Dem Eyes House Seat That Swung Nearly 20 Points To Trump

Dem Eyes House Seat That Swung Nearly 20 Points To Trump

Democratic California Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains is reportedly preparing to run against Republican California Rep. David Valadao in the 2026 midterms as Valadao's district continues to trend further to the right. Bains, a family medicine and addiction doctor, will be launching her bid for California's 22nd congressional district this month, Punchbowl Newsreported. The state lawmaker has alreadyrun adsacross the district urging Valadao to vote against President Donald Trump's "one big, beautiful" bill — which Valadao voted for onThursday. and previously onMay 22. "I'm trying to see as many patients as I can because Congress is trying to cut their Medi-Cal [California Medical Assistance Program]," Bains said in the ad paid for by a group called Health Care Saves Lives. Medi-CalisCalifornia's Medicaid program. (YouTube / Screenshot / Public — User: KBAK Eyewitness News) Bains has represented Kern County in the state legislature since 2023. She is also the Central Valley's Chief Medical Officer for the California Medical Assistance Team — anorganizationthat oversees some emergency health services for California. Notably, Bains was the sole Democrat in the State Assembly tovoteagainst a 2023 gas price gouging bill targeting oil companies. The bill was backed by and eventuallysignedinto law by Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Days after her vote, Bains was temporarilyremovedfrom the Business and Professions Committee by then Democratic California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. "I will never throw my constituents under the bus," Bains wrote in an Xpostat the time describing her opposition to the bill. Kern County iswidelydescribedas being at the center of California's oil industry. The 22nd congressional district, spanning from Bakersfield to Tulare County, isover 70%Hispanic and has moved 19 points to the right between the 2020 and the 2024 presidential election cycles. Former President Joe Biden beat Trump there by 13 percentage points in 2020, but Trump beat former Vice PresidentKamala Harristhere by 6 points in 2024, according todatafrom the California Secretary of State's officeandDave's Redistricting App. Trump's gains in the district reflect hisgainswith Hispanic voters nationwide. Valadao, who was first elected to Congress in 2012, refrained from endorsing Trump in the 2016 election andlost his seatto Democrat TJ Cox in 2018. Valadao quicklywonthe district back in 2020 andvoted to impeachTrump following Jan. 6, 2021. Nonetheless, the congressmanmetwith the president on Wednesday to discuss his concerns over the reconciliation bill, although his office wouldn'tprovidecomment on how the talks went. Valadao was worried about Medicaid provisions and rural hospitals, as his rural agriculture-based district has a large population of Medicaid recipients. He said in astatementafter the vote that he voted for the bill due to its provisions that would help the district itself such as water infrastructure and crop research for his district, and tax credits for the Central Valley's clean energy sector, claiming he "came to Congress to be a voice for our community." "It does preserve the Medicaid program for its intended recipients—children, pregnant women, the disabled, and elderly," Valadao said in the statement. "The bill also includes dozens of other policy provisions that directly benefit CA-22, including blocking the largest tax hike on working families in American history, eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, expanding the Child Tax Credit, enhancing deductions for seniors, and keeping provisions in place that double the standard deduction for over 90% of taxpayers in my district." Also in the race for the congressional seat isRandy Villegas, a Democratic school board trustee from Visalia, and Democratic State Assemblyman Rudy Salas who hasreportedlyfiled paperwork to run in 2026. Salas lost to Valadao in both the 2024 and 2022 general elections. California uses a top-two all-party primary system for congressional elections — where the candidates with the highest and second-highest number of votes in the primary advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation. Valadao and Bains' offices did not respond to the DCNF's request for comment. All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter's byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contactlicensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.

byAlpha World

in

July 04, 2025

Dem Eyes House Seat That Swung Nearly 20 Points To Trump

Dem Eyes House Seat That Swung Nearly 20 Points To Trump Democratic California Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains is reportedly preparing to run ag...

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Sen. Jenkins says 'one, big beautiful bill' could impact 1.6M in Louisiana

Sen. Jenkins says 'one, big beautiful bill' could impact 1.6M in Louisiana

(The Center Square) — State Sen. Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport, said President Donald Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" would affect 1.6 million Louisiana residents' access to healthcare. "Me and my lawmakers down in Baton Rouge have some very serious concerns about the potential cuts to Medicaid and SNAP," Jenkins said during the Thursday Caddo Parish Commission meeting. "Significant federal cuts could lead to a multi-billion dollar loss for Louisiana." Jenkins made it clear he was not giving any political statement towards the bill but was specifically focused on numbers. According to Jenkins, the massive budget reconciliation bill proposes cutting $1 trillion to Medicaid and $180 billion to SNAP nationwide. Data released byUSAFactsshowed roughly 847,100, or 18.4%, of Louisiana residents received SNAP benefits monthly during fiscal year 2024, larger than the 12.3% receiving benefits nationwide. In 2012, nearly 948,800 people in Louisiana received monthly SNAP benefits. In 2024, Louisiana ranked third in the U.S. for the state population receiving SNAP benefits. KFFdata shows that as of May, 1.8 million people in Louisiana have Medicaid, and 79% of Medicaid spending is federally funded. Louisiana currently receives $13 billion in federal funds for Medicaid. The state budget for the 2025-2026 year is $47.9 billion-- $24.2 billion of the budget is state funds, and $23.7 billion is federal funds. Of the $23.7 billion federally funded dollars, $16.4 billion supports healthcare for Louisiana residents. The Center Square previouslyreportedpositive and negative responses from lawmakers surrounding the passage of the president's bill, which he is expected to sign into law on Friday. The bill is said to add $4.1 trillion to the primary deficit over the next 10 years, raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, add cost-saving reforms to Medicaid and SNAP and fund border construction. "Thanks to the leadership of President Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson, and Congressman Steve Scalise, Americans just received: largest tax cut in history, no tax on tips, overtime and social security, permanently secure our borders, permanent increase to the child tax credit, protects two million family farms from punitive double taxation, unless American Energy Dominance, modernizes the American military and ends fraud, waste and abuse in our federal government," Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said on X. Landry, U.S Rep. Julia Letlow, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, all Republicans, shared their support for the bill. Democratic Congressmen Cleo Fields and Troy A. Carter released statements of concern.

byAlpha World

in

July 04, 2025

Sen. Jenkins says 'one, big beautiful bill' could impact 1.6M in Louisiana

Sen. Jenkins says 'one, big beautiful bill' could impact 1.6M in Louisiana (The Center Square) — State Sen. Sam Jenkins, D-Shrevepor...

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Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt goes on injured list and heads for scan of forearm

Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt goes on injured list and heads for scan of forearm

NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt was placed on the 15-day injured list because of right forearm soreness on Friday, one day after his start at Toronto was cut short following three innings. A 29-year-old right-hander, Schmidt was set to have an MRI on Friday. New York also recalled right-hander Scott Effross and left-hander Jayvien Sandridge from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Right-hander Clayton Beeter had been optioned to the RailRiders after replacing Schmidt on Thursday night and taking the loss in the8-5 defeatas the Yankees were swept in a four-game series against the Blue Jays and dropped out of the AL East lead. Schmidt allowed three runs, four hits that included George Springer's two-run homer and two walks. He said he's been dealing with soreness in his arm since his June 4 outing against Cleveland. "Earlier on in the game it felt OK," Schmidt said. "As the game progressed it sort of tightened up a little bit on me. ... Just pitch to pitch I didn't feel 100%. I felt like the whole night I was kind of guarding it a little bit on the breaking balls, really not ripping them or trying to get a lot behind them." Schmidt had Tommy John surgery in May 2017, a month before the Yankees selected him with the 16th overall pick in the amateur draft. In his sixth major league season, he is is 4-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 14 starts. Schmidt left a June 21 start against Baltimore after a career-high 103 pitches in seven hitless innings, part of a streak of 28 1/3 scoreless innings. "Any time you're getting an MRI on your forearm, or whatever the body part is, you're not feeling happy about it," Schmidt said. "I'm praying everything is going to be clean and minor. We'll see what happens." Right-hander Luis Gil, sidelined since straining his right lat during spring training, will throw either a third batting practice session on Tuesday or Wednesday, or start a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment. Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, threw to hitters on June 21 for the first time since getting hurt. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the 27-year-old right-hander will throw 45-50 pitches. "I'm not sure if it's a three-up live because sometimes we like them to get to that number in a more controlled environment just so we don't have to pull a plug," Boone said. Right-hander Ryan Yarbrough, out since June because of a strained right oblique, has not started throwing. "I think he's getting close to playing catch, but he has not started playing catch yet," Boone said. ___ AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byAlpha World

in

July 04, 2025

Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt goes on injured list and heads for scan of forearm

Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt goes on injured list and heads for scan of forearm NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees pitcher Clarke Schmidt was placed ...

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Red Bull's Christian Horner says Max Verstappen intends to stay despite Mercedes links

Red Bull's Christian Horner says Max Verstappen intends to stay despite Mercedes links

SILVERSTONE, England (AP) — Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said Max Verstappen intends to stay with the team for next year despite speculation about a move to Mercedes which would shake upFormula 1. Verstappen has repeatedlydeclined to sayhe's committed to Red Bull for 2026 following asuggestionlast week from Mercedes' George Russell that his team spoke with Verstappen. Russell doesn't have a contract for 2026. The four-time world champion has a contract through 2028 at Red Bull but there have been indications that a performance-related clause could allow him to exit earlier. The exact details are not public. "The contracts between the drivers and the teams are always going to remain confidential. With any driver's contract there is an element of a performance mechanism, and of course that exists within Max's contract," Horner said on Friday at theBritish Grand Prix. "His intention is that he will be there and driving for us in 2026. It's inevitable that he's of huge interest to any other other team in the pit lane." Horner suggested Russell "probably triggered all this speculation" to strengthen his hand in talks with Mercedes. "I think the most important thing is the clarity that exists between Max and the team and that's very clear," Horner added. Horner also said of Verstappen: "He's made it quite clear that he would like to finish his career in a Red Bull car from start to finish. I think that's quite special and unique for him." Russellsaidon Thursday he believed there was an "exceptionally low" chance he'd have to leave Mercedes for 2026. Horner added that Yuki Tsunoda will get the rest of 2025 to show he deserves to keep a seat at Red Bull, but signaled he'd consider a range of options inside and outside the wider Red Bull organization, including Liam Lawson and his rookie Racing Bulls teammate Isack Hadjar. Tsunoda waspromotedto Verstappen's teammate in March after Lawson struggled in the first two races. "Yuki has got until the end of the season to demonstrate that he's the guy to remain in the car," Horner said. "We have Isack also doing a good job and Liam finding his form as well. So within the Red Bull pool we have talent. Of course, you're also open to what is outside of that. We want to field the best lineup that we can for next year. We've gone outside of that pool in recent years. If we feel the necessity to do so, we wouldn't be afraid to do so again." ___ AP auto racing:https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

byAlpha World

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July 04, 2025

Red Bull's Christian Horner says Max Verstappen intends to stay despite Mercedes links

Red Bull's Christian Horner says Max Verstappen intends to stay despite Mercedes links SILVERSTONE, England (AP) — Red Bull team princip...

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7 little-known items in Trump’s big agenda bill

7 little-known items in Trump's big agenda bill

When President Donald Trump signs his so-calledbig, beautiful billinto law Friday, much of the focus will be on its big-ticket items — tax cuts, slashes to Medicaid and food stamp spending and boosted border security funding. But lawmakers tucked a long list of measures that won't grab headlines into the massivetax and spending package. Here's a look at seven of the lesser-known provisions of the measure: The space shuttle Discovery, parked at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum annex in Northern Virginia since it was decommissioned in 2011, will be relocated. Its new home: Houston. The bill includes $85 million to pay for its relocation and housing at the Johnson Space Center. The move comes after a push by two Texas Republican senators, John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, who argued Houston's role in the space shuttle program should be recognized. Commercial space flight companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX will have to pay fees for their launches and reentries – phased in over eight years, and intended to help the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation keep up with the industry's rapid growth. The fees will start at 25 cents per pound, capped at $30,000 per launch and reach $1.50 per pound, capped at $200,000 per launch, in 2033, with increases tied to the consumer price index after that. The poker industry — including those who play for a living, online and in casinos — could be in serious trouble due to a provision that will eat into the profits of those who make money gambling. Currently, gamblers can deduct their losses before paying taxes on their winnings. Under Trump's bill, though, they'll be able to deduct just 90% of their losses. For example: Win $100,000, but lose $80,000? You'll have made $20,000 but owe taxes on $28,000. "This new amendment to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would end professional gambling in the US and hurt casual gamblers, too," professional poker player Phil Galfondsaid on X. "You could pay more in tax than you won." The bill includes $257 million to carry out Trump's often-mentioned plans for a makeover of the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts — funding that comes despite the Trump administration's cancellation of grant offers to arts and humanities programs nationwide. Trump took over one of Washington's premiere cultural spots, remaking the Kennedy Center's board with political allies. He also last month attended the center's opening night of "Les Misérables," where he was met with a mix of cheers and boos. The bill eliminates a $200 fee that gun owners are charged when purchasing silencers and short-barrel rifles, as well as registration and ownership requirements. It removes those from the scope of the 1934 National Firearms Act, a Prohibition-era law intended to crack down on gangland crime. That law remains in effect for machine guns and explosive devices. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski used her leverage as the Senate's deciding vote to extract a series of concessions in the final bill for her home state. Among them: An increase, from $10,000 to $50,000, of a tax deduction for whaling-related expenses. Buying an American-made car between 2025 and 2028? You'll be able to write off up to $10,000 of interest paid on your auto loan. Reaching the full deduction would require a six-figure vehicle purchase, but those buying average cars, trucks and SUVs that qualify for the deduction could save several hundred dollars per year. On the other hand, those in the market for electric vehicles will see a tax credit created under former President Joe Biden and worth up to $7,500 eliminated at the end of September. It had originally been scheduled to last through 2032. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byAlpha World

in

July 04, 2025

7 little-known items in Trump’s big agenda bill

7 little-known items in Trump's big agenda bill When President Donald Trump signs his so-calledbig, beautiful billinto law Friday, much ...

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