Stephen Groves, Author at The Rapid City Post

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., speaks to reporters as he arrives for a deposition with former Attorney General Bill Barr, on Capitol Hill Monday, Aug 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

House committee subpoenas Epstein’s estate for documents, including birthday book and contacts

August 25, 2025

The House Oversight Committee is subpoenaing the estate of the late Jeffrey Epstein. Congressional lawmakers are trying to determine who was connected to the disgraced financier and whether prosecutors mishandled his case. The subpoena is the latest effort by both Republicans and Democrats to respond to public clamor for more information about Epstein, who was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019. The subpoena demands that Epstein’s estate provide documents including a book that was compiled with notes from friends for his 50th birthday, his last will and testament, agreements he signed with prosecutors, his contact books, and his financial transactions and holdings.

President Donald Trump speaks at an event to promote his proposal to improve Americans' access to their medical records, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, July 30, 2025, in Washington, as Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., left, and Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz, right, look on. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

Trump tax law could cause Medicare cuts if Congress doesn’t act, CBO says

August 15, 2025

The federal budget deficits caused by President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law could trigger automatic cuts to Medicare if Congress does not act, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The CBO estimates that Medicare, the federal health insurance program for Americans over age 65, could potentially see as much as $491 billion in cuts over the next ten years if Congress does not act to mitigate a 2010 law that forces across-the-board to many federal programs once legislation increases the federal deficit. The latest report from CBO showed how Trump’s signature tax and spending law could put new pressure on federal programs that are bedrocks of the American social safety net.

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Trump’s tax law will mostly benefit the rich, while leaving poorer Americans with less, CBO says

August 11, 2025

President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law will result in less income for the poorest Americans while sending money to the riches, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The CBO estimates that the 10% of poorest Americans will lose roughly $1,200 a year as they experience restrictions on programs like Medicaid and food assistance. The richest 10% will see their income increase by $13,600 from tax cuts. American households will see more income from the tax cuts, including middle income households. But the largest benefit will go to the top 10% of earners.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Senate rejects bid to halt sale of bombs and rifles to Israel, but Democratic opposition grows

July 30, 2025

The Senate has rejected an effort from Sen. Bernie Sanders to block the sale of U.S. bombs and firearms to Israel. But the vote showed a growing number of Democrats opposed to the arms sales amid widespread hunger and suffering in Gaza. Sanders, an independent from Vermont, has repeatedly tried to block the sale of offensive weapons to Israel over the last year. The resolutions before the Senate Tuesday would have stopped the sale of $675 million in bombs as well as shipments of 20,000 automatic assault rifles to Israel. They failed to gain passage, but 27 Democrats — more than half the caucus — voted for the resolutions.

The Capitol is seen under dark skies in Washington, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate confirms Trump’s pick for counterterrorism agency, a former Green Beret with extremist ties

July 30, 2025

The Senate has confirmed Joe Kent, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Counterterrorism Center. Republicans looked past his connections to right-wing extremists and support for conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Kent has already been working for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. As the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, he will oversee an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats. In the role, he plans to devote agency resources to targeting gangs and other criminal groups. He is the latest Trump loyalist to win Senate confirmation to the upper echelons of U.S. national security leadership.

FILE - Audrey Strauss, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, during a news conference in New York on July 2, 2020. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

The House is looking into the Epstein investigation. Here’s what could happen next

July 26, 2025

A key House committee is looking into the investigation of the late Jeffrey Epstein for sex trafficking crimes. It is working to subpoena President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice for files in the case as well as hold a deposition of Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. The Republican-controlled House Oversight Committee’s actions show the mounting pressure for disclosure in a case that Trump has urged his supporters to move past. But they were also just the start of what can be a drawn out process.

FILE - Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell listens during a Senate Committee on Banking hearing, June 25, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

Republican senators caution Trump against firing Fed chair Jerome Powell

July 16, 2025

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is gaining some key backing on Capitol Hill from Republican senators. They fear the repercussions if President Donald Trump follows through with threats to try and remove the politically independent central banker. As Trump seemingly waffled back and forth between moving to dismiss the Fed chair this week, some Republicans in Congress began to speak up to warn that such a move would be a mistake. Still, plenty of other Republicans think that dismissing Powell is a fine idea.

Stephen Groves.