Rahm Emanuel teases potential presidential bid: ‘I am in training’

Rahm Emanuel teases potential presidential bid: 'I am in training'

Former White House chief of staff and Democratic politician Rahm Emanuel teased a potential presidential bid on ABC's "The View" Wednesday. During his appearance on "The View," Emanuel discussed topics that included President Trump's presidency and Democrats' election chances. "Everybody in this audience, they just want one thing, their kids to have a shot," Emanuel said. "And the problem is Washington's giving them the shaft. And that is wrong." Following his comments, multiple people remarked that Emanuel came off "presidential." In his response, Emanuel said he was "in training," adding, "I don't know if I'll make the Olympics." Emanuelalso said duringhis Wednesday "The View" appearance that he refused bribes from the Saudi government amid travel to the country on a state visit with former President Obama. "When I went to Saudi Arabia with President Obama, first trip, first thing. We're at the king's ranch for his horses," Emanuel said Wednesday. "And let me just say, the horses look better than section eight public housing in America. You get there and walk in the room and there was an ostrich briefcase. I open it up, diamond necklaces, earrings, bracelets. And I took a photo and I sent it to my wife Amy and I said, not happening," he added. Emanuel's comments came amid recent controversy over Trump's acceptance of a jet from Qatar. "The White House has a for sale sign on the front lawn," Emanuel said of the acceptance Wednesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

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May 15, 2025

Rahm Emanuel teases potential presidential bid: ‘I am in training’

Rahm Emanuel teases potential presidential bid: 'I am in training' Former White House chief of staff and Democratic politician Rahm ...

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Republicans embrace Trump's populist tax push with midterms in mind

Republicans embrace Trump's populist tax push with midterms in mind

By David Morgan and Bo Erickson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republicans are loudly embracing President Donald Trump's populist priorities, though critics say a sweeping tax-cut bill that offers some breaks to working-class Americans still favors the wealthy and threatens social benefits his voters rely on. After weeks of pressure from the president's MAGA base, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are advancing legislation that includes tax breaks for workers who rely on tips and overtime pay, allows people to deduct interest on loans for U.S.-made cars, and proposes government-funded $1,000 MAGA savings accounts for U.S. children born between 2025 and 2028. They have reason to do so: voters in households earning between $30,000 and $100,000 a year swung heavily in Trump's favor in November, and the party will need their support in next year's midterm elections, when Democrats will seek to retake control of Congress. "My priority has been to deliver for the working class and working families, and that is in fact what this bill will do," said Republican Representative Jason Smith, chair of the tax-writing House Ways & Means Committee, who noted that he grew up living in a trailer in southern Missouri. The message is a far cry from the free-market priorities Republicans prided themselves on a decade ago, and combined with Trump's tariff regime and executive order to cut drug prices, shows the encompassing sway that his populism now holds over the party. White House spokesperson Harrison Fields described the House bill as "vital relief" for families. "The No Tax on Tips, Overtime, and Social Security policies — are all included in the House bill, and the administration is going to continue to push these and other critical priorities through the legislative process," Fields said. Democrats question how much the bill will really help working-class Americans. Based on a nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation analysis, they calculate that people making less than $50,000 per year would get $263 in tax relief while those making over $1 million would get more than $81,000. "There's no reason we can't focus this tax relief on the people that are out there working hard for a living and not the Elon Musks of the world," said Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Democratic tax writer from Texas. Republican lawmakers acknowledged the support of working-class voters will be critical to their chances of protecting their 220-213 House majority and 53-47 Senate edge next year. "They're vitally important," Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma told Reuters. "We expect them to play a vital role in the midterms." Some Democrats have pushed for these policies as well, including former Vice President Kamala Harris' adoption of Trump's no tax on tips proposal during the 2024 presidential campaign. Representative Suzan DelBene, a Democratic tax writer who is also in charge of her party's midterm campaign apparatus, encouraged Democrats in competitive districts to talk collectively about the tax package while they embrace some of the tax proposals. "Folks are going to talk about the things they support and are willing to do, but if you look at this overall package, you have so many things that are damaging for seniors and for families," the Washington Democrat said. NO 'NORTH STAR' But independent analysts say the emerging House legislation is less a demonstration of populist unity than evidence of the party's need to cobble support from disparate factions. Others warn the public focus on working Americans ignores the need for greater economic growth to help cover a price tag of more than $3.7 trillion for the tax cuts, which will add to the nation's $36.2 trillion in debt. "They are caught in the Trump era of policy that doesn't have any North Star. And so they're trying to cobble together a coalition," said Adam Michel, who oversees tax policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute think tank. "Instead of the traditional Republican recipe of lower tax rates and a broader tax base, they are going in the opposite direction where you have to buy votes with special privileges." Analysts said the tax cuts approved by Smith's Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday provide about two-thirds of the benefits to the top 20% of earners, while taxes would actually increase for workers in the lowest income bracket. Some working-class Americans could also find that tax breaks aimed at them fall short of expectations. While the legislation provides temporary tax relief for working people who earn tip income and overtime pay and for senior citizens receiving Social Security benefits, it does not eliminate taxes entirely, despite Trump's 2024 campaign pledge. Instead, the bill provides deductions that may not help much. "The value of those deductions is related to the tax rate you face. And so, sort of by definition, those income-tax deductions do not deliver a whole lot of help, especially for lower-income Americans," said Joe Rosenberg, senior fellow at the left-leaning Urban Institute. The center-right Tax Foundation estimates that the proposals could grow the economy by 0.6% over the long-run, down from a larger 1.1% growth estimate based on making all the expiring provisions permanent, including growth-oriented policies. The think tank estimates that the smaller growth rate would be completely overwhelmed by downward economic pressure from Trump's tariffs, not counting retaliatory tariffs by U.S. trading partners. "I would say it's not really a tax reform package. It's not really a growth-oriented package," said Erica York, vice president of federal tax policy at the Tax Foundation. "It's simply a deficit-financed tax cut package." That could change if the bill makes it out of the House and over to the Senate, where some Republicans want to amend it with their own legislation to add permanent business tax cuts. "Our preference would be, and we have a lot of our members who are heavily invested in the idea, to make particularly the business side of the code permanent," Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Reuters. (Reporting by David Morgan and Bo Erickson, additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)

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May 15, 2025

Republicans embrace Trump's populist tax push with midterms in mind

Republicans embrace Trump's populist tax push with midterms in mind By David Morgan and Bo Erickson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republicans ar...

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Tanks, cannons and soldiers sleeping in DC offices: Inside Trump birthday military parade

Tanks, cannons and soldiers sleeping in DC offices: Inside Trump birthday military parade

Thebig military parade plannedfor June 14 – the Army's 250th anniversary and PresidentDonald Trump's 79th birthday – will feature dozens of tanks rumbling through the city's streets, warplanes buzzing overhead and 7,500 soldiers housed in government office buildings downtown, according to Army planning documents. USA TODAY had an exclusive look at the latest planning documents that detail the elaborate choreography required for a massive military parade and unofficial birthday party with few, if any, precedents. On June 8, 1991, thousands of troops along with tanks and other armored vehicles,paraded through Washington. That was to honor their victory in the Gulf War. Then-President's George H.W. Bush's birthday was four days later. More:Armored vehicles and nearly 7,000 troops: A look at plans for military parade on Trump's birthday Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy hadthousands of troops at their inaugurations. Eisenhower's boasted tanks and jeeps and warplanes. The military, an institution with a loyalty to the Constitution and no political party, is balancing new political challenges this time. Is the parade a celebration of the Army's storied heritage,or an homage to Trump and the political movement he leads? Or both? Army officials say that they have long planned a major celebration for their milestone anniversary. Democratic lawmakers, though, say Trump has coopted the parade for his own political purposes. "This is Trump. This is all about his ego and making everything about him," Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Wednesday. "The only thing he'd be disappointed about is that he couldn't fly his plane over the parade." Trump is intalks this week to receive a giftof a Boeing 747 from Qatar – raisingconcernsfrom some lawmakers over corruption. Trump has maintained the parade is all about celebrating "the greatest military in the world." Its cost is "peanuts compared to the value of doing it," he told Kristen Welker in a May 4 NBC 'Meet the Press'interview. The latest price tag for the parade: $30 million, a figure expected to rise to perhaps $45 million. Soldiers and their equipment will begin to arrive in the nation's capital from across the country in the days leading up to the parade. They will be housed in the Department of Agriculture building and a former government warehouse owned by the General Service Administration on 7th Street. Their chow will consist of two MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and one hot meal per day. They'll also receive $50 per day in extra pay. More:They love a parade: President Trump and US Army to celebrate their June 14 birthdays Bring your sleeping bags, said a Defense Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly. Their shower schedule will be set by "mayors" appointed to oversee housing at the buildings, the official said. The parade will salute the Army's heritage from the Revolutionary War to the present, with soldiers in period uniforms. Some time periods have proved harder to find period dress from than others – the Army is struggling to outfit soldiers in uniforms from the War of 1812 and the Spanish-American War, according to the defense official. A 'palace in the sky':How Air Force One stacks up to the Qatari 747, Trump's coveted 'palace in the sky' There will be 120 vehicles, including 24Abrams tanks, 24 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles,an armored vehicle similar in design but smaller than a tank and four Paladins, massive self-propelled howitzer cannons. Vintage warplanes, such as the World War II-era B-17 bomber and P-51 Mustang fighter, are scheduled to fly over the National Mall, the iconic open space in Washington that stretches from the United States Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial.They'll be followed later by newer aircraft, including 50 Apache, Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters. The parade will cross in front of Trump's viewing stand on Constitution Avenue just south of the White House at around 6 p.m. Trump is expected to preside over the enlistment and reenlistment of soldiers at the conclusion of the parade. It will finish with a finale of fireworks at dusk. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Tanks, cannons, 7,500 soldier beds: Trump's birthday Army parade

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May 15, 2025

Tanks, cannons and soldiers sleeping in DC offices: Inside Trump birthday military parade

Tanks, cannons and soldiers sleeping in DC offices: Inside Trump birthday military parade Thebig military parade plannedfor June 14 – the Ar...

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Trump's 'weaponization' chief accuses D.C. disciplinary counsel investigating him of weaponization

Trump's 'weaponization' chief accuses D.C. disciplinary counsel investigating him of weaponization

WASHINGTON — The incoming director of the Justice Department's "Weaponization Working Group" revealed Wednesday he was under investigation by D.C.'s Office of Disciplinary Counsel, accusing the official in charge of investigating bar complaints of "weaponizing" his role, according to an letter viewed by NBC News. Outgoing Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin, in a going-away email to his staff, complained about the actions of Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton P. "Phil" Fox III, who serves as chief prosecutor for disciplinary matters for attorneys who are members of the D.C. Bar. "Please know that I will continue to fight against the systemic abuse of our prosecutors by [Public Defender Service], the Judges, and especially the DC Disciplinary Counsel," Martin wrote in the email to staff. "It is an outrage how they treat us and I will continue the fight against the weaponization of our law licenses against us. Please see the attached — I am taking on Mr. Fox head on. His conduct is personally insulting and professionally unacceptable." Several outside organizations and members of Congress have sought investigations into Martin over his actions while he was U.S. attorney, and Fox had previously declined to take further steps on at least one of the requests. Most requests sent to Fox's office are turned away, but Martin's letter indicted that at least one probe was moving forward, which has been given a disciplinary docket number: 2025-D047. The investigation is in a non-public stage, and will only become a matter of public record if the office makes a decision to move forward with a disciplinary case against Martin. Fox declined to comment. News of the investigation wasfirst reported by Reuters. Martin's goodbye email was accompanied by a copy of a letter to Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, in which he complains that Fox sent "signature required paid postage" to his home and office which "prompted questions from my family and work colleagues who had to sign." Martin called it an "annoyance" and saying it "pushed the envelope of confidentiality." He also writes that Fox sent the letter to the intake email box for the U.S Attorney's Office's Civil Division. "To be clear, Mr. Fox is weaponizing his role, responsibilities, and his office against me and this office. He is using a recent bar complaint as his weapon," Martin wrote in the letter. "I ask that you not only suspend Mr. Fox immediately to investigate his conduct, but also to dismiss this case against me because of his prejudicial conduct." The Justice Department's Weaponization Working Group, of which Martin is taking charge,was formedby Attorney General Pam Bondi in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump and is charged with looking into several issues, including the work of former Special Counsel Jack Smith and the Justice Department's handling of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Martin's letter came the same day that former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro took over the role of interim U.S. attorney, after the Senate didn't move forward with confirming Martin to serve on a permanent basis. In a press conference on Tuesday, Martin said that he planned to"shame" individuals he said "did some really bad things to the American people"even if the Justice Department did not pursue criminal charges. In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that posted on Wednesday, Martin said that he doesn't think that prosecuting individuals for criminal wrongdoing is enough, continuing to suggest that he'll use the bully pulpit of the Justice Department to communicate information about uncharged parties. "One of the reasons I say information is so key, you can't, we can't win the Article III battle fast enough," Martin said, referring to courts. "You can't win it fast enough to get the progress we need." "So you're in the courts fighting to get the truth out, fighting to make these things, prosecutions and all, but they take a longer time than just getting the word out, right, getting the information out," Martin said. "I feel like it's a different moment in history."

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May 15, 2025

Trump's 'weaponization' chief accuses D.C. disciplinary counsel investigating him of weaponization

Trump's 'weaponization' chief accuses D.C. disciplinary counsel investigating him of weaponization WASHINGTON — The incoming dir...

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How Air Force One stacks up to the Qatari 747, Trump's coveted 'palace in the sky'

How Air Force One stacks up to the Qatari 747, Trump's coveted 'palace in the sky'

WASHINGTON ―President Donald Trumpsays Air Force Oneisn't up to snuff. When he lands and looks over at the planes of the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates sitting on the tarmac, he says his presidential ride doesn't compare. "This is like a totally different plane," Trump told Fox News commentator Sean Hannity this week aboard Air Force One duringhis trip to the Middle East. "It's much smaller. It's less impressive." Yet as Trumpplans to accept Boeing 747-8, oftendubbed a "palace in the sky,"from Qatar's royal family ‒ a $400 million foreign gift that would be the largest ever to a U.S. president ‒ the exterior differences might not jump off the page for the casual flyer. Plane negotiations:Trump in talks to accept luxury jet from Qatar's royal family The Qatari plane stretches 18 feet 4 incheslonger than Air Force One, can carry more weight and fly slightly faster and farther. It's also 22 years newer than Air Force One, built in 1990. Both planes hold about the same number of passengers and have the same height. But the Qatari plane separates itself most visibly with its lavish inside amenities ‒ creamy white and tan leather furnishings, rugs and artwork designed by the famed French interior design firm Cabinet Alberto Pinto,according to Bloomberg. Unable to view our graphics?Click here to see them. Trump has portrayed the jet as an aging relic and the Qatari plane as a badly needed upgrade. "We're the United States of America," Trump said. "I believe that we should have the most impressive plane." But if converted to Air Force One, the Qatari plane's inside would have to be entirely stripped, scrubbed for surveillance technology for security reasons and effectively rebuilt, Republicans lawmakers on committees that oversee the nation's armed services and intelligence agenciestold the Wall Street Journal. Trump has complained that Boeing has been too slow to complete a new Air Force One after his first administration in 2018 awarded the company a $3.9 billion contract to build two new Air Force One jets.CNN reportedthe new planes could be delivered by 2027 ‒ two years earlier than the most recently predicted date and before Trump's second term ends. (The Air Force operates a second Air Force One jet, also a Boeing 747-200B series aircraft, deployed in 1991.) More:Fighter jets, chandeliers, a Cybertruck: See the pomp of Trump's Middle East visit Trump's idea is for the Qatari plane to serve as the temporary Air Force One until Boeing finishes building the new versions. The plane would then go to his future presidential library. Democrats and other critics of the move argue accepting the plane could violate the Constitution's Emoluments Clause, which bars any U.S. official from accepting "any present" of "any kind whatsoever, from any King, Prince, or foreign state." The White House has countered that the plane is agift to the U.S. Air Force, not Trump personally. The White House has not released information about the Qatari plane that Trump covets. Butthe news publication Semafor trackedthe tail number of the plane when it was parked at Palm Beach International Airport in South Florida this summer. The number matches a Boeing serial number of a plane detailed in a 16-page "aircraft specification summary" by the Swiss firm AMAC Aerospace It's unclear whether the Qatari plane hasundertaken accommodationssince the summary was posted in 2023. Here is a comparisons of the Qatari plane versus Air Force One based on publicly available information: Air Force One is a Boeing 747-200B, which has increased fuel capacity and more powerful engines than the standard 747-200. Boeing first started serving the model in 1972. Air Force One has upgrades from a standard 747-200B that include special electronic and communications equipment, a self-contained baggage loader, front and aft air-stairs and the capability for in-flight refueling. The Qatari plane is a Boeing 747-8, a widebody aircraft with lengthened fuselage and redesigned wings,according to Boeing. The model went onto the market in 2011. The current Air Force One plane was completed in 1990 and has served six presidents: George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Trump, both in his first and second non-consecutive terms. The Qatari royal family purchased the Boeing 747-B in 2012, the same year it was built. The plane's interior was refurbished and itbegan service in 2015. In addition to being longer and a bit taller, the 747-B owned by Qatar also has a wider wing span: 224 feet, 5 inches, compared to Air Force One's 195, 8 inches. The Qatari 747-8 can also fly farther without refueling. Air Force One can fly about 7,751 miles without needing to refuel. That's equivalent to aflight west from Washington D.C. to Tokyo. The 747-B has a maximum take-off weight of 987,000 pounds, compared to 833,000 pounds for Air Force One. More:'This is what they call perfecto': Gulf monarchies bring A-game to Trump charm offensive Air Force One has about 4,000 square feet of interior floor space,according to information from Boeingand the U.S. Force. That includes an executive suite with quarters for both the president and first lady (equipped with a dressing room, lavatory and shower), a conference and dining room, an office area for senior staff members, an area that can convert into a medical facility, as well as sitting areas for the presidential staff and Secret Service, Air Force crews and traveling members of the press. Air Force One also contains two galleys that can provide 100 meals at one sitting, advanced multi-frequency radios for air-to-air, ground and satellite communications and state-of-the-art navigation, electronic and communications equipment. The plane has six passenger lavatories. The interior of the Qatari plane has a more modern design with chic cream white couches, seats and rugs, photos of the plane show. Artwork from the late American sculptor Alexander Calder is featured throughout,according to Bloomberg, along with custom-made Tai Ping rugs, sycamore and wacapou wood fixtures. The layout includes a master bedroom, guest bedroom, a private hallway for the executive residence, an upper deck lounge area with a long leather sofa facing a large flat screen television, additional loung areas with oversized leather seats, a private office and several galleries. Amenities include electric window shades, water systems that allow hot and cold water for each sink and shower, a digital entertainment and game system, along with sophisticated sound, television and broadband internet systems. The plane has nine lavatories for passengers in addition to one lavatory in the bedroom suite and another in the guest bedroom. This story was updated to add new information. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Air Force One vs the Qatari 747: How they compare

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May 15, 2025

How Air Force One stacks up to the Qatari 747, Trump's coveted 'palace in the sky'

How Air Force One stacks up to the Qatari 747, Trump's coveted 'palace in the sky' WASHINGTON ―President Donald Trumpsays Air Fo...

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