The Republican-led Senate late Saturday advanced a sweeping domestic policy package for President Donald Trump’s agenda after a dramatic hourslong vote, moving it one step closer to passage.
The vote was 51-49, with two Republicans — Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky — joining all Democrats in opposition.
Following the vote, Trump attacked Tillis for opposing the sweeping domestic policy bill, threatening to meet with potential Republican primary challengers.
On Sunday, Tillis announced that he would not run for re-election, opening up seat in a battleground state that already was expected to be one of the most hotly contested races of the 2026 midterms.
There will now be up to 20 hours of debate before a process in which senators can offer unlimited amendments. And Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., forced a reading of the entire bill on the floor of the chamber, which will add hours to the process.
Elon Musk resumed attacks on the bill, calling it “utterly insane and destructive.” The Tesla CEO’s criticisms previously led to a high-profile spat with the president.
Protesters in Los Angeles are shifting their tactics as ICE detentions spread fear
An abandoned ice cream cart has become a symbol of resistance to residents of a west Los Angeles neighborhood who oppose President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration policies.
The cart belonged to a beloved ice cream vendor, Ambrocio “Enrique” Lozano, who was arrested by federal agents last week while walking his usual route through Culver City.
A photo of Lozano’s lone ice cream cart spread quickly across social media, triggering a tidal wave of responses from immigration advocates, residents and lawmakers. A crowdfunding campaign for Lozano and his family topped $57,000 after the photo drew national attention.
The response to Lozano’s arrest highlights a new strategy emerging after large-scale protests overtook downtown Los Angeles earlier this month. Instead of focusing on marches outside federal buildings, residents of sprawling L.A. County are zeroing in on their own blocks and neighborhoods to show their opposition to Trump’s mass deportation efforts.
In other immigration news, Trump said during a Fox News interview that he is working to develop a temporary pass for immigrants who work in certain industries, marking the latest shift in the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement for farmworkers.
‘Meet the Press’
Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor in New York City, on Sunday said that he doesn’t believe billionaires should exist.
Asked directly whether billionaires should have a right to exist, Mamdani, who identifies himself as a Democratic socialist, told NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” “I don’t think that we should have billionaires because, frankly, it is so much money in a moment of such inequality, and ultimately, what we need more of is equality across our city and across our state and across our country.”
“And I look forward to working with everyone, including billionaires, to make a city that is fair for all of them,” he added.
His remarks come as some wealthy people in New York City soured on Mamdani in the days after it became clear that he would be the presumptive nominee.
Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., called President Donald Trump’s military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities “illegal” but dodged when asked if he should be impeached for ordering the attacks without congressional approval.
“That’s a decision the House makes. That’s not a decision the Senate makes. But it is clear that this is illegal,” Murphy said when asked whether he agreed with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s comments that Trump’s strikes were grounds for impeachment.
Politics in brief
- ‘Alligator Alcatraz’: Florida is constructing a $450 million-a-year immigration detention center in the heart of the Everglades, a political “boon” for Gov. Ron DeSantis and his top allies.
- Party pooper: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is the latest high-profile figure to try capitalizing on voter disdain for both parties by running for Michigan governor as an independent.
- Tasting his own medicine: Legislators fighting Trump’s efforts to withhold funding from their states have a novel new tactic: freezing their payments to the federal government in retaliation.
Rapid growth fuels smog in Hanoi, one of the world’s most polluted cities
Blocky apartment towers dissolve into gray fog in the Vietnamese capital, as barges carrying sand inch down the Red River toward makeshift jetties. At street level, the city blurs as if it’s covered in film. The air stings your eyes and smells of chemicals, like chlorine but not quite. When the sun does punch through, it hangs like a red beach ball against the silver sky.
In January, the average air quality index in the city of almost 9 million people was breaching the “hazardous” threshold of 300, shrouding its skyline in fog and prompting warnings from health officials.
The fog hanging over Hanoi isn’t just pollution, but a byproduct of growth that has lifted Vietnam’s economy while fueling its environmental struggles.
Notable quote
Cosmic Baseball offers an electric new take on America’s pastime with UV-reflective neon balls and fluorescent jerseys.
In case you missed it
- The Israeli Defense Forces and the Israel Securities Authority said they killed Hamas co-founder Hakham Muhammad Issa Al-Issa in a strike on Gaza City.
- At least 71 people were killed in an Israeli attack on Tehran’s Evin prison, a notorious facility where many political prisoners and dissidents have been held, Iran’s judiciary has said.
- The Glastonbury Festival condemned chants of “death to the IDF” after English punk duo Bob Vylan led chants criticizing Israel during their performance.
- Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman was laid to rest alongside her husband on Saturday, weeks after she was killed in what’s been called a politically motivated assassination.
- Beyoncé pumped the brakes on one of her final songs Saturday in Houston after a flying-car prop seemingly malfunctioned while she was midair.
- A funeral was held for Adriana Smith, the brain-dead woman who was kept on life support until her baby could be born due to a Georgia abortion law.
- The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda signed a U.S.-mediated peace deal aimed at ending decades of bloody conflict while helping the U.S. gain access to critical minerals in the region.
- Vast crowds turned out for Budapest Pride yesterday, defying a ban on the event under Hungary’s new law prohibiting events that “depict or promote” homosexuality. But in the U.S., there was a noticeable drop in corporate sponsorships of Pride events.
- At least one person died and two women were injured after three buildings collapsed in an explosion and fire in Philadelphia early Sunday morning, according to the city’s fire department.
- The NBA is cooperating with a federal investigation into Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley, league spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement.
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