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Trump agreeable to meet Harris in debates on ABC, NBC, Fox in September, Trump announces
National, THE HILL

Trump agreeable to meet Harris in debates on ABC, NBC, Fox in September, Trump announces

By Brett Samuels and Dominick Mastrangelo | The Hill Former President Trump during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort Thursday said he had agreed to three separate debates on three different networks against his new opponent, Vice President Harris. Trump scheduled the press conference as his campaign seeks to make Harris’s access to the media a campaign issue. Trump had previously said he would not take part in a scheduled debate on ABC that was initially set on Sept. 10 between him and President Biden. But ABC in a statement during Trump’s press conference said both he and Harris had agreed to a debate on Sept. 10. The former president on Thursday also said he had proposed debates with Fox News on Sept. 4 and NBC on Sept. 25. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HI...
Van Jones: Conversation needed in Democratic Party over ‘anti-Jewish bigots’ following Walz pick
National, THE HILL

Van Jones: Conversation needed in Democratic Party over ‘anti-Jewish bigots’ following Walz pick

By Yash Roy | The Hill CNN commentator Van Jones called for conversations about antisemitism in the Democratic party after Vice President Harris announced Tuesday that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) would be her running mate on the November ballot. “You can be for the Palestinians without being an anti-Jewish bigot, but there are some anti-Jewish bigots out there,” Jones said Tuesday on CNN, following the announcement. “And there has to be conversations about how much of what just happened is caving into some of these darker parts in the party. So that’s going to have to get worked out. It’s going to have to get talked through.”  “So here’s the challenge you’ve got in this party, and people don’t want to talk about it,” Jones continued. “We got to talk about ...
Despite expectations to the contrary, Fed holds interest rates steady
National, THE HILL

Despite expectations to the contrary, Fed holds interest rates steady

By Tobias Burns | The Hill The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady at a range of 5.25 to 5.5 percent Wednesday amid growing speculation that the central bank would start rate cuts later this year. Markets had been expecting the Fed to keep rates where they are as inflation continued to fall over the summer, but not quickly enough to spur the central bank to ease its policy. The CME FedWatch prediction algorithm, which is based on futures contract prices, put the odds of a July rate cut at just 3 percent in the hours before the meeting. Stocks rallied ahead of the decision, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average of big U.S. companies up more than 200 points in morning trading. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Secret Service leader grilled by GOP over lack of firings for Trump security failures
National, THE HILL

Secret Service leader grilled by GOP over lack of firings for Trump security failures

By Rebecca Beitsch  | The Hill Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe defended the agency’s failure to fire any of the agents involved in the planning and response to the assassination attempt of former President Trump, saying he did not want to “rush to judgment.” Numerous lawmakers questioned why no agents had been removed from their posts during testy exchanges with the acting director. In one clash during aggressive questioning by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Rowe said he “could not tip the scales” and said “we need to allow the investigation to play out.”  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Bill Barr: Biden reforms would usher in ‘radical change’, purge Supreme Court’s conservative justices
National, THE HILL

Bill Barr: Biden reforms would usher in ‘radical change’, purge Supreme Court’s conservative justices

By Miranda Nazzaro | The Hill Former Attorney General Bill Barr offered his concerns about President Biden’s reform proposals for the Supreme Court on Monday, arguing they would eliminate the high court’s conservative justices and “destroy the independence of the judiciary.” “Americans need to understand that the campaign to radically change the Court is coming. While current proposals like term limits for the longest-serving justices and an imposed code of ethics threaten the Constitution and the separation of powers, the far left is demanding that Court be packed with additional liberal justices,” Barr and Kelly Shackelford — the president, CEO and chief counsel for First Liberty Institute — wrote in an op-ed published with Fox News on Monday. Barr ...
Poll: Just before Biden withdrew, his approval hit a new low of 36% in Gallup study
National, THE HILL

Poll: Just before Biden withdrew, his approval hit a new low of 36% in Gallup study

By TARA SUTER | The Hill President Biden’s approval rating as president hit a new low this month, according to a Gallup survey taken just before Biden announced he would withdraw from the 2024 race. The poll, published Tuesday, found 36 percent of Americans said that they “approve” of Biden’s “handling” of his role as president, compared to 58 percent who said they disapprove. The president’s announcement came after Democratic lawmakers in both chambers urged him to exit the race and make room for someone else to challenge former President Trump in November. Those political headwinds came after a poor debate performance by the incumbent raised concerns over his mental acuity and ability to serve another four terms. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL...
‘Cowardly attack’: Former presidents condemn shooting at Trump rally
National, THE HILL

‘Cowardly attack’: Former presidents condemn shooting at Trump rally

By JESSE BYRNES | The Hill Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama joined members of both parties in condemning the shooting at President Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, which injured Trump and killed one attendee. Bush said he and former first lady Laura Bush “are grateful that President Trump is safe following the cowardly attack on his life” and praised Secret Service for their “speedy response” to the shooting. Obama said in a post on social media platform X that “Although we don’t yet know exactly what happened, we should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics.” “There is absolutel...
Judge blocks Biden’s transgender student protections in 6 more states
National, THE HILL

Judge blocks Biden’s transgender student protections in 6 more states

By BROOKE MIGDON  | The Hill A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked a Biden administration rule expanding federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ students.  The decision by U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves halts enforcement of changes to Title IX — the federal civil rights law preventing sex discrimination in schools and education programs that receive government funding — that were finalized in April by the Education Department in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The new rule, which covers discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time, had been set to take effect later this summer.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Analysis: Trump plan to cut taxes on tips would save taxpayers $250 billion over decade
National, THE HILL

Analysis: Trump plan to cut taxes on tips would save taxpayers $250 billion over decade

By ARIS FOLLEY | The Hill Former President Trump’s plan to end taxes on tips could come with a price tag of $250 billion, a budget watchdog estimated in a new analysis. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated Sunday that exempting tip income from federal income and payroll taxes could lead to a decrease of $150 billion to $250 billion in federal revenues over a decade. The watchdog noted the estimate was calculated on “a static basis” and that it does not factor in certain behavioral effects but is instead the “net of revenue gains” from eliminating the Federal Insurance Contributions Act Tip Credit. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL
Supreme Court rules for Starbucks in union case over terminated ‘Memphis Seven’
National, THE HILL

Supreme Court rules for Starbucks in union case over terminated ‘Memphis Seven’

By ZACH SCHONFELD | The Hill The Supreme Court on Thursday tossed a lower court’s ruling ordering Starbucks to reinstate seven Memphis-based employees terminated amid a unionization drive.  The decision makes it more difficult to immediately block alleged unfair labor practices as they are litigated in a sometimes years-long administrative process. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion on behalf of eight justices, while Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson partially dissented.  The case arose from the “Memphis Seven,” seven Starbucks employees who were terminated in 2022 during a unionization effort. The employees had publicly posted a letter addressed to the company’s CEO and sat down in the store with a television news crew to discuss the...