Rising: May 20, 2025
After Biden Cancer Diagnosis, Dems Demand Media Stop Covering Cognitive Decline! Robby Soave | RISING
Robby Soave and Lindsey Granger discuss the latest phone call between President Trump and President Putin.
Trump: Russia, Ukraine Will Negotiate Peace; Vatican Offers To Host?! | RISING
Robby Soave and Lindsey Granger discuss the latest phone call between President Trump and President Putin.
Bernie Sanders Agrees Dems Are 'Threat To Democracy' On Andrew Schulz's Podcast | RISING
Robby Soave and Lindsey Granger discuss the comments from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) admitting that the Democratic Party is a, 'threat to democracy.'
Tim Walz: ICE Agents Are Modern Day Gestapo | RISING
Robby Soave and Lindsey Granger react to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) saying ICE agents are President Trump's personal, 'gestapo.'
Dem Rep. LaMonica McIver Charged With Assault After ICE Facility Clash | RISING
Robby Soave and Lindsey Granger discuss DOJ charging Rep. LaMonica Mclver (D-N.J.) with assault over incident at the ICE facility.
Biden's Prostate Cancer Being Exploited By Democrats, Republicans | RISING
Deputy chief editor at The Spectator Kate Andrews discusses how former President Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis is being exploited.
Bill Maher, Jillian Michaels Torch Saturday Night Live Over Tom Hanks' MAGA Character | RISING
Robby Soave and Lindsey Granger react to comedian Bill Maher and fitness icon Jillian Michaels bashing Saturday Night Live during a 'Club Random' podcast, calling out the late night show for portraying MAGA as racist.
Trump Demands Investigation Into Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce's Endorsement Of Kamala Harris | RISING
Robby Soave and Lindsey Granger discuss President Trump launching an investigation into high profile celebrities who endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
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Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Behemoth Golden Dome may face lackluster scrutiny in Trump's Pentagon
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's decision this week to cut more than half of the Pentagon's test and evaluation office personnel was driven, in part, by concerns over the office's plans to provide testing oversight for the Trump administration's $175 billion Golden Dome missile defense project, multiple sources told Defense News. In a memo released Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced plans to restructure the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, known as DOT&E, and reduce its 94-person staff to 46 — a mix of civilians, military personnel and one senior executive. The memo also put an end to all contractor support to the office. The decision sparked concerns from some congressional Democrats, including Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Jack Reed, D-RI, who called the move 'reckless and damaging.' 'With staffing reduced to a skeleton crew and limited contractor backing, DOT&E may be unable to provide adequate oversight for critical military programs, risking operational readiness and taxpayer dollars,' Reed said in a statement. 'This kind of politically motivated interference undermines independent oversight and leaves warfighters and the public more vulnerable to untested, potentially flawed systems.' Hegseth said the reorganization is tied to the Pentagon's 'America First' strategy and was backed by an internal review that identified 'redundant, non-statutory functions' within the office. The analysis, he said, found that reducing personnel could save more than $300 million per year. But multiple sources familiar with the decision and granted anonymity to speak freely told Defense News the circumstances are more complicated than the scenario the secretary described in his memo. They pointed to perennial tensions between the military services and the office, stoked in recent months by an atmosphere of touting quick, programmatic successes that is antithetical to the exacting mission of verifying performance claims over time and under varying conditions. The sources also cited senior leadership's frustration with DOT&E's recent decision to add Golden Dome to its 'oversight list' as being the final provocation. 'It's a perfect storm,' one source said. The DOT&E office was created by Congress to provide independent oversight of major defense acquisition programs. Its leaders are required by law to approve testing plans and report results for all Defense Department programs whose total research and development cost exceeds $525 million —in 2020 dollars — or whose procurement is expected to cost more than $3 billion. The list of efforts under DOT&E oversight currently features over 250 programs, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon and the Navy's Aegis modernization program. The office's role as an overseer means its recommendations are sometimes unpopular with military service leaders and major defense contractors alike. But the aim of its rigorous, and often arduous, validation is to prevent the department from fielding faulty systems that could put service members in harm's way. Golden Dome's cost — estimated at $175 billion over the next three years — and its complexity make it a clear candidate for DOT&E oversight, the sources said. The process for initiating DOT&E oversight of a program is fairly straightforward, but when DOT&E's Acting Director Raymond O'Toole notified senior leaders in a recent memo that he planned to add Golden Dome to the list, the decision drew an unusual level of scrutiny. Officials worried the office's involvement would slow the program down and drive up its cost. They eventually elevated their concerns to the White House. That extra attention appears linked to President Donald Trump's interest in the program, one source said, noting the office was told the program 'needed to be successful for Mr. Trump.' Golden Dome became the president's signature defense project early in his second term. In a Jan. 27 memo, he directed the Pentagon to draft a plan for a layered network of ground-and space-based interceptors and sensors to detect, track and defeat a range of missile threats. Initially calling the project 'Iron Dome for America' after Israel's missile defense system of the same name, Trump rebranded it to 'Golden Dome' — a nod to his vision for a 'golden age in America' and perhaps his own penchant for the precious metal. In an Oval Office meeting last week, flanked by Hegseth and a top Space Force general — as well as multiple images depicting a map of the U.S. covered in gold — Trump said the Pentagon would deliver 'the best system ever built' before the end of his term. While there is wide agreement among defense officials and outside experts that the U.S. needs a more focused investment in its missile defense architecture, Trump's schedule and cost projections have raised eyebrows. With actual details on the project still slim, some have questioned whether Golden Dome's biggest technological lifts are feasible and worth the long-term cost. 'I don't think we should read much into the $175 billion figure because no details or caveats were provided,' said Todd Harrison, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. 'I want to see something on paper that shows what's included, what's not included, and the time frame of the estimate.' This week's DOT&E cuts likely mean the office will be under-resourced to oversee all of the Defense Department's major programs, let alone Golden Dome. One source familiar with the office speculated the 'drastically reduced' staff could allow the Pentagon to get away with slimming down the office's oversight list. Reduced testing oversight could allow Golden Dome to move faster, but sources said it would be concerning for a program with such high-stakes ambitions to escape scrutiny. 'It would be hundreds of warheads coming in with all kinds of countermeasures, cyber attacks,' another source said. 'That's usually beyond the scope of a program and a service test office to be able to orchestrate all that.'
CNN
14 minutes ago
- CNN
Sen. Ernst tells town hall ‘we're all going to die' when pressed on GOP's proposed changes to Medicaid
GOP Sen. Joni Ernst on Friday faced concerns from town hall attendees over potential cuts to Medicaid and SNAP programs as a result of President Donald Trump's sweeping domestic policy bill, saying at one point, 'Well, we're all going to die,' and insisting that those who are eligible for Medicaid will continue to receive payments. One audience member at the meeting in Parkersburg, Iowa, raised concern that changes in the legislation to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, as food stamps are formally known, could harm local economies and cost jobs. Ernst, in response, emphasized that those who are in the country illegally or do not qualify for the programs under current law will be removed as recipients from the rolls. When someone in the audience yelled out, 'People will die,' Ernst replied, 'People are not – Well, we all are going to die.' The comment drew sizable reaction from the crowd. Ernst went on to say, 'For heaven's sakes, folks. OK … What you don't want to do is listen to me when I say that we're going to focus on those that are most vulnerable. Those that meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, we will protect. We will protect them.' Ernst was among the few Republican lawmakers who held town hall meetings during Congress' recess this week. Those meetings – the first since the House GOP passed its version of the sweeping tax and spending cuts bill – have featured a steady drumbeat of questions related to the package and its Medicaid provisions. The Senate is preparing to take up – and is expected make changes to – the House-passed version of the bill when lawmakers return to Washington. Changes to Medicaid eligibility have become a flashpoint in debate over the legislation, with several GOP senators warning that they don't want to see their constituents lose coverage. Discussing the House's version of the bill, Ernst said, 'Some people currently on Medicaid would not be able to receive Medicaid,' but she argued, 'That's because they're not currently eligible by the original definition of Medicaid, and they will be moved off of those Medicaid rolls.' 'When we are talking about the corrections in this reconciliation bill — again, it's corrections of overpayments and people that have not been eligible for these programs by law as it is currently written,' she continued, as audience members began to shout over her. 'If you don't want to listen, that's fine,' Ernst later added, 'but what I'm doing is going through and telling you that those that are not eligible, those that are working and have opportunities for benefits elsewhere, they should receive those benefits elsewhere and leave those dollars for those that are eligible for Medicaid.' In response to a request for comment on the exchange, which was swiftly seized on by critics of the proposed changes, a spokesperson for Ernst said: 'While Democrats fearmonger against strengthening the integrity of Medicaid, Senator Ernst is focused on improving the lives of all Iowans.' 'There's only two certainties in life: death and taxes, and she's working to ease the burden of both by fighting to keep more of Iowans' hard-earned tax dollars in their own pockets and ensuring their benefits are protected from waste, fraud, and abuse,' the spokesperson continued. The House version of the bill would institute work requirements for some Medicaid recipients, a longtime GOP goal. It would also reduce federal support for Medicaid by nearly $700 billion over a decade, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis. However, House Republicans made several changes to the legislation before final passage in the chamber, which were not evaluated in this CBO report – including moving up the timeline so that the requirement will take effect by the end of 2026. The legislation would additionally extend the work requirement for SNAP to those ages 55 to 64, as well as to parents of children between the ages of 7 and 18. Plus it would curtail states' ability to receive work requirement waivers in difficult economic times, limiting them only to counties with unemployment rates above 10%.
USA Today
26 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump wants Congress to increase tax cuts in major policy bill
Trump wants Congress to increase tax cuts in major policy bill Show Caption Hide Caption Moody's pushes US out of top triple-A rating club, citing debt Moody's downgraded the U.S. sovereign credit rating on May 16 due to concerns about the nation's growing $36-trillion debt pile, in a move that could complicate President Donald Trump's efforts to cut taxes and send ripples through global markets. WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said he hopes Congress will slash taxes even more than the reductions included in the massive tax and policy bill moving through Congress. 'I'd like to see a bigger cut in taxes,' Trump told reporters during a May 30 news conference with his billionaire adviser, Elon Musk. "It's going to be jiggered around a little bit." Musk, who is stepping back from his White House role, has said he's disappointed that the bill will increase the budget deficit. Increasing the tax cuts would add to the deficit unless they're offset with spending cuts. The House passed legislation last week that would add an estimated $3.8 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years, fueled by a permanent extension of the 2017 income tax cuts that Trump signed into law during his first term. That bill also includes temporary tax breaks for tips, overtime, seniors and buyers of American-made cars. There is also a boosted child tax credit, among other benefits. Next up is the U.S. Senate, which will begin its work on the legislation next week with several Republicans already openly pushing for changes to the House bill's approach to everything from Medicaid to green energy subsidies, and overall leaders in Congress, namely House Speaker Mike Johnson, have set a self-imposed deadline on July 4 to complete work on the bill and send it to Trump's desk for signature into law.
