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Los Angeles Times
30 minutes ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
‘Beautiful' or ‘Ugly,' Trump's big bill shapes the battle for House control in 2026 midterms
WASHINGTON — Debate over President Trump's sweeping budget-and-policy package is over on Capitol Hill. Now the argument goes national. From the Central Valley of California to Midwestern battlegrounds and suburban districts of the northeast, the new law already is shaping the 2026 midterm battle for control of the House of Representatives. The outcome will set the tone for Trump's final two years in the Oval Office. Democrats need a net gain of three House seats to break the GOP's chokehold on Washington and reestablish a power center to counter Trump. There's added pressure to flip the House given that midterm Senate contests are concentrated in Republican-leaning states, making it harder for Democrats to reclaim that chamber. As Republicans see it, they've now delivered broad tax cuts, an unprecedented investment in immigration enforcement and new restraints on social safety net programs. Democrats see a law that rolls back health insurance access and raises costs for middle-class Americans while cutting taxes mostly for the rich, curtailing green energy initiatives and restricting some workers' organizing rights. 'It represents the broken promise they made to the American people,' said Rep. Suzan DelBene, a Washington Democrat who chairs the party's House campaign arm. 'We're going to continue to hold Republicans accountable for this vote.' Whether voters see it that way will be determined on a district-by-district level, but the battle will be more intense in some places than others. Among the 435 House districts, only 69 contests were decided by less than 10 percentage points in the 2024 general election. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has so far identified 26 Democratic-held seats it must defend vigorously, along with 35 GOP-held seats it believes could be ripe to flip. Republicans' campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee, has so far listed 18 GOP incumbents as priorities, plus two districts opened by retirements. There are a historically low number of so-called crossover districts: Only 13 Democrats represent districts Trump carried in 2024, while just three Republicans serve districts Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris carried. Both committees are busy recruiting challengers and open-seat candidates and more retirements could come, so the competitive map will evolve. Still, there are clusters of districts guaranteed to influence the national result. California, despite its clear lean to Democrats statewide, has at least nine House districts expected to be up for grabs: three in the Central Valley and six in southern California. Six are held by Democrats, three by the GOP. Pennsylvania features four districts that have been among the closest national House races for several consecutive cycles. They include a suburban Philadelphia seat represented by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, one of just two House Republicans to vote against Trump's bill and one of the three GOP lawmakers from a district Harris won. Fitzpatrick cited the Medicaid cuts. Vice President JD Vance plans on Wednesday to be in Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan's northwest Pennsylvania district to tout the GOP package. Bresnahan's seat is a top Democratic target. Iowa and Wisconsin, meanwhile, feature four contiguous GOP-held districts in farm-heavy regions where voters could be swayed by fallout from Trump's tariffs. Beyond bumper-sticker labels – Trump's preferred 'Big Beautiful Bill' versus Democrats' 'Big Ugly Bill' retort – the 900-page law is, in fact, an array of policies with varying impact. Democrats hammer Medicaid and food assistance cuts, some timed to take full effect only after the 2026 midterms, along with Republicans' refusal to extend tax credits to some people who obtained health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law; 3 million more would not qualify for food stamps, also known as SNAP benefits. 'Folks will die here in Louisiana and in other parts of the country,' House Minority Leader Jeffries warned last week during a town hall in Republican Speaker Mike Johnson's home state of Louisiana. Jeffries singled out vulnerable Republicans like California Rep. David Valadao, who represents a heavily agricultural Central Valley district where more than half the population is eligible for the joint state-federal insurance program. California allows immigrants with legal status and those who are undocumented to qualify for Medicaid, so not all Medicaid recipients are voters. But the program helps finance the overall health care system, including nursing homes and hospitals. Republicans highlight the law's tightened work requirements for Medicaid enrollees. They argue it's a popular provision that will strengthen the program. 'I voted for this bill because it does preserve the Medicaid program for its intended recipients — children, pregnant women, the disabled, and elderly,' Valadao said. 'I know how important the program is for my constituents.' The law includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. It makes permanent existing rates and brackets approved during Trump's first term. Republicans and their allies have hammered vulnerable Democrats for 'raising costs' on American households by opposing the bill. GOP campaign aides point to the popularity of individual provisions: boosting the $2,000 child tax credit to $2,200 (some families at lower income levels would not get the full credit), new deductions on tip and overtime income and auto loans; and a new deduction for older adults earning less than $75,000 a year. 'Everyone will have more take home pay. They'll have more jobs and opportunity,' Johnson said in a Fox News Sunday interview. 'The economy will be doing better and we'll be able to point to that as the obvious result of what we did.' Democrats note that the biggest beneficiaries of Trump's tax code are wealthy Americans and corporations. Pairing that with safety net cuts, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz concluded, 'The cruelty is the point.' Immigration, meanwhile, was Trump's strongest issue in 2024. NRCC aides say that will continue with the new law's investments in immigration enforcement. Democrats believe the Trump administration has overplayed its hand with its push for mass deportation. The president is a titanic variable. Democrats point to 2018, when they notched a 40-seat net gain in House seats to take control away from the GOP. This year, Democrats have enjoyed a double-digit swing in special elections around the country when compared to 2024 presidential results. Similar trends emerged in 2017 after Trump's 2016 victory. Democrats say that reflects voter discontent with Trump once he's actually in charge. Republicans answer that Trump's job approval remains higher at this point than in 2017. But the GOP's effort is further complicated by ongoing realignments: Since Trump's emergence, Democrats have gained affluent white voters -– like those in suburban swing districts -– while Trump has drawn more working-class voters across racial and ethnic groups. But Republicans face a stiffer challenge of replicating Trump's coalition in a midterm election without him on the ballot. Democrats, meanwhile, must corral voters who are not a threat to vote for Republicans but could stay home. Jeffries said he's determined not to let that happen: 'We're going to do everything we can until we end this national nightmare.' Barrow, Cooper and Brook write for the Associated Press. Cooper reported from Phoenix. Brook reported from New Orleans. AP reporters Michael Blood in Los Angeles and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pa., contributed to this report.
NBC Sports
40 minutes ago
- Business
- NBC Sports
Texas Tech hoping big money and top transfers lead to unprecedented payback in football
FRISCO, Texas — Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire already had completed his portion of Big 12 football media days when Colorado's Deion Sanders was asked if he has been paying attention to what the Red Raiders did in the transfer portal. The gist of that question was really about all the money for Texas Tech athletes, which widely is reported to be around $55 million for the upcoming school year. A significant chunk of that is expected to go toward the transformation of a football program that has never won a Big 12 title or even had a 10-win season since 2008, six years before three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Patrick Mahomes played his first game for the Red Raiders. 'Yeah, Joey got some money. Joey, where you at, baby? Spending that money, I love it,' Sanders said emphatically about the fellow Big 12 coach he calls a friend, and who coached two of his three sons in high school. 'I love you, man. I appreciate you. Can you send a few of those dollars to us so we can get some of those players too?' The reported dollar figures are staggering, even in these early days of schools being able to pay athletes directly. That total supposedly includes the maximum $20.5 million of revenue each school can share with players under the NCAA's landmark House settlement that took effect, meaning the rest would come through name, image and likeness deals. Red Raiders spending big Last fall, Texas Tech said it was budgeting $14.7 million for the fiscal year — about $9 million more than the previous year — in support for the athletic program, which had a budget of nearly $129 million. The headlines started to come soon after. Tech's softball team never had won a Big 12 regular-season or tournament championship before standout pitcher NiJaree Canady arrived last year in Lubbock with a NIL deal that made her the first $1 million softball player. With Canady, who had been to the previous two Women's College World Series with Stanford, the Red Raiders won both of those league titles and got all the way to the final game of this year's WCWS before losing to rival Texas. Canady already has signed a similar NIL deal for next season. Tech also added three top transfers: Florida second baseman Mia Williams; two-time 20-game winner Kaitlyn Terry from UCLA; and Missouri Valley Conference player of the year Jackie Lis, an infielder from Southern Illinois. Along with all the money spent on players, Texas Tech this spring unveiled a $240 million football complex at Jones AT&T Stadium, where Cody Campbell Field is named after the former offensive lineman who made a $25 million donation to the project. Campbell's financial impact on the program goes well beyond that. He is chairman of the school's Board of Regents, a billionaire who with his oil and gas partner John Sellers co-founded The Matador Club, the school's NIL collective that is now under the umbrella of the athletic department's Red Raider Club. Sellers and Campbell earlier this year sold some subsidies of an oil and natural gas company for about $4 billion. Campbell announced the launch of a nonprofit called Saving College Sports to help solve a 'crisis' as the industry 'faces an existential turning point as legal, governance and economic challenges threaten' hundreds of thousands of athletes, fandom and the economies of campus communities. On the gridiron The Texas Tech men's basketball program has four Sweet 16 appearances since 2018, including a run to the national title game in 2019. But the big moneymaker for all programs is football and the Red Raiders will find out this fall if a big financial commitment to those players will get them into the 12-team College Football Playoff. Texas Tech brought in 22 football transfers in what many consider a top national portal class. Most are highly touted players, with about half expected to be starters and most of the others impact players on a team already with several key returners after going 8-5 last year in McGuire's third season. 'Yeah, it's been a fun offseason,' McGuire said before Sanders took the podium. 'We were really aggressive whenever it came to the portal and meeting some of our needs for the football team. I think this conference is really strong. There's a lot of teams that have some big opportunities this year to really make a statement, and we're planning on being one of them.' With the amount of money involved, some front-loaded NIL deals before the House settlement with new guidelines went into effect, it certainly will be a huge and expensive disappointment if they are not. 'I understand how important this year is,' McGuire said. 'We've got to have a lot of things go right, but everybody does. You've got to keep your quarterback healthy. You've got to play at a high level. I know there's a lot of expectations. My job that I'm going to really try to do is keep the pressure on me and the coaches.' Tech returns senior quarterback Behren Morton, who threw for 2,976 yards and 25 touchdowns last season, and senior linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, the league's top tackler with 126 last year. Rodriguez is the preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year, and on the league's preseason team with a pair of four-star transfers: edge rusher David Bailey (Stanford) and defensive lineman Lee Hunter (UCF). 'It's unbelievable, those guys came in and bought in to what we were talking about,' Rodriguez said. 'I love those guys to death already and I think they're going to make my job a lot easier, especially with the guys we have up front.' It will also be up to McGuire to deal with paid players, some making significantly more than others on the roster. 'I think that goes into your culture,' the former Texas high school coach said. 'It's real. It's real money. Guys are making different amounts of money in the locker room. 'One thing that you better understand if you dream to play in the NFL, your contract's not going to be the same as the guy next to you, and if that's what you focus on, then you're going to spend a lot of time wasting a lot of energy,' McGuire said. 'If guys want to increase that, focus on what you can control. That's your game and how hard you're practicing and how hard you're playing.'
Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Politics
- Time of India
New attendance system for Lok Sabha MPs to be introduced in upcoming Parliament session
Synopsis The Lok Sabha is preparing to implement a new attendance system for MPs starting with the Monsoon session, requiring them to register their presence via multimedia devices at their assigned seats. This initiative aims to streamline the process and address instances of MPs marking attendance without actively participating in House proceedings.
NZ Herald
44 minutes ago
- Business
- NZ Herald
Regulatory Standards Bill: Minister considers compensation for owners of banned crypto ATMs
Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. Associate Justice Minister Nicole Mckee (left) and Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour. Photo / Mark Mitchell The Regulatory Standards Bill has not yet returned to the House from the select committee, but there are signs that it is having an impact on the Government, with Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee taking advice on whether she should compensate the owners of cryptocurrency ATMs (automated teller machines), which she plans to ban. One of the standards for good regulation in the bill is that 'fair compensation' is paid to those whose property is impaired or taken by regulatory changes. Last week, McKee, who is an Act MP, announced she would ban cryptocurrency ATMs (often called digital currency ATMs) on the advice of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime. There are concerns people can launder money through these ATMs by depositing cash and turning that cash into a digital currency such as Bitcoin. However, the ban might fall within the reach of the principles outlined by the Regulatory Standards Bill. If the bill were law, it might advise McKee to compensate the owners of the ATMs. McKee would still be able to reject that advice – nothing in the bill forces the Government to pay compensation for regulatory changes.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Suspect in Kentucky church shooting had a domestic violence hearing the next day
The man accused of a shooting rampage Sunday at a rural Kentucky church after wounding a state trooper had been expected in court Monday for a domestic violence hearing, a local official said. Police say Guy House, 47, shot the trooper during a traffic stop near Lexington's airport, fled in a carjacked vehicle then opened fire at Richmond Road Baptist Church, killing two women and wounding two men before officers fatally shot him. House went to the church looking for the mother of his children but his domestic violence hearing did not involve her, the Lexington Heald-Leader reported, citing a sister of the woman, Rachael Barnes. Matt Ball, a deputy clerk for family court in Fayette County, confirmed to The Associated Press that House had been scheduled for the domestic violence hearing on Monday. Police say Beverly Gumm, 72, and Christina Combs, 34, were killed in the shooting. One of the wounded men was being treated for critical injuries and the other was in stable condition, police said. The trooper was in stable condition, police said. 'Preliminary information indicates that the suspect may have had a connection to the individuals at the church,' Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers said at a news conference Sunday. The shootings remain under investigation, Weathers said. The trooper stopped House after receiving a 'license plate reader alert,' police said. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. A woman who witnessed that shooting said it initially appeared to be a routine traffic stop, with the trooper talking to the suspect through an open window. 'And as we were driving by, I heard, 'pop, pop' and I knew it was gunshots,' Larissa McLaughlin told WLEX-TV in Lexington. Police tracked the carjacked vehicle to the Baptist church about 16 miles (26 kilometers) from where the trooper was shot, police said. Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn said the church is home to a small, tight-knit congregation. In a post on social media, Gov. Andy Beshear said, 'Please pray for everyone affected by these senseless acts of violence, and let's give thanks for the swift response by the Lexington Police Department and Kentucky State Police.' State Attorney General Russell Coleman said detectives with his office were ready to support local and state agencies. 'Today, violence invaded the Lord's House,' Coleman said in a statement. 'The attack on law enforcement and people of faith in Lexington shocked the entire Commonwealth.'
