'Buffoon of a president': Trump exposes ignorance of U.S. farming in speech to Congress
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Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
White House aims to fast-track key Federal Reserve pick
The White House is working over the August recess to build momentum for a key Federal Reserve nominee the administration wants in place next month. Stephen Miran, whom President Donald Trump tapped to temporarily serve on the Federal Reserve's board, has been meeting with members of the Senate Banking Committee, which will need to green-light his nomination before the full Senate can vote on confirmation. Miran met Tuesday with Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), a member of the panel, and had a call last week with Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.). Miran is scheduled to have additional meetings with senators in the coming days, with invitations for one-on-ones extended to Republican members of the Banking panel. 'The White House has been aggressively pushing Dr. Miran's nomination to the Federal Reserve Board, setting the stage for his quick confirmation when the Senate returns in September,' said a White House official Tuesday. 'With the President's strong backing, there's clear momentum to get this done.' Underscoring how big of a priority it has become for the Trump administration to seat Miran quickly, Banks said in a statement he returned to Washington Tuesday to meet with him, instead of waiting until after the Senate's current weekslong break. 'It's so important that he is confirmed before the Federal Reserve's September meeting,' said Banks. Installing Miran by this time would represent a lightning-fast confirmation process for the Senate, which is in recess until Sept. 2. Banks added that Miran has 'done a great job as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to advance President Trump's pro-working class agenda and I look forward to voting for his confirmation ASAP.' Miran, who currently serves as Trump's chief economist, was tapped to temporarily fill the vacancy created on the bank's rate-setting committee by the resignation of Gov. Adriana Kugler. If confirmed, he would hold the seat until Kugler's term expires on Jan. 31, 2026. He'll be coming up for consideration at a time when multiple Senate Republicans have publicly tried to sway Trump against firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell, warning that any perception of meddling in the agency's independence would have severe consequences for the market. Trump, who has relentlessly criticized Powell and surveyed a group of Republicans last month on whether he should remove him, has nevertheless said repeatedly that he doesn't intend to fire the Fed chief, whose leadership term ends in May. Still, Miran's confirmation would give Trump a close political ally at the central bank, which is designed to be insulated from short-term political pressure — and questions about Miran's links to Trump are all but guaranteed to come up as the Senate debates the nomination. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Banking Committee, vowed to have 'tough questions' for Miran 'about whether he'd serve the American people as an independent voice at the Fed or merely serve Donald Trump.' Yet as long as Republicans on the panel stick together, they would be able to advance Miran's nomination over opposition from Democrats. Republicans can lose three of their own members on the floor and still let Vice President JD Vance break a tie. Miran is likely preparing for the line of inquiry. Though he haspreviously called for overhauling the structure of the Federal Reserve, he told CNBC in an interview earlier this month that "I've always been clear that the independence of the Fed is of paramount importance.' Victoria Guida contributed to this report.
USA Today
15 minutes ago
- USA Today
Get rid of mail-in voting? Trump goal sparks debate, threatened lawsuits
Trump has long railed against mail-in voting but experts say states and the Congress control election rules rather than the president. WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's latest push to end absentee voting has ignited a firestorm of criticism and intense debate about the nation's election rules as the next midterm and presidential campaigns kick into gear. Election-law experts said a president has no role in governing elections. Advocacy groups threatened lawsuits aiming to block Trump. And Democrats braced for a political fight heading into the 2026 and 2028 election cycles as they look to rebound after a disastrous 2024 campaign. 'The Constitution gives states and Congress the power to run elections," said Michael Waldman, CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University. "Presidents have no lawful role.' But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Aug. 19 that Trump would work with lawmakers to end mail-in voting because "this is a priority for the president." Here's what you need to know: How popular is mail-in voting? Mail-in voting is widespread and popular. Out of 155 million votes cast in 2024, nearly 47 million were mailed in, according to the Election Assistance Commission. Most states allow absentee voting for no reason, but some states require an excuse to avoid showing up in person. Eight states and Washington, DC, allow elections to be conducted entirely by mail, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington state mail ballots to all registered voters. Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said vote-by-mail elections are secure, accurate and honest. 'If he actually understood or cared about the American people, he'd know mail-in-voting is the best way to protect everyone's right to vote, especially rural folks, elderly people and hourly workers,' Read said. 'Mail-in-voting meets citizens exactly where they are: in their living rooms and around their kitchen tables.' Trump seeks to end mail-in voting Trump said Aug. 18 he would sign an executive order to abolish mail-in voting, which he slammed as vulnerable to fraud. Trump has long complained about absentee voting, since before the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down many in-person events. 'We're going to end mail-in voting," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "It's a fraud." Trump's announcement came while special House races are pending in Arizona and Tennessee; New Jersey and Virginia will be choosing governors in November this year; and some big-city mayors will be chosen in New York and elsewhere. The whole country will be voting on House races and one-third of the Senate 2026, and for president in 2028. Despite Trump's claims, election experts said voting is the most secure in history. "As we have said repeatedly, our election infrastructure has never been more secure and the election community never better prepared to deliver safe, secure, free and fair elections for the American people," Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, said after the 2024 election. David Becker, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research, which works with election officials of both parties to ensure secure elections, said ballots are the most verifiable and recountable in history with only Louisiana not voting on paper. Audits confirm the results, he said. And Congress approved ID requirements to register to vote in the 2002 Help America Vote Act, which followed the razor-thin victory of President George W. Bush over Al Gore in 2000. Trump, Democrats expect political fight over mail-in ballots Trump argued the 2020 presidential result was rigged after what his aides called a "red mirage" of an Election Day lead disappeared as mail-in ballots were counted and Joe Biden won the White House. "I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS," Trump said in a social media post Aug. 18 advocating an end to mail-in voting. During the 2024 campaign, Republicans supported mail-in voting to avoid handing Democrats an advantage even as Trump occasionally criticized them. But the GOP sought an Election Day deadline for mailed ballots to be counted. Leavitt said the White House will work with lawmakers at federal and state levels to change the law. 'When the Congress comes back to Washington, I'm sure there will be many discussions with our friends on Capitol Hill and also our friends in state Legislatures across the country to ensure we're protecting the integrity of the vote for the American people," Leavitt said. But Democrats vowed to fight Trump efforts to undermine mail-in voting. While Republicans in the House could potentially approve a bill, it would face a steep challenge in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster and where the GOP holds a 53-47 majority. 'Senate Democrats will make sure that any and every measure that would make it even more difficult for Americans to vote will be dead on arrival in the Senate and will continue to fight to protect our democracy," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York. Experts: States control election rules, not presidents The Constitution unambiguously says states regulate elections and only Congress can change that, Becker said. 'Getting rid of mail voting, which has been around since at least the U.S. Civil War, and which is offered by the vast majority of states, red and blue, is an incredibly bad idea that would make our elections much less secure and vulnerable to interference,' said Becker, a former election lawyer at the Justice Department. 'He has zero power to change election policy with the swipe of the pen, as the founders expressly stated.' Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute, said Trump "has no constitutional authority to end mail voting by executive order." "The Framers of the U.S. Constitution took care to keep the main responsibility for administering elections with the states and localities, which are in no way mere 'agents' of federal authorities," Olson said. Advocacy groups expect lawsuits if Trump moves against mail-in voting Federal courts have repeatedly recognized the state role in elections, including when a judge largley blocked Trump's March executive order dealing with elections. In Massachusetts, U.S. District Judge Denise Casper, an appointee of President Barack Obama, blocked parts of Trump's order that sought to require voters to prove they are citizens and to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots after Election Day. Trump is appealing. "The Constitution does not grant the president any specific powers over elections," Casper wrote. Advocacy groups said getting rid of mail-in voting could discourage millions of people who appreciate the flexiblity of avoiding voting in person on Election Day. "Many veterans, grappling with service-related disabilities like mobility impairments or PTSD, rely on this accessible method to vote independently and privately from home, avoiding the physical and emotional toll of in-person polling," said Naveed Shah, political director for Common Defense, a group representing military veterans and their families. Advocates from several groups expected lawsuits to challenge any Trump order seeking to abolish mail-in voting. 'We are prepared to protect mail-in voting in court against unfounded and unconstitutional attacks, as we have in Pennsylvania, Mississippi and other states,' said Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Voting Rights Project. 'Access to mail-in voting is necessary to a fair and inclusive electoral process.'
The Hill
15 minutes ago
- The Hill
Putin not going to make deal just to give Trump ‘a good news cycle': Ben Rhodes
Ben Rhodes, who served as former President Obama's deputy national security adviser, expressed skepticism on Tuesday that a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine could materialize in the near future. In an interview on MSNBC's 'Chris Jansing Reports,' Rhodes said it appears the two sides remain far apart on key issues — like details of security guarantees for Ukraine and potential NATO troop deployment — and the former Obama aide said he doesn't think Russian President Vladimir Putin will back away from his longstanding positions simply to give President Trump a brief political victory. 'Clearly, these are issues. Vladimir Putin knows this. He's not going to make a deal just to give Donald Trump, like, a good news cycle here. He doesn't want any non-Ukrainian troops on Ukrainian soil. And so, this is a huge gap here,' Rhodes said on MSNBC. 'This is the question, when you get down to the brass tacks of what does a final deal look like,' Rhodes said. 'You have to deal with these things. Otherwise, what you're looking at is kind of a frozen conflict.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday afternoon that U.S. air support in Ukraine could be part of security assurances as it works to come to a peace agreement with Russia. But she reiterated that Trump does not want U.S. troops on the ground in Kyiv. Rhodes said it seems Trump would be comfortable with European nations sending troops, but he noted the division is not always clear and asked what the U.S. would do if those NATO troops in Ukraine were attacked. 'Those troops, what happens if they're attacked by Russia? What happens if Russia reinvades? They're NATO countries, right? Does NATO come to the assistance of those troops?' Rhodes said. He noted those troops in Ukraine would 'usually depend on kind of a NATO logistics and supply chain to rearm themselves, to train themselves,' saying a deal would need to figure out 'What is the U.S. participation in that? What is the NATO participation in that?'
