Trump signs tax and spending bill at White House picnic in photos
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The Hill
17 minutes ago
- The Hill
Beshear on potential White House bid: ‘I'll think about it after next year'
Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) said he'll consider a 2028 White House bid in an article published Friday while seething over the 'big, beautiful bill' backed by Republicans in Congress. 'Two years ago, I wouldn't have considered [running for president]. But if I'm somebody who could maybe heal and bring the country back together, I'll think about it after next year,' Beshear told Vanity Fair. The Kentucky governor's term ends in 2027 and he's pledged to complete his tenure in office before launching another political bid for a higher office. Fellow party members Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) have also been listed as potential contenders for the presidency as Democrats look to claw back the executive branch after their November loss. Political pundits have suggested the GOP-authored spending package will have a significant impact on midterm elections and cycles that follow as Americans grapple with the possibility of losing their healthcare coverage, a top issue for Beshear. 'What the Republican majority is getting wrong is that the American people don't view health care in a partisan way. They want to be able to see their doctor when they need to, and they want their neighbor to be able to see their doctor,' Beshear, Kentucky's former attorney general, said in the interview. 'No state will be able to compensate for the level of devastation that this bill would cause. What they're doing is immoral, and it's certainly not Christian,' he added. The legislation is set to remove millions from Medicaid and introduce stricter work requirements for food stamp benefits and other social services. However, Beshear said in order to break through on the cuts, Democrats will need to help voters conceptualize the ongoing impact of the bill. 'If Democrats say this bill is going to increase food insecurity, their point's not going to get through. If they say people are going to go hungry, it will,' he said. 'And we have to explain not just what we disagree with in this bill, but why. And my why is my faith. The parable of the fishes and the loaves is in every book of the gospel. My faith teaches me that in a country that grows enough food for everyone that no one should starve.'
Gizmodo
18 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
Elon Musk Forms a New Political Party to Challenge Trump and the Republicans
As he had previously vowed, Tesla CEO Elon Musk officially announced the formation of a new, third political party on Saturday, July 5, 2025. This dramatic move comes just hours after President Donald Trump signed his 'One Big Beautiful Bill' into law, a sweeping budget measure that implements massive spending cuts and eliminates nearly all federal climate and clean energy programs, legislation Musk staunchly opposed. The announcement was definitive. 'Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom,' the world's richest man posted on X (formerly Twitter) at 3:46 PM ET. He did not immediately provide further details on the party's platform or organizational structure. By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it! When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2025This decision directly follows a highly visible poll Musk conducted on X the previous day, July 4, as Trump prepared to enact the bill that had become a centerpiece of his administration. 'Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system!' Musk wrote, directly posing the question: 'Should we create the America Party?' X users were given only two options: 'Yes' or 'No.' The results of the poll, also posted on X, showed overwhelming support. Nearly 1.25 million accounts participated, with approximately 65.4% voting 'yes.' Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system! Should we create the America Party? — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 4, 2025'By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!' the SpaceX founder declared on Saturday while announcing the party's creation. He further elaborated on his motivation, stating, 'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste and graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.' The formation of this party, while impactful, does not come as an absolute surprise. Musk had previously hinted at such a move last month, amid an escalating feud with Trump, whom he had publicly labeled ungrateful. This isn't the first time Musk has publicly entertained the idea of a third party. In May 2022, he posted, 'A party more moderate on all issues than either Reps or Dems would be ideal,' adding that, 'This is what most people in America want, but unfortunately it's not realistic.' However, after a tumultuous recent period in Washington where he led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) within the Trump administration, and a highly publicized rift with the President, he appears more determined than ever to turn rhetoric into political action. Musk's core belief is that neither the Republican Party, which currently controls the government, nor the Democratic opposition adequately represents a significant segment of the American population. He seems convinced that the political landscape is ripe for a new movement. This conviction is supported by recent polling data: according to a 2024 Gallup study, a substantial 43% of Americans identified as independents, while only 28% identified specifically as Republican and 28% as Democrat. Despite this apparent opening for a new political force, history suggests that third party candidates face considerable challenges within the U.S. electoral system. Historically, even strong independent bids have struggled to translate popular support into electoral victories. For instance, Ross Perot's notable 1992 presidential run captured 18.9% of the popular vote but secured no electoral college votes. More recent third party candidates, such as Jill Stein, have typically polled below 1% in national presidential elections.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
SHAPIRO: Is America starting to see the end of patriotism?
America has a major problem. Nearly half of Americans — 42% — don't believe in America. According to Gallup, just 58% of adults say they are either 'extremely' or 'somewhat' proud to be American. That number has been in steep decline for a decade. In 2004, that number was 91% and was still 81% as of 2016. Then it began to tumble and it hasn't recovered. The trend isn't equivalent across the political spectrum. Republicans have always been far prouder of their country; their pride number has never dropped below 84% in 2022 and currently stands at 92%. The serious decline is located among independents, who have dropped from 76% in 2013 to 53% today, and Democrats, who plummeted from 80% to 36% during that same period. Furthermore, Americans' age correlates highly with levels of American pride: 83% of the Silent Generation venerates the country, as do 75% of Baby Boomers and 71% of Generation Xers — but just 58% of Millennials and 41% of Generation Z do. So, what precisely happened? The answer is simple. Republicans started winning and Democrats spiralled off. President Donald Trump's victory in 2016 sent Democrats spiralling into an anti-American black hole, with their pride in America dropping off a cliff during the first Trump term, recovering only moderately during Joe Biden's term (62% in 2021), and then plummeting again this year. Democrats embraced a new and extreme anti-American point of view, reflected most obviously in the elevation of figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; and now New York Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani. These figures, emblems of a new wave in the Democratic Party, are disaffected with America in general. If the promise of Barack Obama is that the vessel of the Democratic Party could be used to bottle the fire and fervour of the revolutionary left, these radicals believe that all bottles must be shattered — that the institutions of the United States must be exploded entirely. They see the re-election of Donald Trump as indicative of a deep rot at the heart of the American experiment and wish to eviscerate the fundamental ideas of that experiment. They champion the supposed virtue of the Third World and the supposed evil of the United States; the supposed beauties of socialism and evils of capitalism; the supposed virtue of transgressive social values and the supposed evils of traditionalism. They believe that America's unique Constitution is a framework for oppression; they believe that rights are mere guises for despotic power and that duties are cynically placed fetters upon their true selves. They are, as I describe in my upcoming book, Lions and Scavengers, the scavengers. They are all about tearing down, not about building something new. They have taken over the Democratic Party and they are making extraordinary inroads among younger Americans. Ironically, that's due to the failure of the very institutions the political left hijacked and misused for decades. Democrats heavily regulated and taxed the free market and then blamed the free market for recession or inflation; Democrats hijacked our educational institutions to pay off their union cronies and indoctrinate young people in their mindset and then blamed capitalists for failing to pay off young people's debts; Democrats abused our scientific and governmental institutions and then suggested that Republican resistance was actually Biblical fundamentalism rearing its ugly head. Meanwhile, political independents grow increasingly discouraged by our politics. They see Republicans shifting the deck chairs atop the Titanic of state as Democrats eagerly drill more holes in the hull — and they are increasingly depressed. They are not wrong to be. But they are wrong to believe that they can or should chart a middle course between those who love America and its founding principles and those who despise them. We should all be proud of America, the greatest country in the history of the world, with all of its faults and flaws. And we should work to correct those faults and flaws, rather than seek its overthrow or despairing and throwing up our hands.
