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Thune, GOP blast Dems in DHS standoff; Lankford says they fear ICE over Iran

Thune, GOP blast Dems in DHS standoff; Lankford says they fear ICE over Iran

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., accused Senate Democrats of not having “any excuses” to continue blocking Homeland Security funding as Republicans and the White House continue to make repeated offers to reopen the government. “The opportunity to actually drive this to a conclusion is there,” Thune said at a news conference Saturday in response to Fox News Digital.  “You have to have, obviously, to negotiate a deal, you got to have two sides at the table. The White House is there. Senate Republicans are there. The question is, are Senate Democrats going to take yes for an answer?” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entered its 36th day of a shutdown, and Senate Democrats continue to block funding for the agency in their pursuit of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). DHS SHUTDOWN TIED FOR SECOND-LONGEST EVER AS DEMS AGAIN BLOCK FUNDING AMID AIRPORT CHAOS, TERRORISM CONCERNS After more than two weeks of negotiations appearing to have stalled, Democrats responded to the White House’s latest offer. That spurred two face-to-face meetings with Senate Republicans and Trump administration officials, including border czar Tom Homan, on Capitol Hill. The latest meeting, which wrapped on Friday, saw Republicans offer Senate Democrats a compromise DHS funding bill. Thune said the meeting went well and hoped the parties will meet again over the weekend. He characterized the GOP’s offer as filled “with a lot of reforms that have been requested and asked for by Democrats.” DEM SENATORS CALL TO FUND DHS AFTER VOTING TO BLOCK IT 4 TIMES AMID SHUTDOWN FIGHT It comes as lines at airports snake for blocks, tens of thousands of federal workers go without pay and with increasing concerns about threats in the U.S. as the Pentagon continues Operation Epic Fury against the Iranian regime. Still, Thune and the GOP have grown increasingly frustrated with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats’ unwillingness to engage in negotiations over the last several weeks. “We have the Department of Homeland Security closed right now because, apparently, my Democratic colleagues are more afraid of ICE than they are of Iran and the challenges that we face now in the conflict internationally that we know that we have threats back in the homeland,” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said at Saturday’s news conference. DEMS UNMOVED AS WHITE HOUSE REVEALS DHS CONCESSIONS IN SHUTDOWN BATTLE Republicans tried and failed for a fifth time to fully reopen the agency on Friday. In the background, there have been several attempts by Senate Democrats to move forward with standalone funding bills to open parts of DHS, excluding immigration enforcement. The Senate will have a full vote on a standalone funding bill for the Transportation Security Administration, pushed by Schumer, later on Saturday. It will likely fail given Republicans’ position that the department should be completely reopened. “I know they think it’s, as has been described by one of their leaders, ‘very serene, very serene’ with their position,” Thune said. “Well, I’m telling you something, the people who are sitting in those lines at the airports right now don’t see it as very serene. This needs to be resolved. We need a result.” In a Truth Social post later Saturday, President Donald Trump threatened to deploy ICE agents to U.S. airports if Democrats did not accept a deal. He said ICE would handle airport security and immediately arrest illegal immigrants coming into the U.S. with a special focus on Somalians. 

Dems block GOP amendment tying voter ID bill to transgender sports ban

Dems block GOP amendment tying voter ID bill to transgender sports ban

Senate Democrats blocked a move by Senate Republicans to modify a Trump-backed voter ID bill with a provision that would prohibit men in women’s sports. The amendment to the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act from Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., was one of several tweaks to the legislation requested by President Donald Trump. Tuberville’s amendment could have codified Trump’s earlier executive order from last year to ban transgender women from participating in women’s sports, a culture war flashpoint between Republicans and Democrats that, unless turned into law, will likely be reversed should a Democratic administration take over in 2028. GOP SENATOR’S GAMBIT EXPOSES FALSE DEM CLAIMS ABOUT SUPPORTING VOTER ID But, as expected, the add-on failed on a party-line vote in the upper chamber. The amendment was the first of several expected to hit the floor as Republicans continue their takeover strategy to debate the bill. Saturday marked the fifth day the SAVE America Act dominated the floor. “I would do whatever it took to get this passed,” Tuberville told Fox News Digital. “This is probably one of the most important bills that’s come through here in a long, long time. It’s just pitting Americans versus non-Americans.” THUNE ACCUSES CRITICS OF ‘CREATING FALSE EXPECTATIONS’ AMID BACKLASH OVER STALLED SAVE AMERICA ACT Others on the docket include a ban on transgender surgeries on minors and halting unsolicited mail-in ballots, add-ons that Trump requested Republicans tack onto the voter ID and citizen verification bill. And the ongoing floor takeover likely won’t result in the SAVE America Act passing, given that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats are unified in their rejection of the legislation. “So, I’m like, ‘President Trump, we need to get it done,’” Tuberville continued. “But I don’t know whether we’ve got enough support, even on the Republican side, much less Democrats.” REPUBLICANS SIGNAL NO RETREAT ON SAVE ACT AS MARATHON SENATE DEBATE KICKS OFF The unlimited debate on the legislation is meant to mimic the talking filibuster, a strategy that would lower the threshold to pass the legislation to a simple 50-vote majority at the cost of deadlocking the Senate floor. And Senate Democrats would be able to offer an unlimited number of amendments that could drastically change the bill, which Republicans have acknowledged they don’t have the numbers to block. The floor takeover they’re undertaking is largely meant to shift blame from Republicans to Schumer and Democrats for the bill’s expected failure, given that, in order to pass conventionally, the GOP would need 60 votes. But others, like Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who is the lead sponsor of the SAVE America Act in the Senate, hopes the constant debate will grind down Democratic resistance and flip some over to support the bill.

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller dies at 81; Trump reacts

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller dies at 81; Trump reacts

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller has died at the age of 81, and President Donald Trump gave a sharp reaction on Truth Social. “Robert Mueller just died,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people!” DOJ SUBPOENAS EX-FBI DIRECTOR JAMES COMEY OVER ROLE IN 2017 RUSSIA INTEL ASSESSMENT Mueller led the FBI from 2001 to 2013 and later served as special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election, a probe that shadowed much of Trump’s presidency. He brought charges against multiple Trump associates during the Russia investigation, including former campaign Chairman Paul Manafort and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. His final report detailed extensive contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia but did not establish a criminal conspiracy. Mueller declined to make a traditional prosecutorial decision on whether Trump obstructed justice, citing longstanding Justice Department policy against indicting a sitting president. Mueller’s family announced his death in a statement.  “With deep sadness, we are sharing the news that Bob passed away” on Friday night, his family said in a statement Saturday, according to The Associated Press. “His family asks that their privacy be respected.” OBAMA ADMIN ‘MANUFACTURED’ INTELLIGENCE TO CREATE 2016 RUSSIAN ELECTION INTERFERENCE NARRATIVE, DOCUMENTS SHOW A cause of death was not immediately known. Mueller had been in ill health after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2021. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer withdrew a subpoena for Mueller to testify in September in the panel’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation after learning he had health issues that prevented him from appearing. Mueller had difficulty with speech and mobility and was unable to appear before Congress, his family said at the time. A Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam, Mueller built a decades-long career in law enforcement and national security.  He worked as a federal prosecutor and later served as a U.S. attorney in San Francisco before taking on senior roles at the Justice Department. He was appointed FBI director in 2001, just one week before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and went on to lead the bureau through a major shift toward counterterrorism.  Mueller remained in the role for 12 years after being asked by President Barack Obama to stay beyond the traditional 10-year term. The Associated Press contributed to this report.