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Greg Clugston
SRN Correspondent Greg Clugston keeps you informed about all the news coming from the White House.
Supreme Court to hear arguments on Trump’s tariff powers
President Trump’s tariffs case is set to go before the Supreme Court. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the president must have emergency economic powers to impose tariffs — and that the White House is optimistic about its legal case. Justices will be deciding whether Donald Trump overstepped federal law to set sweeping import taxes.
Listen DownloadTrump discussing no back pay for furloughed gov’t workers
The White House is leaving open the possibility that furloughed government workers will not receive back pay once the shutdown is over. More than half a million federal workers have been furloughed during the shutdown and, according to The Washington Post, the Trump administration may deny them back pay once the government reopens. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t dispute the report. Her response is causing confusion because, during his first term, President Trump signed a law that automatically guarantees back pay for furloughed government workers.
Listen DownloadFormer Vice President Dick Cheney dies at 84
Former Vice President Dick Cheney has died at the age of 84. Cheney served as vice president during both of George W. Bush’s administrations and is viewed as one of the most influential and powerful Number Two’s in White House history. Before becoming VP, Cheney had a long political career as a Republican in Washington, where he was a member of Congress, a White House chief of staff, and Secretary of Defense. His family says Cheney died Monday night due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.
Listen DownloadGovernment shutdown reaches record 35th day
The federal government shutdown has now matched the longest shutdown in history. It’s Day 35 of the current shutdown — the same length as the shutdown that lasted from December 2018 to January 2019. During that impasse, Donald Trump demanded Congress give him money for a U-S-Mexico border wall. This time, the stumbling block is expiring health care tax credits. The impasse has created air travel delays, suspended food aid to tens of millions, and forced hundreds of thousands of federal workers to miss paychecks.
Listen DownloadTop GOP Senator “optimistic” shutdown could end this week
The top Republican in the Senate is “optimistic” that the federal government could reopen by the end of the week. With the government shutdown now in its 35th day, there are some fresh signs it could end soon. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he thinks they’re “getting close to an off-ramp.” Talks are taking place about promising a vote on the health care tax credits being pushed by Democrats. Meanwhile, the Trump administration says it will partially fund the SNAP food assistance program this month by tapping an emergency fund.
Listen DownloadVoters head to the polls in off-year elections
Voters head to the polls to decide key races electing governors, as well as mayor of the country’s largest city. New Jersey and Virginia are holding elections for governor in two contests that featured weekend campaign speeches by former President Obama and telephone rallies by President Trump last night. In New York City, the mayor’s race features Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. And California voters will decide on a statewide ballot measure that would redraw the congressional map.
Listen DownloadGovernment to partially fund SNAP food aid in November
The Trump administration will partially fund the SNAP food aid program to keep it running during the government shutdown. In response to a pair of judges’ rulings, the Department of Agriculture will provide some SNAP benefits after funding ran out over the weekend. It’s not clear how much beneficiaries will receive. It’s also not immediately known how quickly beneficiaries will see value show up on the debit cards they use to buy groceries. SNAP is the country’s largest food program and serves about 1 in 8 Americans.
Listen DownloadTransportation Secretary: Nation’s airspace is still safe during shutdown
The Transportation Secretary says the nation’s airspace is safe despite the government shutdown’s impact on federal aviation workers. The shutdown has forced 13-thousand air traffic controllers and 50-thousand Transportation Security Administration officers to work without pay and snarled tens of thousands of flights. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the administration would close the U-S aviation system if he thought the shutdown was making it too unsafe to travel. He told CNBC there are “significant delays” but it hasn’t reached the point where it’s too risky to fly.
Listen DownloadTrump orders Pentagon to begin potential action in Nigeria
President Trump is threatening Nigeria with military action over the persecution of Christians. Upset with what he calls the “mass slaughter” of Christians, the president said he’s ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria. He wrote on social media that the U-S “may very well go into” Nigeria “guns-a-blazing” to stop the killing. The president also warned that he “will immediately stop all aid and assistance” to the West African nation.
Listen DownloadTrump “won’t be extorted” by Democrats over shutdown
President Trump says Republicans aren’t interested in compromising with Democrats over the government shutdown. With the shutdown entering its 6th week, the president said he “won’t be extorted” by Democrats. Appearing on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” he said that Democrats who are demanding an extension in health care subsidies “have lost their way” and predicted that they will eventually capitulate to Republicans. The president said if Democrats don’t vote to reopen the government “it’s their problem.”
Listen DownloadTrump says China has assured him no action against Taiwan
President Trump says China won’t use military action against Taiwan as long as he’s in office. The president told CBS’s “60 Minutes” that Chinese President Xi Jinping has assured him that Beijing would take no action against Taiwan while Donald Trump’s in the White House. U.S. officials have long been concerned about the possibility of China using military force against Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing.
Listen DownloadEnergy Secretary says U.S. nuclear tests will not be explosions
Energy Secretary Chris Wright clarified President Trump’s recent order for the U-S to start testing nuclear weapons for the first time in three decades. He told Fox News the tests will be “system tests…not nuclear explosions.” Wright’s comments came after the president was coy late last week on whether he was actually ordering the resumption of explosive testing of nuclear weapons.
Listen DownloadTwo judges say SNAP food aid funding must continue during shutdown
Two federal judges have ruled for the continuation of the SNAP food aid program during the government shutdown. In two separate rulings, the judges said the Trump administration must continue to pay for SNAP using emergency reserve funds during the government shutdown. Because of the shutdown, food aid funding was set to expire this weekend. The judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island gave the administration leeway on whether to fund the program partially or in full for November. SNAP is the nation’s biggest food aid program and is used by more than 40 million Americans.
Listen DownloadTrump raises concern over Nigeria’s “slaughter” of Christians
President Trump is putting Nigeria on notice for its persecution of Christians. The president says “Christianity is facing an existential threat” in Nigeria and that his administration will designate the West African nation as a “country of particular concern.” That designation does not necessarily mean that sanctions will be imposed, but is one step ahead of that. He writes in a social media post that “radical Islamists” are responsible for the “mass slaughter” of thousands of Christians.
Listen DownloadTrump declines details on resuming underground nuke tests
President Trump won’t say whether he plans to resume underground nuclear detonation tests. The president announced this week that he instructed the Pentagon to start testing nuclear weapons in response to other countries doing the same. But he’s offering few details right now. The United States has not conducted nuclear weapons tests in three decades.
Listen DownloadTrump wants Senate to end filibuster to bypass Democrats
President Trump wants the Senate to change its rules so Republicans can end the government shutdown.
Republicans have a majority in the Senate, but are unable to reach the filibuster’s 60-vote threshold without help from Democrats. So, the president is calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster, which would allow the GOP to bypass Democrats and reopen the government. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has strongly opposed changing the filibuster and repeatedly said he is not considering changing the rules to end the month-long shutdown.
Food banks prepare for surge if federal assistance is cut off
The nation’s food banks are preparing for a surge of hungry people if federal assistance is cut off this weekend. States are scrambling to figure out what to do if federal food assistance comes to a halt on Saturday because of the government shutdown. Food banks and pantries that were already struggling after federal program cuts this year are now bracing for a wave of new people needing help. The Trump administration says it won’t use a roughly 5 billion dollar contingency fund to keep food aid flowing, and that it won’t reimburse states that temporarily cover the costs.
Listen DownloadTrump set to hold talks with Chinese President Xi
President Trump is set to hold talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Thursday’s face-to-face meeting between the presidents will be their first since Donald Trump’s first term. It comes as tensions remain high between the U-S and China, as both countries have been willing to play hardball. Even though President Trump has vowed to impose additional 100 percent tariffs on Chinese exports, he has repeatedly expressed optimism about reaching a trade deal this week.
Listen DownloadTrump appears to rule out third term in office
President Trump appears to be ruling out a third term in office. Donald Trump has been publicly toying with the idea of running for a third term in the White House, even though the Constitution’s 22nd Amendment says no one can be elected president more than twice. He told reporters aboard Air Force One that “if you read it, it’s pretty clear. I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad.” However, the president didn’t rule out entirely the possibility of staying in office despite that, saying, “we’ll see what happens.”
Listen DownloadTrump says U.S. has reached a trade deal with South Korea
President Trump says he’s reached a trade deal with South Korea. On the last stop of his Asia trip, the president announced that a deal had been struck and was pretty much finalized. Later, the South Korean government confirmed a 350-billion dollar investment package in the U-S to include cash payments and shipbuilding cooperation. Also, U-S tariffs on South Korean cars will be lowered from 25 to 15 percent.
Listen DownloadVance believes U.S. troops will be paid during shutdown
Vice President Vance says members of the military likely will be paid this week amid the second-longest government shutdown. The vice president met with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill as the pressure to end the shutdown is taking on new urgency. He said he believes the administration will be able to keep paying the troops “at least for now.” But more federal workers will soon miss their first full paycheck. As the stalemate drags on, Republicans are trying to encourage a handful of Senate Democrats to vote for stopgap funding to reopen the government.
Listen DownloadJudge blocks Trump from firing federal workers during shutdown
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from firing federal workers during the government shutdown. U-S District Judge Susan Illston granted a preliminary injunction that bars the firings while a lawsuit challenging them plays out. She said that labor unions were likely to prevail on their claims that the job cuts were arbitrary and politically motivated. Trump administration lawyers say the district court does not have the authority to hear personnel challenges, and that the president has broad authority to reduce the federal workforce.
Listen DownloadHouse GOP issues scathing report on Biden’s health, actions
House Republicans have released a report on former President Biden’s cognitive health and his actions in office. The long-promised report issues a scathing critique of Joe Biden’s inner circle, accusing a cover-up of the former president’s mental condition and misuse of the autopen. Even though the report includes no specific instances of illegal activity. Republicans said their findings cast doubt on all of Joe Biden’s actions in office. And they’re urging the Justice Department to conduct a full investigation. Biden has denied he was unaware of his administration’s actions.
Listen DownloadHouse Speaker doesn’t “see a path” for third Trump term
House Speaker Mike Johnson is throwing cold water on the idea of a third Trump term. President Trump isn’t ruling out a possible third term in the White House, saying he would “love” to do it. But House Speaker Johnson, who’s a constitutional lawyer, said he doesn’t “see a path” for a third presidential term. He said the country doesn’t allow it, and amending the Constitution would take a decade and be too time consuming. But that hasn’t stopped the president from raising the possibility and selling hats that say “Trump 2028.”
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