Capitol Report: 2025 Legislative Session recap, P&W strike update
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — This week on Capitol Report, House Speaker Rep. Matt Ritter joins the show to discuss the 2025 Legislative Session and Warehouse Worker bill.
Plus, News 8 political reporter Mike Cerulli breaks down the Pratt & Whitney machinists strike and other organized labor concerns.
Finally, the panel discusses the recent concerns of homeschooling advocates and a U.S. News & World Report poll that ranked Connecticut as the 15th best state.
Watch the full show above.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Elon Musk Urges Americans Take Action to ‘Kill' Trump Tax Cut Bill
(Bloomberg) -- Elon Musk is on a mission to block President Donald Trump's tax bill after he tried — and failed — to convince Republican lawmakers to preserve valuable tax credits for electric vehicles in the legislation, according to a person familiar with the matter. ICE Moves to DNA-Test Families Targeted for Deportation with New Contract The Global Struggle to Build Safer Cars NYC Residents Want Safer Streets, Cheaper Housing, Survey Says At London's New Design Museum, Visitors Get Hands-On Access The Buffalo Architect Fighting for Women in Design The Tesla Inc. chief executive officer personally appealed to House Speaker Mike Johnson to save the tax credit, the person said, requesting anonymity to discuss a private conversation. The House version of the tax measure calls for largely ending the popular $7,500 electric car subsidies by the end of 2025. Since losing that battle, Musk ratcheted up his offensive against the president's signature legislation on Wednesday, urging that Americans contact their lawmakers to 'KILL' the legislation, pinning his opposition to the bill's $2.4 trillion price tag. 'Call your Senator, Call your Congressman,' Musk wrote in a social media post. 'Bankrupting America is NOT ok!' The post came one day after Musk lashed out at the tax bill, describing it as a budget-busting 'disgusting abomination' as Republican fiscal hawks stepped up criticism of the massive fiscal package. Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NBC News reported earlier on Musk's overture to Johnson. Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who voted against the measure, defended Musk, saying in a post on X: 'He knows if America collapses financially, we aren't making it to Mars. He's right.' Trump hasn't publicly responded to Musk's comments, but the White House put out a statement Wednesday saying the legislation 'unleashes an era of unprecedented economic growth.' Tensions between Musk and the White House have flared in recent days after the tech titan formally stepped down from his role leading Trump's federal cost-cutting effort, the Department of Government Efficiency. After a meeting with Trump and Republican senators at the White House on Wednesday evening, Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas told Bloomberg Television that 'Elon was not important at all as far as this conversation goes.' Earlier, Johnson told reporters that Musk was 'dead wrong' about the bill and that the tax cuts would pay for themselves through economic growth. Musk's public condemnation pits him against the president at a critical time as Trump is personally lobbying holdouts on the bill. His campaign against the legislation threatens to stiffen resistance and delay enactment of the tax cuts and debt ceiling increase. Musk has attacked the legislation days after leaving a temporary assignment leading the administration's Department of Government Efficiency initiative to cut federal spending. The Tesla Inc. chief executive officer's high-profile role in the Trump administration eroded his business brand and sales of his company's electric vehicles plunged. The House-passed version of the tax and spending bill would add $2.4 trillion to US budget deficits over the next decade, according to an estimate released Wednesday from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The CBO's calculation reflects a $3.67 trillion decrease in expected revenues and a $1.25 trillion decline in spending over the decade through 2034, relative to baseline projections. The score doesn't account for any potential boost to the economy from the bill, which Johnson and Trump argue would offset the revenue losses. Johnson said Musk had promised to help reelect Republicans just a day before savaging Trump's bill, adding that he did not want to ascribe a personal motive. Musk did not respond to a request for comment. Separately, Jared Isaacman, a financial technology billionaire, appeared to suggest Trump withdrew his nomination to run NASA because of his close ties to Musk. 'There were some people that had some axes to grind, I guess, and I was a good visible target,' Isaacman said on an episode of the All-In Podcast released on Wednesday. His ouster was driven by Sergio Gor, the head of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, according to people familiar with the matter. Gor and Musk had butted heads during the billionaire's tenure running the Department of Government Efficiency, the people said, and Gor moved to have Isaacman's nomination withdrawn after Musk pulled back from the administration. A White House spokesperson said Trump ultimately makes the decisions regarding who will serve in his administration. Musk, the world's richest man with a net worth of about $377 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, has become a crucial financial backer of the Republican party. After making modest donations most years, Musk became the biggest US political donor in 2024, giving more than $290 million. Most of Musk's political giving was aimed at electing Trump but he also supported congressional candidates. America PAC, the super political action committee that Musk largely funded, spent $18.5 million in 17 separate House races. Though that total pales in comparison to the roughly $255 million he spent backing Trump, the spending means a lot in a congressional election, where challengers on average raise less than $1 million. Control of the House will likely be decided by the outcome of fewer than two dozen close races in the 2026 midterm elections. The GOP's chances of holding their majority would suffer a major blow if Musk were to withdraw his financial support. --With assistance from Bill Allison, Kailey Leinz, Joe Mathieu and Ari Natter. (Updates with Thomas Massie comment, in seventh paragraph.) Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again YouTube Is Swallowing TV Whole, and It's Coming for the Sitcom Millions of Americans Are Obsessed With This Japanese Barbecue Sauce Is Elon Musk's Political Capital Spent? Trump Considers Deporting Migrants to Rwanda After the UK Decides Not To ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. 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Hamilton Spectator
31 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Thune's first big test as Senate leader has arrived with Trump's tax bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — Only six months into the job, Senate Majority Leader John Thune faces a massive challenge as he tries to quickly push President Donald Trump's sprawling tax and spending cuts package to passage with the support of a divided GOP conference. While most Republican senators are inclined to vote for the bill, Thune can stand to lose only four votes in the face of united Democratic opposition — and many more Republicans than that are critical of the version sent over by the House. To get it done by July 4 — Trump's deadline — Thune has to figure out how to balance the various, and sometimes conflicting, demands emerging from his members. And he has to do it in a way that doesn't endanger Republican support in the House, which passed the legislation by only one vote last month after weeks of contentious negotiations. It's a complicated and risky undertaking, one that is likely to define the first year of Thune's tenure and make or break his evolving relationship with Trump. 'This is when John's leadership is going to be desperately needed,' said North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, one of the Republican holdouts who is pushing back on the bill's quick phaseout of certain energy tax credits. 'You can say no all you want, as long as you don't say no to the wrong 51 people.' So far, the well-liked South Dakota Republican is in a good place, both with colleagues and the White House. Thune has worked closely with Trump, despite a rockier relationship at the end of Trump's first term. While acknowledging that the Senate will likely change the bill to address concerns about changes to Medicaid and other programs, Thune has repeatedly said that 'failure is not an option.' 'Individual pieces of it people don't like,' Thune said Tuesday. 'But in the end, we have to succeed.' To get there, Thune has been meeting in his office with senators to hear them out, bringing in his colleagues individually and in small groups to discuss portions of the bill. Republican senators say the outreach is a stark change from his predecessor, Mitch McConnell, who was more feared than loved and kept a tight circle of advisers. McConnell stepped down from the leadership post in January after almost two decades amid a series of health episodes and growing criticism from senators on the right flank, who felt that he consolidated power and ignored their concerns. 'It's very much a change,' said North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer. Thune has 'already made a lot of people happier by the listening part,' he said. One happier senator is Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who sparred openly with McConnell and ran against Thune to replace him. Scott, who criticizes the bill as not doing enough to cut federal spending, has also met with the new leader. 'I'd be very surprised if anybody doesn't believe he's receptive to their ideas,' Scott said of Thune. And when people feel heard, Scott said, 'there's a greater chance they will go along with something.' Thune has also carefully navigated his relationship with the president, after sharply criticizing Trump in 2020 for trying to overturn his election defeat. Trump declined to endorse Thune's reelection bid two years later. Thune endorsed South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott over Trump in the presidential primary before eventually endorsing Trump. The two made amends in the final months of Trump's presidential campaign and have since forged a working relationship of mutual benefit. Thune has stayed in close touch with the White House, visiting Trump several times to discuss the bill, including on Wednesday. While the collaborative approach has won favor from Trump and colleagues who were agitating for a change, Thune has a long way to go in a short time. Passing the legislation will require hard choices, and not every demand can be met. Still, Thune's South Dakota colleague, Republican Sen. Mike Rounds, says he has already proved himself a 'winner' with Trump and the conference by quickly moving the president's Cabinet nominations through the Senate mostly without controversy. The Senate also recently blocked California air regulations that Republicans have long opposed after Thune delayed the vote for weeks to assuage procedural concerns from GOP moderates like Maine Sen. Susan Collins. 'Everybody wants to work with John,' Rounds said. 'He's not making anybody mad right now.' Rounds says Thune has also learned how to crack down when he needs to. Since taking power, Thune has shortened Senate vote times that were sometimes stretching for hours to just 15 minutes, in most cases. It was a hard lesson for some senators, but it won him respect from Republicans and, privately, even some Democrats. But as they were adjusting to the change, some senators unexpectedly missed votes because of Thune's new policy, Rounds said. 'Did he get yelled at a little bit? Yeah,' he said. 'But once they got cut off once or twice, pretty soon they realized, if you want to vote, make it on time.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Axios
31 minutes ago
- Axios
House Democrats investigate alleged Elon Musk drug use
The top House Democrat on a key investigative panel is asking President Trump whether he had any knowledge of alleged drug use by Elon Musk. Why it matters: The investigation comes as even House Republicans have grown exasperated with Musk's erratic antics, as Axios reported on Wednesday. Musk has stirred considerable anger with his erstwhile Republican allies by coming out harshly against Trump's "One Big, Beautiful Bill." But he's winning few friends in the Democratic Party, which is still seething at his shock-and-awe tactics as the head of DOGE. Driving the news: Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), the acting ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, sent Trump a letter asking him "any information you or any Administration officials have regarding whether Mr. Musk consumed any illicit substances" while running DOGE. He also asked for information about whether Musk specifically took drugs while in the White House or other federal buildings or during the 2024 presidential campaign. Lynch cited reporting by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times that Musk used illicit drugs including ketamine, psychedelic mushrooms and ecstasy before and during his time campaigning for Trump. The other side: Musk denied the NYT's reporting that he took illicit drugs while on the 2024 campaign trail, posting on X that he is "NOT taking drugs!" He added, "I tried *prescription* ketamine a few years ago and said so ... so this not even news. It helps for getting out of dark mental holes, but haven't taken it since then." Reality check: Trump is unlikely to respond to the letter, and Lynch as the ranking minority member on the panel has no power to compel him to testify or turn over documents.
