Latest news with #Democrats'
The Herald Scotland
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Leavitt blasts Jill Biden over husband's health 'coverup'
"I think anybody looking again at the videos and photo evidence of Joe Biden with your own eyes and a little bit of common sense can see that this was a clear coverup," Leavitt responded. "And Jill Biden was certainly complicit in that coverup." More: Robert Hur defends characterization of Biden's memory in testimony to Congress: Recap Aides close to President Biden and his wife did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the growing calls from the Trump White House. The 82-year old Democrat announced last week that he'd been diagnosed with an "aggressive" Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Questions around the president's mental capacity reached a fevered pitch when former Special Counsel Robert Hur released a report in early 2024 about Biden mishandling classified documents after his time as vice president concluded in the Obama White House. Hur concluded that a potential criminal jury would find Biden to be a "sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory." Biden's performance during a June presidential debate with then-Republican nominee Donald Trump also raised questions about the Democrats' well-being, and he ultimately dropped out of the White House race in deference to then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The Trump White House's focus on Biden echoes criticism from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer. The Kentucky Republican has asked several high-ranking Biden administration officials and his physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, to appear for transcribed interviews to "uncover the truth" about Biden's "mental decline and potential unauthorized use of an autopen for sweeping pardons and other executive actions. Letters seeking testimony have been sent to staffers including former senior adviser to the first lady Anthony Bernal, former Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden and former deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini. Comer said during the last Congress that the Biden White House obstructed his committee's investigation into the president's mental capacity and refused to make aides available for depositions or interviews. "The American people demand transparency and accountability now," Comer said in a statement. According to a new book, Original Sin, written by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson, one person familiar with workings of the administration said Biden was only one of five people running the country. During her May 29 briefing at the White House, Leavitt claimed there was documentary evidence showing Jill Biden was shielding her husband from public scrutiny. "She's still lying to the American people. She still thinks the American public are so stupid that they're going to believe her lies," said Leavitt. "And frankly, it's insulting, and she needs to answer for it."
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Newsom taunts Trump after tariffs loss: 'It's raining tacos'
SAN FRANCISCO — Of all the blue state legal challenges to President Donald Trump, none have delivered as big a blow as two court rulings striking down his tariffs on imports from dozens of countries. Democratic governors and attorneys general seized the pair of rulings on Thursday as an affirmation of their warnings about the economic toll of rising prices on consumer goods and emptying shipping containers at ports along the East and West coasts. It was a stinging rebuke of Trump — and a rare victory for Democrats out of power in Washington and increasingly dependent on the courts system and Democratic-controlled state capitals to mount their resistance to the president. 'It's raining tacos today,' California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on the MeidasTouch Podcast on Thursday, an apparent reference to the TACO acronym that Wall Street investors have used to refer to whiplash over Trump's see-sawing import taxes. The president has bristled at the name, which stands for 'Trump always chickens out.' Newsom, whose state was among more than 14 that sued to challenge the tariffs, added, 'It's not a good day for Donald Trump and his central economic program. We're very, very pleased at this moment, this brief moment.' Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, basking in the victory for blue states, told POLITICO that of all the lawsuits Democrats have filed to challenge Trump's policies, the tariffs issue is 'the most substantial for our economy, for our prosperity.' Democrats' victory lap came after the New York-based U.S. Court of International Trade struck down Trump's tariffs on Wednesday, concluding his actions were not authorized by the emergency economic powers he cited in signing four executive orders earlier this year — a major blow to his strategy to use tariffs as leverage to strike trade deals around the world. A second federal court issued a similar ruling invalidating Trump's tariffs on Thursday morning, when a D.C. District Court judge ordered a halt to duties collected from two toy companies that brought the case. 'It's interesting watching the president flail around here; he proposes tariffs and then he backs off,' said New York Rep. Joe Morelle, a Democrat from the Rochester area along the Canadian border. 'If this is people's idea of a master negotiator, I don't know what people think a bad negotiator is.' Wednesday's decision covered a case filed by Oregon and 11 other Democrat-led states, including Colorado, New York, Illinois and Minnesota, challenging the constitutionality of Trump's actions. California, the first state to sue over Trump's tariffs, is challenging his actions in a separate but related lawsuit in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. The Trump administration immediately appealed the rulings, and a federal appeals court temporarily reinstated his sweeping 'reciprocal' tariffs as it considers the administration's request to leave the tariffs in place while litigation plays out. However, that pause only applies to the ruling from the Court of International Trade. The economic effects of the rulings are still far from certain. And even as Democratic politicians rejoiced, a pervasive sense that Trump's trade war could still go wrong permeated the nation's largest ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach. Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka told KNX Radio that although the court ruling is encouraging, it added to the 'whipsaw effect of information' that has left even the most seasoned international trade experts scrambling. 'It's not going to open up the gates of American imports just yet,' he said. Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero shared those concerns, saying shipping companies have told him they need time to assess the potential impacts of the court ruling before deciding whether to bring in more imports. 'We expect the canceled sailings at the Port of Long Beach in June to remain canceled until there is additional clarity about collection of tariffs,' Cordero said in a statement. Seroka said the port has seen a recent uptick in activity after Trump lowered a 145 percent tariff on Chinese goods to 30 percent, as American importers moved to scoop up products that had already arrived but were sitting on the docks. The initial 145 percent levy resulted in 17 ships canceling bookings and a 30 percent drop in imports over the first two weeks of May. But it could still be weeks or months until the ports see imports pick up, Seroka warned, and lagging trade comes at a critical time for American businesses, which typically would already have orders placed for Christmas and year-end holiday shopping season. Still, Democratic officials on Capitol Hill and in states across the country relished the chance to check Trump's executive powers. New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of the 12 attorneys general who sued the Trump administration in April, hailed Wednesday's trade court ruling in a social media post: 'The president cannot ignore the Constitution and impose massive tax hikes on the American people.' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sought to reclaim the label Trump put on his tariffs announcement by posting 'Liberation Day.' Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who served as both California attorney general and a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, which deals extensively with tariffs, noted the weight of the trade court's ruling coming from a three-judge panel. 'It wasn't just significant. It was consequential,' Becerra said. 'This decision, especially because it was unanimous — and especially because it included two judges appointed by Republicans — I think this crystallized what many of us have said: 'The president has a lot of authority, but it's not omnipotent, and he has to respect laws.'' Becerra, who is running for California governor in 2026, told POLITICO that the result of the judges' decision will provide a measure of predictability for industry and businesses. 'The president has some authority to help implement or execute on the tariffs, but it's got to be within those margins," he said. 'And they went way beyond the margins.' Mike Frerichs, the Democratic Illinois state treasurer, said the rulings could stave off the most severe economic effects of Trump's tariffs on vulnerable industries, including corn and soybean farmers. Moreover, Frerichs said whiplash with Trump's trade policies has already undermined his supposed goal to bring manufacturing jobs back to the middle of the country. 'No company is going to make a long-term commitment when there is no belief that they will stay in place,' Frerichs said. 'Wall Street has been talking about TACO this week… So why would you shut down a factory in China and move it to the U.S. if, two weeks from now, the tariffs are going to disappear?' Christopher Cadelago, Liz Crampton, Emily Ngo, Nick Reisman and Shia Kapos contributed to this report.
Politico
13 hours ago
- Business
- Politico
‘It's raining tacos': Blue states cheer Trump's tariff setbacks
SAN FRANCISCO — Of all the blue state legal challenges to President Donald Trump, none have delivered as big a blow as two court rulings striking down his tariffs on imports from dozens of countries. Democratic governors and attorneys general seized the pair of rulings on Thursday as an affirmation of their warnings about the economic toll of rising prices on consumer goods and emptying shipping containers at ports along the East and West coasts. It was a stinging rebuke of Trump — and a rare victory for Democrats out of power in Washington and increasingly dependent on the courts system and Democratic-controlled state capitals to mount their resistance to the president. 'It's raining tacos today,' California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on the MeidasTouch Podcast on Thursday, an apparent reference to the TACO acronym that Wall Street investors have used to refer to whiplash over Trump's see-sawing import taxes. The president has bristled at the name, which stands for 'Trump always chickens out.' Newsom, whose state was among more than 14 that sued to challenge the tariffs, added, 'It's not a good day for Donald Trump and his central economic program. We're very, very pleased at this moment, this brief moment.' Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, basking in the victory for blue states, told POLITICO that of all the lawsuits Democrats have filed to challenge Trump's policies, the tariffs issue is 'the most substantial for our economy, for our prosperity.' Democrats' victory lap came after the New York-based U.S. Court of International Trade struck down Trump's tariffs on Wednesday, concluding his actions were not authorized by the emergency economic powers he cited in signing four executive orders earlier this year — a major blow to his strategy to use tariffs as leverage to strike trade deals around the world. A second federal court issued a similar ruling invalidating Trump's tariffs on Thursday morning, when a D.C. District Court judge ordered a halt to duties collected from two toy companies that brought the case. 'It's interesting watching the president flail around here; he proposes tariffs and then he backs off,' said New York Rep. Joe Morelle, a Democrat from the Rochester area along the Canadian border. 'If this is people's idea of a master negotiator, I don't know what people think a bad negotiator is.' Wednesday's decision covered a case filed by Oregon and 11 other Democrat-led states, including Colorado, New York, Illinois and Minnesota, challenging the constitutionality of Trump's actions. California, the first state to sue over Trump's tariffs, is challenging his actions in a separate but related lawsuit in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. The Trump administration immediately appealed the rulings, and a federal appeals court temporarily reinstated his sweeping 'reciprocal' tariffs as it considers the administration's request to leave the tariffs in place while litigation plays out. However, that pause only applies to the ruling from the Court of International Trade. The economic effects of the rulings are still far from certain. And even as Democratic politicians rejoiced, a pervasive sense that Trump's trade war could still go wrong permeated the nation's largest ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach. Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka told KNX Radio that although the court ruling is encouraging, it added to the 'whipsaw effect of information' that has left even the most seasoned international trade experts scrambling. 'It's not going to open up the gates of American imports just yet,' he said. Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero shared those concerns, saying shipping companies have told him they need time to assess the potential impacts of the court ruling before deciding whether to bring in more imports. 'We expect the canceled sailings at the Port of Long Beach in June to remain canceled until there is additional clarity about collection of tariffs,' Cordero said in a statement. Seroka said the port has seen a recent uptick in activity after Trump lowered a 145 percent tariff on Chinese goods to 30 percent, as American importers moved to scoop up products that had already arrived but were sitting on the docks. The initial 145 percent levy resulted in 17 ships canceling bookings and a 30 percent drop in imports over the first two weeks of May. But it could still be weeks or months until the ports see imports pick up, Seroka warned, and lagging trade comes at a critical time for American businesses, which typically would already have orders placed for Christmas and year-end holiday shopping season. Still, Democratic officials on Capitol Hill and in states across the country relished the chance to check Trump's executive powers. New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of the 12 attorneys general who sued the Trump administration in April, hailed Wednesday's trade court ruling in a social media post: 'The president cannot ignore the Constitution and impose massive tax hikes on the American people.' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sought to reclaim the label Trump put on his tariffs announcement by posting 'Liberation Day.' Xavier Becerra, a Democrat who served as both California attorney general and a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, which deals extensively with tariffs, noted the weight of the trade court's ruling coming from a three-judge panel. 'It wasn't just significant. It was consequential,' Becerra said. 'This decision, especially because it was unanimous — and especially because it included two judges appointed by Republicans — I think this crystallized what many of us have said: 'The president has a lot of authority, but it's not omnipotent, and he has to respect laws.'' Becerra, who is running for California governor in 2026, told POLITICO that the result of the judges' decision will provide a measure of predictability for industry and businesses. 'The president has some authority to help implement or execute on the tariffs, but it's got to be within those margins,' he said. 'And they went way beyond the margins.' Mike Frerichs, the Democratic Illinois state treasurer, said the rulings could stave off the most severe economic effects of Trump's tariffs on vulnerable industries, including corn and soybean farmers. Moreover, Frerichs said whiplash with Trump's trade policies has already undermined his supposed goal to bring manufacturing jobs back to the middle of the country. 'No company is going to make a long-term commitment when there is no belief that they will stay in place,' Frerichs said. 'Wall Street has been talking about TACO this week… So why would you shut down a factory in China and move it to the U.S. if, two weeks from now, the tariffs are going to disappear?' Christopher Cadelago, Liz Crampton, Emily Ngo, Nick Reisman and Shia Kapos contributed to this report.
New York Post
13 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
The week in whoppers: Ro Khanna insists Dems aren't ‘woke and weak,' Patti LuPone flames the Trump-led Kennedy Center and more
Diary of disturbing disinformation and dangerous delusions This defense: 'Democrats are not woke and weak. We are a great party and should be proud of that.' — Rep. Ro Khanna, Wednesday We say: The representative doth protest too much. Khanna is unconvincingly trying to defend his party from criticism by Rahm Emmanuel, who rightly slammed the Democrats' brand as 'toxic.' Advertisement Fact is, Democrats fully embraced the 'woke' label, ramming through DEI policies and framing themselves as the party of 'equity,' until about five minutes ago, when they realized it was costing them elections. Now they're trying their best to convince voters they have something to offer besides noxious finger-wagging and divisive identity politics — and even shelling out millions to figure out how to win back men. Sorry, Ro: The 'woke and weak' label was hard-earned, and you'll have to earn your way out of it. Advertisement This appeal: '[The Kennedy Center] should get blown up.' — Patti LuPone, in an interview published Monday We say: LuPone is no stranger to melodramatics, but her language slamming the cultural institution just because President Trump is the chair is more violent than she may realize. Considering the recent arson attacks on Tesla dealerships, GOP offices and the home of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, the chance that some crazed lefty will take her up on the challenge is well above zero. Advertisement Millionaire Patti won't be affected by the violence she's egging on while she lounges in her Central Park West apartment, but everyday innocents will be. Talk about privilege. This claim: 'Dems have fully embraced far right eugenics.' — Taylor Lorenz, Tuesday We say: Seems 'far right eugenics' now means 'wanting kids to know how to read.' Advertisement Lorenz, who believes that 'we never had a single lock down in this country' because they weren't strict enough, is upset that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg admitted schools should've reopened sooner during the pandemic. Buttigieg's too-late realization is backed by mountains of evidence that show school closures yielded sky-high absenteeism, record drops in reading and math scores, higher rates of mental illness and of stunted socialization. It crippled an entire generation, yet Lorenz couldn't care less. This statement: 'Far right extremists want to take your health care away.' — Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Tuesday We say: Democrats can't honestly defend their resistance to the modest Medicaid reforms in the House Republican budget bill, so they've resorted to big, fat fibs. The truth: The bill would require working-age, able-bodied Medicaid recipients to work, volunteer or attend school for 80 hours per month. Advertisement That will not 'take health care away' from the truly needy; in fact, it will cut down on waste and fraud and ensure that public funds are going to those who need it most — children, the disabled, the elderly and pregnant women. Opposing that is madness, so Democrats fall back on fearmongering lies. — Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
USA Today
14 hours ago
- Health
- USA Today
Trump White House: Jill Biden should speak up about Joe Biden's mental health
Trump White House: Jill Biden should speak up about Joe Biden's mental health Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said former first lady Jill Biden should address 'when she saw and what she knew' about her husband's health Show Caption Hide Caption Here's what we know now about Biden's final exit from politics President Joe Biden announced he has prostate cancer. He was already under scrutiny for his mental acuity. Here's what we know now. President Donald Trump's top spokesperson called for former first lady Jill Biden to speak up about former President Joe Biden's alleged mental decline, saying she conspired to keep her husband's health from the American people. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt's comment on May 29 - that Jill Biden should address 'when she saw and what she knew" - came in response to a reporter's question on whether the former first lady should testify to Congress about the former Democratic president's health. 'I think anybody looking again at the videos and photo evidence of Joe Biden with your own eyes and a little bit of common sense can see that this was a clear coverup,' Leavitt responded. 'And Jill Biden was certainly complicit in that coverup.' More: Robert Hur defends characterization of Biden's memory in testimony to Congress: Recap Aides close to President Biden and his wife did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the growing calls from the Trump White House. The 82-year old Democrat announced last week that he'd been diagnosed with an 'aggressive' Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Questions around the president's mental capacity reached a fevered pitch when former Special Counsel Robert Hur released a report in early 2024 about Biden mishandling classified documents after his time as vice president concluded in the Obama White House. Hur concluded that a potential criminal jury would find Biden to be a 'sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory." Biden's performance during a June presidential debate with then-Republican nominee Donald Trump also raised questions about the Democrats' well-being, and he ultimately dropped out of the White House race in deference to then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The Trump White House's focus on Biden echoes criticism from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer. The Kentucky Republican has asked several high-ranking Biden administration officials and his physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, to appear for transcribed interviews to 'uncover the truth' about Biden's "mental decline and potential unauthorized use of an autopen for sweeping pardons and other executive actions. Letters seeking testimony have been sent to staffers including former senior adviser to the first lady Anthony Bernal, former Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden and former deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini. Comer said during the last Congress that the Biden White House obstructed his committee's investigation into the president's mental capacity and refused to make aides available for depositions or interviews. 'The American people demand transparency and accountability now,' Comer said in a statement. According to a new book, Original Sin, written by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson, one person familiar with workings of the administration said Biden was only one of five people running the country. During her May 29 briefing at the White House, Leavitt claimed there was documentary evidence showing Jill Biden was shielding her husband from public scrutiny. 'She's still lying to the American people. She still thinks the American public are so stupid that they're going to believe her lies," said Leavitt. "And frankly, it's insulting, and she needs to answer for it.'
