Latest news with #Rounds
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Islam Makhachev reacts to Ilia Topuria taking No. 1 pound-for-pound spot in UFC rankings
A post shared by UFC Eurasia (@ufceurasia) Islam Makhachev is unbothered by Ilia Topuria overtaking him in the official UFC rankings. For many years, Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) made it clear he was striving to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He spent a solid chunk of time holding down the position during his dominant and record-setting reign as lightweight champion, but now that he's moved on from the division and is currently without a belt, that opened the door for someone else. Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) walked through that door at UFC 317 in June, when the former featherweight champion moved up in weight and knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant 155-pound belt left behind by Makhachev as he jumps divisions in his own career and readies to challenge welterweight champ Jack Della Maddalena later this year. With Topuria being a hot item in the sport and becoming the first to claim belts in two divisions while undefeated, he is now ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound on the UFC's official rankings. This doesn't frustrate Makhachev, he said, because he thinks it's all designed to build toward an eventual fight between "El Matador" and himself. "Well, it's marketing," Makhachev told UFC Eurasia during Saturday's UFC on ABC 9 event in Abu Dhabi (H/T: Championship Rounds on X). "They did it on purpose for hype, to hype up the fight. People already have interest in this fight. They're doing the right thing. We will fight for first place.' Islam Makhachev reacts to Ilia Topuria taking his spot as the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world"Well, it's marketing. They're doing it on purpose to promote this fight... So they do it right, and we'll be fighting for the #1 spot in the rankings." 👀🎥 @ufc Whether all of this is building toward a matchup between Makhachev and Topuria remains to be seen. Topuria has expressed a desire to follow Makhachev up to 170 pounds and attempt to become the first in UFC history to claim titles in three separate weight classes. UFC CEO Dana White recently said the super fight could materialize if each man wins one more fight. There are a number of potential contenders in play for Topuria's first defense at 155 pounds, including Justin Gaethje, Paddy Pimblett, Arman Tsarukyan or a rematch with BMF champ Max Holloway. Makhachev, meanwhile, will attempt to join the group of 10 previous fighters to capture belts in multiple weight classes when he faces Jack Della Maddalena, which he said is "90 percent" on the way to being finalized and announced.
The Hill
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump endorses Senate Republican he once called ‘jerk' for reelection
President Trump has endorsed South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds (R) for reelection to his seat next year despite having years earlier called Rounds a 'jerk' and vowing not to support him in the future. Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday that Rounds is an 'incredibly strong advocate' for South Dakota, also mentioning that he carried the state comfortably in each of his three presidential contests in 2016, 2020 and 2024. 'An America First Patriot, Mike is fighting tirelessly to Advance the Great Values of the Mount Rushmore State, Champion our Farmers and Ranchers, Strengthen the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Ensure American Energy DOMINANCE, Help Secure our already Highly Secure Border, Support our Brave Military, Veterans, and Law Enforcement, and Protect our always under siege Second Amendment,' Trump said. 'Mike Rounds has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election – HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!' he continued. The endorsement comes about three years after Trump slammed Rounds in 2022 over the senator's comments calling the 2020 presidential election 'fair.' 'The only reason he did this is because he got my endorsement and easily won his state in 2020, so now he thinks he has time, and those are the only ones, the weak, who will break away,' Trump said at the time. 'Even though his election will not be coming up for 5 years, I will never endorse this jerk again.' With Trump's endorsement, Rounds will be a clear favorite to win reelection next year in the solidly conservative-leaning state. Rounds told reporters that he got a call about Trump's endorsement 'out of the blue' but appreciates Trump's support. He hasn't formally announced that he's running for reelection but is planning to. 'I really appreciate the very gracious endorsement that he offered today, and like I told him, I said I haven't publicly announced yet, but I'm putting everything together to be able to do that in the near future,' he said. Trump has regularly threatened to withhold his endorsement or back primary challengers to lawmakers who openly defy him, such as those who voted to impeach him following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Rounds raised concerns about how Trump's rescissions package would impact tribal public media outlets, but ultimately voted for it after telling reporters that he secured commitments from the White House to fund the stations by other means.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate GOP nails down deals on DOGE cuts in bid to avoid tax bill tumult
Senate GOP leaders are looking to avoid a repeat of the lengthy and sometimes bewildering floor process that led to the passage of the Trump tax bill by locking down key details with holdouts before the chamber moves to a vote-a-rama Wednesday on a bill to claw back funding. A number of rank-and-file members indicated in recent days that they hoped leadership would do everything possible to sidestep the tumult that engulfed the conference days before July 4 and limit the side deals that were being worked out at the last minute. All indications Tuesday were that leaders were attempting to do just that. They resolved two key issues — protecting the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program and some rural broadcasters — a day before a key vote-a-rama is set to happen. Congress has until Friday to send the bill, known as a rescissions package, to President Trump's desk. It contains a request to claw back $9 billion in already appropriated funds for foreign aid and public broadcasting. 'Thune's been really transparent on all of this,' Sen. Shelley Moore Capito ( said, pointing to the pre-vote-a-rama effort and push to limit potential side deals. The White House and Senate GOP members made massive strides Tuesday toward a potential final green light to pass the bill. Early in the day, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) announced he was on board with the package after striking a deal to ensure radio stations in tribal communities continue to receive funding. He had been concerned about the effect cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — which helps fund NPR and PBS — would have on Native American areas that rely on those stations. Rounds told reporters that the administration is reallocating Biden-era 'Green New Deal money' to fund those broadcasters, unlocking his vote in the process. 'I think it was caught in the crossfire,' Rounds said about the provision. 'They understood my concern. They recognized this is not something people necessarily wanted to cut out. These were not part of the targeted groups that a lot of folks have problems with, and they provide a real service in rural areas.' The bigger news came hours later, when negotiators announced that planned PEPFAR cuts were out of the bill entirely, potentially unlocking the support of multiple moderates who had fretted about their inclusion, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Neither moderate has said how they will vote. The move also strips $400 million from the bill, bringing the rescissions total down from $9.4 billion to $9 billion. 'White House is supportive. Everybody's on the same page,' Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), the lead sponsor of the bill, told reporters. The news emerged after Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought appeared at the weekly Senate GOP luncheon to discuss the package, which statutorily must be completed by Friday. 'It's substantially the same package, and the Senate has to work its will and we've appreciated the work along the way to get to a place where they've got the votes,' Vought said after lunch. 'There is a substitute amendment that does not include the PEPFAR rescission and we're fine with that.' Murkowski and Collins were the foremost opponents of the cuts to PEPFAR, which was launched by former President George W. Bush more than two decades ago. Collins had already shown her potential independence by voting against the Trump tax bill last week, while Murkowski demanded a number of last-minute deals to secure her vote. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters after lunch that there was 'a lot of interest' in making PEPFAR changes, labeling it a 'small modification.' He also believes the change will not cause issues across the Capitol — because the Senate is making changes to the bill, it must return to the House before heading to Trump's desk. 'I wouldn't say anything's prebaked,' Thune said when asked if the topic was run by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). 'Obviously, it's something we've been working closely with the administration on, and my assumption is that the level of coordination that we've had … that they [the House] would take [it] up.' Rank-and-file Senate GOP members still hope leaders limit further changes by the time it hits the lower chamber. 'It would be nice if we didn't have to inflict so much pain on ourselves,' Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told The Hill. 'How bad can it be?' 'Some people want to refine the rescissions a bit. They want more detail,' he continued. 'I'm with it as it is. … It's just time to rein some of that back in.' Nevertheless, some members are seeking further changes via the amendment process. 'Sure, in an ideal world. But this is legislating,' Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said about the prospect of cutting out side deals. Hawley noted plans to file an amendment that would add $5 billion more in cuts to the package in a bid to slash a 'Green New Deal loan' that would affect his state, though he said he wasn't even sure it complies with the rules of the pending vote-a-rama. 'I'd like to make it bigger,' he added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rounds, GOP holdout, says he'll back Trump's funding cuts package
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said he'll support a package of more than $9 billion in cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting after making a deal with the Trump administration. Rounds said Tuesday that he worked with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on a deal that would redirect some funding approved under the Biden administration as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. 'We have an agreement with OMB to resource the funds from other already allocated funding through what had been [former President] Biden's Green New Deal program, and we'll take that money and we'll reallocate it back into the tribes to take care of these radio stations that have been granted this money for the next two years,' Rounds told reporters Tuesday. Rounds had previously held off from backing the package, citing concerns about how tribal stations would fare under President Trump's proposed public media cuts. The shift comes as top Senate Republicans are ramping up work to lock down support for Trump's package to claw back previously congressionally approved funds. Republicans can afford to lose three votes in the Senate. The bill, which passed the House last month, calls for $8.3 billion in cuts to the United States Agency for International Development and foreign aid, and more than $1 billion in cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Congress has until July 18 to pass the legislation under the special rescissions process initiated by the White House last month that allows the Senate to approve the funding cuts with a simple majority vote, bypassing expected Democratic opposition. While the CPB provides some funding to NPR and PBS, which have come under heavy GOP scrutiny as the party has leveled allegations of bias against the media organizations, Republicans in both chambers have raised concerns the cuts could have a disproportionate effect on rural and tribal stations. Asked Tuesday whether a parallel deal for nontribal broadcasters was also in the works, Rounds said he is 'not aware of any of those.' 'The ones that I was concerned with were specifically these tribal grants. I think there were 14 total,' Rounds said. 'Some of them might be 50 percent funded under this program,' Rounds said. 'Some of them are 80-85 percent funded.' 'They wouldn't have survived without this, but they provide emergency services information for some of the most rural parts of our country and some of the poorest counties in the United States.' Pressed on the legality of the move, Rounds argued the move to transfer the funds would be legal, 'according to OMB.''OMB has assured us that they believe that they do have the authority to make that transfer, and that the Department of the Interior has agreed to take the transfer and to place it directly in — through the Department of the Interior to these tribes,' he said.'But we know it's less than $10 million total, so it's not a huge sum of money compared to the rest of the rescissions package. But for me, it was very important.'The Trump administration has already faced a series of legal challenges over efforts to withhold congressionally approved funds. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
White House agrees to exempt PEPFAR from cuts
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told reporters after meeting with Senate Republicans on Tuesday that the White House is on board with a substitute amendment to the rescissions package that would exempt PEPFAR, the global anti-AIDS initiative from cuts. Vought said that the president could accept the substitute amendment to exempt the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, an initiative George W. Bush launched in 2003, from rescissions. He said the size of the rescissions package would be $9 billion if the Senate substitute amendment is adopted. 'It's substantially the same package and the Senate has to work its will and we've appreciated the work along the way to get to a place where they've got the votes,' he said. 'There is a substitute amendment that does not include the PEPFAR rescission and we're fine with that,' Vought said Tuesday after the lunch. The amendment means the House will have to vote again on the legislation. House Republicans had pressed for the Senate not to change the bill. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a senior member of the Appropriations panel, had expressed concern over the proposed cut to PEPFAR, which is now likely to be dropped from the bill. Collins announced her opposition to the PEPFAR cuts June 4. The White House budget director said he's also working with senators 'who have tribes in their states' who are concerned about cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that could affect radio stations on tribal lands. Vought and the Senate GOP leadership have reached a deal with Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) to redirect some other unallocated spending to help stations broadcasting to tribal communities. 'It's not Green New Deal. There's money that's been around for a long time that we can purpose for what is needed,' Vought said. He expressed confidence that Senate Republican leaders have the votes to move the bill. Rounds told reporters after the meeting that Vought has agreed to redirect unallocated funding in the Interior Department to help radio stations broadcasting to tribal lands. He said the administration has agreed to repurpose approximately $9.4 million in unallocated funding to help 28 or 29 radio stations impacting tribal lands across 14 states. 'This is being repositioned with funds that are currently within the Department of Interior,' Rounds said. Rounds threatened last week to vote 'no' unless the 'Native American radio stations' were protected. The deal to help those radio stations, however, will not be reflected by changes to the legislative text of the rescissions package. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) says he plans to hold two procedural votes Tuesday to advance the package — a motion to discharge the legislation from the Senate Appropriations Committee and a motion to proceed to it on the Senate floor. 'Rescissions have been a part of the process around here for a long time, not only in the annual appropriations process,' he said, noting presidents of both parties have submitted rescissions packages to Congress in the past. 'What we're talking about here is one tenth of 1 percent of all federal spending,' he added. 'That's one-thousandths of the federal budget that's included in this rescissions package.' 'And so I have the hope we have the votes to get on this bill later today and to have an opportunity for people to offer amendments if they see things they think they can fix or modify in the legislation,' he added. Asked about the decision to restore the PEPFAR funding, Thune told reporters there was 'a lot of interest' in his conference to do so. 'There was a lot of interest among our members in doing something on the PEPFAR issue and so that's reflected in the substitute,' he said, describing it as a 'small' change. 'We hope that if we can get this across the finish line in the Senate that the House would accept that one small modification,' he said. Updated at 4:04 p.m. EDT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
