Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. The U.S. House has been in session for 12 hours as members gear up to vote on the Senate version of the massive bill that President Trump wants finalized this week.
The nearly 1,000-page proposal includes extra funding for border security and the military. It also calls for tax cuts that Republicans like Congressman Mike Lawler say are needed because the ones passed in 2017 will soon expire. Well, the president obviously wants to get the bill passed. Number one, this is the largest tax cut ever.
And failure here will result in the largest tax increase in American history. And it would be a disaster for the economy. The plan also calls for cuts to Medicaid that hardline conservatives say are not deep enough. Moderate Republicans are concerned about the impact on small hospitals and rural communities.
Media rights groups are denouncing CBS parent Paramount for agreeing to pay $16 million to President Trump's future library.
As NPR's David Folkenflik reports, Trump sued CBS over the way 60 Minutes edited an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump's lawyers said the segment constituted electoral interference. Outside legal observers say his case had no merit, that the First Amendment covers such editorial choices. His legal team says Trump has held the fake news media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit.
Paramount needs approval from Trump's regulators to sell the company in an $8 billion deal. The lawsuit is hardly a one and done for the president. The agreement appears modeled on a past settlement from the Walt Disney Company, the corporate parent of ABC News, over anchor George Stephanopoulos' imprecise statements about legal findings against Trump.
Trump is still suing the Des Moines Register over a poll last year, and he recently threatened The New York Times and CNN with prosecution for their reporting. David Folkenflik, NPR News.
The FBI says it has arrested two Chinese nationals for allegedly spying on the U.S. Navy. As NPR's Emily Fang reports, one suspect is a permanent U.S. resident and the other is in the country on a tourist visa. The suspects are charged with acting as agents on behalf of a foreign government, specifically that of China, for which the Justice Department alleges the men were trying to recruit U.S. service members and gather intelligence on the American Navy.
The U.S. and China have been ramping up their anti-espionage efforts against one another over the last decade. For its part, China decimated the CIA's network of informants and spies in China, reportedly executing some of them starting back in 2010. And in recent months, China has announced several arrests and investigations that it says stopped foreign espionage rings in China.
Emily Fang, NPR News. U.S. futures are flat in after-hours trading. This is NPR. This message comes from Warby Parker. Prescription eyewear that's expertly crafted and unexpectedly affordable. Glasses designed in-house from premium materials starting at just $95, including prescription lenses. Stop by a Warby Parker store near you.