Latest news with #EricBurlison
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
GOP rep on Trump, Epstein files: ‘This is not a good moment'
Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) on Wednesday discussed the ongoing uproar over files related to an investigation on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and President Trump's recent pushback, saying it is 'not a good moment.' 'This is not a good moment. And I think that, you know, so I'm open if the President has information that we do not have, I want to hear it,' Burlison told NewsNation's Blake Burman on 'The Hill.' 'But I think the — the American people right now, they expected these files to be released. And I think, look, we've got how many victims, right? Hundreds of young girls were victimized. And I think the American people and these victims deserve to have some kind of clarity,' he added. Republican support recently came in for a new legislative push in the House to direct the Justice Department to release additional files on Epstein, despite pressure from Trump to drop the matter. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) have headed up the push, with Massie announcing on Wednesday that five more Republicans had signed on to co-sponsor the measure. The five included Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Jeff Van Drew (N.J.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Burlison and Tim Burchett (Tenn.). 'The American people deserve full transparency,' Van Drew said on the social platform X. 'I will never protect pedophiles or the elites and their circles,' Greene said in her own post. The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Another imposter scam hits Capitol Hill
Someone using an outdated cellphone number belonging to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-Arkansas) contacted at least one current and one former member of Congress seeking help with a purported project related to first lady Melania Trump. The impostor contacted to Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Missouri) and disgraced New York GOP congressman George Santos via the popular messaging app Telegram and directed them to install a special 'Phoner App' so more information could be shared with them about the alleged project, according to both Burlison and Santos.
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
'Men disguised as police' attempt to steal sphere-shaped UFO after new information is revealed
UFO researchers in Mexico claim that a group disguised as police have tried to steal the mysterious orb scientists believe may prove the existence of aliens. Dr Steven Greer, an American ufologist and retired physician, revealed on X that 'fake policemen' attempted to enter the vault in Mexico City where the suspected UFO is being kept while scientists examine it. Known as the Buga Sphere, the small, metal orb was spotted in March over the town of Buga in Colombia, zig-zagging through the sky in a way that defies the movement of conventional aircraft. The object was recovered shortly after it landed and has since been taken to Mexico to be analyzed by scientists, who have discovered a maze of fiber-optic wires inside that suggest it can send and receive signals. Controversial UFO researcher Jaime Maussan, who has had several claims about extraterrestrials debunked in recent years, hosted an international conference to discuss the latest findings on the Buga Sphere on June 20. US Congressman Eric Burlison of Missouri and Dr Greer were among a group of American officials in attendance when Maussan claimed that the imposters attempted to steal the Buga Sphere. Greer added that scientists have already taken samples of the UFO that 'will be tested in a state-of-the-art lab' to determine if the sphere really is from another planet. 'Those scientists and their information have been provided to the top law enforcement... Any sort of attempts to interfere with this examination will be known, and the people and perpetrators will be held to account for it,' Greer said in a June 21 post on X. Congressman Burlison added that it was his belief that governments and other groups may be working to suppress the public's knowledge of UFOs and alien life. 'It's not any government's right to protect knowledge about extra terrestrials, if it exists,' Burlison said on Friday. 'We have too many people reporting and too many videos to ignore it.' According to researchers at the conference, this is the first UFO recovered by private citizens and solely controlled by non-government scientists. The attempted robbery came right after Maussan and other researchers revealed that they are trying to reactivate the sphere using an electrical charge. According to Rodolfo Garrido, a Mexican engineer working with scientists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the sphere gave off a strong, decaying ionized field. That field was responsible for somehow dehydrating the field it landed in, killing all the grass and soil there. The June 20 presentation also revealed new images of the interior of the Buga Sphere, showing the nucleus of the device appeared to be similar in design to inventor Nikola Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower from the early 1900s. The concept of the tower was to send electrical power through the air and ground without using wires, potentially providing free or cheap energy to homes, businesses, and even ships or planes. Garrido said the Buga Sphere may have operated in a similar way, with a miniature Wardenclyffe Tower hidden inside the UFO. However, the engineer told reporters that scientists have no plans of cutting the sphere in half to reveal what's really inside. Instead they're working on plans to power it back up so the sphere will begin rotating and levitating again. 'It could be a theory that once it levitates, it could have direct communication with whoever sent it,' Garrido said through a translator. For now, Greer said that scientists examining the Buga Sphere at UNAM are setting up security for the metal samples headed for further testing. There has been no confirmation of Maussan's claims about the robbery attempt. The journalist has been tied to several debunked claims, including multiple incidents where Maussan claimed to have evidence of a real UFO sightings, only for it to be debunked as a comet or star in the night sky. Maussan has also claimed to have discovered physical evidence of mummified alien corpses on three separate occasions, but none of the incidents have been proven true. During the June 20 conference, Maussan put pieces of these alleged corpses on display for the researchers and government officials, including Greer and Burlison, who were allowed to hold the specimens while wearing gloves.
Washington Post
23-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Trump has proved he can work with Congress. He should try it again.
In the past week, as never before, President Donald Trump showed mastery of the legislative process. On Tuesday, when his gargantuan tax bill was stalled, he went to Capitol Hill to deliver a double-barreled message. To the fiscal hawks, he said not to 'f--- around with Medicaid.' To blue-state Republicans, he warned against holding out for further increases in caps on state and local tax (SALT) deductions. Again and again, to advance his 'big, beautiful' bill, Trump capitalized on his acolytes' love and fear. Opposing the bill would be 'the ultimate betrayal,' the White House warned Wednesday morning, as Trump's political advisers threatened to work for primary challengers against anyone voting no. That afternoon, Trump invited on-the-fence members of the Freedom Caucus to the White House. One of them, Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Missouri), said afterward that 'it was amazing to see him in action.' Burlison wound up supporting the bill. So did all but three House Republicans. It passed by one vote on Thursday morning. This does nothing to alter the fact that the legislation, as it stands, would drastically enlarge America's already enormous debt to 129 percent of gross domestic product, and that this would be disastrous for the economy and the dollar. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that Trump, when pressed, is able to act via Congress rather than executive order. He should endeavor to choose this path more often. The president is savvier about working the Hill today than he was eight years ago. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana) says Trump has been 'much more engaged in directing what happens than the first time because he and the leadership of Congress in 2017 were not seeing eye-to-eye.' Trump made repealing Obamacare his first legislative priority, for example, only because Congress wanted him to. By now, most Trump antagonists have retired from politics and the GOP is more MAGA than ever. But the president is also coordinating better with party leaders. He no longer agrees to requests from rank-and-file members that undermine delicate negotiations with party leaders. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) did the nitty-gritty work of shepherding the tax bill despite having the smallest House majority in nearly a century. He said it was like 'crossing over the Grand Canyon on a piece of dental floss.' After the House Budget Committee blocked the bill last Friday, Johnson worked all weekend to persuade four deficit hawks to change their votes to 'present' so it could advance to the floor Sunday night. In the following days, working in concert with Trump, Johnson continued to hammer out compromises. He revised the bill's work requirements for Medicaid recipients so that they would kick in at the end of 2026 rather than 2029. And he agreed to raise the cap for SALT deductions to $40,000 for people making up to $500,000 a year. (Under current law, the cap is $10,000 for everyone.) The hard, sometimes dirty, work of legislating might not be the easiest way to govern, but it is the most legitimate. Executive orders can be easily rescinded by future presidents or overturned by the courts. Laws are far more likely to endure. And the horse trading that's required to secure majorities ensures that policy reflects the broadest possible array of interests. Because all members of the House must stand for reelection every other year, they are more directly accountable to the people for votes they take than a president is — especially a president who will never again appear on a ballot. Too often, Trump bypasses or otherwise short-circuits the House and Senate, despite his party's majorities. Rather than turn out executive orders and social media posts unilaterally dictating policy, he should more often work toward meaningful legislation. Of course, he still has not pushed his tax bill over the finish line. It next moves to the Senate, where Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) says his members want to leave their 'imprint.' Thune can afford to lose the support of only three GOP senators. Some want deeper cuts in Medicaid, while others demand no cuts at all. Republican senators care little about SALT deductions, because they mainly affect blue states. Ideally, the Senate will improve on the bill by scaling back the tax cuts and identifying additional spending cuts. The House bill is projected to grow the country's $36.2 trillion national debt by more than $2.5 trillion, not counting interest payments. If temporary provisions now set to expire in four years are extended, the cost could rise above $5 trillion. As he voted no, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) called the bill a ticking debt bomb. 'We're not rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic,' he said on the House floor. 'We're putting coal in the boiler and setting a course for the iceberg.' Massie isn't wrong. At a minimum, the Senate should make the final package less fiscally irresponsible. This is how the legislative process is supposed to work.
The Hill
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Morning Report — A House GOP divided
Editor's note: The Hill's Morning Report is our daily newsletter that dives deep into Washington's agenda. To subscribe, click here or fill out the box below. Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here In today's issue: House lawmakers pressed through marathon committee sessions Wednesday to advance President Trump's legislative agenda, even as Republicans remain deadlocked on key issues including taxes and Medicaid that could delay or thwart passage of the bill by next week. The gripes from conservatives are centered on the House Energy and Commerce Committee's portion of the sprawling package, which beefs up work requirements for Medicaid and imposes more frequent eligibility checks but stops short of more substantial changes — such as siphoning federal funding away from states. The Committee, in a 30-to-24 party-line vote, advanced the health care section of the GOP's sweeping tax bill on Wednesday. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found the panel's work would reduce deficits by more than $880 billion by 2034, exceeding the instructions laid out in the budget resolution. But hard-liners, including Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), are unconvinced by the CBO's 'funny math.' 'In my opinion they don't go far enough,' said Burlison, a member of the House Freedom Caucus who does not support the package. While the bill is estimated to reduce federal spending in line with GOP goals, 8.6 million people would lose insurance based on the CBO's estimate — stoking concerns among members in both chambers. ▪ The Hill: The House Agriculture Committee voted to advance legislation that would make significant changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). ▪ The New York Times: Almost all of the cuts that Republicans hope to pass in the coming weeks will last only until Trump is set to leave office. ▪ Politico: Perks now, pain later: 12 ways Trump's megabill pushes tradeoffs beyond Election Day. ▪ The Hill: Celsius, compression socks and Cava: How lawmakers survived an all-nighter. Those results are drawing scrutiny and caution from both sides of the GOP's ideological spectrum, posing a difficult balancing act for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). The Speaker aims to bring the full bill for a vote next week, ahead of a self-imposed Memorial Day deadline. While conservatives complain the cuts are too small, moderates are more guarded and appear nervous to back provisions that were not as significant as they could have been but will still leave millions of Americans uninsured. And some lawmakers were caught off guard entirely by Medicaid provisions in their own bill. 'There were some items in there that, it was the first time we were hearing of them,' Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) told Politico. Asked by The Hill on Wednesday if he believes the deficit hawks are changing the rules in the middle of the game, Johnson said their gripes are part of the process. 'No, I don't think the goalposts are being moved,' he said. 'I think everybody's just expressing their preferences for the final product, and again, that's part of the process.' Meanwhile, several Republicans from high-tax blue states have also expressed fury over a $30,000 cap for the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, saying it remains far too low. Rep. Mike Lawler (N.Y.), one of the chamber's most vulnerable Republicans running for reelection, is among those pushing for a higher cap. In a social media spat Wednesday, he hit back at comments from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) who urged the GOP to press on over the SALT demands within the party. '[T]he reason you enjoy a gavel is because Republicans like me have won our seats. Good luck being in the Majority if we don't,' Lawler warned. ▪ The Wall Street Journal: Conservative House members are fuming at some of their Republican colleagues whose insistence on a much larger state and local tax deduction is one of the biggest remaining hurdles to the party's giant tax-and-spending bill. ▪ The Hill: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified in Congress on Wednesday to defend the Trump administration's budget request but faced a grilling on his drastic overhaul of the federal health agency. Here are key takeaways. SMART TAKE with NewsNation's BLAKE BURMAN: Will Congress ban itself from stock trading? The push to ban lawmakers from knowingly making trades received a boost Wednesday. 'I'm in favor of that, because I don't think we should have any appearance of impropriety here,' Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters. Johnson also made the case that members haven't received a pay increase since 2009, making it even more difficult for them to maintain their livelihoods in two different communities as the cost of living has risen. 'If you stay on this trajectory, you're going to have less qualified people who are willing to make the extreme sacrifice to run for Congress,' Johnson said. At some point, you'd think there'd be a discussion on raising congressional salaries. But in the era of the Department of Government Efficiency, will that happen anytime soon, and is the American public ready for that headline? Burman hosts 'The Hill' weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation. 3 THINGS TO KNOW TODAY: ▪ Some National Weather Service forecasting teams are so critically understaffed that the agency is offering to pay moving expenses for employees willing to transfer to those offices. Amid DOGE cuts, an estimated 500 National Weather Service employees have been fired or taken early retirements this year. ▪ The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Eric Ueland, a veteran Senate aide and a former White House legislative affairs director for Trump, as the deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget. The vote was 51-45. ▪ Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard fired two top intelligence officials who oversaw a recent intelligence assessment that contradicted Trump's assertions that the gang Tren de Aragua is operating under the direction of the Venezuelan regime. LEADING THE DAY © Associated Press | J. Scott Applewhite SUPREME COURT: The most controversial and perhaps impactful rulings by the high court are expected within weeks as justices' busy term winds down. The Hill's Ella Lee and Zach Schonfeld report how 'decision season' will touch on the role of religion in public life, gender-affirming care and the environment. NBC News and The New York Times: Whether Trump can change automatic citizenship, written into the Constitution as a right for those born in this country regardless of their parents' citizenship, poses broad implications for his agenda. Oral arguments are scheduled today before the Supreme Court. WHO'S WRIT OR WRONG? Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday offered some carefully worded support for suspension of habeas corpus as part of the administration's immigration crackdown (The Hill). Some in the administration believe the government does not have to defend incarcerations of individual migrants because Trump declared a national immigration emergency and he refers to illegal U.S. entry as an 'invasion.' 'I'm not a constitutional lawyer, but I believe it does,' Noem tolda House lawmaker when asked whether the constitutional test has been met to bypass protections under habeas corpus, which means 'you have a body.' The secretary is not a lawyer. STATE WATCH: Six months after Missouri voters approved an abortion-rights amendment, Republican state lawmakers on Wednesday approved a new referendum that would repeal it and instead ban most abortions with exceptions for rape an incest. 2028: Is Democrat Rahm Emanuel beta testing a presidential run? The former House member, top adviser to two presidents, ex-Chicago mayor and most recently the former U.S. ambassador to Japan appeared Wednesday on ABC's 'The View,' noting that with his recent political commentary, he's 'in training. … I don't know if I'll make the Olympics.' WHERE AND WHEN ZOOM IN © Associated Press | Angelina Katsanis TEMPERATURES CLIMB WITH ICE: An altercation last week involving three Democratic lawmakers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a detention center in New Jersey lingers in the news because House members and the administration squared off, each side wielding political megaphones in a bitter clash made for the digital age. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem this week accused Democratic Garden State Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Robert Menendez and LaMonica McIver of 'committing felonies' during a Friday scuffle with law enforcement. Democrats have accused the Homeland Security Department of lying about what happened, and after a department spokesperson suggested House Democrats could be arrested, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) warned Trump administration officials that 'we are going to have a problem' with arrests. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) warned Republicans and the administration on Tuesday to think twice before sanctioning or arresting three elected House Democrats who said they were inspecting an ICE facility in their state. 'They'll find out,' Jeffries replied when asked how he'd respond if his colleagues were arrested or punished. 'It's a red line, it's very clear,' he told reporters. ▪ CBS News: Seventeen relatives of a notorious Mexican cartel leader entered the U.S. with luggage by crossing the border in an apparent deal with the Trump administration related to ongoing prosecution. ▪ The Hill: Columbia University is trying to appease the Trump administration, with little tangible success so far. While praise came quickly from the White House, funding paused by the federal government was not restarted and members of the Columbia community are denouncing its actions, which include giving into the administration's original funding demands. ▪ The Hill: Trump favors transaction more than confrontation, and two can play at that game. An array of Democratic visitors of late beat a path to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and to the president's Mar-a-Lago estate. 'As odious as Democrats find Trump himself, they still have to navigate the world as it is,' said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons. 'Everybody is trying to figure it out in a way that's best for them.' ELSEWHERE © Associated Press | Alexander Nemenov, APF UKRAINE: Officials from both Russia and Ukraine are due to meet in Turkey today for ceasefire negotiations, which Russian President Vladimir Putin is not slated to attend. Putin's no-show raised confusion over whether they will even meet. Trump, who briefly floated the idea of attending the talks, looks increasingly unlikely to divert from his planned Gulf State itinerary. The Hill's Laura Kelly and Ellen Mitchell write Ukraine's supporters in Europe and Washington were prepared to call Putin's bluff on peace talks, expecting a proposed summit in Istanbul to fall apart and convince Trump that Moscow is an untrustworthy partner. Meanwhile, the promise of the Istanbul talks derailed European efforts to get the U.S. on board with imposing new sanctions on Russia if there is not an immediate 30-day ceasefire. 'There has been coordination with the Americans on sanctions, and there have been good signals,' a European official told The Washington Post. 'But in the end, it depends on the flavor of the day.' Reuters: What are the outlines and risks of a possible Ukraine peace deal? GULF DEALS: Trump's first trip of his second term through Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates is raising questions among Republican lawmakers who are second-guessing Trump's decision to accept a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar and wondering about Saudi Arabia entering the U.S. artificial intelligence industry in a major way, given the national security sensitivity of the technology. These latest developments combined with the Trump administration's nuclear negotiations with Iran, which bear some similarities to former President Obama's nuclear deal, is putting pressure on the U.S.-Israel relationship and making some GOP defense hawks on Capitol Hill uneasy. The Trump administration is clearing a path for Saudi Arabia and the UAE to pursue their artificial intelligence ambitions — and some of the biggest U.S. tech companies are seizing on that opening with plans to spend billions of dollars in the region. Under agreements expected to be unveiled in coming days, the key Gulf allies are poised to win wider access to advanced AI chips from Nvidia Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. that are considered the gold standard for running AI models. ▪ Politico: Dynamics are shifting in the Middle East under a U.S. president who sees the world through a financial lens, putting Arab states at an advantage and Israel at a disadvantage. ▪ CNBC: Boeing inks a record-breaking deal for Qatar Airways to buy up to 210 planes. ▪ The Hill: Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Wednesday questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi about her decision to advise Trump that the Justice Department viewed Qatar's offer of a jet as a 'legally permissible gift,' an assertion disputed by ethics and legal experts. Bondi, as a former lobbyist, represented the government of Qatar. SYRIA: Trump bucked critics in his administration and security hawks in Israel in his decision to lift all sanctions on Syria and embrace its new leader, a U.S.-designated terrorist with ties to al Qaeda and ISIS. Trump's decision is welcome among Syrian American activists, some oil and gas executives, lawmakers, and Gulf and Arab leaders who lobbied the administration to ease sanctions to allow the new Syrian government a chance at survival. ▪ NBC News: Trump shocks and delights Syrians by lifting sanctions after 45 years. Now what? ▪ CNN: Israel targeted Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar in a strike on a hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday. ▪ The New York Times: Trump on Thursday visited Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East. ▪ BBC: Trump has said that India has offered to drop all tariffs on goods imported from his country. OPINION ■ Trump belatedly wakes up to Putin's brutality, by Jim Geraghty, senior political correspondent and opinion contributor, The Washington Post. ■ The birthright citizenship case could split the country in two, by Andrea R. Flores, guest essayist, The New York Times. THE CLOSER © Associated Press | LM Otero And finally … ✈️ It's Thursday, which means it's time for this week's Morning Report Quiz! Alert to aviation-focused headlines, we're eager for some smart guesses about busy U.S. airports and those who brave the skies. Be sure to email your responses to asimendinger@ and kkarisch@ — please add 'Quiz' to your subject line. Winners who submit correct answers will enjoy some richly deserved newsletter fame on Friday. Which airport is America's busiest, as measured by passenger traffic? Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey recently experienced which of these safety issues affecting operations? The main runway (of three) at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., routinely handles how many daily takeoffs and landings, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority? Which of these former U.S. presidents was a pilot? Stay Engaged We want to hear from you! Email: Alexis Simendinger (asimendinger@ and Kristina Karisch (kkarisch@ Follow us on social platform X: (@asimendinger and @kristinakarisch) and suggest this newsletter to friends.
