NEWS ROUND UP FOR MAY 19TH, 2025
Trump Bill Clears Key Hurdle
President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” has passed a key hurdle in the U.S. House, moving closer to a vote.
The House Budget Committee initially voted down the bill due to demands from four conservative Republicans for more reforms.
The concerns raised included issues related to spending, taxes, and Second Amendment provisions, with worries about delayed reforms potentially being eliminated in future legislation.
A late-night vote on Sunday allowed the bill to advance along party lines, with a 17-16 vote.
The four Republican holdouts, who previously voted against the bill, chose to vote “present” this time, indicating progress on certain issues like Medicaid work requirements and the phase-out of green energy incentives.
Patel And Bongino Facing Backlash From MAGA Base
FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have faced significant backlash from conservative circles for endorsing the official narrative of Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide and dismissing concerns about assassination attempts on former President Trump.
Urologist Makes Big Claim About Biden’s Cancer Diagnosis
It looks like Joe Biden might have known about his cancer earlier than when it was announced. At least, that is what a Urologist is claiming.
NewsNation had the report
Urologist Dr. David Shusterman said Biden, who received the finest health care while in office, could have known for some time. He said the type of metastasizing cancer the former president has takes years to develop.
“This is what I typically would see in a VA hospital, where a patient hasn’t had medical attention in 10 years, presents to an emergency room with bone pain, and then they find that it’s metastatic prostate cancer,” Shusterman told “NewsNation Prime” on Sunday.
Reporter Asks About “Clinton Body Count”
ZeroHedge just raised Epstein’s intel ties and the Clinton body count in the White House press briefing room:
“President Trump posted a video highlighting what most people call the Clinton body count.. The death of Mark Middleton, who was a former Clinton White House aide, was… pic.twitter.com/askGJpEJNj
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 19, 2025
NBC: 3 Sticky Issues With Trump’s Big Bill
Key Issues: There are three major issues causing disagreements among Republicans:
Medicaid Cuts: Some conservatives want stricter work requirements for Medicaid benefits to start earlier, moving the date from 2029 to 2027. This change might upset more moderate Republicans who are already facing backlash over Medicaid cuts.
Clean Energy Funding: The bill aims to cut funding for clean energy initiatives established by a previous Democratic law. While conservatives push for deeper cuts, many Republicans from districts benefiting from this funding are resistant to losing it.
SALT Deduction: Some Republicans from blue states want to increase the state and local tax (SALT) deduction from $10,000 to $30,000. However, this proposal is costly and may alienate other Republicans who do not see this as a priority.
Supreme Court Hands Trump A Major Win
The Supreme Court has decided that President Trump can end the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 300,000 Venezuelan migrants. In a ruling of 8-1, the Court agreed to lift a previous order from a lower court that had blocked the Trump administration from taking this action.
TPS is a program that allows people from certain countries, like Venezuela, to stay in the U.S. and work legally because of dangerous conditions in their home countries. The Supreme Court’s decision means that these Venezuelan migrants will lose their protections and work permits, which could lead to deportation.
The ruling came after the Trump administration argued that the lower court’s decision was not valid. One justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, disagreed with the majority opinion. The legal battle over this issue will continue in lower courts.
ANTI WAR: US Official Denies Threat To ‘Abandon’ Israel Over Gaza
A US official speaking to The Times of Israel has denied a report that Trump administration officials have threatened to “abandon” Israel if it refuses to end its assault on the Gaza Strip.
The official was responding to a report from The Washington Post that cited a person familiar with discussions between the US and Israel. “Trump’s people are letting Israel know, ‘We will abandon you if you do not end this war,’” the source told the Post.
DOJ Settles With Ashli Babbitt
The U.S. Justice Department has agreed to pay $5 million to settle a lawsuit from the family of Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed by a Capitol police officer during the January 6 riot. Babbitt, a 36-year-old Air Force veteran, was trying to climb through a broken window to access a restricted area in the Capitol when she was shot.
Her family had originally filed a $30 million lawsuit, claiming that the officer, Lt. Michael Byrd, acted negligently and was not in uniform at the time of the shooting. The former Capitol Police Chief, Tom Manger, expressed disappointment with the settlement, noting that an investigation in 2021 found no wrongdoing by the police. He believes this settlement could negatively impact law enforcement across the country.
Comey Speaks Out On Trump Post
Former FBI Director James Comey recently discussed a social media post he made that featured the numbers “86 47” arranged with shells on a beach. He explained that he found the arrangement clever and artistic, interpreting it as a political message. Comey shared that he and his wife noticed the shells while walking on the beach, and he posted a picture of it on Instagram.
However, he later learned that some people thought the post suggested violence, which he found absurd. Although he took the post down to avoid any association with violence, he expressed that he does not regret the post itself, viewing it as innocent and a creative way to express a political opinion. Comey emphasized that he and his wife had no dark intentions behind it.
Some Big Gaffes From Biden’s Interview With Hur
During Biden’s interviews with Robert Hur, Biden made several notable mistakes that raised concerns about his mental fitness.
In the first interview, Biden mistakenly referred to Africa as a country instead of a continent and struggled to remember basic facts, such as when he stopped being vice president. He also confused his current role as president while discussing fundraising for his presidential library.
In the second interview, Biden admitted he didn’t understand how he had a letter containing sensitive information from his time as vice president, which he found in a notebook. He showed confusion about the difference between types of classified information and forgot the names of important figures, including former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and comedian Jay Leno.
Biden Makes First Public Statement On Cancer Diagnosis
Joe Biden made his first public statement since his cancer diagnosis.
Biden posted
Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.
Trump Speaks Out On Putin Call
Donald Trump posted this on Truth Social
Just completed my two hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well. Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War. The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of. The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent. If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later. Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic “bloodbath” is over, and I agree. There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED. Likewise, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on Trade, in the process of rebuilding its Country. Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will begin immediately. I have so informed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, President Emmanuel Macron, of France, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, of Italy, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, of Germany, and President Alexander Stubb, of Finland, during a call with me, immediately after the call with President Putin. The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!
Poll: Voters Say Trump Is Protecting Constitution Better Than Biden
According to Rasmussen, more Americans think Trump is defending the Constitution better than Joe Biden.
Like every president before him, President Donald Trump took an oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” and most voters think he’s doing it.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 52% of Likely U.S. Voters give Trump a good or excellent rating for the job he’s done In terms of preserving, protecting and defending the Constitution. Thirty-eight percent rate Trump as doing a poor job of keeping his oath. In May of last year, just 44% said Joe Biden was doing a good or excellent job of preserving, protecting and defending the Constitution.