logo
Big Beautiful Bill Provisions That Could Be Stripped Out in the Senate

Big Beautiful Bill Provisions That Could Be Stripped Out in the Senate

Epoch Times03-06-2025
With the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' pending before the Senate, several provisions may be stripped out in what is known as a 'Byrd Bath.'
The Byrd Rule, named for the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), restricts reconciliation bills, like the one the congressional GOP is looking to pass, to deal with matters related to the budget.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

State commission offers recommendations to curb antisemitic incidents in K-12 schools
State commission offers recommendations to curb antisemitic incidents in K-12 schools

Boston Globe

time26 minutes ago

  • Boston Globe

State commission offers recommendations to curb antisemitic incidents in K-12 schools

'It is my sincere hope that as our schools begin preparing for the new school year that they will look to the Commission's report for helpful guidance to prevent and respond to hate,' state Senator John C. Velis, a Westfield Democrat who co-chairs the commission, said in a statement. Antisemitic harassment, assaults, and vandalism have been Advertisement Such incidents surged Some schools have faced criticism for the timeliness and manner of their response. The Concord-Carlisle public school system Advertisement The 18-member state commission's final report on antisemitism in schools is due to be filed with the House and Senate by Nov. 30. Among the recommendations adopted was a call for educating students about 'antisemitic tropes and myths' that are often seen online as part of teaching digital literacy. The commission also called for adding lessons during Jewish American Heritage Month that highlight Jewish contributions to the United States; implementing mandatory anti-bias training for educators that specifically addresses antisemitism; and expanding access to Kosher and Halal foods in schools. The panel's recommendations also urge the state to create a statewide bias reporting system that includes antisemitism as a form of bias, and to make changes to current curriculums to 'provide age-appropriate, balanced classroom resources to teach about Ancient Israel, Palestine, modern Israel, and Middle East conflicts in alignment with state history and social science standards.' 'These recommendations offer a clear, actionable playbook for state and local school leaders to create safer, more inclusive learning environments,' said state Representative Simon Cataldo, a Concord Democrat who co-chairs the commission with Velis. The commission's preliminary report was hailed by state leaders, including Governor Maura Healey, who said her administration will work with the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to review and implement the panel's recommendations. 'If we want to combat antisemitism and protect the members of our Jewish community, it starts with educating our children, building a better understanding of the Jewish experience, and making it clear that antisemitism has no place in Massachusetts,' Healey said in the statement. Advertisement Nick Stoico can be reached at

GOP Washington state Sen. John Braun is running for Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez's seat
GOP Washington state Sen. John Braun is running for Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez's seat

Washington Post

time27 minutes ago

  • Washington Post

GOP Washington state Sen. John Braun is running for Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez's seat

CHEHALIS, Wash. — Washington state Sen. John Braun announced Tuesday that he will run next year for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House seat held by Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. Braun, the Republican minority leader of the Democratic-controlled state Senate, will be vying for a competitive, conservative-leaning district in southwestern Washington that was carried by President Donald Trump last year.

The new politics of Israel
The new politics of Israel

Politico

timean hour ago

  • Politico

The new politics of Israel

GENERATION GAP — The questions were simple enough. Would you have voted to oppose sending weapons to Israel (as more than half of Senate Democrats recently did)? How do you think the next administration should handle our relationship with Israel? Do you think it's time to recognize a Palestinian state? But Pete Buttigieg, a top 2028 Democratic presidential prospect who was queried on Pod Save America on Sunday, still dodged them. His responses, in which he discussed a two-state solution and opposition to Trump, elicited an angry and dismissive response online, in particular from progressives. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), himself a potential 2028 candidate, posted in response on X 'we need moral clarity, not status quo.' Ben Rhodes, a former deputy national security adviser to President Barack Obama, said, 'Pete is a smart guy, but I have absolutely no idea what he thinks based on these answers.' The frustration with (and mockery of) Buttigieg's answers online lays bare the degree to which perceptions about Israel have changed over the past two years, and how America's relationship with Israel is set to become a more animating factor than ever in Democratic primaries in 2026 and 2028. Buttigieg has been roundly praised for his foray into new media and 'bro podcasts,' platforms where the party has largely been missing in action in recent years. But the viral moment on Israel from his Pod Save America interview — an otherwise safe space for Democrats — makes clear that even the party's strongest communicators must now contend with a newly reshaped party landscape on the issue of the war in Gaza. In his questions, podcast host Jon Favreau pointed directly to the shift within the party — at the end of July, the majority of Senate Democrats voted in favor of two bills that would block the sale of automatic weapons to Israel and would block the sale of $675 million in munition kits and bombs. Just a few months earlier, in April, only 15 Democrats voted to block similar transfers. It's a dramatic departure from the past, when the default party position was nearly unqualified support for Israel and those who broke with that stance — typically House progressives — were in a distinct minority. But it's a reflection of the new Democratic politics surrounding Israel, a directional change that has taken place with remarkable velocity since Hamas' brutal attack in October 2023. In the aftermath of that tragedy, exactly half of Americans (50 percent) approved of Israel's military action in Gaza, compared to 45 percent who disapproved. But since then support has eroded significantly — in a July Gallup poll, just 32 percent approved of the military action, the lowest point since Gallup first asked the question in November 2023. While support for Israel remains stable (and high) among Republicans, it has cratered among Democrats — just 8 percent of Democrats approve of Israel's military action in Gaza, down from 36 percent just after the attacks. The bottom has fallen out of conservative Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's popularity as well. While Netanyahu remains popular among Republicans, among Democrats his favorability rating has plummeted to just 9 percent. That's only slightly higher than President Donald Trump's approval ratings among Democrats. A June Quinnipiac University poll found something similar. When asked whether their sympathies lie more with the Israelis or more with the Palestinians based on what they know about the situation in the Middle East, just 12 percent of Democrats said the Israelis, while 60 percent said the Palestinians. Twenty-nine percent had no opinion. These rock-bottom levels of support explain the subtle, but increasingly noticeable, recalibrations that are taking place among Democratic candidates and elected officials. It reveals that traditional solid support for Israel is no longer politically sustainable in a restive party where the energy is on the left and among its youngest members — the two quarters where sympathy for Palestinians and support for an independent Palestinian state is highest. That's a change even from 2024, the first post-terror attack American election, when Israel policy was one of the defining features of House campaigns and the Democratic presidential primary. Back then, pro-Israel advocacy groups helped knock off two progressive incumbents who were critical of Israel in primaries, and President Joe Biden continued to show support for Israel's military campaign against Hamas fighters even in the face of an energetic 'uncommitted' effort designed to protest his policies. At the time, support for Israel's military action among Democrats was in the mid-20 percent range, according to Gallup. But in the upcoming 2026 primary season, if current party sentiment holds, the level of support will be in single digits. And there isn't much reason to expect it will return to prior levels anytime soon since the primary season will unfold on the heels of reports of mass starvation in Gaza, rising international anger toward Israel's restrictions on aid and a renewed Gaza offensive. The effects of that low level of support for Israel within the party could be wide-ranging. It could encourage protest candidates who tie it into their message of generational change. It will inevitably reshape the stances of the 2028 presidential primary field, not to mention recharge the party platform fight at the 2028 Democratic National Convention. What it suggests is a new normal going forward, especially because of the generational dimension to the debate. A 2024 Pew Research poll found that among Americans aged 65 and older, 47 percent said their sympathies lie entirely or mostly with the Israeli people, while just 9 percent sympathized entirely or mostly with the Palestinians. The numbers were almost flipped with younger voters, however. One-third of adults under 30 said their sympathies were either entirely or mostly with the Palestinian people, compared to just 14 percent who said their sympathies lie entirely or mostly with the Israeli people. They have an entirely different outlook than older Americans, whose historical frame of reference includes the Holocaust, the founding of the state of Israel, the Six Day War, the Munich Olympics, the Yom Kippur War, and other events. Young Democrats have only known a world with Netanyahu at the head of Israel's government. They have had a steady diet of images of dead Palestinians and starving children in Gaza on social media. Against that backdrop, as Buttigieg found out this week, the recycled rhetoric of the past, in the absence of a clear stand, is no longer cutting it in his party. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@ Or contact tonight's authors at cmahtesian@ and cmchugh@ or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @PoliticoCharlie and @calder_mchugh. What'd I Miss? — 'Trusting Trump's instincts': White House sets modest expectations ahead of Putin summit: White House officials are tempering expectations ahead of Friday's summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, casting it as a step toward a peaceful solution to the Ukraine war and avoiding promises of a ceasefire or any other type of grand bargain. The goal, a White House official said, is for Trump to simply take the measure of Putin, find out if the Russian leader is serious and work toward a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. — Trump BLS pick hints at halting monthly jobs report: President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics is floating the idea of suspending the monthly jobs report in favor of less-frequent quarterly data published by the statistical agency. E.J. Antoni said that BLS should halt issuing the reports — which are widely relied upon by economists, the Federal Reserve, Wall Street and other businesses to gauge the state of the economy in close to real time — until its methods can be improved to limit subsequent revisions. — Lula, Trump at a standstill on tariffs: President Donald Trump has used tariffs to pressure world leaders on a host of non-trade issues. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is one of the few who isn't budging. The left-wing South American president has taken a forceful response to the 50 percent tariffs Trump announced in July, last week calling on India, China and other emerging economies to unite against the U.S. levies. Lula, as Brazil's president is known, called the tariffs 'unacceptable blackmail' and filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization, after Trump tied the levies in part to the prosecution of former Brazilian president and far-right Trump acolyte Jair Bolsonaro. Unlike countries that have caved to Trump's demands on digital services taxes or defense spending, Trump has tied tariffs so large they are effectively sanctions to an issue Lula's government has made clear it won't negotiate on. — Paxton urges Texas judge to jail Beto O'Rourke over fundraising related to redistricting fight: Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked a Texas district court judge to jail former Rep. Beto O'Rourke over his fundraising pitches connected to the state's intensifying redistricting battle. Paxton's request accused the Texas Democrat of violating a court order that the judge, Tarrant County's Megan Fahey, issued last week that barred fundraising by O'Rourke and his nonprofit Powered by People intended to bankroll the efforts by Texas Democratic lawmakers to derail the redistricting effort. In support of his claim, he highlighted a remark O'Rourke made at a Saturday rally — a day after Fahey's order — saying 'there are no refs in this game. Fuck the rules.' But an attorney for O'Rourke says Paxton's characterization of O'Rourke's remark was an 'outright lie.' — Judge orders ICE to stop forcing detainees to sleep on dirty concrete floors: A federal judge ordered the Trump administration today to improve the conditions for ICE detainees in Manhattan after a lawsuit filed by a Peruvian immigrant complained of cramped and unsanitary holding cells. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered officials by Aug. 26 to provide more spacious accommodations that are equipped with a bedding mat for each detainee held overnight, have hygiene supplies and are cleaned 'thoroughly' at least three times a day. Kaplan, a Clinton appointee, also ordered officials to allow detainees private phone calls with their lawyers within 24 hours of being detained and to give them a printed notice of their rights within one hour of being placed in a holding room. AROUND THE WORLD ZELENSKYY'S NON-NEGOTIABLES — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will not give the Donbas region to Russia as part of a ceasefire deal, days ahead of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin's meeting in Alaska. The U.S. and Russian presidents are set to meet Friday to discuss a truce in the Ukraine war, which Trump said would require some exchange of territories. 'We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this. Donbas for the Russians is a springboard for a future new offensive,' Zelenskyy told journalists in Kyiv today. TAKING THE LEAD — The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has become the most popular party in the country, according to a striking new poll published today. If a national election were now held, 26 percent of Germans would vote for the AfD, according to a poll carried out by the Forsa Institute for Social Research and Statistical Analysis. That result puts the far-right party ahead of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's mainstream conservative bloc, which slid to second with 24 percent support in the poll. With the far-right National Rally already leading clearly in France, the bombshell German survey is likely to fuel unease among mainstream leaders across Europe. Right-wing populist parties have performed strongly in elections in recent years from Poland to Romania, and Portugal to the Netherlands. Nightly Number RADAR SWEEP YOUR CLOTHES' SECOND LIFE — If you've ever dropped a bag of clothes in a donation bin, chances are it ended up in Ghana, one of the world's biggest importer of used clothing. Every week, 15 million pieces of secondhand clothing arrived at the Kantamanto market in Accra where traders try to sell them to locals and sellers from around West Africa. As new clothing sales have quadrupled in the last 20 years, nonprofits in Ghana are finding innovative ways to upcycle clothing waste before they are dumped in landfills. Charlie Campbell reports for TIME. Parting Image Jacqueline Munis contributed to this newsletter. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store