Latest news with #RepublicanSenator
Daily Mail
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Frightening moment 73-year-old Louisiana senator freezes during TV interview about sanctuary cities
The frightening moment a Louisiana republican senator suddenly froze during a TV interview has been caught on air. Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, 73, left viewers stunned during a live Fox Business interview when he abruptly froze mid-sentence and sat silently on screen for a full seven seconds. Kennedy was speaking to host Larry Kudlow on Tuesday about the Trump administration's stance on sanctuary cities when the concerning moment occurred. The senator began to trail off while referencing how Jesus loves immigrants. 'Jesus loves them, but everybody else thinks ….' Kennedy said, before mumbling a few barely-audible words. 'Everybody else thinks…' he repeated before looking off into the distance and going completely silent. The senator remained frozen on camera with his lips slightly parted and eyes staring forward as he stood motionless. Kudlow appeared caught off guard but quickly cut in and blamed the bizarre moment on an apparent tech issue. Kennedy was speaking to host Larry Kudlow on Tuesday about the Trump administration's stance on sanctuary cities when the concerning moment occurred (pictured speaking at a hearing in DC earlier this month) 'I guess we had some more technical problems. That was the same mic we lost with Senator Rand Paul,' Kudlow said. The senator's office has not yet responded to request for comment. The incident comes not long after another Republican senator experienced a similar frightening freeze on air. Former Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 82, suffered two similar on-camera 'freezing' episodes last year both of which raised serious health concerns. In August 2023, McConnell froze for 30 seconds when asked if he will run for re-election in Kentucky as he made another troubling appearance just weeks after suddenly stopping in the middle of a press conference. The then-81-year-old Senate Minority leader didn't respond when a reporter pressed him on his future in a scene eerily similar to that Capitol Hill event last month where colleagues had to intervene. McConnell appeared to register the question about whether he would run for re-election in 2026 during the event before he abruptly went silent and stared straight ahead. An aide had to step in and repeat the question at the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Government Forum in Covington. He was then led away, sparking more concerns about his health and further questions over his position in the GOP leadership. McConnell's office later said the senator was 'lightheaded', and insisted he was 'fine', but he would consult a doctor as a precaution. This comes after the recent sudden deaths of three democratic lawmakers. Texas Rep. Sylvester Turner, 70, has passed away in March of this year. Also in March, longtime Democratic Congressman Raul Grijalva passed away after a battle with cancer. And in May, Congressman Gerry Connolly died at the age of 75. The Virginia Democrat 'passed away peacefully at his home,' according to a statement from his family.
Wall Street Journal
27-06-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Close the SALT ‘Loophole'? Not on My Watch
In 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as originally drafted by the House targeted most of its cuts to the 5% of American businesses organized as C-Corps. I was the Republican senator who dug his heels in and insisted that the other 95% of American businesses organized as 'pass-through' entities be treated more fairly so they could stay competitive with C-Corps. I also worked with Wisconsin legislators to ensure our state's pass-throughs could deduct state and local taxes at the entity level, the same way C-Corps do. Your editorial recommends 'Closing the SALT Business Loophole' (June 25). But that's a misnomer—the provision maintains competitive fairness between businesses that choose to organize differently. Eight years ago you argued that pass-throughs enjoy a tax advantage because they don't suffer from the double taxation of dividends. The problem is that companies compete at the entity, not shareholder, level and approximately 73% of C-Corp income is attributed to nontaxable entities and never subjected to double taxation. I estimate that this reduces federal revenue by approximately $200 billion annually. Moreover, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation, in 2020 the effective tax rate was 10% for large C-Corps and 14% for small C-Corps, compared with an average 21% for all pass-throughs in 2021.
