Trump signs "big, beautiful bill" in July Fourth ceremony at White House

Washington— President Trump brought pomp and circumstance to his signing of the "big, beautiful bill" on Friday, with an Independence Day ceremony at the White House that included a B-2 bomber flyover. Some Republican members of Congress whovoted to passthe legislation attended the event in which the president put his signature on his sweeping domestic policy bill. They stood around Mr. Trump with their thumbs up as he signed the bill. The final bill hasn't appeased all Republicans, but the president and Congress managed to pass it ahead of their self-imposed July Fourth deadline. "What we've done is put everything into one bill," Mr. Trump said. "I liked it because we had so much in there that no matter who you are, there was something in that bill that would make your congressman or your senator or your congresswoman, much more importantly, raise their hand and support it." The president praised Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, for their work in holding the conference together to get the bill over the finish line. "Those two are a team that is not going to be beat," Mr. Trump said. The presidentwatched coverageof the bill's passage from the White House on Thursday. Mr. Trump took a victory lap during a speech in Iowa Thursday night, calling the first five months of his second term "a declaration of independence from a, really, national decline." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the legislation "an encapsulation of all of the policies that the president campaigned on and the American people voted on," and said it's a "victorious day for the American people." Following days of handwringing and negotiations, andHouse Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries breaking the recordfor the longest speech on the House floor, the House passed the legislation Thursday afternoon in a 218-214 vote. Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Thomas Massie voted against the legislation, and no Democrats voted for it. GOP leadership and the White House spoke with Republican holdouts for hours to advance the bill early Thursday morning. A senior Trump White House official told reporters on a press call Thursday that the president was "deeply" involved in the process of the bill, and through "late-night phone calls," helped move the bill forward in Congress. Vice President JD Vance was also closely involved, the official said. Mr. Trump also spent part of Friday's event honoring the military members involved in the U.S. strikes against some of Iran's nuclear facilities last month. What's in the "big, beautiful bill"? The current $2,000 child tax credit, which would return to a pre-2017 level of $1,000 in 2026, will permanently increase to $2,200. The legislation includes tougher restrictions onMedicaid, which provides government-sponsored health care for low-income and disabled Americans. The bill imposes work requirements for some able-bodied adults and more frequent eligibility checks. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill will result in 11.8 million Americans losing health coverage under Medicaid over the next decade. The bill would allow many tipped workers to deduct up to $25,000 of their tips and overtime from their taxes. That provision expires in 2028. The bill would make changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps,expanding work requirementsand requiring state governments with higher payment error rates to cover some of the program's costs. The legislation also includes more than $46.5 billion for border wall construction and related expenses, $45 billion to expand detention capacity for immigrants in custody and about $30 billion in funding for hiring, training and other resources for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The package also includes an increase to the cap on the state and local tax deduction, raising it from $10,000 to $40,000. After five years, it would return to $10,000.The bill wouldlargely terminatenumerous tax incentives from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act for clean energy, electric vehicles and energy efficiency programs that benefited consumers. The legislation would raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, going beyond the $4 trillion outlined in the initial House-passed bill. Congress faces a deadline to address the debt limit later this summer. Several people missing from Texas summer camp amid deadly flooding, officials say What a new DOJ memo could mean for naturalized U.S. citizens July 4 holiday week expected to set record for travelers

Trump signs "big, beautiful bill" in July Fourth ceremony at White House

Trump signs "big, beautiful bill" in July Fourth ceremony at White House Washington— President Trump brought pomp and circumstance...
Donald Trump orders entry fee, DEI changes at national parksNew Foto - Donald Trump orders entry fee, DEI changes at national parks

VisitingAmerica's national parksis about to get more expensive forinternational tourists, but that's not the only change PresidentDonald Trumpordered that will impact park visitors. Anew executive ordercalls for charging non-U.S. residents higher fees for park entry and recreation passes, like the yearlongAmerica the Beautiful pass, which grants access to public lands across federal agencies. "From the awe-inspiringGrand Canyonto the tranquility of theGreat Smoky Mountains, America's national parks have provided generations of American families with unforgettable memories," Trump said in the order issued July 3. "It is the policy of my Administration to preserve these opportunities for American families in future generations by increasing entry fees for foreign tourists, improving affordability for United States residents, and expanding opportunities to enjoy America's splendid national treasures," he said. The order also calls for giving Americans "preferential treatment with respect to any remaining recreational access rules, including permitting or lottery rules." Any revenue generated by higher fees from foreign tourists will be funneled back into infrastructure improvements and other enhancements across federal recreation sites. Reservations required:Which national parks require them in 2025 The executive order also revokes apresidential memorandumsigned by then-President Barack Obama in 2017 that promoted a range of diversity and inclusion efforts in the management of national parks and other public lands. It called for improving access for all Americans and "considering recommendations and proposals from diverse populations to protect at-risk historic, cultural, and natural sites." Diversity and inclusion were also priorities for parks during the Biden administration. Before leaving office in January, then National Park Service DirectorChuck Sams told USA TODAY: "When I took my oath of office on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial,Secretary (Deb) Haalandsaid, on behalf of the president of the United States, myself and the American people, I'm charging you with these monuments, memorials and parks, but more importantly, we're charging you to find those stories that are less told orhaven't been told yet, and to tell them fiercely. "So over the last three-plus years, working all across the park system, we've been able to tell stories to ensure that every American sees a reflection of themselves in the parks," he said. But the latest move comes after Trump on his first day back in office in Januaryordered an end to government diversity, equity, and inclusion programsestablished under Biden. USA TODAY has reached out the Interior Department and National Park Service for comment on the new executive order. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump orders national parks to charge some tourists higher fees

Donald Trump orders entry fee, DEI changes at national parks

Donald Trump orders entry fee, DEI changes at national parks VisitingAmerica's national parksis about to get more expensive forinternati...
Kyle Walker ends 8-year spell with Man City by moving to BurnleyNew Foto - Kyle Walker ends 8-year spell with Man City by moving to Burnley

BURNLEY, England (AP) — England right back Kyle Walker ended his eight-year stint at Manchester City by moving to Burnley on Saturday in a deal reportedly worth 5 million pounds ($6.8 million). The 35-year-old Walker joins an American-owned team that has just been promoted to the Premier League and is coached by Scott Parker, his former Tottenham and England teammate. Walker has been a great at City, winning six league titles and the Champions League since his 2017 move from Spurs, but lost his place in the team last season and went on loan to AC Milan. He kept his place in the England squad, though, playing in the team's last game — a 3-1 loss to Senegal last month — to move onto 96 caps. "When I spoke to Scott and heard about his plans for next season, it was an opportunity I jumped at," said Walker, who has signed a two-year deal. "He's done an amazing job here, guiding the club back to the Premier League with a 100-point haul, and now we're looking forward, together, at being back in the greatest league in the world. "Burnley had a tremendous campaign last season, built on an incredible defensive record, and I can't wait to come in and add my experience and quality to what looks an exciting squad." ___ AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Kyle Walker ends 8-year spell with Man City by moving to Burnley

Kyle Walker ends 8-year spell with Man City by moving to Burnley BURNLEY, England (AP) — England right back Kyle Walker ended his eight-year...
Germany awaits news about captain Giulia Gwinn's latest knee injury at Euro 2025New Foto - Germany awaits news about captain Giulia Gwinn's latest knee injury at Euro 2025

ST. GALLEN, Switzerland (AP) — Germany was awaiting news Saturday on the severity of captain Giulia Gwinn's latest knee injury at the Women's European Championship. The 26-year-old Gwinninjured her kneewhile a making a likely goal-saving tacking on Poland captain Ewa Pajor duringGermany's 2-0 winon Friday. She had to be supported off the field in tears after getting hugs from teammates. Gwinn, who previously had two cruciate ligament injuries, was to have an MRI in Zurich on Saturday to determine the extent of the injury. Gwinn missed the 2023 World Cup while she recovered from the second cruciate injury. "We all know Giulia's history. We're all, all of us, keeping our fingers crossed that it's nothing so serious," Germany vice-captain Janina Minge said. "We have to stand together as a team, to stand with her and hope for the best." Jule Brand, who scored one goal and set up the other on Friday, said Gwinn's injury was a "shock for us all. When Giuli is down then it's never good because she always gets straight back up again." Gwinn tore the ACL in her right knee in a European qualifier against Ireland in September 2020, then suffered the same injury again in her left knee while training with Germany in October 2022. ACL injuries can vary in severity but can mean as much as a year off if surgery is required. Already this year, Germany goalkeeper Sophia Winkler and midfielder Marie Müller suffered cruciate ligament injuries. Germany star Lena Oberdorf, Gwinn's teammate at Bayern Munich, didn't make the squad because she's still working her way back from her knee injury sustained nearly a year ago in a win over Austria. Bayern's Carolin Simon missed the 2023 World Cup with the same injury. ___ AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Germany awaits news about captain Giulia Gwinn’s latest knee injury at Euro 2025

Germany awaits news about captain Giulia Gwinn's latest knee injury at Euro 2025 ST. GALLEN, Switzerland (AP) — Germany was awaiting new...
Budget bill includes $10B payday for states that spent on border securityNew Foto - Budget bill includes $10B payday for states that spent on border security

Tucked into the budget reconciliation bill is a Texas-sized golden nugget: $13.5 billion that could pay back what thestate spent on border securityduring the Biden administration. The bill – which passed Congress on July 3 – doesn't mention Texas by name. ButTexas Gov. Greg Abbott lobbied hardfor the line item's inclusion, and the state's Republican Sens.Ted Cruzand John Cornyn fought for the reimbursement. "Under Operation Lone Star, Texas allocated more than $11 billion of Texas taxpayer money for border security, and earlier this year I requested Congress reimburse Texas for these costs in full," Abbott said in a May statement, after an initial version of the bill passed in the House of Representatives. The new "State Border Border Security Reinforcement Fund" earmarks $10 billion for grants to states that paid for border barriers or other security measures beginning Jan. 20, 2021 – PresidentJoe Biden's inauguration day. Notably, during the Biden administration, no other state spent more than Texas on border security measures. Under Operation Lone Star, the state deployed thousands of Texas National Guard troops to the border, placed controversial buoy barriers in the Rio Grande and paid tobus more than 100,000 migrantsto Democrat-led cities around the country. Abbott was one of Biden's leading critics on the border during a period when the Border Patrol was registering more than 2 million migrant encounters a year – many of them lawful asylum-seekers. The "reinforcement" provision "just says 'states can apply.' But what states incurred expenses? Texas and Arizona," said Adam Isacson, director of defense oversight for the Washington Office on Latin America. Early during the Biden administration, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, sought to build a makeshift border barrier out of old shipping containers. But legal challenges forced his administration to remove the barrier, and his Democratic successor, Gov. Katie Hobbs, had previously asked the Biden administrationto reimburse the state for border securityfunding totaling $513 million. The budget reconciliation bill includes an additional $3.5 billion under a fund whose acronym spells BIDEN: "Bridging Immigration-related Deficits Experienced Nationwide." That money can be disbursed to states that aid the federal government in its immigration crackdown. In an emailed response to questions, Abbott Press Secretary Andrew Mahaleris declined to say how much money Texas will apply for but told USA TODAY the governor "will continue to work closely with the Trump administration to secure the border. " This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Budget bill includes $10B for states that spent on border security

Budget bill includes $10B payday for states that spent on border security

Budget bill includes $10B payday for states that spent on border security Tucked into the budget reconciliation bill is a Texas-sized golden...

 

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