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House passes bipartisan tax bill to expand child tax credit

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House passes bipartisan tax bill to expand child tax credit

The House voted to approve a short-term expansion of the child tax credit along with restoring some business tax credits.

Catie Dull/NPR


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Catie Dull/NPR


The House voted to approve a short-term expansion of the child tax credit along with restoring some business tax credits.

Catie Dull/NPR

The house has overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan tax package that pairs a temporary expansion of the child tax credit with business tax breaks and credits to develop more low-income housing.

The bill includes $33 billion to expand the widely used child tax credit for three years — including the tax season currently underway, provided the bill quickly passes the Senate. The changes would allow more low-income families to access the credit and would allow many families to receive a larger credit. The figures would also be adjusted for inflation in the coming years. The deal is the result of negotiations between House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and has provided a rare moment of bipartisanship at a time when Congress has been paralyzed by divisions of all kinds.

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The legislation also restores several business tax credits, including deductions for research and development and interest expensing for businesses. These provisions are supported by many members of both parties, though Republicans have primarily focused on the business credits as their motivation for backing the package.

The Senate has not scheduled a vote on the bill but Senate Democrats have generally supported the legislation and it could come up for a vote quickly.

Some Democrats criticized the bill for failing to go far enough to provide support for low-income families.

The current version of the child tax credit expansion is not as generous as a COVID-era policy that is credited with bringing roughly 3 million children out of poverty while it was available. Several outside organizations have estimated that the current version would similarly help families struggling to make ends meet. The nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates the bill could benefit roughly 16 million children in low-income families in the first year. The group estimates half a million children could be lifted out of poverty.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., praised the package Wednesday ahead of the vote despite days of acrimony among Republicans about the bill. Ultimately, Johnson focused on only the business tax credits when announcing his support.

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“The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act is important bipartisan legislation to revive conservative pro-growth tax reform,” Johnson said in the statement. “Crucially, the bill also ends a wasteful COVID-era program, saving taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.”

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Trump vows to ‘take care of Cuba,’ praises Venezuela cooperation at summit

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Trump vows to ‘take care of Cuba,’ praises Venezuela cooperation at summit

President Trump signs a proclamation committing to countering cartel criminal activity at the Shield of the Americas Summit.

Rebecca Blackwell/AP


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Rebecca Blackwell/AP

President Trump on Saturday launched the Shield of the Americas Summit – a coalition of Latin American leaders – with a pledge to “take care of Cuba,” as the United States increases its intervention in the region.

“Many of you have come today and they say, ‘I hope you can take care of Cuba.’ Because you have problems with Cuba, right?,” Trump said to the gathering of Latin American leadership.

“I was surprised, but four of you said, actually, ‘Could you do us a favor?’ Take care of Cuba.’ I’ll take care of it, ok?” he continued to applause from the crowd.

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Attending the meeting were the leaders of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago. The event was hosted at the Trump National Doral Miami golf course in Doral, Florida.

His comments follow tension between Cuba and U.S. and as many Cuban-Americans are hoping for a change in regime for the communist nation.

The Trump administration has eased a blockade of Venezuelan oil, allowing some private sector oil sales to Cuba. The country has been experiencing fuel shortages and blackouts that have left millions without power, according to The Associated Press.

Since the United States’ capture and arrest of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, in January, those who wish to see Cuba’s government toppled see Trump’s stance on foreign intervention as a signal that America might similarly help orchestrate the ouster of Cuba’s Miguel Díaz-Canel.

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Speaking to the change in Venezuela’s leadership since Maduro’s capture, Trump praised acting-President Delcy Rodríguez for her cooperation with the United States.

“She’s doing a great job because she’s working with us. If she wasn’t working with us, I would not say she’s doing a great job. In fact, she wasn’t working with us, I’d say she’s doing a very poor job, unacceptable, but she’s doing a great job,” Trump said.

He continued that because of U.S. assistance, Venezuela’s economic picture was considerably sunnier because of American oil exports and forthcoming gold and mineral trades.

Trump has hailed the transition from Maduro’s leadership is the model for regime changes.

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Iran warns it will hit US bases across region hours after president’s apology

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Iran warns it will hit US bases across region hours after president’s apology

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Cleveland playground now a place of mourning for two girls found in suitcases

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Cleveland playground now a place of mourning for two girls found in suitcases

It’s called Saranac Playground, and when the weather is nice it becomes a magnet for the children who live on the east side of Cleveland.

But in recent days, this small patch of green has been visited by a stream of mourners seeking to pay their respects to two little girls who were found there stuffed inside suitcases and buried in shallow graves.

In the days since the bodies of 8-year-old Mila Chatman and her half-sibling, 10-year-old Amor Wilson, were found on Monday, a shrine of stuffed animals and flowers has grown.

So has the mystery surrounding their deaths.

Their mother, 28-year-old Aliyah Henderson, has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder.

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During her first court appearance on Friday in Cleveland Municipal Court, she was not asked about the tragedy that has landed her in handcuffs, shocked her hometown and drawn national attention.

Municipal Court Judge Jeffrey Johnson set Henderson’s bond at $2 million, citing “the nature of the allegations” and his concern for public safety.

Dressed in a blue sweatshirt and surrounded by court officers, Henderson remained impassive.

“Thank you” were the only words she uttered during the brief hearing, in response to the judge wishing her good luck.

Earlier, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kristine Travaglini revealed at the hearing that the bodies of the little girls were “badly decomposed.”

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So far, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office has not said how and when the little girls died, but did confirm that a DNA investigation showed they were related as half-siblings.

Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said neither child had been dismembered.

Henderson, who lives near Saranac Playground, had another child living at her home when police took her into custody on Wednesday, Todd said earlier this week.

The Department of Children and Family Services has taken custody of the child, who appears to be in good health, Todd said. But she did not provide any other information about the child.

A man who had been walking his dog reported the grim discovery on Monday at the playground, which is located near an all-boys public school called the Ginn Academy.

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Responding to the 911 call, Cleveland homicide detectives confirmed the man’s dog had located the body of a young girl, and they quickly found a second shallow grave with a suitcase that contained another body.

“It was like a pile of dirt, and she stopped to sniff … and she was taking too long,” Phillip Donaldson told WEWS-TV. “So I went back and looked, and it was a suitcase that was half-buried, and I pulled it up and looked in it, and it was a head. Somebody’s head in it.”

Donaldson said that pile of dirt had been there for at least a week.

On Thursday, Deshaun Chatman, who said he was the father of Mila Chatman, visited the spot where the girl had been buried. He told local reporters that he had not had any contact with his daughter for several years. He said Henderson kept “ducking” him and that he’d been in touch with DCFS numerous times about getting custody of Mila.

“I just feel useless,” Chatman said. “I couldn’t save my daughter.”

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Asked about Deshaun Chatman’s assertion that he had been trying get custody of his daughter, Cuyahoga County spokesperson Jennifer Ciaccia in a statement called the girls’ deaths “a tragedy for their families and our entire community” and declined to disclose any further information, citing an active criminal investigation and confidentiality obligations under Ohio law.

NBC News has reached out to Henderson’s mother for comment.

Back in 2019, Henderson and her daughters were mentioned in a Cleveland Plain Dealer article about a local hospital’s program to help struggling families.

It featured a photo of a smiling Henderson holding then 3-year-old Amor on her lap and Henderson’s mother holding Mila, who was almost 2 at the time.

“I could really use the help,” Henderson said in the story.

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