Latest news with #DavidMorgan
BBC News
04-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Elizabeth Emblem honour for Herefordshire emergency workers who died
Three Herefordshire emergency workers who died in service have been recognised for their sacrifice, along with 103 Morris of Hereford and Worcester Fire Service, David Morgan from Wye Valley NHS Trust and West Midlands Ambulance Service's Jeremy Daw all received the Elizabeth award is the civilian equivalent of the Elizabeth Cross and recognises the sacrifices made by public servants who have lost their lives as a result of their duty. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said: "We owe an enduring debt to the public servants who give their lives to protect others." He added: "The Elizabeth Emblem is a reminder not just of the ultimate price their loved ones have paid in service of our communities, it is a lasting symbol of our national gratitude for their incredible sacrifice."Mr Morris, from Hereford, died during a fire at the Sun Valley poultry processing factory, when he was trapped by a fallen than 130 firefighters were sent to the scene on 6 September 35-year-old had been a full-time firefighter with 11 years' service when he responded to the fire, which started in a unit for defrosting 2023, Mr Morris and his colleague John Davies, who was also killed in the blaze, were remembered with a parade and wreath-laying ceremony. Mr Morgan died at Hereford County Hospital, the hospital where he had worked for about seven years, after testing positive for Covid-19 on 28 January was described as "everyone's go-to guy" by Jane Ives, Wye Valley NHS Trust managing director. She said: "Dave was a great example of what we stand for in this trust."Speaking at the time, his wife Penny said the family was "truly devastated" by their sudden loss."He was my amazing husband and incredible father and grandfather," she said."The sadness we feel is more than words can express." Mr Daw, a historian and a once retired paramedic, came out of retirement to help during the pandemic but died on 24 April 2021 after an object struck the ambulance he was Midlands Ambulance Service said that an "object of some description" pierced the windscreen in "a tragic accident".The 66-year-old had worked in Leominster and Hereford for almost 30 at the time of his death, emergency operations delivery director Nathan Hudson said: "He was a remarkable character."He was one of life's good guys and he will be sorely missed." Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Republicans ignore debt worry as they push forward on Trump tax-cut bill
By David Morgan, Bo Erickson and Davide Barbuscia WASHINGTON (Reuters) -As President Donald Trump's Republicans push ahead on a sweeping tax-cut and spending bill that nonpartisan analysts say could add $3.3 trillion to the nation's debt over the next decade, they're taking a new approach - denying there is anything to worry about. Instead, they argue that extending and adding to tax cuts signed into law by Trump in 2017 during his first term - which were set to sunset in 2025 to limit their hit to the deficit - will not drive the debt higher. Independent analysts and investors said the approach, which follows years of growing government debt under both parties, threatens to erode the country's fiscal health and further sap confidence in financial markets, already shaken by Moody's move in May to strip the U.S. of its top-tier AAA rating. The bill, passed by the Senate on Tuesday and which House of Representatives Republican leaders aim to pass later this week, will also raise the federal government's self-imposed debt ceiling by $5 trillion, averting the risk of a disastrous default on the nation's $36.2 trillion in debt sometime this summer. A handful of Republican deficit hawks have said that fact alone undercuts their party's argument that the bill does not add to the debt. "They are effectively moving the goal posts and making it much easier to run these incredible deficits ad infinitum," said Robert Tipp, chief investment strategist and head of global bonds at PGIM Fixed Income, which manages bond funds worth around $860 billion as of March. "That should really create concern in the market about these ongoing large budget deficits." Democrats - effectively sidelined by a Republican maneuver that bypasses normal chamber rules requiring 60 of the 100 senators to agree on most legislation - have blasted the Republican argument as chicanery. They say the bill, which would also lift taxes on tips and overtime, and boost spending on the military and border security while cutting spending on Medicaid and food assistance, will disproportionately help the wealthy and burden lower-income Americans. "It is fakery. The budget numbers are a fraud, but the deficits will be very real. The prospect of a catastrophic debt spiral is very real," Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said on the Senate floor on Monday. 'PROTECTING THEIR WALLETS' Republican Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo argued that extending the 2017 tax cuts will not add to the debt. "If you don't raise taxes, you're not changing the tax code, you're making it bring in the same revenue that it brought in before," said Crapo, of Idaho. "You're not increasing the deficit, you're protecting their wallets." Republicans also called Democrats hypocritical for accusing them of driving the deficit higher, noting that during President Joe Biden's term the then-Democratic-controlled Congress passed costly legislation using the same fast-track maneuver to circumvent the 60-vote threshold. Senate Republicans said their current policy accounting approach is necessary to make the tax cuts permanent to provide certainty for businesses and investors, something Trump demanded during the 2024 campaign. Their approach is backed by business lobbyists including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "That's a good thing for the American people. That's a good thing for the economy," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said in a floor speech. The bond market has shown signs of worry about the bill not passing in time to raise the debt ceiling, which would risk a devastating default. In recent weeks, the interest rate on some Treasury debt due in August has risen more than yields of short-term Treasury bills coming due around the same time, a sign investors are nervous. This also happened in 2023, when Congress reached a last-minute deal to avoid what would have been a catastrophic default. As Republicans have pushed forward on a bill expected to drive the debt higher, Trump has stepped up his campaign against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, repeatedly urging him to slash U.S. interest rates to 1%, a move that would dull the bill's deficit effects. DEEPENING DEFICITS If the legislation now passes the House and gets signed into law by Trump, independent analysts warn that Americans can look forward to growing deficits, rising interest rates, waning economic vitality and mounting debt - if not an outright dislocation in U.S. bond markets. "Republicans can spin it any way they want, but ultimately we're heading towards deficits of $4 trillion within a decade," said Jessica Riedl, a former Senate Republican aide who is now a senior fellow at the right-leaning Manhattan Institute. U.S. government debt interest payments have surged over the past few years, going from about $500 billion in 2020 to over $1.1 trillion last year. Analysts and investors warn of a longer-term danger from the precedent set by the Senate bill, saying it provides a template that both parties can use in coming years to hide the cost of legislative priorities that expand the debt and deficits. Shai Akabas, vice president of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, warned that the alternative Republican baseline marks a dangerous new chapter in American political rhetoric and calls into question the readiness of political leaders to operate transparently. "We have, I believe, entered a realm where there is no longer a consistent set of facts or independent sources that are being used," Akabas told Reuters. "It makes it very difficult for the American public to understand what the consequences of legislation are going to be."
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Republicans ignore debt worry as they push forward on Trump tax-cut bill
By David Morgan, Bo Erickson and Davide Barbuscia WASHINGTON (Reuters) -As President Donald Trump's Republicans push ahead on a sweeping tax-cut and spending bill that nonpartisan analysts say could add $3.3 trillion to the nation's debt over the next decade, they're taking a new approach - denying there is anything to worry about. Instead, they argue that extending and adding to tax cuts signed into law by Trump in 2017 during his first term - which were set to sunset in 2025 to limit their hit to the deficit - will not drive the debt higher. Independent analysts and investors said the approach, which follows years of growing government debt under both parties, threatens to erode the country's fiscal health and further sap confidence in financial markets, already shaken by Moody's move in May to strip the U.S. of its top-tier AAA rating. The bill, passed by the Senate on Tuesday and which House of Representatives Republican leaders aim to pass later this week, will also raise the federal government's self-imposed debt ceiling by $5 trillion, averting the risk of a disastrous default on the nation's $36.2 trillion in debt sometime this summer. A handful of Republican deficit hawks have said that fact alone undercuts their party's argument that the bill does not add to the debt. "They are effectively moving the goal posts and making it much easier to run these incredible deficits ad infinitum," said Robert Tipp, chief investment strategist and head of global bonds at PGIM Fixed Income, which manages bond funds worth around $860 billion as of March. "That should really create concern in the market about these ongoing large budget deficits." Democrats - effectively sidelined by a Republican maneuver that bypasses normal chamber rules requiring 60 of the 100 senators to agree on most legislation - have blasted the Republican argument as chicanery. They say the bill, which would also lift taxes on tips and overtime, and boost spending on the military and border security while cutting spending on Medicaid and food assistance, will disproportionately help the wealthy and burden lower-income Americans. "It is fakery. The budget numbers are a fraud, but the deficits will be very real. The prospect of a catastrophic debt spiral is very real," Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said on the Senate floor on Monday. 'PROTECTING THEIR WALLETS' Republican Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo argued that extending the 2017 tax cuts will not add to the debt. "If you don't raise taxes, you're not changing the tax code, you're making it bring in the same revenue that it brought in before," said Crapo, of Idaho. "You're not increasing the deficit, you're protecting their wallets." Republicans also called Democrats hypocritical for accusing them of driving the deficit higher, noting that during President Joe Biden's term the then-Democratic-controlled Congress passed costly legislation using the same fast-track maneuver to circumvent the 60-vote threshold. Senate Republicans said their current policy accounting approach is necessary to make the tax cuts permanent to provide certainty for businesses and investors, something Trump demanded during the 2024 campaign. Their approach is backed by business lobbyists including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "That's a good thing for the American people. That's a good thing for the economy," Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said in a floor speech. The bond market has shown signs of worry about the bill not passing in time to raise the debt ceiling, which would risk a devastating default. In recent weeks, the interest rate on some Treasury debt due in August has risen more than yields of short-term Treasury bills coming due around the same time, a sign investors are nervous. This also happened in 2023, when Congress reached a last-minute deal to avoid what would have been a catastrophic default. As Republicans have pushed forward on a bill expected to drive the debt higher, Trump has stepped up his campaign against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, repeatedly urging him to slash U.S. interest rates to 1%, a move that would dull the bill's deficit effects. DEEPENING DEFICITS If the legislation now passes the House and gets signed into law by Trump, independent analysts warn that Americans can look forward to growing deficits, rising interest rates, waning economic vitality and mounting debt - if not an outright dislocation in U.S. bond markets. "Republicans can spin it any way they want, but ultimately we're heading towards deficits of $4 trillion within a decade," said Jessica Riedl, a former Senate Republican aide who is now a senior fellow at the right-leaning Manhattan Institute. U.S. government debt interest payments have surged over the past few years, going from about $500 billion in 2020 to over $1.1 trillion last year. Analysts and investors warn of a longer-term danger from the precedent set by the Senate bill, saying it provides a template that both parties can use in coming years to hide the cost of legislative priorities that expand the debt and deficits. Shai Akabas, vice president of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, warned that the alternative Republican baseline marks a dangerous new chapter in American political rhetoric and calls into question the readiness of political leaders to operate transparently. "We have, I believe, entered a realm where there is no longer a consistent set of facts or independent sources that are being used," Akabas told Reuters. "It makes it very difficult for the American public to understand what the consequences of legislation are going to be." Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Senate vote-a-rama to pass Trump's $3.3 trillion bill extends into second day
By David Morgan, Richard Cowan and Bo Erickson WASHINGTON(Reuters) -U.S. Senate Republicans in the early hours of Tuesday morning were still trying to pass President Donald Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill, despite divisions within the party about its expected $3.3 trillion hit to the nation's debt pile. Senators were voting in a marathon session known as a "vote-a-rama," featuring a series of amendments by Republicans and the minority Democrats, part of the arcane process Republicans are using to bypass Senate rules that normally require 60 of the chamber's 100 members to agree on legislation. Beginning on Monday and ongoing for over 16 hours, it was still unclear how long the voting would last. Lawmakers said the process had been held up partly by the need to determine whether amendments complied with special budgetary rules. Shortly after midnight, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters the vote-a-rama was "hopefully on the home stretch and then we'll see where the votes are." Republicans can afford to lose no more than three votes in either chamber to pass a bill the Democrats are united in opposition to. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released its assessment on Sunday of the bill's hit to the $36.2 trillion U.S. debt pile. The Senate version is estimated to cost $3.3 trillion, $800 billion more than the version passed last month in the House of Representatives. Many Republicans dispute that claim, contending that extending existing policy will not add to the debt. Nonetheless, international bond investors see incentives to diversify out of the U.S. Treasury market. Democrats, meanwhile, hope the latest, eye-widening figure could stoke enough anxiety among fiscally minded conservatives to get them to buck their party, which controls both chambers of Congress. "This bill, as we have said for months, steals people's healthcare, jacks up their electricity bill to pay for tax breaks for billionaires," Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a speech to the Senate. Thune countered that the tax cuts will help families and small businesses, as he defended spending reductions to social safety net programs. He said Medicaid was growing at an unsustainable rate and there were some improvements and reforms to make it more efficient. The Senate narrowly advanced the tax-cut, immigration, border and military spending bill in a procedural vote late on Saturday, voting 51-49 to open debate on the 940-page megabill. Trump wants the bill passed before the July 4 Independence Day holiday. BILL POLITICS Amendments proposed by Democratic senators such as the proposed limiting cuts to Medicaid were rejected by the Republican majority. Embedded in the Senate Republicans' bill are several hot-button political issues, like a prohibition of Medicaid funding for a list of almost 30 medical procedures related to gender transition, as well as an increase of immigration-related funding for criminal and gang checks for unaccompanied migrant children, including examinations of "gang-related tattoos" for children as young as 12 years old. Early on Tuesday, Democrats and Republicans voted down an attempt by Republican Senator Susan Collins to cushion the impact of Medicaid cuts on rural health facilities by doubling federal support to $50 billion over five years and paying for the increase by raising the top federal tax rate. The measure still drew support from 18 Republicans. Elon Musk, formerly appointed by Trump to spearhead his government cost-cutting plan before the pair had a public falling-out in June over the budget bill, threatened on Monday to target Republicans ahead of the 2026 mid-term election. "Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!," Musk posted on X. He also reiterated his interest in a new political party and accused lawmakers in both parties of belonging to the "porky pig party," a dig at government spending levels. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which says the majority of its members are small businesses, backs the bill. However, John Arensmeyer, who represents more than 85,000 small enterprises at the Small Business Majority, cautioned that the business tax relief is currently skewed to the wealthiest, top 5% of small businesses. DEBT CEILING DEADLINE The Republican measure contains a $5 trillion debt ceiling increase - $1 trillion more than the House's bill - but failure to pass some version would present lawmakers with a serious deadline later this summer, when the Treasury Department could come close to exhausting its borrowing authority and thus risk a devastating default. The debt limit increase has caused Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky to come out in opposition to the bill, joining fellow Republican Tillis, who decried its cuts to Medicaid and clean energy initiatives. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate bill would result in about 11.8 million additional uninsured people, surpassing estimates for the House's version. If the Senate succeeds in passing the bill, it will then go to the House, where members are also divided, with some angry about its cost and others worried about cuts to the Medicaid program. The megabill would extend the 2017 tax cuts that were Trump's main legislative achievement during his first term as president, cut other taxes and boost spending on the military and border security. Senate Republicans, who reject the budget office's estimates on the cost of the legislation, are set on using an alternative calculation method that does not factor in costs from extending the 2017 tax cuts. Outside tax experts, like Andrew Lautz from the nonpartisan think tank Bipartisan Policy Center, call it a "magic trick." Using this calculation method, the Senate Republicans' budget bill appears to cost substantially less and seems to save $500 billion, according to the BPC analysis. (Writing by Richard Cowan and Costas Pitas; Editing by Michael Perry) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Three counties in NM potentially exposed to measles
Jun. 13—Health officials said Friday that residents in three New Mexico counties have potentially been exposed to measles by way of two travelers who were diagnosed with the disease during their visit to the state. People in Bernalillo, Santa Fe and Sandoval counties may have been exposed by one adult with an unknown vaccination status, along with an 18-month-old child with an age-appropriate vaccination, the New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) said in a news release. The two were traveling separately and have since left New Mexico, said David Morgan, public information officer for the DOH. When there has been a potential mass exposure, the DOH seeks information to determine which public areas a person with measles has visited. "In addition to providing locations for potential exposure, we provide the public with what symptoms they need to be aware of and guidelines on what actions to consider taking if they suspect they may have contracted measles," Morgan told the Journal. Measles symptoms begin with a cough, runny nose and red eyes before progressing to a fever and rash. In the latest health alert, the DOH warned that there may have been an exposure risk at the following times and locations: —Monday, June 2, from 1-4 p.m. at the Rio Rancho Aquatic Center, 745 Loma Colorado NE. —Thursday, June 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Walmart Supercenter, 5701 Herrera Drive, in Santa Fe. —Friday, June 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Walmart Supercenter, 2550 Coors NW, in Albuquerque, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at El Super, 4201 Central NW, in Albuquerque. —Tuesday, June 10, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. at the University of New Mexico Hospital Adult Urgent Care, 2211 Lomas NE, in Albuquerque, and from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Albuquerque International Sunport main terminal, TSA security checkpoint, Terminal A, Gate A6. "These two cases remind us that travel remains an exposure risk when it comes to this contagious virus," said Dr. Miranda Durham, the NMDOH chief medical officer. "The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine remains the best protection against measles." New Mexico's total measles case count stood at 81 as of Friday.
