Deficit Reduction Target Reached, But No One's Happy

“Never before has the party in control of the House of Representatives knowingly and willingly castrated its own power so thoroughly as today’s Republicans,” Axios reports. “Republicans blew years of potential authority by weak leaders surrendering to keep power. So with a razor-thin GOP majority, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had to depend on Democrats to muscle through the $60 billion Ukraine bill over the weekend.” Said a former member of GOP leadership: “The structural changes they made, made the place ungovernable.

“All eyes are on America’s college campuses as simmering tensions over the Israel-Hamas war boil over into outright confrontation,” Axios reports. “The growing intensity of pro-Palestinian protests has been met with an aggressive crackdown from school administrators and police — leading to a wave of arrests, suspensions and class cancellations.”

“The U. S. Secret Service is in the business of protecting the president, whether he’s inside the Oval Office or visiting a foreign war zone,” the New York Times reports. “But protecting a former president in prison? The prospect is unprecedented. That would be the challenge if Donald J. Trump — whom the agency is required by law to protect around the clock — is convicted at his criminal trial in Manhattan and sentenced to serve time.”

“Donald Trump’s already sizable stake in his social media company is set to jump by more than $1 billion, as he’s rewarded with additional shares in the parent of Truth Social — the result of its stock price staying high in recent weeks,” the New York Times reports. “The windfall comes at a crucial time for Mr.

“Manhattan prosecutors are poised to push their case against Donald Trump into a critical new phase on Tuesday, as they prepare to question a key witness and urge the judge to hold the former president in contempt for attacking witnesses and jurors in the landmark trial,” the New York Times reports. Politico: Prosecutors say Trump violated his gag order 10 times.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is escalating her threat to remove Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) from power, but she faces a steep climb if she hopes to achieve that goal, The Hill reports. “Not only has the Speaker recently received a glowing review from former President Trump, the GOP’s presumed presidential nominee, but Democrats remain ready to rescue Johnson from a conservative coup.