The Morning Sixpack - May 22, 2025

House GOP wins budget battle by one vote, debt bomb to detonate soon, two Israeli Embassy staff murdered in DC, FDA and COVID, Trump meets with South African leader, another small airplane crash

House GOP Passes Trump’s Tax-and-Spending Bill in Nail-Biting 215-214 Vote

The Republican-led House narrowly passed President Trump’s massive tax-and-spending package early Thursday, overcoming internal divisions with last-minute tweaks that split conservatives and moderates alike.

This “one big, beautiful bill” aims to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts while cutting Medicaid and food aid spending, balancing promises of tax relief with controversial social program rollbacks. Speaker Mike Johnson brokered a fragile peace between hard-liners demanding deeper cuts and moderates concerned about impacts on hospitals and clean-energy projects.

The final tally was razor-thin: 215 in favor, 214 opposed, with only two Republicans voting no and one voting present. Democrats uniformly opposed the measure, criticizing it as a giveaway to the wealthy that undercuts the social safety net.

Key last-minute changes accelerated Medicaid work requirements to 2026 and sped up the phaseout of wind and solar tax credits to satisfy conservatives, while raising the SALT deduction cap to $40,000 to placate members from high-tax states. The bill now heads to the Senate, where more battles lie ahead.

As Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R., Texas) put it, “At its core, the one big, beautiful bill is about more than dollars and cents. It’s about liberty and empowering the American people.”

Source: WSJ - House Passes Trump Tax Bill After Last-Minute Changes (gift article)

The House GOP is a joke. I want to know who the joker is who voted “present.” That’s a coward of the highest order.

House Republican Sounds Alarm: Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Is a ‘Debt Bomb’ Heading Straight for Disaster

Rep. Thomas Massie ripped into his own party’s tax-and-spending package, warning it’s not just bad policy — it’s like steering the Titanic full speed toward a fiscal iceberg.

Breaking ranks during a fierce House debate, Massie delivered a harsh dose of reality: the bill balloons deficits now with empty promises of fiscal responsibility down the road. “Where have we heard that before?” he asked, challenging the idea that future Congresses will honor these budget illusions. “This bill is a debt bomb ticking.”

He pointed to Moody’s downgrade of the U.S. credit rating and predicted soaring interest costs — $16,000 in interest payments per American family — as the national debt risks exploding by $30 trillion over the next decade.

“We’re not rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic tonight. We’re putting coal in the boiler and setting a course for the iceberg,” Massie warned, taking a jab at GOP leaders trying to push the bill through under the cover of darkness: “If something is beautiful, you don’t do it after midnight.”

Massie was one of only two House Republicans to vote against the bill, which squeaked through by a single vote. The Senate now faces the next critical decision.

Source: Mediaite - House Republican Shreds Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ as ‘Titanic’-Level ‘Debt Bomb’

The GOP has never been about deficit reduction. They only talk about that when a Democrat is President or when Democrats control a chamber or two. They don’t mean it when they say it, that’s 100 for sure!

Two Israeli Embassy Staffers Gunned Down Near Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.

A man shouting “Free Palestine!” opened fire outside the Capital Jewish Museum, killing two Israeli Embassy employees in what law enforcement officials say was a targeted attack.

The suspected shooter, 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez from Chicago, was arrested at the scene after confessing to officers and directing them to his discarded weapon. Witnesses reported Rodriguez pacing near the museum as attendees left a Jewish heritage event Wednesday evening.

The victims, Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, both young professionals working at the Israeli Embassy, were found with fatal gunshot wounds. Lischinsky had recently purchased an engagement ring for Milgrim, planning to propose in Jerusalem next week, according to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter.

Law enforcement and FBI officials called the shooting an act of targeted violence with no ongoing threat to the public. Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed full prosecution: “We will follow the facts. We will follow the law, and this defendant will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The incident highlights rising antisemitism amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Ambassador Leiter affirmed resilience: “Together we won’t be afraid and we will stand and we will overcome moral depravity of people who think they are going to achieve political gains through murder.”

Source: WSJ - Two Israeli Embassy Staffers Killed in Shooting Near Jewish Museum in Washington (gift article)

Is it necessarily antisemitic to want the government of Israel to stop killing Palestinians? No. It isn’t.

Of course, this murder is a tragedy. Those two people gunned down didn’t deserve it. There is no excuse for it.

FDA Panel Faces Tough Call on Whether to Update COVID-19 Vaccine Formula for This Fall

As questions swirl over who should get COVID boosters this year, FDA advisers must decide if the vaccine recipe needs a refresh to tackle evolving virus strains.

This critical meeting comes just days after the FDA limited routine booster recommendations to seniors and high-risk groups, leaving healthy people under 65 in a gray area—unclear if they’ll be eligible or if insurers will cover shots. Experts worry this could create barriers for parents wanting to vaccinate their kids.

The panel’s main task is to evaluate whether last fall’s vaccine targeting omicron subvariants still offers enough protection, or if the formula should shift to cover the currently dominant subtype, LP.8.1. While the World Health Organization sees last year’s formula as acceptable, Europe’s regulators favor updating to the newest strain.

FDA vaccine chief Dr. Vinay Prasad highlighted a move away from automatic annual changes, saying, “Instead of having a COVID-19 strategy that’s year-to-year where we change things every single year, why don’t we let the science tell us when to change?”

Well, do it then. It’s OBVIOUS that if the prevailing virus strain is different from wha tht most current vaccine was designed for that there should be an update to the vaccine. No?

The CDC’s advisory group will weigh in next month on who should get boosters this fall, balancing universal access against targeting only high-risk populations.

Source: MDGN - FDA panel debates COVID vaccine recipe as questions swirl about fall shots

Trump Turns Oval Office Meeting with South African President into High-Drama Showdown Over ‘White Farmer’ Violence

In another obscene Oval Office moment, Trump dimmed the lights and played a video accusing South African politicians of inciting attacks on white farmers—sparking a tense yet measured exchange with President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The video showed opposition figures chanting anti-apartheid slogans interpreted by Trump’s team as calls for violence against white South Africans. Ramaphosa challenged the footage’s authenticity, saying, “I’d like to know where that is, because this I’ve never seen.”

Trump backed his claims with printouts alleging widespread violence, emphasizing his administration’s efforts to welcome Afrikaner refugees. Ramaphosa brought in his delegation—including golf champions and billionaire Johann Rupert—to stress that violence affects all South Africans, not only white farmers.

A light moment came when Ramaphosa joked about gifting Trump a plane, prompting a playful retort from the U.S. president. Afterward, Ramaphosa noted, “You wanted to see drama and something really big happening… And I’m sorry that we disappointed you somewhat.”

One reporter wasn’t so sure: “That was very dramatic for me, and for everybody else in the room.”

Source: AP News - Lights, video, confrontation — Trump’s meeting with South African leader takes dramatic turn

It’s clear to me that South Africa’s President Ramaphosa thinks Trump is a joke. But he can’t out and out call him an idiot, so he downplayed the whole episode.

But make no mistake: Trump is a vengeful idiot.

Small Plane Plows Into San Diego Neighborhood, Igniting Flames Across Multiple Homes

A private Cessna 550 crashed into a densely packed San Diego neighborhood during heavy fog, triggering fires that engulfed about 15 homes and vehicles early Thursday morning.

Assistant Fire Chief Dan Eddy described the scene as a “gigantic debris field” scattered across the Murphy Canyon area, with jet fuel pouring everywhere and urgent evacuations underway. “Our main goal is to search all these homes and get everybody out right now,” he said.

Visibility was near zero at the time of the crash near Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport around 3:45 a.m., complicating rescue efforts. The FAA has yet to confirm how many people were aboard the six-to-eight-seat aircraft.

The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the cause of the crash. Authorities have not yet reported any injuries.

This tragedy echoes a similar 2021 crash in the same area that killed the pilot and a UPS driver, underscoring the risks near the busy airport.

Source: AP News - Small plane crashes into San Diego neighborhood, setting home and vehicles on fire