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Trump Announces His New Evangelical Executive Advisory Board, List Includes Michele Bachmann

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After Meeting With 400 Top Evangelical Christian Leaders, Trump Says He Has ‘Such Tremendous Respect and Admiration’ for His New Group

Donald Trump has just released the names of the people who will head his new Evangelical Executive Advisory Board, and among them are several dozen mostly well-known individuals, including Michele Bachmann, Ralph Reed, James Dobson, and Robert Jeffress. The GOP presumptive nominee been behind closed doors with about 400 of America’s top evangelical Christian leaders, including the heads of several anti-gay hate groups, and some of the most actively anti-LGBT faith leaders in the nation, since about 8:30 AM today in Manhattan.

The group has no public duties but is expected to be used to convince evangelicals to vote for Trump. A press release states they will “convene on a regular basis.”

Former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who grew her political career on the backs of first Minnesota’s and then the nation’s LGBT citizens, is one the list. So is James Dobson, who founded Focus On The Family and later, the Family Research Council. Also on the list is Jerry Falwell, Jr., son of the anti-gay televangelist who now heads his father’s Liberty University. Ronnie Floyd, the head of the Southern Baptist Convention, Bishop Harry Jackson, who worked for several years with NOM, the National Organization For Marriage. Fire and brimstone megachurch anti-gay pastor and Fox News contributor Robert Jeffress, who has called the Mormon faith a cult and is publicly opposed to both Catholicism and Islam, almost as much as he is opposed to LGBT people. 

EARLIER: Trump Warns Top Christian Evangelicals America’s ‘Leaders Are Selling Christianity Down the Tubes’

Others on the list include ethically disgraced former head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Richard Land. 

Ralph Reed, who made his name working for Jerry Falwell until he too ran into ethical troubles. He is now the head and founder  of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, where Trump two weeks ago promised he would protect traditional marriage three days before he promised the LGBT community he is the most pro-gay candidate running for president.

In a statement, Trump said, “I have such tremendous respect and admiration for this group and I look forward to continuing to talk about the issues important to Evangelicals, and all Americans, and the common sense solutions I will implement when I am President,” as Politico reported.

Some have called into question the ethics of stumping for Trump, given their prior statements:

The full list (below) includes only three women, as NPR’s Matt Katz reported.

· Michele Bachmann - Former Congresswoman 

· A.R. Bernard - Senior Pastor and CEO, Christian Cultural Center

· Mark Burns - Pastor, Harvest Praise and Worship Center

· Tim Clinton – President, American Association of Christian Counselors

· Kenneth and Gloria Copeland - Founders, Kenneth Copeland Ministries

· James Dobson - Author, Psychologist and Host, My Family Talk

· Jerry Falwell, Jr. - President, Liberty University

· Ronnie Floyd - Senior Pastor, Cross Church

· Jentezen Franklin - Senior Pastor, Free Chapel

· Jack Graham - Senior Pastor, Prestonwood Baptist Church

· Harry Jackson - Senior Pastor, Hope Christian Church

· Robert Jeffress - Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Dallas

· David Jeremiah - Senior Pastor, Shadow Mountain Community Church

· Richard Land – President, Southern Evangelical Seminary

· James MacDonald – Founder and Senior Pastor, Harvest Bible Chapel

· Johnnie Moore - Author, President of The KAIROS Company

· Robert Morris - Senior Pastor, Gateway Church

· Tom Mullins – Senior Pastor, Christ Fellowship­

· Ralph Reed – Founder, Faith and Freedom Coalition

· James Robison – Founder, Life OUTREACH International

· Tony Suarez - Executive Vice President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

· Jay Strack - President, Student Leadership University

· Paula White - Senior Pastor, New Destiny Christian Center

· Tom Winters - Attorney, Winters and King, Inc.

· Sealy Yates – Attorney, Yates and Yates

 

EARLIER:

Watch: Elizabeth Warren Just Recorded This Video About Donald Trump for MoveOn.org and It’s Awesome

TODAY: Donald Trump Meets With 400 Top Anti-LGBT Christian Conservatives

Trump Lie of the Day: When I Said People Should Have Had Guns at Orlando Bar I Didn’t Mean Patrons

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Two-Thirds of Americans Say Economy is Keeping Them From Having Babies

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Nearly two-thirds of Americans aren’t having babies due to the economy, according to a new poll.

According to a Harris-Guardian poll, many Americans are deciding against having children, with 65% saying that they’ve decided against having children because they’re worried about the economy and doubt they could afford it.

The poll also asked about other regular life milestones. Americans are also holding off on getting married (60%), buying a house (75%) or pursuing higher education (61%). It’s not just major events, either—65% said the cost of living had only gotten higher since January, and half said they were having difficulty paying for regular living expenses.

READ MORE: Nikki Haley: Frozen Embryos Are ‘Babies’

A majority of adults, 52%, blamed either tariffs (29%) or other government policies (23%) for causing their household economic woes. Only 4% blamed themselves, with another 6% blaming employers; 16% blamed something altogether different. The only group that largely felt the economy was getting better was Republicans; 33% said it was getting worse, compared to 73% of Democrats and 64% of independents.

The survey of 2,102 adult Americans was conducted between April 24-26. The margin of error is 2.5%.

America’s birth rate has been declining since the 1950s, barring a small bump between 1978 and 1988, according to Macrotrends. In the last 40 years, the number of live births has fallen from a peak of 15.5 live births per 1,000 people in 1988 to 12.01 births in 2024.

The Trump administration has urged Americans to have more children. In April, President Donald Trump floated the idea of giving out a “baby bonus” of $5,000 to new parents, according to CBS News.

While not as generous, the House GOP’s first draft of the budget includes $1,000 to be placed in “MAGA accounts” for new babies, according to Raw Story. The $1,000 could come in handy for new parents—but a May 9 report from CBS estimates Trump’s tariffs have added $1,000 to the cost of raising a child. (This does not take into account Monday’s announcement of reduced tariffs on Chinese goods.)

Declining birth rates could lead to an imbalance of demographics. As Americans get older, there are fewer young people to fill their shoes in the workplace. Fewer workers means lower tax revenue, and aging typically means an increase in health care costs, as Mike Walden, Reynolds Distinguished Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University, points out.

It’s not all downsides, however. Walden says lower birth rates could also lessen competition for good housing. It could also lead to less traffic congestion, less waste and more land for food production.

Image via Shutterstock

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Trump Promises to Lower Drug Costs as House GOP Tries to Cut $880B From Medicaid

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday aimed at cutting drug costs. Meanwhile, his fellow Republicans in the House are trying to gut Medicaid.

Trump’s executive order, “Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients,” is an attempt to “equalize evident price discrimination,” allowing Americans to pay the same price as other “comparably developed nations.”

“This abuse of Americans’ generosity, who deserve low-cost pharmaceuticals on the same terms as other developed nations, must end.  Americans will no longer be forced to pay almost three times more for the exact same medicines, often made in the exact same factories.  As the largest purchaser of pharmaceuticals, Americans should get the best deal,” the EO reads in part.

READ MORE: ‘Pushed Up to the Edge of the Cliff’: GOP Proposals Would Kick Millions Off Health Care

Prior to the announcement, Trump posted to Truth Social that “DRUG PRICES TO BE CUT BY 59%,” but did not provide details on where that figure came from. It is also unclear if the White House has the authority to enforce this order, according to NPR.

PhRMA President and CEO Steve Ubl dismissed the executive order, saying that it was other countries paying such low prices that drives up costs for Americans. Ubl implied that the executive order may require those countries to pay more.

“The Administration is right to use trade negotiations to force foreign governments to pay their fair share for medicines. U.S. patients should not foot the bill for global innovation,” Ubl said. “Importing foreign prices from socialist countries would be a bad deal for American patients and workers. It would mean less treatments and cures and would jeopardize the hundreds of billions our member companies are planning to invest in America – threatening jobs, hurting our economy and making us more reliant on China for innovative medicines.”

While Trump was promising to help American health care consumers on Monday, the night before, his colleagues in the House revealed legislation that would cut over $880 billion in Medicaid funding. Republicans say that the cuts will result in savings to the average American, but Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said “millions of Americans will lose their health care coverage,” according to the AP.

“Hospitals will close, seniors will not be able to access the care they need, and premiums will rise for millions of people if this bill passes,” Pallone continued.

Not all Republicans are on board with this bill. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri wrote a guest essay for The New York Times condemning the legislation. He called the bill “both morally wrong and politically suicidal.”

“If Republicans want to be a working-class party — if we want to be a majority party — we must ignore calls to cut Medicaid and start delivering on America’s promise for America’s working people,” Hawley wrote.

Image via Reuters

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US Lifts Ban on Afghan Deportations, Despite UN Warning of ‘Escalating Crisis’

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Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday that the ban on deporting Afghans had been lifted due to improvements in their home country. The United Nations has warned this isn’t the case, and deportees could be in danger.

The about-face is yet another example of the Trump administration reversing a Biden-era policy. Beginning in 2022, Afghan refugees were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), according to NPR. In addition to stopping deportation, TPS also gives refugees authorization to work in the United States.

Noem said the decision to rescind TPS was due to improving conditions in Afghanistan, citing an “improved security situation” and “stabilizing economy,” according to The Hill. The TPS designation expires on May 20, and becomes effective July 12, 60 days after the announcement is scheduled to be officially published in the Federal Register.

READ MORE: Trump Team Pushing ‘Utter Propaganda’ on Deportations to Create ‘Climate of Fear’: Experts

Despite Noem saying Afghanistan is safe for refugees, the State Department still gives the country a “Do Not Travel” designation. The State Department warns “travel to all areas of Afghanistan is unsafe,” according to NPR.

The United Nations also disputes Noem’s claims. A report published by the U.N. last month refers to an “escalating humanitarian crisis” in the country, and say increase deportations could further destabilize things. Iran and Pakistan have forcibly deported 96,000 Afghan refugees in April alone, the U.N. reported.

Afghan refugees in America—even those with green cards—say they’re afraid to return.

“It doesn’t matter just how you got here,” Muhammad Amiri, a Afghan refugee with legal permanent residency, told NPR. “We don’t feel safe, and we don’t feel good because now, we feel threatened, if they send us back to our country, it will be the same story. [We] feel threatened to be tortured, maybe be killed by [the] Taliban.”

Though Amiri has a green card, the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration has many worried. Amiri’s fiancée is in Afghanistan, and he told NPR he was afraid to visit her, due to fears he may not be allowed back into the country. Amiri’s fears are not unfounded; Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at airports have already turned away or detained those who come to the United States legally, according to The Verge.

The Taliban,a militant Islamic fundamentalist group, is still in control of Afghanistan. The Taliban bans women from working or being educated. This week, it also banned chess, according to the Telegraph. The Taliban has been in control since the 2021 withdrawal of U.S. forces from the country, ending the longest war in which America has been involved.

Image via Reuters

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