Latest news with #KarolineLevitt
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Trump boasts of ‘big win' over AP as court allows WH to ban access after ‘Gulf of America' spat
President Trump celebrated a 'big win' Friday after a court ruled that his administration can ban the Associated Press from entering the Oval Office and other restricted areas. 'Big WIN over AP today,' Trump posted on Truth Social. 'They refused to state the facts or the Truth on the GULF OF AMERICA. FAKE NEWS!!!' Advertisement The 2-1 ruling in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia comes months after the White House barred an Associated Press reporter from the Oval Office in protest of the outlet's style guidance on the Gulf of America. The outlet manages the 'Associated Press Stylebook,' which is widely used by media publications across the country for guidance on abbreviations, spelling, references and more. The AP has refrained from updating its style guide to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, as mandated by Trump's executive order, arguing that the body of water has been called the Gulf of Mexico for 'more than 400 years' and other international groups have not acknowledged the change. Advertisement 'VICTORY! As we've said all along, the Associated Press is not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in other sensitive locations,' White House press secretary Karoline Levitt posted to X following the ruling. 'Thousands of other journalists have never been afforded the opportunity to cover the President in these privileged spaces. Moving forward, we will continue to expand access to new media so that more people can cover the most transparent President in American history rather than just the failing legacy media. 'And by the way @AP, it's still the Gulf of America.' 'We are disappointed in the court's decision and are reviewing our options,' a spokesperson for AP told CNN.
CTV News
7 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Trump issues proclamation doubling steel and aluminum tariffs
White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt says that U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order doubling tariffs for steel and aluminum today. U.S. President Donald Trump issues a proclamation doubling tariffs on steel and aluminum imports today In a press conference just hours earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked why Trump decided to double the tariffs despite U.S. leaders asking for more economic stability. 'You also have U.S. business leaders begging to meet with the president and begging to come to the White House to talk to him because they know he is the negotiator in chief,' Leavitt said. The only country not effected by the increased tariffs is the United Kingdom, whose rates will remain at 25 per cent. The tariffs are set to take effect on Wednesday. Trump made the announcement last Friday during a rally in Pittsburgh, Penn., saying he planned on increasing tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from 25 per cent to 50 per cent. Canada is the largest steel and aluminum supplier to the U.S. Canada exported $15.9 billion worth of aluminum to the U.S., according to the United Steelworkers (USW) union. These tariffs will have a devastating impact on workers and companies, says USW national director for Canada Marty Warren. 'We are on the verge of collapse in some places,' Warren told CTV News. 'We cannot access the American market at 50 per cent tariffs,' he said, adding that nearly 65 per cent of Canadian steel goes to the U.S. market. Warren says changes to Canada's retaliatory measures may offset the impacts of Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs, but adds that in two to three weeks, should the tariffs remain for that period, some steel companies will be forced to idle their operations. 'Again, if we can count on provincial governments and others focusing on Canadian-made products, we have a better chance to tread water to get through this, keep our head above water and be successful on the other side,' he said. LeBlanc has 'positive conversation' with Lutnick With less than 24 hours until the U.S. is set to increase tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is calling his latest conversation with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick 'positive.' 'Every time we sit down with Secretary Lutnick and his officials, we deepen our understanding in terms of the concerns they have around many of these issues, and it's an opportunity for us also to explain to them our firm position in terms of these tariffs being negative for the Canadian economy and Canadian workers,' LeBlanc told reporters moments after Tuesday's meeting in Washington. 'I'm hopeful that we can get to the best outcome for Canadians,' LeBlanc added. LeBlanc – who has been in Washington several times in recent weeks to work out a trade agreement with the U.S. – was also joined by Canada's Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman. Asked whether Canada will get an exemption to steel and aluminum tariffs, Hillman would not answer directly. 'Canada's position is that these tariffs are not justified,' Hillman said, pointing to the levies and how they contravene the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). Ford believes trade deal with U.S. 'getting closer' On Tuesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford met behind closed doors with new U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra at Queen's Park, saying the two had a 'positive meeting.' Asked whether Canada and the U.S. can reach a new trade deal, Ford said he thinks the two countries are 'getting closer.' 'I'm confident that we'll come out on the other end in fairly good shape, and that's what we need to do. We need to bring the temperature down. We both agree on that,' Ford told reporters. Following the meeting, Hoekstra spoke at a special event in Toronto, co-hosted by the Empire Club of Canada and the American Chamber of Commerce in Canada. When asked about the state of the Canada-U.S. relationship, Hoekstra said he believes a trade deal can be done 'quickly.' 'Your prime minister, my president, they can do this quickly if they have the will and the direction to do it,' Hoekstra told the audience. 'As long as they're focused on what I've talked about, prosperity, security and safety. As a leader who wouldn't want those three things,' he added. In an interview with CTV Power Play back in May, Hoekstra shared a similar sentiment, saying he's confident Canada can reach a deal with the U.S. to secure the 'lowest tariffs of any country.' With files from CTV News' Rachel Aiello
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Americans' trust in media at lowest point in 5 decades: Survey
Americans' trust in the media to report the news fairly and accurately has sunk to its lowest point in more than five decades. Just 31 percent of respondents in Gallup's latest survey on the topic said they trust the mainstream media 'a great deal' or 'a fair amount,' while 36 percent said they don't trust the media 'at all.' Another third said they do not have much trust in the media. Gallup began tracking views of the news media in the 1970s when attitudes were overwhelmingly positive and only 6 percent said they didn't trust the news at all. Nearly 70 percent in that initial survey said they had a great deal or a fair amount of trust. The numbers have dramatically tumbled in the decades since and continue to decline after a brief tick up in 2017 and 2018, a trend Gallup notes has been most visible among younger adults and Republicans and particularly since the growth of the internet, social media and alternative sources of information. About 6 in 10 Republicans said they have no trust in mainstream media, with a particularly sharp increase coinciding with President Trump's rise in politics. Comparatively, 6 percent of Democrats said they have no trust in what's reported. The survey comes as Trump enters his second month in office and has had spats with traditional media, including the White House press corps. The White House has removed The Associated Press, a longstanding member of the White House press corps, from certain coverage opportunities after a feud over Trump renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which the AP has refused to use because of the news wire's international audience. White House press secretary Karoline Levitt cited the growth in distrust of 'legacy' outlets in the decision to include more 'new media' opportunities in press briefings and other availabilities. The White House further announced this week that it would take over which outlets are included in the rotating press pool that covers the president. During his campaign for a second term in office after losing in 2020 to former President Biden, Trump engaged with podcasters, influencers, bloggers and other nontraditional outlets. Gallup found an age gap has similarly emerged when it comes to trust in media, with younger Americans less trusting than people 50 and older. According to Gallup's analysis combining data from 2022 to 2024, the survey found a 17-point gap between people 65 and older (43 percent) and those under age 50 (26 percent). Gallup's latest survey is based on interviews conducted Sept. 3-15 among 1,007 adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It has a margin of error of 4 percentage points. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
27-02-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Americans' trust in media at lowest point in 5 decades: Survey
Americans trust in the media to report the news fairly and accurately has sunk to its lowest point in more than five decades. Just 31 percent of respondents in Gallup's latest survey on the topic said they trust the mainstream media 'a great deal' or 'a fair amount,' while 36 percent said they don't trust the media 'at all.' Another third said they do not have much trust in the media. Gallup began tracking views of the news media in the 1970s when attitudes were overwhelmingly positive and only 6 percent said they didn't trust the news at all. Nearly 70 percent in that initial survey said they had a great deal or a fair amount of trust. The numbers have dramatically tumbled in the decades since and continue to decline after a brief tick up in 2017 and 2018, a trend Gallup notes has been most visible among younger adults and Republicans and particularly since the growth of the internet, social media and alternative sources of information. About 6 in 10 Republicans said they have no trust in mainstream media, with a particularly sharp increase coinciding with President Trump's rise in politics. Comparatively, 6 percent of Democrats said they have no trust in what's reported. The survey comes as Trump enters his second month in office with spats with traditional media, including the traditional White House press corps. The White House has removed the Associated Press, a longstanding member of the White House press corps, from certain coverage opportunities after a feud over Trump renaming the Gulf of Mexico the 'Gulf of America,' which the AP has refused to use because of the news wire's international audience. White House press secretary Karoline Levitt cited the growth in distrust of 'legacy' outlets in the decision to include more 'new media' opportunities in press briefings and other availabilities. The White House further announced this week that it would take over which outlets are included in the rotating press pool that covers the president. During his campaign for a second term in office after losing in 2020 to former President Biden, Trump engaged with podcasters, influencers, bloggers and other nontraditional outlets. Gallup found an age gap has similarly has emerged when it comes to trust in media, with younger Americans less trusting than people 50 and older. According to Gallup's analysis combining data from 2022 to 2024, the survey found a 17-point gap between people 65 and older (43 percent) and those under age 50 (26 percent). Gallup's latest survey is based on interviews conducted Sept. 3-15 among 1,007 adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
USA Today
28-01-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Mississippi relies on federal money. How could loan, grant pause affect the state?
Mississippi relies on federal money. How could loan, grant pause affect the state? 'This is not a blanket pause on federal assistance and grant programs from the Trump administration,' White House press secretary Karoline Levitt said Tuesday in her first news conference. Show Caption Hide Caption 'This is Project 2025.' Sen. Schumer criticizes halt to aid funding Sen. Chuck Schumer criticized President Trump's order to halt federal funding for aid programs, saying it is "Project 2025 by another name." The Office of Management and Budget has temporarily paused almost all federal grant, loan and other assistance payments. The memo cited recent executive orders signed by President Donald Trump that target "foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal" and puts everything under the umbrella of "may be implicated by the executive orders" under the freeze. How could that affect Mississippi? Details are still being worked out, but here's what we know so far. OMB covers many areas of public funding that could have consequences for the state like school lunches, road construction projects, research carried out in hospitals and universities, the Supplemental Nutrition Early Assistance Program and health care. Matthew J. Vaeth, the acting director of the OMB, said in the memo that committing and distributing funds will halt "to the extent permissible under applicable law." Open notices of new funding applications also will be stopped for the time being. For every $1 paid in income tax in Mississippi, the state takes in $2.53 in federal funding," according to a SmartAsset review of state budgets published in 2022. The Magnolia State pulled more than 47% of state revenues from federal sources. It was the seventh-highest in the nation, and the state had the 11th largest percentage of federal workers. 'This is not a blanket pause on federal assistance and grant programs from the Trump administration,' White House press secretary Karoline said. 'However, it is the responsibility of this president and this administration to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars.' Vaeth specified that individual assistance, Medicare and Social Security benefits will not be affected. According to Reuters reporting, about 23% of Mississippi residents get Social Security payments for seniors and surviving dependents as of 2022. Leavitt said on Tuesday that food stamps will not be affected. The U.S. Department of Education also said student loans and Pell Grants aren't part of the freeze. According to the memo, the pause will give the Trump administration time to review programs and determine how to best spend federal money in a way consistent with the law and the president's goals. "The American people elected Donald J. Trump to be President of the United States and gave him a mandate to increase the impact of every federal taxpayer dollar. In Fiscal Year 2024, of the nearly $10 trillion that the Federal Government spent, more than $3 trillion was Federal financial assistance, such as grants and loans. Career and political appointees in the Executive Branch have a duty to align Federal spending and action with the will of the American people as expressed through Presidential priorities.," Vaeth wrote in the memo. Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro wrote to Vaeth Monday night, saying the proposal would "only further disarray and inefficiency" following a string of executive orders from Trump. 'The scope of what you are ordering is breathtaking, unprecedented, and will have devastating consequences across the country. We write today to urge you in the strongest possible terms to uphold the law and the Constitution and ensure all federal resources are delivered in accordance with the law," they wrote. On Tuesday, six Democratic-led states are planning to file a lawsuit, and and group representing nonprofits and small businesses have filed one in federal court. They argue the effect of a pause would be "catastrophic." In addition to the review, federal agencies are directed to modify unpublished announcements of federal aid, take down any already published and, as allowed by the law, cancel awards that were were already granted if they don't align with Trump administration priorities. They are also directed to ID underperforming recipients and work to address problems, including cancelling awards. What does the Office of Management and Budget do? The OMB administers the federal budget and oversees the performance of federal agencies. Agencies under the executive branch include: U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Food and Nutrition Service and the Forest Service. The Department of Commerce. The Department of Defense: Army, Navy, Air Force and Space Force. The Department of Education. The Department of Energy. The Department of Health and Human Services: Medicare, Medicaid, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control. The Department of Homeland Security: Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs Service. The Department of Housing and Urban Development: Federal Housing Administration, the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity and the Community Development Block Grant Program. Department of the Interior. Department of Justice: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals and the Federal Bureau of Prisons Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Department of State. Department of Transportation: Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Maritime Administration. Department of the Treasury. Department of Veterans Affairs. According to more than two dozen agencies make grants, including Education, Transportation and Defense. Why is this happening? Trump has tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Initially, Musk said they could cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. However, that estimate has been downgraded to close to $1 trillion. (Multiple lawsuits have already been filed, arguing for transparency from the commission, and reports say Ramaswamy will step away soon to run for governor of Ohio.) The federal government spent $6.75 trillion dollars in the 2024 fiscal year, according to the U.S. Treasury. What programs or projects might be cut overall is still uncertain. For example, Project 2025, a conservative playbook developed by the Heritage Foundation, calls for Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood to be eliminated because the program provides abortions in addition to other health care for women. Trump initially distanced himself from Project 2025, but 31 of the 38 authors had ties to the president or his former administration, and he's chosen several authors for key roles in his new administration. Vaeth cited, as examples of goal setting, the Trump executive orders tied to immigration, foreign aid, international environmental agreements, competition in the global energy market, ending DEI programs, defining biological gender and elective abortions. "Financial assistance should be dedicated to advancing Administration priorities, focusing taxpayer dollars to advance a stronger and safer America, eliminating the financial burden of inflation for citizens, unleashing American energy and manufacturing, ending 'wokeness' and the weaponization of government, promoting efficiency in government, and Making America Healthy Again. The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve." Matthew J. Vaeth, the acting director of the OMB What could be affected? A 51-page list provided by OMB separately from the 2-page memo lists programs like SNAP, WIC, Head Start, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP), elder abuse prevention funds, food programs for K-12 students and Market News under the Department of Agriculture as some of the ones being paused. Various disaster relief programs are on the list. A handful under DHS, includes: disaster grants for public assistance, hazard mitigation, community disaster loans and disaster unemployment assistance. Programs affecting veterans being on the list include a housing rehabilitation and modification program, a suicide prevention grant and burial expenses. According Reuters reporting, about 65% of federal spending goes to benefit programs: Social Security: 22% Medicare: 14% Food and other safety net programs: 13% Meidcaid: 10% Veterans benefits: 5% Affordable Care Act health plans (Obamacare): 1% Other federal spending goes toward defense (13%), interest payments (11%) and other spending (11%). More: Will Mississippi have daylight saving time this year? Trump says US should get rid of it How much does Mississippi rely on federal funds? A WalletHub ranking shows Mississippi is the fifth state most-dependent on federal funds. Overall, the state had a score of 63.39. Residents were ranked seventh-most dependent on federal support in the nation, and the state government was ranked ninth in the U.S. The project looked at factors such as return on taxes paid to the federal government and share of federal jobs to determine residents' dependency. State-level dependency was based on the percentage of the state budget that came from federal funds. WalletHub noted that states that voted Republican in the 2020 election had a higher dependence on federal assistance than those that leaned Democrat. Mississippi also scored high for having both high tax rates and a low GDP per capita (or output amount per person). How long is the pause on federal grants? The full length is not clear, based on the memo. Payments will be paused at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28. Agencies can submit information about the programs subject to the pause until Feb. 10, and each program will be assigned to "a senior political appointee to ensure Federal financial assistance conforms to Administration priorities." OMB could give exceptions for new awards or other actions on a "case by case basis." But some grants or projects might be up for total elimination. Contributing: Steve Holland and Jasper Ward (Reuters), Bart Jansen Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@
