US Debt Limit Nail-Biter Looms as Senate Ponders Trump Tax Bill
Chances of a close brush with a US payment default are growing as the Senate plans for time-consuming revisions to President Donald Trump's sprawling, multi-trillion-dollar tax and spending package.
Republican congressional leaders attached an increase in the US legal debt limit to the president's signature economic legislation. That gambit adds urgency to the enactment of a top-priority bill, but could put averting a default at the mercy of the complex legislative obstacle course that lies ahead.
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Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Army, Trump love a $40 million parade. But nothing is planned for Navy, Marines
WASHINGTON — The Army's latest estimate for its major parade to celebrate its 250th anniversary – which falls on President Donald Trump's birthday – totals $40 million, including the cost of repairing streets in Washington, DC expected to be gnawed by tank treads. Meanwhile, the Navy, which also celebrates its 250th anniversary in October, has no plans for a similar parade, according to a spokesperson. The Marine Corps, too, has its 250th in November, and does not appear to have a parade on tap either. That leads a Democratic senator and member of the Armed Services Committee to believe that the June 14 parade featuring tanks, helicopters, warplanes and troops in period costume is as much about feeding Trump's ego as it is celebrating the Army's heritage. 'It is Donald Trump who is the focus of his own attention, and the Army birthday just happened to be a convenient excuse,' said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut. 'He might well celebrate all our military services together since their birthdays are imminent. 'I'm all in favor of celebrating the anniversaries of our services in a more appropriate way but without the extravagant expenditure of funds that are vital to our military.' More: Tanks, cannons and soldiers sleeping in DC offices: Inside Trump birthday military parade The administration insists that the Army's anniversary and Trump's birthday are a coincidence and that the parade is justified to honor soldiers' sacrifice. Plans for the June 14 parade began in earnest about a month ago. 'The President is planning an historic celebration of the Army's 250th birthday that will honor generations of selfless Americans who have risked everything for our freedom,' Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley said in a statement last month. Trump told NBC in May that the parade's cost was, 'Peanuts compared to the value of doing it." The Army has acknowledged that the parade is costly, but says the expense justified. Tens of millions spent on a parade 'is dwarfed by 250 years of service and sacrifice by America's Army,' spokesman Steve Warren told reporters recently. The Army's initial estimate for the parade covered a range from $25 to $45 million. But as the event nears the estimate has been refined and includes damage to streets and infrastructure anticipated from heavy armored vehicles, according to a Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly. It's unclear how much the Army has budgeted to repair expected damage. The $40 million in taxpayer dollars will fund a parade featuring Abrams tanks, vintage World War II warplanes and thousands of soldiers marching in period uniforms to mark the nation's battles from the Revolutionary War to the present. A reviewing stand is being erected for Trump south of the White House. The Army is shipping tanks from Texas by railroad to Washington for the parade, and soldiers from other posts around the country. They will be housed downtown in government buildings transformed into makeshift barracks with thousands of cots. More: DC mayor worried tanks will chew up downtown streets in Army-Trump parade Military parades, especially France's annual Bastille Day celebration, have captivated Trump. But celebrations of military might are more common in authoritarian regimes. Every member of the Army participating in the parade, from private to general, will be expected to bunk in what the Army calls Life Support Areas, the official said. There are exceptions. Pvt. Doc Holliday being one. Doc is a blue heeler hound and 'cherished member of Horse Cavalry Detachment, according to the First Cavalry Division. Doc will be staying in a hotel with his handler, the official said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Army gets a $40 million parade. What about the Navy, Marines?
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
LA Protest Coverage Sparks Cable News Ratings Growth, CNN Doubles Audience
The Los Angeles protests over Donald Trump's ICE raids have sparked ratings growth across cable news since Friday, as viewers across the country tune in to follow the developing situation while the president deploys thousands of troops to the city. Most notably, CNN doubled its primetime audience by averaging 765,000 viewers from Friday through Tuesday, according to Nielsen figures, compared to 383,000 for the same week-earlier period. Demo viewership in primetime also saw a 109% spike, as CNN reached 142,000 viewers in the key cable news demo among adults 25-49, from 68,000 demo viewers the previous week. CNN saw by far the biggest boost, which can also be attributed in part to the protests picking up on Saturday, when the network televised a live performance of George Clooney's play 'Good Night, and Good Luck' — the special scored 7.34 million viewers globally. Still, both Fox News and MSNBC also saw slight upticks in viewership during the period as well. Fox News averaged 2.32 million primetime viewers from Friday through Tuesday — up 5% from the previous week's 2.2 million — while MSNBC saw a 12% uptick in viewership to reach 906,000 viewers (up from 809,000 the week prior). Fox and MSNBC also posted demo gains of 17% and 28%, respectively, at 269,000 and 91,000 viewers. The trend was similar in total-day viewership, though CNN only saw a 52% uptick, to 465,000 viewers, by that measure. Like primetime, CNN saw the biggest increase among the major cable news networks but remained in third place behind Fox (1.48 million) and MSNBC (571,000). The protests also resulted in a surge for local news in the L.A. market. KCAL, CBS' local Los Angeles channel, saw a 158% viewership jump during Saturday's primetime news programming, as well as a 166% increase in viewership during Sunday's 8-11 p.m. news slot compared to the previous week. Sister station KCBS also saw a 26% increase for its 11 p.m. news. As expected, having two relatively small-market teams in the NBA Finals has turned out to be drag on ratings. The first two games between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers averaged 8.84 million viewers, scoring 8.91 million and 8.76 million, respectively, for Games 1 and 2. Viewership for Game 2 fell nearly 30% below last year's matchup between the Celtics and the Mavericks — which brought in 12.3 million viewers — and marked the least-watched Game 2 since 2007, excluding 2020, when the pandemic-confined game brought in 7.54 million viewers. Reflecting continued growth for women's sports, the 2025 NCAA Women's College World Series drew a record audience, averaging 1.3 million viewers across 15 games on ESPN. That represents a 24% gain from last year, outpacing the previous high set by the 2021 tournament. The finals, which pitted Texas against Texas Tech, averaged a total linear viewership of 2.2 million, as both Games 1 and 2 ranked as the most-watched ever (2.1 million viewers) for those contests. ABC procedural 'The Rookie' has climbed its way into Nielsen's streaming charts due to its strong viewing on Hulu, appearing in the company's top 10 most-watched acquired streaming programs for the past nine weeks and 13 of the 19 weeks reported in 2025. While the show has benefited from the new season's next-day viewing on Hulu, Nielsen reports that recent episodes only account for 33% of the show's 2025 viewing, meaning that most viewers might be discovering the show for the first time on Hulu. Most recently, 'The Rookie' was the No. 5 most-streamed acquired show during the week of May 5, with 674 million viewing minutes, behind frequent list toppers 'Bluey' at No. 1, 'Grey's Anatomy' at No. 2, HBO's 'The Last of Us' third and 'NCIS' fourth. The post LA Protest Coverage Sparks Cable News Ratings Growth, CNN Doubles Audience appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Opinion - Thomas Massie and Warren Davidson: Two Republican profiles in courage
The passage of the budget reconciliation bill by the House of Representatives in the early hours of May 22 demonstrated once again President Trump's ability to win the votes of Republican members of Congress. But there were two noteworthy exceptions. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) were the only Republicans to resist Trump's pressure and vote against his so-called 'big, beautiful bill.' Both men deserve the country's gratitude, even from those on the political left who would struggle to find much in common with these far-right conservatives. Both men are comfortable with Trump's MAGA-world and both have voting records that put them at odds with Democrats. But in voting to oppose the tax bill, they demonstrated that their convictions are real and lived up to the ideal of an independent legislative branch capable of acting without a president's direction. Alongside a Republican party unwilling to balance the power of the presidency, Democrats have demonstrated an equally unproductive tendency to place loyalty to a party leader above their constituents and the country. The aggressive efforts to downplay, dismiss and cover up former President Joe Biden's declining faculties in 2024 offers a prime example of this type of misplaced loyalty. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) went so far as to explain his support for Biden after the June 2024 presidential debate by saying simply, 'I don't do disloyalty.' This sentiment was indicative of a Democratic Party wholly unwilling to call out the obvious — whose leaders and members chose instead to misinform the American people. With their votes in favor of Trump's tax bill, too many Republican members of Congress have done something similar. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) took a middle path, voting 'present' rather than for or against the bill. But the effect of that meek decision pales in comparison to the clarity offered by Massie and Davidson. Both opposed the bill because they know it massively increases the size of the federal government's annual deficit and relies on future members of Congress to address a problem that needs to be resolved now. Their unwillingness to kick the can further down the road is in keeping with the character it takes to stand up to a president who is willing to threaten the political future of Republicans who oppose his will. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) was courageous enough to admit publicly what most Republicans understand in private: 'We are all afraid.' Republican politicians are intimidated by Trump and his allies. Murkowski has consistently demonstrated uncommon fortitude by her principled opposition to Trump when she disagrees with him or believes his policies will harm her constituents. Massie and Davidson have earned their place as the most principled Republicans in the House by sticking with their beliefs when faced with political consequences. They exemplify the idea that it is better to lose with your principles intact than to win after sacrificing them to political pressure and conformity. In recent decades, both Democrats and Republicans in Congress have abdicated their proper constitutional role in favor of powerful chief executives from their respective parties. At the same time, the judiciary has replaced Congress as the primary check on presidential power — a development that perhaps encourages courts to overstep their intended role. The rebalancing of power in the federal government will start only when members of Congress are willing to assert their independence. A more confident legislative branch would take pressure off the courts and allow them to return to a less activist role. Neither Massie nor Davidson is likely to earn plaudits from Democrats, who have demonstrated their own willingness to put party loyalty over country and are quick to dismiss the value of political independence. They showed this by their shoddy treatment of Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) after he challenged Biden for the nomination in 2024, and by their growing criticism of Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) for deviating slightly from the ideology of the far left. Democrats have done and are doing exactly what they now accuse Republicans of doing by mindlessly supporting the president's tax bill. Massie and Davidson showed us something better. We might make real progress if more of their colleagues were willing to follow. Colin Pascal is a retired Army lieutenant colonel, a registered Democrat and a graduate student in the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
