In jeopardy: The U.S. Senate on Tuesday night moved one step closer to canceling $9 billion in previously approved funding for several foreign aid programs and public broadcasting. The 51-50 vote marked a significant moment for President Donald Trump’s rescissions request. Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote. Trump had proposed doing away with $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that lawmakers had approved for the next two fiscal years as well as $8.3 billion from several foreign aid accounts. Read the full article from Louisiana Illuminator.
Charged: Federal authorities have charged three current or former Louisiana police chiefs with taking bribes in exchange for filing false police reports that would allow noncitizens to seek a visa that lets certain crime victims stay in the country. U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook said Wednesday that the police officials were paid $5,000 for each name they provided falsified reports for and that there were hundreds of names. The Associated Press has the full story.
Trump denies report: President Donald Trump denied he is planning to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell a day after asking Republican lawmakers in a White House meeting about whether he should remove the central banker. Trump told reporters Wednesday that House lawmakers he met with at the White House on Tuesday had backed the idea of firing Powell, after he asked their opinion. When asked Wednesday whether he planned to fire Powell, Trump said that media reports that he’s planning to fire Powell are “not true.” Read the full article from The Washington Post.
