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
EEUU afirmó que la vía diplomática con Irán sigue abierta y que los bombardeos no excluyen un posible acuerdo futuro
La Casa Blanca afirmó este jueves que mantiene abierta la comunicación con Irán y que la relación bilateral continúa en “una vía diplomática”, en medio de tensiones provocadas por recientes bombardeos del ejército estadounidense contra instalaciones nucleares iraníes el pasado fin de semana. Así lo expresó la portavoz Karoline Leavitt durante una rueda de prensa, al referirse a los intentos de Washington de alcanzar acuerdos tras la ofensiva militar.
“El presidente Donald Trump quiere la paz, siempre la ha querido, y ahora mismo estamos en una vía diplomática con Irán. El presidente y su equipo, en particular el enviado especial para Oriente Medio, Steve Witkoff, siguen en comunicación con los iraníes”, afirmó Leavitt frente a periodistas.
El ataque del sábado por la noche tuvo como objetivo las plantas de enriquecimiento de uranio en Isfahan, Natanz y Fordow, según detalló la portavoz, quien subrayó que aunque existe disposición para dialogar, aún es temprano para definir una agenda concreta de contactos con Teherán.
Frente a las declaraciones del presidente estadounidense sobre eventuales acercamientos la próxima semana y la posibilidad de que un acuerdo ya no sea imprescindible tras los daños infligidos al programa atómico de Irán, Leavitt indicó que “acaban de realizar este ataque” y pidió paciencia antes de divulgar plazos oficiales.
Por su parte, el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores del régimen iraní, Abbas Araghchi, negó firmemente las especulaciones de que Irán se dispone a reanudar las negociaciones nucleares con Estados Unidos.
“Algunas especulaciones sobre la reanudación de las negociaciones no deben tomarse en serio”, dijo Araghchi en la televisión estatal. “Quiero dejar claro que no se ha llegado a ningún acuerdo, arreglo o conversación para iniciar nuevas negociaciones. Todavía no se ha establecido ningún plan para iniciar negociaciones”.
“No se ha llegado a ningún acuerdo o arreglo para reanudar las negociaciones. No se ha hecho ninguna promesa ni se ha mantenido ninguna discusión al respecto”, declaró Araghchi al canal estatal de noticias iraní IRINN.
“Hemos tenido una experiencia engorrosa con los estadounidenses: que traicionaron las negociaciones en mitad del proceso. Esta experiencia afectará sin duda a nuestras decisiones futuras. Pero esa decisión se tomará en última instancia en función del bienestar del pueblo iraní, no de las emociones ni de ninguna consideración superficial o temporal”, añadió.
Leavitt también informó que ha mantenido conversación “extensa” con Steve Witkoff y aseguró que la diplomacia estadounidense se coordina no solo con las autoridades iraníes, sino también con intermediarios claves como Qatar. Describió a la administración qatarí como un “aliado y socio increíble durante todo este proceso” y recordó que el emirato ha desempeñado un rol central como mediador, junto con Estados Unidos, entre Irán e Israel para propiciar el diálogo y promover un alto el fuego alcanzado el lunes.
Washington mantiene contacto constante con aliados en la región del Golfo Pérsico y el mundo árabe, en línea con los esfuerzos por consolidar “un acuerdo con Irán sobre la alianza con el Estado de Israel”, explicó Leavitt. Aseguró que la relación entre Washington y Tel Aviv “nunca ha sido tan fuerte” y resaltó la expectativa de que más Estados árabes se sumen a los Acuerdos de Abraham, iniciativas de normalización de relaciones diplomáticas con Israel ya adoptadas por Emiratos Árabes Unidos, Sudán, Baréin y Marruecos.
Por otra parte, la portavoz de la Casa Blanca también criticó al líder supremo iraní, el ayatollah Ali Khamenei, porque consideró que ejecuta una estrategia para “salvar las apariencias”, tras sus declaraciones públicas en las que minimizó el impacto de los bombardeos estadounidenses sobre las instalaciones nucleares. “Vimos el video del ayatollah, y cuando se tiene un régimen totalitario, hay que salvar las apariencias”, afirmó Leavitt en referencia a la postura del líder iraní, quien sostuvo que el presidente Trump “exageró” el daño logrado por la ofensiva militar.
El gobierno estadounidense sostiene que, pese a la escalada militar, continúa priorizando el entendimiento diplomático con Teherán y sus aliados regionales, considerando la persistente inestabilidad en el Medio Oriente y la búsqueda de nuevas fórmulas de cooperación.
(Con información de AFP y EFE)
North America,Government / Politics,Washington
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Those who leaked a preliminary assessment — rejected by the White House — on the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities will face justice for sharing the document, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
President Donald Trump and multiple leaders are saying that the strikes destroyed three Iranian nuclear sites.
A leaked report from the Defense Intelligence Agency, published by CNN and the New York Times, cast doubt on that though, saying that the strikes only set back Iran’s nuclear program by several months. CNN first reported the assessment’s findings, citing seven people who were briefed on the report. The outlet reported the findings were based on a battle damage assessment from U.S. Central Command.
Leavitt pushed back on the early assessment’s credibility, claiming the report was «flat-out wrong.»
«Everyone knows what happens when you drop 14 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration,» Leavitt said in a Tuesday statement.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the FBI is conducting an investigation to get to the bottom of the matter and who shared the document with the media.
TRUMP SLAMS RUSSIA’S CASUAL THREAT TO ARM IRAN WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS: ‘THAT’S WHY PUTIN’S THE BOSS’
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, Jun. 26, 2025. (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press)
Additionally, Leavitt told reporters that leaking classified information is a criminal offense and that those who fail to follow the law «need to be held accountable for that crime.»
«This administration wants to ensure that classified intelligence is not ending up in irresponsible hands, and that people who have the privilege of viewing this top secret classified information are being responsible with it,» Leavitt told reporters Thursday.
«Clearly, someone who had their hands on this and it was a very few people, very few number of people in our government who saw this report,» Leavitt said. «That person was irresponsible with it. And we need to get to the bottom of it. And we need to strengthen that process to protect our national security and protect the American public.»
Meanwhile, the U.S., Israel and Iran’s Foreign Ministry have all said that the three nuclear sites U.S. forces struck have encountered massive damage.
EX-CLINTON OFFICIAL APPLAUDS TRUMP’S ‘COURAGEOUS’ IRAN CALL, DOUBTS HARRIS WOULD’VE HAD THE NERVE
U.S. struck three nuclear sites in Iran Saturday. (Fox News)
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei told Al Jazeera Wednesday that the country’s nuclear facilities were «badly damaged,» and Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission said the U.S. strikes were «devastating.»
On Sunday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said that initial battle damage assessments suggest «all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction.»
Trump issued a word of caution to Iran Wednesday, should it attempt to repair its nuclear program once more, and said the U.S. wouldn’t hesitate to launch another strike against Iran.
Trump personally called for the firing of one of the reporters who authored the story about the initial assessment, claiming in a Wednesday Truth Social post that the reporter should be «IMMEDIATELY reprimanded, and then thrown out ‘like a dog.’»
RUSSIAN LEADER CLAIMS MULTIPLE COUNTRIES PREPPED TO PROVIDE IRAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOLLOWING US STRIKES
Trump lashes out at Israel and Iran with profanity for breaking ceasefire Tuesday. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Even so, CNN came to the defense of the reporter, Natasha Bertrand.
«We stand 100% behind Natasha Bertrand’s journalism and specifically her and her colleagues’ reporting of the early intelligence assessment of the U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities,» CNN said in a Wednesday statement. «CNN’s reporting made clear that this was an initial finding that could change with additional intelligence. We have extensively covered President Trump’s own deep skepticism about it.»
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
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