Latest news with #Trump-picked
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Clarence Thomas' Former Clerk Warns Trump Did Something 'Truly Outrageous'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A law professor and former clerk to conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas called President Donald Trump's decision to publicly turn against the Federalist Society and one of its top figures, Leonard Leo, "truly outrageous." Trump critized the Federalist Society for "bad advice they gave me on numerous Judicial Nominations" after the U.S. Court of International Trade, which included a Trump-picked judge, ruled the emergency law invoked by Trump did not give him authority to impose sweeping tariffs on other countries. Trump also called Leo a "sleazebag." "Why would President Trump turn his back on one of his greatest, if not his greatest achievements from the first term, appointing three justices," John Yoo told a Wall Street Journal Opinion podcast released Monday. Newsweek reached out to Yoo for comment via email and filed a contact request form with the Federalist Society on Wednesday. Why It Matters Last week Trump sharply criticized the influential legal group the Federalist Society and Leo, a co-chair of its board and former executive vice president, blaming them for court rulings that blocked his sweeping tariff agenda. During his first term, Trump took advice from the group in selecting judges, but in a social media post on Thursday, the president took a sharp turn against the group saying he used to trust them "but then realized that they were under the thumb of a real 'sleazebag' named Leonard Leo, a bad person who, in his own way, probably hates America, and obviously has his own separate ambitions." Trump has repeatedly targeted judges and lawyers who oppose him or impede his agenda, including calling for the impeachment of U.S. District Judge James Boasberg after he temporarily blocked deportation flights to El Salvador in March. At the same time, Trump has had a lasting impact on the judiciary, helping to shape a conservative-leaning bench through his appointments. What To Know In Monday's episode of the Wall Street Journal Opinion podcast, Potomac Watch, Yoo said it was "truly outrageous to accuse Leonard Leo, one of the stalwarts or the conservative movement, of being something like a traitor and using judicial appointments to advance his own personal agenda." University of California Professor John Yoo poses for a portrait in downtown San Francisco, California on Fri. April 15, 2016. University of California Professor John Yoo poses for a portrait in downtown San Francisco, California on Fri. April 15, 2016. Michael Macor/San Francisco Chronicle via AP The University of California at Berkeley law professor and constitutional scholar who authored the 2020 book Defender in Chief: Donald Trump's Fight for Presidential Power, reiterated that not only did he find Trump's decision to call out Leo and the Federalist Society "outrageous," but noted that "on a larger political and legal level, I don't understand it." Trump's Truth Social post calling out Leo and the group, read, "I am so disappointed in The Federalist Society because of the bad advice they gave me on numerous Judicial Nominations," followed a ruling on Wednesday from the U.S. Court of International Trade striking down many of his administration's sweeping tariffs. The three judges on the panel, which ruled that the tariffs went beyond the president's power, included one who was appointed by Trump during his first term—Judge Timothy Reif. However on Thursday, a federal appeals court temporarily suspended the lower court's order, allowing the White House to continue collecting import levies for now. Leonard Leo, co-chariman of the Federalist Society board of directors, speaks at the Cambridge Union on March 11, 2025 in Cambridge, U.K. Leonard Leo, co-chariman of the Federalist Society board of directors, speaks at the Cambridge Union on March 11, 2025 in Cambridge, The Cambridge Union Yoo continued: "Why would President Trump turn his back on one of his greatest, if not his greatest achievements from the first term, appointing three justices. You named them, Paul, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, which reinforced Justices Alito and Thomas on the Supreme Court in building a really solid regionalist majority, not a conservative majority, not politically Republican majority, but a majority that believes in interpreting the Constitution based on its original meaning." The Supreme Court's conservative majority has played a pivotal role in recent decisions, most notably the 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that had protected abortion rights for nearly 50 years. Leo is a key financial backer of the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), which filed a legal challenge against Trump's tariffs. A longtime leader at the Federalist Society, Leo used his networks to help Trump nominate conservative Supreme Court Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Coney Barrett. Yoo has been outspoken against Democratic politicians including former President Joe Biden and spoken favorably about Trump, having previously called for Republican district attorneys to prosecute Democrat officials who had, in his opinion, wronged Trump and his allies, as well as saying Biden's suggested Supreme Court reforms were a "political ploy" that revealed "how radical some of the ideas that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden now are pressing." What People Are Saying Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project, told The Hill: "They [the Federalist Society] abandoned President Trump during the lawfare against him. And not only did they abandon him — they had several FedSoc leaders who participated in the lawfare and threw gas on the fire." Leonard Leo told The New York Post in late May: "I'm very grateful for President Trump transforming the Federal Courts, and it was a privilege being involved. There's more work to be done, for sure, but the Federal Judiciary is better than it's ever been in modern history, and that will be President Trump's most important legacy." Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, responded to last Wednesday's ruling on X: "The judicial coup is out of control." Raúl Torrez, the attorney general of New Mexico—one of the states who sued over the tariffs—said in a statement to Newsweek after the ruling: "This ruling is a major victory for our communities, our businesses, and our economy. The Court's decision confirms what we have long argued: these tariffs were imposed unlawfully and will cause real harm to working families, small businesses, and local industries." What Happens Next The plaintiffs in the case that led the Court of International Trade to strike down tariffs have to file their papers with a federal appellate court by June 5. The government must reply by June 9. In the meantime, the U.S. is expecting several final offers from trade partners over individually negotiated deals.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Inside the late-night drama that led to Trump's tax bill passing by 1 vote
It was nearly 10 p.m. on a Sunday night when House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., surprised reporters in the hallway of the Cannon House Office Building. The top House Republican was making a low-key — but high-stakes — visit to the House Budget Committee before the panel's second meeting on President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill." The first meeting on May 16 had blown up without resolution when four fiscal hawks balked at the legislation and voted against advancing it to the full House. "The real debate was, is when [we] voted not to approve the budget. And the reason I did that, along with the others, was we needed to make the provisions better," Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital. "It was our opportunity to make a bill that overall was good, better. And that was the impetus to stop the budget, and then get some concessions. And then when it reached Rules Committee, there really wasn't that much dissension." Meet The Trump-picked Lawmakers Giving Speaker Johnson A Full House Gop Conference The committee meeting continued with little fanfare, save for Democratic objections to the bill, before one more visit from Johnson, when he signaled the deal was sealed. Read On The Fox News App "I think what is about to happen here is that every member, every Republican member, will give a vote that allows us to proceed forward, and we count that as a big win tonight," Johnson said. He was right, with the legislation advancing exactly along party lines. Fox News Digital was told that conservatives were anticipating what is called a manager's amendment, a vehicle with wide flexibility to change legislation, before the House Rules Committee's vote to advance the bill to the full chamber. The House Rules Committee acts as the final gatekeeper to most bills before a House-wide vote. Trump himself made a rare visit to Capitol Hill the morning of May 20 to urge Republicans to vote for the bill. Mccaul Touts Money In Trump Tax Bill To Pay Texas Back For Fighting Biden Border Policies House leaders again signaled confidence late on May 21, informing Republicans that they would likely vote soon after the House Rules Committee's meeting was over. However, that meeting alone had already dragged on for hours, from just after 1 a.m. on May 21 to finally voting on Trump's tax bill just after 2:30 a.m. on May 22. Lawmakers and reporters alike struggled to stay awake as Democratic lawmakers forced votes on over 500 amendments, largely symbolic, in a bid to drag out the process. Meanwhile, at some point overnight, talks with GOP holdouts went south. The House Freedom Caucus held an impromptu press conference directly after Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., met with Johnson. "The leadership's going to have to figure out where to go from here," Harris said. "I think there is a pathway forward that we can see…I'm not sure this can be done this week. I'm pretty confident it could be done in 10 days. But that's up to leadership to decide." Harris also said the Freedom Caucus had struck a "deal" with the White House, something a White House official denied. "The White House presented HFC with policy options that the administration can live with, provided they can get the votes," the official said. However, the manager's amendment, which finally came out just after 11 p.m. on May 21, eased the concerns of at least several of the fiscal hawks. It bolstered funding to states that did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), included additional tax relief for gun owners, and quickened the implementation of Medicaid work requirements, among other measures. Meanwhile, a small group of those House Freedom Caucus members had also been meeting with a small group of conservative senators who assured them they would seek deep spending cuts in the bill when it landed in the upper chamber, Norman said. Mike Johnson, Donald Trump Get 'Big, 'Beautiful' Win As Budget Passes House "It was our hope that the Senate would come back and even make the cuts deeper, so that the deficit could be cut," Norman said. The moves were not enough to ease everyone's concerns, however. Roughly three hours after the amendment's release, Freedom Caucus Policy Chair Chip Roy, R-Texas, was the only Republican member of the House Rules Committee to miss the key vote. Fox News Digital inquired via text message why Roy missed the vote and was told he was "actually reading the bill…" Nevertheless, it passed by an 8 to 4 vote — prompting House leaders to warn their members to return for what would be an all-night series of voting and debates. Democratic leaders, recognizing they would be sidelined completely if Republicans had enough support on their side, again moved to delay the proceedings. A whip notice sent to House Democrats, obtained by Fox News Digital, warned left-wing lawmakers that "House Republicans are planning to finish debate and vote on final passage of H.R. 1 late tonight." The notice advised that House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., would force a vote on adjourning the House and that "additional procedural votes are expected." In a bid to keep Republicans close to the House floor for what was an hourslong night, the speaker set up a side room with snacks and coffee for lawmakers to wait out proceedings. In the House Appropriations Committee room just down the hall, more Republicans were huddled over cigars and other refreshments. The smell of tobacco smoke wafted out as increasingly haggard lawmakers shuffled between the two rooms. Fox News Digital even heard from several lawmakers inquiring when the final vote was expected to be — and wondering whether they had time for a nap themselves. Meanwhile, Fox News Digital spotted Harris and Roy walking the opposite way from the hullabaloo of the House floor, toward the much quieter Longworth House Office Building. Both said they were leaving for more conversations with White House staff before the final vote. Scoop: House Gop Memo Highlights Republican Wins In Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' "The manager's amendment gets us a little closer, but we're still in discussions with the executive branch to see whether we can achieve the objectives that we seek, which is support the president's goals on waste fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid and, you know, making sure that we've got all we can out of the Inflation Reduction Act," Harris said. Roy said he hoped Republicans would go further against states that drastically expanded their Medicaid populations under the ACA. He also signaled that leaders suggested at the time some further Medicaid reform could come from the White House. "The speaker alluded to this afternoon…that there are things in the executive space, executive actions, that we think could take care of some of the concerns that we were having about — again, it's not what we want, but it does ameliorate some of our concerns on the Medicaid expansion front," Roy said. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the speaker's office for comment. When it came time for the final vote, it appeared enough was done to get Roy on board. Harris, however, voted "present." Neither made themselves available for an interview for this story. The final vote saw just two Republican defections — Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., long a critic of Johnson, and Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio. "While I love many things in the bill, promising someone else will cut spending in the future does not cut spending. Deficits do matter and this bill grows them now. The only Congress we can control is the one we're in. Consequently, I cannot support this big deficit plan. NO," Davidson posted on X just before the vote began. Two other Republicans, Reps. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., and Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., both fell asleep before the final vote — but both said they would have voted to pass the bill. In the end, it advanced by a 215-214 vote — with Republicans erupting in cheers when they realized the victory was locked. "The media, the Democrats have consistently dismissed any possibility that House Republicans could get this done. They did not believe that we could succeed in our mission to enact President Trump's America First agenda. But this is a big one. And once again, they've been proven wrong," Johnson said during a press conference after the vote. Now, the bill is expected to be considered by the Senate next week — when senators are already signaling they are gearing up to make changes. "I encourage our Senate colleagues to think of this as a one-team effort as we have, and to modify this as little as possible, because it will make it easier for us to get it over the line ultimately, and finish and get it to the president's desk by July fourth," Johnson article source: Inside the late-night drama that led to Trump's tax bill passing by 1 vote
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Children take over White House briefing room with questions about Trump's favorite ice cream, superpower
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt fielded questions from the children of journalists and White House officials to celebrate Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day on Tuesday. The children's questions focused mainly on President Donald Trump, with Leavitt being forced to reveal the president's favorite flavor of ice cream, what super power he most wants to have, and whether he likes to give hugs. "Oh, does he like to give hugs? You know, I think he does. I have seen him give many hugs to children and his family and our beautiful first lady. So, yes, I do think he likes to gives hugs," Leavitt told her first questioner. "What is the funnest part about your job, and the hardest part?" the next child asked. Meet The Trump-picked Lawmakers Giving Speaker Johnson A Full House Gop Conference "I think the most fun part about my job is doing things like this with all of you in the briefing room and answering so many great questions. I think that the hardest part of my job is also doing things like this in the briefing room and answering all of these questions," she responded, to laughter. Read On The Fox News App House Gop Targets Another Dem Official Accused Of Blocking Ice Amid Delaney Hall Fallout "And reading the news is a big part of my job every day. I wake up and read the newspaper and watch the news and listen to all of the things that your parents are reporting on in the news, and that's a big part of my job every day," she added. The next child asked about Trump's favorite food, and Leavitt said he prefers steak to anything else. Leavitt informed the next child that Trump's favorite ice cream flavor is a classic ice cream sundae. "If the president could have a superpower, what would it be? That is a very good question," Leavitt responded to the next child. "I think if he had a superpower it would be to just snap his fingers and solve all of our country's problems just like that, because he likes to get things done very quickly but sometimes it takes a little bit longer. "Like today, he had to go to Capitol Hill to convince people to vote for his one big beautiful bill. I bet if he had a superpower he would snap his fingers and get it passed immediately, but Life doesn't work that way, unfortunately," she added. First lady Melania Trump also spent time with kids outside the White House. Many of them could be seen wearing dark blue hats that said "Gulf of America" in bright red article source: Children take over White House briefing room with questions about Trump's favorite ice cream, superpower
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Inside Trump's urgent meeting with House GOP to pass the 'big, beautiful bill'
President Donald Trump rallied House Republicans behind closed doors to pass his "one big, beautiful bill" as soon as possible – and to quickly resolve their interparty disagreements in the process. Trump made a rare visit to Capitol Hill just days before the House of Representatives is expected to vote on a massive bill advancing his agenda on tax, immigration, defense, energy and the debt limit. It is a reflection of the high stakes that congressional Republicans and the White House are facing, with just razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate. Trump warned House Republicans to not "f--- around" with Medicaid and state and local tax (SALT) deduction caps, two significant points of contention for warring GOP factions, two people in the room told Fox News Digital. Meet The Trump-picked Lawmakers Giving Speaker Johnson A Full House Gop Conference Two people said Trump targeted Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., on SALT specifically. Lawler, one of just three Republicans in districts Trump lost in 2024, has been one of the most vocal proponents of a higher SALT deduction cap. Read On The Fox News App "I know your district better than you do. If you lose because of SALT, you were going to lose anyway," Trump said during his remarks, the sources told Fox News Digital. When asked about those comments by reporters after the meeting, Lawler said, "The issue of SALT is one of the biggest issues impacting my district. It's the reason I won." "I made very clear when I ran for office back in '22 that I would never support a tax bill that does not adequately lift the cap on SALT," Lawler said. Meanwhile, three sources in the room said Trump also targeted Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has frustrated both the president and House GOP leaders in the past by bucking the party line. Trump had called Massie a "grandstander" in public comments to reporters minutes before the meeting. Massie told reporters when asked for his response, "It would be ironic if one of you guys who stopped me, wants to report that I'm a grandstander. Because you are the ones who are performing this, standing. I would be walking." "I don't think he wants to talk about cutting spending," Massie said of Trump. SALT deduction caps and Medicaid remain two of the biggest sticking points in Republican negotiations. SALT deduction caps primarily benefit people living in high-cost-of-living areas like New York City, Los Angeles and their surrounding suburbs. Republicans representing those areas have argued that raising the SALT deduction cap is a critical issue and that a failure to address it could cost the GOP the House majority in the 2026 midterms. Republicans in redder, lower-tax areas have said in response that SALT deductions favor wealthy people living in Democrat-controlled states and that such deductions reward progressive high-tax policies. It was Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 that first instituted caps on SALT deductions – setting the maximum at $10,000 for both married couples and single filers. House Gop Targets Another Dem Official Accused Of Blocking Ice Amid Delaney Hall Fallout SALT Caucus members like Lawler have rejected House Republican leaders' offer to increase that to $30,000, but Trump told those Republicans to accept what offer was on the table, according to people in the room. Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, meanwhile, are pushing for the bill to be more aggressive in cutting waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicaid system, including a faster timeline for implementing work requirements for able-bodied recipients. Currently, the legislation has work requirements kicking in 2029. They also want to restructure Medicaid cost-sharing to put a bigger burden on the states. Moderates, meanwhile, have been wary of making significant cuts to the program. A White House official said Trump stressed he wanted complete unity on the bill, and "made it clear he's losing patience with all holdout factions of the House Republican Conference, including the SALT Caucus and the House Freedom Caucus." He also urged Republicans to debate SALT "later" while warning, "Don't touch Medicaid except for eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, including booting off illegal immigrants and common-sense work requirements," the White House official said. However, lawmakers leaving the meeting appear to have taken away very different conclusions. "He's just like, listen. I think where we're at with the bill is good, and to keep pushing for more will be difficult," Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., said of Trump's Medicaid comments. House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., similarly said, "I think he's referring to members who want to change the approach that the Energy & Commerce Committee has taken." "He thinks they've taken a good, balanced approach to preserve the program, enhance the program, while narrowing the scope and hunting out waste, fraud, and abuse," Hill said. Meanwhile, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital, "I think the president will not mind changes that…decrease waste, fraud, and abuse in the bill." However, it is unclear how much Trump's message moved Republicans who were skeptical of the bill previously. Harris came out of the meeting insisting the House-wide vote should be delayed, so House Republicans could take more time to negotiate the bill. Additionally, SALT Caucus Republicans like Lawler, as well as Reps. Nick LaLota and Andrew Garbarino of New York, indicated to reporters they would oppose the bill as currently written. Some last-minute changes are expected to be made to the legislation before a 1 a.m. House Rules Committee meeting to advance the bill. The powerful panel acts as the final gatekeeper to most legislation before a House-wide vote. However, it is unclear now if changes will be made to SALT deduction caps or Medicaid after Trump urged Republicans to clear up both fights. Republicans are working to pass Trump's policies on tax, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt all in one massive bill via the budget reconciliation process. Budget reconciliation lowers the Senate's threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51, thereby allowing the party in power to skirt the minority — in this case, Democrats — to pass sweeping pieces of legislation, provided they deal with the federal budget, taxation, or the national debt. House Republicans are hoping to advance Trump's bill through the House by the end of this week, with a goal of a final bill on the president's desk by the Fourth of article source: Inside Trump's urgent meeting with House GOP to pass the 'big, beautiful bill'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
House Dems open investigation into Trump's acceptance of $400 million jet from Qatar
FIRST ON FOX: House Democrats are opening an investigation into President Donald Trump and his administration's acceptance of a $400 million private jet from the Qatari government. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, led his fellow Democrats on the panel in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington on Thursday. They're specifically asking Bondi to hand over a reported legal memo she wrote that is meant to assert the legality of Trump accepting the plane on behalf of the U.S. "Any legal memo purporting to make such a claim would obviously fly in the face of the text of the Constitution's Foreign Emoluments Clause, which explicitly prohibits the President from accepting any 'present [or] Emolument... of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State' unless he has 'the Consent of Congress,'" the letter reads. Meet The Trump-picked Lawmakers Giving Speaker Johnson A Full House Gop Conference "Accordingly, we are writing to request that you provide the Committee on the Judiciary with these memos immediately as their analysis and conclusions are apparently the basis for the President's decision to disregard the plain text of the Constitution." Read On The Fox News App Raskin and the other Judiciary Committee Democrats went so far as to accuse Trump or people in his orbit of soliciting a bribe from Qatar. "President Trump's statements expressing displeasure with delays in the delivery of his new Boeing aircraft to serve as Air Force One and the timing of this 'gift' suggest that President Trump or a member of his Administration may have improperly solicited this 'nice gesture' from the Qatari government," the Democrats said, citing Trump's own comments. "The fact that, according to President Trump, the plane would not remain in service to the United States but would rather be donated to his presidential library after his term concludes further raises the possibility that this 'nice gesture' is intended as a bribe to Donald Trump." Multiple outlets reported that Bondi and Warrington drafted a legal memo that said it was "legally permissible" for Trump to accept the plane and then have it transferred to his presidential library when he leaves office. A source familiar with the discussions told Fox News Digital the memo was drafted by the Office of Legal Counsel and signed by Bondi. But Democrats suggested the memo was likely not sufficient grounds for Trump to bypass Congress on the issue, and pointed out Bondi herself had previously lobbied on Qatar's behalf. Brown University In Gop Crosshairs After Student's Doge-like Email Kicks Off Frenzy "The Constitution is clear: Congress — not the Attorney General or the White House Counsel — has the exclusive authority to approve or reject a gift 'of any kind whatever' given to the President by a foreign government," the letter said. "We would also note that, even if the Attorney General had a constitutional role to play here, Attorney General Bondi has a significant and obvious conflict of interest given her prior registration as an official agent of the Qatari government and earned no less than $115,000 per month lobbying on its behalf." When reached for comment on the matter, a source close to Bondi said only that the letter was received by the Department of Justice (DOJ). In addition to looking for the memo itself, the Democratic letter also asked for any communications and other records regarding the Boeing plane's transfer, and discussions of the gift's legal justifications. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have little power to compel Trump administration officials to comply, given their status as the minority party in the chamber. But Raskin has been scrutinizing Trump and his inner circle over family foreign ties since the former president's first term. The latest letter comes during Trump's diplomatic visit to the Middle East, where Qatar was one of his stops. Trump has defended his acceptance of the plane on multiple occasions, arguing he would be a "stupid person" to not take it, while bashing Democrats for their criticism. "So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!" Trump wrote on Truth Social this week. Senate Republicans said they knew little when asked by Fox News Digital earlier this week. Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., skirted the issue during his most recent weekly press conference. "I'm not following all the twists and turns of the charter jet. My understanding is it's not a personal gift for the president of the United States, and other nations give us gifts all the time, but, I'm going to leave it to the administration. They know much more about the details," Johnson told reporters. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear article source: House Dems open investigation into Trump's acceptance of $400 million jet from Qatar
