American Uranium (AMU:AU) has announced Lo Herma Resource Drilling Timing Confirmed
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Charlie Javice, the founder of a startup company that sought to dramatically improve how students apply for financial aid, was sentenced Monday to more than seven years in prison for cheating JPMorgan Chase out of $175 million by greatly exaggerating how many students it served.
Javice, 33, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court for her March conviction by Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, who said she committed “a large fraud” by duping the bank giant in the summer of 2021. She made false records that made it seem the company, called Frank, had over 4 million customers when it had fewer than 300,000, Hellerstein found.
The judge said Javice had assembled a “very powerful list” of her charitable acts, which included organizing soup kitchens for the homeless when she was 7 years old and designing career programs for formerly incarcerated women.
In court papers, defense lawyers noted that Javice has faced extraordinary public scrutiny, reputational destruction and professional exile, “making her a household name” in the same way Elizabeth Holmes became synonymous with her blood-testing company, Theranos.
Defense attorney Ronald Sullivan told Hellerstein that his client was very different from Holmes because what she created actually worked, unlike Holmes, “who did not have a real company” and whose product “in fact endangered patients.”
In seeking a 12-year prison sentence for Javice, prosecutors cited a 2022 text Javice sent to a colleague in which she called it “ridiculous” that Holmes got over 11 years in prison.
Hellerstein largely dismissed arguments that he should be lenient because the acquisition pitted “a 28-year-old versus 300 investment bankers from the largest bank in the world,” as Sullivan put it.
Still, the judge criticized the bank, saying “they have a lot to blame themselves” after failing to do adequate due diligence. He quickly added, though, that he was “punishing her conduct and not JPMorgan’s stupidity.”
Sullivan said the bank rushed its negotiations because it feared another bank would acquire Frank first.
A prosecutor, Micah Fergenson, though, said JPMorgan “didn’t get a functioning business” in exchange for its investment. “They acquired a crime scene.”
Fergenson said Javice was driven by greed when she saw that she could pocket $29 million from the sale of her company.
“Ms. Javice had it dangling in front of her and she lied to get it,” he said.
Given a chance to speak, Javice said she was “haunted that my failure has transformed something meaningful into something infamous.” She said she “made a choice that I will spend my entire life regretting.”
Javice, sometimes speaking through tears, apologized and sought forgiveness from “all the people touched or tarnished by my actions,” including JPMorgan shareholders, Frank employees and investors, along with her family.
Javice, who lives in Florida, has been free on $2 million bail since her 2023 arrest.
At trial, Javice, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, was convicted of conspiracy, bank fraud and wire fraud charges. Her lawyers had argued that JPMorgan went after Javice because it had buyer’s remorse.
In her mid-20s, Javice founded Frank, a company with software that promised to simplify the arduous process of filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, a complex government form used by students to apply for aid for college or graduate school.
Frank’s backers included venture capitalist Michael Eisenberg. The company said its offering, akin to online tax preparation software, could help students maximize financial aid while making the application process less painful.
The company promoted itself as a way for financially needy students to obtain more aid faster, in return for a few hundred dollars in fees. Javice appeared regularly on cable news programs to boost Frank’s profile, once appearing on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list before JPMorgan bought the startup in 2021.
Javice was among a number of young tech executives who vaulted to fame with supposedly disruptive or transformative companies, only to see them collapse amid questions about whether they had engaged in puffery and fraud while dealing with investors.
In their pre-sentence submission, prosecutors wrote that they were requesting a lengthy prison sentence to send a message that fraud in the sale of startup companies is “no less blameworthy than other types of fraud and will be punished accordingly.”
Prosecutors added that the message was “desperately needed” because of “an alarming trend of founders and executives of small startup companies engaging in fraud, including making misrepresentations about their companies’ core products or services, in order to make their companies attractive targets for investors and/or buyers.”
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YouTube said Monday it would settle a lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump for more than $24 million, adding to a growing list of settlements with tech and media companies that have amassed millions of dollars for Trump’s projects.
Trump sued after his YouTube account was banned in 2021. After the Jan. 6 riot, YouTube said content posted to Trump’s channel raised “concerns about the ongoing potential for violence.” His account was reinstated in 2023.
Monday’s settlement makes YouTube the last major tech platform to settle a lawsuit with Trump, who similarly sued Meta and Twitter for banning his accounts in the aftermath of Jan. 6. Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, settled for $25 million, while Twitter, since renamed X, settled for about $10 million.
A notice of settlement for Trump’s lawsuit against YouTube details that $22 million of it will go toward building a new White House ballroom. Trump has touted that the addition will have room for 900 people, and the White House has said it could cost $200 million to build.
Other plaintiffs that joined Trump’s suit, such as the American Conservative Union and a number of other people, will get $2.5 million of the settlement.
In addition to tech companies, many major media outlets have settled lawsuits with Trump over the past year.
In July, Paramount Global settled with him for $16 million after he took issue with a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris that aired on CBS.
In December, Disney settled with Trump over a lawsuit in which he accused ABC and anchor George Stephanopoulos of defamation in an interview with Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. Disney paid Trump’s future presidential library $15 million as part of the settlement.
Disney came under pressure from the administration again when it recently suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for nearly a week after two major station owners threatened to stop airing the show. One of the station owners, Nexstar, is seeking clearance from Trump’s Federal Communications Commission chairman for a $6.2 billion merger.
The other station owner, Sinclair, is reportedly considering a merger, which the FCC would also need to approve.
Trump is also suing The Wall Street Journal over its reporting about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, and he recently sued The New York Times for $15 billion. A judge struck down that lawsuit, though Trump could refile it.
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House Democrats made a last-ditch effort to pass their own government funding proposal on Tuesday, which was quickly scuttled by the GOP.
Democrats are pushing a short-term extension of the current federal funding levels — called a continuing resolution (CR) — through Oct. 31, which also includes a host of left-wing policy riders derided by Republicans as non-starters.
With the deadline to avert a government shutdown less than 12 hours away, Democrat lawmakers gathered on the House floor with the intent of calling for unanimous consent to pass their bill.
It takes just one House Republican to block such a move, which appears to be what Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, was poised to do. Dozens of Democrats, meanwhile, were gathered on the House floor to await the move.
But the Republican designated to run the floor for the day, Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va., ignored their yells of ‘Mr. Speaker.’ He instead gaveled out the House’s brief session without acknowledging them at all.
Sparse chants of ‘shame on you’ could be heard from Democrats after the session ended.
Under rules dictated by the Constitution, the chamber must meet for brief periods every few days called ‘pro forma’ sessions to ensure continuity, even if there are no formal legislative matters at hand.
Pro forma sessions can also be opportunities for lawmakers to give brief speeches or introduce legislation that they otherwise would not have.
The House passed a GOP-led CR largely along party lines earlier this month. It would keep current government funding levels roughly flat until Nov. 21 to give Congress more time to strike a deal on fiscal year 2026 spending levels.
The measure is free from other policy riders, save for about $88 million toward enhanced security for lawmakers, the White House and the judicial branch — which has bipartisan support.
But Democrats, furious at being sidelined in those government funding discussions, are calling for both an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies and an end to Republicans’ recent Medicaid cuts in exchange for their support.
Their CR proposal would have reversed those Medicaid changes and restored federal funding to NPR and PBS that Republicans cut earlier this year.
Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have accused Democrats of making unreasonable partisan demands while holding federal government operations hostage in the process.
The House-passed CR is expected to be considered in the Senate later on Tuesday, where at least some Democrat support is needed to meet the 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster.
The government will likely enter into a partial shutdown at midnight if that legislation fails.
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Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr. will attend events in the coming months for Turning Point USA, the extremely influential conservative youth organization co-founded by their close friend, the late Charlie Kirk.
The news, first reported by Axios, was confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning by a source close to both the vice president and Trump Jr., who is the eldest son of President Donald Trump.
Kirk, the co-founder of the politically potent conservative youth organization, close ally and outside advisor to the president and vice president, and media star, was shot and killed earlier this month while speaking at a college campus event at Utah Valley University.
The source close to both Vance and Trump Jr. said that they ‘were so personally close to Charlie that they are determined to do right by him and continue to work closely with Turning Point.’
Vance accompanied Kirk’s widow Erika on Air Force two to transport Charlie Kirk’s body from Utah back to their hometown of Phoenix, Arizona.
And a few days later, the vice president guest-hosted Kirk’s highly popular podcast.
Both Vance and Trump Jr., as well as the president, also spoke at Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona.
‘I would expec to see both of them turn up at TPUSA events over the next several months and long after that,’ the source said of Vance and Trump Jr. ‘They understand that Turning Point is now Charlie’s political legacy, and they both want to help grow it to be bigger and more influential than ever.’
Turning Point USA’s political arm was very successful in driving up the youth vote for Trump and Republicans in last year’s election, as the GOP won back the White House, control of the Senate and held onto its House majority.
And Trump’s political team wants to make sure Turning Point USA, now under the leadership of Erika Kirk, remains well-funded and politically potent ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
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Unearthed note cards from the Biden era show the administration detailed the names and photos of high-profile Democrats, such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as lesser-known individuals for then-President Joe Biden to ostensibly reference during live events, documents obtained by Fox News Digital show.
Five different ‘palm cards,’ which are hand-sized note cards frequently used by politicians for quick reminders or talking points during public events, especially while on the campaign trail, were uncovered amid an investigation of National Archive documents related to the Biden administration’s use of an autopen, and obtained by Fox News Digital.
Four of the five cards obtained by Fox Digital are stamped with a disclaimer reading, ‘PRESIDENT HAS SEEN,’ while a fifth card detailing an ABC News reporter’s question to Biden during a press conference did not include that stamp.
It is unclear if Biden relied on each of the cards during the various public events. Fox News Digital reached out to Biden’s office for any comment and clarification on the use of the cards but did not immediately receive a reply.
Clinton was among a handful of Americans who received a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the U.S., in the waning days of the Biden administration. One of the palm cards obtained by Fox Digital reads ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients’ and was followed by photos and short biographies of the recipients, including a photo of Clinton and a short note detailing she ‘was the Secretary of State in the Obama-Biden administration.’
The note card also included a photo of Hollywood actor Denzel Washington, who also received the prestigious award in January, and a note describing him as an actor, director and producer whom the New York Times called ‘one of the greatest actors of the 21st century.’ The note also had photos and short bios for lesser known individuals who received the award, including renowned chef José Andrés and businessman and philanthropist David Rubenstein.
Another palm card simply reading, ‘Judicial Confirmations Milestone Speech,’ showed a photo of Schumer and a separate photo of Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin accompanied by the roles in the Senate, their party and the states they represent. The card included a stamp reading, ‘PRESIDENT HAS SEEN.’
Biden celebrated his administration confirming 235 judicial nominees in January in a speech from the State Dining Room and was joined by Schumer and Durbin during the event. Durbin and Schumer also held other public events celebrating the Biden administration’s judicial confirmation strides earlier in Biden’s Oval Office tenure.
Another palm card listed out various family members of Hollywood legend Francis Ford Coppola ahead of the 47th Kennedy Center Honors in December 2024 that honored ‘The Godfather’ director.
A fourth palm card was timestamped ‘Saturday, January 18 Greets,’ and showed a photo and short bio of White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin, as well as another section reading, ‘Pritzker Family,’ which displayed a photo of Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and photos and explainers on Pritzker’s wife, son and daughter, Fox News Digital found. A photo of the palm card also read ‘PRESIDENT HAS SEEN.’
It is unclear if Pritzker visited the White House Jan. 18, which fell on a Saturday.
The fifth card detailed a question from ABC News’ reporter Mary Bruce. A handwritten note on the card states ‘Question #3.’
‘2024: How do YOU view the path forward? How do YOU think about YOUR place in history?’ the card reads.
‘Speaker McCarthy/Debt Limit: Depending on what happens with the House vote on the Speaker’s debt limit bill tomorrow, do do YOU anticipate moving forwards?’
A Fox News Digital review found that the ABC News journalist asked Biden about his re-election effort during a joint press conference with the South Korean president April 26, 2023, in the Rose Garden. Bruce was the third reporter to ask Biden a question during the press conference, which fell on the same day House Republicans approved a bill to increase the debt ceiling.
‘My turn to ask a question? I think the next question is Mary Bruce, ABC,’ Biden said during the press conference.
Bruce asked, ‘You recently launched your reelection campaign. You’ve said questions about your age are ‘legitimate.’ And your response is always, ‘Just watch me.’ But the country is watching, and recent polling shows that 70 percent of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, believe you shouldn’t run again. What do you say to them? What do you say to those Americans who are watching and aren’t convinced?’
‘You’ve said you can beat Trump again. Do you think you’re the only one?’ she added.
Biden’s use of palm cards has long been documented, including during the April 2023 press conference with Bruce. Fox News Digital previously reported that Biden flashed a separate card showing the photo, name and name pronunciation of Los Angeles Times journalist Courtney Subramanian, while noting the card was part of ‘Question #1.’
Subramanian asked the first question during the press conference, with Biden calling on ‘Courtney of the Los Angeles Times.’
Biden flashed another palm card showing photos of reporters, accompanied by their outlets and roles, during a joint press conference with the Australian prime minister in October 2023. At his first formal press conference as president in March 2021, Biden was seen handling a card that had statistics and talking points to use.
In another image, Biden was consulting a list of preselected reporters along with their photos, Fox Digital previously reported.
Politicians long have used palm cards while on the campaign trail. Biden’s use of the cards while serving as president added fuel to the fire of concern over his mental acuity, though, including Axios reporting in 2024 that donors were spooked by Biden’s reliance on the notes.
The White House pointed to President Donald Trump’s public events where he routinely takes questions from journalists off the cuff when asked about Trump’s potential use of palm cards.
‘President Trump gives unfettered access to the media and answers every question imaginable, without pre-screening the press questions or collecting reporters’ palm cards ahead of time like his incompetent predecessor,’ White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox Digital Tuesday when approached for comment. ‘Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump is actually running our country, and he doesn’t ever shy away from taking on the fake news to deliver the truth.’
A senior White House press official added to Fox News that the press office ‘does not prepare any reporter palm cards’ and that the team does not ‘ask for reporters to submit their questions to the president ahead of time.’
The Biden administration is currently facing scrutiny over the use of an autopen to sign official documents — including for clemency orders, executive orders and other official documents. The use of the autopen follows years of mounting concern that Biden’s mental acuity and health were deteriorating, which hit a fever pitch during the 2024 campaign cycle following the president’s disastrous debate performance against Trump.
Biden ultimately dropped out of the presidential race as the concerns mounted.
Since reclaiming the Oval Office, Trump has balked at his predecessor’s use of the autopen, claiming Biden’s staff allegedly used the pen to sign off on presidential actions unbeknownst to Biden. Trump ordered an investigation into the use of the autopen under the Biden administration back in June.
Fox News Digital’s Lindasy Kornick contributed to this report.
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Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr. will attend events in the coming months for Turning Point USA, the influential conservative youth organization co-founded by their close friend, the late Charlie Kirk.
The news, first reported by Axios, was confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning by a source close to both the vice president and Trump Jr., the eldest son of President Donald Trump.
Kirk, the co-founder of the politically potent conservative youth organization, close ally and outside advisor to the president and vice president and media star, was shot and killed earlier this month while speaking at a college campus event at Utah Valley University.
The source close to both Vance and Trump Jr. said they ‘were so personally close to Charlie that they are determined to do right by him and continue to work closely with Turning Point.’
Vance accompanied Kirk’s widow Erika on Air Force two to transport Charlie Kirk’s body from Utah back to their hometown of Phoenix, Arizona.
A few days later, the vice president guest-hosted Kirk’s highly popular podcast.
Both Vance and Trump Jr., as well as the president, also spoke at Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona.
‘I would expec to see both of them turn up at TPUSA events over the next several months and long after that,’ the source said of Vance and Trump Jr. ‘They understand that Turning Point is now Charlie’s political legacy, and they both want to help grow it to be bigger and more influential than ever.’
Turning Point USA’s political arm was successful in driving up the youth vote for Trump and Republicans in last year’s election, when the GOP won back the White House and control of the Senate and held onto its House majority.
And Trump’s political team wants to make sure Turning Point USA, now under the leadership of Erika Kirk, remains well funded and politically potent ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
This post appeared first on FOX NEWS
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at improving ways to identify and treat pediatric cancers using artificial intelligence.
Specifically, the executive order instructs the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission to work with the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy to employ AI on how to use it to diagnose and treat childhood cancers and identify new cures. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spearheads the MAHA Commission.
The president was joined in the Oval Office by Kennedy, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, Director of the National Institutes of Health Jay Bhattacharya and others.
The president signed the order surrounded by children, many who have survived cancer themselves.
The president said that in signing the order the U.S. is adding another $50 million to the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative.
‘I’m also directing the federal government to fully utilize artificial intelligence to supercharge pediatric cancer research,’ Trump said. ‘It’s pretty amazing what’s happening.’
The president added, ‘I want to just say that we’re going to defeat childhood cancer once and for all.’
Trump’s initiative in his first term establishing the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative has laid the groundwork for utilizing AI to administer clinical research and patient care to address pediatric cancers in the U.S., according to the White House.
The effort has collected a host of information over the years, including tracking molecular characteristics and genetic information of childhood cancers that has already been organized in a ‘vast’ database.
‘Leveraging this data infrastructure, researchers will deploy artificial intelligence to improve clinical trials, sharpen diagnoses, fine tune treatments, unlock cures, and strengthen prevention strategies using artificial intelligence, researchers will be able to, for example, build scalable models to predict how a child’s body responds to therapies, letting doctors forecast cancer progression and minimize treatment side effects, delivering better treatments that save more lives,’ Michael Castillo, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, told reporters earlier Tuesday.
The executive order also will bolster funding for the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, which is housed within the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
‘It’s a $50 million investment in the immediate future that we’re announcing today. But there will be more investments to come as we start to implement this’ executive order, a White House official told reporters.
As a result, the executive order also will be a funding call for research proposals related to the application of AI in childhood cancers, the official said.
‘This is just a tremendous kind of application area where we have existing data sets, a lot of existing work that’s been done over the past six years in this area,’ a White House official said. ‘And it’s something that’s ripe for both scientific exploration and direct impact to the lives of these children.’
Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s budget request calls for cutting funding from $7.2 billion to $4.5 billion for the National Cancer Institute within the National Institutes of Health for fiscal year 2026.
However, the White House pushed back on characterizations that the administration was seeking to cut cancer research funding, and said the budget for the next fiscal year is ‘still being worked out.’
Government funding is set to expire at midnight — or else a lapse in funding will trigger a government shutdown.
Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death by disease after infancy in children, according to the National Cancer Institute. However, survival rates are on the rise.
The five-year survival rate for children between the ages of zero to 19 years old is currently more than 83%, up from the 1970s rates of 58% for children aged 14 and under and 68% for children between the ages of 15 and 19, according to the agency.
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The Interior Department announced Tuesday it is testing autonomous lawnmowers on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in an effort by the Trump administration to use artificial intelligence to ‘boost operational efficiency.’
In an order obtained by Fox News Digital, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said AI will ‘drive smarter decision-making, boost operational efficiency, and better deliver on our core mission of advancing American energy dominance, protecting our natural resources, partnering with Tribal Nations, and enhancing internal services.’
The Interior Department is working with a private company, the name of which was not shared, to develop its AI technologies for use by the agency.
Video shared with Fox News Digital shows a demonstration of the AI-controlled lawnmowers on the National Mall, each carrying an American flag. Visitors scanned a QR code on the technology to view a map tracking their progress.
In the video, Jeff Gowen, division manager of the National Park Service’s Technical Services Division, said the new machines will ‘allow us to get more work done with the same amount of people.’
Gowen added that six AI-controlled lawnmowers are being tested at six national parks with a grant provided by the National Park Foundation.
‘Wild time to be alive,’ he said.
In his order, Burgum said AI will strengthen relationships with state and tribal lands while pushing federal agencies to adopt AI faster and more responsibly.
‘To fully unlock the potential of AI, we must scale intelligently, govern responsibly, and enable our workforce to lead with confidence and clarity,’ he said. ‘As AI becomes more accessible to the DOI workforce, it offers real opportunities to modernize how we serve, strengthening coordination with stakeholders, including State and Tribal partners, across the Nation’s lands.’
In addition to the lawnmowers, Burgum said the Interior Department is already using AI for wildfire response and environmental reviews.
‘AI is reshaping how industries operate and government must not be left behind, and must adapt to private sector standards,’ he said in the order.
‘AI offers a strategic advantage across all facets of the Department’s mission, enabling an advanced workforce with well-trained employees to strengthen domestic resource development and operational efficiency, allowing for the best management of public lands,’ he added. ‘AI adoption shall be pursued in ways that strengthen Interior’s ability to serve the American people through safe, responsible, and outcome-oriented innovation.’
The lawnmowers come after the Trump administration released its ‘America’s AI Action Plan’ in July, a plan aimed at securing U.S. dominance in AI. The plan highlights AI’s role in economic competitiveness and national security.
‘Winning the AI race will usher in a new golden age of human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security for the American people,’ the White House said.
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Senate Democrats again blocked Republicans’ short-term funding extension Tuesday afternoon, further increasing the odds of a partial government shutdown and thousands of federal workers going without paychecks.
Democratic lawmakers in the upper chamber, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., banded together to vote against the GOP’s continuing resolution (CR), a move that marked the second time Democrats impeded the legislation’s progress this month.
Congress has until midnight Wednesday to pass a CR or else the government will shut down. However, the possibility of that happening became increasingly unlikely throughout the day as Republicans and Democrats huddled behind closed doors in separate meetings hours before the vote.
The bill, which was passed by the House GOP earlier this month, failed on a largely party-line vote, 55-45. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the lone Republican to vote against the bill, while Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, crossed the aisle to vote for the funding extension.
Democrats also tried to advance their own counter-proposal, but that bill was similarly blocked by Senate Republicans.
There is still time to avert a partial shutdown, but the window is closing fast. If Schumer and Thune are unable to find a path forward, it would mark the third shutdown under President Donald Trump.
When asked if he believed a shutdown was inevitable, Trump said, ‘Nothing is inevitable.’
‘But I would say it’s probably likely, because they want to give healthcare to illegal immigrants, which will destroy healthcare for everybody else in our country,’ he told reporters in the Oval Office. ‘And I didn’t see them bend even a little bit when I said we can’t do that.’
Shortly after the vote, however, the Office of Management and Budget released a memo that the appropriations for Fiscal Year 2025 would run out at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, making a shutdown official.
‘It is unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict,’ the memo read.
Republicans want to pass a ‘clean’ short-term extension until Nov. 21 that would give appropriators time to finish spending bills, while Democrats want to extend expiring Obamacare premium subsidies, among multiple other demands.
But the chances of a deal materializing, particularly one that meets Democrats’ demands, are slim. Both Senate leaders traded barbs throughout the day, first on the Senate floor and then in back-to-back press conferences.
Thune panned Democrats’ push for an extension to the expiring tax credits, which aren’t set to sunset until the end of this year, as well as their other demands to repeal the healthcare portion of Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ and clawback canceled funding for NPR and PBS.
Republicans argue that reversing the cuts from Trump’s megabill and undoing the public broadcasting rescission would amount to $1.5 trillion in spending tacked onto their short-term funding extension.
‘These are things that they’re demanding as part of their so-called negotiation,’ Thune said. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, there isn’t anything here to negotiate.’
Schumer, however, countered that the decision to shut the government down was ‘in their court’ and charged that Democrats were working to solve the GOP’s ‘healthcare crisis.’
Still, despite scoring a meeting in the Oval Office with Trump and congressional Republican leaders, in addition to public guarantees from Thune and Republicans that Obamacare tax credits could be discussed after a shutdown was averted, Schumer demanded that Democrats be cut in on negotiations to craft a bipartisan bill.
Earlier in the day, the top Senate Democrat commandeered a floor chart from Thune that showed how many times Democrats supported CRs under former President Joe Biden. He said that each time, Republicans were involved in the process.
‘As leader, I sat down with the Republicans every one of those years and created a bipartisan bill. Their bill is partisan. They call it clean. We call it partisan. It has no Democratic input,’ Schumer said. ‘Thune never talked to me.’
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