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GOP push to make Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent, say going back would be a ‘dramatic’ change for many

GOP push to make Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent, say going back would be a ‘dramatic’ change for many

Tax season is done.  And this year, Congressional Republicans converted tax season to “sales” season. Republicans and President Donald Trump are pushing to approve a bill to reauthorize his 2017 tax cut package. Otherwise, those taxes expire later this year. “We absolutely have to make the tax cuts permanent,” said Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., on FOX Business. “We’ve got to get the renewal of the President’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. That’s absolutely essential,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., on FOX Business. Rates for nearly every American spike if Congress doesn’t act within the next few months. CONFIDENCE IN DEMOCRATS HITS ALL TIME LOW IN NEW POLL “We are trying to avoid tax increases on the most vulnerable populations in our country,” said Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee which determines tax policy. “I am trying to avoid a recession.” If Congress stumbles, the non-partisan Tax Foundation estimates that a married couple with two children – earning $165,000 a year – is slapped with an extra $2,400 in taxes. A single parent with no kids making $75,000 annually could see a $1,700 upcharge on their tax bill. A single parent with two children bringing home $52,000 a year gets slapped with an additional $1,400 in taxes a year. “Pretty significant. That’s an extra mortgage payment or extra rent payment,” said Daniel Bunn of the non-partisan Tax Foundation. “People have been kind of used to living with the policies that are currently in law for almost eight years now. And the shift back to the policy that was prior to the 2017 tax cuts would be a dramatic tax increase for many.” But technically, Republicans aren’t cutting taxes. “As simple as I can make this bill. It is about keeping tax rates the same,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, on Fox. Congress had to write the 2017 tax reduction bill in a way so that the reductions would expire this year. That was for accounting purposes. Congress didn’t have to count the tax cuts against the deficit thanks to some tricky number-crunching mechanisms – so long as they expired within a multi-year window. But the consequence was that taxes could climb if lawmakers failed to renew the old reductions. “It sunsets and so you just automatically go back to the tax levels prior to 2017,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. A recent Fox News poll found that 45% of those surveyed – and 44% of independents believe the rich don’t pay enough taxes. Democrats hope to turn outrage about the perceived tax disparity against Trump. “He wants his billionaire buddies to get an even bigger tax break. Is that disgraceful?” asked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., at a rally in New York. “Disgrace!” shouted someone in the crowd. “Disgraceful! Disgraceful!” followed up Schumer. Some Republicans are now exploring raising rates on the wealthy or corporations. There’s been chatter on Capitol Hill and in the administration about exploring an additional set of tax brackets. “I don’t believe the president has made a determination on whether he supports it or not,” said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. “We’re going to see where the President is” on this, said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent while traveling in Argentina. “Everything is on the table.” A Treasury spokesperson then clarified Bessent’s remarks. “What’s off the table is a $4.4 trillion tax increase on the American people,” said the spokesperson. “Additionally, corporate tax cuts will set off a manufacturing boom and rapidly grow the U.S. economy again.” Top Congressional GOP leaders dismissed the idea. “I’m not a big fan of doing that,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson on Fox. “I mean we’re the Republican party and we’re for tax reduction for everyone.” FEDERAL JUDGE TEMPORARILY RESTRICTS DOGE ACCESS TO PERSONALIZED SOCIAL SECURITY DATA “I don’t support that initiative,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., on FOX Business, before adding “everything’s on the table.” But if you’re President Donald Trump and the GOP, consider the politics of creating a new corporate tax rate or hiking taxes on the well-to-do.  The president has expanded the GOP base. Republicans are no longer the party of the “wealthy.” Manual laborers, shop and storekeepers and small business persons now comprise Trump’s GOP. So maintaining these tax cuts helps with that working-class core. Raising taxes on the wealthy would help Republicans pay for the tax cuts and reduce the hit on the deficit. And it would shield Republicans from the Democrats’ argument that the tax cuts are for the rich. Congress is now in the middle of a two-week recess for Passover and Easter. GOP lawmakers and staff are working behind the scenes to actually write the bill. No one knows exactly what will be in the bill. Trump promised no taxes on tips for food service workers. There is also talk of no taxes on overtime.  WHITE HOUSE PHOTO BLUNTLY SHOWS WHERE PARTIES STAND ON IMMIGRATION AMID ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION Republicans from high-tax states like New York and Pennsylvania want to see a reduction of “SALT.” That’s where taxpayers can write off “state and local taxes.” This provision is crucial to secure the support of Republicans like Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., and Mike Lawler, R-N.Y. But including the SALT reduction also increases the deficit. So what will the bill look like? “Minor adjustments within that are naturally on the table,” said Rounds. “The key though, [is] 218 in the House and 51 in the Senate.” In other words, it’s about the math. Republicans need to develop the right legislative brew which commands just the right amount of votes in both chambers to pass. That could mean including certain provisions – or dumping others. It’s challenging. Especially with the slim House majority. “There were trade-offs and offsets within that bill that many people are dissatisfied with,” said Bunn of the 2017 bill. “And it’s not clear how the package is going to come together with those various trade-offs.” Johnson wants the bill complete

Supreme Court blocks new deportations of Venezuelans in Texas under 18th century Alien Enemies Act

Supreme Court blocks new deportations of Venezuelans in Texas under 18th century Alien Enemies Act

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling early Saturday morning blocking, at least for now, the deportations of any Venezuelans held in northern Texas under an 18th century wartime law. The justices instructed the Trump administration not to remove Venezuelans held in the Bluebonnet Detention Center “until further order of this court.” Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented from the majority opinion. ACLU APPEALS TO SUPREME COURT TO STOP VENEZUELAN DEPORTATIONS; BOASBERG HOLDS EMERGENCY HEARING FRIDAY NIGHT The court’s ruling comes after an emergency appeal from the American Civil Liberties Union arguing that federal immigration authorities appeared to be working to resume the removal of migrants from the U.S. under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Two federal judges earlier declined to step in and the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has not made any decision. DEMOCRAT SENATOR VAN HOLLEN MEETS, SHAKES HANDS WITH ABREGO GARCIA CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The Alien Enemies Act has only been invoked three previous times in U.S. history, with the most recent being during World War II to hold Japanese-American civilians in internment camps. The Trump administration claims the act gave them the authority to swiftly remove immigrants they accuse of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, regardless of their immigration status. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Image of Gaza airstrike survivor wins 2025 World Press Photo of the Year

Image of Gaza airstrike survivor wins 2025 World Press Photo of the Year

NewsFeed A poignant image of a nine-year-old amputee from Gaza is the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year. Mahmoud Ajjour lost both arms in an Israeli airstrike. His portrait was taken by Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times. Ajjour spoke with Al Jazeera about rebuilding his life and his dream of returning home. Published On 18 Apr 202518 Apr 2025 Adblock test (Why?)

African athletes find their feet in Vietnam’s marathon running boom

African athletes find their feet in Vietnam’s marathon running boom

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Ethiopian runner Tesfaye Tsegaye Keress deftly made his way through nearly 18,000 participants to position himself near the starting line of the Techcombank Ho Chi Minh City International Marathon in December. Keress said his diminutive size – he stands just 1.62 metres (5.3ft) tall and weighs about 50kg (116 pounds) – allowed the 27-year-old to slink easily through the throngs of runners to secure a strategic spot near the front just before the starting pistol was fired, in what was billed as Vietnam’s biggest marathon. Just days earlier, Keress had landed in Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam’s commercial capital. He was accompanied by fellow Ethiopian runner, Dereje Alemu Miko, who came to compete in the 21km (13-mile) half-marathon at the event where Keress would run the full 42.1km marathon. In a competition consisting primarily of thousands of local Vietnamese runners, the participation of Keress and Miko immediately stirred interest. Local media wanted to know who the competitors from East Africa were. Advertisement As Keress told Al Jazeera, love for the sport of running was not the only reason for their trip to Vietnam. Keress knew that taking first place in the Ho Chi Minh City marathon would earn him a $2,500 cash prize. Winning was important, he said. “I have a wife and two sons, and we live in Sendafa,” Keress said, naming his hometown in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, about 38km (24 miles) northeast of the capital, Addis Ababa. “We run a chicken farm and have two cows for milk. We plan to expand our farm using the money from marathon races,” he said. To win, he would not only have to beat some of Vietnam’s best long-distance runners but also Kenya’s Edwin Kiptoo – a fellow East African who currently dominates Vietnam’s marathon running circuit after winning a string of major races. Finding their feet on Vietnam’s streets Keress might be considered an average runner in his native Ethiopia – a country that has produced some of the world’s most renowned track athletes. His personal best speed to complete a marathon is 2:23:50, which he achieved in 2023 in a marathon in Thailand. Though impressive, that speed would still rule him out of top-tier marathon competitions – the Boston Marathon requires speeds of less than 2 hours 13 minutes for entrants in its professional division. In Vietnam, however, Keress’s speed makes him a championship contender in a country where running has seen a steep rise in popularity. Over the past decade, marathons have boomed in Vietnam – a development partly attributed to the country’s increasingly wealthy middle class seeking ways to keep fit in the country’s burgeoning big cities. There is also a new social side to running in Vietnam’s well-attended marathons, according to reports, which have seen a steep rise in popularity since the mid-2010s. Advertisement Despite a years-long slump during COVID, the popularity of running came back even stronger post-pandemic, with many people focused on keeping healthy. Local news site VnExpress reported in 2023 that a total of 41 full marathon races, with some 264,000 entrants, took place in 27 provinces and cities across Vietnam that year. That was 10 more marathons than were held in Vietnam in 2022. With hundreds of thousands of runners taking part in a plethora of marathons up and down this country of 100 million people, major private sponsors have stepped in with prize money. Vietnam’s many marathons and lucrative prizes of thousands of dollars for winners are now attracting high-performing athletes – like Keress and Kiptoo – from the elite running centres of East Africa. East African athletes have long been a dominant force in competitive running, with world-famous track stars like Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge – who in 2019 became the first person in recorded history to run a 42-km marathon in less than two hours – and Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie who is considered one of the greatest long-distance runners in history, having set 27 world records. Sporting scouts have for years flocked to Kenya and Ethiopia, among other East African countries, to identify promising talent. Deals to compete in competitions around the world are often mediated by sport agents, who sponsor a runner and in return may take a cut of their winnings if successful. There is also the opportunity to capitalise on media attention with product and brand deals that race victories accrue for individuals and running teams. Advertisement Such an arrangement brought Keress and Miko to compete in the Ho Chi Minh City marathon and half-marathon in December. They are both managed by a promoter from Thailand who sponsors a team of runners and also operates a company specialising in energy supplements for athletes. Marathon running has also taken off in Thailand, along with a growing market for running gear and other services. And when runners such as Keress and Miko win races, there is a high return for sponsoring brand names and their products and services. Ethiopian runners Dereje Alemu Miko, left, and Tesfaye Tsegaye Keress, right, shop for groceries in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam [Danh Nguyen/Al Jazeera] From prize hunter to celebrity athlete in Vietnam When Edwin Kiptoo – who should not be confused with another younger Kenyan runner with the same name but of much greater international acclaim – first arrived in Vietnam in December 2023, he described how he was initially unprepared for the country and its costs. Simply finding accommodation on arrival was challenging for Kiptoo, who arrived with a budget of just 150,000 Vietnamese dong (less than $6), hoping to find a simple place to rest one night before the race. In downtown Ho Chi Minh City, the cheapest room Kiptoo could find was double that price. But good fortune seemed to favour Kiptoo when he was befriended by local runner Le Hoan whom he met at the race station where they went to collect their running bibs the day before the race. Learning of Kiptoo’s struggle to find somewhere cheap to stay, Le Hoan tried to

US judge rules Rumeysa Ozturk must be transferred from Louisiana to Vermont

US judge rules Rumeysa Ozturk must be transferred from Louisiana to Vermont

Court says detained pro-Palestine student has shown ‘significant evidence’ violations to her constitutional rights. Washington, DC – A federal judge in the United States has ordered the government to transfer a pro-Palestine Turkish student, Rumeysa Ozturk, to Vermont for the court to assess legal challenges to her detention. In a ruling on Friday, District Court Judge William S Sessions found that Ozturk – who is currently held in Louisiana – has presented “significant evidence” to back the allegations that her detention violated her free speech and due process rights. Ozturk was arrested and had her visa revoked in March. Supporters say she was targeted over an op-ed she co-authored last year, criticising Tufts University for dismissing a student government resolution that called on the school to divest from Israeli companies. For these claims to be assessed, Sessions wrote, Ozturk’s case needs to be heard in court. “The Court concludes that this case will continue in this Court with Ms Ozturk physically present for the remainder of the proceedings,” he wrote. The judge gave the government until May 1 to transfer Ozturk and set a bond hearing on May 9 for her to argue for a temporary release. Advertisement Ozturk was sent to a detention facility in Louisiana, in what critics say is part of a government effort to keep detainees away from their supporters and lawyers – and place them in conservative-leaning legal districts. The Tufts University student was arrested near her home in Massachusetts on March 30. Surveillance footage of the incident shows masked immigration officers, who did not identify themselves as law enforcement, approaching her on the street and grabbing her hands. Critics have described the incident as an abduction. Her student visa has been revoked as part of a massive crackdown by President Donald Trump’s administration on foreign students who have protested or criticised Israel’s war on Gaza. Sessions confirmed that the only identifiable evidence that the US government is using to detain and deport Ozturk is the op-ed. “Her evidence supports her argument that the government’s motivation or purpose for her detention is to punish her for co-authoring an op-ed in a campus newspaper which criticized the Tufts University administration, and to chill the political speech of others,” Sessions said. “The government has so far offered no evidence to support an alternative, lawful motivation or purpose for Ms Ozturk’s detention.” He also stressed that the First Amendment, which protects free speech, “has long extended” to non-citizens living in the US. The case Sessions is overseeing is known as a habeas corpus petition. It challenges Ozturk’s detention, not the broader push to deport her. Advertisement Deportation matters are reviewed through a separate system, where non-citizens bring their cases in front of an immigration judge who works within the executive branch. It is not a separate part of the government, as the independent judiciary is. Advocates say immigration judges often “rubber-stamp” the decisions of the executive branch under which they work. An immigration judge in Louisiana denied Ozturk’s release on bail earlier this week. Immigration cases can be appealed to a board of immigration appeals, an administrative body. As a last resort, immigrants can petition to bring their case in front of a court of appeals that is part of the regular judicial system. The Trump administration has been stressing that the law gives it leeway over immigration issues – and that, in turn, offers the presidency broad powers that supersede concerns about free speech and due process. To authorise the deportations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has invoked a rarely used provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that grants him the authority to remove non-citizens whom he deems to “have serious adverse foreign policy consequences” for the US. But part of Friday’s ruling could have sweeping implications for Ozturk and other students facing deportation. Sessions dismissed the notion that detained immigrants can have their constitutional rights ignored because of an administrative process. The judge said the government is arguing that an immigration law “grants practically limitless, unreviewable power to detain individuals for weeks or months, even if the detention is patently unconstitutional”. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)