Musk-Trump fallout has ‘serious consequences', says Republican strategist
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Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump admin plans to screen social media accounts for 'anti-American' views before allowing applicants into US
The Trump administration's immigration services is going to begin scanning potential visa and green card applicants' social media accounts for 'anti-Americanism.' President Donald Trump has made toughening up U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services a key part of his agenda on immigration. USCIS said officers will now consider whether an applicant for benefits, such as a visa or green card, 'endorsed, promoted, supported, or otherwise espoused' anti-American, terrorist or antisemitic views. 'America´s benefits should not be given to those who despise the country and promote anti-American ideologies,' Matthew Tragesser, USCIS spokesman, said in a statement. 'Immigration benefits-including to live and work in the United States-remain a privilege, not a right.' It isn't specified what constitutes anti-Americanism and it isn't clear how and when the directive would be applied. 'The message is that the U.S. and immigration agencies are going to be less tolerant of anti-Americanism or antisemitism when making immigration decisions,' Elizabeth Jacobs, director of regulatory affairs and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates for immigration restrictions, said on Tuesday. Jacobs said the government is being more explicit in the kind of behaviors and practices officers should consider, but emphasized that discretion is still in place. 'The agency cannot tell officers that they have to deny - just to consider it as a negative discretion,' she said. Critics worry the policy update will allow for more subjective views of what is considered anti-American and allow an officer's personal bias to cloud his or her judgment. 'For me, the really big story is they are opening the door for stereotypes and prejudice and implicit bias to take the wheel in these decisions. That´s really worrisome,' said Jane Lilly Lopez, associate professor of sociology at Brigham Young University. The policy changes follow others recently implemented since the start of the Trump administration including social media vetting and the most recent addition of assessing applicants seeking naturalization for `good moral character'. That will not only consider 'not simply the absence of misconduct' but also factor the applicant´s positive attributes and contributions. 'It means you are going to just do a whole lot more work to provide evidence that you meet our standards,' Lopez said. Experts disagree on the constitutionality of the policy involving people who are not U.S. citizens and their freedom of speech. Jacobs, of the Center for Immigration Studies, said First Amendment rights do not extend to people outside the U.S. or who are not U.S. citizens. Ruby Robinson, senior managing attorney with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, believes the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution protects all people in the United States, regardless of their immigration status, against government encroachment. 'A lot of this administration´s activities infringe on constitutional rights and do need to be resolved, ultimately, in courts,' Robinson added. Attorneys are advising clients to adjust their expectations. 'People need to understand that we have a different system today and a lot more things that apply to U.S. citizens are not going to apply to somebody who´s trying to enter the United States,' said Jaime Diez, an immigration attorney based in Brownsville, Texas. Jonathan Grode, managing partner of Green and Spiegel immigration law firm, said the policy update was not unexpected considering how the Trump administration approaches immigration. 'This is what was elected. They´re allowed to interpret the rules the way they want,' Grode said. 'The policy always to them is to shrink the strike zone. The law is still the same.' USCIS has made several moves as Trump has returned to office to ally with the president's agenda. They have implemented new restrictions in compliance with Trump's executive orders to suspend processing of requests for legal permanent residency for immigrants granted refugee or asylum status, CBS News reports. The Department of Homeland Security said the green card processing pause was necessary to comply with two executive actions issued by the president. 'USCIS is placing a temporary pause on finalizing certain Adjustment of Status applications pending the completion of additional screening and vetting to identify potential fraud, public safety, or national security concerns, in alignment with Mr. Trump's executive actions,' the statement said. According to a presidential proclamation cited by officials, Donald Trump has instructed federal agencies to 'vet and screen to the maximum degree possible all aliens who intend to be admitted, enter, or are already inside the United States.' The administration's tightening of restrictions on immigration policies and procedures are the latest attempts to tackle concerns of national security and fraud. The move comes after Trump questioned the immigration vetting procedures under the Biden administration. USCIS also announced earlier this month that they have updated immigration policy to restrict visa eligibility for transgender women seeking to compete in women's sports. Under the policy update, USCIS will consider 'the fact that a male athlete has been competing against women' as a negative factor when evaluating visa petitions in categories such as O-1A for extraordinary ability, EB-1 and EB-2 green cards for highly skilled workers, and national interest waivers. 'USCIS is closing the loophole for foreign male athletes whose only chance at winning elite sports is to change their gender identity and leverage their biological advantages against women,' said USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser. 'It's a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth that only female athletes receive a visa to come to the U.S. to participate in women's sports.' set to host the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
US budget deficit forecast $1 trillion higher over next decade, watchdog says
WASHINGTON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - U.S. federal budget deficits will be nearly $1 trillion higher over the next decade than projected in January by the Congressional Budget Office as a result of tax and spending legislation and tariffs, a budget watchdog said on Wednesday. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget's latest forecasts show a cumulative deficit of $22.7 trillion from fiscal 2026 to 2035, compared to the CBO's January forecast of $21.8 trillion, which was based on laws and policies that were in place before U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January. The CBO, Congress' non-partisan budget referee agency, said on Monday, opens new tab that it will not issue its customary mid-year budget update this year and will issue its next 10-year budget and economic outlook in early 2026, offering no explanation for the move. The CRFB, which advocates for deficit reduction, projected a $1.7 trillion deficit in fiscal 2025 or 5.6% of GDP, down slightly from $1.83 trillion in 2024 and the CBO's 2025 projection of $1.87 trillion in January. But it said deficits steadily rise over the decade, reaching $2.6 trillion or 5.9% of GDP by 2035. The new CRFB estimates include the budget effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act tax and spending bill, as well as Trump's tariffs that are currently in place. But like CBO, they do not include the dynamic economic effects on growth from these changes, a forecasting rule that has drawn criticism from the Trump administration. The group projects the tax cut and spending bill to increase deficits, including interest, by $4.6 trillion through 2035, adding another year to the CBO's $4.1 trillion cost estimate through 2034. But CRFB estimates that this will be offset by $3.4 trillion worth of extra import duty revenue over the next decade due to Trump's new tariffs that are currently in place. New rules restricting eligibility for health insurance subsidies will reduce deficits by another $100 billion through 2035, and Congress' rescission of prior funding to foreign aid, public broadcasting and other programs would save another $100 billion if sustained over a decade, CRFB said. Net interest payments on the national debt will total $14 trillion over the decade, CRFB projected, rising from nearly $1 trillion or 3.2% of GDP in 2025 to $1.8 trillion or 4.1% of GDP in 2035. The forecasts are based on legislative and tariff changes since January but keep CBO's economic forecasts unchanged. Under an alternative scenario forecast by CRFB, the budget picture looks far worse, boosting deficits nearly $7 trillion higher than the CBO baseline. This scenario would see a significant part of Trump's tariffs canceled if the Court of International Trade's ruling against many of Trump's new tariffs is upheld, cutting $2.4 trillion from revenues over a decade. The alternative scenario also assumes extension of a number of temporary tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including tax breaks on overtime, tips, Social Security income and car loan interest, higher state and local tax deduction allowances and full expensing of factory investments, adding $1.7 trillion to deficits over 10 years. CRFB's alternative scenario also ditches the CBO's projection of a decline in 10-year U.S. Treasury yields over the decade to about 3.8%. If that interest rate stays at the current level of about 4.3%, interest costs would grow by about $1.6 trillion through 2035, CRFB said. The total 2035 debt-to-GDP ratio would grow from 118% in the CBO January baseline to 120% under the CRFB's projected baseline scenario and 134% under the CRFB's alternative scenario.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
GOP Rep. attempts to promote 'No Tax on Tips' on social media but goes viral for all the wrong reasons
A Republican politician unintentionally provoked a wave of criticism in a misguided attempt to promote President Donald Trump 's 'No Tax on Tips' initiative. Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks shared two photos to X on Monday after she dined at Sundown Bar and Grill in Iowa for lunch on Sunday. In one of the pictures, Miller-Meeks smiles broadly while showing off the receipt for her meal - a chilly steak sandwich and some nuggets - which totaled $18.19 including tax. But it was her tip which has left online commentators so divided. Miller-Meeks left $21 in bills, along with several coins on the table to cover her bill, amounting to a tip of about $3. 'I got to celebrate No Tax on Tips with our wonderful server, she's thrilled about this provision and excited to keep more of what she earns,' she wrote. Despite offering a 20 percent tip on her meal, Miller-Meeks has been slammed for the sum. 'Imagine showing the world you're a cheapskate,' one furious X user wrote. 'Did you really only tip $3? And broadcast it as a win?' A third added: 'Pulling out coins to tip is the most old woman politician thing she could do.' But Miller-Meeks' tip has reignited a fiery debate about what the expectation is for tipping culture in the United States. Her defenders pointed out that she left a 20 percent tip on her bill, an amount generally considered a good - or at the very least, standard - tip at restaurants in the US. One person, defending Miller-Meeks, responded to another user who had been particularly critical of her tip. 'Why are you trying to make someone who tipped 20% seem stingy? Oh I know, you want internet clout from libs,' the commenter said. 'Further, what are your tipping habits? Do you think 20% is to [sic] little?' Anthony Fakhoury, a spokesperson with Miller-Meeks' office, told CBS: 'The Congresswoman left a 20% tip.
