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Capitol agenda: Make-or-break markup day

(Politico) House Republicans are gearing up for their most consequential megabill markups Tuesday with massive, unresolved policy fights that could unravel President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” At least one blue-state Republican is threatening to torpedo the GOP’s tax package over Chair Jason Smith’s proposal to triple the cap on the state and local tax deduction to $30,000 and limit it to people who make $400,000 or less.

MayReasonRule

GOP Senator Introduces Bill to Make All Porn a Federal Crime, Following Project 2025 Playbook

(Gizmodo) Last year, the rightwing think-tank the Heritage Foundation launched Project 2025, which laid out much of the policy blueprint for the current Trump administration. One of the project’s espoused goals was to permanently criminalize all pornography. Now, a Republican senator with kind words for Trump has introduced a bill that would do just that. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) recently introduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act (IODA), which would effectively criminalize all pornography nationwide by legally redefining what it means to be obscene.

Dennis Donovan

Donald Trump Salutes Saudi Arabian Generals During Riyadh Visit

(Newsweek) President Donald Trump saluted Saudi Arabian generals as they lined up to greet him during his visit to Riyadh, the first stop in his four-day tour of the Middle East. There has been a discussion in recent years about the proper etiquette for presidents saluting the military, particularly those from other nations. A returned salute by Trump to a North Korean general during his first term sparked criticism, with some saying he should not have shown respect to a hostile nation.

BumRushDaShow

Senate GOP weighs safety, legal concerns over Trump Qatar jet gift

(The Hill) Senate Republicans on Monday indicated they have multiple concerns with President Trump potentially being gifted a new luxury jet from Qatar, ranging from safety to legal and ethical worries. Trump on Monday defended his potential acceptance of a new Boeing 747-8 airplane from the government of Qatar to serve as a replacement for the current pair of Air Force One aircraft, saying that it would be “stupid” not to do so.

BumRushDaShow

New York Post Shreds Major Team Trump Claim About His Motives

(Huff Post) The typically Donald Trump-promoting New York Post joined the chorus of criticism over the president’s Qatari jet controversy as it urged him to “think twice” before accepting a $400 million luxury Boeing 747-8 from the emirate’s ruling family. The New York Post’s conservative editorial board warned of potential conflicts of interest, stated that Qatar is “famous for seeking to buy influence,” cautioned how the “gift” will be “far from free,” and said “the optics are beyond awful, especially as Congress mulls hundreds of billions in Medicaid cuts.”

gab13by13

MAGA Attacks Church Over Donald Trump Rebuke: 'Funds MUST Be Pulled'

(Newsweek) Prominent right-wing figures lashed out at the Episcopal Church this week after it resisted calls to help resettle white South African refugees, sparking a wave of online outrage and calls to cut its funding. In a letter to church members, the Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe ... announced that the church will end its formal partnership with the federal government on refugee resettlement: "Accordingly, we have determined that, by the end of the federal fiscal year, we will conclude our refugee resettlement grant agreements with the U.S. federal government."

groundloop

Leftwing pundit Hasan Piker says US border agents stopped and questioned him on Trump and Gaza

(The Guardian) Hasan Piker, a US-born progressive political commentator, said he was stopped by US Customs and Border Protection agents and questioned about his opinions of Donald Trump and Israeli war policy as he returned to the country on Sunday from France. Piker, recounting the incident on his Twitch livestream on Monday, said he was led to a private room at Chicago O’Hare airport and interviewed for nearly two hours about his political views.

Omaha Steve

Vaccine developed in Nebraska could signal end to annual flu shot

(Nebraska Examiner) A new vaccine strategy developed and tested by a team from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln could signal an end to the annual flu shot routine. The possible breakthrough is laid out in newly published research in Nature Communications. The study, “Epitope-Optimized Vaccine Elicits Cross-Species Immunity Against Influenza A Virus,” describes a vaccine that protects against H1N1 swine flu and can also protect against influenza in birds and humans.

Demovictory9

Senate Democrats, worried about Fetterman, discussing ways to help, alerted his doctor at Walter Reed

(The Hill) Democratic senators are having private conversations about how to help Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) in the wake of an explosive report that the first-term Pennsylvania senator is behaving erratically and in a way that may pose a danger to himself or others, according to sources familiar with those discussions. Two Democratic senators told The Hill they are talking with colleagues about how to best help Fetterman, who they fear is struggling to cope with the emotional rigors of serving in Congress, a stressful job even for the fittest individuals, who often find themselves the targets of political attacks.

Dennis Donovan

Biden Undergoes Prostate Evaluation After 'Small Nodule' Discovered

(Mediaite) Former President Joe Biden spent last Friday in a Philadelphia hospital after doctors discovered a “small nodule” on his prostate that required “further evaluation,” his spokesman confirmed. No additional details were provided, according to the New York Times, although the outlet noted that it is common for a man of Biden’s age to experience prostate issues.

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Chuck Schumer says he is placing a hold on Trump DOJ nominees amid questions on Qatar's luxury jet gift

41 min ago - May 13, 2025, 10:26 AM EDT / Updated May 13, 2025, 10:36 AM EDT WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he is placing a hold on all Trump Justice Department nominees as he seeks answers on the administration's plan to acc ... (NBC News)

US convenes Newark airport task force, fast-tracks telecom fix

1 hr ago - May 13, 2025 1:35 AM EDT Updated 8 hours ago WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Monday it was convening an emergency task force and fast-tracking urgent steps to prevent additional telecom outages at the facility overseei ... (Reuters)

White House correspondents protest lack of wire reporters on Air Force One

2 hrs ago - Updated 1:32 AM EDT, May 13, 2025 The group representing White House journalists said Monday it was disturbed that the Trump administration barred any wire service news reporters from traveling with the president on Air Force One to the Middle East. ... (AP)

Elon Musk, Sam Altman and Other C.E.O.s Join Trump at U.S.-Saudi Lunch

2 hrs ago - Joining President Trump and top U.S. and Saudi officials for lunch in Riyadh on Tuesday are dozens of business leaders from some of America’s largest companies. The executives — from tech firms, banks, consumer groups and other industries, ... (NYT)

Annual inflation rate hit 2.3% in April, less than expected and lowest since 2021

3 hrs ago - Published Tue, May 13 2025 8:31 AM EDT Updated 9 Min Ago Inflation was slightly lower than expected in April as President Donald Trump's tariffs just began hitting the slowing U.S. economy, according to a Labor Department report Tuesday. The consume ... (CNBC)

New York Post Shreds Major Team Trump Claim About His Motives

3 hrs ago - May 13, 2025, 03:16 AM EDT | Updated 2 hours ago The typically Donald Trump-promoting New York Post joined the chorus of criticism over the president’s Qatari jet controversy as it urged him to “think twice” before accepting a $400 mil ... (Huff Post)

Saudi crown prince welcomes Trump to kingdom as US leader begins 4-day Middle East tour

3 hrs ago - By AAMER MADHANI, ZEKE MILLER and JON GAMBRELL Updated 6:34 AM CDT, May 13, 2025 RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump kicked off a four-day Middle East trip on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, putting the focus on sealing economic agr ... (AP)

US to slash tariff on small China parcels from 120% to 54%

3 hrs ago - Tue 13 May 2025 06.08 EDT First published on Tue 13 May 2025 02.55 EDT The US has announced it is slashing the tariff on small parcels sent from mainland China and Hong Kong to the US from 120% to 54%, hours after Washington and Beijing agreed a 90-d ... (The Guardian)

Senate GOP weighs safety, legal concerns over Trump Qatar jet gift

4 hrs ago - 05/12/25 7:12 PM ET Senate Republicans on Monday indicated they have multiple concerns with President Trump potentially being gifted a new luxury jet from Qatar, ranging from safety to legal and ethical worries. Trump on Monday defended his potentia ... (The Hill)

RFK Jr. spars with Bernie Sanders over who did most to curb prescription drug prices

4 hrs ago - Updated May 12, 2025, 7:08 pm. ET Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy is crediting a political rival for setting in motion President Donald Trump's newest policy aimed at lowering prescription drug prices: Bernie Sanders. Kennedy Jr. mentioned the Ver ... (USA Today)

Trump tried to fire Corporation for Public Broadcasting board members. Then came DOGE

5 hrs ago - May 12, 2025 7:08 PM ET Less than a day after President Trump attempted to fire three Corporation for Public Broadcasting board members last month, DOGE staffers also tried to assign a team to review its operations. CPB leaders denied that request, c ... (NPR)

House Republicans Propose $5 Billion for Private School Vouchers

5 hrs ago - May 12, 2025, at 5:55 p.m. WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans want to set aside up to $5 billion a year for scholarships to help families send their children to private and religious schools, an unprecedented effort to use public money to pay ... (US News and World Report/AP)

Vaccine developed in Nebraska could signal end to annual flu shot

5 hrs ago - Effort could reduce the impact and spread of swine flu, bird flu and flu in humans By: Cindy Gonzalez - May 12, 2025 6:00 pm LINCOLN — A new vaccine strategy developed and tested by a team from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln could signal an ... (Nebraska Examiner)

Software update keeps Newark airport radar online but network concerns and flight limits remain

6 hrs ago - Monday 12 May 2025 22:16 BST A new software update prevented a third radar outage in the last two weeks at New Jersey's busy Newark airport when a telecommunications line failed again over the weekend, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday. ... (The Independent)

Gérard Depardieu found guilty of sexually assaulting two women

6 hrs ago - Grard Depardieu has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women during a film shoot in 2021. ... The 76-year-old, who was not in court for the verdict, was convicted of sexually assaulting a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant ... (The Guardian)

Civil rights agency moves to fire judge fighting Trump directives

7 hrs ago - Story by CLAIRE SAVAGE • 11h • 4 min read The federal agency tasked with protecting workers’ civil rights has moved to terminate a New York administrative judge who has resisted compliance with directives from the White House, includin ... (msn.com)

Illinois governor is first in US to block federal access to personal data on autism

7 hrs ago - Updated 5:06 PM EDT, May 12, 2025 SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has signed a first-in-the-nation executive order to block the federal government from collecting personal health data related to autism, a direct rebuke to the ... (Yahoo! News/AP)

Ticketmaster begins up-front ticket pricing as Biden admin "junk fee" ban takes effect

7 hrs ago - May 12, 2025 / 3:50 PM EDT As a Biden administration ban on so-called "junk fees" took effect Monday, Ticketmaster said it will start displaying the full price of a ticket as soon as consumers begin shopping. Ticketmaster, long a subject of complain ... (CBS News/AP)

Politics DNC panel pushes to scrap David Hogg's vice chair election

12 hrs ago - A Democratic National Committee panel on Monday recommended redoing David Hogg and Malcolm Kenyatta's elections to party vice-chair, as Hogg faces a separate intraparty battle over his push to primary some Democratic politicians. The DNC's credential ... (CBS News)

Top buyers of Trump-sponsored crypto win exclusive dinner with president

14 hrs ago - On Monday, the top 220 buyers of a Donald Trump-sponsored cryptocurrency won access to an exclusive dinner with the president as a reward for pouring money into the coin. It was the culmination of Trump’s weekslong promotion of the contest, whic ... (The Guardian)