5 stories credited to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
6 stories on nbcdfw.com credited to other publishers
Latest story Sep 25, 2026 · on ChamberLight since Apr 2026
A story can appear as several articles (copies of the same piece), so counts of stories and of articles differ.
Scores for NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Originality
3 of those 5 carry an unconfirmed copying flag, which is not evidence either way.
11 stories · updated Sep 25, 2026
Writing quality not enough rated stories yet: 2 of 10. How it is measured
Scores last checked Sep 25, 2026.
Articles this site reproduces
How provenance is decidedOriginal publishers of articles on nbcdfw.com
Counted from articles on nbcdfw.com whose original publisher is verified from the page itself or confirmed by an independent signal.
Stories ChamberLight collected, by month
Stories credited to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, by publication date. ChamberLight collects articles that mention the officials it tracks, so this shows its own coverage of this source, not how much the source publishes.
- Stories from NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
- Shaded: ChamberLight collected no stories, or almost none, from any outlet (a gap in its collection, not in the outlet’s publishing)
Show as a table
| Month | Stories | All outlets |
|---|---|---|
| March 2026 | 1 | 609 |
| April 2026 | 0 | 4,537 |
| May 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| June 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| July 2026 | 0 | none collected |
| August 2026 | 0 | 1 (collection gap) |
| September 2026 | 1 | 598 |
Top topics
Share of this source’s stories tagged with each topic. A story can carry several topics, so the shares do not add up to 100%.
- Economy2
40% of 5 stories · 24% across all outlets
- Ethics/Corruption1
20% of 5 stories · 57% across all outlets
- Voting Rights1
20% of 5 stories · 18% across all outlets
The thin mark on each bar is the topic’s share across all outlets.
Who they cover
Party of the officials these stories are mainly about, across all 3 officials named. A story counts once for each official it is mainly about, so the split is over 3 story–official pairs, from 5 stories.
- Republican67% · 2 pairs
- Party not recorded33% · 1 pair
Most covered
Stories mainly about each official, and their share of the source’s 5 stories.
Article tone
ChamberLight’s article analysis assigns each story a tone toward the official it covers. It describes the coverage of that official, not NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth’s stance, and reader votes do not change it. 5 stories.
- Good Look
- 2 (40%)
- Mixed
- 1 (20%)
- Informational
- 2 (40%)
- Bad Look
- 0 (0%)
Challenges to these scores
No one has challenged a score on this page yet. Anyone can; editors publish every outcome here.
Articles served from nbcdfw.com
18
FDA nominee says vaccines are safe despite Trump efforts to overhaul childhood shots
President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration voiced support for the safety of long-established vaccines at a hearing Thursday, even as senators questioned her about the White House’s efforts to upend childhood immunizations. Dr. Heidi Overton is currently serving as a White House adviser and has worked on a series of Trump health initiatives, including an executive order last month that called for splitting up and spacing out decades-old childhood vaccinations. Overton, a physician, stood beside Trump in the Oval Office when he falsely remarked that the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine could be “quite lethal.” Senate Health Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician from Louisiana, pushed Overton to reject that statement and affirm the safety of FDA-approved vaccines. “Right now every vaccine that is on the market has been determined to be safe and effective,” including the MMR vaccine, Overton said. Cassidy has repeatedly tried to extract commitments from Trump health nominees to uphold vaccine standards, including from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., only to see the Republican administration push forward with efforts undermining their use. “Kennedy gave me guarantees, and he did not keep them,” said Cassidy, a Republican. “If the president asks you to do something that goes against those guarantees you give us today, what will you do?” Overton said she would “follow the statutory requirements” for FDA commissioners and give Trump her best advice. Later in the hearing, Overton declined to explicitly say that Trump was wrong about the MMR vaccine’s safety. “This committee needs to know whether you will be radically honest, whether you will use your authority to stand up for sound science and protect children’s health,” Cassidy said. He didn’t indicate whether he’d support Overton’s nomination or when he might schedule a committee vote on it. If confirmed, Overton would inherit a raft of other controversial
Texas Senate race puts North Texas suburbs in focus ahead of early voting
The North Texas suburbs are emerging as a crucial battleground in the Texas Senate race, with early voting for the midterm elections less than 30 days away and signs of cracks among some traditionally Republican voters. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest media market in Texas, putting added attention on suburban voters in Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties as Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat state lawmaker James Talarico compete for support. Republicans have maintained their governing coalition for a generation in part by attracting a large share of conservative-leaning independents. This year, however, some former Republican leaders in North Texas are publicly breaking with the party’s Senate candidate. The Texas Tribune published an article Thursday featuring roughly a dozen former local Republican leaders who said on the record that they would vote for Talarico — their first time voting for a Democrat — or leave the Senate race blank. Among them is former Southlake Mayor John Huffman, who told NBC 5 that he could not get past concerns about Paxton’s character, including his highly publicized divorce and past corruption allegations that Paxton has largely defeated. Scott Braddock, editor of the Quorum Report Capitol newsletter, said the suburbs have previously shown their ability to shift even when Republicans remain competitive statewide. “In 2018, you had Senator Cruz in this race, and Democrats still picked up 12 seats in the Texas House, two seats in the Texas Senate and two seats in the Congressional delegation,” said Scott Braddock with Quorum Report. Braddock said business and industry groups are circulating polling showing Democrats outperforming Republicans in the suburbs. Collin County has also seen major corporate relocations bring an influx of new and more diverse workers to Texas. Braddock said changing populations are creating opportunities for both parties across North Texas. “The Northeast part of Tarrant where Southlake is.
Texas Senate race puts North Texas suburbs in focus ahead of early voting
The North Texas suburbs are emerging as a crucial battleground in the Texas Senate race, with early voting for the midterm elections less than 30 days away and signs of cracks among some traditionally Republican voters. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest media market in Texas, putting added attention on suburban voters in Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties as Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat state lawmaker James Talarico compete for support. Republicans have maintained their governing coalition for a generation in part by attracting a large share of conservative-leaning independents. This year, however, some former Republican leaders in North Texas are publicly breaking with the party’s Senate candidate. The Texas Tribune published an article Thursday featuring roughly a dozen former local Republican leaders who said on the record that they would vote for Talarico — their first time voting for a Democrat — or leave the Senate race blank. Among them is former Southlake Mayor John Huffman, who told NBC 5 that he could not get past concerns about Paxton’s character, including his highly publicized divorce and past corruption allegations that Paxton has largely defeated. Scott Braddock, editor of the Quorum Report Capitol newsletter, said the suburbs have previously shown their ability to shift even when Republicans remain competitive statewide. “In 2018, you had Senator Cruz in this race, and Democrats still picked up 12 seats in the Texas House, two seats in the Texas Senate and two seats in the Congressional delegation,” said Scott Braddock with Quorum Report. Braddock said business and industry groups are circulating polling showing Democrats outperforming Republicans in the suburbs. Collin County has also seen major corporate relocations bring an influx of new and more diverse workers to Texas. Braddock said changing populations are creating opportunities for both parties across North Texas. “The Northeast part of Tarrant where Southlake is.
Congressman says Venezuelan man shot by ICE then taken into custody told he needs surgery
A Democratic congressman said Wednesday that a Venezuelan man shot by a federal immigration officer in Texas and then taken to a detention center has been told by a specialist he needs surgery to remove the bullet still lodged near his spine. U.S. Rep. Greg Casar visited a federal detention center in south Texas where Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, was taken into custody after being shot Sunday in Austin by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Casar said Garces Perez was in a wheelchair and still in pain, but did not say whether the family had decided that he should undergo surgery. The Department of Homeland Security has said Garces Perez, who has been taken to a hospital twice since the shooting, is receiving around-the-clock medical care and pain medication. “If they want to say it’s great medical care, they should start providing great medical care today by having him leave the detention center, go to a hospital or to a doctor, and do not delay his surgery if that’s what his family chooses to do,” Casar said. Garces Perez remains in Texas detention center Casar, whose district includes Austin, was the first member of Congress to visit Garces Perez in person since the shooting. He said the wound in Garces Perez’s back remains bloody and medical staff change his gauze two or three times daily. Following Casar’s visit and a press conference, DHS issued a previous statement denying claims that Garces Perez was forced to sleep on a floor or that he was prevented from having the bullet removed, saying ICE would not advise on a medical procedure for a detainee. Garces Perez was making a DoorDash delivery when ICE officers in an unmarked truck sideswiped his car twice, his attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, said. He was shot and taken to a hospital, then released into ICE custody with a bullet still in his back, she said. ICE and DHS haven’t said what led to the shooting beyond that Garces Perez was “the subject of a targeted vehicle stop.” ICE has
8 Navy members attempted suicide on the USS Lincoln during extended deployment, military official says
Eight U.S. Navy members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln have attempted suicide since the beginning of their extended deployment, a top Navy official said in a letter obtained by NBC News. The length of the deployment, which some service members onboard the carrier had described as extraordinarily tough, has raised concerns about supply shortages and the effect on sailors’ mental health. There have been no deaths attributed to suicide during the deployment. The number of suicide attempts includes crewmembers and sailors from the carrier air wing, strike group and destroyer squadron staff; escorting destroyers; and all embarked aviation squadrons, according to the letter, which Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao sent to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. There are about 7,500 service members, primarily sailors, as part of the strike group. A U.S. Navy official said the letter was delivered to Gillibrand Tuesday. The official said the number of sailors who jumped overboard while the Lincoln was in the Middle East providing operations for the war in Iran remains at two, as previously reported. The official did not provide details about the other six attempts. In the letter, Cao answered a series of questions that Gillibrand, a member of the Armed Services Committee, had asked Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a previous letter. War with Iran Sep 2 USS Abraham Lincoln arrives in Thailand after extended Iran deployment Military Aug 24 Father of sailor aboard USS Lincoln detained by immigration authorities, family says War with Iran Aug 14 Trump downplays USS Abraham Lincoln's record time at sea: ‘Not nearly long enough' The letter also addressed Gillibrand’s concerns about conditions and medical resources aboard the USS Lincoln. In a statement, Gillibrand said the conditions on the ship were “serious and deteriorating.” “Our troops and their families make immense sacrifices every single day, yet the president dismissed them with open disrespect,” she said.
Talarico, Abbott lead races in new statewide poll
Less than two months before Election Day, a new NBC 5 Dallas/Telemundo Station Group Texas Voter Poll shows likely voters prefer Democrat State Rep. James Talarico over Republican State Attorney General Ken Paxton in the race for U.S. Senate in Texas, while Republican Gov. Greg Abbott leads Democrat challenger State Rep. Gina Hinojosa by a wider margin. The poll, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, interviewed 625 registered Texas voters who said they are likely to vote. It took place by phone from Sept. 8 to Sept. 10. Of those surveyed, 24% said the economy and jobs were the biggest influence on how they’ll vote, while 23% said inflation and the cost of living had the biggest impact. U.S. Senate race In the U.S. Senate race, 46% of respondents statewide said they would vote for Talarico if the election were held that day, compared to 43% for Paxton. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4%. Of the remaining respondents, 8% were undecided and 3% indicated they supported Libertarian Ted Brown. Of Independent voters surveyed, 13% said they remain undecided, while 51% would vote for Talarico and 30% support Paxton. Broken down by gender, 52% of women surveyed said they would support Talarico, and 36% planned to vote for Paxton. Paxton led among men, 51% to 39%. By race, 54% of Paxton supporters identified as white, compared with 36% Hispanic and 10% Black. Among Black respondents, 84% supported Talarico, compared with 54% of Hispanic respondents and 36% of white respondents. Of the undecided voters, 9% were Hispanic, 7% were white and 3% were Black. The race is evenly split in Dallas-Fort Worth, with each candidate getting 45% of the prospective vote. It’s a similar story in the Houston Metro, with Talarico carrying a slight edge. His strongest support comes from Central Texas and South Texas, where more than half of those surveyed living in those areas plan to vote for him. More than half of the respondents in East Texas and West Texas plan to vote fo
Talarico, Abbott lead races in new statewide poll
Less than two months before Election Day, a new NBC 5 Dallas/Telemundo Station Group Texas Voter Poll shows likely voters prefer Democrat State Rep. James Talarico over Republican State Attorney General Ken Paxton in the race for U.S. Senate in Texas, while Republican Gov. Greg Abbott leads Democrat challenger State Rep. Gina Hinojosa by a wider margin. The poll, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, interviewed 625 registered Texas voters who said they are likely to vote. It took place by phone from Sept. 8 to Sept. 10. Of those surveyed, 24% said the economy and jobs were the biggest influence on how they’ll vote, while 23% said inflation and the cost of living had the biggest impact. U.S. Senate race In the U.S. Senate race, 46% of respondents statewide said they would vote for Talarico if the election were held that day, compared to 43% for Paxton. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 4%. Of the remaining respondents, 8% were undecided and 3% indicated they supported Libertarian Ted Brown. Of Independent voters surveyed, 13% said they remain undecided, while 51% would vote for Talarico and 30% support Paxton. Broken down by gender, 52% of women surveyed said they would support Talarico, and 36% planned to vote for Paxton. Paxton led among men, 51% to 39%. By race, 54% of Paxton supporters identified as white, compared with 36% Hispanic and 10% Black. Among Black respondents, 84% supported Talarico, compared with 54% of Hispanic respondents and 36% of white respondents. Of the undecided voters, 9% were Hispanic, 7% were white and 3% were Black. The race is evenly split in Dallas-Fort Worth, with each candidate getting 45% of the prospective vote. It’s a similar story in the Houston Metro, with Talarico carrying a slight edge. His strongest support comes from Central Texas and South Texas, where more than half of those surveyed living in those areas plan to vote for him. More than half of the respondents in East Texas and West Texas plan to vote fo
Pentagon says Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving, in latest departure of a top defense leader
The Pentagon announced Wednesday that the Navy’s top civilian official, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, is leaving his job. In a statement posted to social media, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Phelan was “departing the administration, effective immediately.” Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao will become acting secretary of the Navy, Parnell said. The sudden departure comes just a day after Phelan addressed a large crowd of sailors and industry professionals at the Navy’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., and spoke with reporters about his agenda. Phelan’s departure also comes just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Army’s top officer, Gen. Randy George. Hegseth also has fired several top generals, admirals and other defense leaders since taking office last year. As with many of those other firings, Pentagon officials did not offer a reason for Phelan’s departure. Phelan is leaving just as the U.S. Navy has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports and is targeting ships linked to Tehran around the world during a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war. Phelan had not served in the military or had a civilian leadership role in the service before President Donald Trump nominated him for secretary in late 2024. Phelan was a major donor to Trump’s campaign and founded the private investment firm Rugger Management LLC. According to his biography, Phelan’s primary exposure to the military came from an advisory position he held on the Spirit of America, a non-profit that supported the defense of Ukraine and the defense of Taiwan. The Associated Press could not immediately reach Phelan’s office for comment. Cao ran a failed U.S. Senate bid in Virginia to try to unseat Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in 2024. He had Trump’s endorsement in the crowded Republican primary. Cao is a 25-year Navy veteran who served in combat zones. His biography includes fleeing Vietnam with his family as a child in the 1970s. In a campaign video for his Senate bid, he compared Vietnam’s communist regime during the Cold War to the administration of President Joe Biden. “We are losing our country,” Cao said in video during the campaign, which blamed Biden for the criminal cases against Trump and showed footage of border crossings and store lootings. “You know it. But you also know that you can’t say it. We’re forced to say that wrong is right. We’re forced to lie.”
Pentagon says Navy Secretary John Phelan is leaving, in latest departure of a top defense leader
The Pentagon announced Wednesday that the Navy’s top civilian official, Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, is leaving his job. In a statement posted to social media, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Phelan was “departing the administration, effective immediately.” Navy Undersecretary Hung Cao will become acting secretary of the Navy, Parnell said. The sudden departure comes just a day after Phelan addressed a large crowd of sailors and industry professionals at the Navy’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., and spoke with reporters about his agenda. Phelan’s departure also comes just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Army’s top officer, Gen. Randy George. Hegseth also has fired several top generals, admirals and other defense leaders since taking office last year. As with many of those other firings, Pentagon officials did not offer a reason for Phelan’s departure. Phelan is leaving just as the U.S. Navy has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports and is targeting ships linked to Tehran around the world during a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war. Phelan had not served in the military or had a civilian leadership role in the service before President Donald Trump nominated him for secretary in late 2024. Phelan was a major donor to Trump’s campaign and founded the private investment firm Rugger Management LLC. According to his biography, Phelan’s primary exposure to the military came from an advisory position he held on the Spirit of America, a non-profit that supported the defense of Ukraine and the defense of Taiwan. The Associated Press could not immediately reach Phelan’s office for comment. Cao ran a failed U.S. Senate bid in Virginia to try to unseat Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in 2024. He had Trump’s endorsement in the crowded Republican primary. Cao is a 25-year Navy veteran who served in combat zones. His biography includes fleeing Vietnam with his family as a child in the 1970s. In a campaign video for his Senate bid, he compared Vietnam’s communist regime during the Cold War to the administration of President Joe Biden. “We are losing our country,” Cao said in video during the campaign, which blamed Biden for the criminal cases against Trump and showed footage of border crossings and store lootings. “You know it. But you also know that you can’t say it. We’re forced to say that wrong is right. We’re forced to lie.”
‘Summer House' alum Luke Gulbranson launches bid for Congress in Minnesota
Luke Gulbranson is trading reality TV drama for real‑world antics “with real consequences” in Washington, D.C. Gulbranson, a former cast member of Bravo’s “Summer House,” announced in an Instagram post on Wednesday that he is running for Congress in his home state of Minnesota. In an ad launching his candidacy, the 42-year-old framed his campaign around rising costs, unaffordable health care, and defending union jobs in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. “Hockey, family, and community shaped who I am,” Gulbranson said in the announcement video. “I know what it’s like to worry about putting food on the table or paying the electric bill. I’ve lived the challenges so many families in this district are facing right now. I’m running for Congress to make sure no one is forgotten, and to fight for an economy and healthcare system that actually works for us.” While his campaign video doesn’t mention party affiliation, Gulbranson is running as a Democrat, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission. He is seeking to unseat Rep. Pete Stauber, a four‑term Republican seeking a fifth term. Gulbranson said his campaign is aimed at shifting Washington’s focus back to kitchen table concerns. “It’s time for Congress to work for the people again — not special interests, not party politics, and not the President,” he wrote in the post. His entry adds to a growing field of Democratic–Farmer–Labor candidates preparing to challenge Stauber in a district that has become increasingly competitive as political dynamics on the Iron Range continue to evolve. Gulbranson said his upbringing shapes how he connects with voters, as do his ties to the region. The Eveleth native said his great-grandfather was a foreman at the former Oliver Mine and his father was a member of Operating Engineers Local 49, which represents heavy equipment operators across several industries, including mining and coal. “I’m relatable to the people in northern Minnesota. I’m a small‑town kid. I know the hardships, I know what they’re going through,” he told The Minnesota Star Tribune. He described himself as a “welfare kid” whose family relied on food assistance, Medicaid and Medicare. He also told the outlet that he believes his background outside politics could help him stand out in the race. He argued that coming in as a newcomer gives him room to speak candidly about local concerns and challenge Stauber without being tied to the political establishment. “I would love to have the DFL endorsement, it would be amazing. But the reality is, I am getting in late,” he said. “We’re going to put our best foot forward, and we will work our tails off to win the primary, go into the general against Pete Stauber and beat him as well.” Gulbranson, who is an actor, model and small‑business owner, unveiled a campaign website as part of his announcement. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Drugmakers raised prices on hundreds of drugs despite Trump deals, report finds
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said his deals with drugmakers would bring down prescription drug prices in the U.S. But a report released by Senate Democrats finds prices have continued to climb — in some cases, sharply. The report — released Thursday by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, ahead of a hearing focused on drug prices — found that companies that signed drug pricing deals with Trump have raised the cost of hundreds of medications and launched new ones at an average price of $353,000 a year. The price hikes include expensive gene therapies, cancer medications and multiple sclerosis drugs. The report also said the companies that signed deals with Trump have made huge profits during his second term in office. In 2025, the companies made a combined $177 billion in profits, up from $107 billion the year before. It comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to testify Thursday in back-to-back hearings on Trump’s budget, first before the House Ways and Means Committee and later before the House Appropriations health panel. He is likely to face questions on Trump’s priorities, including lowering prescription drug costs. The findings raise questions about whether the administration’s “most favored nation” deals — which Trump said would lower U.S. drug prices to match those in other wealthy countries where drugs are often far less expensive — are having a meaningful impact on patients. The deals with the drugmakers were publicized by the White House, but details remain scant. It’s unclear whether the drugs mentioned in the new report were a part of the deals, though all of the drugmakers included were. “One of the more frustrating aspects of recent drug pricing announcements has been the lack of transparency into the so-called deals that are being made by the administration,” said Stacie Dusetzina, a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. “In fact, once you dig into the details, it appears that the administration’s efforts to date have mostly served to help drug companies.” In an emailed statement, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Sanders’ report “fixates on prescription drug list prices, which are meaningless because they do not reflect the actual purchase prices that patients pay at the pharmacy counter.” As a part of the deals, drugmakers agreed to offer some of their products for a discounted price for people paying with cash, not insurance, on TrumpRx.gov, a discount prescription drug platform. Many of the discounts are the same as those found on GoodRx, another discount site. These discounts are separate from the list prices. And while people rarely pay the list price for a drug, a higher list price means drugmakers can charge insurance more. The new report pointed to several blockbuster drugs that saw list price hikes even as companies were negotiating or signing deals with Trump. For example, the list price of Keytruda, a widely used cancer treatment made by Merck, rose by 6% to about $210,000 a year in the U.S., far higher than prices in countries like Japan ($37,900) and France ($88,100), according to the report. Novartis’ Kesimpta, a multiple sclerosis drug, increased by nearly $10,500 to $141,000 a year, according to the report. The annual price of Kesimpta in Germany is $17,300 and the yearly price in Canada is $23,500. The annual list price of Opdivo, Bristol Myers Squibb’s immunotherapy, rose 4% to $260,000, more than double the price in other countries, including France ($90,300) and the United Kingdom ($113,000). Merck, Novartis and Bristol Myers Squibb did not respond to a request for comment. Antonio Ciaccia, the CEO of 46brooklyn, a nonprofit group that tracks drug pricing in the U.S., said it’s been clear that the companies that signed deals with Trump did not agree to lower prices across their entire portfolio. For many of the drugs not included in the deals, it’s been “business as usual and this year is no different,” he said. He added that while average brand-name list prices declined in 2026 for the first time, that shift was largely driven by policies from the Biden administration, including Medicare drug pricing negotiations. The report also found that companies that negotiated deals with Trump launched new medications, many of them cancer drugs, with six- to seven-digit price tags. According to the report, Johnson & Johnson’s cancer drug Inlexzo launched at a price of about $1 million; AbbVie’s cancer drug Emrelis is about $719,000; and AstraZeneca’s Datroway is about $419,000. Novartis’ Itvisma, a one-time gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, has a list price of about $2.59 million. Another gene therapy from Novartis — Zolgensma, for spinal muscular atrophy — increased by nearly $200,000 to more than $2.5 million for a single course of treatment, according to the report. Pfizer increased the price of its lung cancer drug Vizimpro by about 5% to about $208,000 a year, according to the report. Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment. AbbVie declined to comment.
Drugmakers raised prices on hundreds of drugs despite Trump deals, report finds
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said his deals with drugmakers would bring down prescription drug prices in the U.S. But a report released by Senate Democrats finds prices have continued to climb — in some cases, sharply. The report — released Thursday by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, ahead of a hearing focused on drug prices — found that companies that signed drug pricing deals with Trump have raised the cost of hundreds of medications and launched new ones at an average price of $353,000 a year. The price hikes include expensive gene therapies, cancer medications and multiple sclerosis drugs. The report also said the companies that signed deals with Trump have made huge profits during his second term in office. In 2025, the companies made a combined $177 billion in profits, up from $107 billion the year before. It comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to testify Thursday in back-to-back hearings on Trump’s budget, first before the House Ways and Means Committee and later before the House Appropriations health panel. He is likely to face questions on Trump’s priorities, including lowering prescription drug costs. The findings raise questions about whether the administration’s “most favored nation” deals — which Trump said would lower U.S. drug prices to match those in other wealthy countries where drugs are often far less expensive — are having a meaningful impact on patients. The deals with the drugmakers were publicized by the White House, but details remain scant. It’s unclear whether the drugs mentioned in the new report were a part of the deals, though all of the drugmakers included were. “One of the more frustrating aspects of recent drug pricing announcements has been the lack of transparency into the so-called deals that are being made by the administration,” said Stacie Dusetzina, a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. “In fact, once you dig into the details, it appears that the administration’s efforts to date have mostly served to help drug companies.” In an emailed statement, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Sanders’ report “fixates on prescription drug list prices, which are meaningless because they do not reflect the actual purchase prices that patients pay at the pharmacy counter.” As a part of the deals, drugmakers agreed to offer some of their products for a discounted price for people paying with cash, not insurance, on TrumpRx.gov, a discount prescription drug platform. Many of the discounts are the same as those found on GoodRx, another discount site. These discounts are separate from the list prices. And while people rarely pay the list price for a drug, a higher list price means drugmakers can charge insurance more. The new report pointed to several blockbuster drugs that saw list price hikes even as companies were negotiating or signing deals with Trump. For example, the list price of Keytruda, a widely used cancer treatment made by Merck, rose by 6% to about $210,000 a year in the U.S., far higher than prices in countries like Japan ($37,900) and France ($88,100), according to the report. Novartis’ Kesimpta, a multiple sclerosis drug, increased by nearly $10,500 to $141,000 a year, according to the report. The annual price of Kesimpta in Germany is $17,300 and the yearly price in Canada is $23,500. The annual list price of Opdivo, Bristol Myers Squibb’s immunotherapy, rose 4% to $260,000, more than double the price in other countries, including France ($90,300) and the United Kingdom ($113,000). Merck, Novartis and Bristol Myers Squibb did not respond to a request for comment. Antonio Ciaccia, the CEO of 46brooklyn, a nonprofit group that tracks drug pricing in the U.S., said it’s been clear that the companies that signed deals with Trump did not agree to lower prices across their entire portfolio. For many of the drugs not included in the deals, it’s been “business as usual and this year is no different,” he said. He added that while average brand-name list prices declined in 2026 for the first time, that shift was largely driven by policies from the Biden administration, including Medicare drug pricing negotiations. The report also found that companies that negotiated deals with Trump launched new medications, many of them cancer drugs, with six- to seven-digit price tags. According to the report, Johnson & Johnson’s cancer drug Inlexzo launched at a price of about $1 million; AbbVie’s cancer drug Emrelis is about $719,000; and AstraZeneca’s Datroway is about $419,000. Novartis’ Itvisma, a one-time gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, has a list price of about $2.59 million. Another gene therapy from Novartis — Zolgensma, for spinal muscular atrophy — increased by nearly $200,000 to more than $2.5 million for a single course of treatment, according to the report. Pfizer increased the price of its lung cancer drug Vizimpro by about 5% to about $208,000 a year, according to the report. Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment. AbbVie declined to comment.
Drugmakers raised prices on hundreds of drugs despite Trump deals, report finds
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said his deals with drugmakers would bring down prescription drug prices in the U.S. But a report released by Senate Democrats finds prices have continued to climb — in some cases, sharply. The report — released Thursday by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., the ranking member on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, ahead of a hearing focused on drug prices — found that companies that signed drug pricing deals with Trump have raised the cost of hundreds of medications and launched new ones at an average price of $353,000 a year. The price hikes include expensive gene therapies, cancer medications and multiple sclerosis drugs. The report also said the companies that signed deals with Trump have made huge profits during his second term in office. In 2025, the companies made a combined $177 billion in profits, up from $107 billion the year before. It comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to testify Thursday in back-to-back hearings on Trump’s budget, first before the House Ways and Means Committee and later before the House Appropriations health panel. He is likely to face questions on Trump’s priorities, including lowering prescription drug costs. The findings raise questions about whether the administration’s “most favored nation” deals — which Trump said would lower U.S. drug prices to match those in other wealthy countries where drugs are often far less expensive — are having a meaningful impact on patients. The deals with the drugmakers were publicized by the White House, but details remain scant. It’s unclear whether the drugs mentioned in the new report were a part of the deals, though all of the drugmakers included were. “One of the more frustrating aspects of recent drug pricing announcements has been the lack of transparency into the so-called deals that are being made by the administration,” said Stacie Dusetzina, a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. “In fact, once you dig into the details, it appears that the administration’s efforts to date have mostly served to help drug companies.” In an emailed statement, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said Sanders’ report “fixates on prescription drug list prices, which are meaningless because they do not reflect the actual purchase prices that patients pay at the pharmacy counter.” As a part of the deals, drugmakers agreed to offer some of their products for a discounted price for people paying with cash, not insurance, on TrumpRx.gov, a discount prescription drug platform. Many of the discounts are the same as those found on GoodRx, another discount site. These discounts are separate from the list prices. And while people rarely pay the list price for a drug, a higher list price means drugmakers can charge insurance more. The new report pointed to several blockbuster drugs that saw list price hikes even as companies were negotiating or signing deals with Trump. For example, the list price of Keytruda, a widely used cancer treatment made by Merck, rose by 6% to about $210,000 a year in the U.S., far higher than prices in countries like Japan ($37,900) and France ($88,100), according to the report. Novartis’ Kesimpta, a multiple sclerosis drug, increased by nearly $10,500 to $141,000 a year, according to the report. The annual price of Kesimpta in Germany is $17,300 and the yearly price in Canada is $23,500. The annual list price of Opdivo, Bristol Myers Squibb’s immunotherapy, rose 4% to $260,000, more than double the price in other countries, including France ($90,300) and the United Kingdom ($113,000). Merck, Novartis and Bristol Myers Squibb did not respond to a request for comment. Antonio Ciaccia, the CEO of 46brooklyn, a nonprofit group that tracks drug pricing in the U.S., said it’s been clear that the companies that signed deals with Trump did not agree to lower prices across their entire portfolio. For many of the drugs not included in the deals, it’s been “business as usual and this year is no different,” he said. He added that while average brand-name list prices declined in 2026 for the first time, that shift was largely driven by policies from the Biden administration, including Medicare drug pricing negotiations. The report also found that companies that negotiated deals with Trump launched new medications, many of them cancer drugs, with six- to seven-digit price tags. According to the report, Johnson & Johnson’s cancer drug Inlexzo launched at a price of about $1 million; AbbVie’s cancer drug Emrelis is about $719,000; and AstraZeneca’s Datroway is about $419,000. Novartis’ Itvisma, a one-time gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, has a list price of about $2.59 million. Another gene therapy from Novartis — Zolgensma, for spinal muscular atrophy — increased by nearly $200,000 to more than $2.5 million for a single course of treatment, according to the report. Pfizer increased the price of its lung cancer drug Vizimpro by about 5% to about $208,000 a year, according to the report. Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment. AbbVie declined to comment.
MAGA influencers push back on Trump on Iran: ‘It's time to say no'
At the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans, George H.W. Bush swore an oath to his party: “Read my lips: No new taxes.“ He won the election. Then, he raised taxes. The move alienated Republican activists, and GOP lore has long held that he lost re-election because the broken promise tattered his relationship with the party’s base. Now, President Donald Trump is threatening to destroy Iranian civilization after campaigning in part on a “no new wars” mantra in 2024. He has said the war is necessary to stop Iran’s leadership from obtaining nuclear weapons and further destabilizing the global order. His reversal is creating major strains within his own “Make America Great Again” movement, evident in increasingly loud dissent from some of its most prominent media figures, resistance from a growing number of GOP lawmakers and polling. The roster of conservative luminaries rebuking Trump over Iran this week could have been cut and pasted from a list of his most reliable supporters of the past: Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, Mike Cernovich, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Turning Point USA’s former communications director Candace Owens, among many others. “Trump would not have won the primary in 2016 had he run on Mitt Romney’s platform, nor would he have won the 2024 election by running on new wars,” Cernovich, a right-wing influencer who has promoted “pizzagate” and various other conspiracy theories, wrote to his 1.4 million X followers on Sunday. “It’s silly to claim Trump is MAGA. He rode a cultural wave, only he had the personal will to do so, but the issues matter, too.” In a prior post, Cernovich alleged that “Trump’s goal is to turn Iran into Syria. An unpopular war that he wasn’t able to wrap up quickly, so now he is lashing out and destroying hospitals and bridges.” Jones and Greene have called for the Cabinet to use the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to declare Trump unable to fulfill his duties and oust him from the Oval Office. Carlson advised Trump’s military aides to reject any plan to slaughter Iranian civilians, including through the potential use of a nuclear weapon. “Now it’s time to say no, absolutely not, and say it directly to the president, no,” Carlson said on his podcast. Jenna Ellis, who was an attorney for Trump’s 2020 campaign, said Trump’s Truth Social post threatening Iranian civilization read to her “like a president who feels increasingly invincible — and that should concern everyone.” “What I saw in his first term, and what this post reinforces, is that he approaches governing the way he approached New York real estate: find the loophole, bypass the restriction, and do what you want anyway,” she told NBC News. “The rhetoric here is strikingly expansive and, at points, unmoored. When you pair that tone with an apparent belief that executive authority is unconstrained, it raises serious concerns about decision-making in one of the most volatile geopolitical contexts in the world.” The White House did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment on this story. But Trump told the New York Post that he thinks Carlson, who has visited him at the White House this year, is “a low-IQ person that has absolutely no idea what’s going on.” A senior White House official also brushed off Carlson’s comments, saying they had not seen his remarks and questioning why they would bother watching his monologue. transgender rights 22 hours ago Trump administration terminates agreements to protect transgender students in several schools War with Iran Apr 6 Trump details airman rescue, threatens Iran's power plants and bridges Congress Apr 5 Sen. Tim Kaine says Congress will ‘have a hard time' reviewing Trump's military budget request In a prime-time speech last week — his first since the war began on Feb. 28 — Trump said the war would end “shortly” without offering any firm timeline. “Everyone has said that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons, but in the end, those are just words if you’re not willing to take action when the time comes,” he said, later adding: “We are on the cusp of ending Iran’s sinister threat to America and the world.” Carlson is one of a number of conservatives who have framed their dissatisfaction with Trump in religious terms, saying the president’s words and actions fly in the face of Christianity. After Trump posted to social media on Easter Sunday with a profane call for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping channel for international commerce, Carlson admonished his own followers. “Desecrating Easter was the first step toward nuclear war,” Carlson wrote on X. “Christians need to understand where Trump is taking us.” In February, Trump’s Justice Department tried and failed to indict several Democratic lawmakers who had participated in a video cautioning military personnel to reject unlawful orders. Trump had accused the lawmakers of engaging in “seditious behavior” that could be “punishable by death.” On Tuesday, Carrie Prejean Boller, a former model who served as a member of the Trump-appointed federal Religious Liberty Commission until February, pressed fellow Christians to stop working for Trump. “I’m calling on every single Christian to RESIGN IMMEDIATELY from this administration,” wrote Boller, who was dismissed from the panel after a clash over the definition of antisemitism. “If you don’t,” she continued, “the blood of innocent human life is on your hands. Trump is an evil psychopath.” For other influencers in the conservative ecosphere, criticism of the president’s approach has been more subtle. Steve Bannon, a senior White House aide in Trump’s first term and the host of the “War Room” podcast, has been all over the map on Iran. On Tuesday, with the president’s deadline for a deal with Iran nearing and his threat of decimating that country’s critical infrastructure looming, Bannon talked about the opportunity cost of the war — asserting that the administration is taking its eye off more consequential threats from illegal immigration and China. “What are we doing?” Bannon said on his podcast. “We’re in the Middle East, which is a side show to the side show.” With Congress in recess and with Republicans in the chamber typically in lockstep with the president, there has been less explicit resistance from the class of elected officials. But a handful of Republicans in each chamber have said publicly that there are limits to what they are willing to support in the Iran war. Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, said last week that Trump should put a stop to hostilities unless he gets specific authorization from Congress, and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said on a podcast this week that he doesn’t want the U.S. to “blow up civilian infrastructure.” At the same time, a growing number of Democratic lawmakers are calling for Trump to be removed from office, echoing some of those on the right. While efforts to invoke the War Powers Act to end the war failed in both the House and Senate earlier this month, there has also been no movement in Congress on a formal authorization of the war or a spending package to fund it. Trump administration officials are expected to seek as much as $200 billion from Congress for the war, but they have not officially transmitted a request that would face significant obstacles to enactment. In other words, Congress has yet to show that there are enough votes to authorize the war, to fund it or to stop it. At the same time, Trump is seeing signs of erosion from his GOP coalition across the country. He is ineligible to run for re-election, but public approval for a president — or disapproval — can affect his ability to influence Congress, governors and foreign leaders as he attempts to advance his agenda. More crucial for the final two years of his term, Trump is also in danger of losing Republican majorities in the House and Senate. With gas prices having risen more than $1 per gallon at the pump since the start of the war a little more than a month ago, and many Republican, Democratic and independent voters wary and weary of war, surveys are starting to show an electorate moving further away from Trump. A Morning Consult poll released this week concluded that the president’s approval rating is in positive territory in just 17 of the 50 states. Earlier this year, that number was 22. “Our data shows that the share of Republicans who ‘strongly approve’ of Trump dropped in every competitive Senate and House battleground this quarter,” the outlet reported. “At the same time, the share of Democrats who ‘strongly’ disapprove of his job performance increased in key states.”
DHS pauses plans to buy warehouses for immigrant detention
The Department of Homeland Security is pausing plans to buy more warehouses to detain immigrants, according to two senior DHS officials who stressed the decision may only be temporary. The two officials said that while purchasing is on hold, plans are moving forward to develop facilities that have already been acquired for that purpose. It’s not clear yet whether incoming Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin will change the direction of immigration enforcement and detention. Border security and immigration remains a top priority for President Donald Trump. But voters gave him poor marks on immigration according to a recent NBC News poll, after DHS surged federal agents into the heart of American cities under former Secretary Kristi Noem. As of spring 2026, 11 sites nationwide have been purchased out of 20 potential locations, according to a tally by NBC News. The cost of the total purchasing plan was estimated at over $38 billion. A DHS spokesperson said: “As with any transition, we are reviewing agency policies and proposals.” The pause gives Mullin time to review Noem’s policies before adapting them, the officials said. The former Oklahoma senator was sworn in last week by Attorney General Pam Bondi in the Oval Office. DHS Mar 5 Trump fires Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary DHS Mar 6 Who is Markwayne Mullin? What to know about the Oklahoma senator Trump picked to lead DHS DHS Mar 17 Trump's homeland security pick is poised to inherit a department beset by challenges Under Noem, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement bought up mega warehouses around the country that could house up to 8,000 immigrants per facility. But local leaders and members of Congress in some of the districts where the detention centers were planned pushed back. Maryland sued successfully to stop ICE from developing a warehouse near Hagerstown. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., criticized the DHS’s plan to turn a warehouse in Byhalia, Miss. into an ICE Detention Center. “I’m all for immigration enforcement, but this site was meant for economic development and job creation. We cannot suddenly flood Byhalia with an influx of up to 10,000 detainees,” Wicker said in a Feb. 4 post on X before Noem scrapped the plans. During his confirmation hearing, Mullin was questioned about whether he would work with community leaders before moving ahead with plans to purchase warehouses. He said he would. “I will work with the community leaders and make sure that we are delivering for the American people what the President set out … We want to work with community leaders. We want to be good partners,” he said. Previously, two government contractors who work in immigration detention told NBC News they were worried that new warehouses would present safety problems.
DHS pauses plans to buy warehouses for immigrant detention
The Department of Homeland Security is pausing plans to buy more warehouses to detain immigrants, according to two senior DHS officials who stressed the decision may only be temporary. The two officials said that while purchasing is on hold, plans are moving forward to develop facilities that have already been acquired for that purpose. It’s not clear yet whether incoming Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin will change the direction of immigration enforcement and detention. Border security and immigration remains a top priority for President Donald Trump. But voters gave him poor marks on immigration according to a recent NBC News poll, after DHS surged federal agents into the heart of American cities under former Secretary Kristi Noem. As of spring 2026, 11 sites nationwide have been purchased out of 20 potential locations, according to a tally by NBC News. The cost of the total purchasing plan was estimated at over $38 billion. A DHS spokesperson said: “As with any transition, we are reviewing agency policies and proposals.” The pause gives Mullin time to review Noem’s policies before adapting them, the officials said. The former Oklahoma senator was sworn in last week by Attorney General Pam Bondi in the Oval Office. DHS Mar 5 Trump fires Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary DHS Mar 6 Who is Markwayne Mullin? What to know about the Oklahoma senator Trump picked to lead DHS DHS Mar 17 Trump's homeland security pick is poised to inherit a department beset by challenges Under Noem, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement bought up mega warehouses around the country that could house up to 8,000 immigrants per facility. But local leaders and members of Congress in some of the districts where the detention centers were planned pushed back. Maryland sued successfully to stop ICE from developing a warehouse near Hagerstown. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., criticized the DHS’s plan to turn a warehouse in Byhalia, Miss. into an ICE Detention Center. “I’m all for immigration enforcement, but this site was meant for economic development and job creation. We cannot suddenly flood Byhalia with an influx of up to 10,000 detainees,” Wicker said in a Feb. 4 post on X before Noem scrapped the plans. During his confirmation hearing, Mullin was questioned about whether he would work with community leaders before moving ahead with plans to purchase warehouses. He said he would. “I will work with the community leaders and make sure that we are delivering for the American people what the President set out … We want to work with community leaders. We want to be good partners,” he said. Previously, two government contractors who work in immigration detention told NBC News they were worried that new warehouses would present safety problems.
DHS pauses plans to buy warehouses for immigrant detention
The Department of Homeland Security is pausing plans to buy more warehouses to detain immigrants, according to two senior DHS officials who stressed the decision may only be temporary. The two officials said that while purchasing is on hold, plans are moving forward to develop facilities that have already been acquired for that purpose. It’s not clear yet whether incoming Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin will change the direction of immigration enforcement and detention. Border security and immigration remains a top priority for President Donald Trump. But voters gave him poor marks on immigration according to a recent NBC News poll, after DHS surged federal agents into the heart of American cities under former Secretary Kristi Noem. As of spring 2026, 11 sites nationwide have been purchased out of 20 potential locations, according to a tally by NBC News. The cost of the total purchasing plan was estimated at over $38 billion. A DHS spokesperson said: “As with any transition, we are reviewing agency policies and proposals.” The pause gives Mullin time to review Noem’s policies before adapting them, the officials said. The former Oklahoma senator was sworn in last week by Attorney General Pam Bondi in the Oval Office. DHS Mar 5 Trump fires Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary DHS Mar 6 Who is Markwayne Mullin? What to know about the Oklahoma senator Trump picked to lead DHS DHS Mar 17 Trump's homeland security pick is poised to inherit a department beset by challenges Under Noem, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement bought up mega warehouses around the country that could house up to 8,000 immigrants per facility. But local leaders and members of Congress in some of the districts where the detention centers were planned pushed back. Maryland sued successfully to stop ICE from developing a warehouse near Hagerstown. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., criticized the DHS’s plan to turn a warehouse in Byhalia, Miss. into an ICE Detention Center. “I’m all for immigration enforcement, but this site was meant for economic development and job creation. We cannot suddenly flood Byhalia with an influx of up to 10,000 detainees,” Wicker said in a Feb. 4 post on X before Noem scrapped the plans. During his confirmation hearing, Mullin was questioned about whether he would work with community leaders before moving ahead with plans to purchase warehouses. He said he would. “I will work with the community leaders and make sure that we are delivering for the American people what the President set out … We want to work with community leaders. We want to be good partners,” he said. Previously, two government contractors who work in immigration detention told NBC News they were worried that new warehouses would present safety problems.
U.S. gold coin with image of Trump gets approved by president's hand-picked panel
A federal commission consisting solely of Trump-appointed members voted Thursday to approve a 24-carat commemorative gold coin depicting the president in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States. The Commission of Fine Arts approved a design with an image of President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, with 1776 on one side and 2026 on the other. U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach called it a “beautiful commemorative gold coin” in a statement Thursday. “As we approach our 250th birthday, we are thrilled to prepare coins that represent the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, and there is no profile more emblematic for the front of such coins than that of our serving President, Donald J. Trump,” Beach said. The gold coin still requires an official approval from the Treasury, which takes into account the stances of both the Commission of Fine Arts and the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, a federal panel with a wider range of members. The New York Times reported last month on opposition to the gold coin from committee members. Beach said Thursday that the U.S. Mint presented the committee with “multiple reasonable opportunities to review proposed designs, but the CCAC expressly declined.” “Accordingly, the Mint’s statutory obligation to seek CCAC review has been fulfilled,” Beach said, adding that the committee’s role is “only to advise” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who “has sole discretion on final design selection.” The panel did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night. The Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020, signed into law shortly before Trump’s first term ended, says the Treasury may “mint for issuance during the one-year period beginning January 1, 2026, $1 dollar coins with designs emblematic of the U.S. semiquincentennial.” The Treasury Department introduced draft designs in October for a $1 coin that depicted Trump in honor of the 250th anniversary. Beach specified Thursday that the proposed commemorative gold coin is a separate project from the plan to mint a circulated coin. The commemorative gold coin’s approval by the Commission of Fine Arts comes on the heels of a multitude of jokes from the president in recent weeks during which he wishes he could “take credit” for the 250th anniversary. “In my first term, I got the Olympics. My first term, I got the World Cup. And then I said, I wonder if anybody would notice if I said I got the 250 years,” Trump said at a White House event Tuesday, adding that it “didn’t do well.” Trump has taken other steps to impose his name or likeness on parts of the federal government, such as affixing his name on both the Kennedy Center and U.S. Institute of Peace. This isn’t Trump’s first time being associated with a coin. He launched the $TRUMP meme coin this term and held a private dinner with 220 crypto investors in May that cost $1 million to attend. The dinner sparked concerns on Capitol Hill from Democrats as well as Republicans like Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming. Trump has been involved with various plans to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary, including America250 Grand Prix — an IndyCar race on the streets of Washington.