2024 Elections – TheNewsHub https://thenewshub.in Fri, 01 Nov 2024 09:00:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7 Voters in 3 red states cast ballots on paid sick leave https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/01/voters-in-3-red-states-cast-ballots-on-paid-sick-leave/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/01/voters-in-3-red-states-cast-ballots-on-paid-sick-leave/?noamp=mobile#respond Fri, 01 Nov 2024 09:00:07 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/11/01/voters-in-3-red-states-cast-ballots-on-paid-sick-leave/

St. Louis — Voters in Missouri, Nebraska and Alaska will soon decide whether workers there should be entitled to paid sick leave.

If approved, the ballot measures would allow many workers to accrue paid time off, a benefit supporters say means workers — especially those with low-paying jobs — would no longer have to fear losing wages or possibly the jobs themselves for getting sick. Proponents say such policies benefit the broader public, too, allowing workers to stay home when sick or to care for ill family members to stem the spread of infectious diseases.

But opponents say the measures force new burdens on employers, who should be the ones deciding which benefits are best.

The coronavirus pandemic highlighted gaps in such benefits. At the height of the health crisis, the federal government provided temporary relief for sick workers, but those federal protections ended in 2021.

Fifteen states and the District of Columbia now have laws requiring at least some employers to provide paid sick time, according to the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank based in Washington, D.C. They are largely Democratic-controlled places.

The three sick leave ballot measures up for vote are in Republican-led states. Ballot measures, which are allowed in 24 states, let voters amend state constitutions or enact laws by voting directly on an issue, allowing them to bypass state legislatures. For example, voters ushered in Medicaid expansion in Missouri and Nebraska in 2020 and 2018, respectively, after their legislatures wouldn’t pass it.

Still, as Election Day quickly approaches, the three sick leave ballot initiatives have flown under the radar, unlike higher-profile ballot measures — say, on abortion, which is on the ballot in 10 states, including Missouri and Nebraska.

Campaigns supporting the sick leave initiatives in Alaska, Missouri and Nebraska raked in less than $9 million combined in cash contributions, according to a KFF Health News analysis of state campaign filings as of Oct. 28.

That’s significantly less than Missouri’s ballot measures on abortion and sports betting, which have amassed more than $55 million combined in cash contributions, according to state records. TV ads flood the airwaves on those two measures and yard signs on abortion saturate the region.

Most of the money for the sick leave measures has come from backers outside those three states, the filings show, with the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a D.C.-based advocacy group, being the top contributor to each of the three campaigns. “No one should have to choose between their health and a paycheck,” the group said in a statement. 

The group, which funds progressive causes nationwide, does not disclose its donors, but in recent years nonprofits tied to George Soros and Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss have reportedly given to it.

It appears no groups have organized formal campaign committees opposing the sick leave measures.

For Alana Ashmore, 18, paid sick leave would be welcome. The St. Louis woman works two jobs: one as a restaurant server and another at a gym. When she’s too sick to work, she said, she immediately worries about being able to afford her $800 monthly rent and starts thinking: “I better find a way to get money.” She said she plans to vote for the measure. 

More than 930,000 Missourians lack paid sick time, like Ashmore, and the measure is expected to benefit 728,000 private-sector workers in the state, according to the Missouri Budget Project, a nonprofit focused on analyzing public policy. Some state or local government workers would not be eligible.

If the measures pass, many workers in these three states could accrue paid time off as they work, earning about a week of paid leave per year. In Missouri and Nebraska, workers for large organizations could earn one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. To earn one day of paid sick time, they would need to work 40 hours per week for six weeks. In Alaska, eligible workers could accrue a maximum of 56 hours of paid time each year.

In Missouri and Alaska, the measures also seek to raise the minimum wage.

In all three states, the measures have received broad support including from major unions. Jodi Lepaopao, the campaign manager for Paid Sick Leave for Nebraskans, said her campaign has received support from at least 200 businesses, though not from the meatpacking plants whose workers she said stand to gain the most as they often lack paid sick leave.

During the pandemic, meatpacking plants were heavily hit by COVID-19. Nearly 1 in 5 meatpacking plant workers were infected from March to July 2020, “a profound burden of cases unparalleled in any other worker population,” researchers found.

“This is going to be a big win for them, if we can win,” Lepaopao said.

St. Louis-based Generate Health, a nonprofit that supports healthy outcomes for Black moms and their babies, has backed the paid leave proposition in Missouri for both its employees and its clients.

“To have a healthy baby, you have to have a healthy family and, ultimately, a healthy community,” said Lora Gulley, director of advocacy for Generate Health.

But not every employer has thrown support behind the push for paid sick leave.

Missouri’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry opposes the proposition because it would place mandates on employers that it has said would “increase the cost of doing business and increase liability for our state’s employers.

The National Federation of Independent Business has also opposed paid sick leave requirements, and specifically has come out against the Alaska measure as a threat to small businesses.

Separately, ballot measures can boost voter turnout, said Adam Snipes, director of strategic partnerships at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, which works to pass progressive ballot measures around the country. Voters are often galvanized to head to the polls by the issues, causing ripple effects across all races.

“While they might be skeptical of politicians, they are highly participatory when it comes to ballot measures,” Snipes said.

KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Bram Sable-Smith contributed to this article.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.

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Harris hitting every battleground state, hoping to drive turnout https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/29/harris-hitting-every-battleground-state-hoping-to-drive-turnout/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/29/harris-hitting-every-battleground-state-hoping-to-drive-turnout/?noamp=mobile#respond Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:15:00 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/29/harris-hitting-every-battleground-state-hoping-to-drive-turnout/

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit every battleground state in the final week before Election Day, with a focus on female voters who she hopes will propel her to the White House. 

The campaign has directed several messages to female voters in recent days, reminding them that what happens in the voting booth is a secret.

A Democratic ad released Monday delivers the message: “You can vote any way you want and no one will ever know.” 

On Saturday in Kalamazoo, Michigan, former first lady Michelle Obama reminded women that “we are more than just baby making vessels.” 

“If you are a woman who lives in a household of men that don’t listen to you or value your opinion, just remember that your vote is a private matter,” Obama said in the battleground state. 

A voter CBS News met at the rally said she’s heard from a number of female Republicans who will vote Democrat. 

“There’s been kind of a little under campaign going about,” she said. “You can vote and no one knows your vote. And it’s been aiming at women.”

Four first-time female voters all said the top issue for women their age is abortion and reproductive rights

Harris told CBS News in an interview Saturday that she would restore Roe v. Wade if she wins the election. 

“I support Roe v. Wade being put back into law by Congress, and to restore the fundamental right of women to make decisions about their own body. It is that basic,” Harris said. 

Harris skirted the question about whether she supports abortion restrictions after fetal viability, generally considered to be between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy. 

“We would not be debating this if Donald Trump had not hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade,” she said, noting that women have died because of restrictions that have been enacted since the rollback. 

“We have seen women who are experiencing a miscarriage around a pregnancy they prayed for and being denied healthcare because doctors are afraid they’re going to go to prison, and those women developing sepsis,” she said. “We have seen extraordinary harm and pain and suffering happen because of what Donald Trump did in intending and effectuating and overturning of Roe v. Wade. Yes, my first priority is to put back in place those protections and to stop this pain and to stop this injustice that is happening around our country.” 

She also urged Americans not to take former President Donald Trump at his word when he denies that he would support a national abortion ban

“He says everything,” Harris said. “Come on, are we really taking his word for it? He said that women should be punished. He has been all over the place on this.” 

With polling showing some of Harris’ early gains have slowed and that the race for the presidency is essentially a dead heat, Harris said she doesn’t put too much stock in the polls.

“I think, certainly, polling is a measure, but to be frank, if I’d listened to polls I would have never run for my first or second office,” she said. “Wouldn’t be here talking with you.”

She pointed to record turnout for early voting in North Carolina and Georgia as a sign of enthusiasm.

Asked if, considering how late in the process she became the Democratic nominee, she felt she had sufficient time to make her case to the American people, Harris responded, “I’m gonna make the most of the time I have.”

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Joe Rogan Experience podcast to interview Donald Trump today. Here’s what to know about the show. https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/25/joe-rogan-experience-podcast-to-interview-donald-trump-today-heres-what-to-know-about-the-show/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/25/joe-rogan-experience-podcast-to-interview-donald-trump-today-heres-what-to-know-about-the-show/?noamp=mobile#respond Fri, 25 Oct 2024 20:57:00 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/25/joe-rogan-experience-podcast-to-interview-donald-trump-today-heres-what-to-know-about-the-show/

Joe Rogan will interview Donald Trump today, marking the first time the popular The Joe Rogan Experience podcast will feature a former president on the program. 

Trump’s interview with Rogan comes as the former president has stepped back from some appearances on major television networks (including CBS News, the parent of CBSNews.com), while providing interviews to podcasters and YouTube channels like the Logan Paul Podcast.

The Joe Rogan Experience, the most popular podcast on Spotify, has built an audience of more than 14 million on the streaming service. Rogan’s freewheeling interviews have included everyone from scientists like Neil deGrasse Tyson to entertainers such as Post Malone. His audience is 80% male but is split between Democrats, Republicans and independents, which could be a key opportunity for the candidates as they campaign during the last few days ahead of the Election Day on November 5, according to Edison Research.

“With such a diverse and politically balanced audience, Rogan’s show offers candidates an invaluable opportunity to reach key voter groups, especially independents and younger voters,” Edison said in a blog post earlier this month.

Here’s what to know about Rogan, his podcast and his upcoming interview with Trump

Who is Joe Rogan?

Rogan, 57, got his start as a comedian and actor, with an early role on the NBC sitcom “NewsRadio,” where he played Joe Garrelli, an electrician for the show’s fictional radio station. 

He later hosted the game show “Fear Factor” and appeared in TV shows — sometimes appearing as himself — such as “Silicon Valley” and “The Man Show.” Rogan also appeared in several comedy specials such as 2007’s “Shiny Happy Jihad.”

When did Joe Rogan Experience start recording?

Rogan started taping his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, in 2009, with the show reaching 11 million listeners by 2015. 

Rogan then signed an exclusive deal with Spotify in 2020, which he extended in 2024 for a reported $250 million over the life of the contract.

When does Joe Rogan Experience usually release new episodes?

The Joe Rogan Experience pre-records several days in advance of releasing its podcast episodes, with interviews typically released daily at 1 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday through Friday and occasionally Saturday.

When will Joe Rogan Experience release its Trump interview? 

While Trump is sitting down with Rogan on October 25 in Austin, Texas, the show hasn’t disclosed which day it will air the interview. But a source familiar with the matter said the interview is likely to be released on October 26. Neither Spotify nor the Trump campaign immediately responded to requests for comment. 

What are Joe Rogan’s political views?

Joe Rogan has said he’s not a conservative, even describing himself as a “a bleeding heart liberal” on a 2022 episode of his show, according to Variety.

“I’m so far away from being a Republican. Just because I believe in the Second Amendment and just because I support the military and just ’cause I support police [doesn’t mean I’m a Republican],” he said. 

Rogan also added that he supports a strong social safety net, noting that his family was on welfare when he was a child.

His podcast has hosted people with a wide range of political views, including Senator Bernie Sanders — whom Rogan endorsed in 2020 during the Vermont independent’s primary campaign — to conservative activist Christopher Rufo. 

As for his views on Trump, Rogan has expressed ambivalence, calling him a “polarizing figure” and once claiming he would never have him on his podcast, according to Newsweek.

Where does Joe Rogan live and record his podcast?

Rogan lives in Austin, Texas, where he also tapes his podcast. He and his family live in a nearly 11,000-square foot house in the Spanish Oaks neighborhood of Austin, according to a local real estate company. 

The $17 million home, which includes eight bedrooms, as well as a home theater, gym, sauna, wine cellar and pool, was designed by star architect and Studio MK27 founder Marcio Kogan.

Who is Joe Rogan’s wife, Jessica Ditzel?

Joe Rogan married Jessica Ditzel in 2009, and the couple have two daughters, Lola and Rosy, as well as Ditzel’s daughter Kayja Rose from a previous relationship, according to People magazine. Ditzel, a former cocktail waitress, is a “happy person,” Rogan said in 2022. 

“She’s happy to be around — that’s the kind of people you could have in your life as friends, as coworkers, as lovers, as wives and husbands. When you find those people, your life is better,” he said.

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How much foreign influence is there in the U.S. election? https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/24/how-much-foreign-influence-is-there-in-the-u-s-election/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/24/how-much-foreign-influence-is-there-in-the-u-s-election/?noamp=mobile#respond Thu, 24 Oct 2024 16:07:50 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/24/how-much-foreign-influence-is-there-in-the-u-s-election/

The Trump campaign filed a formal legal complaint this week with the Federal Election Commission over what the campaign calls “blatant foreign interference in the 2024 Presidential Election in the form of apparent illegal foreign national contributions made by the Labour Party of the United Kingdom, and accepted by Harris for President.” 

That claim remains unsubstantiated, and has been denied by both the U.K. Labour Party and its leader, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. But lobbying firms and individual lobbyists formally registered as foreign agents of governments around the world — all with varying interests and including some autocratic regimes such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates — are donating significant amounts of money to both Republican and Democratic parties and candidates in this election cycle, a CBS News analysis has found.  

It is not uncommon, and not illegal, for registered foreign agents and lobbyists to finance political campaigns. Any legal permanent U.S. resident can donate to a political candidate or campaign, subject to limits imposed by the FEC

Over $33.5 million in individual political contributions came from registered foreign agents and lobbyists during the 2020 election cycle, according to analysis conducted by the OpenSecrets organization.

But campaign finance experts say the volume of donations reviewed by CBS News and the way they’re steered into American politics to serve foreign interests highlights potential loopholes in existing U.S. campaign finance laws. CBS News has reached out to all lawmakers, and donors referenced in this report for comment. 

The donations and firms behind them highlighted below are likely to be just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the scale of political contributions being made by registered foreign agents, and experts say it’s not just the flow of money that matters, but the conversations that take place between the entities involved. 

“What I’ve seen in over 15 years of analyzing U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act [FARA] filings is that there is a very, very strong correlation between whom these foreign agents are contacting and whom they’re giving money to, you know, which campaigns they’re giving money to,” Ben Freeman, the director of the Quincy Institute’s Democratizing Foreign Policy program, told CBS News. 

“If they’re contacting a congressional office, on behalf of a foreign power, there’s a very good chance that they or somebody at their firm are also making campaign contributions to them,” Freeman said. 

Below are some of those firms: 

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shreck

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck made $17 million in revenue for the third quarter of 2024 alone, according to Politico, citing the firm’s most recent disclosure of revenue, making the company one of the most lucrative lobbyists in Washington.

OpenSecrets’ most recent analysis shows the firm has taken nearly $1.3 million in total fees from foreign governments this year, with its biggest client being Saudi Arabia. 

When donations from individuals related to their firm, including relatives of employees, as well as the firm’s own political action committee, are taken into account, Brownstein has donated a total of $2,369,712 this year to political candidates across the country. 

Around 56% of that money has gone to GOP candidates and causes, while about 42% has gone to groups and candidates affiliated with the Democrats, OpenSecrets data shows.

FARA filings reviewed by CBS News show the company is currently representing both the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NEOM company, an investment group controlled by the Saudi government. 

The principal signatory on the firm’s foreign agent filings is Nadeam A. Elshami, a former chief of staff to ex House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Federal Election Commission records show Elshami has made multiple donations to senior Democratic figures this year. 

Elshami donated $2,500 in July to the Jobs, Education and Family First PAC, a political action committee affiliated with Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. This PAC is a “Leadership PAC,” which is a fundraising tool often established “in order to support candidates for various federal and nonfederal offices,” according to the FEC. 

Records show Elshami also donated $500 in June to the re-election campaign of Rep. Adam Smith, the top ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee —  the body responsible for funding and oversight of the U.S. Department of Defense and the United States Armed Forces. 

Smith was part of a congressional delegation that met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah in March of this year. In August, the Biden administration lifted a ban on selling offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, reversing a three-year-old policy that had been in place to pressure the kingdom to wind down the Yemen war.

Smith told CBS News in a phone interview on Wednesday that he had not even been aware of the donation but said that it was “a bit of a stretch to take someone who is a U.S. citizen with 20 years of Hill experience, dozens of clients and say that he was acting on behalf of Saudi Arabia.” 

“If it’s proven that Saudi Arabia or any other country for that matter is organizing an effort to get people to give money, then that’s bundling and foreign countries can’t do that,” he added. 

Elshami also donated $1,000 to the campaign of Rep. Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, responsible for electing Democratic leadership in the House, as well as $5,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, an official fundraising arm for House Democrats across the country. 

“These aren’t the biggest contributions that members of Congress are going to be receiving in terms of donations, but $1,000, $5,000, $10,000, especially in the smaller downstream races, that goes a significant way, especially in the House of Representatives,” Casey Michel, author of the book “Foreign Agents: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers Threaten Democracy Around the World,” told CBS News. 

Ballard Partners 

Lobbying firm Ballard Partners has received around $375,000 from foreign governments this year. OpenSecrets analysis shows the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been its most lucrative client, but FARA filings show the firm has lobbied for countries including Japan, Liberia and Guatemala. The firm recently opened a new office in Saudi Arabia. 

Republican megadonor Brian Ballard is the chief signatory on these foreign agent filings 

This year alone, Ballard has personally donated around $250,000 to the Republican National Committee, and another $250,000 to the Trump 47 Committee PAC. 

While Ballard has prolifically donated to Republican causes, he did contribute $3,300 to Sen. Chris Coons, of Delaware, in March. The following month, Coons — a top Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a close ally of President Biden’s — introduced a renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA. One of Ballard’s clients, the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a beneficiary of this legislation, which grants sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the U.S. market.

A spokesperson for Coons told CBS News in a statement that “AGOA has had broad, bipartisan support for nearly 25 years, and Senator Coons is one of many in Congress who have routinely supported AGOA during his tenure in the Senate.”

“Senator Coons believes that Americans should have confidence their legislators are not unduly influenced by foreign nations, and he would consider any FARA reform that came before the Senate,” the spokesperson said. 

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

The lobbying group Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has earned $5.5 million dollars from foreign government clients this year. 

The United Arab Emirates is behind a sizable chunk of those fees, having paid the company $1.9 million dollars for its lobbying services on the Gulf state’s behalf, according to OpenSecrets. The company has also received $1.5 million from Saudi Arabia, OpenSecrets records show. 

Political contributions from individuals and their family members related to the firm, as well as the firm’s own PAC donations, have totalled about $2.7 million for 2024 so far, according to an OpenSecrets analysis. 

The donations have been distributed on a fairly bipartisan basis. Contributions include a total of $121,195 to the Democratic Senatorial Committee and $100,715 to the Kamala Harris campaign, and $100,625 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

FARA filings reviewed by CBS News show a current senior advisor for Akin Gump, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, was lobbying on behalf of the UAE as recently as 2022.

Ros-Lehtinen is a former Florida Republican congresswoman who has made multiple donations to GOP lawmakers in this election cycle. 

In February, Ros-Lehtinen made a $1,000 donation to Republican Rep. Maria Salazar, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the powerful committee with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning U.S. foreign affairs, as well as a $500 donation to Rep. Mario Diaz Balart, a congressman who has in the past taken a hard-line legislative stance against the Muslim Brotherhood, pushing for sanctions against the Sunni Islamist political movement. The group is fiercely opposed by the UAE. 

She also donated $5,000 to Akin Gump’s own political action committee in February. 

“In the U.S., by far, the most common occupation for former members of Congress is to lobby other members of Congress when they leave the House or the Senate — it’s more than 50%,” Ben Freeman of the Quincy Institute notes. 

Freeman told CBS News the cumulative effect of political donations can be sizable in terms of lobbyist influence. 

“Something like $500, you know, it might not look like that much if you look at just one of these contributions at a time, but these contributions don’t happen on an island. One lobbyist at the firm might make a $1,000 contribution, another one might make $2,000. The firm’s PAC might make, you know, several $1,000 contributions, too,” he said. “When you start adding up all the contributions from all the lobbyists and the firm itself, you start to get to some serious numbers on some of these politicians — you know, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands.” 

BGR Group

The firm BGR Group has earned $288,621 this year according to OpenSecrets. Most of that money has come from its top client, Qatar. 

Individuals and PACs associated with the lobbying firm have, per OpenSecrets records, spent nearly $2 million cumulatively in campaign contributions in this election cycle.

Of that money, around $29,532 in total contributions from individuals and from the firm itself has been donated specifically to Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, during 2024. It makes Wicker one of the largest individual beneficiaries of BGR contributions this year, per OpenSecrets analysis. 

The Senate Armed Services Committee is currently reviewing Qatar’s status as a major non-NATO U.S. ally, after a group of senators introduced legislation to revoke the Gulf state’s status unless it withdraws alleged financial support for terrorist groups and expels or extradites senior Hamas leadership.

Wicker voiced opposition to the bill when it was introduced in April. 

“This strikes me as a step we should be very careful about,” Wicker said, according to Jewish Insider. “Qatar has been a friend in many ways and there are mutual benefits in our two countries continuing to be friends. This is a matter that governments should speak to each other about.”

In a statement, Nathan Calvert, communications director for Sen. Wicker, said “support from individuals at BGR is a direct result of long-standing friendships among fellow Mississippians that precede Senator Wicker’s time in elected office. Senator Wicker regularly meets with and considers the views of a wide variety of constituents and stakeholders regardless of their political support or lack thereof.”


Menendez to resign after federal bribery trial conviction

05:44

FEC filings seen by CBS News also show that BGR Government Affairs CEO Bob Wood has donated more than $42,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the official fundraising arm for the GOP’s efforts to elect candidates to the U.S. Senate.

Will FARA laws change?

Recent cases involving Democratic lawmakers including former Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, have exposed the potential frailties in foreign agent registry laws that could allow for foreign influence campaigns. 

All three lawmakers were indicted in separate cases on charges of accepting bribes from foreign governments in exchange for official acts over the past year. Both Adams and Cuellar have pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied any wrongdoing. In July, Menendez was found guilty on all counts after being tried on charges of illegally using his influence to benefit the governments of Egypt and Qatar. 


Rep. Henry Cuellar, wife federally charged in bribery scheme

02:10

Campaign finance expert Casey Michel told CBS News that legislative efforts to reform lobbying rules seem unlikely to pass, as lawmakers are the primary beneficiaries of the existing system.

Michel noted that a whole host of legislative efforts — including a bipartisan bill called the Fighting Foreign Influence Act — have failed in Congress. 

“I think the great irony in the last few years is that there have been all these bills that have been introduced, especially related to FARA and how to tighten things up, how to improve things, and none of them have passed,” Michel said. “And the reason was because the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who was, you know, the most powerful senator in terms of crafting American foreign policy, was Bob Menendez, who, as we now know, was working simultaneously as an agent of the Egyptian government.” 

contributed to this report.

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Harris asks if Trump is "fit to do the job," highlighting health questions https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/19/harris-asks-if-trump-is-fit-to-do-the-job-highlighting-health-questions/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/19/harris-asks-if-trump-is-fit-to-do-the-job-highlighting-health-questions/?noamp=mobile#respond Sat, 19 Oct 2024 01:40:14 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/19/harris-asks-if-trump-is-fit-to-do-the-job-highlighting-health-questions/

Washington — Vice President Kamala Harris has increasingly questioned former President Donald Trump’s ability to handle the demands of another four years in the White House as she seeks to contrast her age with Trump’s. 

“I’m seeing that his team at least is saying he’s suffering from exhaustion,” Harris, who turns 60 on Sunday, told reporters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Friday. 

Harris was citing a Politico report that said several Trump interviews that were in the works had failed to come to fruition because the 78-year-old Republican nominee was “exhausted.” A Trump campaign spokesperson told Politico that was “unequivocally false.”

“Look, being president of the United States is probably one of the hardest jobs in the world. And so we really do need to ask, if he’s exhausted being on the campaign trail, is he fit to do the job? And I think that’s an open-ended question and we need an answer,” Harris said. 

Harris said it’s a “legitimate question,” adding, “it should be a concern if he can’t handle the rigors of the campaign trail.” 

Trump has yet to release his recent medical records, claiming Friday, “you’ve got them all.” 

His campaign has said he’s in “perfect and excellent health” to be president.  In November 2023, Trump shared a letter from his doctor of osteopathic medicine that said he had been examined in September 2023 and that his “overall health is excellent.” The letter did not give specifics on his vitals or medications. 

“I’ve done five exams over the last four years,” Trump told CBS News as he campaigned in Michigan. 

When pressed on whether he had actually released all of his medical records, Trump called on Harris to take a cognitive test. 

“Obviously, I’m in the middle of a very big and very contentious fight we’re leading,” he said. “I’ve given my health exams. I’ve also done cognitive tests twice, and I’ve aced them, meaning a perfect score. I want to see her do a cognitive test because she couldn’t, because she wasn’t born smart.” 

Trump also said he’s “gone 48 days now without a rest,” adding, “I’m not even tired, I’m really exhilarated.” 

If elected in November, Trump would be the oldest person to ever assume the Oval Office. 

Harris released a letter from her doctor last week that said she is in “excellent health” and “possesses the physical and mental resiliency” required to serve as president. Her physician, Dr. Joshua Simmons, said Harris’ latest blood work and other test results were “unremarkable,” and that she has no personal history of high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiac disease, neurological disorders or other serious conditions. He noted that she has a history of allergies and urticaria, also known as hives, for which she has been on allergen immunotherapy for the past three years.

In a recent letter, more than 230 doctors, nurses and health care professionals, most of whom are backing Harris, called on Trump to release his health records, arguing he was “displaying alarming characteristics of declining acuity.” Absent detailed records, the letter said, “we are left to extrapolate from public appearances.”

Caitlin Huey-Burns and

contributed to this report.

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Trump proposes new tax breaks, promises to end double taxation for Americans abroad https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/10/trump-proposes-new-tax-breaks-promises-to-end-double-taxation-for-americans-abroad/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/10/trump-proposes-new-tax-breaks-promises-to-end-double-taxation-for-americans-abroad/?noamp=mobile#respond Thu, 10 Oct 2024 21:35:18 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/10/trump-proposes-new-tax-breaks-promises-to-end-double-taxation-for-americans-abroad/

Trump speaking at a meeting of the Detroit Economic Club (Picture credit: AP)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced new tax break proposals during a speech at the Detroit Economic Club on Thursday. He proposed making interest on car loans tax-deductible and ending double taxation for Americans living abroad.
Trump said that the car loan interest deduction could boost domestic auto production and make car ownership more affordable, especially in Michigan, a key swing state.“This will stimulate massive domestic auto production and make car ownership dramatically more affordable for millions and millions of working American families,” he said.
Trump also shared plans to notify Mexico and Canada about renegotiating the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement upon taking office, aiming to shift manufacturing jobs back to the United States. He said, “You vote for Trump, and you will see a mass exodus of manufacturing jobs, but from Mexico to Michigan, from Shanghai to Sterling Heights.”

The former president also committed to helping US citizens living abroad by pledging to end double taxation. He made this promise in a video statement shared by Solomon Yue, CEO of the group Republicans Overseas, on his account on X. “You have to make sure that you are registered and you are going to vote, because I’m going to take very good care of you,” Trump said. “Once and for all, I’m going to end double taxation on our overseas citizens. You’ve been wanting this for years, and nobody has listened to you. You deserve it, and I’m going to do it,” he added

Solomon Yue praised Trump for his commitment, saying, “Republicans Overseas has been fighting for the rights of Americans abroad since its inception ten years ago.” He added, “We have spoken to many politicians over the years, and while they sympathized with the burden of double taxation, very few have been willing to act.”
Currently, Americans residing in other countries often have to pay taxes both to the US government and the country where they live. Some bilateral agreements exist to reduce this tax burden.
Critics question the effectiveness of the car loan interest deduction, as many Americans do not itemize deductions. Howard Gleckman from the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center called it “more campaign pandering.”
Trump has also proposed tax breaks on tips, Social Security benefits, and overtime pay, as well as lifting the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions, which he had previously signed into law. His tax plan could increase the national debt by $7.5 trillion over a decade, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s policy package would increase the debt by $3.5 trillion over the same period, the committee found.
Economist Marc Goldwein estimates Trump’s new proposals could reduce tax revenues by over $100 billion over ten years. Only about one-fifth of taxpayers might benefit from the car loan interest deduction if it is similar to the mortgage interest deduction.
Some audience members supported the proposals, like barber Paulina Salzeider, who said, “In the service industry, the nicer you are, the kinder you are, the friendlier you are, you get rewarded by tips. So I feel that we deserve it.” Others, such as financial adviser Curtis Lyons, were skeptical, believing past policies favored the wealthy.
Trump also addressed concerns about voter fraud in the 2024 elections, cautioning against illegal voting and efforts that could affect military ballots.



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Bruce Springsteen endorses Harris, calls Trump https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/04/bruce-springsteen-endorses-harris-calls-trump/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/04/bruce-springsteen-endorses-harris-calls-trump/?noamp=mobile#respond Fri, 04 Oct 2024 17:40:08 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/10/04/bruce-springsteen-endorses-harris-calls-trump/

Washington — Bruce Springsteen endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on Thursday, arguing the Democratic nominee supports a more unified and inclusive country while calling former President Donald Trump “the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime.” 

“Perhaps not since the Civil War has this great country felt as politically, spiritually and emotionally divided as it does than at this moment. It doesn’t have to be this way,” the rock star said in a short video shared on social media.

He said Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, “are committed to a vision of this country that respects and includes everyone, regardless of class, religion, race, your political point of view or sexual identity.”

Harris’ proposals, he said, would grow the economy for everyone, not just the wealthy. 

“That’s the vision of America I’ve been consistently writing about for 55 years,” Springsteen said. 

He offered a harsh condemnation of Trump, saying the Republican nominee “doesn’t understand the meaning of this country, its history or what it means to be deeply American.” 

“His disdain for the sanctity of our Constitution, the sanctity of democracy, the sanctity of the rule of law and the sanctity of the peaceful transfer of power should disqualify him from the office of president ever again,” he said. 

The endorsement from Springsteen was no surprise. He has endorsed Democratic presidential candidates for years and has long been critical of Trump. 

In a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, Springsteen called Trump a “moron.” When Trump was running for reelection in 2020, Springsteen told The Atlantic he didn’t know “if our democracy could stand another four years of his custodianship.” 

It’s also unclear what impact major celebrity endorsements will have on the race. Taylor Swift drove more than 400,000 visits to vote.gov, a website with information about how to register to vote, in the 24 hours after she endorsed Harris. 

A number of other music stars have spoken out in this campaign, including some who support Trump.

Springsteen acknowledged that his “opinion is no more or less important than those of any of my fellow citizens.” 

“Like you, I’ve only got one vote and it’s one of the most precious possessions that I have,” he said. 



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Mark Robinson, North Carolina GOP gubernatorial candidate, treated for burns https://thenewshub.in/2024/09/28/mark-robinson-north-carolina-gop-gubernatorial-candidate-treated-for-burns/ https://thenewshub.in/2024/09/28/mark-robinson-north-carolina-gop-gubernatorial-candidate-treated-for-burns/?noamp=mobile#respond Sat, 28 Sep 2024 03:29:00 +0000 https://thenewshub.in/2024/09/28/mark-robinson-north-carolina-gop-gubernatorial-candidate-treated-for-burns/

Embattled Republican North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson — whose gubernatorial bid has been rattled by allegations that he previously posted racist and sexually explicit comments online — was hospitalized with burns Friday, his campaign said.

Mike Lonergan, a campaign spokesperson, said in a statement late Friday night that the 56-year-old Robinson suffered second-degree burns during an “incident at a campaign appearance at the Mayberry Truck Show in Mt. Airy,” a city located near the border of North Carolina and Virginia.

Robinson received treatment at the Northern Regional Hospital in Mt. Airy and was in “good spirits,” Lonergan said, adding that he was expected to resume campaigning Saturday morning. 

No further details were provided on his condition or the circumstances that prompted the injury.  

This all follows a bombshell CNN report last week which found that Robinson posted inappropriate comments to the message board of a pornographic website between 2008 and 2012, often under the name of “black NAZI.”

Since the report’s publication on Sept. 19, Robinson has seen several campaign staffers resign, including his campaign manager, general consultant and senior adviser, finance director, and deputy campaign manager. He has also appeared to lose support among Republican leadership.  

Robinson did not appear with former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, in the two North Carolina rallies Trump has held since the CNN report. And when asked Thursday by reporters if he would pull his endorsement of Robinson, Trump responded, “I don’t know the situation.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, when asked Tuesday if Republicans should halt support for Robinson’s campaign, responded, “It won’t surprise to you know I’m happy that there’s not a Senate race in North Carolina.”

Robinson, however, has so far vowed to stay in the race.

“This is an election about policies, not personalities,” he wrote on social media Wednesday. “Now is not the time for intra-party squabbling and nonsense.”

Kaia Hubbard and

Kathryn Watson

contributed to this report.

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