
GOP's food stamp plan is found to violate Senate rules. It's the latest setback for Trump's big bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — In another blow to the Republicans' tax and spending cut bill, the Senate parliamentarian has advised that a proposal to shift some food stamps costs from the federal government to states — a centerpiece of GOP savings efforts — would violate the chamber's rules.
While the parliamentarian's rulings are advisory, they are rarely, if ever, ignored. The Republican leadership was scrambling on Saturday, days before voting is expected to begin on President Donald Trump's package that he wants to be passed into law by the Fourth of July.
More from The Star & partners

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Canada News.Net
21 minutes ago
- Canada News.Net
Trump delays TikTok shutdown again, eyes deal with China
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump has granted TikTok another reprieve, extending the deadline for its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. operations. The move allows the popular short-video app to keep running in the country until at least mid-September, despite a law mandating a sale or shutdown in the absence of significant progress. Trump this week extended the deadline by 90 days to September 17, signing an executive order that delays enforcement of the law for the third time. The Republican president had already twice granted a reprieve from federal enforcement of a law that mandated the sale or shutdown of TikTok. The law was supposed to take effect in January unless ByteDance showed meaningful progress toward divesting the app's U.S. assets. Trump has said he wants to keep the app, which helped him connect with young voters during the 2024 presidential election, available in the United States. He has also voiced optimism that Chinese President Xi Jinping would approve a deal to preserve the app, although it's unclear how prominently the issue features in broader trade talks between Washington and Beijing. "We are grateful for President Trump's leadership and support in ensuring that TikTok continues to be available," TikTok said in a statement posted on its website. The company added that it is working closely with the office of U.S. Vice President JD Vance on the matter. "President Trump will sign an additional executive order this week to keep TikTok up and running," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday. "President Trump does not want TikTok to go dark," she added, noting that the administration will use the next three months to finalise the sale and ensure American users' data remains secure. Trump said that he would "probably, yeah" extend the deadline. "Probably have to get China approval but I think we'll get it," he told reporters aboard Air Force One. "I think President Xi will ultimately approve it." A 2024 law had required TikTok to cease operations in the U.S. by January 19 unless ByteDance had completed a sale or made significant progress. Trump, now in his second term, opted not to enforce the deadline. He extended it first to April, then to June 19, and now to September. In March, Trump said he would consider easing tariffs on China to help advance a deal to transfer TikTok's U.S. operations to a domestic entity. The proposed structure involved spinning off the platform into a new firm, majority-owned and run by U.S. investors. That plan stalled after Beijing signalled disapproval, particularly in response to Trump's newly announced tariffs on Chinese goods. Some Democratic lawmakers argue that Trump lacks the legal authority to keep delaying enforcement, and say the deal under consideration may not satisfy legal standards set in the 2024 law.


Canada News.Net
21 minutes ago
- Canada News.Net
Trump in shock moves orders attacks on Iran
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump how bowed to pro-Israel elements in his administration and Congress, announcing that the U.S. military has bombed a number of nuclear sites in Iran. The attacks come two days after Mr Trump said he would make his decision on whether to join Israel's war on Iran, within two week. In the shock announcement, Mr Trump said: "The U.S. conducted airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, namely Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan." The strikes were carried out on Saturday night. "All planes are now outside of Iran's airspace. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home," the president said. "We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this," he said. Later in a telephone call to Axios, President Trump said: "Israel is much safer now." Prior to the strikes, Israel Air Force warplanes struck radar detection system sites used for detection and aerial intelligence gathering, "President Trump took a bold decision for the United States, for Israel, for all of humanity. The world is now a safer place," former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Saturday night. Mr Trump later posted another message on Truth Social saying he would address the nation at 10:00pm Saturday night. "I will be giving an Address to the Nation at 10:00 P.M., at the White House, regarding our very successful military operation in Iran," he posted. "This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!" In the address to the nation, Mr Trump was flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. "Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's No. 1 state sponsor of terror," he said. "If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill." "Iran, the bully of the Mideast, must now make peace," Mr Trump said in his address which last about 4 minutes. He described the operation as "a spectaculat success." The strikes come despite U.S. intelligence asserting that Iran is not building, nor planning nuclear weapons. UN Secretary-General "Gravely Alarmed by" U.S. Attack on Iran "I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today. This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security, " Antonio Guterres said in aa statement late Saturday night.. "There is a growing risk that this conflict could rapidly get out of control – with catastrophic consequences for civilians, the region, and the world." "I call on Member States to de-escalate and to uphold their obligations under the UN Charter and other rules of international law," the UN secretary-general said. "At this perilous hour, it is critical to avoid a spiral of chaos. There is no military solution. The only path forward is diplomacy. The only hope is peace." Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT, undergoes regular inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has slammed attacks on nuclear facilities, pointing to "The numerous General Conference resolutions on the topic of military attacks against nuclear facilities, in particular, GC(XXIX)/RES/444 and GC(XXXIV)/RES/533, which provide, inter alia, that "any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law and the Statute of the Agency,." "The IAEA has consistently underlined that "armed attacks on nuclear facilities could result in radioactive releases with grave consequences within and beyond the boundaries of the State which has been attacked," IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said in briefing the United Nations Security Council last Friday night.


Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Israel says the remains of 3 hostages have been recovered from Gaza
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military says it has recovered the remains of three hostages held in the Gaza Strip. It identified them as Yonatan Samerano, 21; Ofra Keidar, 70; and Shay Levinson, 19. All three were killed during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel that ignited the ongoing war. The militant group is still holding 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive. Kobi Samerano said in a Facebook post that his son's remains were returned on what would have been Yonatan's 23rd birthday. 'The campaign to return the hostages continues consistently and is happening alongside the campaign against Iran,' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7 attack. More than half the hostages have been returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals, eight have been rescued alive and Israeli forces have recovered dozens of bodies. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which has said that women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at