Congress

Trump expected to name Kevin Hassett to lead National Economic Council

Published

2 years ago

November 26, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Kevin Hassett to lead the National Economic Council in his second administration, according to four people with knowledge of the transition.

Hassett, 62, served as chief economist during Trump’s first term. Now, he would take on an expanded role as the president’s top adviser on economic matters and play a key part in coordinating policies and strategy across the government.

One of the main orders of business for the new NEC director will be serving as an emissary in negotiating an extension to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, legislation that Hassett has spent years touting.

His addition to Trump’s team would be a sign that the president-elect is favoring more established names — rather than disrupters — for top roles that will be tasked with enacting a sweeping economic policy agenda that will include high tariffs, major tax legislation and the unwinding of Biden-era regulations.

Wall Street and business leaders have responded favorably to Trump’s selection of hedge fund executive Scott Bessent to serve as Treasury secretary and Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick to lead Commerce — both pending confirmation.

The NEC is part of the executive office of the president, and the director does not need to be confirmed by the Senate.

Transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said decisions on who will serve in the administration “will continue to be announced by [Trump] when they are made.” The president-elect has been known to change his mind on personnel appointments at the last minute. The people who said Hassett was the expected pick were granted anonymity to discuss a decision that is not yet final.

Hassett could not be reached for comment.

Bloomberg News earlier reported the news.

If ultimately named to the role, Hassett would be one of only a handful of alums to return to the White House for Trump 2.0. He will also be among the most established Republican economists in Trump’s camp, having previously worked at the Federal Reserve and as an adviser to the presidential campaigns of George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney.

He has written that he “didn’t have the DNA of a Trump advisor,” but Hassett was a major defender of Trump’s agenda during both the first administration and the presidential campaign. That included helping Trump’s team shape its attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris as she rolled out her economic policies this summer.

Congress

Nvidia’s Huang heads to Capitol Hill for AI talks

Published

5 minutes ago

July 27, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will meet with lawmakers in Washington to discuss American leadership on artificial intelligence, the company said Monday.

A spokesperson for the chipmaker said Huang would hold talks with both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill to talk about latest developments with the technology.

“Jensen is in DC to meet with leaders on both sides of the aisle to discuss American leadership in AI, including leading in open source,” the spokesperson said.

Huang is scheduled to sit down Tuesday with Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee who has expressed serious concern about security threats following last week’s OpenAI autonomous cyberattack.

The senator’s office confirmed the meeting. Senate Intelligence Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It comes as Huang defended open-source AI on X, writing that such models “strengthen safety and cybersecurity, accelerate innovation and diffusion, and enable sovereignty.”

Huang’s visit comes as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is also expected to meet with Warner, although a spokesperson for the senator said the talks were separate. Earlier Monday, Open AI announced it was in talks with Nvidia, a technology company that makes chips to use artificial intelligence, for a data center project.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Congress

Texas Republican is under House Ethics investigation

Published

1 hour ago

July 27, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The House Ethics Committee said in a statement Monday it is investigating Rep. Lance Gooden, a four-term Texas Republican.

It’s unclear what the committee is probing, but the Office of Congressional Conduct, an independent investigative branch of the House, sent over findings regarding Gooden to the committee June 10.

The Ethics panel plans to release an update on its investigation by Nov. 9. Committee representatives declined to comment beyond the statement.

In 2021, the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint asking for an investigation into Gooden’s apparent failure to report his stock trades in a timely manner, which is a requirement under a federal law known as the STOCK Act. The complaint was sent to the OCC.

Congress

Congressional Black Caucus members break with Jeffries, endorse against Thanedar in Michigan House race

Published

2 hours ago

July 27, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

A handful of members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday broke with Democratic Party leadership to endorse Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney in his bid to primary Rep. Shri Thanedar, an unusual move given that sitting members of the same party rarely endorse against each other.

Democratic Reps. Steven Horsford (Nev.), the former chair of the CBC, and Lateefah Simon (Calif.) called McKinney a “fighter.” Rep. Ilhan Omar (Mich.) praised McKinney as “the only trusted candidate” in the race. And Rep. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) touted McKinney for “never [losing] sight of the people.”

“We need Donavan in Congress,” said Pressley.

The race between McKinney and Thanedar, who was elected in 2022, is the latest battleground in the ongoing ideological clash between the Democratic establishment and its progressive flank.

McKinney is hoping to capitalize on the latest wave of progressive successes in primaries, but Thanedar retains the power of the incumbency — and the backing of House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar.

Thanedar’s 2022 election marked the first time since 1955 that the majority-Black city of Detroit didn’t have a Black lawmaker representing it in Congress. And he won two years ago only after Adam Hollier, who was viewed as his most credible primary challenger, was disqualified from the ballot.

“It’s not just about having Black representation, but that is a part of what appropriate representation looks for,” Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), who had previously backed McKinney, told Blue Light News. “You have a majority-Black district, and I think that there is certainly an appetite to see that again, or to at least make sure that a Black candidate has the opportunity to present themselves.”

In a phone call, Thanedar emphasized that he has worked closely with members of the CBC during his time in office, noting that the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) was a mentor of his and, in addition to Jeffries, he has the endorsement CBC members like Rep. Bennie Thomspon (D-Miss.).

“I am fully aware that I am representing the Blackest city in America and I’m proud of it,” Thanedar, who is Indian-American, said. “My story is like Detroit’s story — I struggled through poverty, never say die, never gave up and I have that resilience that Detroit has. The resilience of Detroit is what my life is about.”

McKinney on Monday said he was “honored” by the endorsements.

“Millions of lives across the country have been made immeasurably better because of the hard work these members have done in Congress, and I look forward to working alongside these incredible leaders to pass critical legislation to protect voting rights, get big money out of our politics, and ensure all families have access to the resources they need to not just survive, but to truly thrive,” he said in a statement.