Trump-backed candidate wins primary to face Jon Ossoff in Georgia midterms

Keith Sonderling sent letters to 53 states and US territories demanding action to “combat waste, fraud and abuse†within the unemployment insurance program, threatening to withhold administrative funds from states for the first time history.

“We are officially putting governors on notice,†said the acting US secretary of labor. “The American people will no longer tolerate the blatant waste, fraud and abuse of their hard-earned tax dollars – no state should allow it either. If states allow it, they will suffer the consequences. This department is no longer afraid to use every lever available to ensure taxpayer money is protected.â€

The agency did not provide data on fraud or alleged fraud in unemployment systems, but highlighted three Democratic-led states – California, New York and Illinois – and made claims about each.

The agency says California owes $20bn to the federal government for a loan during the Covid-19 pandemic. California has struggled paying off the loan, as the state did with a similar federal loan received during the 2008 economic recession, due to the current setup of how employers are taxed to fund unemployment. The unemployment payroll tax system in California has been unchanged since 1984 at a taxable wage ceiling of $7,000 on a workers’ wages and maximum tax rate of 5.4%, leaving the state with insufficient funds to cover its unemployment reserve while legislators on both sides of the political aisle have been working to try to resolve the issue.

The Department of Labor also claimed that New York loses an estimated $2m per day in unemployment insurance fraud and improper payments, but did not differentiate between the two. They also cited that Illinois has improper payments of $320m, at a rate of 14%.

Legislators in the halls of the Georgia state capitol are saying that the Georgia house speaker has announced that the state will not engage in redistricting during the special session that began today.

Legislators were called to the capitol by Governor Brian Kemp to manage a legal problem with QR codes on ballots that lingered over from the regular session, and tacked on redistricting as an additional effort.

That effort appears to have been quashed after Republican lawmakers questioned the political risks ahead of what is expected to be a bruising general election in a swing state.

More to follow.

Going back to Jay Clayton’s postponed nomination, Donald Trump said he would not approve the renewal of Fisa section 702 without passage of his Save America Actwhich would require Americans to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote, a provision critics say would strip millions of Americans of their right to vote, the Associated Press reported.

Trump has previously said the controversial act would deliver his Republicans a “guaranteed†win in November’s midterm elections.

With Trump’s approval rating dropping, polls show that his party will struggle to keep their ‌slim control of the House and Senate when Americans head to the polls this year.

Trump says he is looking forward to a “very special†dinner with Macron as he wants to see the Palace of Versailles, because it “has a lot of goldâ€.

He then says he hopes Europe will “find its wayâ€as it is “having a lot of hard times†with energy and immigration.

And curiously, Trump also thanks Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping for staying neutral on Iran, saying otherwise “they could have made it much more difficult for usâ€.

Meanwhile at the G7 press conference, Trump has moved on to Ukraine.

He says he had “a productive conversation†with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy and then Russia’s Putin on the phone.

He suggests “something is going to happenâ€, as he says Russia is losing more soldiers than Ukraine.

He says he had “a very good conversation†with Putin and “a very, very good conversation with Zelenskyyâ€.

“I think they both want to do something. They just don’t know how to do it.â€

He then swiftly moves on to international aid and the Ebola outbreak in Africa.

The Associated Press has succinctly summarized the stakes of the intelligence director nomination, and why even Republicans are wary of Trump’s interference in today’s hearing:

Hanging in the balance is not only the director of national intelligence, but also section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa)which permits spy agencies to collect without a warrant the communications of targeted foreigners located outside the United States.

National security officials across both major political parties have for years described section 702 as vital for gathering intelligence that can disrupt terror attacks and espionage operations, though some lawmakers and civil liberties advocates have raised concerns over the government’s use of information about Americans that is incidentally collected through the program.

Clayton’s Senate confirmation hearing was expected to be fast-tracked because of the program’s lapse. Democrats had said they would not renew Fisa until Trump withdrew the selection of Bill Pulte.

Trump’s post suggested that debate to revive section 702 could be indefinitely postponed.

The Republican senator Thom Tilliswho is retiring from his North Carolina seat at the end of his term in 2027, told Punchbowl reporter Laura Weiss that Jay Clayton was on track to have a good hearing before Donald Trump interfered with the proceedings.

“Now we’re in a posture where it may be the reason 702 doesn’t get reauthorized,†Tillis said. “That’s a mistake.â€

But Tillis also doesn’t think Trump is intentionally creating an issue. “I think somebody’s not dialing the president in to the complexities of what he’s done.â€

It’s worth noting a slight sense of Trump’s frustration with Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu as he says he “gets a little excited sometimesâ€, and they “have a little dispute over Lebanonâ€.

“Bibi, you don’t have to knock down a building every time somebody walks into it that’s from Hezbollah,†he says.

Meanwhile, Trump is still is Iran.

He says the deal will be signed shortly; maybe tomorrow, maybe Friday.

We’re going to quickly pivot from Trump’s press conference to share that Jay Clayton’s nomination hearing has officially been canceled for Wednesday, according to the Senate intelligence committee chair, Tom Cotton.

Trump directed Clayton to not appear at the hearing scheduled for this afternoon, according to Cotton. The Republican senator, a staunch ally of the president, called the order “regrettable†in rare public criticism of Trump.

In a post on X, he wrote:

It’s regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today. Mr Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly. While today’s hearing is now unfortunately postponed, I look forward to proceeding with his confirmation in the near future.