Wed, December 18, 2024

by: Detroit Free Press

Why the Biden administration is selling border wall materials

Surplus border wall materials are being auctioned, sparking debate over border security and federal resource management.

by: FOX59 News

Massie drops colorful analogy opposing foreign aid, mocks Speaker Johnson with AI-generated image

Thomas Massie likened U.S. foreign aid to an individual watering their neighbor's yard while their own house burns, and illustrated his point with an AI image of Speaker Mike Johnson.

by: The New York Times

Trump Criticizes Spending Deal, Pushing Congress Toward a Shutdown

The president-elect weighed in against the mammoth spending package after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy had spent the day attacking it and warning Republicans not to support it.

by: NJ.com

Trump ally Elon Musk amps up efforts to torpedo spending bill

The spending deal was met with swift backlash from conservatives in the House, with many Republicans lamenting the bill for including large amounts of spending. Musk, a close advisor of President-elect Donald Trump, tried to torpedo the bill starting early Wednesday morning in a flurry of posts to social media platform X.

by: FOX59 News

'Pattern of disregard': Red states seek court action against Biden admin's 'shameful' border wall disposal

Texas' General Land Office is pushing for action on what it says is a "shameful" disposal of border wall materials by the federal government from a district court.

by: thenightly

LATIKA M BOURKE: The sad and sorry saga of the Australian Embassy in Kyiv under Penny Wong

Labor's decision to reopen the embassy, on the eve of the federal election and nearly three years after the war began, is as unforgivably late as their buffet of implausible excuses.

by: ABC

Social Security Fairness Act clears Senate procedural hurdle, on path for final passage

In a final lame-duck push, the Senate will attempt to pass legislation aimed at providing full Social Security benefits to millions of Americans this week.

by: Modern Healthcare

Trump says he opposes stopgap government spending bill

President-elect Donald Trump — just days before federal funding is set to expire — said he wants lawmakers to also include an increase to the debt ceiling in the package

by: News Tribune

Meet Simone Carter, McClatchy's new Washington state government reporter

Reporter Simone Carter, a Texas native who previously worked for the Dallas Observer and Newsweek, has joined The Olympian to cover Washington state government for the state capital's newspaper as well as McClatchy's three other sites in the state.

by: Business Insider

Elon Musk bashes Congress' government funding bill

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he spoke with Musk about his displeasure Tuesday night, though the DOGE cohead said on X that the bill shouldn't pass.

by: The New York Times

Trump's Criticism of Spending Deal Raises Fears of Government Shutdown

The president-elect weighed in against the mammoth spending package after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy had spent the day attacking it and warning Republicans not to support it.

by: The Daily Signal

Trump, Vance Throw Curveball Into Spending Fight as Hill Scrambles to Fund Government

The continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown by funding the government until March is not being received well on Capitol Hill.

by: NBC News

Trump opposes funding bill, pushing government closer to a shutdown

Elon Musk joined a wave of right-wing fury against a bill to keep the government open. Now, the president-elect says he wants big changes too before this weekend's deadline.

by: BizPac Review

'This is an early test': Ramaswamy dissects 1,500 pg. spending bill, says it 'should fail'

DOGE is getting a test run as Vivek Ramaswamy read all 1,500+ pages of a spending bill and then gave his advice.

by: ABC

Editorial Roundup: United States

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: Dec. 12 The Washington Post says Joe Biden shouldn't use preemptive pardons

by: The New York Times

Inside a Huge Spending Deal: Disaster Money, a Football Stadium and More

The mammoth year-end federal funding measure congressional leaders agreed on does far more than just keep the government running. It is stuffed with all manner of policy and other changes.

by: Mother Jones

Trump's Billionaire Cabinet Is Unprecedented

The president-elect has tapped five reported billionaires for cabinet posts: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for interior secretary, hedge funder Scott Bessent for treasury secretary, Cantor Fitzgerald chief Howard Lutnick for commerce secretary,

by: PBS

Senate defense bill to raise troop pay and bar trans care for minors to receive final vote

Lawmakers said those were key to improving the quality of life of service members at a time when many military families rely on food banks and other government assistance programs to make ends meet. "It includes major quality of life improvements ...

by: Governing

Who Depends Most on Washington? Rural Counties That Voted Heavily for Trump

More than anything it's the simple result of Americans growing older, a fact of life we haven't come to grips with politically.

by: The Daily Telegraph

Scottish Labour leader attacks Starmer's 'deeply disappointing' Waspi women decision

Russell Findlay, the Scottish Tory leader, said: "Anas Sarwar thought he would stroll into Bute House in 2026, but Sir Keir Starmer is wrecking Scottish Labour's campaign by breaking every promise he made before the general election and betraying pensioners, farmers, businesses and workers."

by: USA Today

Larry Bucshon says he's figured out his post-Congress career

It's a well-worn and not necessarily surprising path 8th District Rep. Larry Bucshon will follow when he leaves Congress next month after 14 years.

by: ktvq

Congress would get pay raise if lawmakers pass government funding bill

If the funding bill passes, members of Congress could receive a raise of up to 3.8%, or about $6,600 annually. Congress has to pass the bill, which also includes $100 billion for disaster relief, before Saturday to avoid a partial government shutdown.

by: Sydney Morning Herald

Why my bosses are both out of a job. But spa builders are doing OK

What's in a job title? Everything, if your job just happened to disappear as part of a major revamp by the bureau of statistics of the nation's thousands of occupations.

by: The Hill

Congress strikes deal to avert government shutdown

Congressional leaders have struck a bipartisan deal to keep the government funded beyond a looming Dec. 20 shutdown deadline. Legislation rolled out by leadership on Tuesday would kick the Friday

by: Yahoo News UK

Why has Elon Musk met Nigel Farage and what could it mean for Reform UK?

The billionaire owner of X is reportedly keen to influence UK politics, but would the current rules allow him to?

by: WLRN

'Culture for Service and Service for Humanity': Phi Beta Sigma Way touches down in Miami Gardens

The City of Miami Gardens will rename a section of Northwest 191st Street "Phi Beta Sigma Way" on Dec. 19. The Rho Sigma Chapter, established in 1927, has played a pivotal role in South Florida, advocating for education and social justice.

by: The Daily Mirror

Map shows how many WASPI women missed out in your area and how much they would have got

Keir Starmer faces fury over Labour's decision to reject compensation for over 3.5million women in spite of a bombshell watchdog report calling for payouts of nearly £3,000

by: BBC

Badenoch attacks PM over 'cruel' Winter Fuel Payment cuts in final PMQs of year

by: KXXV News Channel 25

Texas school districts asked to return $16 million in federal funding for special education services

The request comes after an audit found Texas improperly billed the federal government for reimbursements related to Medicaid-eligible students.

by: WESA

Pa. casts 19 Electoral College votes for Donald Trump

Pennsylvania's 19 Republican electors submitted ballots in support of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance on Tuesday at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. The largely ceremonial vote brings the country one step closer to a nationwide congressional certification in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.

by: The Scranton Times-Tribune

Musk and Trump are viewed roughly the same by Americans, new poll finds

Musk's attachment to Trump has created an alliance between America's most powerful politician and its richest businessman — and roughly the same percentages of Americans have favorable views of each, according to a new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

by: MSN

China has expanded its nuclear force and strengthened ties to Russia, the Pentagon says

China is expanding its nuclear force, has increased military pressure against Taiwan and has strengthened its ties with Russia over the past year, according to a Pentagon report Wednesday that details actions accelerating key areas of conflict with the United States.

by: MSN

House reverses course and plans to release Matt Gaetz ethics report

House reverses course and plans to release Matt Gaetz ethics report - Now-former congressman at center of years-long probe into allegations of sexual misconduct

by: MSN

Gov. Holcomb's tenure: Growth, controversy and future plans

News had a final sit-down interview with Holcomb, reflecting on the past eight years and looking forward to the future.

by: MSN

Trump says U.S. government "knows" where mysterious NJ drones came from

President-elect Donald Trump said the federal government knows where the drones spotted over New Jersey originated from, but he didn't offer evidence to support the claim.

by: syracuse.com

Congress unveils funding deal with more than $100 billion in disaster aid

Washington — Congressional leaders have unveiled a stopgap spending bill that will keep the federal government funded through March 14 and provide more than $100 billion in emergency aid to help states and local communities recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters.

by: Daily Express

Lee Anderson's scathing two-word attack on Keir Starmer after PM 'told lies to pensioners'

The outspoken Reform MP spoke out as details Labour backtracking on pledges to pensioners and WASPI women have emerged.

by: The Independent

Musk and Farage have handed Starmer a golden chance to clean up political murky money

It's in the Labour Party's interest to have a cap on individual donations, otherwise Musk's attempt to buy votes could put Reform in the running for the next election, writes Andrew Grice

by: PBS

Congress nears funding deal with more than $100 billion in disaster aid, avoiding government shutdown

Congressional leaders have unveiled legislation that will keep the federal government funded through March 14 and provide more than $100 billion in emergency aid to help states and local communities recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters.

by: MSN

MSNBC's Joy Reid calls out Democratic Party for being run like a 'gerontrocracy' of consultants and donors

MSNBC host Joy Reid criticized the Democratic Party for refusing to allow younger voices like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a chance to take leadership roles.

by: MSN

Red, Blue, And You: New Tool Lets Homebuyers Check Neighbors' Politics

Homebuyers are increasingly considering political leanings when choosing neighborhoods, according to a brand-new report. Real estate agents note that clients prioritize communities aligning with their political views, seeking compatibility beyond ...

by: MSN

Australian Embassy to return to Kyiv and operate fully from next month

The Australian Embassy in Ukraine was temporarily relocated from Kyiv to Lviv on Feb. 13, 2022, due to the Russian military buildup, and was then closed on Feb. 22 after Russian dictator Vladimir Putin recognized the "L/DPR" militant groups in Donbas.

by: MSN

New mission for longtime Trump ally and friend Herschel Walker

President-elect Donald Trump has a new game plan for Herschel Walker, naming the former football star and Republican Senate candidate as ambassador to the Bahamas.

by: ABC News

Democracies across the globe are at a crossroads, as authoritarians seek to chip away at freedoms

Still, there is a clear silver lining for democracy. The same Pew poll that found its appeal slipping also found that it remains by far the preferred system of government worldwide. And people turned out to demonstrate that, during elections and in protest ...

by: Florida Politics

Bill Posey looks back at accomplishments and sudden close to years of service

U.S. Rep. Bill Posey spent decades urging greater transparency and accountability in government. Heading into 2024, he felt optimistic he could serve one last term with President-elect Donald Trump back in the White House.

by: USA Today

Trump is promising deportations on 'day one.' Who is he targeting and what can he do?

Donald Trump wants to deport millions as soon as he takes office. But there are laws that could slow him down.

by: Sacramento Bee

Union membership continues slow decline as California hires more rank-and-file employees

At SEIU Local 1000, 456 fewer members paid dues in October 2024, compared to the previous year's payroll period. Meanwhile, the state hired nearly 3,000 more employees among the nine units represented by SEIU Local 1000, which resulted in a two point decrease in the union's due-paying membership.

by: MSN

Wake up with the Washington Examiner: What the next fight with China looks like and Trump has a new media strategy

Trump's Billionaire Cabinet Is Unprecedented

The president-elect has tapped five reported billionaires for cabinet posts: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for interior secretary, hedge funder Scott Bessent for treasury secretary, Cantor Fitzgerald chief Howard Lutnick for commerce secretary,

The article from Mother Jones discusses the unprecedented wealth of Donald Trump's cabinet members, highlighting how their combined net worth significantly surpasses that of any previous presidential cabinet. It points out that Trump's administration includes several billionaires, such as Betsy DeVos, Wilbur Ross, and Steven Mnuchin, whose personal fortunes dwarf those of cabinet members in past administrations. The piece argues that this concentration of wealth could influence policy-making, potentially prioritizing the interests of the ultra-rich over those of the general public. It also touches on the potential conflicts of interest and the implications for governance, suggesting that such a wealthy cabinet might not adequately represent or address the needs of average Americans. The article uses historical comparisons to underline the uniqueness of Trump's cabinet in terms of financial status and raises concerns about the impact of this wealth on policy decisions, regulatory oversight, and the broader democratic process.

Read the Full Mother Jones Article at:
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/12/trumps-billionaire-cabinet-is-unprecedented/