state approved the designation in early 1992. The city would not shed the distressed label until 2022, when Cognetti was mayor. Barrett also for years served as executive director of the Scranton Sewer Authority and was in that role when former Mayor Bill Courtright pushed for the authority to sell the sewer system to Pennsylvania American Water. That resulted in the landmark $195 million sewer sale completed in December 2016, which was a major step in the city's financial recovery but the loss of a valuable asset. 'Gene Barrett represents the ghosts of Scranton's dark past; Mayor Paige Cognetti is the city's bright future,' Wilson's statement said. 'Scranton has come a long way since Gene Barrett has been in office. Mayor Paige is driven by the tenets of good government and ensuring that elected officials prioritize their constituents over their own special interests. She has rightfully done a great job of earning the trust of voters.' Reached Monday for comment, Barrett issued to The Times-Tribune his resume listing extensive public, private and military service. 'I have spent over 40 years in public and private service dedicated to Scranton,' along with seven years of active duty in the Army, Barrett said in an email. 'Now they have real competition (for mayor) or they would not have responded so negatively to my entering the race.' The other independent candidate for Scranton mayor who met Friday's deadline to file the required paperwork was Rik Little. Listing his address as homeless, Little filed Thursday for mayor as the AAAMission from God party candidate. Scranton City Council Meanwhile, in the race for three open seats on Scranton City Council, current council President Gerald Smurl — who initially ran in the Democratic primary but withdrew in March amid issues with certain signatures on his nomination petitions — filed to run as an independent. Smurl's entry into the council race as an independent makes him the sixth candidate in a contest that has three, four-year council terms up for grabs. The other five council candidates are Virgil Argenta, Patrick Flynn, Sean McAndrew, Marc Pane and incumbent Councilman Tom Schuster. Flynn, McAndrew and Schuster won the Democratic primary, while Pane won the GOP primary. Argenta lost in the Democratic primary but got enough Republican write-in votes to win a GOP nomination. McAndrew also secured a Republican nomination through GOP write-in votes. The three council seats available are those of Schuster, Smurl and Bill King, who is not seeking reelection. The three winners of the general election would join on council the other two members not up for reelection this year: Jessica Rothchild and Mark McAndrew. Elsewhere in Lackawanna County According to the Lackawanna County Department of Elections, other candidates who filed to run as independents for various municipal offices include: Valley View School Board, Region 1: Julie Budd-Kulenich. Throop Borough Council: John Richardson. Spring Brook Twp. Supervisor: Ken Genovese. South Abington Twp. Supervisor: Dean Faraday. Friday is the deadline for challenges to independent candidates' filing of their papers to run. Staff Writer Jeff Horvath contributed to this report Scranton Mayor-Elect Paige Gebhardt Cognetti at Scranton City Hall in Scranton on Nov. 7, 'Trish' Beynon, Republican candidate for Scranton mayor in 2025 primary and general elections. (PHOTO PROVIDED / COURTESY OF PATRICIA BEYNON)Eugene 'Gene' Barrett of Scranton, candidate photo for Scranton mayoral election in the 2025 Democratic primary. (PHOTO SUBMITTED / COURTESY OF EUGENE BARRETT)A campaign poster of Rik Little, who met the Aug. 1, 2025 deadline to file as an independent for mayor of Scranton in the Nov. 4 general election. Photo taken on July 10, 2025 in the 500 block of Cedar Avenue in South Scranton. (JIM LOCKWOOD / STAFF PHOTO) Solve the daily Crossword
