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Democrats predict passing Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ will cost many Republicans their seats

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House Republicans are celebrating the major victory they delivered early Thursday morning for President Donald Trump.

Minutes after the GOP majority in the House of Representatives stood nearly entirely united to pass Trump’s sweeping tax and spending cuts package by a razor-thin 215-214, Speaker Mike Johnson touted that «the House has passed generational, truly nation-shaping legislation.»

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Johnson predicted the measure would, among other things, «reduce spending and permanently lower taxes for families and job creators … and make government work more efficiently and effectively for all Americans.»

And Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota said that House Republicans have «shown time and time again that we deliver for the American people, especially when it matters most.»

HOW TRUMP’S SWEEPING BILL PASSED THROUGH THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

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The House of Representatives passed President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and program cuts after an all-night session at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Thursday, May 22, 2025.  (House Television via AP)

But with Republicans clinging to a fragile House majority, Democrats view the House passage of what’s called Trump’s «One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act» as political ammunition as they aim to win back control of the chamber in next year’s midterm elections.

Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin, in deriding the legislation, pledged that «Democrats will do everything we can to kick those who are responsible for this bill out of office. We have Americans at our side. This vote will cost many, many Republicans their seats in the midterms.»

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And Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington State said in a Fox News Digital interview ahead of the final House vote that «we’re going to hold Republicans accountable, and there will be a price to pay.»

But the rival National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) disagrees.

«House Democrats just signed their own political death warrant. Voters won’t forget how they betrayed working families. And Republicans won’t let them,» NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella argued in a statement.

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The GOP-crafted measure is stuffed full of Trump’s campaign trail promises and second-term priorities on tax cuts, immigration, defense, energy and the debt limit. It includes extending his signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay, providing billions for border security and codifying his controversial immigration crackdown.

Passage of the bill in the House comes as the national debt currently sits at $36,214,475,432,210.84, according to Fox Business’ National Debt Tracker. 

The massive package now heads to the Senate, where Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Democrat in the chamber, said that «this is not one big, beautiful bill. It’s ugly.»

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As Democrats attack the measure, they’re highlighting the GOP’s proposed restructuring of Medicaid—the nearly 60-year-old federal program that provides health coverage to roughly 71 million low-income Americans.

FIRST ON FOX: THESE REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS SAY THEY ‘STAND UNITED’ IN SUPPORT OF TRUMP’S ‘ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

The changes to Medicaid, as well as cuts to food stamps, another one of the nation’s major safety net programs, were drafted in part as an offset to pay for extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which are set to expire later this year. The measure includes a slew of new rules and regulatory requirements for those seeking Medicaid coverage. Among them are a new set of work requirements for many of those seeking coverage.

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«Let’s be clear, all Republicans are talking about right now is how many people and how fast they’re going to take away healthcare. They have these huge cuts to Medicaid, 14 million people lose healthcare across the country, and they’re talking about how fast they can do that,» said DelBene.

Schumer argued that «there’s nothing beautiful about stripping away people’s healthcare, forcing kids to go hungry, denying communities the resources they need, and increasing poverty.»

And Martin claimed that «the GOP budget will decimate local communities, blow an economic hole in rural America, and make us into a nation governed by and for a handful of elites.»

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Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, is interviewed by Fox News Digital on April 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, is interviewed by Fox News Digital on April 7, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

House Republicans push back against the Democrats’ attacks and say what they are doing is putting an end to waste, fraud and abuse currently in the Medicaid system, so the program can work for the public in the way that it was intended.

They call any talk that they are cutting aid to mothers, children, people with disabilities and the elderly a «flat out lie.»

And NRCC chair Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina told Fox News Digital in a statement ahead of the vote that «Republicans are ending waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid so the most vulnerable get the care they need.»

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«Democrats are lying to protect a broken status quo that lets illegal immigrants siphon off billions meant for American families. We’re strengthening Medicaid for future generations by protecting taxpayers and restoring integrity,» Hudson added.

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Dating back to last year’s presidential campaign, Trump has vowed not to touch Medicaid. On Tuesday, as he made a rare stop on Capitol Hill to meet behind closed doors with House Republicans in order to shore up support for the bill, Trump’s message to fiscally conservative lawmakers looking to make further cuts to Medicaid was «Don’t f— around with Medicaid.»

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While there are divisions between Republicans over Medicaid, and a chasm between the two major parties over the longstanding entitlement program, there is one point of agreement: This issue will continue to simmer on the campaign trail in one form or another long after the legislative battles on Capitol Hill are over.

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Scandal-plagued Virginia AG hopeful’s wife reportedly donated to fund that freed accused criminals, murderers

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Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones faced new political fallout Friday after a report revealed his wife had donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a controversial bail organization that used millions to spring violent offenders, including accused rapists and murderers, from jail.

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In May 2020, during unrest in Minneapolis after George Floyd’s death, Mavis Jones posted on Twitter: «I just donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund,» linking to the group’s donation page and urging others to do the same. The account has since gone private.

The revelation, first reported by The Washington Free Beacon, comes as Jones, a Democrat, trails Republican incumbent Jason Miyares in a tightening race for Virginia’s top law enforcement post. The state’s attorney general oversees state-level prosecutions and police oversight.

JAY JONES TEXT SCANDAL SPARKS DONATION SURGE AS GOP GROUP POURS MILLIONS MORE INTO VA RACE

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The Minnesota Freedom Fund, promoted at the time by several progressive figures, including Sen. Kamala Harris, raised more than $41 million during the 2020 protests, pledging to support demonstrators arrested during clashes with police. 

But a FOX 9 investigation later found the group spent most of its money bailing out defendants accused of serious violent crimes rather than low-level protest offenses.

Jay Jones addresses supporters after winning the Democratic nomination for Virginia attorney general as wife Mavis Jones looks on in Norfolk, Va., June 17, 2025.  (Trevor Metcalfe/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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Among those bailed out was Christopher Boswell, a twice-convicted rapist facing new kidnapping and assault charges who was freed after the fund posted $350,000 in cash bail.

The group also paid $100,000 to release Darnika Floyd, who was charged with second-degree murder, and $75,000 for Jaleel Stallings, who allegedly fired at a Minneapolis SWAT team before being acquitted at trial.

Greg Lewin, then the fund’s interim executive director, told FOX 9 that same year, «The last time we were down there, the clerk said, ‘We hate it when you bail out these sex offenders.’ I often don’t even look at a charge when I bail someone out.»

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JONES AND MIYARES CLASH OVER MURDER TEXTS AS DEM REPEATEDLY INVOKES TRUMP AT HEATED, HIGH-STAKES DEBATE

Mugshot for Darnika Floyd

Darnika Floyd, charged with second-degree murder, was released after the Minnesota Freedom Fund posted $100,000 bail in 2020. (Minnesota Department of Corrections)

In one case, the fund posted bail for George Howard, a career criminal later charged with fatally shooting a man in a Minneapolis road rage incident just weeks after his release.

The news adds to a string of controversies for Jones, 35, who has already apologized for violent text messages directed at Republican leaders. In one exchange, he wrote that then–House Speaker Todd Gilbert gets «two bullets to the head» and that Gilbert’s wife Jennifer should «watch her children die.»

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Virginia AG candidate Jay Jones (R) and wife Mavis Jones (L) pose for a selfie

Mavis Jones, wife of scandal-plagued Virginia AG candidate Jay Jones, D-Va., eportedly posted about her support of the Minnesota Freedom Fund in 2020, which bailed out accused murderers and rapists. (Jay Jones via X)

Court records also show Jones was convicted of reckless driving in 2022 for traveling 116 mph on a Virginia highway. He was fined $1,500 and ordered to perform 1,000 hours of community service, but a state ethics review is examining whether hours spent volunteering for his own political committee should count toward the sentence.

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The latest controversy gives Miyares and Republicans new fodder in the closing weeks of the campaign. A Trafalgar Group poll released Oct. 17 found Miyares leading 49.5% to 44.6%, a reversal from earlier surveys that had Jones up six points before the text scandal broke.

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As of Friday, Mavis Jones has set her X account to private.

The Minnesota Freedom Fund and the Jay Jones campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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La Unión Europea da un paso clave en el acuerdo con el Mercosur, pero todavía quedan varios obstáculos

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Como anunciaba meses atrás la Comisión Europea, el 2025 puede ser el año del acuerdo entre el Mercosur y la Unión Europea.

Casi 25 años después de las primeras negociaciones, la cumbre europea de este jueves emitió un atisbo de fumata blanca. Tras la reunión, el jefe del gobierno alemán, el democristiano Friedrich Merz, aseguró por sorpresa que los 27 dirigentes habían hecho un voto informal sobre el acuerdo y que el resultado había sido unánime a favor de una rápida ratificación.

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En los últimos meses la Comisión Europea sopesó presentar el texto a los ministros de Comercio. Francia se resistía a aprobarlo, pero las semanas fueron pasando y en verano quedó claro que París iba a tener muy difícil reunir los votos necesarios para lograr una minoría de bloqueo.

La diplomacia española, que ha estado durante las dos últimas décadas apoyando el pacto sin importar quién gobernara en Madrid, no quiso echar las campanas al vuelo porque este jueves todavía veía resistencias.

También quiso frenar Antonio Costa, presidente del Consejo Europeo, el organismo que reúne a los jefes de Estado o de gobierno. El portugués, ex primer ministro, dijo que no se había votado. De hecho, los líderes no votan acuerdos comerciales, algo que queda para ministros o incluso embajadores.

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Costa dijo en conferencia de prensa que no hubo ni voto, pero sí que había “pedido a los líderes que dieran a sus embajadores la orden de resolver los problemas técnicos que quedan en las traducciones para que se pueda firmar a tiempo”.

Pero las declaraciones de Merz, que respaldaron diplomáticos de varios países explicando que no había habido un voto formal sino una discusión en la que sí se mostró esa unanimidad a favor del pacto, muestran que las reticencias son menores y salvables.

El paso alemán, ya con todo a favor del acuerdo y con solo Francia, entre los grandes europeos, con reticencias, acelera el proceso. La cumbre cerró con el presidente francés Emmanuel Macron echando el freno y diciendo que no estaba todo cerrado, pero sin desmentir a Merz y asegurando que las cesiones hechas a los sectores agropecuarios europeos eran adecuadas.

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Si los ministros votan en las próximas semanas (no tienen por qué ser los de Comercio, vale cualquier reunión de ministros europeos de cualquier ramo) y el texto sale adelante, el Parlamento Europeo podría tener que ratificarlo antes de finales de año y se abre la fecha del 19 de diciembre para su ratificación definitiva, tras casi 25 años.

Javi López, vicepresidente del Parlamento Europeo, de la familia socialdemócrata catalana, aseguró a Clarín que, aunque justa, la votación saldría adelante por una ventaja de entre 30 y 50 votos (la Cámara tiene 705). Es la misma diferencia que permitió hace un año revalidar en su cargo a Úrsula Von der Leyen, presidenta de la Comisión Europea.

La firma podrían hacerla incluso los embajadores de los 27 ante la Unión Europea, bajando incluso así un poco más el peso político de la decisión, y de paso sacándola también de las tapas de los medios.

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Fuentes diplomáticas de tres países del bloque, dos favorables al acuerdo y uno contrario, aseguraron estos días a Clarín que sí está todo hecho, pero que Macron (y algunos primeros ministros de países menores donde el acuerdo sigue viéndose como un peligro para sus sectores agropecuarios) necesita un poco más de tiempo para vender el acuerdo a su clase política.

Mercosur sigue siendo una de las niñas de los ojos bonitos de los europeos, sobre todo tras el advenimiento de la segunda administración Trump y su guerra arancelaria. El acuerdo entre la Unión Europea y el Mercosur sería el mayor acuerdo comercial del planeta por el volumen de intercambios y por la población que reúnen los dos bloques.

Europa sabe que llega tarde, pero aún quiere fijar sus banderas en los países del Mercosur, porque se juega decenas de miles de millones de euros en inversiones y porque China le ha ido comiendo partes de ese mercado en las últimas dos décadas.

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Precisamente contra China se van endureciendo los europeos. Si China no estaba oficialmente entre los debates de esta cumbre, sí lo estuvo en las reuniones y en las declaraciones finales.

Hay dudas sobre cómo reaccionar ante una China que impone ahora restricciones a la exportación de tierras raras que la industria europea necesita como el aire. Por eso el propio Macron pidió el jueves que la Comisión Europea utilice por primera vez el mecanismo que llama “instrumento anti-coerción” si China no cede y realmente bloquea esas exportaciones.

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NATO fighter jets scrambled after Russian planes allegedly violate airspace

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Two Spanish fighter jets were scrambled while on NATO air policing missions after Russian aircraft violated Lithuanian airspace.

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The Lithuanian armed forces said that at approximately 6:00 p.m. local time on Thursday, two Russian aircraft — an SU-30 and an IL-78 — flew about 765 yards into Lithuanian airspace, The Associated Press reported. The aircraft allegedly flew away after approximately 18 seconds.

«This evening, Russian military planes violated Lithuanian airspace. This is a blatant breach of international law and territorial integrity of Lithuania. Once again, it confirms the importance of strengthening European air defense readiness,» Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda posted on X.

NATO WARNS RUSSIA AFTER POLAND SHOOTS DOWN ‘HUGE NUMBER’ OF DRONES THAT VIOLATED ITS AIRSPACE

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Lithuania accused Russia of violating its airspace, leading to the scrambling of two jets on a NATO mission. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images; Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via Reuters)

Nausėda announced that the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs would summon representatives from the Russian embassy in Vilnius «to protest against reckless and dangerous behavior.» The ministry later confirmed on X that the Russian charge d‘affaires was summoned in protest of the airspace violation.

«Russia must cease its aggressive behavior, respect international law and the borders of neighboring states,» the ministry said in a post on X.

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Russia’s defense ministry denied Lithuania’s claim, saying that SU-30 fighter jets were conducting training flights over the Kaliningrad region in strict compliance with the rules, the AP reported.

«The aircraft did not deviate from their flight route or violate the borders of other states, as confirmed by objective monitoring means,» the ministry said, according to the AP.

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on Dec. 19, 2024. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images)

RUSSIAN JETS CARRYING BALLISTIC MISSILES VIOLATE ESTONIAN AIRSPACE, FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS

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Baltic nations have been on heightened alert amid Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, according to the AP. The outlet added that the recent airspace incursions have fueled fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be testing NATO, though Moscow has denied this.

Poland, Denmark and Romania, which are all NATO member states, reported airspace violations by Russian drones in the last few months. In August, Romania was forced to scramble F-16 jets after Russia carried out a strike just half a mile from its territory as U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin ahead of the Kremlin leader’s Alaska summit with President Donald Trump.

Earlier this week, Trump called off a meeting with Putin that was set to take place in Budapest, Hungary. While the White House did not rule out the possibility of a future summit, Trump has criticized Putin for his lack of action to move toward peace with Ukraine.

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Aboard Air Force One, President Trump told Bret Baier he’s confident ahead of his upcoming Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin but said he will walk away if the talks don’t succeed.

President Donald Trump canceled a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. (Getty Images)

Trump «feels as though, unfortunately, from the Russian side as of late, he has not seen enough interest in enough action in terms of moving the ball forward toward peace,» White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday. 

«And so a meeting between these two leaders is not completely off the table. I think the president and the entire administration hope that one day that can happen again, but we want to make sure that there’s a tangible positive outcome out of that meeting, and that it’s a good use of the president’s time,» she added.

While sitting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Trump told reporters that the meeting was canceled and that «it didn’t feel right» to him.

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«It just didn’t feel right to me,» Trump said Wednesday. «It didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get, so I canceled it, but we’ll do it in the future.»

No plans for a future meeting have been announced since the cancellation of the summit in Hungary.

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Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy contributed to this report.



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