Speaker Mike Johnson participated in a stubborn disagreement over Medicaid and taxes to finalize a detailed bill. California Governor Gavin Newsom advises cities on how to resolve the homeless crisis. Residents of the Memphis community are fighting Elon Musk's AI company.
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Speaker Mike Johnson expects debates on Medicaid cuts, as well as state and local taxes or salt, to be one of the most prominent issues among lawmakers, as the House of Representatives’ detailed bill aspects of President Donald Trump’s agenda. But Johnson's provisions that hope to address both issues will placate Blue State Republicans and conservatives, two groups that are the biggest obstacles to the passage of a large-scale bill.
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Johnson suggested he may be willing to consider a higher salt deduction after he met with pro-salt Republicans and tough liberty caucus this week. But “if the salt cap rises, you need to find more money,” said Conservative Rep. Byron Donalds.
Asked if Republicans will speed up Medicaid job requirements to withdraw larger savings, Johnson replied, “It’s all on the table.” The idea of speeding up job requirements so they can start launching by 2029, when current bills trigger them, potentially winning conservative hardcores.
Johnson could only pay for three Republican defections in the last bill, so even small factions like the Salt Caucus had huge power in negotiations. For now, 11 House committees have now passed some of their legislation, sending them to the Budget Committee, and pieced it together into a parcel.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom seems to be strong on his stance this week, and it is likely to follow him on the campaign if he decides to wear a hat in the 2028 election. Newsom announced a revised budget on Wednesday, with a rollback aimed at reversing the "Trump downturn" referring to the president's trade war. These include significant cuts to reproductive health services and a walking route to his signature policy, providing free health care for low-income undocumented immigrants.
Similarly, this week, the governor told California cities that homeless camps “no more excuses” and advised municipalities to camp on public property for more than three consecutive nights. His move provides more shelter and other services to unpopular people than his move as a San Francisco supervisor in 2022. And in 2024, when Newsom told cities and counties to remove people from the streets, but "compassionately."
The problem is that Newsom's latest guide on homeless people won't carry law enforcement powers, meaning local leaders can choose to ignore them and continue to adopt their own policies. And if things don’t improve before the 2028 primary, Newsom could be forced to explain to the national audience why California, which has the world’s fourth largest economy, has the country’s largest homeless population. Read the full story here.
Hip-hop tycoon Sean Diddy's comb's defense team began portraying Casandra Ventura, an ex-girlfriend and star witness in his federal sex trafficking trial, for her willingness to participate in what he called a "freak" and challenged her to persevere in being sexually assaulted. She is expected to return to the witness today to seek more cross-examination, with the judge and prosecutors making it clear that they want to ask at the end of the day.
In testimony yesterday, Ventura admitted that her disengagement with the comb was “love”, although sometimes driven by jealousy. Anna Estevao, one of Combs' lawyers, also showed jurors a text message that the defense team believed it refuted Ventura's claim that she was forced to attend a marathon sexual meeting. "I'm ready to be frightened at any time," Ventura wrote in a 2009 message. Read more Cross-examination about Ventura.
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Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company XAI said in Memphis that it was the largest supercomputer in the world. Colossus is known to have a great job - training the startup's chatbot Grok. As you drive on Xai’s main campus, you’ll see hazy waves above the methane gas turbines at the facility. In the nearby Boxtown neighborhood, some residents worry that the turbine may be harmful to its health. They wish they were gone, and they were not quiet about it. It's a tough community - its name comes from the boxcar parts that once were homes - in the past fought against other industry heavyweights. But this time, They will compete with the richest people in the worldit is not clear who will win. - Bracey HarrisNational Journalist
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