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The Hill
a day ago
- Business
- The Hill
Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA) discuss Elon Musk and the 'Big, Beautiful Bill'
Is the political evolution surrounding Elon Musk about to continue? The world's wealthiest man threatened to primary those who campaigned on reducing government spending but vote for the One, Big Beautiful Bill. I spoke with two lawmakers on different sides of the aisle shortly after the post. 'I don't always agree with Elon Musk. I do agree with him on this,' Rep Ami Bera (D-CA) told me. 'Elon Musk should do what Elon Musk wants to do,' Bera continued. 'It's certainly interesting him making those type of claims when he's made a significant amount of money off subsidies from the federal government in the form of electric vehicle subsidies, and those are the type of things that need to be cut in this bill,' Rep Greg Steube (R-FL) told me. A much different tone from just a month ago when Musk was in the White House— revered by the right and a foe to the left.
Forbes
13-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
As Trump Deports Students, Biotech Panel Asks For More Immigration
Sign for STEM Kitchen Garden, a restaurant serving biotechnology companies within biotech office ... More space in Mission Bay, San Francisco, California. An advisory commission's final report urges Congress to approve new immigration pathways for biotech researchers to help America compete with China. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) An advisory commission's final report urges Congress to approve new immigration pathways for biotech researchers to help America compete with China. The commission recommends increased federal funding for an investment fund, less regulation to speed biotechnology products to market, cooperation between the private sector and the Department of Defense and greater expertise in science in the federal government. Analysts say the Trump administration's policies on international students may undercut the commission's immigration recommendations. A Congressional advisory commission has concluded that changing U.S. immigration laws would allow America to increase the number of biotechnology researchers. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) chaired the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology. Other members of the commission included Dr. Michelle Rozo (vice chair), vice president of Technical Capabilities at In-Q-Tel, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), former government officials and individuals working on biotechnology. 'Congress should authorize new green cards for biotechnology talent, especially from allied and partner countries,' concludes the commission in its final report. 'These new green cards would help the United States retain more of the thousands of foreign students who graduate with relevant degrees or equivalent professional qualifications in biotechnology and other related fields.' The commission said, 'The United States remains a top destination for the world's leading STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] researchers and promising young scientists, thanks to its research universities, open research environment, free exchange of ideas and regional innovation clusters.' It noted the large number of international students who have pursued biological and biomedical sciences degrees, including more than 53,000 in 2024. 'These students, along with budding biotechnology innovators from abroad, have been a boon to the United States. But the United States struggles to retain much of this talent." 'Current policies make it difficult for foreign STEM students and professionals to stay permanently in America, start businesses and contribute to the U.S. economy and innovation base, particularly in the defense sector,' according to the report. 'The Commission heard from experts in industry and academia that China is actively recruiting graduates from American universities as part of a long-term effort to surpass the United States.' The report noted that a Canadian pilot program in 2023 recruited foreign nationals in H-1B status seeking better career or immigration opportunities. It cited other countries with public-private partnerships in biotechnology. The commission also concluded, 'Congress should optimize the vetting process for foreign nationals to prevent illicit technology transfer.' Foreign nationals represent a high percentage of postdoctoral researchers at U.S. science and engineering graduate departments, concluded a National Foundation for American Policy analysis. Temporary visa holders are 71.3% of the postdocs in biological and biosystems engineering, 70.1% in biotechnology, 68.3% in biophysics, 68.1% in biomedical sciences, 66.1% in oncology and cancer research and 60.9% in biochemistry. In 2021, the bipartisan National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence released a final report to Congress that recommended changing U.S. immigration laws to permit the United States to attract and retain talent to compete in AI and other technologies: 'Nations that can successfully attract and retain highly skilled individuals gain strategic and economic advantages over competitors. Human capital advantages are particularly significant in the field of AI, where demand for talent far exceeds supply. Highly skilled immigrants accelerate American innovation, improve entrepreneurship and create jobs.' According to an NFAP study, 'Immigrants have founded or cofounded nearly two-thirds (65% or 28 of 43) of the top AI companies in the United States, and 70% of full-time graduate students in fields related to artificial intelligence are international students.' Students walk through Harvard Yard on the campus of Harvard University on March 12, 2020 in ... More Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Photo by) The Trump administration's efforts to deport international students for minor infractions, protests, op-eds and other actions could undermine efforts to attract biotech and other talent to the United States. 'As of April 10, there have been almost 1,000 reports of international students and scholars either having their visa revoked and/or their record in SEVIS terminated, thereby jeopardizing their legal status in the United States,' according to NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Some student cases, such as former Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts University Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk, have gained significant attention. Others have escaped public focus. 'Talked to a lady who was arrested for simple assault. She broke the nose of a guy trying to force himself in her, cops arrested both to figure it out. Got a letter saying she was the victim. But SEVIS was terminated,' posted attorney Steven Brown of Reddy Neumann Brown on 'Others had minor tickets. Kid arrested for reckless operation of vehicle. He bought a new car and celebrated that evening with a couple donuts in an empty parking lot. No damage no injuries. Arrested but DA didn't charge. SEVIS terminated. There are way more MINOR issues than big.' Customs and Border Protection agents detained Kseniia Petrova, a scientist at Harvard Medical School on a temporary visa, after she returned from a conference in Paris with 'nonhazardous, noninfectious and nontoxic frog embryos,' reported WGBH. She brought them at the request of her boss and neglected to list them on a Customs form. Immigration authorities are holding her at a detention facility in Vermont and she fears returning to Russia after criticizing the invasion of Ukraine. 'The policy has created a climate of fear among non-citizens at American colleges and universities,' according to a brief of amicus curiae filed in a lawsuit on April 9, 2025, by the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration on behalf of 86 institutions and organizations. 'The administration has made high-profile arrests of non-citizens based on their political views, revoked the visas of hundreds of international students, and terminated foreign students' records in the Student Visitor and Exchange System,' the brief continued. 'It is also threatening the ability of schools to enroll any foreign students at all through decertification under the Student Exchange and Visitor Program. Seeing these actions, non-citizen students and faculty report being scared that they, too, will be targeted by the administration.' Funding cuts at the National Institutes of Health have harmed biotech startups, particularly at university labs, according to investors. 'Startups spun out of university labs have furloughed employees or are scaling back key features of their work after not getting funds they had counted on,' reports the Washington Post. 'Doctors and patients are agonizing over promising lab discoveries that might never make it to the market. Postdoctoral students, who are the workhorses of early research and who rely on grant funding, don't know if they'll be able to find a job.' The biotech commission praised international students but warned about the shortcomings of America's immigration policies. 'These highly educated and credentialed biotechnologists have access to American research and intellectual property, they often generate pathbreaking inventions and they often go on to establish valuable startups,' according to the final report. 'But many do so outside of the United States, largely because U.S. immigration policy forces them to leave. This failure puts the United States at a strategic disadvantage.'
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Schiff Wants Tariff Pause Investigation Over Insider Trading
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks alongside Sen. Dick Durban (D-IL) during a hearing in the Dirksen Senate Building in Washington, D.C., on April 07, 2025. Credit - Kayla Bartkowski—Getty Images Senator Adam Schiff on Wednesday called on Congress to investigate whether President Donald Trump engaged in insider trading or market manipulation when he abruptly paused a sweeping set of tariffs, a move that sent stock prices skyrocketing. 'I'm going to do my best to find out,' Schiff, a California Democrat, tells TIME when asked about allegations that the President's 90-day tariff pause announcement may have been exploited for personal gain. 'Family meme coins and all the rest of it are not beyond insider trading or enriching themselves. I hope to find out soon.' Schiff's comments regarding a formal inquiry, which has not been previously reported, came soon after the S&P 500 surged more than 9% on Wednesday after Trump announced the tariff pause—the kind of market movement that would normally follow significant economic news or central bank action, not a unilateral policy reversal. 'THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!' Trump posted on Truth Social minutes after the market opened on Wednesday, along with the letters 'DJT,' which stands for both his initials and the ticker for his media company. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Schiff is the first Senator to openly call for a congressional investigation into potential insider trading by the Trump Administration in the aftermath of the President's abrupt reversal on the implementation of new tariffs. Such investigations would typically fall under the purview of powerful congressional panels like the Senate Judiciary Committee or the Senate Finance Committee. Both are chaired by Republicans—Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho—who have largely avoided conflict with the White House. Individual lawmakers like Schiff can investigate matters using personal office staff, though such investigations would lack subpoena power. Still, the timing of Trump's announcement—and the market rally that followed—has raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill. 'When my own barber asks me whether Donald Trump is selling short or doing this to try to make money for himself, it shows that a lot of people are pretty suspicious about what's going on,' Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, tells TIME. Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota, when asked by TIME if Trump should be investigated for potential market manipulation, said: 'It's a great question. He certainly had a lot to gain. I hadn't thought of that.' Earlier on Wednesday, Rep. Steven Horsford, a Nevada Democrat, was one of the first to question whether the tariff pause was tied to market manipulation, as the news came out in the middle of a heated hearing with Trump's trade representative, Jamieson Greer, who had vigorously defended the tariffs. Horsford shouted, 'This is amateur hour. You just got the rug pulled out from under you.' He demanded to know whether the administration had deliberately moved the markets. 'This is not a game. This is real life,' Horsford said. The market's response to Trump's decision was swift and euphoric. Stocks jumped more than 7% within minutes of the announcement, ultimately closing up more than 9%. Bond yields, which had been rising amid fears of an economic downturn, eased. Oil prices, which had also been falling, rebounded. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a former hedge fund manager, said the tariff pause was meant to give space for bespoke negotiations with allies. 'The only certainty we can provide is that the U.S. is going to negotiate in good faith,' he said. But Bessent also acknowledged that he and the President had spoken at length before the decision, and that the move had helped "goad China into a bad position." Trump's explanation, however, only added to the uncertainty. He cited "yippy" people who were 'afraid,' and said he had been watching the bond market, which he described as 'beautiful' after his announcement. He told reporters that 'you have to be flexible,' and acknowledged that 'over the last few days it looked pretty glum.' Schiff sees a pattern in Trump's economic policymaking. 'I think what American businesspeople need is some certainty, some predictability,' he said. 'They're getting anything but. Americans who have seen their retirement savings wiped out need to be made whole. So this constant on again, off again, terrible policy has to come to an end. It's just so uniquely self destructive.' The California Senator has long been one of Trump's fiercest critics. He served as the lead prosecutor in Trump's first impeachment trial, and as a central figure in the congressional response to the Justice Department's Russia investigation. While he did not initiate the 2017 congressional probe into Trump's ties to Russia, Schiff became the most vocal Democrat on the committee, warning of Trump's deference to autocratic leaders. Schiff was later censured by a Republican-led House for his comments during the investigation. After Democrats won the House in 2018, Schiff helped lead the charge to impeach Trump over a pressure campaign involving Ukraine. Trump had threatened to withhold military aid to Kyiv unless its president announced an investigation into Joe Biden. The House impeached Trump for abuse of power, but the Republican-led Senate acquitted him. Write to Nik Popli at
Asharq Al-Awsat
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Two US Congressmen Introduce Bill to Free Iraq from Iran
Two US congressmen introduced the 'Free Iraq from Iran' bill this week, to diminish Tehran's influence in Baghdad and to support its independence. 'Grateful to introduce this bipartisan bill with colleague Jimmy Panetta (D-CA),' Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) wrote on his X account. The new bill says that in 180 days, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Secretary of the Treasury, and the CEO of the US Agency for Global Media, shall develop and submit to Congress a strategy to support the efforts of the Iraqi people in countering Iran in Iraq and countering Iranian backed puppet militias in Iraq. This strategy shall include a description of efforts to dismantle all Iran-backed puppet militias in Iraq, including the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), and to end US security assistance to the Iraqi government until Iraq removes Iranian-backed puppet militias from its security forces. The bill also calls on providing support to Iraqi civil society actors and opposition groups to enhance their security and operational capabilities, and to expand and enhance American broadcasting efforts in Iraq to uncover war crimes and corruption of Iranian backed puppet militias in Iraq. Several Iraqi circles, including members of the Coordination Framework, said Wilson's bill will not secure a majority of votes in Congress. However, they feared the undesirable consequences of any US strikes on Iran, especially as Tehran has lately started to abandon its allies in the region. Last month, Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei said Iran does not have any proxy forces in the region. On Thursday, The Telegraph wrote that Iran has ordered military personnel to leave Yemen, abandoning its Houthi allies as the US escalates an airstrike campaign against the group. Senior Iraqi pro-government officials are concerned about a potential conflict between Washington and Tehran and have argued with their opponents about how to prepare for such possible war. Iraq will be the first to suffer from such conflict, the officials said. In return, pro-Iranian Iraqi officials say a regional war will not have major repercussions on their country. They say some political forces were using such assumptions as part of their campaigns to prepare for the general elections scheduled later this year. Threatening US Bases Meanwhile, Najaf-based Iraqi Shiite cleric Sadr al Din al Qabanji warned that US bases in Iraq are within the striking range of Iran and Iranian-backed Iraqi militias. During his Friday sermon, Qabanji urged US President Donald Trump not to start or threaten war, referring to Trump's threat to bomb Iran if Iran does not agree to a new nuclear deal. Amid the escalating tension between Washington and Tehran and the ongoing US strikes on Houthis in Yemen, the Pentagon said it has reinforced US military capability in the Middle East with more warplanes. On Monday, Khamenei ruled out any foreign attack on this country but said the US would receive a strong blow if Trump followed through with his threats. 'The enmity from the US and Israel has always been there. They threaten to attack us, which we don't think is very probable, but if they commit any mischief they will surely receive a strong reciprocal blow,' Khamenei said. On Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammed Shia Al-Sudani said his government has preserved Iraq's stability through wise and responsible leadership, preventing the country from being dragged into regional conflict. He added that some impulsive voices called for Iraq to engage in war and conflict. 'Iraq's and the Iraqi people's interests are our top priority. There is no room for compromise, whether with internal or external actors,' the PM said.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Democrats Face Backlash From Donors As Hakeem Jeffries Lands In L.A. For Big-Ticket Fundraiser
EXCLUSIVE: As Hakeem Jeffries treks to Los Angeles for a big-ticket fundraiser, a number of Hollywood donors are staying on the sidelines out of fatigue, frustration and even fear over the ability of the Democratic party to stand up to Donald Trump. 'I'm not interested, skipping it,' one usually very dependable Dem check-writer said of Jeffries' event Wednesday hosted by Hope Warschaw. More from Deadline Hakeem Jeffries To Headline Los Angeles Fundraiser As Democrats Try To Regroup After 2024 Trump Celebrity Supporters: Famous Folks In Favor Of The 47th President Media Stocks, Broader Markets Rebound As Fed Forecasts Two Interest Rate Cuts In 2025 'The Democrats are all about the midterms, great. But that's next year, they're blowing it against Trump now,' the producer added of the party's leadership and its opposition to the chaos and of Donald Trump's return to the White House. 'A lot of that is on Hakeem, Schumer, Pelosi and the rest of them.' Out on the West Coast last month to talk with Silicon Valley Democrats, Jeffries' fundraiser tonight has tickets going from $10,000 a couple to $100,000. With the man who would be speaker accompanied by Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Suzanne DelBene (D-WA), all proceeds raised will go to the Jeffries Victory Fund, which hands out money to the DCCC and others. A reliable ATM for Democrats, some Hollywood donors are disappointed with where the party has been, or rather not been, over the past two months. 'Why is there no plan, no strategy besides showing up on MSNBC?' another longtime Tinseltown supporter fumed. 'Trump said what he was going to do, even if they thought only half of it could happen. They should've been prepared, they should {be] protecting people, vets, from Trump and [Elon] Musk.' In fact, according to a number of sources Deadline has spoken with, not only are the usual suspects not showing up to the New York Democrat's event with activist Warschaw tonight in Los Angeles, but a number of them also declined invitations to the more exclusive inmate dinner Jeffries had set for this evening. In addition to feeling that Democrats in Congress lack fight and spine against the hard-right Project 2025 agenda and Musk's DOGE attack on the federal bureaucracy, several well-heeled donors say they feel 'betrayed' by the party's 2024 campaign. 'They told us [Kamala] Harris was going to win, they told us they had the votes, and then they lost every single swing state,' a top publicist with a number of clients who were active on the Harris/Walz campaign told Deadline. 'We were lied too, or misinformed at best, and we got Trump again.' On the other hand, James Costos, a longtime Democratic fundraiser and activist, said there have been several non-listening and strategic planning calls with party leaders, including Jeffries and Democratic National Committee chairman Ken Martin. The leaders provided insights into what they were doing behind the scenes and publicly, he said, adding that he was pleased by the 'warming the engines' approach. 'The Democrats are finally playing a multidimensional chess game, and everything being played out isn't on the 'public' playing field,' Costos said. 'Democrats who are complaining are playing a spectator sport. Complaining to the media isn't how we win. That's a losing position.' In the Senate, the decision last week by Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to vote for the Republicans' continuing resolution to avert a government shutdown has been met with widespread derision and disbelief — even by Trump himself. In the end, 10 Democrats voted with Republicans for measures that allowed the deep-cutting continuing resolution to move forward. Amid calls for the likes of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to begin a 2028 primary race against the four-term Schumer and more Democrats openly asking the 74-year-old senator to step aside, Jeffries is in an ever more difficult situation — with donors, voters and fellow elected Democrats. This week, as Schumer undertook a slimmed-down media tour for his latest book, Jeffries confirmed Tuesday that the two New Yorkers spoke over the weekend about their difference of opinion on the GOP CR and going forward. 'Sunday we had a good conversation about the path forward, particularly as it relates to making sure we all speak with one voice in the effort to stop these Medicaid cuts from ever being enacted into law,' Jeffries said at a Brooklyn event Tuesday. 'Talk is cheap and easy,' one industry donor responded to Jeffries' words. 'I want to see them take the fight to Trump, not just roll over.' Initiatives like the revamped Democratic Daily Download don't seem to be making many inroads to voters or donors. 'It's a joke,' the donor said bluntly. 'A bad joke, not funny or effective.' Fundraising sources say they expected tonight's Jeffries event to do well, given Warschaw's longtime activism in the party and that Los Angeles donor circles extend well beyond those in the entertainment industry. At this point of previous presidential races, there is typically a fair degree of so-called donor fatigue, particularly after a stinging loss. There also is the impact of he devastating January L.A. wildfires, one of the worst disasters to hit the region, as many donors focus on recovery or rebuilding their own homes. Mathew Littman, a partner at HowLitt who leads a group of creative professionals engaged in Democratic politics called The Working Group, said, 'I think people in the entertainment industry are very, very frustrated by what is going on in D.C.' Littman, who spoke at a Democratic House issues conference in Virginia last week, said that 'one thing that Democrats are not doing is messaging 24/7,' noting how much Trump and Musk are on social media and elsewhere commanding attention. 'You are not going to get people enthusiastic unless they see you fighting,' he said. He credited Jeffries for holding his caucus together for the funding vote and acknowledged Schumer's concern that a government shutdown would threaten to cut off the budget for the federal judiciary, where Democrats are seeing some success in blocking Trump's actions. But Littman said Democrats signaled they would wage a fight on the budget and 'that did not happen.' That said, he cautioned that it was important to not get too caught up in the consternation. 'Instead of going after Elon Musk and Trump, who we should be calling out every day, we are going after Democrats,' he said, noting elections in Virginia and New Jersey later this year and the midterms next year, and the prospect that Republicans will be trying to defend their majority with an unpopular president and his chief associate, Musk. Rufus Gifford, finance chair of the Harris and Biden campaigns who is now a strategist at Elrod Gifford, said donors and activists are not 'sitting on their hands.' 'I think they are looking to be inspired by a message and a leader,' he said. Gifford added that 'this is not going to be an easy time' for raising money. 'This is absolutely going to be a rebuilding phase, and we are going to have to rebuild trust at every level,' he said. 'This is going to require some real convincing of folks that the party is in it for the fight.' 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