Keith Ellison on countering Trump: courage, imagination and lots of lawsuits
The person least surprised by the Justice Department's decision this week to drop the consent decree granting federal oversight of the Minneapolis police department might have been Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.
I got Ellison on the phone last week to talk about our nation in the five years since the slow-motion murder of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. Ellison told me then they were 'anticipating' that Trump would do away with the Minneapolis consent decree to address the police accountability issues unearthed by Floyd's killing. Five days later, that's exactly what happened. The agreement was just signed in January.
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Chicago Tribune
7 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
President Donald Trump tax bill will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit and leave 10.9 million more uninsured, CBO says
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's big bill making its way through Congress will cut taxes by $3.75 trillion but also increase deficits by $2.4 trillion over the next decade, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The CBO also estimates an increase of 10.9 million people without health insurance under the bill by 2034, including 1.4 million who are in the United States without legal status in state-funded programs. The package would reduce federal outlays, or spending, by nearly $1.3 trillion over that period, the budget office said. What is the CBO? A look at the small office inflaming debate over Trump's tax bill'In the words of Elon Musk, this bill is a 'disgusting abomination,'' said Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, reviving the billionaire former Trump aide's criticism of the package. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he called Musk late Tuesday to discuss the criticism but had not heard back. 'I hope he comes around,' Johnson told reporters. The analysis comes at a crucial moment in the legislative process as Trump is pushing Congress to have the final product on his desk to sign into law by the Fourth of July. The work of the CBO, which for decades has served as the official scorekeeper of legislation in Congress, will be weighed by lawmakers and others seeking to understand the budgetary impacts of the sprawling 1,000-page-plus package. Ahead of the CBO's release, the White House and Republican leaders criticized the budget office in a preemptive campaign designed to sow doubt in its findings. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the CBO has been 'historically wrong,' and Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the CBO was 'flat wrong' because it underestimated the potential revenue growth from Trump's first round of tax breaks in 2017. The CBO last year said receipts were $1.5 trillion, or 5.6% greater than predicted, in large part because of the 'burst of high inflation' during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. White House Budget Director Russ Vought said when you adjust for 'current policy' — which means not counting some $4.5 trillion in existing tax breaks that are simply being extended for the next decade — the overall package actually doesn't pile onto the deficit. He argued the spending cuts alone in fact help reduce deficits by $1.4 trillion over the decade. Democrats and even some Republicans call that 'current policy' accounting move a gimmick, but it's the approach Senate Republicans intend to use during their consideration of the package to try to show it does not add to the nation's deficits. Vought argued that the CBO is the one using a 'gimmick' by tallying the costs of continuing those tax breaks that would otherwise expire. Leavitt also suggested that the CBO's employees are biased, even though certain budget office workers face strict ethical rules — including restrictions on campaign donations and political activity — to ensure objectivity and impartiality. 'When it comes time to make prognostications on economic growth, they've always been wrong,' House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said at a press conference. Asked if it's time to get rid of the CBO, Scalise did not dismiss the idea, saying it's valid to raise concerns. Alongside the costs of the bill, the CBO had previously estimated that nearly 4 million fewer people would have food stamps each month due to the legislation's proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. The bill, called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act after the president's own catch phrase, is grinding its way through Congress, as the top priority of Republicans, who control both the House and the Senate — and face stiff opposition from Democrats, who call it Trump's 'big, ugly bill.' All told, the package seeks to extend the individual income tax breaks that had been approved in 2017 but that will expire in December if Congress fails to act, while adding new ones, including no taxes on tips. It also includes a massive buildup of $350 billion for border security, deportations and national security. To help cover the lost revenue, Republicans want to slash some federal spending. They propose phasing out green energy tax breaks put in place during Democrat Joe Biden's presidency. New work requirements for some adults up to age 65 on Medicaid and SNAP would begin in December 2026 and are expected to result in less spending on those programs. Republicans argue their proposals are intended to make Medicaid and other programs stronger by rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. They want the federal funding to go those who most need health care and other services, often citing women and children. But Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said those claims are bogus and are simply part of long-running GOP efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as most states have expanded Medicaid to serve more people under the program. 'They just want to strangle health care,' Schumer said. The package also would provide a $4 trillion increase to the nation's debt limit, which is now $36 trillion, to allow more borrowing. The Treasury Department projects the debt limit will need to be raised this summer to pay the nation's already accrued bills. Now in its 50th year, the CBO was established by law after Congress sought to assert its control, as outlined in the Constitution, over the budget process, in part by setting up the new office as an alternative to the White House's Office of Management and Budget. Staffed by some 275 economists, analysts and other employees, the CBO says it seeks to provide Congress with objective, impartial information about budgetary and economic issues. Its current director, Phillip Swagel, a former Treasury official in Republican President George W. Bush's administration, was reappointed to a four-year term in 2023.
The Hill
10 minutes ago
- The Hill
Israel signed a record $14 billion in defense deals last year despite Gaza war criticism
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel signed defense contracts worth nearly $15 billion last year, surpassing its all-time record, the country's defense ministry said Wednesday, even as international outrage mounts over the war in Gaza. Over half the deals were with European countries. The contracts — a 13% increase from 2023, itself a record year — came as Israel faces growing international condemnation and isolation over the nearly 20-month war. Some of Israel's closest allies, including Canada and France, recently stepped up their censure of Israel's actions in Gaza, and the U.K. suspended free trade talks. Some critics of Israel's conduct in the Palestinian enclave have called for countries to suspend trade with it. Some countries have taken steps to suspend defense contracts with Israel. Spain on Tuesday said it had canceled a deal for anti-tank missile systems that were to be manufactured in Madrid by a subsidiary of an Israeli company. A breakdown of Israel's 2024 defense deals by region: — European countries: 54% — Asia-Pacific: 23% — Arab countries that have normalized ties with Israel under the Trump-brokered Abraham Accords: 12% — North America: 9% — Latin America: 1% — Africa: 1% Nearly half the deals were for missiles, rockets and air defense systems, Israel's defense ministry said. Others included the sale of vehicles and armored personnel carriers, satellite and space systems and intelligence and cyber systems, among others. More than half of the agreements were worth over $100 million each. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the record amount was a 'direct result' of Israel's battlefield achievements throughout the wars that have roiled the Middle East since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, in which militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. 'The world sees Israeli strength and seeks to be a partner in it,' Katz said in a statement. The war in Gaza has left much of the territory in ruins from Israel's punishing air campaign. The fighting has killed more than 54,000 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. A nearly three-month blockade on aid into Gaza also strained ties with Israel's international allies. Israel began allowing limited aid into the territory last month.
11 minutes ago
Cuomo, Mamdani vie for top spot in NYC Democratic mayoral primary
With just three weeks to go until New York City's Democratic mayoral primary, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is on track for a political comeback nearly four years after having resigned his governorship amid allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct -- but a Democratic socialist candidate continues to gain momentum among the crowded slate of contenders. All the while, incumbent mayor Eric Adams is staying off the primary ballot, and is running, instead, as an independent. Whoever comes out of the June 24 Democratic primary victorious is more than likely New York City's next mayor -- nearly every borough in the overwhelmingly Democratic city voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, per election returns. Cuomo attempts a comeback Cuomo announced his entrance into the race in March, saying in an announcement video that he was the best leader for New York City, which he said was "in crisis." Cuomo's governorship was derailed after several women accused him of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct. He resigned as governor in 2021, saying that the controversy would cause undue turmoil for the state, but has consistently denied the allegations and recently told the New York Times he regrets resigning. A New York state prosecutor dropped criminal forcible touching charges against Cuomo in 2022. Cuomo also faced scrutiny for the state's tracking of deaths from COVID-19 in nursing homes during his tenure after reports that Cuomo and his team withheld from state legislators the true number of COVID-19 deaths at New York nursing homes. Cuomo has defended his performance and the count, and an independent investigation in 2024 found that Cuomo's nursing home response policy was based on "the best available data at the time." The Justice Department has begun an inquiry based off of a referral from Congress about Cuomo's handling of nursing home deaths during the pandemic, according to congressional documents and a source familiar with the matter. In a statement, Cuomo's spokesperson says the inquiry is "election interference." "Governor Cuomo testified truthfully to the best of his recollection about events from four years earlier, and he offered to address any follow-up questions from the Subcommittee — but from the beginning this was all transparently political," Cuomo's spokesperson, Rich Azzopardi said in a statement in response to the inquiry. His campaign has not been without roadblocks. The New York City Campaign Finance Board has withheld some matching funds from his campaign, saying that his campaign may have improperly coordinated with an independent group. Cuomo's campaign and the group separately maintain they did not break any rules or do anything wrong, and the campaign expects to eventually receive the full funds. And even still, at the end of May, Cuomo's team announced the campaign raised $3.9 million since Feb. 28. And while other candidates have brought up the allegations and hit at Cuomo's record, no one attack seems to be sticking, and polling shows that Cuomo remains the front-runner. Near ubiquitous name recognition and a gubernatorial record that resonates contribute to Cuomo's favorable polling, said Mitchell Moss, a professor of urban policy and planning at New York University. Some of that record, Moss said, includes Cuomo's actions as governor such as rebuilding the beleaguered LaGuardia Airport and passing a law legalizing same-sex marriage in 2011, before it was legalized nationally. Cuomo also already had a deep bench of support among Black voters and unions, Moss said, and many New Yorkers see him as aligning with their own values. "People want a mayor they can connect to emotionally. And it's not just a set of policies you're picking. You're picking a person that you feel represents your values," Moss said. For some people, the misconduct allegations against Cuomo are an issue, but many New Yorkers may be willing to look past it, Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran Democratic political strategist, told ABC News. "They want somebody who appears nonchaotic, and they're prepared to forgive all his trespasses if he can make the city run," Sheinkopf said. A Democratic Socialist gains momentum Among the other 10 candidates on the Democratic primary ballot, Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblymember and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, is steadily inching upward in the polls and fundraising. Mamdani is running on a progressive platform that includes a rent freeze for rent-stabilized apartments, eliminating fares for New York City buses and opening city-owned grocery stores. He has gained major traction in recent weeks -- raising more than $8 million through donations and matching funds, Mamdani's campaign announced on March 24, and gaining buzz across social media with snappy TikTok videos and social media soundbites about his plans. "Mamdani is the one to watch... He is fresh; the others are tired," Sheinkopf said. "The things he's saying have a populist appeal, whether they are realistic to achieve or not." Sheinkopf also said Mamdani's ads are "very smart … he's captured the generational argument," and that the Democratic Socialists of America have effectively organized their support and outreach for Mamdani. Yet Mamdani is nowhere near the household name that Cuomo is. And with early voting starting on June 14, the window for candidates to make their case for the job is closing fast. Mamdani has also faced some scrutiny over the feasibility of some of his plans, as well as his views on Israel, given New York's large Jewish population. He has said that he supports boycotts and pressure on Israel over its conduct in the Israel-Hamas war, but frames that within his general "support for universal human rights", as he told The Forward in April, and he has emphasized policies to combat antisemitism. In May, Mamdani told a reporter that he supports Israel's "right to exist as a state." At a forum held by the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council in May, he did not answer directly when asked if Israel has the right to exist specifically as a Jewish state. Other candidates have struggled to break through including New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, city councilmember Adrienne Adams, former hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson and state Senator Zellnor Myrie.
