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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: After voting down the budget reconciliation bill on Friday, House Budget Committee members reconvened on Sunday after renewed negotiations and intervention from President Donald J. Trump and the White House, allowing the legislation to advance to the Rules Committee before it heads to the House floor.
👥 Who’s Involved: Speaker Mike Johnson, President Donald J. Trump, House Budget Committee members, and four GOP members who shifted their stance: Reps. Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, Andrew Clyde, and Josh Brecheen.
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📍 Where & When: Capitol Hill, late Sunday night vote following a failed attempt on Friday.
💬 Key Quote: Speaker Mike Johnson said the bill is now “on track” for a House floor vote by the end of the week.
⚠️ Impact: The bill’s advancement is a win for Trump and Johnson but faces further hurdles in the House and Senate.
IN FULL:
House Republicans on the Budget Committee narrowly advanced a major budget proposal on Sunday night, reversing Friday’s failed attempt to move the bill forward. The measure, which includes making President Donald J. Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent, a significant expansion in the number of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation agents, $1.6 trillion in deficit reduction, full Defense Department (DoD) funding, and overhauling Medicaid, passed by a 17-16 vote. All Democrats opposed the bill, while four Republicans—Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), and Josh Brecheen (R-OK)—voted “present” after initially voting “no” on Friday.
The sudden shift followed a weekend of intense negotiations behind closed doors. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) met with lawmakers shortly before the vote and confirmed that “some minor modifications” had been made to the legislation. Johnson expressed optimism about the bill’s progress, stating it is “on track” for a House floor vote by the end of the week.
Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington (R-TX) noted during the session that additional changes to the measure are likely before it reaches the floor, though he declined to provide specifics. The bill must still pass through the House Rules Committee and secure approval on the House floor, where Republicans hold a slim majority.
Norman, one of the Republicans who shifted his stance, expressed enthusiasm about the adjustments, saying he was “excited about the changes” being made. However, the legislation remains contentious within the GOP, particularly over Medicaid reform. Conservatives have pushed for deeper structural changes, while moderates have raised concerns about the potential political risks.
Additionally, the legislation faces opposition from a bloc of moderate Republicans that represent districts in high-tax, Democrat-controlled states. President Trump and House Republican leaders have been engaged in protracted negotiations with these lawmakers, which include Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Nick LaLota (R-NY), and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY). These lawmakers want a significant change to the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap, well above the $30,000 for single filers and $60,000 for joint filers proposed by Speaker Johnson. Currently, House leaders are floating lifting the cap to $40,000 for single filers and $80,000 for joint filers—still below the $60,000 and $120,000 levels being pushed for by the New York Republican delegation.
Even if the package clears the House, Senate Republicans are expected to propose revisions. A group of Senate fiscal hawks, including Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), has expressed their intention to push for deeper structural cuts to reduce the budget deficit.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: President Donald J. Trump questioned whether Kamala Harris paid entertainment elites for endorsements during her 2024 campaign.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Trump, Kamala Harris, Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Oprah Winfrey, Samuel L. Jackson, Spike Lee, and Tyler Perry.
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📍 Where & When: Trump made the statement on Truth Social on Monday, May 19, 2025; celebrity endorsements occurred during Harris’s 2024 campaign rallies in various locations, including Atlanta, Georgia, and Houston, Texas.
💬 Key Quote: “BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, OPRAH, BONO AND, PERHAPS, MANY OTHERS, HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!!!” — President Trump.
⚠️ Impact: Trump’s comments raise questions about potential election law violations and the role of celebrity influence in political campaigns.
IN FULL:
President Donald J. Trump has raised concerns over whether Kamala Harris compensated entertainment elites for their endorsements during her struggling 2024 presidential campaign. In a post on Truth Social on Monday morning, Trump raised the possibility, suggesting a potential investigation into whether election laws were violated.
“According to news reports, Beyoncé was paid $11,000,000 to walk onto a stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, NOT EVEN ONE SONG!” Trump wrote, continuing: “Remember, the Democrats and Kamala illegally paid her millions of Dollars for doing nothing other than giving Kamala a full throated ENDORSEMENT.”
He added: “THIS IS AN ILLEGAL ELECTION SCAM AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL! IT IS AN ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION! BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, OPRAH, BONO AND, PERHAPS, MANY OTHERS, HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!!!”
The President’s accusations come amid renewed attacks from Bruce Springsteen, who drew Trump’s ire last week. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Springsteen announced his support for Harris, stating, “Donald Trump is the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime.”
At a campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia, Harris received backing from a host of Hollywood stars, including Samuel L. Jackson, Spike Lee, and Tyler Perry. Meanwhile, pop icon Beyoncé Knowles-Carter endorsed Harris during a rally in Houston, Texas, focusing her remarks on abortion.
“I’m not here as a celebrity, I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother,” Beyoncé stated. “Imagine our daughters growing up seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations.”
Trump’s Truth Social post suggests he believes these endorsements may warrant scrutiny under election law. Notably, campaign finance records indicate that the Harris campaign paid at least $1 million to Oprah‘s production company. This payment was supposedly in exchange for the company’s assistance with the “United for America” livestream rally featuring numerous celebrities and endorsements in September 2024.
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A man opposed to pro-life values committed what authorities are calling “an intentional act of terrorism” over the weekend, bombing a reproductive center in California.
The details: On Saturday, 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus blew up his car outside the American Reproductive Centers (ARC) in Palm Springs, killing himself and injuring four others. ARC performs IVF treatments, egg retrievals, and other fertility care.
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- Police found two rifles and ammunition with the exploded vehicle.
- None of the embryos or other “sensitive material” was damaged by the blast.
His motive: Bartkus is a self-described “pro-mortalist” and “anti-natalist.” In a manifesto posted to his website with the tag line “F*ck you pro-lifers!,” he wrote:
- “I think we need a war against pro-lifers.”
- “I just wanted to say, your god definitely doesn’t exist, but if he did, I’d choose satan over your evil god. Did you ever think that maybe the bible is just slander against satan, and that satan just realized what a f***ing creep your god is?”
Glossary: A pro-mortalist believes death can be good or should happen sooner. An anti-natalist thinks having children is wrong because life causes pain or harm.
What they’re saying: The FBI Los Angeles field office confirmed: “This was a targeted attack against the IVF facility. Make no mistake, we are treating this, as I said yesterday, is an intentional act of terrorism.”
Zoom out: President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to expand access to in vitro fertilization, aiming to reduce treatment costs and remove regulatory barriers.
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A man opposed to pro-life values committed what authorities are calling “an intentional act of terrorism” over the weekend, bombing a reproductive center in California. show more
English (US) ·