Latest news with #FreeDC
Washington Post
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Congress upended D.C.'s budget months ago — and still hasn't fixed it
In late April, about 30 D.C. residents held up traffic downtown outside a breakfast event. Their message was targeted at one attendee: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana). '$1.1 billion dollars … are currently frozen, unable to be spent, sitting in our bank account, doing nothing except costing our communities the services we need,' Alex Dodds, co-founder of the group Free DC, which advocates for D.C. home rule, yelled into a megaphone.
30-04-2025
- Business
The Latest: US economy shrinks 0.3% in first quarter as Trump trade wars disrupt business
The U.S. economy shrank at a 0.3% annual pace from January through March, the first drop in three years. It was slowed by a surge in imports as companies in the United States tried to bring in foreign goods before President Donald Trump imposed massive tariffs. Also, Trump has signed executive orders to relax some of his 25% tariffs on automobiles and auto parts, a significant reversal as the import taxes threatened to hurt domestic manufacturers. Here's the latest: The Democratic leader said the Trump team 'thought they could 'shock and awe' us into submission.' They thought wrong, he said. He's vowing Democrats are ready to fight back. 'We're just getting started,' he said. A discouraging report suggesting the U.S. economy may have shrunk at the start of the year, before most of Trump's announced tariffs could take effect, is knocking U.S. stocks lower Wednesday. The S&P 500 was down 1.5% in morning trading and on track to break a six-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 479 points, or 1.2%, as of 10:40 a.m. Eastern time, and sharp drops for AI superstars like Super Micro Computer had the Nasdaq composite down 2%. The weaker-than-expected report on the U.S. economy was a surprise because economists were expecting to see modest growth, particularly after the economy closed last year running at a solid pace. But importers rushed to bring products into the country before tariffs could raise their prices, which helped drag on the country's overall gross domestic product. About 30 Washington, D.C., residents and organizers angry over the continuing delay to pass the city's budget protested outside a private breakfast House Speaker Mike Johnson was attending. Organizer Alex Dodd, of Free DC, said the goal was to disrupt the speaker 'while you hold $1.1 billion of our local funding hostage.' In a statement the organization put out, it said it was trying to send a clear message to Johnson: 'We are here to disrupt business as usual. We demand the immediate passage of the DC Local Funds Act, with no riders and no excuses.' District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Council are scrambling to address the crisis created by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. When Congress recessed April 10, it adjourned without addressing a $1.1 billion hole in the city's 2025 budget that was created when the House eliminated a little-known provision in a budget resolution. A judge on Wednesday ordered the release of the Palestinian man who led protests against the war in Gaza as a student at Columbia University and was arrested by immigration officials during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship. U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford in Burlington, Vermont, issued his ruling following a hearing on Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident for 10 years, who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents April 14. He's been held at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans. A judge later issued an order barring the government from removing him from the state or country. Mahdawi's lawyers say he was detained in retaliation for his speech advocating for Palestinian human rights. ▶ Read more about Mohsen Mahdawi's case The billionaire outside adviser is no longer physically working from the White House, although 'it really doesn't matter much.' That's according to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who tells the New York Post that speaking to him on the phone about his efforts at the Department of Government Efficiency is having the 'same net effect' as Musk being there in person. 'His folks aren't going anywhere,' Wiles added in the interview. Musk is designated as a 'special government employee,' which means he can only work 130 days in a 365-day time period. May 30 marks 130 days since Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20. Chinese state media reported Wednesday that some Chinese toy exporters have been notified by Walmart and Target to resume partial shipments and that the U.S. businesses have agreed to shoulder the extra tariff costs. The report came after Beijing in March summoned Walmart executives for allegedly pressuring Chinese suppliers to absorb tariff costs. One Chinese exporter named Cheng Zhengren told Beijing News he expects to make a shipment in a week or so. 'Without us, what do they have to sell?' the Chinese exporter told the newspaper. 'Their shelves would be empty.' The closely watched inflation gauge cooled last month in a sign that prices were steadily easing before most of Trump's tariffs were implemented. At the same time, consumers accelerated their spending, potentially in an effort to get ahead of the duties. Wednesday's report from the Commerce Department showed consumer prices rose just 2.3% in March from a year earlier, down from 2.5% in February. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.6% compared with a year ago, below February's 2.8%. Economists track core prices because they typically provide a better read on where inflation is headed. The slowdown in inflation could be a temporary respite until the widespread duties imposed by Trump begin to push up prices in many categories. Economists forecast that inflation could reverse its recent decline and reach 3% or higher by the end of this year. ▶ Read more about consumer spending The news behind the drop was a government report showing the U.S. economy shrank during the first three months of this year, as imports increased because businesses are attempting to frontrun the high import taxes being imposed by Trump. Trump refused in a social media post to accept any responsibility for the economy's direction. 'This is Biden's Stock Market, not Trump's,' Trump posted on Truth Social. 'Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden 'Overhang.' This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS.' First came their much-analyzed Oval Office moment. Next, their subject-to-interpretation hug. The two interactions between President Trump and a sometime antagonist, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, reflect the Democratic governor's efforts to move past last year's hard-fought campaign and find common ground with the Republican president — at risk of political backlash. Whitmer, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, shared a hug with Trump as he arrived in her home state Tuesday, less than a month after she shielded her face from cameras during an Oval Office appearance alongside Trump. It's typical for a governor or another high-ranking state official to greet the president when he steps off Air Force One in their state, a tradition that's historically transcended partisanship. But the embrace between Trump and Whitmer was notable at a time when Americans are increasingly saying Trump's priorities are off and Democrats are agitating for their leaders to take a more confrontational approach to the president. The renovation will get underway in a 'couple of weeks,' White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told the New York Post in an interview. Trump also wants to add a ballroom to the mansion, she said. Wiles said in the interview published online late Tuesday that the ballroom is 'still in the design phase.' But Trump is a 'builder' and she would expect the ballroom 'to go up pretty quickly' once the preliminary work is done. It was unclear where the ballroom would be added. The East Room is the largest room in the White House and is traditionally used for large gatherings, such as receptions, bill-signing ceremonies and news conferences. Trump has added some of his touches to the White House since returning to power. That's according to two senior Ukrainian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is currently in Washington for the final coordination of the agreement's technical details, the sources said. The Ukrainian Cabinet is expected to approve the agreement's text earlier Wednesday, after which it will be signed by an authorized government representative. The deal will then require ratification in the Ukrainian parliament before it can take effect. — Samya Kullab and Hanna Arhirova The economy shrank 0.3% from January through March, the first drop in three years. It was slowed by a surge in imports as companies in the United States tried to bring in foreign goods before Trump imposed massive tariffs. The January-March expansion was the slowest in almost three years and was down from 2.4% in the last three months of 2024. Imports shaved 5 percentage points off first-quarter growth. Consumer spending also slowed sharply. Trump inherited a solid economy that had grown steadily despite high interest rates imposed by the Federal Reserve to fight inflation. His erratic trade policies — including 145% tariffs on China — have paralyzed businesses and threatened to raise prices and hurt consumers. ▶ Read more about the state of the economy The speech planned for Wednesday comes amid speculation about whether she'll mount another presidential campaign or opt to run for California governor. Harris will address the 20th anniversary gala for Emerge America, an organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office that grew in part from Harris' run for San Francisco district attorney in the early 2000s. Her speech also comes the day after Trump reached 100 days in office. It's expected to be her most extensive public remarks since leaving office in January following her defeat to Trump, with planned critiques of the Republican president's handling of the economy, U.S. institutions and foreign policy. The gun violence prevention advocacy group is naming the former top official in the Biden administration's office of gun violence prevention as its president. Greg Jackson was deputy director of the White House office of gun violence prevention. A first for the federal government, the office was created under President Joe Biden but closed by Trump in the early days of his second term. Jackson will serve as a president of the Rocket Foundation, which is dedicated to preventing gun violence. The group was founded by the rapper Quavo and hosted a summit in Atlanta last June attended by then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Quavo's nephew, the rapper Takeoff, was killed in a 2022 shooting and the Rocket Foundation seeks to turn his death into a force for change. The U.S. government has begun shedding new light on a crackdown on international students, spelling out how it targeted thousands of people and laying out the grounds for terminating their legal status. The new details emerged in lawsuits filed by some of the students who suddenly had their status canceled in recent weeks with little explanation. In the past month, foreign students around the U.S. have been rattled to learn their records had been removed from a student database maintained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some went into hiding for fear of deportation or abandoned their studies to return home. On Friday, after mounting court challenges, federal officials said the government was restoring international students' legal status while it developed a framework to guide future terminations. In a court filing Monday, it shared the new policy: a document issued over the weekend with guidance on a range of reasons students' status can be canceled, including the revocation of the visas they used to enter the U.S. ▶ Read more about the policy The Trump administration has told Congress that it intends to designate Haitian gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, people familiar with the notification told The Associated Press. The State Department similarly labeled eight Latin American crime organizations in February as it ratcheted up pressure on cartels operating in the U.S. and anyone assisting them. The new move indicates that the administration plans to put similar pressure on gangs from Haiti. The designation carries with it sanctions and penalties for anyone providing 'material support' for the group. It comes after a series of steps against the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which was designated a foreign terror organization and then dubbed an invading force under an 18th-century wartime law to justify the deportation of Venezuelan migrants to a notorious El Salvador prison under Trump's sweeping immigration crackdown. Trump, at a rally in Michigan on Tuesday, touted his designation of the six Latin American crime groups as foreign terrorist organizations, including MS-13 and Tren de Aragua. Trump on Tuesday celebrated the 100th day of his second term — yet spent much of his rally marking it in campaign mode, fixated on past grudges and grievances. He repeatedly mocked his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, attacking his mental acuity and even how he appears in a bathing suit. He again uttered the lie that he won the 2020 presidential election. And he attacked polling and news coverage not favorable to him. And Trump again and again returned to immigration, his signature issue, at the rally that marked his largest political event since returning to the White House — boasting about his administration's 'mass deportation' efforts that have sent arrests for illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border plummeting. American businesses are cancelling orders from China, postponing expansion plans and hunkering down to see what trade policy surprises President Donald Trump plans to spring on them next. The president's massive and unpredictable taxes on imports seem likely to mean emptier shelves and higher prices for American shoppers, perhaps within weeks. And the higher costs and paralyzing uncertainty could exact an economic toll: U.S. consumers are in the biggest funk since COVID-19 hit five years ago, and economists say recession risks are climbing. An early sign of the damage is expected to emerge on Wednesday when the Commerce Department releases its first look at first-quarter economic growth. The economy is forecast to have expanded at an annual pace of just 0.8% from January through March, according to a survey of economists by the data firm FactSet. That would be the slowest quarter of growth in nearly three years and would be down from a Trump signed executive orders to relax some of his 25% tariffs on automobiles and auto parts, a significant reversal as the import taxes threatened to hurt domestic manufacturers. Automakers and independent analyses have indicated that the tariffs could raise prices, reduce sales and make U.S. production less competitive worldwide. The amended order provides a rebate for one year of 3.75% relative to the sales prices of domestically assembled vehicles. That figure was reached by putting the 25% import tax on parts that make up 15% of a vehicle's sales price. For the second year, the rebate would equal 2.5% of a vehicle's sales price, as it would apply to a smaller share of the vehicle's parts. A senior Commerce Department official, insisted on anonymity to preview the order on a call with reporters, said automakers told Trump that the additional time would enable them to ramp up the construction of new factories, after automakers warned that it would take time for them to shift their supply chains.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Hands Off' rally set for Saturday at the National Mall
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather at the National Mall Saturday, April 5, for the 'Hands Off' rally. The rally is one of many happening around the country this weekend, and those attending are protesting the Trump administration, Elon Musk and DOGE. 'They've just stoked fear and chaos and created a bunch of people obeying in advance. We've seen Black Lives Matter Plaza dug up, we've seen so many visual reminders of these attacks,' said Keya Chatterjee. Trump to give TikTok another 75-day extension Chatterjee is with Free DC, a local organization that has been speaking out against attacks by the administration on D.C. home rule. The group will lead programing at the rally Saturday, focusing specifically on the impacts federal interference is having on the District. 'We don't have equal representation under the law here in D.C.,' she said. 'That means we're particularly vulnerable to this administration and their whims. We've seen an incredible consolidation of power.' The rally comes as the District is pushing the House to pass the DC Local Funds Act, a funding fix to address a Congressional spending plan that cut D.C.'s budget by $1 billion mid-fiscal year. 'We need to have our budget issue resolved by the Congress and we need it done as soon as possible,' said Mayor Muriel Bowser. 'If our budget doesn't pass and we have to look at overtime spending for public safety officials that will have an impact on crime.' Bowser expressed frustration at the administration and DOGE during a public safety press conference Thursday. 'Our concern about DOGE cuts, we want everyone to be treated fairly, and any personnel actions happen legally. And quite frankly, we think the pace of these separations has to stop,' said Bowesr. 'The thing that happens when things are fast and not well thought through, the consequences are unintended, but they're predictable.' In preparation for the anti-Trump rally, fencing went up around Lafayette Park and the White House rescheduled its Saturday Spring Garden tour. 'This decision has been made out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of all within proximity to public demonstrations planned near the White House on Saturday, April 5, 2025,' said the White House. The main program for the Hands Off rally begins at noon at Sylvan Theater near the Washington Monument. Free DC will lead programming prior to that, starting at 11 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Advocates express concern to lawmakers over proposed $1 billion cuts to DC budget
WASHINGTON () — As the U.S. House of Representatives gets ready to vote on a temporary spending bill, known as a continuing resolution (CR), on Tuesday, some D.C. officials and advocates are sounding the alarm about the impact it could have on the city. The GOP proposal would slash about $1 billion in funds from the District's local budget. Elected officials in D.C. said those cuts could include funding to first responders and public and charter schools. Proposed federal bill would cut DC budget by roughly $1 billion, city officials say At Monday's House Rules Committee hearing, several advocates with the newly-formed organization, Free DC, showed up to listen and speak with lawmakers. The group advocates for D.C.'s self-governance. 'We need to reveal to these lawmakers what it is they're doing and that there's a human face behind it,' Keya Chatterjee, Free DC's executive director, said. The House Rules Committee voted down an amendment proposed by D.C.'s nonvoting Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton that would have added language to the CR that would allow D.C. to continue operating under its Congressionally-approved FY2025 local budget. 'What they're trying to say is that we can't spend our own money,' Chatterjee said. 'To have attacks on our schools, on our fire departments, it's very personal for all of us in D.C.' Crews begin reconstructing Black Lives Matter Plaza House Democrats on the Rules Committee echoed those arguments at Monday's hearing. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Ma.) said the bill 'kind of pulls the rug from under them,' referring to the District. But Rep. Tom Cole (R-Ok.) said the changes were 'not substantive.' D.C. budget officials said if the CR passes as currently written, that could mean an immediate hiring freeze followed by layoffs to core services. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Free DC rally held to protest Trump executive order targeting District
The Brief A demonstration was held Friday afternoon to protest President Donald Trump's proposed executive order targeting D.C. Trump has not yet signed the order. Multiple activist groups came together at Black Lives Matter Plaza to speak out. WASHINGTON - A protest was held Friday by a number of anti-Trump groups, all opposed to an executive order the president said he would sign to "beautify" D.C. and make it safer. Those against the order say they want D.C. to maintain its autonomy and they do not want the federal government forcing changes on the city. What we know Trump claims that the order is aimed at enhancing public safety in Washington, D.C. The White House says it wants to order D.C. to make the city safer and more beautiful — cutting down on gun crime, clearing out homeless camps and cracking down on minor crimes like graffiti. D.C. officials are in the process of clearing some homeless camps and say they are working to find permanent housing for the people living there. But demonstrators say the Trump administration is out of touch with the people of D.C., who do want to see crime rates go down but want to maintain independence from the federal government. "Not Elon or Trump have been into one community in D.C. The closest they've been is Capitol Hill," activist Nee Nee Taylor said. "I can promise you they have not been east of the river where we have resilient Black people, resilient communities full of joy and love. They don't show that on TV but I live it. I live it." What they're saying Activist group Free DC was one of the organizers of Friday's rally. They partnered with Harriet's Wildest Dreams, a self-described Black-led community defense hub, to protest the criticisms leveled at the city by Trump. Many say they're behind cleaning up the streets but they want it done within the hands of D.C. leaders and residents. "I would love nothing more than to see D.C. cleaned up. I had no idea that our nation's capital was so riddled with crime and homicides. I had no idea living in my bubble here in upstate New York," said Janet Realbuto, whose son was murdered in D.C. "Walking down the street in the nation's capital you should not have to worry that somebody's going to come up and shoot you." Realbuto's 23-year-old son, Ryan, was shot and killed on a D.C. street in January 2023. His killer has still not been caught. She hopes that there is a way people can come together to solve the issues facing the District and says leaders need to become more unified. "I am all for making it safer but I think that we need, politically, to be not so divided. We need our political leaders to come together from both sides and try to solve problems and stop pointing the finger of 'it's this and it's that,' and 'it's this amendment and it's that.' These are people's lives. There are human beings that have made a difference that contribute to society that are just wiped out in one split second because of a bullet," Realbuto said. What's next The Free DC rally organizers say today was their first but won't be their last attempt to stand up for D.C. in the face of the Trump White House. "The people of D.C. have a different aesthetic than Donald Trump. So if he's saying he wants to make DC beautiful, we say we don't want that kind of beautiful," activist Keya Chatterijee said during the rally. "We're already beautiful."
