EC Council President Berge announces candidacy for Congress
EAU CLAIRE — Eau Claire Council President Emily Berge has announced she is running for Congress.
'People are just feeling left behind and frustrated, and they feel their current representative isn't listening to them,' Berge told the Leader-Telegram on Monday. 'I think it's time for a change. People want something different. I feel I can be the calm in the chaos, and the steadiness we don't have.'
Berge, 45, will run as a Democrat for the Third Congressional District seat, currently held by U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien. Van Orden has not formally announced his reelection plans but he is expected to do so. Van Orden was elected in 2022 and re-elected last fall.
Berge, a licensed professional counselor, was elected to the Eau Claire City Council in April 2018, defeating incumbent Tim Tewalt by a margin of 1,230 to 743. She became the Council's vice-president in 2023, then won the Council President position that year.
Berge is the second Democratic candidate to file for the seat. Rebecca Cooke, who lost to Van Orden last fall, announced in February she will make her third run for the seat. Van Orden won with 51.4% of the vote to Cooke's 48.6%. Cooke also ran in 2022 but finished runner-up in the Democratic primary. Nationally, Democrats are looking at this seat as one they hope to flip in their attempt to regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In her tenure on the Eau Claire City Council, Berge said she's proud of how they have been welcoming to all, and seen the city grow at the same time population statewide has declined.
'People want to live in Eau Claire and be in Eau Claire,' she said. 'We've put a priority on quality of life. We've done a great job of being welcoming.'
The Council also tackled how to move forward after the closure of HSHS Sacred Heart and other medical facilities. She also notes the way the city quickly worked to address PFAS in the water supply, saying they were open and transparent about the problem, and they have started working on a PFAS removal facility.
'I really believe in bringing people together and unifying people,' she said. 'I know people might disagree, but we have each other's back. I want to build this movement.'
Berge has lived in Eau Claire for 24 years. She and her husband have two children. Berge has a master's degree in mental health counseling from UW-Stout and owns a private practice in Eau Claire.
She previously ran for state Assembly in 2020 in a losing effort against Rep. Jesse James, R-Altoona, in the 68th Assembly District. James is now a state Senator.
'That was a completely different race; it was during the pandemic,' she recalled. But what she did like was going out and meeting the public. The Third Congressional District features all or parts of 19 counties, and Berge said she's eager to get out to the areas outside Eau Claire and start to meet the public.
The press release announcing her candidacy said she has been endorsed by State Sen. Jeff Smith, D-Town of Brunswick, attorney and former Assemblyman Dana Wachs, and Eau Claire County Board Chairwoman Nancy Coffey. Tim Nordin, Eau Claire Area School Board president, also announced his endorsement.
'Emily Berge shows up, especially when it's hard,' Nordin wrote in a press release. 'When some tried to push hateful, divisive rhetoric that suggested not everyone belonged in Eau Claire, Emily Berge stood firm. She stands for a Wisconsin where each child has what they need to learn, grow and thrive. I trust her to represent our district in Congress with the same courage and strength she's shown here at home.'
A website dubbed bergeforcongress.com is slated to go live today.
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A complete guide to the Trump vs. Musk feud
In early June 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk's once-close relationship turned ugly as the two traded barbs on social media. Social media users, in turn, speculated about why the two were fighting. The relationship between Musk and Trump, according to reporting from reputable news outlets, had been complicated for months, despite public amicability. Trump's team had become increasingly frustrated with Musk's erratic behavior and his slash-and-burn mentality as the public face of the Department of Government Efficiency, according to these reports. Things appeared to begin falling apart publicly when Trump pulled the nomination of a Musk ally to lead NASA, citing past donations to Democrats, and Musk started attacking Trump's trade adviser and tariffs architect, Peter Navarro. On June 3, Musk posted on X that he "just can't stand it anymore," and attacked Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, calling it a "disgusting abomination" and criticizing it for increasing the national debt. Trump, in response, said he was "very disappointed" with Musk and alleged the world's richest man was really angry about the bill's electric-vehicle tax-credit cuts, which would hurt Musk's car company, Tesla. It's true that the bill would increase the national debt, and that Trump reversed his position on increasing the debt ceiling — the limit lawmakers set to how much money the government can borrow. It's also true that the bill would cut tax credits benefiting Tesla. Thus, it is likely that even if there is more going on than what is publicly known, the fight does, at least in part, have to do with Trump's budget bill. U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk, a former special government employee and Trump adviser, once presented themselves as the ultimate bromance in U.S. politics — but as their relationship crashed and burned in mid-2025, speculation and questions about what caused their very public breakup circulated online. "Who else still doesn't understand why Elon Musk and Donald Trump are fighting?" wrote one confused X user. The fight between Musk and Trump appeared to center around Musk's criticism of Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, which Musk called a "disgusting abomination." Trump, on the other hand, lamented that he once "had" a great relationship with Musk and claimed Musk's anger was over cuts to electric-vehicle tax credits in the bill — credits that would have benefited Musk's car company, Tesla. "I'll tell you, he's not the first," Trump said (at 1:13). "People leave my administration and they love us, and then at some point they miss it so badly. And some of them embrace it and some of them actually become hostile. I don't know what it is, it's sort of 'Trump derangement syndrome' I guess they call it." Still, news outlets and late-night hosts speculated about the "real reasons" Musk was feuding with Trump. Some X users alleged Musk had simply pretended to support Trump to receive the EV subsidies. Meanwhile, conspiracy theorists argued that the fight was planned as a distraction or so Musk could sell cars to liberals and Trump could stop appearing beholden to the world's richest man. Much of what we know about Trump and Musk's relationship comes from reporting based on anonymous sources inside the White House who fear losing their jobs, making it impossible to definitively determine based on public information if there was a "real" reason for the spat. In response to an inquiry, the White House ignored detailed questions asking for evidence of various claims and allegations made by Trump and Musk, instead providing a boilerplate statement that had been sent to Snopes previously. "This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted. The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again," read the statement from Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary. Below, we break down what has been reported, what Trump and Musk have said and what they appear to be fighting about: Musk and Trump's close relationship publicly began when the SpaceX founder endorsed Trump for president on July 13, 2024, in an X post following an assassination attempt on the president in Pennsylvania. Musk poured nearly $300 million into Trump's campaign, and shortly after Trump won, he appointed Musk to head the Department of Government Efficiency, a new initiative dedicated to cutting government spending. As Musk used a literal chain saw to promote his cuts to government agencies, outwardly, the two could not have been more agreeable to each other. However, reputable news outlets — citing anonymous sources in the White House — painted a more complicated story. In March, The New York Times reported cabinet officials were growing increasingly frustrated with the billionaire's "unchecked power," culminating in an explosive meeting over Musk's efforts to slash spending via mass layoffs of federal workers. The meeting, the Times reported, "yielded the first significant indication that Mr. Trump is willing to put some limits on Mr. Musk," as Trump reportedly said that from that point on, "the secretaries would be in charge; the Musk team would only advise." In April, the The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump and Musk spent time together almost every weekend, and that Trump admired Musk's humor and wealth — and the interest other world leaders took in Musk. The story also noted Trump's attempts to smooth over Musk's tense relationship with his cabinet officials. But the WSJ reported in May that the president and his staffers had expressed various frustrations over Musk's erratic messaging and his deep investment in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The candidate Musk backed, Brad Schimel, was a conservative backed by the Republican Party, but White House aides believed he would not win the race and it would become a referendum on Musk and Trump. (They were right.) Axios reported in June that Musk wanted the Federal Aviation Administration to use his Starlink satellite system for national air traffic control — but "the administration balked at it because of the appearance of a conflict of interest and for technological reasons." Snopes has not independently verified the reports from Axios, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. On April 5, news outlets reported that Musk posted, then deleted, an X post disparaging Trump's top trade adviser, Peter Navarro. "A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing," Musk said in reference to Navarro's degree, adding that Navarro "hadn't built s***." On April 8, Musk called Navarro a slur for developmentally disabled people, "truly a moron" and "dumber than a sack of bricks" in several X posts. Musk's frustrations with Navarro appeared to be over Trump's tariff policy, which Navarro was largely in charge of. (Musk said in an X post on June 5 that he believed Trump's tariffs would cause a recession in "the second half this year.") Musk then began publicly criticizing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in a May 27 interview with CBS News, saying he was "disappointed" to see that the "massive spending bill" would increase the budget deficit, adding that it "undermines the work DOGE has been doing" (see 6:00). "I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both," he said. The next day, Musk announced that his "scheduled time" as a special government employee was coming to an end. Trump presented Musk with a key to the White House on May 30 and called him an "incredible patriot" (see 11:40). Musk said he'd "expect to remain a friend and an adviser" and that he was "at the president's service" (see 20:13). Axios reported, however, that Musk had discussed trying to stay in that role beyond the 130-day time limit for special government employees but White House officials denied the request. On June 1, Trump announced on Truth Social that he would withdraw a nomination of a Musk ally, Jared Isaacman, to head NASA after a "thorough review of prior associations." Based on other comments, Trump was likely referring to Isaacman's past donations to Democrats — but Axios reported that for Musk, the withdrawal was the "final straw." "I'm not going to play dumb on this — I don't think timing was much of a coincidence. … There were other changes going on the same day," Isaacman said at the 50:04 mark in an "All-In Podcast" episode published June 4, presumably referencing Musk's departure. On June 3, Musk posted that he "just can't stand it anymore." "This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination," he wrote. Over the next few days, Musk's X feed largely consisted of criticizing the budget bill. He repeatedly raised concerns over "debt slavery" — enslavement for unpaid debts — and the bill's potential effect on the national deficit. He began outright lobbying against the bill, calling on his followers to "kill the bill." In a June 5 Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump said he was "very disappointed" to see Musk's tirade (see 4:09). "I've always liked Elon, and so I was very surprised," Trump said. "He hasn't said anything about me that's bad. I'd rather have him criticize me than the bill, because the bill is incredible. It's the biggest cut in the history of this country." Trump claimed Musk "knew the inner workings" of the bill better than many in the administration and "had no problem with it" until they cut the EV subsidies (see 21:07). (Musk said on X that the president's comments were false and the bill "was never shown to me even once.") The president also alleged that Musk was unhappy about the administration's decision to reverse Isaacman's nomination to lead NASA (see 15:03). "He said the most beautiful things about me. And he hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next," Trump said (see 21:55). "But I'm very disappointed in Elon. I helped Elon a lot." As Trump predicted, Musk turned to personal attacks: Musk claimed Trump wouldn't have won the election without him, amplified a call for Trump's impeachment and alleged the Trump administration hasn't released files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein because the president is in them. Minutes before Musk posted about the Epstein files, Trump posted on his Truth Social account, "Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Minutes after Musk posted his allegations that Trump was in unreleased Epstein-related files, Trump appeared to respond, without directly referencing Musk's claim. Trump's post read, "I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn't pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that. I didn't create this mess, I'm just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump also threatened to take away Musk's government contracts in a Truth Social post the same day: "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!" Musk, in a now-deleted response, threatened to decommission the SpaceX capsule used to take astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station — before backing off from the threat after an X user pleaded with him to cool off. Let's discuss the actual policy the two men appear to be fighting about: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. First, a quick recap: Musk's criticisms of the bill, at least publicly, center on his belief it will increase the federal deficit. Trump says Musk is mad over the administration's decision to remove electric-vehicle tax credits — what the president called an "EV mandate" — from the bill. While Musk initially supported eliminating the EV tax credit in 2023, he appears to have reversed his stance. The budget bill includes the elimination of a tax credit worth roughly as much as $7,500 for some Tesla models and other electric vehicles by Dec. 31, 2025, seven years ahead of schedule — see Section 112002 of the bill, "TERMINATION OF CLEAN VEHICLE CREDIT." JP Morgan estimated Tesla would lose $1.2 billion over the elimination, according to Bloomberg. Thus, it is accurate to say Musk stands to lose money over the removal of the tax credit. But Musk, in response to Trump's comments in the Oval Office, claimed on X that he cared more about what he believed was wasteful spending in the bill. "Whatever," he said. "Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill." Musk's attacks centered on what he believed was Trump's about-face on raising the debt ceiling — a limit Congress sets as to how much money the government can borrow — as well as the fact the budget bill would increase the deficit. Part of Musk's tirade against Trump involved him pulling out old Trump posts about the deficit to paint the president as a hypocrite. It is true that Trump was against raising the federal deficit before he became president — but he raised the ceiling multiple times during his first term. In a June 4 Truth Social post, he said he wanted to abolish the debt limit entirely "to prevent an Economic catastrophe." The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would increase the federal deficit by $2.4 trillion through 2034; that would grow to $3 trillion with interest, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget — and $5 trillion with interest if temporary tax cuts were made permanent. As Trump had touted, the package also cuts spending by about $1.3 trillion, with most of that coming from cuts to Medicaid and food assistance, according to the CBO. The bill would thus necessitate raising the debt ceiling, as the ceiling as of 2025 is $36.1 trillion, which the United States has already breached — the national debt, as of this writing, was $36.2 trillion, forcing the United States to take what's called "extraordinary measures" to temporarily prevent a default on the debt. Defaulting, the Department of the Treasury said, would result in "catastrophic repercussions." Private arguments and issues the Trump team had with Musk may have led to this very public fight, according to reputable news outlets. While the center of the fight appeared to be the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the two were already at odds over Trump pulling the nomination of a Musk ally to lead NASA and Musk's opposition to Trump's tariff policy and the architect behind it, to name a few incidents. In early June, Musk began attacking the budget bill, leading Trump to say he was "very disappointed" in the tech billionaire before posting a few of his own responses on Truth Social. Aside from Musk attacking the bill as being bloated and financially irresponsible, Musk also attacked Trump's character. Trump alleged Musk was actually upset with the bill's electric-vehicle tax-credit cuts and said the easiest way to reduce spending would be to take Musk's government contracts away. In terms of the policy discussion, it is true the bill increases spending and the national debt, as Musk claimed, and it is true ending the EV tax credit would likely harm Tesla. At the end of the day, we can't say exactly what is going on in either man's their head, making it impossible to know whether there's more to the fight — but the evidence suggests the budget bill is at least one major sticking point for the relationship. Al Jazeera. "'I Love the President': Trump, Musk Heap on Praise in Gushy Interview." Al Jazeera, 19 Feb. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Alaska on X: "@Elonmusk @SpaceX This Is a Shame This Back and Forth. …." 6 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. All-In Podcast. "Jared Isaacman: What Went Wrong at NASA | the All-in Interview." YouTube, 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Arrington, Jodey C. "Text - H.R.1 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): One Big Beautiful Bill Act." Accessed 6 June 2025. Associated Press. "WATCH: Elon Musk Waves Chainsaw on Stage at CPAC." YouTube, 20 Feb. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Breaking down the One Big Beautiful Bill | Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget." Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, 21 May 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Caputo, Marc. "Scoop: Four Reasons Musk Attacked Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill.'" Axios, 3 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Clough, Rick, and Kara Carlson. "Elon Musk Escalates Attacks on Trump Tax Bill, Sending Tesla (TSLA) Plunging." Bloomberg, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. CNN. "Elon Musk Exits Government Role." Accessed 6 June 2025. Congressional Budget Office. "Debt-Service Effects Derived from H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act." Congressional Budget Office, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Dawsey, Josh, et al. "Inside Elon Musk and Trump's Complicated and Tense Relationship." The Wall Street Journal, 31 May 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Inside Elon Musk's Shock-And-Awe Months in the White House." The Wall Street Journal, 5 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Deng, Grace. "What to Know about Trump, Musk and the Dismantling of USAID." Snopes, 5 Feb. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Donor Lookup." OpenSecrets, Accessed 6 June 2025. Face the Nation. "Trump and Musk Take Questions as Tesla CEO Exits 'Special Government Employee' Post." YouTube, 30 May 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Federal Debt and the Debt Limit in 2025." Accessed 6 June 2025. "Interactive: Recent History of the Debt Limit | Bipartisan Policy Center." Accessed 6 June 2025. Izzo, Jack. "Yes, Musk Shared Post Calling for Trump's Impeachment." Snopes, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Liles, Jordan. "Yes, Musk Alleged Trump Appears in the Epstein Files." Snopes, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Loe, Megan. "Musk Said 'Trump Would Have Lost the Election' without Him." Snopes, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Musk, Elon. "Elon Musk on X: "@Mrp @RealPNavarro @JoeSquawk @SquawkCNBC Navarro Is…." 9 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "@Mrp @RealPNavarro @JoeSquawk @SquawkCNBC Tesla Has …." 9 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: '💯' / X." X (formerly Twitter), 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "a New Spending Bill Should Be Drafted That Doesn't M…." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: 'America Is in the Fast Lane to Debt Slavery' / X." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "Call Your Senator, Call Your Congressman, Bankruptin…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "False, This Bill Was Never Shown to Me Even Once And…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "in Light of the President's Statement about Cancella…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "Mammoth Spending Bills Are Bankrupting America! ENOU…." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "the Trump Tariffs Will Cause a Recession in the Seco…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "This Immense Level of Overspending Will Drive Americ…." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "This Spending Bill Contains the Largest Increase In …." 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: "Whatever. Keep the EV/Solar Incentive Cuts in the Bi…." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: 'Where Is This Guy Today??' / X." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Musk on X: 'Wise Words' / X." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Good Advice. Ok, We Won't Decommission Dragon." 6 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I Fully Endorse President Trump and Hope for His Rapid Recovery." X (Formerly Twitter), 13 July 2024, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I'm Sorry, but I Just Can't Stand It Anymore. This Massive, Outrageous, Pork-Filled Congressional Spending Bill Is a Disgusting Abomination. Shame on Those Who Voted for It: You Know You Did Wrong. You Know It." X (Formerly Twitter), 3 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. PBS NewsHour. "WATCH: Trump Says He's 'Very Disappointed' in Elon Musk after Criticism of President's Budget Bill." YouTube, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Statement by President-Elect Donald J. Trump Announcing That Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Will Lead the Department of Government Efficiency ('DOGE') | the American Presidency Project." 12 Nov. 2024, Accessed 6 June 2025. Swan, Jonathan, and Maggie Haberman. "Rubio and Trump Officials Clash with Elon Musk in an Explosive Meeting." The New York Times, 7 Mar. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Taija PerryCook. "Every DOGE Rumor We've Fact-Checked so Far." Snopes, 15 Mar. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Talcott, Shelby. "'A Battle Elon Won't Win': Musk Takes on Trump Trade Guru Peter Navarro." 6 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Thadani, Trisha, et al. "Elon Musk Donated $288 Million in 2024 Election, Final Tally Shows." Washington Post, The Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Trump, Donald J. "Donald J. Trump on X: "No Member of Congress Should Be Eligible for R…." 31 July 2012, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "Elon Was 'Wearing Thin,' I Asked Him to Leave, I Took Away His EV Mandate That Forced Everyone to Buy Electric Cars That Nobody Else Wanted (That He Knew for Months I Was Going to Do!), and He Just Went CRAZY!" Truth Social, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I Am Very Pleased to Announce That, after All of These Years, I Agree with Senator Elizabeth Warren on SOMETHING. The Debt Limit Should Be Entirely Scrapped to Prevent an Economic Catastrophe. It Is Too Devastating to Be Put in the Hands of Political People That May Want to Use It despite the Horrendous Effect It Could Have on Our Country And, Indirectly, Even the World. As to Senator Warren's Second Statement on the $4 Trillion Dollars, I like That Also, but It Would Have to Be Done over a Period of Time, as Short as Possible. Let's Get Together, Republican and Democrat, and DO THIS!" Truth Social, 4 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "I Don't Mind Elon Turning against Me, but He Should Have Done so Months Ago. This Is One of the Greatest Bills Ever Presented to Congress. It's a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut Ever Given. If This Bill Doesn't Pass, There Will Be a 68% Tax Increase, and Things Far Worse than That. I Didn't Create This Mess, I'm Just Here to FIX IT. This Puts Our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Truth Social, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. ---. "The Easiest Way to Save Money in Our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, Is to Terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I Was Always Surprised That Biden Didn't Do It!" Truth Social, 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. "Truth Details | Truth Social." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. US Treasury. "What Is the National Debt?" Accessed 6 June 2025. Wall, Mike. "Senator Grills Jared Isaacman, Trump's Pick for NASA Chief, about Elon Musk's Involvement in His Job Interview (Video)." Space, 10 Apr. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Wazer, Caroline. "Musk Said He's Leaving the White House. Here's What We Do (and Don't) Know about the Departure." Snopes, 29 May 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. White House. "President Trump Participates in a Bilateral Meeting with the Chancellor of Germany." 5 June 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025. Yellen, Janet. DEPARTMENT of the TREASURY | Letter to Rep. Mike Johnson. 17 Jan. 2025, Accessed 6 June 2025.
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With $122M spent, the 2025 governor's race is already New Jersey's most expensive
Spending totals for this campaign have already more than doubled those in every gubernatorial primary since at least the turn of the millennium. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor) Candidates and outside groups have spent more than $122.5 million on this year's gubernatorial primary, a total greater than any other in state history and one that stands to rise in the race's closing days, the New Jersey Election Law Commission said Friday. The spending total includes $54.9 million from the candidates themselves and $67.7 million from outside groups. Between them, $14 million remained unspent, and that number could swell from late-arriving donations to independent expenditure groups, which face no contribution limits. Voting is underway and ends Tuesday. Spending totals for this campaign have already more than doubled those in every gubernatorial primary since at least the turn of the millennium and have outpaced even the most expensive gubernatorial general election. That November 2005 race between Democrat Jon Corzine and Republican Doug Forrester cost about $98 million after adjustments to inflation, the commission said. This year's 11 gubernatorial candidates had about $6.7 million left in reserves on May 27, the last date covered by regular pre-election campaign finance disclosures. The commission credited the number of candidacies and a larger gubernatorial fund match for the increase. Candidates who meet fundraising and spending thresholds can receive up to $5.5 million in matching public dollars for the primary in exchange for observing an $8.7 million primary spending cap and participating in debates hosted by the commission. Five of the eight candidates have maxed out or nearly maxed out their matching funds. Of the $54.9 million spent by the candidates, Democrats Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and Rep. Mikie Sherrill lead the pack, with Fulop spending nearly $8.7 million and Sherrill shelling out $8.5 million as of May 27. Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2017 and 2021, spent $8 million, followed by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat, at $7.9 million. Spending by outside groups is dominated by Working New Jersey, a super PAC funded by an independent expenditure group linked to statewide teachers union the New Jersey Education Association. It is responsible for more than half of the outside spending in the race, with at least $37.5 million boosting Democrat Sean Spiller, the union's president. Spiller's own campaign has spent only $342,059. Spiller's Democratic rivals have seen less but still sizable support from independent expenditure groups. They have boosted Rep. Josh Gottheimer to the tune of $11.6 million; Fulop, $7.4 million; former state Sen. Steve Sweeney, $4.3 million; and Sherrill, $3.8 million. A group run in part by Trump ally Kellyanne Conway has spent $1.3 million supporting Ciattarelli's campaign. Gubernatorial totals far exceed fundraising and spending on this year's Assembly races (all 80 seats in the chamber are on the ballot this year). Not counting independent expenditures, Assembly candidates have raised nearly $26.3 million and spent about $15.4 million, the commission said. Most of that money, $20.8 million, has flowed to incumbents. Collectively, challengers have raised just under $5.5 million. The ratio is similarly split along party lines. Democratic candidates account for $21.6 million of the funds raised, while only $4.7 million went to Republicans. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
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29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Proud Boys sue US government for $100m over Jan 6 prosecutions
Five leaders of far-right group the Proud Boys, who were convicted in connection to the 6 January, 2021 Capitol riot, have sued the US government for $100 million (£74m), claiming that their rights were violated during their prosecution. The five were convicted of plotting and taking part in the riot to overturn President Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 election. Trump pardoned or commuted their sentences earlier this year. The lawsuit, filed in Florida on Friday, claims FBI agents and prosecutors were motivated by personal biases when prosecuting their cases. They argue their constitutional rights were trampled on "to punish and oppress political allies" of Trump. The lawsuit was filed by Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola. Tarrio was found guilty of plotting the 2021 attack on the US Capitol, which happened as lawmakers were certifying former President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison, the longest out of the five. He was formally convicted of seditious conspiracy, a rarely used charge of planning to overthrow the government, and multiple other counts. The other four leaders faced similar charges, and were also sentenced to time behind bars. Their convictions were overturned by Trump, who issued approximately 1,500 pardons of people involved in the Capitol riot in January, on the day of his inauguration. "These people have been destroyed," Trump said after signing their pardons. "What they've done to these people is outrageous. There's rarely been anything like it in the history of our country." The lawsuit filed on Friday alleges the five leaders of the Proud Boys were subject to "egregious and systemic abuse of the legal system". It accuses prosecutors of engaging in instances of "evidence tampering" and "witness intimidation". It also alleges that their prosecution was "corrupt and politically motivated." The lawsuit was filed against the Department of Justice, which is currently operating under the Trump administration and is run by Attorney General Pam Bondi. The BBC has reached out to the Justice Department for comment. According to figures released by the department in January, approximately 1,583 defendants have been charged with crimes associated with the Capitol riot. More than 600 were charged with assaulting, resisting or obstructing law enforcement, including around 175 charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer. Capitol Police officers were attacked by rioters with weapons including metal batons, wooden planks, flagpoles, fire extinguishers and pepper spray. Many lawmakers had condemned the riot, while Trump has described it as a "day of love". His pardons of those convicted have been criticised by Democratic lawmakers as an attempt to re-write history. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who was among the lawmakers forced to flee during the riot, called the pardons "an outrageous insult to our justice system". Ex-Proud Boys leader sentenced to 22 years in jail Proud Boys and Oath Keepers among over 1,500 Capitol riot defendants pardoned by Trump
