The Latest: House approves Trump’s $9 billion cut to public broadcasting and foreign aid

The House gave final approval to President Donald Trump’ s request to claw back about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid early Friday as Republicans intensified their efforts to target institutions and programs they view as bloated or out of step with their agenda.

The vote marked the first time in decades that a president has successfully submitted such a rescissions request to Congress, and the White House suggested it won’t be the last. Some Republicans were uncomfortable with the cuts, yet supported them anyway, wary of crossing Trump or upsetting his agenda.

The House passed the bill by a vote of 216-213. It now goes to Trump for his signature.

Here’s the latest:

Wall Street Journal reports a sexually suggestive Trump letter to Epstein

The president promised a lawsuit after The Wall Street Journal described a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday.

Trump denied writing the letter, calling it “false, malicious, and defamatory.” The newspaper report comes amid an uproar among Trump supporters over the administration’s about-face on releasing criminal case files from the Epstein investigations. Trump has labeled “weaklings” his supporters who insist on exposing the records.

Just look at Trump’s legs

Swollen legs led to the President being diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. It’s a fairly common condition among older adults but requires a thorough checkup to rule out more serious causes of the swelling.

Colbert blames Trump deal for cancelation of ‘The Late Show’

CBS is canceling “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”. The talk show host told his audience that their last show will be next May, shuttering a decades-old TV institution and removing from air one of Trump’s most prominent and persistent late-night critics.

Thursday’s announcement followed Colbert’s criticism of a settlement between Trump and Paramount Global, parent company of CBS, over a “60 Minutes” story.

In his monologue Monday, Colbert said he was “offended” and joked that the technical name in legal circles for the deal was “big fat bribe.”

Paramount and CBS executives said in a statement that the cancellation “is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”

▶ Read more about the cancellation

Inside the cuts to foreign aid

Among the foreign aid cuts are $800 million for a program that provides emergency shelter, water and family reunification for refugees and $496 million to provide food, water and health care for countries hit by natural disasters and conflicts. There also is a $4.15 billion cut for programs that aim to boost economies and democratic institutions in developing nations.

Democrats argued that the Republican administration’s animus toward foreign aid programs would hurt America’s standing in the world and create a vacuum for China to fill.

The White House argued that many of the cuts would incentivize other nations to step up and do more to respond to humanitarian crises and that the rescissions best served the American taxpayer.

▶ Read more about the cuts to foreign aid

Recission cuts are a heavy blow to local radio stations across rural America

The cancellation of $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting represents the full amount it is due to receive during the next two budget years.

The White House says the public media system is politically biased and an unnecessary expense.

The CPB distributes more than two-thirds of the money to more than 1,500 locally operated public television and radio stations, with much of the remainder assigned to National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service to support national programming.

Lawmakers with large rural constituencies voiced particular concern about what the cuts to public broadcasting could mean for some local public stations in their state.

▶ Read more about the House vote on the recissions

House gives final approval to Trump’s clawing back of $9 billion in appropriated funds

The package cancels about $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and nearly $8 billion for a variety of foreign aid programs, many designed to help countries where drought, disease and political unrest endure.

The vote marked the first time in decades that a president has successfully submitted such a rescissions request to Congress, and the White House suggested it won’t be the last. Some Republicans were uncomfortable with the cuts, yet supported them anyway, wary of crossing Trump or upsetting his agenda.

The House passed the bill by a vote of 216-213. It now goes to Trump for his signature.

▶ Read more about the House vote and the recissions request