Senate Republicans pass Trump's 'big, beautiful' tax bill
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The Guardian
34 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Kristi Noem failed to disclose $80,000 received while South Dakota governor
The US homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, failed to disclose $80,000 that she accepted while serving as South Dakota's governor, according to a report published on Monday. The investigative news website ProPublica said tax records from 2023 show Noem was paid the sum by a group listed as American Resolve Policy Fund – but it has never made it on to her public ethics disclosures. Noem was paid for helping the group – which does not disclose its donors – to fundraise, but the non-profit, a so-called dark money group, went on to run social media attack ads targeting local news outlets that had reported on her alleged misuse of taxpayer funds while serving as governor. Noem, who was assigned a leading role in the immigration crackdown and related deportation efforts that Donald Trump has helmed since returning to the presidency in January, has developed a reputation for an opulent lifestyle. As South Dakota governor in 2021, on a salary of $130,000, Noem spent $68,000 installing a sauna, chandeliers and rugs in the governor's mansion, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. She was sued in March 2024 by the consumer advocacy group Travelers United over a social media video promoting a dental practice named Smile Texas. The lawsuit alleges Noem failed to disclose any potential financial relationship with the Texas dental practice, and the Instagram video was not correctly labelled as an advertisement. More recently, Noem raised eyebrows when she wore a $50,000 gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watch while visiting El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), the prison that is holding alleged Tren de Aragua members deported from the US. Noem also made headlines when her Gucci handbag containing $3,000 in cash was stolen from a restaurant in Washington. ProPublica does not assert that Noem broke campaign finance laws in receiving the payment from American Resolve Policy Fund. Lawmakers helping non-profits and other political groups fundraise is not uncommon. But it is not common practice to be rewarded for doing so. 'There's no way the governor is supposed to have a private side business that the public doesn't know about,' Lee Schoenbeck, a longtime Republican attorney and lawmaker, told ProPublica. 'It would clearly not be appropriate.' The Associated Press reported in March that while Noem campaigned for Trump as South Dakota governor, the state picked up some expenses. That included trips to Palm Beach, Florida, from where Trump was then managing his victorious 2024 presidential campaign. The outlet reported that over her six years as governor, South Dakota covered more than $640,000 in travel-related costs incurred by the governor's office – including a $7,555 air fare for a six-day trip to Paris to speak at a political event – and costs associated with a bear hunt in Canada with her niece. Those expenses, reported on by the Dakota Scout, incensed some members of her party. Dennis Daugaard, a former Republican South Dakota governor, said the cost to taxpayers in service of raising her national profile 'offends a lot of people'. Taffy Howard, a Republican state senator who sparred with Noem over her expenses, said it 'seems like an incredible amount of money'. But the AP cautioned that there was 'no indication' that the former governor had broken any laws by having the state foot her security expenses. 'Unfortunately, bad guys tend to make threats against high-profile public officials,' Noem's then spokesperson, Tim Murtaugh, said. 'When it was a political or personal trip, she paid for her own travel out of her political or personal funds.' The latest questions concerning Noem's relationship with American Resolve Policy Fund, a group that describes its mission as 'fighting to preserve America for the next generation', reflect how some quarters may view personal brand-building, via product marketing opportunities, as part of a contemporary political career. Trump, for one, has fostered that approach. In a statement to Politico, Noem's lawyer, Trevor Stanley, said that the former South Dakota governor 'fully complied with the letter and the spirit of the law'. Stanley said the US office of government ethics, which processes disclosure forms for federal officials, 'analyzed and cleared her financial information in regards to this entity'. According to ProPublica, Stanley claimed Noem 'fully disclosed all of her income on public documents that are readily available' but did not respond to further questioning.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Donald Trump reveals his family member he'd like to see replace Thom Thills
Donald Trump revealed his 'first choice' would be to see daughter-in-law Lara run to replace turncoat Republican Senator Thom Tillis in 2026. The president celebrated Tillis - who voted against the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' - announcing he would not run for re-election Sunday. On Tuesday, the president was asked who he'd like to see take his spot and a familiar name came to mind. 'Somebody that would really be great is Lara, she grew up there,' Trump said. He noted that while Lara, 42, is from North Carolina, she and husband Eric 'live in Florida, they have a very good life.' Lara, the wife of the president's son, would have the family's backing if she chose to run, a source told Monday. 'She's a great person, Lara Trump. I mean, that would always be my first choice but she doesn't live there now, but she's there all the time, her parents are there, she really knows North Carolina well and I won there three times.' Trump cited Lara's success at running the Republican National Committee in 2024 and her new Fox News talk show. Assuming a Republican wins in 2026 in the purple state, Trump will be happy to see the back of Tillis regardless of who it is. 'I didn't get along with Tillis and he resigned, that's a good thing. I had it out with this guy two nights ago and he resigned, he did us all a favor. I was happy about it,' Trump told the press gaggle. The seat may not be hers for the taking even if she has the support of her famous family. Several other Republicans are considering a bid, including former party chairman Michael Whatley, who is seen as a strong contender; Congressman Pat Harrigan; and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, sources tell DailyMail. Lara, however, would have the Trump family support if she runs, a source familiar told DailyMail. Lara is married to Eric Trump, the president's third child and is also host of a weekend show on Fox News. Eric sparked talk of a Trump political dynasty earlier this month when he told the Financial Times that a political career would be 'would be an easy one' for family members, if they took that option. Still, one Trump adviser told Axios they'd be 'surprised if she wants to leave the amazing gig she has at Fox.' North Carolina is a longtime battleground state where Democrats tend to win the governorships and Republicans the Senate seats. Democrats, however, see the retirement of Tillis, a well-liked Republican senator, as a chance to change their luck. The party is pushing former Gov. Roy Cooper, a popular politician, to run for the seat. Asked if he would back a successor for his seat, Tillis didn't answer. 'Dependent upon whether or not President Trump endorses somebody it could be an open primary,' he told reporters on Capitol Hill on Sunday night.. 'He could close it out and the party could get behind it, I suspect that's what they do. I just really hope he has some discernment because obviously Mark Robinson was a bad pick.' Robinson, the scandal-ridden lieutenant governor, lost last year's gubernatorial race to Democrat Josh Stein even as Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris in the presidential race. Lara Trump, a North Carolina native who graduated from N.C. State University, currently anchors a weekend show on Fox News. During the 2024 election, she served as co-chair of Republican National Committee. In that contest, President Trump backed Whatley to be chairman with Lara Trump as his deputy. The duo served together through the election. She was previously floated as a potential Senate candidate when former Republican Sen. Richard Burr retired. She opted not to launch a campaign for the seat. Eric and Lara currently live in Florida. Lara was touted as a candidate to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate when he was confirmed as secretary of state but, again, she opted to stay out of politics. She said she worries about moving her family to Washington D.C., pointing to advice she received from her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, who both worked in the first Trump Administration. 'It was tough on them personally, but it was really tough on their family,' she told Time magazine in February. 'Even if I decided to move my whole family, dogs and all, up to Washington, D.C., I still think that it probably would have been a big challenge for my kids and for us as a whole.' Eric Trump, speaking to the Financial Times a few weeks ago, expressed the same concerns about his children and a political life. 'The real question is: 'Do you want to drag other members of your family into it?'' Eric Trump said when asked about running for public office. Their son Luke is seven and daughter Caroline is five. 'Would I want my kids to live the same experience over the last decade that I've lived? 'If the answer was yes, I think the political path would be an easy one, meaning, I think I could do it,' he said. 'And by the way, I think other members of our family could do it too.' Tillis announced his retirement on Sunday after Trump whacked him over his opposition to the president's 'big, beautiful' budget bill currently making its way through the Senate. Tillis was one of two Republican senators who voted against the 'motion to proceed' on Trump's budget bill Saturday evening, along with Kentucky Republican Rand Paul. In a post made to his social media site Truth Social Sunday morning, President Trump came after Tillis, claiming that he 'hurt the great people of North Carolina' and calling him a 'talker and complainer.' 'Thom Tillis has hurt the great people of North Carolina. Even on the catastrophic flooding, nothing was done to help until I took office. Then a Miracle took place! Tillis is a talker and complainer, Not A Doer! He's even worse than Rand 'Fauci' Paul,' Trump wrote on Sunday morning.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
US consumer watchdog scraps $95 million 'illegal fees' settlement with Navy Federal Credit Union
WASHINGTON, July 1 (Reuters) - The top U.S. watchdog agency for consumer finance this week canceled a $95 million settlement reached last year with Navy Federal Credit Union, a lender officials in the prior administration had accused of illegally charging surprise overdraft fees, according to an order published on Tuesday. In a separate order also published on Tuesday, the CFPB likewise canceled a November action against the nonbank mortgage company Fay Servicing over alleged violations of mortgage servicing laws. The decisions were the latest moves by the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to undo cases already concluded by the agency, which President Donald Trump has sought to shrink drastically if not eliminate outright. The CFPB last month exited its corporate monitorship of Bank of America (BAC.N), opens new tab from a 2023 settlement and in May canceled a settlement with Toyota from the same year over allegations of pushing car buyers into unwanted product bundles. Representatives for both companies welcomed the news, saying they were committed to properly serving their customers. "Navy Federal complied with all applicable laws and regulations at the time and continues to do so. We firmly believe the CFPB's decision to terminate the order was appropriate," a spokesperson for the credit union said. The CFPB did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Navy Federal primarily services military service members, veterans, civilian employees of the military and their families. In an internal memo in April, CFPB Chief Legal Officer Mark Paoletta said the agency would focus its reduced resources on "pressing threats to consumers, particularly service members and their families and veterans." In November, the CFPB had ordered Navy Federal to pay $95 million, including $80 million in redress to consumers over allegations the credit union charged depositors whose accounts had sufficient funds at the time of a purchase but fell into the red by the time the charge later posted to their accounts. The CFPB also said depositors paid fees if they drew on funds received via services like PayPal and CashApp and the credit union's system incorrectly told them the funds were immediately available to spend. In an order signed Tuesday, CFPB acting Director Russell Vought said the November order was terminated, including provisions requiring redress payments to allegedly harmed consumers. However the similar order concerning Fay Servicing indicated the CFPB would distribute $3 million in redress payments specific to that case. (This story has been corrected to say that the orders were published on Tuesday, not Wednesday, in paragraphs 1-2)
