A ‘Big, Beautiful Bill'

New York Times

15-05-2025

Congressional Republicans are currently working on what President Trump calls his 'big, beautiful bill.' House committees pulled all-nighters yesterday to advance several pieces of his agenda. The legislation takes on two of Trump's priorities: tax cuts and immigration funding. But to pay for them, Republicans are looking for other programs to slash — most contentiously, those that help low-income Americans, particularly Medicaid and food stamps.
The bill still needs to pass the House and the Senate, so it's subject to change. For now, here's what's in it:
One unanswered question: Will the bill pass? Republicans are divided. Fiscal conservatives say the legislation doesn't cut enough spending; it would add trillions to the debt over 10 years. But moderates and populists on the right argue that the bill already cuts too much. They say the Medicaid changes, in particular, could hurt working-class Americans, many of whom have started voting Republican but could walk away from the party if it slashes their benefits.
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On his first day in office, President Trump stopped the United States from taking in refugees. But he left a carve-out for South Africans, who he falsely says are the victims of genocide. This week, the first planeload of them arrived. Can Trump choose one population of refugees over others? I asked Hamed Aleaziz, who covers immigration in Washington. — Adam B. Kushner
This conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Does the president decide who qualifies as a refugee?
No. The law says applicants have to 'fear persecution' in their home countries. And there's a ceiling on how many the United States can admit every year. Trump merely directed the government to process would-be Afrikaner immigrants as refugees.
He said on Monday that he had 'essentially extended citizenship' to them. Is that true?
Not yet, but they're on a pathway that eventually leads to citizenship. Refugees can apply for a green card after a year. Then they have to wait for several years to naturalize. So it's not automatic. And as we've learned in recent months, people can still be picked up by ICE and deported even if they have a green card.
He also called them victims of 'genocide.' Why? Is there even a genocide in South Africa?
Our reporting hasn't shown that, no. But Trump believes white South Africans have been persecuted by their government. So were the Afghans in the United States as refugees, yet Trump ended their protection from deportation. Administration officials say that's because the Afghans weren't properly vetted for national security.
Related: The New Yorker reports that human-rights groups — and even other Afrikaners — have rejected Trump's claims. 'We are not victims, there is no genocide,' one man wrote.
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In January, New York City began charging drivers to enter the busiest parts of Manhattan. The tolls — known as congestion pricing — have improved city life in just a few months. For one, car crashes are down:
And average driving speeds are up:
The Times analyzed more than a dozen other data points, including commute times, public transit ridership and traffic noise complaints, that show the effects of congesting pricing.
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Tensions between India and Pakistan show that the Trump administration's isolationist stance is out of touch with the world's nuclear reality, W.J. Hennigan writes.
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In the Barbie movie, Margot Robbie frets over having flat feet. But were they actually a sign of her empowerment?
In the early decades of Barbie, 100 percent of the dolls had arched feet. In the last four years, only 40 percent did. Researchers have found that dolls with jobs — like a doctor or a lawyer — were far more likely to have flat feet, while fashion-focused ones were more likely to have the extreme arch. Read more about the study.
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