INTERNACIONAL
Inside the late-night drama that led to Trump’s tax bill passing by 1 vote
It was nearly 10 p.m. on a Sunday night when House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., surprised reporters in the hallway of the Cannon House Office Building.
The top House Republican was making a low-key — but high-stakes — visit to the House Budget Committee before the panel’s second meeting on President Donald Trump’s «big, beautiful bill.» The first meeting on May 16 had blown up without resolution when four fiscal hawks balked at the legislation and voted against advancing it to the full House.
«The real debate was, is when [we] voted not to approve the budget. And the reason I did that, along with the others, was we needed to make the provisions better,» Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital.
«It was our opportunity to make a bill that overall was good, better. And that was the impetus to stop the budget, and then get some concessions. And then when it reached Rules Committee, there really wasn’t that much dissension.»
MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, left, and President Donald Trump worked together to get the reconciliation bill over the line. (Getty Images)
The committee meeting continued with little fanfare, save for Democratic objections to the bill, before one more visit from Johnson, when he signaled the deal was sealed.
«I think what is about to happen here is that every member, every Republican member, will give a vote that allows us to proceed forward, and we count that as a big win tonight,» Johnson said.
He was right, with the legislation advancing exactly along party lines.
Fox News Digital was told that conservatives were anticipating what is called a manager’s amendment, a vehicle with wide flexibility to change legislation, before the House Rules Committee’s vote to advance the bill to the full chamber.
The House Rules Committee acts as the final gatekeeper to most bills before a House-wide vote. Trump himself made a rare visit to Capitol Hill the morning of May 20 to urge Republicans to vote for the bill.
MCCAUL TOUTS MONEY IN TRUMP TAX BILL TO PAY TEXAS BACK FOR FIGHTING BIDEN BORDER POLICIES
House leaders again signaled confidence late on May 21, informing Republicans that they would likely vote soon after the House Rules Committee’s meeting was over. However, that meeting alone had already dragged on for hours, from just after 1 a.m. on May 21 to finally voting on Trump’s tax bill just after 2:30 a.m. on May 22. Lawmakers and reporters alike struggled to stay awake as Democratic lawmakers forced votes on over 500 amendments, largely symbolic, in a bid to drag out the process.
Meanwhile, at some point overnight, talks with GOP holdouts went south.
The House Freedom Caucus held an impromptu press conference directly after Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., met with Johnson.
House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris led his group in calling for a delay on the vote. (Getty Images)
«The leadership’s going to have to figure out where to go from here,» Harris said. «I think there is a pathway forward that we can see…I’m not sure this can be done this week. I’m pretty confident it could be done in 10 days. But that’s up to leadership to decide.»
Harris also said the Freedom Caucus had struck a «deal» with the White House, something a White House official denied. «The White House presented HFC with policy options that the administration can live with, provided they can get the votes,» the official said.
However, the manager’s amendment, which finally came out just after 11 p.m. on May 21, eased the concerns of at least several of the fiscal hawks.
It bolstered funding to states that did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), included additional tax relief for gun owners, and quickened the implementation of Medicaid work requirements, among other measures.
Meanwhile, a small group of those House Freedom Caucus members had also been meeting with a small group of conservative senators who assured them they would seek deep spending cuts in the bill when it landed in the upper chamber, Norman said.
MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE
«It was our hope that the Senate would come back and even make the cuts deeper, so that the deficit could be cut,» Norman said.
The moves were not enough to ease everyone’s concerns, however. Roughly three hours after the amendment’s release, Freedom Caucus Policy Chair Chip Roy, R-Texas, was the only Republican member of the House Rules Committee to miss the key vote.
Fox News Digital inquired via text message why Roy missed the vote and was told he was «actually reading the bill…»
Nevertheless, it passed by an 8 to 4 vote — prompting House leaders to warn their members to return for what would be an all-night series of voting and debates. Democratic leaders, recognizing they would be sidelined completely if Republicans had enough support on their side, again moved to delay the proceedings.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar called a procedural vote to delay the measure. (Fox News Digital)
A whip notice sent to House Democrats, obtained by Fox News Digital, warned left-wing lawmakers that «House Republicans are planning to finish debate and vote on final passage of H.R. 1 late tonight.»
The notice advised that House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., would force a vote on adjourning the House and that «additional procedural votes are expected.»
In a bid to keep Republicans close to the House floor for what was an hourslong night, the speaker set up a side room with snacks and coffee for lawmakers to wait out proceedings. In the House Appropriations Committee room just down the hall, more Republicans were huddled over cigars and other refreshments. The smell of tobacco smoke wafted out as increasingly haggard lawmakers shuffled between the two rooms.
Fox News Digital even heard from several lawmakers inquiring when the final vote was expected to be — and wondering whether they had time for a nap themselves. Meanwhile, Fox News Digital spotted Harris and Roy walking the opposite way from the hullabaloo of the House floor, toward the much quieter Longworth House Office Building.
Both said they were leaving for more conversations with White House staff before the final vote.
SCOOP: HOUSE GOP MEMO HIGHLIGHTS REPUBLICAN WINS IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’
«The manager’s amendment gets us a little closer, but we’re still in discussions with the executive branch to see whether we can achieve the objectives that we seek, which is support the president’s goals on waste fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid and, you know, making sure that we’ve got all we can out of the Inflation Reduction Act,» Harris said.
Roy said he hoped Republicans would go further against states that drastically expanded their Medicaid populations under the ACA. He also signaled that leaders suggested at the time some further Medicaid reform could come from the White House.
«The speaker alluded to this afternoon…that there are things in the executive space, executive actions, that we think could take care of some of the concerns that we were having about — again, it’s not what we want, but it does ameliorate some of our concerns on the Medicaid expansion front,» Roy said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the speaker’s office for comment.
When it came time for the final vote, it appeared enough was done to get Roy on board. Harris, however, voted «present.»
Neither made themselves available for an interview for this story.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans celebrated passing President Donald Trump’s «big, beautiful bill.» (Getty Images)
The final vote saw just two Republican defections — Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., long a critic of Johnson, and Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio.
«While I love many things in the bill, promising someone else will cut spending in the future does not cut spending. Deficits do matter and this bill grows them now. The only Congress we can control is the one we’re in. Consequently, I cannot support this big deficit plan. NO,» Davidson posted on X just before the vote began.
Two other Republicans, Reps. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., and Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., both fell asleep before the final vote — but both said they would have voted to pass the bill.
In the end, it advanced by a 215-214 vote — with Republicans erupting in cheers when they realized the victory was locked.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
«The media, the Democrats have consistently dismissed any possibility that House Republicans could get this done. They did not believe that we could succeed in our mission to enact President Trump’s America First agenda. But this is a big one. And once again, they’ve been proven wrong,» Johnson said during a press conference after the vote.
Now, the bill is expected to be considered by the Senate next week — when senators are already signaling they are gearing up to make changes.
«I encourage our Senate colleagues to think of this as a one-team effort as we have, and to modify this as little as possible, because it will make it easier for us to get it over the line ultimately, and finish and get it to the president’s desk by July fourth,» Johnson said.
House Of Representatives,Republicans,Politics
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that California’s first-of-its-kind law requiring gun owners to undergo background checks to purchase ammunition is unconstitutional, declaring that it violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
In a 2-1 decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court judge’s permanent injunction blocking the state from enforcing the law.
Circuit Judge Sandra Ikuta said the law «meaningfully constrains» the right to keep and bear arms and that the state failed to prove the law was consistent with the country’s historical tradition of firearm regulation as required under a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision, New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen.
«By subjecting Californians to background checks for all ammunition purchases, California’s ammunition background check regime infringes on the fundamental right to keep and bear arms,» Ikuta wrote.
CALIFORNIA JUDGE BLACKS GUN CONTROL LAW REQUIRING BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR AMMO PURCHASES
A federal appeals court ruled that California’s law requiring gun owners to undergo background checks to purchase ammunition is unconstitutional. (Getty Images)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said the ruling was a «slap in the face» to efforts by officials in the Golden State to enact firearm restrictions to curb gun violence.
«Strong gun laws save lives – and today’s decision is a slap in the face to the progress California has made in recent years to keep its communities safer from gun violence,» Newsom said in a statement. «Californians voted to require background checks on ammunition and their voices should matter.»
The office of state Attorney General Rob Bonta, also a Democrat, said «our families, schools, and neighborhoods deserve nothing less than the most basic protection against preventable gun violence, and we are looking into our legal options.»
California voters approved a ballot measure in 2016 requiring gun owners to undergo initial background checks to purchase ammunition, as well as buy four-year ammunition permits.
Lawmakers later amended the measure to require background checks for each ammunition purchase.
California officials said they received 191 reports last year of «armed and prohibited individuals» who were blocked through background checks from purchasing ammunition.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court judge’s permanent injunction blocking the state from enforcing the law. (REUTERS/Bing Guan)
The state can ask an 11-judge appeals court panel or the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision.
The plaintiffs included Kim Rhode, who has won three Olympic gold medals in shooting events, and the California Rifle & Pistol Association.
The gun group’s president and general counsel said in a joint statement that the decision was a victory against «overreaching government gun control,» while Rhode described it as «a big win for all gun owners in California.»
The injunction was issued by U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez in San Diego. An appeals court panel placed the injunction on hold while California’s appeal played out.
California argued that several old firearms restrictions supported background checks, including colonial-era rules requiring licenses to produce gunpowder, the disarmament around 1776 of people who refused to take «loyalty oaths» and late-19th century rules requiring government approval to carry concealed weapons.
‘EXCESSIVE’ STATE TAXES ON GUNS, AMMUNITION SALES ARE TARGET OF NEW GOP CRACKDOWN EFFORT
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the ruling was a «slap in the face» to efforts by officials in the Golden State to curb gun violence. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Circuit Judge Jay Bybee, who dissented from Thursday’s decision, accused the majority of ignoring Supreme Court guidance by effectively declaring any limits on ammunition sales unlawful, given the unlikelihood a state could point to identical historical analogues.
The law «is not the kind of heavy-handed regulation that meaningfully constrains the right to keep and bear arms,» Bybee wrote.
All three judges on Thursday’s panel were appointed by Republican presidents, although appointees of Democratic presidents hold a majority in the 9th Circuit.
Ikuta and Bybee were appointed by former President George W. Bush, while Circuit Judge Bridget Bade, who joined Thursday’s majority, was appointed by President Donald Trump.
Reuters contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
Tailandia advirtió que los enfrentamientos armados con Camboya podrían derivar en una guerra “a gran escala”
Tailandia advirtió este viernes que los enfrentamientos armados con Camboya podrían escalar a una guerra a gran escala, en el segundo día consecutivo de hostilidades que ha dejado al menos 16 muertos y obligado a evacuar a más de 138.000 personas en ambos lados de la frontera.
“Si la situación se agrava podría derivar en una guerra, aunque por ahora sigue limitada a enfrentamientos”, declaró el primer ministro interino tailandés, Phumtham Wechayachai, ante la prensa en Bangkok.
La tensión se disparó el jueves debido a una disputa territorial de décadas entre los dos países del sudeste asiático, con combates que incluyeron el uso de tanques, aviones de combate, artillería y cohetes BM-21.
Se trata de la escalada militar más grave desde 2011 en una zona de 800 kilómetros de frontera, donde persisten áreas no delimitadas oficialmente, salpicadas de templos antiguos.
Según el Ministerio del Interior tailandés, las autoridades evacuaron a 138.000 civiles, incluidos 428 pacientes hospitalarios, desde cuatro provincias limítrofes con Camboya.
El balance oficial en Tailandia ascendió a 15 muertos —un soldado y 14 civiles— y 46 heridos. Por su parte, Camboya reportó un muerto y cinco heridos, en su primer informe oficial desde el inicio del conflicto.
Los enfrentamientos se reanudaron en la madrugada del viernes en tres puntos distintos, de acuerdo con el ejército tailandés. Según su versión, las fuerzas camboyanas lanzaron fuego con armas pesadas, artillería y cohetes múltiples, a lo que las tropas tailandesas respondieron con “fuego de apoyo apropiado”. El ejército agregó que los choques incluyeron seis zonas de combate el jueves, entre ellas dos antiguos templos.
En el municipio camboyano de Samraong, a 20 kilómetros de la frontera, periodistas de la agencia AFP registraron disparos lejanos de artillería durante la mañana. “Vivo muy cerca de la frontera. Tenemos miedo porque empezaron a disparar de nuevo sobre las 6 de la madrugada”, relató Pro Bak, un residente de 41 años que huía con su familia hacia un templo budista. “No sé cuándo podremos volver a casa”, añadió.
La crisis diplomática también se agravó. Tailandia expulsó al embajador camboyano y llamó a consultas a su representante en Phnom Penh, luego de que una mina terrestre hiriera a cinco soldados tailandeses. Camboya respondió retirando a todos sus diplomáticos en Bangkok, excepto uno, y degradando las relaciones al nivel más bajo.
El Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU se reunirá de urgencia y a puerta cerrada este viernes, tras una solicitud del primer ministro camboyano, Hun Manet.
En paralelo, Estados Unidos y Francia instaron al cese inmediato de las hostilidades, mientras que la Unión Europea y China expresaron una profunda preocupación y pidieron diálogo entre las partes.
Desde 2008 hasta 2011, los dos países ya libraron enfrentamientos en la zona, que dejaron 28 muertos y decenas de miles de desplazados. Una decisión de la Corte Internacional de Justicia en favor de Camboya calmó las tensiones durante una década. Sin embargo, la situación volvió a deteriorarse en mayo de este año, tras la muerte de un soldado camboyano en un nuevo choque fronterizo.
Los combates actuales reflejan la fragilidad de la paz en la región y han despertado la preocupación de la Asociación de Naciones del Sudeste Asiático (ASEAN).
El primer ministro de Malasia, Anwar Ibrahim, quien ocupa la presidencia rotativa del bloque, declaró haber hablado con sus homólogos de Camboya y Tailandia, a quienes pidió diálogo inmediato. Según dijo, ambos mostraron “señales positivas y predisposición” a buscar una salida pacífica.
(Con información de AFP)
Asia / Pacific,Defense,Diplomacy / Foreign Policy,SINGAPORE
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
With the 2026 midterm elections more than a year away, a new Fox News survey finds that while the Republican Party has lost some ground to the Democratic Party on handling key issues, voters are more likely to think the GOP has a clear plan for dealing with the country’s problems.
The survey, released Thursday, finds that by a 10-point margin, more voters think the Republicans have a clear plan for the U.S. than the Democrats: 43% vs. 33%. Still, majorities feel neither the GOP (54%) or the Democrats (64%) have a plan. This is about where sentiment was three years ago, the last time the question was asked.
FOX NEWS POLL: TRUMP FACING HEADWINDS AT SIX-MONTH MARK
Far more Republicans (79%) than Democrats (51%) are confident their party has a clear plan, and that’s what hurts the Democrats. While at least two-thirds of independents feel neither party has a plan, more trust the GOP (30% vs. 25%).
At the same time, the survey shows some significant erosion in the GOP’s handling of key issues compared to the last time Fox asked in 2023, including in areas where they are traditionally preferred.
Voters view the Republican Party as better able to handle national security (by 14 points), immigration (+6R), and government spending (+5R) while the Democratic Party is favored on climate change (by 23 points), health care (+19D), social security (+17D), education (+15D), and energy policies (+6D).
The parties are rated about equally on inflation (+1D), gun policy (even), the economy (+1R), and foreign policy (+3R).
Compared to 2023, support for the GOP is down on immigration by 4 points, national security by 6, government spending by 6, foreign policy by 9, and the economy by 14. Plus, the Republicans’ 12-point advantage on inflation has disappeared, as Democrats have a 1-point edge today.
While the Democrats have largely maintained support on their best issues, it’s noteworthy they saw a 12-point increase on education, as voters have been split on who would better handle the issue for the last few years.
FOX NEWS POLL: APPROVAL OF SCOTUS AT 5-YEAR HIGH, REBOUNDING FROM RECORD LOW IN 2024
These shifts can mostly be attributed to self-identified Democrats solidifying their preference for their own party’s handling of the issues, as well as independents lessening their support for Republicans or switching to Democrats.
Self-identified Republicans continue to express high levels of support for their party on the issues.
«Independents and even some Democrats had soured on President Biden and the Democratic Congress by 2023 and 2024, but they have shifted to the left a bit in 2025 in response to the policies of President Trump and the Republicans,» says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News survey with Democrat Chris Anderson. «An appreciable part of this is performance related. Without obvious economic and foreign policy victories, independents and soft Democrats could drift to the left, which could scramble the electoral dynamic heading into 2026.»
Overall, views of both major political parties are underwater. By 2 points, the Republican Party has a slightly better favorable rating (44% favorable) than the Democratic Party (42%), but more than half view both parties negatively (56% and 57% unfavorable, respectively). That’s relatively unchanged since April.
Positive views of the Republican Party have shown steady growth since October 2019, while the Democratic Party has been on a downward trajectory, reaching a record low in April (41% favorable).
The Republican Party enjoys more support among their party faithful (83% have a favorable view) than the Democratic Party (78% favorable). Seven in 10 independents have a negative view of both.
CLICK HERE FOR CROSSTABS AND TOPLINE
Conducted July 18-21, 2025, under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News survey includes interviews with a sample of 1,000 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. Respondents spoke with live interviewers on landlines (114) and cellphones (636) or completed the survey online after receiving a text (250). Results based on the full sample have a margin of sampling error of ±3 percentage points. Sampling error for results among subgroups is higher. In addition to sampling error, question wording and order can influence results. Weights are generally applied to age, race, education, and area variables to ensure the demographics of respondents are representative of the registered voter population. Sources for developing weight targets include the American Community Survey, Fox News Voter Analysis and voter file data.
Federal appeals court rules California ammunition background checks unconstitutional
Fentanilo contaminado: qué dicen las historias clínicas de los pacientes fallecidos que recibió el juez que investiga el caso
La foto al borde de la censura de Antonela Roccuzzo en Italia generó furor en redes:
«Ya veremos qué pasa»: Obsidian no lo tiene claro sobre Grounded 2 en Nintendo Switch 2
Manuel Adorni desmintió al FMI por la reservas y apuntó contra Villarruel: “No es parte del proyecto”
Tailandia advirtió que los enfrentamientos armados con Camboya podrían derivar en una guerra “a gran escala”
Juan Carlos Maqueda defendió la condena contra Cristina Kirchner: “Hay una sensación de que se hizo Justicia y que no hay impunidad”
Expulsada del Gobierno, Victoria Villarruel empieza a tomar distancia, pero no tiene proyecto político para este año
La CGT evalúa adelantar a octubre el recambio de sus autoridades y define una movilización contra Milei
🗳️ El chamuyo de las elecciones en la Provincia: se postulan, pero no a asumen
Fuerte malestar en la CGT por la ausencia de gremialistas en las listas bonaerenses del peronismo
YPF aplica un nuevo aumento en los combustibles desde la medianoche: a cuánto sube el litro de nafta
El análisis de Jorge Fernández Díaz sobre la política económica: “Veo una tragedia detrás del dólar barato”
Después de ser premiado con la distinción Mariano de Cavia en Madrid, el periodista Jorge Fernández Díaz analizó la situación...
Patricia Bullrich ratificó el derecho de admisión para Toviggino en los partidos con doble hinchada: “No debe ingresar”
Luego del intercambio de acusaciones entre Pablo Toviggino y funcionarios del gobierno nacional, la ministra de Seguridad, Patricia Bullrich, ratificó...
Día del Cerebro: por qué se celebra hoy y recomendaciones para mantener una mente ágil
El Día del Cerebro se conmemora el 22 de julio de cada año, con el objetivo de concientizar acerca de...
ECONOMIA3 días agoEl consumo en Argentina crece 4% en junio, ante menor inflación y más crédito
- POLITICA1 día ago
Máximo Kirchner declaró una fortuna de 8.300 millones de pesos: representa un 76% más que el año anterior
- POLITICA2 días ago
Los organizadores de la Derecha Fest pasaron un video de Villarruel y algunos asistentes gritaron “traidora”
