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In win for Trump, House narrowly OKs effort to claw back $9B from budget — including cuts to public broadcasting and USAID

July 18, 2025 by WDNY Radio

In win for Trump, House narrowly OKs effort to claw back B from budget — including cuts to public broadcasting and USAID

In win for Trump, House narrowly OKs effort to claw back $9B from budget — including cuts to public broadcasting and USAID — Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — In a major win for President Donald Trump, the Republican-led House narrowly passed a White House request to claw back $9 billion from the federal budget, including funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting.

The final vote was 216-213.

Trump requested the cuts, which include significant reductions to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), formalizing some of the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency by striking $9.4 billion from the previously approved federal budget.

Two Republicans in the House voted against the measure: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Turner of Ohio.

The measure now heads to Trump’s desk for signature.

House Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated the passage of the $9 billion rescissions package and said there would be additional rescissions bills coming.

“This isn’t the end, it’s the beginning,” he said.

House passage came a day after the Senate narrowly approved the measure.

The vote in the Senate was 51-48 with Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voting with Democrats against the rescissions bill.

A number of Republicans that represent states with rural communities — such as Murkowski of Alaska and Mike Rounds of South Dakota — have expressed concerns about cuts to public broadcasting that could affect the ability of certain communities to access emergency alerts.

The final vote in Senate happened after an hourslong and slow-moving vote-a-rama — or marathon voting session — during which Democrats offered numerous amendments to the bill. The bulk of Democratic amendments focused on trying to fight back against cuts to both public broadcast and global health that are in the bill.

The Senate’s process to advance the package began on Tuesday night when Republicans narrowly advanced the rescissions package with the assist of the tie-breaking vote of Vice President J.D. Vance.

Three Republicans crossed the aisle on Tuesday night to cast votes against the bill after raising concerns about the lack of detail in the White House’s rescission plan: Sens. Collins, Murkowski and Mitch McConnell.

‘It’s a cover up’: Musk floods X with posts attacking Trump over Epstein

July 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who earlier this month feuded online with President Donald Trump after stepping down as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has been flooding his social media feed with criticism of Trump and his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Using his X platform, Musk has been on a posting spree since Wednesday, posting or reposting criticisms of Trump’s handling of the Epstein files more than 35 times.

He’s even used his AI chatbot Grok — which just clinched a $200 million deal with the Trump administration — to address the issue.

The administration angered many of Trump’s supporters when it announced last week that it would not release any additional files on Epstein, the wealthy financier and convicted sex offender who died in jail by suicide in 2019, after earlier promising to do so.

Musk’s avalanche of attacks comes just weeks after he posted — but later deleted — a claim that Trump’s name appeared in the Epstein files, and that that was why more documents weren’t being released.

At the time he said the post “went too far.” Now, however, he’s returned to attacking the president.

In one post, Musk called the Trump administration’s actions “a cover up (obviously)” and claimed in another that “so many powerful people want that list suppressed.”

In response to Trump calling the matter the “Epstein Hoax,” Musk mockingly wrote, “Wow, amazing that Epstein ‘killed himself’ and Ghislaine is in federal prison for a hoax,” referring to former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell who is serving a 20-year prison term for aiding Epstein in his sexual abuse of underage girls.

Musk also took a shot at how Trump has handled past issues, listing, “1. Admit nothing; 2. Deny everything; 3. Make counterclaims” — before adding, “But it won’t work this time.”

He also reposted a photo of the binders that Attorney General passed out to MAGA influencers at the White House in February that were labeled “Epstein files: Phase 1.”

“Where is ‘Phase 2’? Musk asked.

Addressing X’s AI chatbot, Grok, Musk asked, “Would that mean the government right now — as we speak — knows the names & ages of all those who traveled on Epstein’s plane?”

“Yes, the DOJ and FAA hold extensive passenger manifests and flight logs from Epstein’s jets,” Grok replied.

Though Musk slammed Trump’s handling of the Epstein files, his attacks themselves were riddled with false assumptions, including conspiracy theories about the existence of an Epstein “client list,” which is unsupported by evidence.

Responding to criticism from Musk earlier this month, Trump posted to his own social media platform, “I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks.”

Musk, the top donor in the 2024 election who helped boost Trump’s path to victory, led the administration’s effort to slash the federal government before stepping down from the post in May.

A White House spokesperson, when asked for comment, directed ABC News to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s comments during Thursday’s press briefing. Asked if Trump has been in contact with any of the social media influencers who have challenged his handling of the Epstein files, Leavitt said, “The president and this team are always in contact with the president’s supporters, with voices of many kinds on both sides of the aisle.”

“But, ultimately, he has led this country not just over the past six months to historic success, but also through his first four years as president … and as I always say, the American people should trust in President Trump,” Leavitt said.

22-year-old charged with murder in alleged killing of ‘American Idol’ music supervisor and husband

July 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LOS ANGELES, Calif.) — Murder and burglary charges were filed Thursday in the killing of an “American Idol” music supervisor and her husband at their home in Los Angeles.

The suspect — 22-year-old Raymond Boodarian — is accused of scaling a fence onto the Encino property and then shooting and killing the couple during a struggle when they arrived home, Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Guy Golan told reporters Tuesday.

Boodarian has been charged with two counts of murder and a count of residential burglary, according to Los Angeles ABC station KABC. He appeared in court on Thursday afternoon, where the judge set his next court hearing for Aug. 20. He is being held without bail.

The victims — Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca, both 70 — were found shot to death in their Los Angeles home during a welfare check on Monday, authorities said.

It is believed the couple was killed four days earlier, on July 10, police said. That day, the Los Angeles Police Department said it received two calls about a possible burglary at the address after a person was seen jumping the fence onto the property.

Officers responding to the calls that day were unable to go into the home because it is highly fortified, with 8-foot walls with spikes, police sources said. Police flew a helicopter over and saw no signs of a burglary or any other trouble and cleared the scene, Golan previously told reporters.

Surveillance footage later reviewed by police showed the suspect scaling the fence and then apparently entering an unlocked door, Golan said. The victims arrived home about 30 minutes later, police said.

While responding for a welfare check on Monday, officers were able to make their way into the home and found the victims dead with multiple gunshot wounds, Golan said. They both had gunshot wounds to the head, police said.

Detectives have since found a gun at the suspect’s residence that will be tested to determine if it was the alleged murder weapon, LAPD homicide detectives said Wednesday.

Police were investigating a motive and working to understand what happened inside the house, Golan said Tuesday.

Police do not believe Boodarian knew the victims, and the house did not appear to be ransacked, Golan said. There is no camera footage from inside the house that shows what went on, he said.

The LAPD will look into how police responded to the initial burglary call last week to make sure it was handled appropriately, Golan said.

Kaye had been with “American Idol” since 2009, according to a spokesperson for the ABC television show.

Maurene Comey’s farewell after firing: ‘Fear is the tool of a tyrant’

July 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Maurene Comey told colleagues in a farewell email that she was fired as a federal prosecutor without being told a reason but urged them not to succumb to the “fear” she said her termination could cause.

“If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decision of those who remain,” Comey said in her email, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News. “Do not let that happen.”

Comey, daughter of former FBI director James Comey, was fired Wednesday after President Donald Trump vented to subordinates about having a Comey working in his administration, sources told ABC News.

“Yesterday was unexpectedly my last day in the Office. I was summarily fired via memo from Main Justice that did not give a reason for my termination,” Comey wrote in the email.

Comey was a highly regarded assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, where she worked on cases against Jeffrey Epstein and his convicted associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

“Every person lucky enough to work in this office constantly hears four words to describe our ethos: Without Fear or Favor. Do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons without fear of retribution and without favor to the powerful,” she wrote in the email.

“For the majority of my nearly ten years in SDNY, fear was never really conceivable. We don’t fear bad press; we have the luxury of exceptional security keeping us physically safe; and, so long as we did our work with integrity, we would get to keep serving the public in this office. Our focus was really on acting ‘without favor.’ That is, making sure people with access, money, and power were not treated differently than anyone else; and making sure this office remained separate from politics and focused only on the facts and the law,” the email read.

Comey urged her colleagues to continue to fight abuses of power, seek justice for victims and dedicate themselves to “truth above all else.”

“Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought,” Comey’s email said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t answer questions on the firing of Comey at the press briefing on Thursday.

Leavitt referred reporters to the Justice Department, saying that it was their decision to fire her.

The press secretary was later asked whether the White House had knowledge of the firing and whether Trump signed off on it. She again sidestepped, saying only that it was a decision from the DOJ.

ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.

DOJ suggests ex-officer convicted in raid of Breonna Taylor’s home should get 1 day in jail

July 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice recommended that the former officer who was found guilty of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights during a botched Kentucky raid should receive one day of imprisonment in a sentencing memorandum filed Wednesday.

Brett Hankison was found guilty of one count of violating Taylor’s civil rights when the former Louisville police officer blindly shot into her apartment 10 times in March 2020. Hankison’s bullets did not hit anyone.

The Justice Department filing, which also recommended three years of supervised release, was signed only by department officials and none of the line prosecutors.

“This sets a dangerous precedent,” attorneys of Taylor’s family said in a statement on Thursday. “When a police officer is found guilty of violating someone’s constitutional rights, there must be real accountability and justice. Recommending just one day in prison sends the unmistakable message that white officers can violate the civil rights of Black Americans with near-total impunity.”

The sentencing for Hankison, which was scheduled to take place on Wednesday, has been delayed until July 21 after prosecutors asked for more time to file their sentencing memo. Hankison’s defense team did not object to the delay.

This comes after Hankison’s defense team filed a sentencing memorandum urging the judge for leniency, citing various factors.

In the sentencing memorandum, Hankison’s defense team argued, in part, that Taylor’s boyfriend first fired at police, which is what “provoked” the three officers, including Hankison, “to discharge their weapons.” They also argued that in prison Hankison could be “suspectable to abuse based on his status as a police officer” and the immense media coverage of this case.

The guilty verdict came in November, hours after the jury acquitted Hankison of a second count of violating the civil rights of three of Taylor’s neighbors, who lived in an adjacent apartment that was also struck by gunfire during the raid.

Taylor was fatally shot during the raid. The three officers fired dozens of rounds after her boyfriend fired one round at them, striking one of the officers.

Hankison fired 10 rounds through Taylor’s sliding glass door and window, which were covered with blinds and curtains, prosecutors said. Several of the rounds traveled into Taylor’s neighbor’s apartment, where three people were at the time. None of the 10 rounds hit anyone.

Prosecutors argued Hankison’s use of force was unjustified, put people in danger and violated the civil rights of Taylor and her three neighbors. The indictment alleged Hankison deprived Taylor of the right to be free from unreasonable seizures and deprived her neighbors of the right to be free from the deprivation of liberty without due process of law.

Hankison was initially set to be sentenced in April 2025, but the sentencing was delayed until June 2025 and then again until July 16 and now until July 21 after the judge partially granted the motion filed by prosecutors, who asked for a 14-day delay.

The Justice Department declined to comment beyond the filing. Hankison’s legal team didn’t immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.

ABC News’ Alex Mallin, Meredith Deliso, Sabina Ghebremedhin, Jack Moore and Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.

Mike Pence calls for the release of the Epstein files: ‘I’ve always believed in transparency’

July 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Former Vice President Mike Pence joined the chorus of Republicans calling on the Trump administration to release files about the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, telling CBS News in an interview that he believes the administration should release all of the files about Epstein — breaking with the president he once served under.

“I think the time has come for the administration to release all of the files regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s investigation and prosecution,” Pence said in the Wednesday interview.

Asked if he believes there should be an inquiry into if accomplices to Epstein should be exposed to criminal prosecution, Pence said, “I just think we ought to get the facts to the American people. I’ve always believed in transparency.”

“It’s important that we protect the names of the victims. They should be excluded from any disclosure. But whether or not the facts justify charges, I think that anyone who participated or was associated with this despicable man ought to be held up to public scrutiny.”

In recent weeks, many of President Donald Trump’s most prominent supporters and congressional Republicans continue to demand answers about the files.

Pence is more moderate ideologically than many of the high-profile names calling for the files to be released. More broadly, Pence has threaded a needle over the first six months of Trump’s second presidency, occasionally critiquing and occasionally praising the second-term policies or opinions of the president who he once served under.

Trump continued Wednesday to dismiss calls within his own party for more transparency into the Epstein investigation and made claims, without evidence, that the controversy was designed to undermine him.

In a lengthy social media post, which included references to the president’s previous claims about the 2017 Russian election interference probe, Trump blamed Democrats for creating what he called a “scam” and “hoax.”

Asked what Trump means when he says the Epstein controversy is a “hoax,” Pence didn’t answer directly, but said Epstein’s prosecution began during the Bush administration and continued during the Obama administration.

“I know of no reason why this administration, once the victims’ names are protected, should not release all the files on Jeffrey Epstein,” Pence added.

The Justice Department and FBI earlier this month stated they found no evidence the deceased financier kept a “client list” of associates whom he blackmailed or conspired with to victimize dozens of women.

Trump had vascular testing because of leg swelling: White House

July 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump underwent vascular testing after he had swelling in his legs, with all results within normal limits, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.

Leavitt said Trump noted “mild swelling in his lower legs,” which prompted the White House medical team to evaluate him.

“The president underwent a comprehensive examination including diagnostic vascular studies, bilateral lower extremity intravenous doppler ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70,” Leavitt said in the Thursday White House press briefing.

There was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease and an echocardiogram showed normal cardiac structure and function, Leavitt said, adding that all results from testing were “within normal limits.”

Leavitt also address photos circulated online that show minor bruising on the back of the president’s hand, attributing the bruising to “with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking.”

“The president remains in excellent health,” Leavitt said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Over 60 dead after fire rips through shopping mall in Iraq

July 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — An overnight fire at a shopping mall in Iraq has killed more than 60 people, according to the country’s interior ministry.

The massive fire broke out early Thursday in the new, five-story shopping center in Kut, the capital of the Wasit province in eastern Iraq.

Most of the 61 victims died from smoke inhalation in the building’s bathrooms, while 14 others were severely burned, according to the interior ministry. Forty-five people were rescued, it said.

Rescue teams worked for hours to recover bodies trapped inside the charred structure, battling dense smoke and debris.

Iraqi authorities have declared three days of national mourning as search and recovery operations continue.

The Wasit governor, Mohammed Mayahi, described the fire as a national disaster. Many of the victims are believed to be entire families caught in the fire, with Mayahi saying children were among those killed.

“The day is painful for all of Wasit,” he said.

An investigation committee has been formed to determine the cause of the fire, the interior ministry said. Investigators have been tasked with determining whether violations of fire codes or construction standards played a role.

The blaze erupted less than a week after the Corniche shopping mall opened.

Mayahi said legal complaints had been filed against the building owner, the mall operator and others involved in the case.

“There will be no leniency,” he said.

The Kut disaster follows a series of similar incidents in Iraq recent years. In 2023, more than 100 people died after a fire started by pyrotechnic devices swept through a wedding hall in Hamdaniyah. The incident drew national outrage, raising broader concerns about public venue safety and allegations of corruption in the approval of business licenses.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Gag order lifted in Idaho murders case days before Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing

July 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The nondissemination order in the University of Idaho murder case was lifted by Judge Steven Hippler on Thursday, but all documents in the case that have been sealed will remain sealed for now.

The order, also known as a gag order, banned police and prosecutors from speaking about the high-profile case that gripped the nation.

Hippler’s decision to end the gag order comes six days before admitted killer Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing.

Kohberger, who pleaded guilty to all counts at a July 2 change of plea hearing, will return to court for his sentencing on July 23.

As a part of the plea deal, the former criminology Ph.D. student will be sentenced to four consecutive life sentences on the four first-degree murder counts and the maximum penalty of 10 years on the burglary count.

At the July 2 hearing, Hippler asked Kohberger how he pleaded for each count of murder and named the four students: roommates Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, and Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin. Kohberger quickly said “guilty” each time.

The college students were all stabbed to death at the girls’ off-campus house in the early hours of Nov. 13, 2022. Kohberger was arrested nearly seven weeks later.

Trump, facing MAGA uproar over Epstein files, tries to shift blame elsewhere

July 17, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Facing uproar in his MAGA base over the Jeffrey Epstein files, President Donald Trump continues to try to shift blame for the controversy to others, including onto Biden administration officials for what he calls a ‘hoax.”

Trump, in a phone interview with “Just the News” on Real America’s Voice on Wednesday night, alleged without providing evidence that Democrats and former officials doctored files relating to the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.

The comments came when Trump was asked if he wanted one prosecutor to look into the broad subject of political prosecution.

“Well, I think it’s in the case of Epstein, they’ve already looked at it, and they are looking at it, and I think all they have to do is put out anything credible,” Trump said.

“But you know, that was run by the Biden administration for four years. I can imagine what they put into files, just like they did with the others,” Trump continued. “I mean, the Steele dossier was a total fake, right? It took two years to figure that out for the people, and all of the things that you mentioned were fake.”

“So I would imagine if they were run by Chris Wray and they were run by Comey, and because it was actually even before that administration, they’ve been running these files, and so much of the things that we found were fake with me,” Trump said.

Despite Trump’s claims that Democrats “put” things in the files, many documents relating to Epstein, including those that mention Trump and several prominent Democrats, have been public for years.

Epstein was arrested in 2019 and died in prison while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges while Trump was president. A review by the Justice Department and FBI found no so-called “client list” and confirmed Epstein died by suicide in prison.

The brief memo put out by the DOJ and FBI last week stoked furor among Trump’s diehard supporters after years of prominent right-wing figures pushing accusations about Epstein and the “deep state” that’s protecting elites.

Trump’s since sought various ways to put out the political firestorm, coming to Bondi’s defense while also saying she should release what she deems “credible.”

Now, he’s shifted to calling the Epstein files a “hoax” and those Republican supporters who are questioning his administration’s handling of it as “stupid” and “foolish.”

“Some of the naive Republicans fall right into line, like they always do,” the president said on “Just the News.”

Calls for transparency on Epstein came from several Republicans on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. And Trump’s own former vice president, Mike Pence, called for the administration to “release all of the files” regarding the Epstein investigation.

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