Latest news with #Kogan
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
The impact of Medicaid, SNAP cuts in Trump's ‘big, beautiful bill'
ST. LOUIS – Last week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued its analysis of President Donald Trump's so-called 'big, beautiful bill.' The CBO predicted the legislation would increase the federal deficit by $2.4 trillion over the next decade and leave nearly 11 million people without health insurance. 'They're asking the poorest Americans to tighten their belts, so that the richest Americans can loosen their belts, and that's what makes it so extra unfair,' Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress, said. Kogan says the president's tax bill could feature the largest Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cuts in history. 'By putting up so much red tape, tons of people who're doing everything right fall through the cracks,' Kogan said. 'These are incredibly meager benefits and all of the sudden, lots of people are going to lose them.' Police crackdown on reckless, disabling dozens of cars Kogan says the bill freezes Medicaid provider taxes, which many states use to help pay for large portions of their Medicaid programs. 'Already, a lot of hospitals are struggling, and this would definitely make the situation much worse,' he said. Senator Josh Hawley warned this could force rural hospitals to close. 'You've got some senators who now want to change this bill to cut Medicaid benefits. That's ridiculous. That's insane. 1.3 million people in Missouri are on Medicaid, including hundreds of thousands of kids. These are working people who cannot afford health insurance otherwise,' Hawley said in a June 5 interview. Last week, Hawley posted on his X social media account, 'Just had a great talk with President Trump about the big, beautiful bill. He said again, no Medicaid benefit cuts.' 'Failure is not an option. And we intend to deliver, along with the president, for the American people,' Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said. With Senate Republicans planning to get the bill to the president's desk by July 4, Kogan fears the fallout. 'There's a lot at stake here and a lot of people's livelihoods could be upended, so I hope the senators could see differently,' Kogan said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lisa Nandy to be quizzed on football regulator after accusations of cronyism
A full inquiry has been launched into Lisa Nandy's proposed appointment of David Kogan as chairman of the Independent Football Regulator following accusations of cronyism. William Shawcross, the commissioner for public appointments, has opened an investigation in the wake of Kogan's revelation last month that he had donated to the Culture Secretary's Labour leadership campaign. Shawcross, whose intervention has been welcomed by the Conservatives, confirmed the inquiry in an email to Susannah Storey, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's permanent secretary, last Thursday. He wrote: 'Having now completed an initial assessment of this case, informed by spot checks, I believe that a full inquiry into the campaign is necessary. 'This inquiry will be conducted with the object of ensuring that the appointment was made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, including the principles of public appointments. I would be grateful if you could ensure that all requests for information relating to this campaign are fulfilled quickly and in full. 'Once my office has received all the relevant correspondence and documents, the inquiry will take the time necessary to clarify the procedures and practices followed by the appointing authority during this campaign. 'This is likely to involve interviews with key participants, including the Government's preferred candidate and the Secretary of State. The outcome of this inquiry will be sent to participants and published on the office's website.' Kogan, a media executive nominated as the first chair of the new football regulator in April, told MPs last month that he had made 'very small' contributions both to Nandy and Sir Keir Starmer's 2020 Labour leadership campaigns. The admission reignited the row over 'crony' appointments by the party, which was accused by the Conservatives of breaching transparency rules. Stuart Andrew, Shadow Culture Secretary, said: 'This appointment bears all the hallmarks of yet more Labour cronyism. After significant public pressure, Lisa Nandy has belatedly stepped aside from the process, a necessary move that highlights just how compromised this selection has become. 'No 10 must now come clean about the involvement of the Downing Street appointments unit and special advisers in promoting David Kogan as the preferred candidate. The public has a right to know whether this was a fair and impartial process, or yet another case of political patronage disguised as due diligence. The decision to launch an inquiry is welcome.' A DCMS spokesperson said: 'We have received the letter from the commissioner for public appointments and we look forward to cooperating fully with his office. The appointment is in the process of being ratified in the usual way.' Kogan appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport select committee on May 7 after being named by Nandy as the Government's preferred choice to lead the new body. 'I am prepared to declare now, on the public record, that five years ago I contributed very small sums of money to both the leadership campaigns of both Sir Keir Starmer and of Lisa Nandy,' he said, after reports he also donated £75,000 to Labour MPs. 'That hasn't been discovered by the press and I am happy to declare it now,' he said, insisting he had 'total personal independence from all of them', and had 'never actually been particularly close to any of the individuals to whom I have donated money'. He told MPs: 'I'm not really susceptible to any pressure, including political pressure, and the so-called ties to the Labour Party are, in fact, far less than have appeared in the public press. 'I don't believe that I have undermined that [independence] by writing books about the Labour Party, being on the LabourList board or being a donor, but clearly that's a judgment call that others may need to make, rather than myself.' Kogan added that he had 'never had a one-on-one meeting' with Starmer and had not met him since he became Prime Minister, but recognised there was 'a perception of bias'. The donations to Starmer and Nandy's leadership campaigns are understood to have been below the threshold for public declaration. A source told Telegraph Sport they were each less than £3,000. Following Kogan's select committee appearance, Louie French, the shadow sports minister, said the failure to disclose those donations publicly was 'a clear breach of the governance code on public appointments' and called for an investigation. He said: 'The decision to install David Kogan – a major Labour Party donor and former director of LabourList – as chair of the Independent Football Regulator, without disclosing his extensive personal political donations to Keir Starmer, is a serious breach of public trust. 'Fans were promised an impartial and independent regulator, but instead they are being handed a political appointee whose impartiality is already in question.' The Prime Minister's official spokesman said at the time that Kogan's appointment had been 'made as a result of fair and open competition' and run 'in accordance with the Government's code on public appointments'. The spokesman repeated that all rules had been followed when asked whether Nandy or Starmer had declared the donations from Kogan during the appointment process. He said: 'The declaration process as set out by the rules has obviously been followed. The process for appointing him to the role has been followed and will continue to be followed.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Chicago Tribune
03-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Mensch's Deli to open in Glencoe, along with casual eatery Picnic
What started as a pop-up concept selling traditional bagels and sandwiches in Evanston is now blossoming into a third and fourth business for a trio of north suburban friends who wanted to expand the Jewish food scene on the North Shore. Friends and co-founders Eric Kogan, Jack DeMar and Kiki Eliopoulos began their joint culinary venture with Picnic in Evanston and continued it with the opening of the full-service diner Mensch's Deli in downtown Evanston last year. Now the group has opened a second Picnic restaurant in downtown Glencoe, and aims to open a second Mensch's Deli at the same building by early June. The soon to be opened Mensch's Deli at 668 Vernon Ave, Glencoe, will have all the chopped liver, chicken soup, latkes, bagels, matzo ball soup, house-brined meats, smoked fish, corned beef and pastrami that the original Mensch's Deli has in Evanston, according to Kogan. Previously, the corned beef sandwich from Mensch's Deli was listed on the Chicago Tribune's Top 30 corned beef sandwiches in the Chicago area. 'We try to make everything in house,' Kogan said. 'Our motto is, if we can make it better than we can source it, then we will do so.' 'We take a lot of pride and joy into taking these traditional recipes and add some of our family twists and make it our own,' he said. After Mensch's opened in Evanston, Kogan said they got immediate feedback from customers asking them to open further north and further west. 'We took a trip out to New York, visited probably 15 to 16 delis over a couple of days… And we thought that that very traditional New York style Jewish deli/diner was missing from Chicago,' Kogan said. 'There are a handful in the suburbs and in the city. Manny's, I think, is a good one, Max and Benny's (too), but in the mid-century 1900's, there was a big boom of delis when Eastern European immigrants came over,' Kogan said. 'But as children of immigrants became doctors and lawyers, these delis started to close down,' Kogan continued. 'So we though it was important for us to bring this back, because it's delicious food, but it's also a great place to get together over a sandwich.' 'This is my first time working in my professional capacity (for Mensch's), but it's food that I've been around my whole life,' he said. While food at the Mensch's in Evanston location isn't kosher because pork products are sold there, Kogan said the Glencoe Mensch's will be kosher in style, with the caveat that the food is not blessed by a rabbi. Fast casual eatery Picnic serves salads and grain bowls, similar to restaurant chain Sweetgreen, DeMar said. DeMar, a fourth generation restaurant owner, is also the owner of Pono Ono Poke in Evanston. 'I decided to open that (Picnic) up in Evanston, and it was a big hit with the students at Northwestern and the office community. And the more we grew our customer base, the more I hear from people in the north and west suburbs saying, 'You got to come out here,'' DeMar said. Along with the entrees sold at Picnic and Mensch's, Kogan and DeMar are counting on Eliopoulos for her baked goods sold at both restaurants, which are recipes are of her own. At Picnic, the lemon tart and a chocolate chip cookie are available. At Mensch's, both locations have coffee cake, chocolate chip banana bread, and babka, which can be prepared in a French toast fashion, and black and white cookies planned to come to both locations. The restaurant hours for the Glencoe location of Picnic are Monday though Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Mensch's planned to be open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week with hours yet to be determined.
New Statesman
03-06-2025
- Business
- New Statesman
Is Labour's football regulator already falling apart?
Photo byOne of the most common yet most difficult political footballs for politicians to control is cronyism, as Labour is currently finding out. The Government is scrambling to deal with the connections its preferred candidate to chair the new football regulator, David Kogan, has to the party. Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, has removed herself from the process of rubber-stamping Kogan's approval to the post, after he revealed to a select committee of parliamentarians last month that he had donated to both Nandy and Keir Starmer's respective Labour leadership bids in 2020. (Kogan said the contributions were 'very small'; under current political donation rules, they did not need to be publicly declared.) Writing to explain her decision to watch Kogan from the stands, Nandy said she wanted to 'avoid the perception of any bias or lack of independence from government'. On the surface, this appears to be an own-goal by the government, especially one that promised a 'total crackdown on cronyism' in the run-up to being elected. And now Nandy is devolving the final sign off of Kogan's appointment as chair of the new football regulator to… Stephanie Peacock, a junior culture minister, her subordinate. The Government has swapped one kind of perceived bias for another: marking its own homework. But there is undoubtedly some cynicism behind the attacks on Kogan's proposed appointment. That Kogan is a media executive with extensive experience working with some of English football's biggest organisations – all affected by the regulator – is almost irrelevant in the eyes of opponents. That he wrote three books about Labour Party history, was on the board of the LabourList political website, and declared all these interests unprompted at the first available opportunity, is what they think really condemns him. Despite Kogan's composed demeanour during his pre-appointment meeting with MPs, where he said he had 'total personal independence' from Starmer and Nandy, hysterics ensued. Nandy's opposite number, Stuart Andrew, called it a clear 'conflict of interest'. The Liberal Democrats – briefly pausing their lobbying of Starmer to play leader Ed Davey at a game of FIFA – called for the Culture Secretary to 'set the record straight, so Parliament can get on with bringing in the much-needed new independent football regulator'. But beyond this furore, the regulator could still prove a massive policy win for Labour. Given the government's majority, the Bill establishing it – currently making its way through parliament – will pass with ease. English football, despite a superficially buoyant 2024/25 season, finds itself in a precarious position. Clubs from the multi-billion-pound highs of the Premier League (Everton), and throughout the lower divisions (Reading, Derby County; the now-defunct Bury FC and Macclesfield Town) have all recently fallen victim to poor ownership models and the exorbitant financial pressures. The new football regulator, likely led by Kogan, will be mandated to address this. Get the balance right, and invert the anger fans felt when English football's sacred pyramid was at existential risk from plans for a breakaway European Super League, and this could be a rare positive for Labour after a tricky first season in government. There is also an easy counter-attack Labour can hit the Conservatives with. The idea for a football regulator was originally a Conservative policy, its implementation only delayed by last year's election. Though the 'backstop' financial distribution powers the regulator will have in Labour's revived version of the Bill differs from the previous Conservative offering, the latter's complete opposition to its own idea even baffles those within its ranks. Stuart Andrew, once the champion of a regulator whilst in government, is now 'embarrassed' by the sudden Tory U-turn in opposition, one Labour MP told me. The fact that Kogan was longlisted when he applied for the role under the previous government is another tactical flaw in the Tory offensive against the chair-in-waiting. While Kogan's connections to Labour are rightly examined – an independent inquiry is underway – there are otherwise no qualms from those within the game about his skills and expertise. A belief that, in spite of the optics, he is the man for the job. 'The antidote to perception is action,' Kogan retorted to Caroline Dinenage, Tory chair of the culture and sport select committee, and her remark about him being seen as the government's 'puppet'. 'Why on earth would I want to do [this job] if I thought I was going to be dogged by accusations of political bias and [that] my actions would reinforce that?' Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe It's a fair point. But politics, like football, is not based on fairness. It's a results-based business. As seen with the disastrous appointment of Sue Gray as Starmer's chief of staff, Labour – and indeed, the Tories – know that when the impression of a dodgy appointment sticks, it can become a burden, often ending in a resignation, and almost always distracting from the ultimate goal. That would be a win for the Tories. But for the millions of football supporters concerned about the future of their clubs, the defeat of Kogan and potentially the regulator would be a devastating loss. If it does fail, then the return of the political football of cronyism would be the least important result from Kogan's appointment. [See also: The humbling of Pep Guardiola] Related
Glasgow Times
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Inquiry launched into appointment of football regulator chairman
David Kogan, a media rights expert, was named as the Government's preferred candidate to chair the Independent Football Regulator in April, and his appointment was endorsed by a cross-party committee of MPs last month. But the revelation that he had donated money to both Sir Keir Starmer and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy – as well as other Labour figures – drew complaints from the Conservatives and calls for the commissioner for public appointments to investigate. In a letter to the permanent secretary at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, commissioner Sir William Shawcross said he had carried out a series of 'spot checks' and now believed a full inquiry into Mr Kogan's appointment was 'necessary'. David Kogan, the Government's preferred candidate (House of Commons/UK Parliament) Sir William's inquiry will look into whether the rules on public appointments were followed, and is likely to involve interviews with both Mr Kogan and Ms Nandy. Mr Kogan was originally approached about the football regulator job by the Conservatives while they were still in office, and has advised the Premier League, EFL and other leagues on broadcast rights. He has also donated thousands of pounds to Labour MPs and candidates in recent years, and sat on the board of Labour news website LabourList. During his pre-appointment hearing with the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee – which later backed his appointment – he revealed he had also donated 'very small sums' to Sir Keir and Ms Nandy's leadership campaigns in 2020. Those donations had not previously been revealed as they were below the threshold for public declaration. A week later, Ms Nandy wrote to the committee to inform MPs that she had stepped back from making the final decision on whether to appoint Mr Kogan, delegating the choice to sport minister Stephanie Peacock. Stuart Andrew, the Conservative shadow culture secretary, said Mr Kogan's appointment 'bears all the hallmarks of yet more Labour cronyism', adding Ms Nandy's decision to step back 'highlights just how compromised this selection has become'. He said: 'Number 10 must now come clean about the involvement of the Downing Street appointments unit and special advisers in promoting David Kogan as the preferred candidate. 'The public has a right to know whether this was a fair and impartial process, or yet another case of political patronage disguised as due diligence.' Mr Kogan did not comment on the launch of the inquiry.
