Statehouses are the public's houses, but the fight for potty parity continues
There are only two bathroom stalls for women on the third floor of the Kentucky Statehouse, where the House and Senate chambers are located. Female legislators — 41 of the 138 member Legislature — needing a reprieve during a lengthy floor session have to weigh the risk of missing an important debate or a critical vote.
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Associated Press
a few seconds ago
- Associated Press
Democrats launching summer blitz to press Republicans on Trump spending plan
NEW YORK (AP) — Democrats are launching a nationwide summer blitz designed to force vulnerable Republicans to defend President Donald Trump's big tax breaks and spending cuts bill — especially Medicaid cuts that will leave millions of Americans without health care coverage. Republican leaders in Washington, meanwhile, have encouraged their members to promote more popular aspects of the bill during smaller controlled appearances where GOP officials are less likely to face difficult questions or protests. The Democratic National Committee's so-called 'Organizing Summer' will feature events in all 50 states, beginning with Alaska, Texas, Colorado and California over the coming week. The party's message will be reinforced by online advertising and billboard trucks at state and county fairs in the coming days targeting vulnerable House Republicans in Pennsylvania, Michigan and New Jersey, among other states. 'As Democrats, our job is to ensure that every American across the country understands the devastating impacts of this bill,' DNC Chair Ken Martin said. 'Democrats will be holding events, highlighting Republican hypocrisy, and ensuring Americans across the country know exactly who is responsible for taking away health care, food, construction jobs, and nursing homes in order to give massive handouts to billionaires.' The massive Republican-backed tax and spending package that Trump called 'big, beautiful' and signed into law on July 4 may ultimately become the defining issue of next year's midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress for Trump's final two years in office. Republicans are touting the bill as a tax cut for all Americans, but polling suggests that voters have been slow to embrace the GOP's message. The new law will add $3.4 trillion to federal deficits through 2034, leave more than another 10 million people without health insurance and leave millions of others without food stamps, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. For much of the year, Republican officials have avoided town hall meetings with constituents or public appearances where they might face protesters or unscripted questions from voters. GOP members of Congress may be slightly more visible this summer, however, according to a memo distributed this week by the House Republican campaign arm. The memo encourages Republicans to be proactive in selling Trump's bill during the August recess, although the National Republican Campaign Committee suggests its members focus on tax cuts in smaller settings they can control. Among the NRCC's suggestions outlined in the memo: 'Visit a local hospital and discuss how you voted for no tax on overtime,' 'stop by a restaurant to highlight your vote on no tax on tips' and 'work the counter at a local store and chat about your work to lower costs.' The monthlong August break 'is a critical opportunity to continue to define how this legislation will help every voter and push back on Democrat fearmongering,' the Republican memo says. Democrats are planning a decidedly more public campaign this month than their Republican rivals, although they'll also offer 'multi-day intensive bootcamps' as part of a training program for political operatives and community leaders. Events are being planned for all 50 states with special focus on 35 of the most competitive congressional districts in the country. Current and former Democratic officials will be featured, including former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who emerged as a leader against gun violence since her 2011 assassination attempt. As part of the new effort, the Democratic National Committee is also launching a new digital advertising campaign initially targeting vulnerable Republicans in Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia. That's in addition to the DNC sending mobile billboard trucks to county fairs in the districts of Republicans in Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 'Trump's big ugly bill: $4 trillion giveaway to billionaires. The rest of us pay the price,' read the billboards, which will feature the name and face of each Republican congressman. And as Republicans search for an effective message to sell Trump's bill, Democrats are increasingly confident. 'The big, ugly law is a political disaster,' said Viet Shelton, spokesman for the House Democrats campaign arm. 'Everyone hates it and vulnerable House Republicans know it, which is why they're scared to face their constituents in person during the August recess.'
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Poll: 14% of Americans would consider supporting Elon Musk's America Party
In contrast, 55% say they would not consider supporting Musk's party. On July 4, Tesla CEO Elon Musk asked his followers on X — the social media platform he owns — whether he should 'create' something called the America Party to give them 'independence' from the country's 'two-party (some would say uniparty) system.' More than 1.2 million users responded to Musk's snap poll: 65% said yes; 35% said no. 'By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!' Musk vowed the following day. Since then, however, Musk hasn't taken any visible steps to deliver on his promise. A new Yahoo/YouGov survey — which captures a representative sample of the U.S. population, in contrast to informal social media polls — suggests possible challenges ahead: Just 14% of Americans say they would be open to 'supporting a third party created by Musk.' In contrast, 55% say they would not consider supporting Musk's party. Why Musk wants a new party The survey of 1,729 U.S. adults, which was conducted from July 24 to July 28, comes a little more than a month after Musk and President Trump had a public falling-out over Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' Trump claimed that Musk was 'upset' about 'losing his EV mandate' (the $7,500 federal tax credit that has made buying or leasing electric vehicles such as Teslas more attractive and affordable for consumers). Musk insisted he was concerned only with the legislation's effect on federal spending — namely, initial estimates that showed it would 'massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit ... and burden America citizens with crushingly unsustainable debt,' as he wrote on X. 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore,' Musk continued. '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.' When a revised version of Trump's bill passed the Senate in early July with a $3.3 trillion deficit projection, Musk unveiled his America Party idea. 'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,' Musk wrote on X. 'Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.' People don't love the 2-party system Americans aren't opposed to having alternatives at the ballot box — in theory. The new Yahoo/YouGov poll finds that more of them approve (39%) than disapprove (28%) of the concept of creating a 'third major U.S. political party to compete with the Democratic Party and the Republican Party'; 33% say they are not sure. Naturally, the idea of creating a third party is more popular with Americans who already identify as independents (56%) than with those who identify as Democrats (34%) or Republicans (32%). But the two parties themselves aren't especially well liked either. Majorities see both unfavorably (55% for the GOP, 56% for the Dems) rather than favorably (38% for the GOP, 36% for the Dems). And when respondents are asked how well each major party represents their views, more than half say 'not very well' or 'not at all' for both the Democrats (51%) and the Republicans (52%). Yet the overlap between these two categories — individuals who say they don't like either party — is relatively small, which may pose difficulties for Musk. About a quarter (22%) have an unfavorable view of both the Republicans and the Democrats, and fewer (18%) say neither side represents their views 'very well' or 'at all.' Musk keeps getting less popular In the Yahoo/YouGov poll conducted immediately after Trump won reelection last November, Musk earned a net positive rating (49% favorable, 39% unfavorable). That made him the most popular of the eight incoming Trump Cabinet members and senior advisers respondents were asked to appraise. Yet by April 2025 — following several months as the leader of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — Musk's ratings had flipped to 39% favorable, 55% unfavorable. Today, he is further underwater (32% favorable, 59% unfavorable). Musk is currently seen in a negative light by a clear majority of Democrats (9% favorable, 88% unfavorable) and nearly two-thirds of independents (30% favorable, 64% unfavorable). He still gets a net positive rating from a majority of Republicans (59% favorable, 30% unfavorable), but their enthusiasm has cooled; while 52% of Republicans saw Musk 'very favorably' last November, only 17% now feel that way about him. Since March, the number of Americans who think Musk is 'mostly trying to help the country' has fallen from 36% to 23%, whereas the number who think he is 'mostly trying to help himself' has risen from 52% to 56%. The share of Republicans who think Musk is mostly trying to help the country, meanwhile, has declined by 30 points — from 73% to 43%. The proposed policy focus of Musk's America Party — stopping the federal government from 'bankrupting our country with waste & graft,' as he put it — isn't people's top priority either. Asked what they would want a 'third major political party' to 'focus mostly on,' 26% of Americans said 'cutting government spending.' Significantly more (46%) said 'other issues.' __________________ The Yahoo survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,729 U.S. adults interviewed online from July 24 to July 28, 2025. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2024 election turnout and presidential vote, party identification and current voter registration status. Demographic weighting targets come from the 2019 American Community Survey. Party identification is weighted to the estimated distribution at the time of the election (31% Democratic, 32% Republican). Respondents were selected from YouGov's opt-in panel to be representative of all U.S. adults. The margin of error is approximately 3.1%.
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump calls on Federal Reserve board to wrest full control of central bank from Fed Chair Powell
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday called for the Federal Reserve's board of governors to usurp the power of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, criticizing the head of the U.S. central bank for not cutting short-term interest rates. Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump called Powell 'stubborn." The Fed chair has been subjected to vicious verbal attacks by the Republican president over several months. The Fed has the responsibility of stabilizing prices and maximizing employment. Powell has held its benchmark rate for overnight loans constant this year, saying that Fed officials needed to see what impact Trump's massive tariffs had on inflation. If Powell doesn't 'substantially' lower rates, Trump said, 'THE BOARD SHOULD ASSUME CONTROL, AND DO WHAT EVERYONE KNOWS HAS TO BE DONE!' Trump sees the rate cuts as leading to stronger growth and lower debt servicing costs for the federal government and homebuyers. The president argues there is virtually no inflation, even though the Fed's preferred measure is running at an annual rate of 2.6%, slightly higher than the Fed's 2% target. Trump has called for slashing the Fed's benchmark rate by 3 percentage points, bringing it down dramatically from its current average of 4.33%. The risk is that a rate cut that large could cause more money to come into the economy than can be absorbed, possibly causing inflation to accelerate. The Supreme Court suggested in a May ruling that Trump could not remove Powell for policy disagreements. This led the White House to investigate whether the Fed chair could be fired for cause because of the cost overruns in its $2.5 billion renovation projects. Powell's term as chair ends in May 2026, at which point Trump can put his Senate-confirmed pick in the seat. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of the Federal Reserve System at Error al recuperar los datos Inicia sesión para acceder a tu cartera de valores Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos Error al recuperar los datos
