Trump budget proposal aims to cut $163 billion, mirroring DOGE plan | The Excerpt
On Saturday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: President Donald Trump unveiled a budget blueprint on Friday. Plus, despite additions, some GOP senators slammed his defense budget for being too stingy. Paste BN Chief Political Correspondent Phillip M. Bailey talks about Stephen A. Smith as Democrats grapple with celebrity populism. A new policy means zero tolerance for visa holders. President Trump says he's revoking Harvard's tax-exempt status. Paste BN Sports Columnist Dan Wolken discusses a renewed interest in aftercare for retired racehorses.
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Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Saturday, May 3rd, 2025. This is The Excerpt. Today, taking a look at Trump's budget proposal, plus Democrats grapple with celebrity populism amid conversations about whether Stephen A. Smith might run for office. And with the Kentucky Derby today we talk about caring for horses once they've retired from racing.
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President Donald Trump has unveiled a budget blueprint with $163 billion in spending cuts to non-military programs. The cuts reductions he's already made from firing federal workers to dismantling US government agencies. The proposed cuts for the next fiscal year, starting October 1st, would represent a nearly 23% reduction from current spending and span an array of programs dealing with the environment, education, foreign aid and healthcare. Trump's billionaire adviser, Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency have already targeted many of those programs. But yesterday's proposal came after courts have blocked many of the cuts.
Agencies facing proposed reductions include the Environmental Protection Agency, the Energy Department, the Department of Education, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Meanwhile, the Defense Department's budget would increase 119 billion to top a trillion, with the goals of strengthening security, deterring aggression from China and revitalizing the US industrial base, the Department of Homeland Security would receive an additional nearly 44 billion to secure the border as part of a multi-year commitment of 175 billion. As for defense, that extra spending is a one-year only supplement to jumpstart Trump's priorities, including a next generation missile defense shield, new US shipbuilding capacity, and military led border security missions.
Several GOP senators slammed Trump's defense budget for being too stingy, arguing the one-time increase won't have the lasting effect of a permanent addition to the defense budget. You can take a closer look at Trump's budget proposal with a link in today's show notes.
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Could Stephen A. Smith be Democrat's answer to Donald Trump? Polls and voters, at least for now, don't think so. But they're grappling with the idea of celebrity populism and what type of candidate might emerge in the coming years. I spoke with Paste BN chief political correspondent Philip M. Bailey for more. Philip, sir, always a pleasure. Thanks for hopping on.
Philip M. Bailey:
Taylor, what's going on?
Taylor Wilson:
So a really fascinating piece here, Philip, from you as always. Let's just start with Stephen A. Smith for anyone maybe not familiar. Who is he and what have we heard about the possibility, Philip, of a run at the White House in 2028?
Philip M. Bailey:
For those who may have been living under a rock and who never watched sports or anything like that, Stephen A. Smith, a former sports reporter, his claim to fame is he's climbed the sort of corporate ladder of ESPN and become really the face of ESPN, right? We all remember the days of Stuart Scott and Chris Berman perhaps, but he's really become the dominant face and personality and brand less from a reporting side and more a, here's my perspective, here's my take and he'll throw that out there first, and it generates this debate. He's sort of ubiquitous, right? I mean, just this week, if you are someone who still watches General Hospital, he appeared on that. For the past nine to 10 years, he's been on that show. So Stephen A. Smith is this personality who he's everywhere. He's on Sports Center, he's on ESPN, he's doing his own show, but he's also dabbled into the world of politics. He's been on Sean Hannity's program. He's talked to people like Bill Maher and recently he is actually being talked about now as a presidential candidate in 2028.
Taylor Wilson:
So first, how serious I guess, Philip, is that idea, and how is this idea landing with Democrats?
Philip M. Bailey:
I think in the Trump era, we cannot dismiss and say, oh, the guy on ESPN, the guy who sort of talks and blow on first take, he can't be president. Well, there's a long history of celebrities buying for public office. Donald Trump, his claim to fame was that he, for 14 seasons on NBC's The Apprentice, was that host. We've seen Ronald Reagan, right? Fred Thompson. We've had all sorts of stars both from the left and the right, Democrat and Republican run for office really since Will Rogers I think was the honorary mayor of Beverly Hills back in the 1920s. Always sort of try to capture this light in the bottle that, oh, these individuals are very well liked, they're very well known. People will gravitate toward them, perhaps to get some voters who typically don't vote for our party or vote for these certain positions. And I think there's some limited success.
How serious is it being taken? We're all waiting to see, right? For right now, it seems more of a media concoction, a media narrative more than anything else, Taylor. Really haven't seen Stephen A. Smith, for example, raise any money or he hasn't started an exploratory committee as of yet. He hasn't really articulated any sort of deep governing philosophy. And the voters that we've spoken to, a lot of them are very hesitant. Particularly on the Democratic side, they're looking at Donald Trump. They're saying, do we really want another sort of bombastic, [inaudible 00:04:53] guy who just tells it like it is? Or do we want someone who's a little more seasoned, a little more predictability perhaps, particularly what's going on in Washington. So in large part, this will be determined by Donald Trump's presidency on how the American people will respond to his second term in office. But progressive leaders who we spoke to say they absolutely believe that some sort of influencer, some sort of celebrity will be on the debate stage on the Democratic side in 2028, along with different governors and members of Congress and whoever else decides to run.
Taylor Wilson:
Wow. Okay. And we've seen Trump with some rough polling numbers really over these first hundred days in office, but the Democrats continue to poll poorly as well alongside them, Philip. What does some of the polling here tell us on that front, and what does this, I guess, say about how they continue to be relatively unpopular, even with a president who has had such a turbulent first hundred days in office?
Philip M. Bailey:
Donald Trump as he continues to blitz both the federal government and really the country with executive orders and sort of governing by signature, very little congressional legislation has passed in these first 100 days, but there's been a whole bunch of executive orders, and you can see already in some of the early polling that even on immigration, some of the president's more draconian steps here in tackling the immigration issue. The American public are beginning to sour on that, right? When Gallup asked the question earlier at the first two weeks of April, "Do you think that these leaders are going to recommend or do the right thing for the economy?" President Trump's about roughly 44% who believe that he is someone who could recommend or do the right thing for the economy. Not very great numbers.
That same question is asked of Democratic leaders in Congress, just 25% of voters in that Gallup survey that they believe or have confidence that democratic leaders are in that space to best handle the economy. Similarly, even among partisan Democrats, just 39% of those voters said they had a great deal of confidence or a fair amount of faith in their own party's leadership, far lower than Republicans. So the Democratic Party, look, they've picked a new chair, they've sharpened their messaging, or they're trying to do better in terms of getting out to different constituencies. They won a couple of important elections like the one in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election. They're very confident about New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races.
But still, the Democratic Party has not gotten back into the good graces of the American public. And those who we speak to in this story say that, look, maybe it takes someone like a Stephen A. Smith. There are voters who are very skeptical still voting for someone like him, but they'll say, well, look, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, their time is up. The Democratic Party had a moment where Joe Biden, his age and acuity was the big issue for them. So I think with a lot of these aging veteran Democrats like Dick Durbin who are leaving public office, this yearning for a new face and a new voice is there. However, when you look at the polling, Stephen A. Smith don't seem to be the choice right now for both Democrats.
Taylor Wilson:
Philip M. Bailey is Paste BN's chief political correspondent. Thank you Philip.
Philip M. Bailey:
Taylor, as always, man. Good seeing you.
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Taylor Wilson:
The Trump administration has a tough new message for foreigners in the United States. One strike and you're out. Foreign nationals visiting or living in the country legally could lose their visa status if they get into legal trouble under the so-called catch and revoke policy. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced as much in a social media post yesterday writing, "Whenever the government catches non-US citizens breaking our laws, we'll take action to revoke their status." The policy was originally announced earlier this week in a newsletter authored by Rubio. The policy announcement did not specify the spectrum of crimes that could result in a visa being revoked, and immigration experts questioned how it might be implemented given the Trump administration's far-reaching crackdown. Most recently, the administration aggressively targeted student visa holders who have protested Israel's war in Gaza or voiced pro-Palestinian views. Students with minor violations, including traffic infractions, have also seen their visas terminated.
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President Trump says he's revoking Harvard's tax-exempt status. He has accused the Ivy League school of being an anti-Semitic far-left institution, and his administration last month said it's freezing more than $2 billion in federal funding after Harvard leaders said they would not agree to a list of Trump administration demands, including removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. A Harvard spokesperson said there is no legal basis to rescind Harvard's tax-exempt status and the move to use executive power to do so, a status held by the vast majority of US colleges and universities as non-profits, is expected to be challenged in federal courts.
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Silver Charm is the oldest-living Kentucky Derby winner. Ahead of today's Derby, I caught up with Paste BN sports columnist Dan Wolken, to chat about the famous horse and a renewed interest in aftercare for retired racehorses. Dan, thanks for hopping on.
Dan Wolken:
No problem.
Taylor Wilson:
First, let's look back at Silver Charm. Who is this horse, Dan? How big a name is this in the history of horse racing?
Dan Wolken:
Well, if you're as old as I am, you certainly remember Silver Charm in 1997 was Bob Baffert's first Kentucky Derby winner, also won the Preakness Stakes in two very exciting performances, races that were decided by a neck and a nose. And Silver Charm really was a gutty competitor, a horse who when he got the lead in the stretch just would not let another horse go by him. And it had been at that point 19 years since the last Triple Crown winner. And when he got to the Belmont Stakes, it looked like he might be the one. And he was just a very popular horse, a huge fan favorite, not just at the Belmont where he lost, he finished a very good second, but the rest of his career. He ran many more times. He won the Dubai World Cup. He was just one of those, I think, really popular, great hard-trying horses in the late 1990s who really captured the imagination of a lot of fans.
Taylor Wilson:
All right, so fast-forward to this moment. What can you tell us about this retirement farm where Silver Charm is carrying out his last days?
Dan Wolken:
Yeah, so Silver Charm actually when he got off the racetrack was sent to stud as most top horses are. Didn't do great at stud in America, was sold to Japan and went there and didn't do great in Japan either. So at that point, he was no longer viable as a stallion and was brought back to America and ended up at a place called Old Friends Farm, which is just outside of Lexington. And it is a place that essentially houses a lot of popular racehorses who are no longer stallions, and it gives them all the basics, the healthcare, a place to run around, a stall to sleep in. But they're also part of a tourist attraction, and they have tour groups who come out every single day to see horses like Silver Charm. And at 31 years old, very, very old for a third-bred racehorse, probably not going to be around that much longer. And the people who do come see him and who take care of him certainly cherish the fact that he's still around.
Taylor Wilson:
Well, Dan, you're right that there's been renewed interest in aftercare. Can you help us understand what that is and just really generally, what does happen to racehorses when they're past their racing years?
Dan Wolken:
The ownership mentality in horse racing has changed. It started to change I think around the time that reports had surfaced about a horse named Ferdinand who won the Kentucky Derby in 1986. In 1987 he was the horse of the year, really a great hall of fame type horse, and he did not have a great stud career and ended up being shipped overseas. People kind of lost track of him. He slipped through the cracks. It appears that his life ended in a slaughterhouse in Japan. Look, there's certainly no secret that that is where some former racehorses end up. But after that story came out, I think there was a shift in the mentality that, hey, people who race horses, who own horses, you are responsible not just for their days on the racetrack, but after and to ensure that they are living in good homes and that they have the proper care to be rewarded for everything they did when they were racehorses.
So that's obviously a huge financial commitment. There's a lot of organizations, non-profits in Kentucky and around the country, around the world really that focus on taking in these horses. The old friend situation is a little bit different. They're not a shelter per se, they're a tourist attraction. But having a place like that certainly ensures that you're not going to have a situation in the future where a Kentucky Derby winner ends up in the slaughterhouse because people in horse racing and in thoroughbred breeding who are all over Kentucky on these farms, they've decided that's unacceptable and they're going to do something about it.
Taylor Wilson:
And just in terms of doing something about it, you mentioned this chip tracking technology in this piece, Dan. How does that factor in here and how might that be used going forward?
Dan Wolken:
Back before technological advancements, horses were identified by a tattoo on the inside of the lip. Every horse was tattooed with a number essentially, and that was the identification to keep track of who's who. Obviously, that's not a super efficient system if a horse is going to end up at stud in a country that buys failed stallions to try to improve that country's blood stock. So it's easy to sort of lose track sometimes when horses go that far away. But microchips, that kind of technology will give people a better and more efficient way to track where horses are geographically, where they end up so that they don't have a situation that somebody accidentally gets taken to a slaughterhouse.
Taylor Wilson:
This was an eyeopening piece to me, Dan. Folks can find the link in today's show notes to the full version. Dan Wolken is a columnist with Paste BN Sports. Thanks, Dan.
Dan Wolken:
Thank you.
Taylor Wilson:
You can tune into the Kentucky Derby later today with a number of events leading up to the Derby post time just after 7 PM Eastern on NBC, and you can follow along with Paste BN Sports.
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Women are getting their own professional baseball league.
Callie Batts Maddox:
This will be a global league, and I think that's incredibly important. This is not just a domestic league just for Americans. It's not just sort of our game. It's a globalized game.
Taylor Wilson:
Callie Batts Maddox of Miami University joins me on The Excerpt tomorrow to discuss this new opportunity in women's sports and will shed light on the surprising history of women in baseball. Catch that conversation beginning at 5 AM Eastern Time right here on this feed.
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And thanks for listening. I'm Taylor Wilson. I'll see you tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from Paste BN.