Latest news with #EdwardM.KennedyInstitute
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Fetterman blasts Democrats for Biden ‘chaos' at the border
Senator John Fetterman had some sharp words for his fellow Democrats on Monday, accusing their recent border policy under the Biden administration of being a colossal 'mistake,' the latest sign of his growing tension with his party. 'I thought the border was really important and our party did not handle the border appropriately. Look at the numbers — 260,000, 300,000 people showing up our borders,' Fetterman told the audience at a debate with his Republican colleague Senator Dave McCormick. 'We can't pretend we can take care of 300,000 people showing up every month,' Fetterman added, referencing the December 2023 peak level of immigrant encounters at the border under Biden. The most recent data shows there were about 29,000 such encounters nationwide in April 2025. As The Independent has reported, the Biden administration in fact preserved many parts of the first Trump administration's big-picture border strategy, including fast-track entry denials using emergency Covid powers, asylum restrictions, and continuing to construct parts of the border wall. During the debate, Fetterman went on that his views, both supporting immigrants and investments like the Trump administration's proposed $12 billion border spending package, 'puts me at odds with my party and my base.' Elsewhere during the debate at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston, Fetterman spoke about other tension areas with his fellow Democrats, arguing 'parts' of the base had turned their backs on Israel during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and widespread U.S. pro-Palestine protests. 'That's not free speech, building tent cities on a campus and terrorizing and intimidating Jewish students, that's not free speech,' he said. 'And now we really lost, we've lost the argument in parts of my party, and for me, that moral clarity, it's really firmly on Israel.' Since Trump took office, Fetterman has repeatedly clashed with parts of the leftward wing of his party over issues like co-sponsoring the Laken Riley Act, which calls requires federal detention of undocumented immigrants accused of a variety of crimes, as well as voting to confirm Trump officials like Attorney General Pam Bondi. More than just one-off disagreements, Fetterman has called on the party to get its 's*** together' soon and reorient, lest it become a 'permanent minority.' 'We really got our a**** kicked in, and especially in the Senate, we could have been left a gigantic, smoking hole in the ground,' Fetterman told Politico. 'We could have easily lost Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin, and we could be staring down, 56-44.' The criticisms have prompted speculation he's planning to change party, which he dismisses. 'I've been on record ... saying I am not going to become a Republican, you know, although maybe some people might be happy on one side,' Fetterman said earlier this year. 'But I would make a pretty terrible Republican, because, you know, [I'm] pro-choice, pro really strong immigration, pro-LGBTQ … I don't think I'd be a good fit.' Others in the party have expressed concern over Fetterman's fitness for office, after a damning May profile in New York Magazine quoted current and former staffers claiming Fetterman was in poor mental health. The piece described Fetterman, who had a stroke in 2022 and was hospitalized for depression a year later, as continuing to struggle with the demands of office. In one alleged incident, amid the contentious confirmation process for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Fetterman reportedly 'spent part of the day locked in his office, fighting with [his wife] Gisele and crying while FaceTiming with staff.' The piece also claimed Fetterman was involved in a 2024 car wreck that injured his wife, despite alleged concerns from staffers he shouldn't get behind the wheel of a car. 'This hit piece came from best friends – Adam Jentleson and Ben Terris – who sourced anonymous, disgruntled staffers with lies or distorted half-truths. My ACTUAL doctors and my family affirmed that I'm very well,' Fetterman told The Independent in a statement. Despite the dismissals, some fellow Democrats continue to show concern about Fetterman's health. 'Every time I see him, I'm worried about him,' one anonymous Democrat told The Hill. 'I know we're all in touch with each other, having conversations about how to intervene. I haven't heard anybody say they're not worried about it,' the senator added. 'People are trying to figure out what to do. People are worried about his safety.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A Pennsylvania Democrat and Republican come to Boston. Bipartisanship breaks out
The organizers billed it as proof that two people on opposite sides of the political divide could sit in the same room and not tear each other's heads off. And if the face-off between Pennsylvania U.S. Sens. John Fetterman, a Democrat, and Dave McCormick, the Republican, was any indication, they succeeded beyond their wildest imaginings. For just about 30 minutes on Monday morning, the two lawmakers acknowledged that they would occasionally find themselves at cross purposes in the ideological hothouse that is Washington, D.C., but said they hoped they could do so agreeably. 'We both care deeply about Pennsylvania,' McCormick, who won election to the Senate last November by defeating a long-serving Democratic incumbent, said. 'We are working together to do great things.' The excessively civil chat, co-sponsored by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate and the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation, was live-streamed on FOX Nation and moderated by Fox News Sunday anchor Shannon Bream. It was the sixth such installment of the ongoing 'Senate Project' put on by the two organizations. The 30-minute session, held in the Kennedy Institute's replica U.S. Senate chamber, ranged across the issues of the day, touching on the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza; the looming Senate debate over President Donald Trump's deficit-busting 'Big Beautiful Bill,' and the 'blockbuster agreement' between U.S. Steel and Japanese company Nippon Steel that Trump announced last week. Past participants in the program have included conversations between U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; and Chris Coons, D-Del., who faced now U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican. Monday's conversation began with Sunday's terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, where a man wielding a homemade explosive device and shouting invective, was charged with hurling them at a group peacefully demonstrating on behalf of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Fetterman took to the stage in his trademark black hoodie and shorts. McCormick sat next to him in a suit and tie. Both were given commemorative hoodies for their participation, which they displayed proudly. Fetterman, recalling that he and McCormick first met during an anniversary observance for a deadly synagogue attack in Pittsburgh, offered that 'it's astonishing that this antisemitism is out of control.' And he lamented what he said was its spread across American college and university campuses. 'We need to call it what it is,' he said, adding that 'building tent cities on campuses and terrorizing Jewish students, that's not free speech.' McCormick offered a similar sentiment, saying antisemitism is 'something that we have to stand up against [with] moral clarity.' The two lawmakers acknowledged that they will find themselves on opposite sides of Trump's megabill, which looks to make permanent his first-term tax cuts with deep reductions in spending on social safety net programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often referred to as 'food stamps.' 'I don't think I'd ever be in a position to support cuts to Medicaid. The same for SNAP,' Fetterman said, then, referring to his wife Gisele's work feeding hungry people in their hometown of Braddock, outside Pittsburgh, he stressed that people weren't looking for giveaways. They're hungry and need help. 'I see people standing in line for food,' he said. 'It's not just because they want free stuff, it's that they don't have enough to eat.' McCormick stressed the importance of " slowing the growth of the cost of government." " I think that's where the debate's going to be, 'Is how do we pay for these things,'" he said. Fetterman, who has faced recent questions about his mental and physical health, said McCormick supported him against what he described as a 'weird smear' campaign. 'He actually asked me, 'Is it okay to defend you?'' Fetterman recalled. Fetterman suffered a debilitating stroke shortly before the 2022 election and was hospitalized for treatment for depression early in his term. He also has faced criticism for missing votes, but argued that the ones he had missed were 'throwaway' procedural votes that did not require his presence to stand or fall. 'I'm here. I'm doing the job,' he said. Tired of 'TACO?' Here comes the 'Trump collar' Residential retrofitting program turns on high-speed internet for Bay Meadow Apts. in Springfield GOP Mass. governor hopeful Brian Shortsleeve touts 'record' $416K fundraising haul Bill Clinton raises alarm over Donald Trump: 'We've never seen anything like this before' Mass. Gov. Healey's popularity takes a dip in new poll Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania senators find common ground despite style preferences, party differences
One is a Democrat sporting a hoodie, the other is a Republican wearing a tie, but bipartisan Pennsylvania Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick stand on common ground. The two first-term senators from the critical swing state participated in the sixth installment of The Senate Project series on Monday. It was organized by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate and the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation and moderated by Fox News' Shannon Bream. Sitting across from one another in a full-sized replica of the U.S. Senate Chamber at the Kennedy Institute in Boston, Fetterman towered over McCormick in his signature Carhartt sweatshirt, basketball shorts and sneakers. While Fetterman strutted on stage with an approachable wave to the audience, McCormick emerged from the double doors in a well-fitted suit and tie and immediately shook hands with his Democratic counterpart. Knives Out For Fetterman: Maverick Senator Joins Long Line Of Dems Punished For Breaking From Left Fetterman, who suffered a stroke and struggled with his auditory capabilities during his 2022 Senate campaign, has again found his health topping national headlines amid renewed concerns about his mental health. Read On The Fox News App Leaks To Media About Fetterman Are A Coordinated Smear Campaign, Hill Colleagues Say But Fetterman again dismissed the slew of media reports as a "smear campaign" on Monday. And Republicans have surprisingly rallied behind the Democrat, who has gained a reputation for bucking his own party on top issues like immigration and Israel. It's not just their wardrobes that set the senators apart. While McCormick speaks like a true politician, the Republican is only a few months into his first term serving elected office. McCormick's background is in the U.S. Army, as under secretary of the treasury for international affairs for President George W. Bush and as CEO of Bridgewater Associates. Fetterman may have started his career in the insurance industry, but the Democrat has been in politics for almost a decade. He began his political career as mayor of Braddock before serving as lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. Despite Fetterman's years of experience in politics, his wardrobe choice and casual speaking tone set him apart from McCormick's polished speech. Style points aside, the bipartisan senators found more common ground than not on Monday. They may have different deliveries, but the content of their arguments seem aligned. Both Fetterman and McCormick condemned the attack in Boulder, Colorado, this weekend, which authorities are investigating as an act of antisemitism. The Pennsylvania senators have been steadfast supporters of Israel and united to condemn what they call the rise of antisemitism on college campuses. They also agreed with President Donald Trump that Iran should not have nuclear capabilities. Swing State Senators Come Together In Rare Show Of Bipartisanship, Dems Aren't Happy About It On Trump's steel deal that allows Nippon Steel to invest in U.S. Steel in Pennsylvania, Fetterman and McCormick said they didn't initially agree but were able to find common ground and deliver a deal for Pennsylvania workers. "We sat down within a week or two after I got elected and talked about a bunch of things," McCormick said. "There's a number of things we agreed on. We had both taken different positions on this, but we agreed the most important thing was the workers in Pennsylvania. There are a lot of things we disagree on, but the thing we agreed on was [protecting] those jobs in western Pennsylvania." McCormick said it's a bipartisan strategy the Pennsylvania senators have tried to adopt since they started working together this year. "We're looking for ways to find common ground," McCormick said. "When we disagree, we disagree. But when we can agree, we agree." When pushed by Bream about Senate reconciliation on Trump's "big, beautiful bill," McCormick indicated he would vote in favor of the bill while Fetterman said he's a "no," highlighting concerns over Medicaid reform. "We both represent the most purple part of America," Fetterman said before adding, "We are going to disagree and vote on different things, but for me, it's about trying to find the things we can win together and deliver those kinds of wins for Pennsylvania and ultimately for America."Original article source: Pennsylvania senators find common ground despite style preferences, party differences
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fetterman breaks ranks, praises Trump's Middle East policies: 'Did the right thing'
Sen. John Fetterman, the battleground state Democrat known for bucking his party, praised President Donald Trump's policies in the Middle East on Monday. During The Senate Project series discussion, organized by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate and the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation and co-hosted by FOX Nation, Fetterman and his fellow Pennsylvanian Sen. Dave McCormick, a Republican, discussed key issues impacting Americans. Conflict in the Middle East was chief among those topics, as the bipartisan senators have found unlikely common ground in their support for Israel. Fetterman admitted he is the sole Democrat willing to admit Trump's success in the Middle East. "I wasn't really allowed to disagree, politically, with the original agreement on Iran," Fetterman said. Knives Out For Fetterman: Maverick Senator Joins Long Line Of Dems Punished For Breaking From Left Trump ended U.S. participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran and re-imposed sanctions against them in 2018. As a Democrat, Fetterman said it was politically unpopular to support Trump backing out of the Iran deal. Read On The Fox News App Fetterman Calls For Bombing Iranian Nuclear Facilities: 'Waste That S---' Fetterman, now abandoning the Democratic playbook, admitted on Monday, "I really do think, now, Trump did the right thing to break that agreement." Fetterman told The Washington Free Beacon in April that the Trump administration should destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities with a military strike. The event's moderator, Fox News' Shannon Bream, anchor of "Fox News Sunday," asked Fetterman about his comments during the Boston, Massachusetts, event on Monday. "Iran attacked Israel, and it's very clear they lack the capabilities to really project that kind of––and then Israel struck back and destroyed the batteries that protect their nuclear facilities, and they also hit the nuclear lab as well, too. So now, Israel understands that we have a window here to attack that." The Pennsylvania Democrat said his party isn't willing to engage in these nuanced conversations about the United States' approach to conflict in the Middle East. "I think it's once in a generation to destroy that facility," Fetterman said, doubling down on his comments. Fetterman also praised Trump for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during his first administration. "That's absolutely put me really the only one left in the Democratic caucus talking on these kinds of things," Fetterman said, referring to his support for moving the embassy. "When Trump changed the embassy to Jerusalem, people thought… the region was going to burn. I mean, none of that happened… Some good things have happened there," Fetterman said. Fetterman was the only Democratic senator willing to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago ahead of his inauguration and has been steadfast in his support for Israel, one of several instances of Fetterman bucking his own article source: Fetterman breaks ranks, praises Trump's Middle East policies: 'Did the right thing'
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Business
- Toronto Star
The Latest: Trump's pledge to fix national debt faces skepticism from some Republicans
President Donald Trump faces the challenge of convincing Republican senators, global investors, voters and even Elon Musk that he won't bury the federal government in debt with his multitrillion-dollar tax-break package. Financial markets have remained skeptical, as the deficit continues to grow despite Trump's promises to curb spending. Here's the latest: Trump and Xi set to talk this week about trade challenges Trump is 'likely' to talk this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The two leaders are slated to talk as trade tensions have intensified after both nations agreed in May to reduce tariffs for a 90-day negotiation period. But the U.S. is displeased with problems over China exporting critical minerals, while China is frustrated by U.S. efforts to limit their access to advanced computer chips. Leavitt told reporters that the White House would provide a readout of the call between Trump and Xi. Pennsylvania senators mostly agree during forum on bipartisanship, and politely disagree Pennsylvania's two U.S. senators, Democrat John Fetterman and Republican David McCormick sat on Monday for 30 minutes to take questions from Shannon Bream, anchor of Fox News Sunday, at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston as part of an effort to promote bipartisanship. They found it easy to agree on certain questions, such as foreign policy, and politely disagreed on others, including President Trump's tax breaks, spending cuts and border security bill. Fetterman says he won't support cuts to Medicaid and food aid. McCormick stresses the need for tax relief, spending cuts and border security. But he also says they agree that the federal government shouldn't take benefits away from vulnerable people. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Fetterman and McCormick have struck up a friendship following McCormick's victory last November over longtime Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, Fetterman's mentor in the Senate. Fetterman has had something of a warm embrace from Republicans over his ideological split with Democrats on Israel and border policy. On foreign policy, both men are strong backers of Israel in its war against Hamas and preventing a nuclear-armed Iran, even if it means Israel striking Iran's nuclear facilities to destroy them. Trump's lawyers file emergency appeals weekly to Supreme Court Trump administration lawyers have filed emergency appeals with the nation's highest court a little less than once a week on average since Trump began his second term. The court is not being asked to render a final decision but rather to set the rules of the road while the case makes it way through the courts. The justices have issued orders in 11 cases so far, and the Trump administration has won more than it has lost. Among the administration's victories was an order allowing it to enforce the Republican president's ban of on transgender military service members. Among its losses was a prohibition on using an 18th century wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans alleged to be gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Trump officials visit Alaska to discuss a gas pipeline and oil drilling The Trump administration is sending three Cabinet members to Alaska this week as it pursues oil drilling in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and reinvigorating a natural gas project that's languished for years. The visit by Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin comes after Trump signed an executive order earlier this year aimed at boosting oil and gas drilling, mining and logging in Alaska. The three officials are appearing at an energy conference convened by Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and at events with industry representatives and Alaska Native leaders who support drilling. Trump lashes out at Leonard Leo and Federalist Society Trump has lashed out at Leonard Leo, the conservative legal activist who has worked to dramatically reshape the country's courts. Trump is blaming Leo and the group he used to head for encouraging him to appoint judges who are now blocking his agenda. Leo is the former longtime leader of the conservative Federalist Society, who, during Trump's first term, helped the president transform the federal judiciary and closely advised him on his Supreme Court picks. He is widely credited as an architect of the conservative majority responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Can Trump fix the US debt? President Donald Trump faces the challenge of convincing Republican senators, global investors, voters and even Elon Musk that he won't bury the federal government in debt with his multitrillion-dollar tax breaks package. The response so far from financial markets has been skeptical as Trump seems unable to trim deficits as promised. The tax and spending cuts that passed the House last month would add $5.1 trillion to the national debt in the coming decade if they are allowed to continue. That's according to the Committee for a Responsible Financial Budget, a fiscal watchdog group. Spike in steel tariffs could imperil Trump promise of lower grocery prices President Donald Trump's doubling of tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum could hit Americans in an unexpected place: grocery aisles. The announcement Friday of a staggering 50% levy on those imports stoked fear that big-ticket purchases from cars to washing machines to houses could see major price increases. But those metals are so ubiquitous in packaging, they're likely to pack a punch across consumer products from soup to nuts. 'Rising grocery prices would be part of the ripple effects,' says Usha Haley, an expert on trade and professor at Wichita State University, who added that the tariffs could raise costs across industries and further strain ties with allies 'without aiding a long-term U.S. manufacturing revival.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Trump's return to the White House has come with an unrivaled barrage of tariffs, with levies threatened, added and, often, taken away, in such a whiplash-inducing frenzy it's hard to keep up. He insisted the latest tariff hike was necessary to 'even further secure the steel industry in the U.S.' Trump withdrawing the nomination of Musk associate to lead NASA Trump says he is withdrawing the nomination of tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, an associate of Trump adviser Elon Musk, to lead NASA, saying he reached the decision after a 'thorough review' of Isaacman's 'prior associations.' It was unclear what Trump meant and the White House did not respond to an emailed request for an explanation. 'After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA,' Trump wrote late Saturday on his social media site. 'I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space.'
