Senators press incoming CBS owner on Trump's claim of settlement side deal
In a late-night statement on July 1, Paramount said it would pay $16 million 'in total' to settle the lawsuit, which stemmed from CBS's editing of a '60 Minutes' interview featuring then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
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7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
CT council member in garbage business pledges $500K of his own money on congressional run
Jack Perry admits that he does not have the normal pedigree for a member of Congress. After spending a career in the garbage hauling business, Perry said that he is running as a Democrat against 77-year-old U.S. Rep. John B. Larson in a potential multi-candidate primary in 2026. Perry, 35, also gained attention by pledging to spend $500,000 of his own money against Larson, using part of the proceeds from selling his family-owned garbage business that he started in 2008. 'I'm not a typical politician. I mean, seriously, how many can drive a garbage truck?' Perry asked. 'I'm a working-class guy who is unafraid to take on big challenges and stand up for people. I'm not trying to climb a political ladder for myself. I want to make sure everyone has ladders to climb and can afford to live and retire comfortably in Connecticut. I'll fight for the people, not the powerful.' As a Democratic member of Southington's Republican-controlled town council, Perry is not well known statewide. But he gained additional name recognition in his hometown when running for state Senate in 2020 against conservative firebrand Rob Sampson of Wolcott. Sampson won by 54% to 46% in the year that incumbent President Donald Trump ran strongly in the district despite losing in Connecticut and nationwide to Democrat Joe Biden. CT US congressman in seat for decades might have a Democratic challenger Perry spent 16 years in the family business, HQ Dumpsters and Recycling, before it was sold last year to trash hauler CWPM in Plainville. While no longer the owner, he still oversees the daily operations for the new owner, the Manafort family, in a position he says is far less stressful. As a relative political newcomer, Perry understands it will be difficult running against veteran Democrats with high name recognition like Larson and former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, who is seriously considering joining the race. 'It's a heavy lift, and that's where I'm trying to make it viable and showing people how passionate I am,' Perry told The Courant in an interview. 'Anyone that knows me knows that when my heart's in it, I will work endless hours, and that's just who I am as a person. Passion is everything. That's how I was able to build a successful garbage business. I started in 2008 during the Great Recession. It was passion, determination and work ethic. Nothing I've gotten in life has been easy, but it's very rewarding.' Perry added, 'I'm looking to be a fresh voice with new energy and advocate for the working class, the middle class, and those that are retiring that can't afford to stay in our state because of the cost. It goes back to inflation, grocery bills, electric costs, housing — all those things. It's hard.' With a mother who was an immigrant from Poland and a biological father who was absent from his life, Perry was raised with the help of his stepfather. He started working in the family's landscaping business at the age of 13, and has continued working ever since. Through the years, he has watched housing costs skyrocket, along with food and many other items. 'I was reading the other day in the paper that the average age for a first-time homebuyer is 38 years old,' Perry said. 'I'm 35. I bought my first home at 25 on a single income. It was hard for me, and it was a fixer-upper. But you can't do that in Southington on a single income of $60,000. It's just not doable. In 2015, it was.' He added, 'Inflation is hurting people, and they're now picking and choosing what they can afford to buy. Over the years, I've seen employees struggle. As an employer, I was able to help my employees. I remember an employee couldn't afford his insulin. This was before they made insulin affordable. We got him a different plan and coverage to be able to afford his insulin. I'm the type that, when I see issues, I stand up, regardless of how big the fight may be and regardless of what the obstacles are to get there.' Larson's campaign spokesman, Charles Perosino, said that democracy ensures that anyone seeking to run can do so, adding that the voters will make the final decision on their representative. 'John is proud to have secured billions in federal funding for the First District, including over $34 million for the town of Southington, and remains focused on taking on the Trump Administration as they raise the cost of living for working families by attacking access to health care, imposing cost-raising tariffs, and threatening Americans' hard-earned benefits,' Perosino said. 'When Democrats take the majority in 2026, John will serve as chair of the Social Security committee, and has been recognized as a national leader to protect and expand benefits, so that all Americans can retire — as FDR intended — with dignity.' Perry's entrance into the race comes as the political dam has broken in the battle against Larson. As more opponents step forward, there is little downside in challenging an established incumbent because others have already jumped into the race. The first official opponent was Hartford school board member and attorney Ruth R. Fortune, who filed official paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run against Larson. After emigrating to the United States at age 12 from Haiti, Fortune grew up in the Nassau County town of Westbury on Long Island. She graduated from Baruch College in Manhattan and later received a law degree from the University of Connecticut. A Hartford resident since 2012, she has two children attending the Hartford public schools and a younger sibling starting pre-K this year. A former financial advisor at Merrill Lynch, she now works at the law firm of Wiggin and Dana in the trust and estates department. The best-known opponent is Bronin, who is seriously considering running and has been talking to fellow Democrats about the possibility. Larson, who turned 77 on Tuesday, personally told Bronin during an hour-long, face-to-face meeting that he is running again. Bronin would be the highest profile challenger in years for Larson, who has won 14 consecutive elections. As a graduate of Yale Law School, a Rhodes Scholar and a former U.S. Navy intelligence officer in Afghanistan, Bronin has a wide range of contacts and has shown his fundraising prowess when he won the Democratic primary for mayor in Hartford by unseating incumbent Pedro Segarra. State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, a West Hartford Democrat, told The Courant on Tuesday that she is considering running but does not have a timeframe on when her final decision will be made. 'I think I would be great holding that seat in Congress,' said Gilchrest, who serves as co-chair of the state legislature's human services committee. 'While the sitting Congressman is still in the race, there's a sense that some respect should go his way, but with more and more people getting in, it's hard not to want to be a part of it if you think you're qualified to do the job.' Among the top issues in the race, she said, are wages, public education, access to health care, and concerns about the environment, among others. 'For Democrats, they're looking for voices who will be speaking about the issues that impact them and not waiting to feel out how best to say something,' Gilchrest said. 'They want to hear from leaders who are direct and listen to them and then speak on the issues of importance that impact their daily lives.' Larson's family, which has supported him in all races since even before he won a key primary for Congress in 1998, is already gearing up for another race. Arianna Larson, a Manchester resident who is one of Larson's nieces, sent an email to multiple supporters to rally support for the incumbent. 'I'm writing to say one thing loud and clear: it's game on,' she wrote in the email obtained by The Courant. 'This is not a fundraising email. It's a rallying cry. A call to action. A moment to get off the sidelines and get behind our candidate. For the first time in a long time, my Uncle John may be facing a more competitive primary challenge. And while I respect the value of new voices and fresh ideas — believe me, I'm part of the next generation of Democrats eager to make change — I also know that this is not the moment to be testing the bench.' She added, 'This election is happening in the second half of a Trump presidency. The stakes are enormous. We don't need a reset — we need results. And no one delivers like John Larson. He's a lifelong public servant who knows this district, knows how to lead, and never forgets who he's fighting for. He doesn't seek the spotlight — he just gets to work and gets things done. … My Uncle John is ready. The campaign is ready. The family is ready. And today, as he celebrates his birthday, and another year of life dedicated to public service, I can't think of a better way to honor that than by showing up for him – just like he's always shown up for us!' Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@ Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A judge blocked a rule to drop medical debt from credit reports. What now?
A recent federal court ruling overturned a Biden-era ban on medical debt in credit reports just as access to healthcare and health insurance is becoming more fragile. The decision could thwart the hopes of an estimated 15 million Americans who might have seen some relief ahead of expected hikes to healthcare premiums, the end of enhanced marketplace subsidies, and an anticipated increase in the number of Americans without insurance. 'We're really concerned that with the loss of insurance altogether, or healthcare becoming more expensive, we're just going to see more medical debt,' said Mona Shah, the senior director of policy and strategy at Community Catalyst, a national nonprofit healthcare advocacy organization. 'With this protection removed around credit reporting, it's going to impact people's overall economic well-being and ability to thrive.' A $49 billion reversal Earlier this month, a federal judge blocked a rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which had never taken effect, that would have stopped medical bills from appearing on credit reports and barred lenders from using such data to make lending decisions. The CFPB estimated the change could raise impacted consumers' credit scores by an average of 20 points. Healthcare providers typically don't report missed medical bills directly to credit bureaus, according to Equifax, so medical debt often doesn't wind up on a credit report until it's been reported to a collections agency. However, two trade associations successfully argued that the CFPB had overstepped its authority. Under the Trump administration, the CFPB also asked for the rule to be thrown out. In a July 11 ruling, Judge Sean Jordan of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas agreed with the trade groups. The ruling comes at an especially precarious time in healthcare. The tax bill signed into law by President Trump this month is expected to leave 10 million Americans without health insurance by 2034, largely due to changes in Medicaid. Meanwhile, enhanced premium tax credits that helped make Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage more affordable will expire at the end of this year after they were not extended in the tax bill, a change that will help contribute to the largest premium increases seen in years in 2026. The end of the subsidies is expected to leave an estimated 4.2 million people uninsured. 'Having more people lose Medicaid and become uninsured, and also lower-income adults losing subsidized marketplace coverage and becoming uninsured, is going to significantly increase medical debt,' said Fredric Blavin, a senior fellow and researcher at the Urban Institute, a Washington-based think tank. Under the Biden administration, the CFPB estimated that removing medical bill information could have wiped $49 billion off the credit reports of about 15 million Americans, noting that medical billing information often contained errors and was a poor predictor of a consumer's creditworthiness. Lower credit scores can damage a person's ability to rent a home, obtain a credit card with a favorable rate, and even impact their job search. In public comments supporting the rule, many Americans shared stories of how medical bills had weighed on their credit, including cancer patients, people who had been in car wrecks, and more. Read more: How are credit scores calculated? Sign up for the Mind Your Money weekly newsletter By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy What should consumers do now? Credit reporting agencies had already voluntarily decided in April 2023 to wipe medical collection debt from consumer credit reports if the balance was below $500. A year earlier, paid medical collection debt was also dropped from credit reports, and consumers were given one year to pay down medical collection debt before it started appearing on their credit reports, rather than six months. Additionally, the CFPB noted that FICO and VantageScore had previously both 'decreased the degree to which medical bills impact a consumer's score.' These combined changes dropped medical debt in collections from most consumers' credit reports, the Urban Institute found, leaving about 4.1% of adults with such data on their records in August 2024, down from 12.6% in February 2022. Additionally, 14 states have provisions in place to remove medical collection debt from credit reports. 'We expect more states to take the same initiative moving forward,' said Breno Braga, a senior fellow and researcher at the Urban Institute. Still, consumers are left with the onerous job of keeping up with these changes and staying on top of their credit as they face mounting bills — along with the resumption of delinquent student loans hitting credit scores. Consumers should regularly check their mail and email for information concerning their credit, while also carefully examining the bills to determine what they owe and what they might be able to contest. When it comes to unaffordable medical care, consumers can ask healthcare providers about financial assistance options. Read more: How to check your credit score for free 'It's really just vigilance and trying to understand what's available in terms of assistance,' said Sarah Chenven, the CEO of Working Credit, a nonprofit organization that helps people build good credit. Consumers should also be cautious about signing up for medical credit cards with a 'deferred interest', said Shah with Community Catalyst, which may subject them to high, retroactive interest charges if they don't pay their bill in a certain promotional period. 'When patients are now faced with these difficult decisions of not being able to pay off these bills right away — worried about how it's going to impact their credit scores, losing their insurance, still needing healthcare — they may be lured into signing up for one of these payment products,' said Shah. Emma Ockerman is a reporter covering the economy and labor for Yahoo Finance. You can reach her at Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
7 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Recall stalled? Next step in effort to remove Kingsville commissioners might be court
Residents petitioned the Kingsville City Commission calling for the removal of three commissioners. But last week, the commission declined to call for a recall election. Now, the matter could head to the courts to decide. Exactly how the issue will play out, including whether the commissioners will remain in office and whether voters will have their say in a recall election, isn't yet clear. Texas law offers little guidance on the recall of local government officials, and the Kingsville city charter leaves questions unanswered. The dispute in Kingsville officially began in early May, when two individuals, Michelle Lerma and Selina Tijerina, filed affidavits with the city demanding the removal of Commissioners Norma Nelda Alvarez, Hector Hinojosa and Leo Alarcon, alleging unprofessional conduct. Alvarez is a retired teacher who has served as an elected official at the city and county levels in various capacities since 1994. Hinojosa is a former city of Kingsville accountant, finance director and city manager. Alarcon is a former county clerk and city director of tourism. Alvarez, Hinojosa and Alarcon could not be reached for comment. What is a recall? According to the Kingsville city charter, any member of the City Commission can be removed from office by voters. The only restriction is that a recall petition can't be filed within certain periods after the official's election or before the end of their term. The petition must state the grounds for removal, with examples like incompetency, misconduct or malfeasance, and noncompliance with the provisions outlined in the charter. According to a 2023 report from the University of Houston Election Lab, 89% of Texas home rule cities studied had language in their charters that allow for the recall of public officials. Most do not indicate the specific grounds for a recall, though some do ask petitioners for some sort of justification. Home rule cities are cities that can set policies within their jurisdiction as long as their charter provisions or ordinances do not violate state or federal law. The University of Houston Election Lab is a team of undergraduate students led by professor Brandon Rottinghaus. For the recall report, students looked at elections in Texas from 2004 to 2022. 'There are no typical recall elections,' Rottinghaus said. 'Each has their own chaotic backstory and application. ... Cities have a lot of flexibility in terms of how they handle recalls.' According to the Kingsville city charter, if a recall election is called, the ballot should ask voters whether the person should be removed from office. This is a yes or no question. The current recall effort focuses on three commissioners. The recall question on the ballot would be asked for each commissioner individually. If a majority of votes are against the recall of any individual, that person would continue in office for the remainder of their term. But, if a majority of votes are cast in favor of the recall, that individual would be removed from office. What's happening in Kingsville? Tijerina said that the path that led to her pursuing a recall began more than a year ago. She didn't like the way things were going in Kingsville, including the departure of the last city manager and the still-pending replacement process. The Kingsville native also had concerns about the handling of city tourism events. Watching commission meetings from 2024, she felt that commissioners were 'bickering like children.' In her affidavit, Tijerina alleged unprofessional conduct and behavior, neglect of fiscal responsibilities, targeting personnel and neglect of city government policies and procedures. By June 6, the petition had received 292 certified signatures. Though only a small amount compared to the total number of registered voters in Kingsville, the petition narrowly exceeded the city charter requirement. In Kingsville, the number of signatures needed for a successful petition must be at least 20% of the number of qualified voters who voted in the most recent city election. The last city election in Kingsville was held on May 4, 2024, with low voter turnout. Only 1,412 votes were cast. This means that the recall petition needed more than 282 certified signatures from qualified voters to succeed. When the petition was received by the city, none of the targeted commissioners chose to resign. In this situation, it is 'the duty of the City Commission to order an election and fix a date for holding such recall election,' according to the city charter. But on July 14, Alvarez, Hinojosa and Alarcon voted against an ordinance that would have called a special election for the recall. Mayor Sam Fugate and Commissioner Edna Lopez, the only two officials not mentioned in the recall petition, voted for the election based on the requirements of the city charter but were outnumbered. During the July 14 meeting, several attendees spoke during public comment in opposition to the recall and in support of the commissioners. Nothing in the meeting documents or mentioned during the meeting indicates that there were any problems with the validity of the petition. A draft ordinance included in July 14 documents states that a sufficient number of signatures was certified. "They complied with our charter,' Fugate said, also saying that it might be worth revising the city charter. What happens next? Though it states that it is the duty of the commission to call a recall election, the charter also includes language regarding the failure of the City Commission to call an election. This clause charges the district judge of Kleberg County, or another judge of a competent jurisdiction, with the duties of calling for a special election. This raises a few questions. Fifteen years ago, the Texas Municipal League shared a legal Q&A noting that though some Texas city charters attempt to place the duty of calling an election on a valid recall petition onto either a county or district judge, cities do not have the authority to do this. Multiple attempts to reach Judge Jack Pulcher of the 105th District Court for comment were unsuccessful. If a recall election is eventually held and voters do choose to remove one or more commissioners from office, the city would then have to hold another election, this time to fill the vacancy. In Alice, there have been several recall attempts in recent years. The city of Alice requires 10 voters to initiate a petition for recall, but the number of signatures required only needs to equal at least 5% of voters in the last election or a minimum of 100 signatures. That's a lower bar than what was required in Kingsville. A 2017 recall in Alice resulted in the ouster of two City Council members, leading to a proclamation from the governor giving the city permission for a special emergency election to fill the vacancies so that the council would have enough members to operate. A successful recall in Kingsville could pose similar problems — the petition targets three members. Kingsville only has four commissioners and one mayor. The city needs at least three members to be present in order to conduct official business. The next date when the city of Kingsville could conceivably hold an election is Nov. 4. The deadline to order an election for that date is Aug. 18. But it's still unclear if or when a recall election might take place in Kingsville. Tijerina said that she is consulting attorneys and intends to continue pursuing a recall, possibly through a lawsuit. Back to School Bash to be held at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Bend From the brink of extinction, wintering whooping crane counts rise Can AI predict flooding? A&M-Corpus Christi project focuses on Oso Creek This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Future of recall effort for Kingsville commissioners uncertain Solve the daily Crossword
