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Sen. Lisa Grafstein on the Senate budget, DEI, and the latest on the unresolved Supreme Court race

Sen. Lisa Grafstein on the Senate budget, DEI, and the latest on the unresolved Supreme Court race

Yahoo21-04-2025

Sen. Lisa Grafstein (Photo: NCGA)
After several weeks of conducting business at a steady, manageable pace, the North Carolina General Assembly suddenly shifted into high gear. This past week, legislative committees rapidly considered and okayed scores of brand new, never before-heard bills on an array of topics, while at the same time Senate Republicans were unveiling and advancing their proposed version of a new two-year state budget.
So, what is the average lawmaker to do at such a time – especially if you're not a member of the majority party? For Wake County state Senator Lisa Grafstein, the path has been obvious – read each proposed new law as quickly and thoroughly as possible and do your best ask questions, offer amendments and speak up on behalf of average North Carolinians whose interests are so often ignored. Last week Newsline's Rob Schofield caught up with Grafstein at her Legislative Building office for a special two-part conversation at which they discussed an array of issues starting with a review of the Senate's new budget proposal.
Click here to listen to the full interview with state Senator Lisa Grafstein.

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Trump's Late-Night Lament Over Xi Deepens Impasse in Trade Fight
Trump's Late-Night Lament Over Xi Deepens Impasse in Trade Fight

Yahoo

time30 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Trump's Late-Night Lament Over Xi Deepens Impasse in Trade Fight

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump is positioning a personal discussion with his Chinese counterpart as the key to preventing the world's largest economies from spiraling deeper into their trade and technology fight. The Global Struggle to Build Safer Cars At London's New Design Museum, Visitors Get Hands-On Access ICE Moves to DNA-Test Families Targeted for Deportation with New Contract LA City Council Passes Budget That Trims Police, Fire Spending NYC Residents Want Safer Streets, Cheaper Housing, Survey Says But Chinese leader Xi Jinping is making clear that a phone call doesn't come without a price — a resolute stand so far that's apparently keeping Trump up late into the night. 'I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!' Trump posted on Truth Social at around 2:17 a.m. Washington time. His complaint came after a flurry of US officials claimed this week the two men were set to speak. Exactly what the Chinese are asking the White House to relinquish in order to secure the one-on-one remains unclear. But the US president's unanswered pleas are looking more like a standoff without an off ramp. Beijing, meanwhile, is making overtures in the direction of Europe, which is engaged in its own tariff dispute with Trump. 'If China doesn't want a call, it could be that they don't intend to comply or are intentionally holding their cards for the time being,' said Kelly Ann Shaw, a partner at Akin Gump and former senior adviser to Trump during his first term. 'If there isn't a call, I would expect further escalation in the bilateral relationship before things de-escalate again.' At the heart of the stalemate is a mismatch in negotiating styles that, if it continues, threatens to derail the bilateral relationship. While Trump wants to hash things out with his counterpart, Chinese officials are reluctant to commit before working out deliverables at lower levels. Oval Office showdowns with the leaders of South Africa and Ukraine in recent weeks have likely offered little reassurance to Beijing to accept Trump's terms. A 'Disconnect' 'There's a fundamental disconnect here,' former acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney told Bloomberg Television on Tuesday. 'Trump wants to talk at the very highest levels. That's not always how the Chinese want to do business.' While it isn't impossible for the US and China to strike a deal, expectations for what it would entail look out of sync. Policymakers in Beijing want to have broader access to high-end US chips, essentially for AI and military advancement, as well as the opportunity for more Chinese investment in the US. Beijing could be open to buying more US agricultural products, too. Rolling back sweeping controls on cutting-edge technology expanded under Joe Biden would be politically toxic in Washington, where there's rare consensus among Democrats and Republicans that China poses a national security threat. Officials in Washington also believe Beijing has been dumping goods on the US for decades, threatening American jobs and industry, and are seeking major concessions. That both sides are talking past each other has become evident in the confusion over China's position on rare earths — metals that are core to America's national-security supply chains and automakers in particular. Trump and his team have accused Beijing of breaking the trade agreement announced in mid-May, where both countries significantly lowered tariffs and China agreed to remove other retaliatory measures it imposed in response to earlier duty hikes. In Washington's view, that meant China would immediately grant licenses to export rare earths to American companies that had been cut off. Stalling for Time US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said China has slow-walked the process. Companies that are reliant on the inputs are feeling the supply squeeze, with some temporarily shuttering production. From Beijing's perspective, it's following procedure on a license system that exports to all nations must follow. As tensions over such shipments grow, the Trump administration has continued to impose restrictions on chip technology and exports of jet engine parts to China. Beijing publicly criticized the moves and, according to the Trump team, continued choking off critical minerals supplies to American companies. While giving Trump the cold shoulder, China is tilting its attention toward Europe, where it sees an opening for deeper trade ties after Trump hit the European Union with tariffs and threatened steeper ones. 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Ukraine delegation visits Washington as Senate mulls Russia sanctions
Ukraine delegation visits Washington as Senate mulls Russia sanctions

Miami Herald

time31 minutes ago

  • Miami Herald

Ukraine delegation visits Washington as Senate mulls Russia sanctions

June 4 (UPI) -- Ukrainian officials were set to update U.S. senators on Wednesday on the war and discuss arms purchases and efforts to pressure Russia to negotiate a peace deal, including a tough new bipartisan sanctions bill due to come to the floor of the upper chamber next week. The delegation, which included Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Deputy Defense Minister Serhii Boyev and Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak, arrived Tuesday, a day after a second round of Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Turkey broke up without a breakthrough. Yermak said in a social media post that the delegation was bringing a "comprehensive agenda" of issues that were important to Ukraine to actively promote to members of both parties and President Donald Trump's team. "We plan to talk about defense support and the situation on the battlefield, strengthening sanctions against Russia, including Senator [Lindsey] Graham's bill. We will also discuss the Agreement on the Establishment of the Reconstruction Investment Fund, which we signed earlier," wrote Yermak. He said the delegation would also raise the issue of getting back Ukrainian children deported by Russia and support for the process. The bill that Sen. Graham, R-S.C., plans to introduce in the Senate aims to ratchet up economic pressure on Russia, targeting its trade partners by slapping 500% tariffs on imports from countries that continue to purchase Russian products, including gas, oil and uranium. China and India are the two biggest markets for Russian energy exports. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Politico that he and Graham would host a closed-door meeting with the Ukrainians on Capitol Hill to which all Senators had been invited. He said support for the sanctions bill was gaining very strong momentum with 82 members of the Senate split down the middle of the aisle agreeing to co-sponsor it. Blumenthal said the secondary sanctions could be a "game changer." "It's a pivotal moment in Ukraine -- and crunch time for the Senate on this bill." He also pushed back on what he said was a growing but false belief that Ukraine was losing the war, saying recent offensive assaults deep into Russian territory, such as Sunday's so-called "Operation Spiderweb," in which Ukrainian drones destroyed 41 strategic Russian bomber aircraft, proved otherwise. Blumenthal argued that such feats could help shift the dial among the administration's foreign policy team, helping persuade them to bolster military and other assistance for Ukraine and to support the sanctions bill. That in turn would help overcome the reservations of some lawmakers, he said. "Events will move the White House -- and maybe some of the president's friends here [Capitol Hill]. Congress can move ahead. [Trump] doesn't have to support it." Current U.S. flows of arms and equipment to Ukraine are all under drawdowns on assistance packages approved under former President Joe Biden, with no fresh approvals since as the Trump administration shifts to a more mercantile approach under which Ukraine will buy the weapons rather than receiving them as aid. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Jimmy Fallon Can Tell Trump's Bill Is Bad ‘When It Makes Elon Musk Worry About Money'
Jimmy Fallon Can Tell Trump's Bill Is Bad ‘When It Makes Elon Musk Worry About Money'

Yahoo

time36 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Jimmy Fallon Can Tell Trump's Bill Is Bad ‘When It Makes Elon Musk Worry About Money'

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