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BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityWorldAfricaAsiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastUS & CanadaDonald Trump backs Mike Johnson after Mar-a-Lago meetingPublished40 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Hard-line Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene have accused Mr Johnson of pandering to DemocratsBy Anthony Zurcher in Washington and Nadine YousifBBC NewsRepublican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said he would push for legislation that would require voters to prove they are US citizens after meeting Donald Trump on Friday.It was their first public meeting since Mr Johnson became speaker in November.It comes as some members of Mr Johnson’s party are calling for him to be removed from his leadership post.But the former president says he believes the speaker is doing a “very good job”.House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to remove Mr Johnson three weeks ago. Ms Greene accused the speaker of aligning with Democrats on the issue of Ukraine aid.”We’re getting along very well with the speaker and I get along very well with Marjorie,” Mr Trump said after the meeting at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. “It’s not an easy situation for any speaker, I think he’s doing a very good job and he’s doing about as good as you’re going to do.”Mr Trump began his remarks by attacking President Biden over the issue of immigration, which Mr Johnson linked to the declared subject of the meeting, “election integrity”. Mr Trump has continued to attribute his 2020 presidential defeat to ballot fraud, but he has provided no evidence to substantiate his claims, which have been rejected by courts and elections officials from both parties.At the news conference Friday, Mr Johnson said he would push forward with a bill that would require voters to prove that they are US citizens and require states to remove non-citizens from voter rolls.The speaker alleged that Democrats “want to turn these people into voters” and suggested, without listing evidence, that immigrants were being pushed to register to vote by local welfare benefit offices. Non-citizens are barred from voting in US federal elections, and studies including from the conservative Heritage Foundation have found that cases of immigrants illegally voting are extremely rare.”We’re going to introduce legislation to require that everyone who registers to vote in an election must prove that they are a US citizen,” Mr Johnson said, although he stopped short of claiming that illegal voting by immigrants was a major ongoing problem. “We cannot wait for widespread fraud to occur,” he said.Who is the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson?The former president’s endorsement came at a politically fraught time for the speaker, who is facing Ms Greene’s efforts to push him out of his job. In a letter written on Tuesday to her Republican colleagues, Ms Greene warned that she will not tolerate Mr Johnson “serving the Democrats and the Biden administration” over his own party “and helping them achieve their policies”. She has accused him of helping Democrats to pass spending legislation, but his recent effort to provide Ukraine more military aid appeared to spark her objection. On 22 March, she filed her motion to remove Mr Johnson, saying that he had “betrayed” Republicans. But she has not yet indicated if or when she plans to force real action on the motion – in the form of a floor vote. Mr Trump and his campaign will want to avoid another chaotic leadership battle among Republicans in the House of Representatives before the US presidential election in November. Polling showed that the fight in October undermined voters’ confidence in the party. Mr Trump derailed the speaker’s effort to renew a provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act earlier this week, but a revised bill passed the House earlier Friday.The law allows agencies to collect foreign intelligence on US soil, if a special court agrees. Mr Trump said he was “not a fan” of the legislation but noted that the bill had been amended to require re-approval in two years. The speaker is also planning to bring a Ukraine military aid bill to a vote next week, months after existing aid funding lapsed.When asked about the issue, Mr Trump said: “We’re looking at it right now, and they’re talking about it, and we’re thinking making it in the form of a form of a loan instead of a gift.”He claimed, as he has repeatedly in the past, that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the current conflict in the Middle East would not have happened if he was still in the White House.Related TopicsRepublican PartyDonald TrumpUS politicsUnited StatesMore on this storyMarjorie Taylor Greene wants Speaker Mike Johnson outPublished22 MarchRepublican leader makes fresh push for Ukraine aidPublished2 AprilThe next US Speaker will inherit a poisoned chalicePublished4 October 2023Top StoriesAngela Rayner: I will step down if I committed criminal offencePublished3 hours ago’Don’t’ – Biden warns Iran against attacking IsraelPublished2 hours agoEx-Post Office boss regrets ‘subbies with their hand in the till’ emailPublished9 hours agoFeaturesHow a North Korean missile researcher became a South Korean MPHow Zendaya perfected ‘method dressing’Suicide is on the rise for young Americans. 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[ad_1] It comes as the Republican House speaker faces internal dissent and calls for his removal.
![BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityAsiaChinaIndiaBad blood over Singapore Taylor Swift tour subsidiesPublished1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, EPAImage caption, The Singapore leg of the Eras tour has Swifties flying in from around the regionBy Frances Maoin SingaporeIn the glitzy Asian city-state of Singapore, the sequins are out, limousines polished and hotel pillows plumped.The city’s hosting Taylor Swift’s Eras tour this week – an honour, but one that has come at a cost.That cost was initially reported to be as high as S$24 million (£14m; $18m) for the six shows to be exclusive to South East Asia.Culture minister Edwin Tong has since told Singapore’s CNA the figure was “nowhere as high” – although he still refused to be drawn on the exact figure. The broadcaster, however, suggested it may have been just $2m for all six.But the fact any money had been spent only came to light after an outburst from the prime minister of Thailand, who accused Singapore of paying concert organisers US$2-3m per night.That triggered criticism across the region. In the Philippines, a lawmaker criticised the move, saying “this isn’t what good neighbours do” – and called for a formal protest against the grant.But while governments are seeing red – it’s the fans who are paying the price, literally.Swift is heard everywhere across South East Asia, home to roughly 700 million people – from alleyways in Ho Chi Minh to taxi cabs in Bangkok. So for many it was a punch in the guts to learn all six shows would be held in the region’s most expensive city.Singapore’s currency – one of the strongest in Asia – has long been a deterrent for visitors. But for a chance to see their idol, many of her fans are willing to grin and bear it.Look what you made me doFlight-loads of fans have been touching down at Singapore’s Changi Airport all week, many coming from China and its territories.Swift isn’t playing in China so Singapore is the next best thing for many.One woman flying in from Shenzhen told the BBC she and her friend had spent S$1,200 each on tickets alone. They’ve resorted to camping at a friend’s house after hotel rates across the city surged.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Taylor Swift in Sao PauloOn the luxe end of things, the city’s landmark hotel Marina Bay Sands has sold out of its S$50,000 Swift packages which included four VIP tickets and a three-night stay in a suite.Then there’s 22-year-old Allen Dungca in the Philippines, who scraped together his wages to take him and his mother to Singapore.This Thursday, they’ll take a four-hour bus ride to Manila, stay at an airport motel for the night, then grab their dawn flight the next day.The enterprising student snapped up the travel package back in July. He eventually tracked down the tickets on a resale night, after weeks of desperate hunting.”I am very lucky,” he says of the S$400 outlay for seats in the nosebleed section. “The seller was kind and not a scalper.” Resales now are going for thousands. And he had almost fallen for a scam, a shady character named Pat Steve, later exposed online. He estimates the whole endeavour is costing him S$2,000 – the monthly income of an upper-middle class family in the Philippines, a country where a fifth of the population lives under the poverty line.”Right now, I’m a student with a part-time job and I can afford my wants and needs. But it’s sad, other Swifties don’t have any means or budget to watch her overseas and I know most Filipino Swifties love her so much.”The Philippines arguably has the most ardent Swift fan base – Spotify data showed Quezon City in Manila had played the most streams of the singer last year.The Filipino Swiftie drag queen dazzling AsiaThe pop star has toured in the Philippines before – but the bag of money from Singapore undoubtedly sweetened the deal, say analysts.Clean, modern Singapore has long been seen as a base in the region for big events. It has the infrastructure, the transport links and a high-earning, expat-heavy population. Image source, EPAImage caption, Swift-themed water and light shows on the bay are among the city’s Swiftie attractions this weekIt’s also seen as reliably stable in a region which has experienced political chaos. A decade ago Swift cancelled her shows in Thailand because of the military coup and resulting protests.Still, while it’s common for governments around the world to give out subsidies and tax breaks to bring in events, the reported spend goes beyond anything else publicly known in Singapore.Samer Hajjar, a marketing lecturer at the National University of Singapore, says it’s “above average” even for the city-state.And fans are quite blunt. “It’s kinda greedy,” says Mr Dunga. “But it’s wise… because their economic response will be way more than that.”But will it be though?Show me the moneyIn Australia, the leg of the tour preceding Singapore, officials suggested the tour had provided a A$145m “uplift” in consumer spending. More than 570,000 tickets were sold across seven nights in Sydney and Melbourne, nearly double the number sold for Singapore’s six shows.But not all of that money counts, says economists.More than 90% of show-goers were probably local, estimates KPMG’s chief economist Dr Brendan Rynne, so their dollars would be “just a transfer from one category of spending (or saving) to another”.Only foreign visitors would have been adding to the books – and they accounted for just 2% of visitors, he estimated. After doing the maths he projected Swift had added only A$10m (£5.1m; $6.5m) to GDP.Still, Australia didn’t use public funds to have Swift play in the country, state government officials confirmed to the BBC. Neither did Japan, the only other Asian stop on the tour.What does Taylor mania mean for the globe? Singapore has said Swift’s tour will bring certain economic benefits to the country.But just how much net gain will be generated is unclear. The BBC has reached out to Singapore’s tourism board but they have refused to reveal foreign visitor estimates or other modelling. A local bank, Maybank, has suggested that consumer spending may top S$350m – but that’s based on the very optimistic prediction of 70% of attendees being from out of town.Even Singapore’s Formula One Grand Prix only saw 49% of spectators from overseas in 2022, with a record 300,000 crowd.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Singapore’s F1 Grand Prix brings thousands of overseas visitors each yearWhen pressed on the numbers, Maybank’s economist Erica Tay could not provide specifics, saying the 70% rate was based on Singapore’s “potential catchment” and the bank was not interested in estimating net profit.”Six concerts may not move a nation’s economic growth materially, but the strategic value of Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Singapore as a tourism destination outweighs that one-off boost,” she said.But business professor Julien Cayla from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University points out that public spend should be scrutinised – especially when it’s only revealed to citizens by another country’s government.And in a country where welfare benefits are relatively limited – it could be seen as a fraught spend.”To justify spending [reportedly] S$24 million on something that on the surface might not seem that critical to the economic health of the country over spending on people and public services… there’s a tension there,” Prof Cayla said.Nonetheless he and others say that when it comes to planning tourism, governments have mandate to throw around money and Singapore isn’t an exception. “They don’t necessarily like to advertise it. But the minute the government sees something that fits into a long-term strategy, it will sink government money in to support that,” he says.In a way, Singapore has just brought in Swift the same way it currently attracts huge multinational corporations.”What’s different here is that Taylor Swift as a business, is a very emotional business,” he said.”It’s dealing with the emotions of 10-18 year olds, who are very sad to not see the concert happening in Bangkok or Jakarta.”And in the words of the songstress herself, that’s caused a lot of bad blood.Related TopicsSingaporeTaylor SwiftAsiaPop musicUnited StatesMore on this storyWhat does Taylor mania mean for the globe?Published12 FebruaryThe Taylor Swift drag tribute dazzling AsiaPublished22 FebruaryWhat’s next for Taylor Swift in 2024?Published27 December 2023Super Bowl most watched US show since Moon landingPublished13 FebruaryDisney boss bets on Taylor Swift and FortnitePublished8 FebruaryTop StoriesHow more than 100 Gazans were killed at a food aid dropPublished5 hours agoSeven hostages killed in Gaza, Hamas saysPublished3 hours agoHow worried is Labour after losing Rochdale?Published8 hours agoFeaturesHow worried is Labour after losing Rochdale?Listen: Sunak’s Surprise Downing Street Speech. 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