INTERNACIONAL
Horse Sense: House Republicans work to pass ‘big, beautiful bill’
We’re in the interlude between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness.
Derby winner Sovereignty won’t run in the Preakness coming up in Baltimore.
But House Republicans aren’t skipping out on trying to finish the big, beautiful bill. And if this were a horse race, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., would dare the pony players to bet against House Republicans when it comes to wrapping things up.
«Stop doubting us. We’re going to get this job done,» said Johnson about the plan to renew tax cuts and slash spending.
REPUBLICANS SQUABBLE OVER TRUMP SPENDING PLAN AS FISCAL YEAR 2026 LOOMS: ‘STAY UNTIL WE PASS IT’
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is pictured next to the U.S. Capitol. (Getty Images)
House Republicans aren’t exactly maidens here. But the morning line might suggest House Republicans are due to lose in this sweepstakes.
Like the Triple Crown, there are three steps to this legislative tournament. And Republicans are now on to the final leg of a legislative trifecta.
It was a photo finish in February when House Republicans barely adopted the framework for the tax cut and spending reduction measure. The House GOP leadership appeared to make the vote a late scratch – with Members fleeing the Capitol, only to have them recalled to the House chamber moments later. The Republican leadership brass shored up support for the plan and the House passed it.
It was a repeat in April when House Republicans tried to align with the Senate on their version of the blueprint. Republicans managed to lug the framework across the finish line by a nose, 216-214. Flip one vote and that would have produced a tie. A tie vote would have sent the big, beautiful bill out to a big, beautiful pasture.
House Republicans were only in the money on the Senate framework after conservatives secured some commitments from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., that senators would make substantial spending cuts.
But when it comes to actually finishing this version of the bill, House Republicans are barely a furlong into the race.
A debate rages about what Republicans should address in the bill. Passage hinges on what’s in or out.
«Everybody’s going to have to give, including, the SALT provision,» said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., referring to a potential deduction for state and local taxes, known as SALT. «There’s a happy medium that will have to be met to get the cuts.»
Moderate Republicans from high tax states like New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey will demand the deduction in order to secure their votes for the entire plan. Norman noted that «each individual state’s going to have to have some pain» before this goes to the finish line.
«We’re going to find the equilibrium point on SALT that no one will be totally delighted with,» said Johnson. «But it’ll solve the equation and we’ll get it done.»
USER’S MANUAL TO WALTZ’S NSA EXIT AND ITS REVERBERATIONS ON CAPITOL HILL
«We’re in a very good place as it relates to not just the SALT deduction,» said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., «The people like the ones I represent in Staten Island and Brooklyn desperately need this relief because our mayor and our governor keep hammering us over the head with high taxes.»
There are also items President Trump insists that lawmakers tuck into the bill.
«No tax on tips. No tax on overtime,» echoed House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.
But the toughest decisions of all center around changes – or cuts – to entitlement programs. Republicans have bandied around the idea that they could save up to $550 billion from waste and fraud in Medicaid over a decade. But there’s evidence that figure is markedly lower. Republicans disagree.
«Some of the information we’ve uncovered would indicate that (the improper payments figure) is much higher,» said Johnson. «We’re going to try to eliminate that. And I think we owe that to the taxpayers.»
But Democrats aren’t buying that.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol, in Washington, Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
«They’re lying to the American people,» said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
Democrats argue Republicans might cook the books to cover the cost of the tax breaks and shore up possible holes in the deficit.
«They’re going to make up whatever numbers they want,» said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the ranking Democrat on Energy and Commerce Committee. «They know they can’t reach these numbers.»
One item expected in the bill: a major hike in the debt ceiling.
«When is X date?» asked Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing.
The «X date» refers to when the federal government exhausts its ability to cover its obligations.
«As an outfielder running for a fly ball, we are on the warning track. When you’re on the warning track, it means the wall is not that far away,» replied Bessent.
Or, coming up the side rail.
But Bessent added that the government «will not default.»
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: WHERE WE STAND WITH TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’
Lawmakers grilled cabinet members about trimming departments at hearings this week. Such was the case when Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins appeared before a Senate panel.
«You are taking a meat cleaver approach. There’s that old adage. Measure twice. Cut once. You guys have been cutting without measuring,» charged Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.
«I’ve not cut anything yet,» responded Collins.
The Secretary added that there was a «goal» to restructure his department and cut significant numbers of jobs.
«Do you want to reach your goal or not?» asked Hassan.
«The goal is not a fact,» replied Collins.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins also found herself testifying about efforts to shrink her department before another Senate panel. She conceded that slimming government is hard.
«Have we done it perfectly? No. Any type of scale change and big effort to basically realign an entire government agency is difficult,» said Rollins.
Democrats warn that Republicans will rue the day when they approve deep cuts.
Scott Bessent, US treasury secretary, during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«Each Republican who votes for reconciliation and bad budgets will be left holding that hot potato,» said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer,» D-N.Y.
One senior House conservative told Fox they thought passing the bill would be «easy» compared to the other two rounds. Another conservative and a moderate Republican argued it would be harder. Much harder.
The best gamblers know that it’s best to quit when you’re ahead. House Republicans managed to eke out victories in the first two rounds. One argument is that they have momentum. Horse sense would tell you that the odds are against them.
But this is Capitol Hill. And you never know how things are going to turn out.
Mike Johnson and Republicans have no other choice. They promised the public they would pass the bill. President Trump expects it. There are no other options.
Pacing is everything in horseracing. A good jockey knows how to coax a burst of energy out of their horse at the right minute. When to give them the whip.
We’re looking at you, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.
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So the crowd is roaring. The hooves are thundering. Mud and dirt are flying. The stewards are watching.
Johnson contends the House isn’t off the pace with its goal of passing the package by Memorial Day. But Republicans are trying to pass a very complex bill with a tiny majority. It’s like running on a sloppy track. Republicans gallop down the homestretch soon.
The next few weeks will be a wild ride.
Politics,House Of Representatives,Congress,Republicans,Democratic Party,Mike Johnson
INTERNACIONAL
Maine Dem Senate hopeful backed by Bernie Sanders apologizes for Nazi-style tattoo, vows to stay in race
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Maine Democrat Graham Platner, a first-time Senate candidate backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., says he has covered up a tattoo widely recognized as a Nazi symbol after critics unearthed old social media posts and demanded he quit the race.
Platner’s campaign is facing intense scrutiny after it was revealed he once had a skull-and-crossbones tattoo resembling the Totenkopf used by Hitler’s SS paramilitary forces.
Platner said he got the tattoo in 2007 during a «night of drinking» while on leave in Croatia in the Marine Corps and claimed he did not know its historical associations at the time. He has since covered the image with another tattoo.
DELETED POSTS URGING VIOLENCE HAUNT DEMOCRATIC SENATE HOPEFUL IN MAINE RACE
In a video posted to Instagram Wednesday afternoon, Platner elaborated that the design was chosen from a flash tattoo wall while «carousing» with fellow Marines in Split, Croatia.
«We thought it looked cool,» he said.
He claimed he had «lived a life dedicated to anti-fascism, anti-racism and anti-Nazism» and was «appalled» to learn it resembled a hate symbol.
Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, points to a covered tattoo that had previously been an image recognized as a Nazi symbol, during an interview Wednesday in Portland, Maine. (WGME via AP)
Platner said he had never been questioned about the tattoo during his service and passed Army background checks.
He told The Associated Press he chose to cover rather than remove the tattoo due to a lack of removal services near his home in rural Maine.
«Going to a tattoo removal place is going to take a while,» Platner said. «I wanted this thing off my body.»
In the video, Platner said he had the symbol inked over with a Celtic knot and imagery of dogs, a tribute to his family pets.
«This far more represents who I am now than even the skull and crossbones did,» he said, lifting his shirt to reveal the new tattoo.
REPUBLICAN LAWMAKER DIRECTS INVESTIGATION AFTER SWASTIKA VANDALISM DISCOVERED IN DC OFFICE
U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, D-Maine, speaks at a town hall at the Franco Center Oct. 15, in Lewiston, Maine. (Libby Kenny/Sun Journal via AP)
The controversy comes on the heels of deleted Reddit posts in which Platner appeared to mock military sexual assault victims, criticize police and make racially-charged comments about tipping.
Platner since apologized and blamed the posts on depression and PTSD after his military service in Afghanistan. He has vowed to stay in the race and has the backing of Sanders.
Jordan Wood, a Democratic rival in the primary and former chief of staff to Rep. Katie Porter, is calling on Platner to drop out.
«Graham Platner’s Reddit comments and Nazi SS Totenkopf tattoo are disqualifying and not who we are as Mainers or as Democrats,» Wood said in a statement. «With Donald Trump and his sycophants demonizing Americans, spewing hate and running roughshod over the Constitution, Democrats need to be able to condemn Trump’s actions with moral clarity. Graham Platner no longer can.»
Platner said he believes the controversy is part of his life story, not disqualifying.
U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, D-Maine, acknowledges a large crowd during a town hall Sept. 25, in Portland, Maine. (Daryn Slover/Portland Press Herald via AP)
«I don’t look at this as a liability. I look at this as a life that I have lived, a journey that has been difficult, that has been full of struggle, that has also gotten me to where I am today,» Platner told the AP. «And I’m very proud of who I am.»
He blamed «establishment» forces for amplifying the backlash to derail his campaign.
«Every second we spend talking about a tattoo I got in the Marine Corps is a second we don’t talk about Medicare for all,» Platner said in the video.
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He is running in a packed Democratic primary against Wood and two-term Gov. Janet Mills.
GOP Sen. Susan Collins, who has held the seat for three decades, has not yet commented on the controversy.
Sanders and Collins did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
senate,elections,maine,democrats senate,politics
Nicolás Sarkozy hizo historia, pero no por un logro político: se convirtió en el primer exjefe de Estado francés en ir a prisión desde el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
El expresidente, que gobernó Francia entre 2007 y 2012, ingresó poco antes de las 10 de la mañana a la cárcel parisina de la Santé para cumplir una condena de cinco años por asociación ilícita, tras ser encontrado culpable de financiar ilegalmente su campaña electoral de 2007 con fondos provenientes del dictador libio Muamar Gadafi.
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Minutos antes de entregarse, Sarkozy escribió en la red social X: “Esta mañana encierran a un inocente”. Denunció un “escándalo judicial” y un “viacrucis”, y aseguró: “La verdad triunfará, pero el precio a pagar habrá sido abrumador”. Nicolás Sarkozy junto a su esposa, la modelo y cantante Carla Bruni. (Foto: AFP/Julien De Rosa).
Un ingreso a prisión rodeado de polémica y apoyo
El tribunal que lo condenó en septiembre ordenó su ingreso inmediato en prisión, sin esperar el resultado del recurso presentado por su defensa. El juicio en apelación se celebrará en los próximos meses, pero la decisión ya generó un fuerte revuelo en la sociedad francesa.
Al grito de “¡Nicolas! ¡Nicolas!”, decenas de personas se acercaron para mostrarle su apoyo cuando salió de su casa en un exclusivo barrio del oeste de París rumbo a la prisión, seguido de cerca por cámaras y fotógrafos. Entre los manifestantes, algunos lloraron y otros denunciaron un “juicio político”. “¡Estamos en la Unión Soviética!”, gritó uno de ellos, mientras dos banderas francesas flameaban en la valla de seguridad. Nicolás Sarkozy pedirá la lbertad condicional por su edad, ya que tiene 70 años. (Foto: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier).
El propio Sarkozy, casado con la cantante Carla Bruni, contó al diario Le Figaro que entraría “con la cabeza alta”, acompañado por una biografía de Jesús y el libro “El Conde de Montecristo”, símbolo de los inocentes injustamente condenados.
Condiciones de detención y antecedentes históricos
Para evitar el contacto con otros presos y posibles fotos, Sarkozy ocupará probablemente una de las 15 celdas de aislamiento de la Santé, de nueve metros cuadrados cada una, según fuentes penitenciarias. Su llegada no pasó desapercibida: “¡Oh, bienvenido Sarkozy!”, gritaron algunos internos desde sus celdas. El expresidente francés Nicolás Sarkozy se despide de su espos,a la cantante y modelo Carla Bruni, antes de ir a la cárcel. (Foto REUTERS/Benoit Tessier).
Nacido el 28 de enero de 1955, Sarkozy sigue así los pasos de otros famosos reclusos de la Santé, como el venezolano Carlos “El Chacal” o el dictador panameño Manuel Noriega. Pero es el primer exjefe de Estado francés encarcelado desde Philippe Pétain, quien fue condenado tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial por colaborar con la Alemania nazi.
El pedido de libertad condicional y el impacto político
Sus abogados ya solicitaron la libertad condicional, un beneficio posible para los presos mayores de 70 años. La justicia tiene dos meses para resolver el pedido.
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“Sarko”, como lo llaman en Francia, es el primer exmandatario de un país miembro de la Unión Europea en ir a prisión. Su encarcelamiento contrasta con la imagen de “mano dura” que construyó como ministro del Interior entre 2005 y 2007, antes de llegar a la presidencia. Sarkozy saluda a policías al salir de su casa. (Foto: AFP/Julien de Rosa).
La condena se basa en que permitió que allegados suyos buscaran fondos en la Libia de Muamar al Gadafi para financiar su campaña de 2007. Aunque no se probó que el dinero se usara “en última instancia”, el tribunal determinó que sí salió de Libia y lo condenó por la “excepcional gravedad de los hechos”.
Más causas y una sociedad dividida
No es la primera vez que Sarkozy enfrenta a la justicia: ya usó una tobillera electrónica a principios de año y acumula otras dos condenas por corrupción, tráfico de influencias y financiación ilegal de campaña en 2012. Además, tiene otras causas abiertas.
Según una encuesta reciente, seis de cada diez franceses consideran “justa” su entrada en prisión. Sin embargo, sus críticas a la supuesta politización de los jueces le valieron apoyos en sectores de la derecha y la ultraderecha. Un hombre saluda a Sarkozy cerca de la cárcel de La Santé. (Foto: REUTERS/Tom Nicholson).
La fiscalía abrió una investigación por amenazas en redes sociales contra la magistrada del caso. Incluso el presidente Emmanuel Macron se vio obligado a defender la independencia judicial, aunque el viernes recibió a Sarkozy en el Palacio del Elíseo. “Era normal que, en el plano humano, recibiera a uno de mis predecesores en este contexto”, explicó Macron.
El ministro de Justicia, Gérald Darmanin, también anunció que visitará a su mentor político en prisión, aunque el fiscal general de la Corte de Casación, Rémy Heitz, advirtió que esa visita podría “atentar contra la independencia de los magistrados”.
La carta de Sarkozy, antes de ingresar a prisión
Mientras me dispongo a atravesar los muros de la prisión de la Santé, mis pensamientos se dirigen al pueblo francés de todas las condiciones y opiniones.
Quiero decirles con la fuerza inquebrantable que es mía que no es un expresidente de la República el que está siendo encerrado esta mañana, es un hombre inocente.
Seguiré denunciando este escándalo judicial, este sufrimiento que llevo soportando más de diez años. ¡He aquí un caso de financiación ilegal sin financiación! Una investigación judicial a largo plazo iniciada con base en un documento cuya falsedad ya ha sido demostrada.
No pido ninguna ventaja ni ningún favor. No debo tener lástima, porque mi voz se escucha. No debo tener lástima porque mi esposa y mis hijos están a mi lado, y mis amigos son innumerables.
Pero esta mañana, siento un profundo pesar por Francia, humillada por el afán de venganza que ha llevado el odio a un nivel desigual. No me cabe duda. La verdad triunfará. Pero el precio a pagar será desgarrador.
Francia, Nicolas Sarkozy
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North Korea test fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, just days before President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders in South Korea.
South Korea’s military said the missiles, which were the first launched by its neighbor in five months, originated from an area south of Pyongyang and flew about 220 miles toward the northeast. The missiles did not land in the sea, the military added.
Trump is set to leave for Asia at the end of the week in what will be his first trip to the region during his second term. He plans to go to Malaysia first for a regional summit, and then head to Japan before traveling on to South Korea for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.
The president is expected to visit the South Korean city of Gyeongju ahead of the summit for bilateral meetings with leaders including Xi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
TRUMP CLAIMS PUTIN, XI, KIM ARE CONSPIRING AGAINST THE US AFTER MILITARY PARADE IN CHINA
North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong Un is shown left, conducted missile launches just days ahead of a visit by President Donald Trump to South Korea. (China Daily via Reuters/Korea News Service via AP; Ahn Young-joon/AP; Alex Brandon/AP)
South Korea’s military said Wednesday that it remains ready to repel any provocations by North Korea based on its alliance with the United States.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also told reporters that Tokyo was closely communicating with Washington and Seoul, including by sharing real-time missile warning data.
Wednesday’s ballistic missile launches by North Korea were the first of their kind since the country tested short-range systems on May 8 that simulated nuclear counterstrikes against U.S. and South Korean forces.
NUCLEAR THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA LOOM QUIETLY BEHIND WARS IN GAZA AND UKRAINE AT UNGA
A North Korean government photo shows what it says is a new intercontinental ballistic missile called the Hwasong-20 during a military parade on Oct. 10, 2025, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un displayed a new long-range intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade in Pyongyang that included foreign leaders.
The yet-to-be-tested Hwasong-20 was described by the state-owned Korean Central News Agency as having the «most powerful nuclear strategic weapons system.»
The government also displayed shorter-range ballistic, cruise and supersonic missiles at the military parade, which marked 80 years since the founding of the Worker’s Party.
Kim said at the parade that the military «must continue to evolve into an invincible force that eliminates all threats.»
A TV screen shows North Korea’s missile launch during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (Ahn Young-joon/AP)
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The foreign dignitaries at the parade included Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam.
Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
north korea,donald trump,south korea,china,japan,world
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