Stablecoin Bill Poised to Pass as House Kicks Off ‘Crypto Week'
Industry backers hope the legislation will promote wider use of dollar-denominated stablecoins, marking the first big victory for crypto advocates since they poured hundreds of millions of dollars last year into efforts to elect friendly lawmakers, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
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25 minutes ago
Trump signs bill to cancel $9 billion in foreign aid, public broadcasting funding
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump signed a bill Thursday canceling about $9 billion that had been approved for public broadcasting and foreign aid as Republicans look to lock in cuts to programs targeted by the White House's Department of Government Efficiency. The bulk of the spending being clawed back is for foreign assistance programs. About $1.1 billion was destined for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which finances NPR and PBS, though most of that money is distributed to more than 1,500 local public radio and television stations around the country. The White House had billed the legislation as a test case for Congress and said more such rescission packages would be on the way. Some Republicans were uncomfortable with the cuts, yet supported them anyway, wary of crossing Trump or upsetting his agenda. Democrats unanimously rejected the cuts but were powerless to stop them. The White House says the public media system is politically biased and an unnecessary expense. Conservatives particularly directed their ire at NPR and PBS. Lawmakers with large rural constituencies voiced grave concern about what the cuts to public broadcasting could mean for some local public stations in their state. Some stations will have to close, they warned. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the stations are 'not just your news — it is your tsunami alert, it is your landslide alert, it is your volcano alert.' On the foreign aid cuts, the White House argued that they would incentivize other nations to step up and do more to respond to humanitarian crises and that the rescissions best served the American taxpayer. Democrats argued that the Republican administration's animus toward foreign aid programs would hurt America's standing in the world and create a vacuum for China to fill. They also expressed concerns that the cuts would have deadly consequences for many of the world's most impoverished people. 'With these cuts, we will cause death, spread disease and deepen starvation across the planet,' said Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii.
an hour ago
The White House wants more states to redraw House maps to help GOP. Democrats are readying a fight
WASHINGTON -- The White House is eyeing redistricting efforts beyond Texas to help Republicans hold the U.S. House in 2026 — and Democrats are preparing to escalate in response, with one senator vowing to go 'nuclear' if needed. What's shaping up to be a multistate redistricting battle could mark the opening round for House control ahead of next year's midterms, when Democrats see retaking the House as the party's best chance to break Republicans' hold on Congress and President Donald Trump is determined to keep the GOP's majority. Democrats, under pressure from their base to match GOP tactics, have grown more forceful in their messaging and are taking concrete steps to push back, even as the party enters at a disadvantage. 'If they're going to go nuclear, then so am I,' said Sen. Elissa Slotkin. 'They're forcing us into this position because they're trying to pick their voters.' At Trump's urging, Texas Republicans are looking to redraw congressional maps to favor GOP candidates during a 30-day special legislative session that started this week. Trump has said he wants to carve out five new winnable GOP seats. But Trump officials are now going beyond just Texas, looking to redraw lines in other states such as Missouri, according to a person familiar with conversations but unauthorized to speak publicly about them. Democrats have fewer options. More of the states the party controls do not allow elected partisans to draw maps, instead entrusting groups such as independent commissions to draw fair lines. Still, party leaders are exploring their legal options and shifting their posture. A party long known for believing it's on the moral high ground is signaling it's ready to fight dirty. 'We can't fight with one hand behind our backs,' Rep. Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters Tuesday. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries may have fewer options to match Republicans, but it hasn't stopped him from exploring them. Earlier this month, Jeffries' team spoke with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's office about redistricting after the news in Texas, according to a person familiar with the conversations. Drawing new congressional lines now could run afoul of the state constitution and undoubtedly draw legal challenges — but it doesn't appear to be off the table. 'What I'm going to say is, all is fair in love and war,' Hochul said Thursday, adding that she's 'going to see what our options are.' 'If there's other states that are violating the rules that are going to try and give themselves an advantage, all I'll say is I'm going to look at it closely with Hakeem Jeffries.' Jeffries and his advisers have also examined legal strategies in other states with Democratic trifectas, including California, where he recently met with the state's congressional delegation. On Wednesday, the California delegation's Democrats discussed the redistricting issue during a private meeting on Capitol Hill. And on Thursday, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi joined an emergency call with others in the state about the effort. In an interview with The Associated Press, Pelosi said that she is not a fan of using redistricting outside of the 10-year window, but if that's what the party needs 'to win, we will do that.' 'Everything is on the table,' Pelosi told AP. California's governor, Gavin Newsom, a potential Democratic contender for president in 2028, has taken a similar approach. He said on social media in response to Trump's redistricting push that 'two can play this game.' An independent commission handles redistricting in his state. Newsom has floated the notion of California's Democratic-controlled legislature doing a mid-decade redistricting, arguing it wouldn't be expressly forbidden by the 2008 ballot initiative that created the commission. He's also mentioned the possibility of squeezing in a special election to repeal the popular commission system before the 2026 elections get underway, either of which would be a long shot. Beyond the behind-the-scenes maneuvering, Democrats see the redistricting fight as an opportunity to meet the moment politically — delivering the kind of aggressive pushback their voters have demanded. Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, in a series of social media posts, pushed Democrats to fight back, saying the party should 'gerrymander to help Democrats' and arguing they should dilute heavily Democratic districts to secure more seats 'everywhere.' 'It's time for Democrats to understand the existential threat. Republicans aren't playing around and they will do this as long as it takes to keep power,' he warned. Gallego later told The Associated Press it's simply about ensuring 'that we're also fighting back.' That sentiment has gained traction beyond Congress. Former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke said Sunday on CNN that Democrats need to be 'to be absolutely ruthless about getting back in power.' Next month, former President Barack Obama is heading to Martha's Vineyard for a fundraiser benefiting the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a group whose nonprofit affiliate has filed and supported litigation in several states over GOP-drawn districts. Eric Holder, Obama's former attorney general who chairs the outfit, is expected to attend, along with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to a copy of the invitation first reported by Politico. In a statement to AP, Marina Jenkins, executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, called Republicans' moves 'cheating,' adding that the group would be 'using every single tool at our disposal to fight back and stop Donald Trump's scheme to steal the 2026 midterm elections from voters.' In addition to fundraisers like the one featuring Obama next month, that tool kit includes the group and its affiliates focusing on organizing volunteers and donors around the special Texas session. They also make media appearances and craft digital campaigns to highlight their arguments. Redrawing of congressional maps holds risks. During the 2010s, Texas' GOP-controlled Legislature redrew the congressional map to bolster the party's majority. But the advantage proved short-lived: in 2018, a backlash to Trump's presidency helped Democrats flip two seats that Republicans had assumed were safely red. 'There had to be folks that drew these lines and everything that had a very strong opinion of exactly where they ought to be,' said West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice, a Republican. 'Now just to say, 'OK, we're going to redraw this, we're going to redraw that. And by god, if you're going to redraw, we're going to redraw.' I don't like that.' Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said Thursday that he has not yet spoken to any Republicans in his state about redistricting but that it's up to the Missouri legislature and governor to make the call. 'I'd love to have more Republicans,' Hawley said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump throws his support behind RNC Chair Michael Whatley for NC Senate seat
President Donald Trump has picked the candidate he's supporting to fill North Carolina's open Senate seat in the 2026 election: Michael Whatley. Whatley is a North Carolina native who served as head of the state's Republican Party before Trump selected him in 2024 as chairman of the Republican National Committee. On Thursday night, Trump posted on Truth Social that he wants 'friends in North Carolina' to 'get Michael Whatley to run for the U.S. Senate.' In giving Whatley his 'total endorsement,' he cited his efforts to get him elected in 2024, including wins in swing states, as reason for his support. 'Mike would make an unbelievable Senator from North Carolina,' Trump wrote. 'I need him in Washington.' Whatley is expected to step down as RNC chair to make his first run for office but has not officially done so. McClatchy confirmed Whatley's candidacy, first reported by Politico Thursday morning, with a Republican consultant helping to organize the campaign in North Carolina. Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law and Whatley's former RNC co-chair, said Thursday she would not pursue the seat. She is currently registered to vote in Florida and is a Fox News host. 'After much consideration and heartfelt discussions with my family, friends and supporters, I have decided not to pursue the United States Senate seat in North Carolina at this time,' Lara Trump wrote. 'I am deeply grateful for the encouragement and support I have received from people of my home state whom I love so much.' Whatley is expected to face off against retired businessman Andy Nilsson and former JAG officer Don Brown in the Republican primary. Trump, in his Thursday social media post, said he would support Florida State Sen. Joe Gruters as the new chair of the RNC. He is currently treasurer of the RNC and previously served as chair of the Florida Republican Party. NC Senate seat The 2026 Senate election already was expected to be one of the most-watched and most-expensive in the country before Sen. Thom Tillis unexpectedly dropped his bid for reelection in June. Tillis, a Republican from Huntersville, announced his reelection campaign late last year. But last month, Tillis signaled he wouldn't vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act over concerns it would harm North Carolina Medicaid recipients. Trump responded on social media to voice his discontent with Tillis' decision, saying it would be a 'big mistake.' He said he would look into supporting another candidate for the North Carolina seat. The next day, Tillis dropped out of the race. Tillis recently told McClatchy that he felt so strongly that the bill would harm North Carolina Medicaid recipients that he needed to take his campaign off the table as a potential bargaining chip. 'I thought it was a good time just to tell the president that he should start looking for a replacement,' Tillis said Wednesday. Tillis said those interviews for a replacement began about 10 minutes later. Former N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is expected to announce a run for Senate on Monday. Morgan Jackson, Cooper's adviser, wouldn't confirm media reports about the timing or the specifics of his announcement. In Trump's endorsement of Whatley Thursday, he referenced Cooper, though not by name. He said, without evidence that the 'flood drenched areas' of Western North Carolina were 'abandoned' after Hurricane Helene by President Joe Biden and 'your governor.' Cooper was governor when the remnants of the storm caused massive flooding and $59.6 billion of destruction. He visited the region several times in the aftermath, and a month after the storm, proposed a $3.9 billion Helene relief package for the General Assembly to consider. He pushed to expedite federal aid and also visited Washington to request $25.57 billion in federal funds to support North Carolina's recovery. Who is Michael Whatley? Whatley is a native of Watauga County, in the northwestern part of North Carolina. He has been involved in the political world most of his career. He worked in the Department of Energy during George W. Bush's administration. He became chief of staff for North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2004. From there he became vice president of the Consumer Energy Alliance and a lobbyist. In 2019, Whatley was named chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, and helped lead Trump to a 2020 victory in the state, despite losing the election to Joe Biden. Whatley is a staunch supporter of the president and has echoed the false narrative that Trump won the 2020 election. Whatley led the state party when it censured Burr, a Republican from Winston-Salem, for voting to impeach Trump for his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.
