Month: April 2025

On Thursday, the House adopted a revised budget blueprint for President Trump’s agenda after Republican leaders and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., muscled conservative holdouts who had threatened to sink the measure. Johnson told reporters after the vote: “It’s a good day in the House. I told you not to doubt us. We’re really grateful to have had the big victory on the floor just now. It was a big one, a very important one.”

The resolution passed in a slim 216-214 vote, with just two Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Victoria Spartz, R-Ind. — joining all Democrats in opposition.  Trump had endorsed the budget plan, which the Senate adopted last weekend on a narrow 51-48 vote.

Shortly before the vote, Johnson appeared alongside Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., at a joint news conference. Johnson said “our two chambers are directly aligned and committed to finding at least $1.5 trillion in savings for the American people. Our first big, beautiful reconciliation package here involves a number of commitments, and one of those is that we are committed to finding at least $1.5 trillion in savings for the American people while also preserving our essential programs.”

Thune added that the Senate is “aligned with the House in terms of what their budget resolution outlined in terms of savings. We have got to do something to get the country on a more sustainable fiscal path, and that entails us taking a hard scrub of our government figuring out where we can find those savings. The speaker’s talked about one and a half trillion dollars. We have a lot of United States senators who believe that is a minimum, and we’re certainly going to do everything we can to be as aggressive as possible to see that we are serious about the matter.”

Approving the budget plan in both chambers allows Congress to bypass the 60-vote threshold required to advance most legislation in the Senate and pass Mr. Trump’s agenda (that would open the door to implementing his border security, defense, energy priorities and extending expiring tax cuts) with a simple majority. Republican leaders in the House worked to unite their divided party behind the budget plan this week before Congress leaves town for a two-week recess.

Editorial credit: Maxim Elramsisy / Shutterstock.com

Story updated: An executive of the European technology company Siemens, as well as his wife and young children, were identified as those on board the tourist helicopter that plunged into New York City’s Hudson River on Thursday, leaving no survivors.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News that Agustin Escobar, his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their children — aged 4, 5 and 11 years old — have been identified as victims in the crash along with the pilot, aged 36.

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Six people, including three children, were killed after a tour helicopter crashed into the Hudson River between Manhattan and the New Jersey waterfront on Thursday afternoon. The helicopter was carrying the pilot and five passengers when it crashed into the river at about 3:15 p.m. EDT (per ABC News).

The New York Post reported that witnesses saw the Bell 206 chopper “split in half” before it went down near Pier 40 on West Houston Street and West Street around 3:15 p.m., per the New York City Fire Department

Mayor Eric Adams later said at a press conference that all six were pronounced dead, adding that “our hearts go out to the family and those on board.”  NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters that divers with NYPD and FDNY recovered all the victims who were on board the helicopter; four people were pronounced dead at the scene, and two others were taken to the hospital, where they “succumbed to their injuries.” Tisch said that the helicopter lost control shortly after turning at the George Washington Bridge to move along the New Jersey shoreline.

Local NY affiliate WNBC shared that reports of the downed aircraft near the West Side Highway and Spring Street came in shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday. Three law enforcement sources say the helicopter is believed to have been a tour charter flying along the Hudson at the time of the crash.

According to the communications team at the Spanish Foreign Ministry, the Spanish Consulate of New York City is in touch with authorities to gather and confirm information and identification of the people involved in the helicopter crash. In addition, authorities in Spain are aware of the crash as well.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board says the crash remains under investigation.

Editorial credit: Andrea Izzotti / Shutterstock.com

Best-selling author Jillian Lauren, wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, was shot and injured by the police in Los Angeles, and later was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after pointing a gun at LAPD officers from her front yard.

Authorities said that the 51-year-old Lauren (identified by police as Jillian Shriner and listed as Jillian Lauren Shriner in jail records) pointed a gun at officers who were searching for hit-and-run suspects in a residential Los Angeles neighborhood. The LAPD said in a statement that Lauren Shriner sustained injuries that were not life-threatening after the shooting in the northeast Los Angeles neighborhood of Eagle Rock on Thursday.

Police said they were assisting California Highway Patrol officers in their search for three suspects from a misdemeanor hit-and-run; while pursuing one of the suspects who had been running through a backyard. The LAPD said in a press release: “As the officers were in the rear yard of that residence, they observed a female, later identified as 51-year-old Jillian Shriner, in the yard of a neighboring residence armed with a handgun. The officers ordered Shriner to drop the handgun numerous times; however, she refused.” Police fired at Shriner after she allegedly pointed her handgun at the officers, striking her. LAPD Detective Meghan Aguilar told reporters it is unclear at this time if she fired at the officers: “We have looked at some of the body-worn video. There is not a clear view of what she did with that firearm. We still have multiple interviews to do in this as well as look at any other personal surveillance video that some of these homes may have.”

Shriner went into her home but later emerged with another woman and a child, and was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital for treatment. A 9 mm handgun was recovered from her home, according to police. Officers subsequently determined Shriner was not involved in the earlier hit-and-run; one of the male suspects sought in that incident was detained by California Highway Patrol, while the other two were not found.

Shriner was released on bail on Wednesday and is scheduled to appear in court on April 30. Weezer is scheduled to play the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, with multiple sources confirming to The Hollywood Reporter that the band is still slated to perform at Coachella this weekend as of press time.

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