INSIDE D.C. WITH JOHN GIZZI NEWSMAX WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT
FEMA REFORM • A little noticed but highly significant executive order by President Donald Trump calls for a review council to reform the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). Declaring that “federal responses to Hurricane Helene and other recent disasters demonstrated the need to drastically improve FEMA’s bureaucracy” and that FEMA has left “vulnerable Americans without the resources or support they need,” Trump wants his review council to include the defense and Homeland Security secretaries as well others from inside and outside government. One candidate increasingly talked about to be part of the council was himself a “victim” of FEMA. Michael Brown was forced out as director amid widespread criticism of the agency’s performance during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. His firing came days after then-President George W. Bush hailed him with the now-storied phrase: “Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job.” Brown has long maintained he was the victim of bureaucratic snafus and has written and spoken extensively on the subject of disaster management.
MCCAIN-FEINGOLD REPEAL • Watch for House
Republicans to focus on repeal of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002, commonly known as McCain-Feingold. The measure placed
stricter regulations on the funding of candidates and political parties. Although it was introduced by the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and signed into law by President George W. Bush, most Republicans believe it has only hamstrung parties, and several Democrats now agree. While much of McCain-Feingold was struck down by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, limits on donations to political parties remain at 2002 levels, and parties are still banned from accepting soft (or corporate) money for any purposes. Nearly all Republicans
as well as some Democrats are likely to vote for repeal. Recalling Trump’s animosity toward McCain, one conservative told Newsmax: “He will sign anything that takes John McCain’s name off the books.”
NO COMEBACK FOR SHERROD BROWN • Betting is strong in Ohio that former Sen. Sherrod Brown will not attempt a comeback in the special election next year to fill the Senate seat relinquished by Vice President JD Vance. Brown, 72, ended his losing bid for reelection
in 2024 with a seven-figure campaign surplus. Although he could easily have maintained his Friends of Sherrod Brown Committee for another race, Brown instead converted it to a new nonprofit, the Dignity of Work Institute. The nonpartisan organization will promote the same blue-collar issues he pursued in office — and often criticized other Democrats for ignoring. Betting among Buckeye State Democrats is that former Rep. Tim Ryan, who narrowly lost to Vance in 2022, will make another race in ’26.
SPOILT FOR CHOICE • “An abundance of riches” is how Tennessee Republicans often characterize the race to
succeed lame duck Gov. Bill Lee next year. Sen. Marsha Blackburn has long made it clear she wants to run for governor, but her colleague in the Senate and fellow Republican Bill Hagerty has also sent signals he is interested in the job. Both are considered solid conservatives and friends of President Donald Trump. Already in the all- important GOP primary is Rep. John Rose, also a strong Trump backer (he objected to the 2020 election certification), and with a net worth estimated at $24 million, he’s easily able to underwrite his own campaign. Tennessee has no runoff
required in its primary, so the nominee needs only win by a plurality.
Mexico’s ‘Boy Wonder’ ÁLVAREZ
• President Donald Trump seems to be enjoying a cordial relationship with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. A strong sign of the importance Sheinbaum places on dealing with Trump is expected to come soon with the likely appointment of Roberto Velasco Álvarez, widely known as the “boy wonder” of Mexican politics, as
ambassador to Washington, D.C. At 37, Álvarez — a University of Chicago alumnus who once served as a mayoral fellow in the office of then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel — has held local office in Mexico City and now oversees U.S. relations as chief officer for North America at the Mexican Foreign Ministry. Álvarez has widespread connections in D.C. and the U.S. business community.
MAY 2025 | NEWSMAX 47
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100
