Former Congressman Charlie Rangel dies at 94
Charles B. Rangel, the former New York lawmaker whose trailblazing career saw the high school dropout represent Harlem for four decades in Congress, died on Monday. He was 94.
Rangel's death was announced by the City College of New York, where after retiring from Congress in 2017 he served as Statesman-in-Residence and launched the Charles B. Rangel Infrastructure Workforce Initiative to boost infrastructure jobs in areas of Manhattan and the Bronx that he called home.
First elected to Congress in 1970, Rangel would eventually serve 23 terms in the body, where he co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus and became the first Black chairman of the influential Ways and Means Committee.
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Chris Hayes: GOP civil war erupts as Musk ratchets up attacks on Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'
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'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.' To say this leaves the Republican caucus in disarray would be an understatement. Just days ago, House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is shepherding the spending bill through Congress, posted a photo of himself riding in style with Musk and Trump. But on Wednesday, he said he couldn't even get Musk on the phone. 'We've gotta get it done, and I think Elon understands the weight of that,' Johnson told reporters. 'I hope he comes around, and I'd love to talk to him this week, and I hope he calls me back today.' (As of Thursday morning, Johnsons told reporters they were still playing phone tag.) Hours after that Wednesday news conference, Musk posted a call to action against the Trump legislation on X: 'Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL.' 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