{"id":637,"date":"2025-03-14T21:24:15","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T21:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2025\/03\/14\/live-updates-senate-works-to-avert-partial-government-shutdown-ahead-of-midnight-deadline-the-associated-press\/"},"modified":"2025-03-14T21:24:15","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T21:24:15","slug":"live-updates-senate-works-to-avert-partial-government-shutdown-ahead-of-midnight-deadline-the-associated-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/2025\/03\/14\/live-updates-senate-works-to-avert-partial-government-shutdown-ahead-of-midnight-deadline-the-associated-press\/","title":{"rendered":"Live updates: Senate works to avert partial government shutdown ahead of midnight deadline &#8211; The Associated Press"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"blogBody\">\n<p>A spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/government-shutdown-trump-gop-chuck-schumer-86385e644239a3dc1558b37d13094234\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">narrowly cleared a key procedural hurdle<\/a><\/span> in the Senate, paving the way for passage as a midnight Friday deadline loomed.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats were confronted with two painful options: allowing passage of a bill they believe gives President <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/span> vast discretion on spending decisions or voting no and letting a funding lapse ensue. Alongside Senate Democratic leader <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/charles-schumer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chuck Schumer<\/a><\/span>, a small group of them <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/democrats-congress-chuck-schumer-government-funding-shutdown-43d1acea20c34ad28d848edc08ad6375\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">choose to avoid a shutdown at all costs<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Ten Democrats joined with Republicans to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to advance the measure. The vote was 62-38.<\/p>\n<div data-module data-gtm-region=\"Other news we're following today: Trump pledges to \u2018expose\u2019 his enemies: The norm-breaking political speech at the Justice Department was a triumph for the president, who aired a litany of grievances about the criminal investigations against him. The venue underscores Trump's keen interest in the department and desire to exert influence over it. Justice Department investigates Columbia University: The department wants to know whether the university concealed \u201cillegal aliens\u201d on its campus. A doctoral student from India whose visa was revoked by the Trump administration fled the U.S. on an airliner, and a Palestinian woman was arrested for overstaying her student visa. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration is expecting to revoke more student visas in the coming days. Over 50 universities face new federal investigations: The schools are being investigated for alleged racial discrimination as part of Trump\u2019s campaign to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs that his officials say exclude white and Asian American students. Most of the universities partnered with a nonprofit that aims to diversify the business world. Judge blocks mass firings of federal workers (for now): Two federal judges handed down orders on Thursday requiring Trump's administration to rehire thousands, if not tens of thousands, of probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies. The Trump administration has already appealed the first ruling.\" data-align-center>\n<p><b>Other news we\u2019re following today:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Trump pledges to \u2018expose\u2019 his enemies:<\/b> The <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-visits-justice-department-e9091e3721adda4d3ed39bd15119a0d4\">norm-breaking political speech<\/a><\/span> at the Justice Department was a triumph for the president, who aired a litany of grievances about the criminal investigations against him. The venue underscores Trump\u2019s keen interest in the department and desire to exert influence over it.<\/li>\n<li><b>Justice Department investigates Columbia University:<\/b> The department <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/columbia-university-mahmoud-khalil-ice-arrests-3a8db6e646b786a721089a6f0bc8d9fc\">wants to know whether the university concealed<\/a><\/span> \u201cillegal aliens\u201d on its campus. A doctoral student from India whose visa was revoked by the Trump administration fled the U.S. on an airliner, and a Palestinian woman was arrested for overstaying her student visa. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration is <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/live\/donald-trump-news-updates-3-14-2025#00000195-9597-d1bb-a5ff-f7df886a0000\">expecting to revoke more student visas<\/a><\/span> in the coming days.<\/li>\n<li><b>Over 50 universities face new federal investigations:<\/b> The schools are being investigated for <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-dei-universities-investigated-f89dc9ec2a98897577ed0a6c446fae7b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">alleged racial discrimination<\/a><\/span> as part of Trump\u2019s campaign to <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/dei-critical-race-theory-colleges-diversity-db8317ad37931558dd5a396cf5ab3d42\">end diversity, equity and inclusion programs<\/a><\/span> that his officials say exclude white and Asian American students. Most of the universities partnered with a nonprofit that aims to diversify the business world.<\/li>\n<li><b>Judge blocks mass firings of federal workers (for now): <\/b>Two federal judges <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/mass-firings-federal-workers-trump-administration-7cc7320f469cc65529367aaea2fd9dcb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">handed down orders on Thursday<\/a><\/span> requiring Trump\u2019s administration to rehire thousands, if not tens of thousands, of probationary workers let go in <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-elon-musk-federal-workers-layoffs-d295d4bb2cdd5023c27d9cb03754e81b\">mass firings<\/a><\/span> across multiple agencies. The Trump administration has already appealed the first ruling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">                      <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"Bill to avert government shutdown clears key hurdle with help from Democrats\" data-post-id=\"00000195-967b-d093-a9bf-f67b3ce10000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741986617800\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-967b-d093-a9bf-f67b3ce10000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             Bill to avert government shutdown clears key hurdle with help from Democrats         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>By <span>KEVIN FREKING<\/span>, <span>LISA MASCARO<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                                                            <bsp-page-actions>                                <\/bsp-page-actions>                                         <\/div>\n<div>\n<p>A spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown narrowly cleared a key procedural hurdle in the Senate, paving the way for passage as a midnight Friday deadline loomed.<\/p>\n<p>Ten Democrats joined with Republicans to clear the 60-vote threshold needed to advance the measure. The vote was 62-38.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"JUST IN: Spending bill to avert government shutdown clears key hurdle, providing pathway for Senate passage as deadline looms\" data-post-id=\"00000195-9669-dd27-a5f5-fff971c00000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741986413224\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-9669-dd27-a5f5-fff971c00000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             JUST IN: Spending bill to avert government shutdown clears key hurdle, providing pathway for Senate passage as deadline looms         <\/h2>\n<p>                                        <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"Trump lauds judge who oversaw his classified documents case\" data-post-id=\"00000195-9677-d093-a9bf-f67f72320000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741986410792\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-9677-d093-a9bf-f67f72320000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             Trump lauds judge who oversaw his classified documents case         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Trump called U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon \u201camazing\u201d and \u201ccourageous\u201d months after she dismissed the indictment accusing him of illegally retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home.<\/p>\n<p>Trump slammed what he described as unfair public criticism of Cannon, whom Trump also nominated to the federal bench. Trump accused Cannon\u2019s critics of \u201cplaying the refs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cannon sided with Trump\u2019s lawyers in ruling that the special counsel who filed the charges against Trump was illegally appointed by the Justice Department.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s own administration have been critical of federal judges who have ruled against the White House in lawsuits brought over his sweeping executive orders. Some of his allies have called out judges by name on social media and suggested they should be impeached.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"Trump loyalists charged with crimes dot audience for speech\" data-post-id=\"00000195-966d-d9a4-afb7-de6f8ea60000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741986164588\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-966d-d9a4-afb7-de6f8ea60000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             Trump loyalists charged with crimes dot audience for speech         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Among them:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Walt Nauta, the Trump valet who was charged along with the president with obstructing an investigation into Trump\u2019s hoarding of classified documents after he left office in 2021. That case was later dismissed.<\/li>\n<li>Michael Flynn, who served as national security adviser in Trump\u2019s first term. Flynn was charged with lying to the FBI about his Russian contacts during the 2016 presidential period. He pleaded guilty and was later pardoned in Trump\u2019s final weeks in office.<\/li>\n<li>Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general who last year agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution under a deal to end criminal securities fraud charges that have shadowed the Republican for nearly a decade.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"Trump vows to seek \u2018full and complete accountability\u2019 from the Justice Department that prosecuted him\" data-post-id=\"00000195-966a-d1bb-a5ff-f7ebf71c0000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741985515663\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-966a-d1bb-a5ff-f7ebf71c0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             Trump vows to seek \u2018full and complete accountability\u2019 from the Justice Department that prosecuted him         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>The president is vowing to seek \u201cfull and complete accountability\u201d for what he alleges were wrongs carried out by the Justice Department that prosecuted him.<\/p>\n<p>In his speech at Justice Department headquarters, Trump railed against the Biden administration officials he claims tried to do \u201ceverything within their power\u201d to prevent him from becoming president.<\/p>\n<p>There has been no evidence of wrongdoing by the officials who investigated and prosecuted Trump on allegations that he illegally retained classified documents and conspired to overturn his 2020 election loss. The Justice Department dismissed the cases after his election victory, citing longstanding policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Trump suggests a ceasefire could be close in Russia\u2019s war with Ukraine<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9657-d3ba-afff-be57c8ca0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741985072132&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9657-d3ba-afff-be57c8ca0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Trump suggests a ceasefire could be close in Russia\u2019s war with Ukraine<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>During his speech at the Department of Justice, Trump said ceasefire negotiations were ongoing and praised his relationship with Putin.<\/p>\n<p>Trump even said Putin \u201chas respect for this country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump also seemed to suggest that Ukraine was to blame for Russia\u2019s 2022 invasion, saying, \u201cYou don\u2019t want to pick on somebody that\u2019s a lot larger than you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Previously, Trump blamed Ukraine for the fighting, only to later concede that Russia invaded when those comments sparked an uproar.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"GOP funding bill faces 60-vote threshold to advance in Senate\" data-post-id=\"00000195-965b-d1bb-a5ff-f7dba96d0000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741984443157\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-965b-d1bb-a5ff-f7dba96d0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             GOP funding bill faces 60-vote threshold to advance in Senate         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>The Senate is now taking a key vote that needs 60 votes to push the Republican-backed government funding bill forward in the chamber.<\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s not a vote for final passage, which only requires a simple majority, this vote is a larger hurdle because it requires 60 votes to overcome the Senate\u2019s filibuster rules. With Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, opposing the bill, eight Democrats would need to vote in favor for the bill to proceed.<\/p>\n<p>Senators have also reached an agreement on debate time, which would allow them to beat the midnight deadline for a shutdown.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Democrats fracture over potential government shutdown, progressive groups warning of backlash<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9624-d9a4-afb7-de6763af0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741983819081&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9624-d9a4-afb7-de6763af0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Democrats fracture over potential government shutdown, progressive groups warning of backlash<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Democrats are erupting in anger, accusing Schumer of passing on a rare opportunity to regain leverage in Washington.<\/p>\n<p>In defense, Schumer said \u201ca shutdown would allow DOGE to shift into overdrive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, influential progressive groups are warning that Senate Democrats would face a fierce backlash if they vote with Republicans to avoid the shutdown.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClearing the way for Donald Trump and Elon Musk to gut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is unacceptable. It\u2019s past time for Democrats to fight and stop acting like it\u2019s business as usual,\u201d said Joel Payne, a spokesperson for MoveOn, which claims nearly 10 million members nationwide.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <i>Read more about <\/i><span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/democrats-congress-chuck-schumer-government-funding-shutdown-43d1acea20c34ad28d848edc08ad6375\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>division among Democrats<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Wall Street rallies to its best day in months, but that\u2019s not enough to salvage its losing week<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9645-d093-a9bf-f64f6b8d0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741983307165&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9645-d093-a9bf-f64f6b8d0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Wall Street rallies to its best day in months, but that\u2019s not enough to salvage its losing week<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>It was Wall Street\u2019s best day since the election, but wasn\u2019t enough to salvage a fourth straight losing week. <\/p>\n<p>The S&#038;P 500 rose 2.1% Friday, a day after closing more than 10% below its record for its first \u201ccorrection\u201d since 2023. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.7%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 2.6%. <\/p>\n<p>Uncertainty about Trump\u2019s oft-changing tariff announcements have increased public anxiety, feeding worries that U.S. consumers may cut back on their spending.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <i>Read more about <\/i><span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/stocks-markets-rates-trump-china-99a47b4146ef7204ea94e0e5e46e5c26\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>the financial markets<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>JUST IN: US stocks storm to their best day since November\u2019s election as S&#038;P 500 jumps 2.1%, but worries remain over tariffs<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9642-dd27-a5f5-ffd222580000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741982886057&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9642-dd27-a5f5-ffd222580000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>JUST IN: US stocks storm to their best day since November\u2019s election as S&#038;P 500 jumps 2.1%, but worries remain over tariffs<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<p>                                        <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Trump\u2019s threats on government downsizing and tariffs unleash historic jumps in public anxiety<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9627-d183-a7bd-de67d45c0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741982670731&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9627-d183-a7bd-de67d45c0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Trump\u2019s threats on government downsizing and tariffs unleash historic jumps in public anxiety<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Along with a ferocious stock market selloff and downgrades to growth estimates by Wall Street economists, the latest confidence numbers are evidence of possible blowback facing Trump. <\/p>\n<p>Just months into his second term, the president said his threats of import taxes would cause \u201ca little pain\u201d while paying the way for American factory jobs. <\/p>\n<p>Now even Trump\u2019s base is slightly more pessimistic: Sentiment fell 3.2% among Republicans in the University of Michigan\u2019s consumer sentiment index.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople who are afraid the economy is headed into a ditch won\u2019t buy new cars or houses, go out to eat, or go on vacations,\u201d warned Bill Adams, chief economist at Comerica Bank. \u201cIf consumer sentiment continues to sour, spending will likely follow it lower and the economy could take a substantial hit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <i>Read more about <\/i><span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-economy-consumer-confidence-tariffs-inflation-849d658cbab7992590a5a3bb3449aa52\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>how consumers view Trump\u2019s actions on the economy<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Trump takes stage at Department of Justice<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-962f-d1bb-a5ff-f7ef2a270000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741981507951&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-962f-d1bb-a5ff-f7ef2a270000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Trump takes stage at Department of Justice<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>The president opened his speech by saying that under his administration, DOJ will begin a \u201cnew chapter in the chronicles of American justice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re turning the page on four long years of corruption, weaponization,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has long argued that he\u2019s been unfairly treated by the department.<\/p>\n<p>He also thanked some of the department\u2019s top officials, all of whom are longtime loyalists, defenders and attorneys who represented him during his criminal trials.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Trump arrives at Justice Department for speech, pauses to admire his portrait<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9617-d1bb-a5ff-f7df114d0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741980946803&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9617-d1bb-a5ff-f7df114d0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Trump arrives at Justice Department for speech, pauses to admire his portrait<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Attorney General Pam Bondi was accompanying the president, who stopped by the portrait and commented about the \u201cnice-looking\u201d guy.<\/p>\n<p>Bondi said she\u2019s working on getting Vice President JD Vance\u2019s portrait up, too.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Senate approves bipartisan bill to increase penalties for fentanyl trafficking, sending it to House<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9610-d093-a9bf-f61b3cce0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741979847568&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9610-d093-a9bf-f61b3cce0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Senate approves bipartisan bill to increase penalties for fentanyl trafficking, sending it to House<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center>                     <bsp-figure>     <\/p>\n<figure data-openoverlay>              <a id=\"image-320000\"><\/a>                    <picture data-crop=\"imgEn-medium-nocrop\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><source width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A homeless woman smokes fentanyl in a park June 28, 2024, in downtown Portland, Ore. (AP Photo\/Jenny Kane, File)\"   width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/e7f6845\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/8640x5760+0+0\/resize\/599x399!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2Fbd%2F86%2Ffd660098ea95efb0af3da528709f%2F8ae17b5549324ad6b87b969b42a63992\" loading=\"lazy\"> <\/picture>\n<div><bsp-read-more data-more-button-text=\"Read More\" data-less-button-text=\"Read Less\" data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-limit=\"110\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\"><figcaption>\n<p>A homeless woman smokes fentanyl in a park June 28, 2024, in downtown Portland, Ore. (AP Photo\/Jenny Kane, File)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/bsp-read-more><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>          <template data-bsp-figure-overlay-template>                  <\/p>\n<div data-slidenumber=\"0\" data-slidescount=\"1\">                         <bsp-carousel-read-more data-show-less data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\" data-more-id data-less-id>                             <\/p>\n<p>A homeless woman smokes fentanyl in a park June 28, 2024, in downtown Portland, Ore. (AP Photo\/Jenny Kane, File)<\/p>\n<p>                         <\/bsp-carousel-read-more>                     <\/div>\n<p>     <\/template>      <\/bsp-figure>                 <\/div>\n<p>Both Republicans and Democrats want to show they can take action on the deadly drug.<\/p>\n<p>The bill passed the Senate on an 84-16 vote, with all the nay votes from Democrats. It had significant Democratic support in the House, where many in the party are eager to clamp down on fentanyl distribution following an election in which Republican <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/donald-trump\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/span> harped on the problem. <\/p>\n<p>When House Republicans passed a similar bill in 2023, it languished in the Democratic-held Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Critics say the proposal repeats the mistakes of the \u201cwar on drugs,\u201d which imprisoned <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/war-on-drugs-75e61c224de3a394235df80de7d70b70\">millions of addicted people<\/a><\/span>, particularly Black Americans.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <i>Read more about <\/i><span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/congress-fentanyl-trafficking-drugs-bill-3a142db24a7657ebf2b3901b62d2ab5a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>the fentanyl bill<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>Correction: A previous version erroneously reported that the Senate approval was final. It now goes to the House.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>JUST IN: Senate approves bipartisan bill to increase penalties for fentanyl trafficking, sending it to House<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-960c-d9a4-afb7-de6fd6170000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741979399998&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-960c-d9a4-afb7-de6fd6170000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>JUST IN: Senate approves bipartisan bill to increase penalties for fentanyl trafficking, sending it to House<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<p>Correction: A previous APNewsAlert erroneously reported the bill would be sent to Trump.<\/p>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>GOP town halls get rowdy as attendees hurl scathing questions on Trump<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-95fd-dd27-a5f5-fffd8b2f0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741979177075&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-95fd-dd27-a5f5-fffd8b2f0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>GOP town halls get rowdy as attendees hurl scathing questions on Trump<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center data-video-orientation=\"landscape\">\n<p>U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards speaks in front of a rowdy crowd at a town hall in Asheville, North Carolina on Thursday, March 13. (AP video: Erik Verduzco)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>House Speaker Mike Johnson told GOP representatives last week <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/town-halls-musk-doge-trump-gop-749d91ea516284057e4c7bcb1615527e\">to skip out on town halls<\/a><\/span> that could be disrupted by \u201cprofessional protesters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Rep. Chuck Edwards said he didn\u2019t want to shy away from his constituents in North Carolina. <\/p>\n<p>Edwards endured constant jeers, expletives and searing questions on Trump administration policies in Asheville Thursday night. About 300 people crammed inside the auditorium. More than a thousand booed outside. <\/p>\n<p>Asked about Trump\u2019s \u201cdestructive and disastrous trade war,\u201d the visibly exhausted congressman said: \u201cLet me answer and then if you don\u2019t like it, you can boo or hiss or whatever you\u2019d like to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you wonder why folks don\u2019t want to do these town halls,\u201d Edwards said over shouting.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <i>Read more about the <\/i><span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/republicans-town-hall-north-carolina-trump-ba90438a9265bc868cf1e3ade150a943\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>GOP Town Hall protests<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>DC braces for $1.1 billion cut to city budget as Congress debates funding bill<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-95ea-dd27-a5f5-fffa201c0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741978870659&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-95ea-dd27-a5f5-fffa201c0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>DC braces for $1.1 billion cut to city budget as Congress debates funding bill<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>By <span>GARY FIELDS<\/span>, <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/author\/ashraf-khalil\">ASHRAF KHALIL<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>                                                            <bsp-page-actions>                                <\/bsp-page-actions>                                         <\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Washington, D.C., has often had a tenuous peace with the federal government when Republicans controlled Congress and the White House. Now it\u2019s facing <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/black-lives-matter-white-house-trump-bowser-f130daeb762e438fc8eddd3dd4da7982\">its most urgent threat<\/a><\/span> since the Nixon administration.<\/p>\n<p>The <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/congress-budget-funding-government-shutdown-e027a644af4152377b8cf99f6a91102f\">funding bill<\/a><\/span> passed by the House this week calls for a drastic cut in current spending that city leaders say would result in calamitous harm to schools and public safety.<\/p>\n<p>Christina Henderson, a city council member, calls it \u201creckless\u201d and \u201cuncharted territory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill the senators die on the field for the D.C. budget?\u201d is the question now, according to John Capozzi Jr., a former shadow representative for the District.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6<i> Read more about the <\/i><span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-congress-dc-budget-cuts-muriel-bowser-fb33057ab9ef4ef50f5234607f2bda9c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>cuts to the city\u2019s budget<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Trump\u2019s tariffs forge a rare bipartisan alliance among Kentucky\u2019s leaders <\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-95d9-d183-a7bd-dff9e9010000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741976902265&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-95d9-d183-a7bd-dff9e9010000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Trump\u2019s tariffs forge a rare bipartisan alliance among Kentucky\u2019s leaders <\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center data-video-orientation=\"landscape\">\n<p>Small bourbon producers looking to expand say they feel like \u201ccollateral damage\u201d in the trade war that has prompted retaliatory tariffs on the Kentucky spirit. (AP Video: Dylan Lovan)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Democratic Gov. <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/andy-beshear\">Andy Beshear<\/a><\/span> and Republican Sens. <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/mitch-mcconnell\">Mitch McConnell<\/a><\/span> and <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/rand-paul\">Rand Paul<\/a><\/span> came together to lament brewing trade wars that could stagger the bourbon industry.<\/p>\n<p>Bourbon distillers who have cultivated markets in Europe and Canada are now worried about <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/tariffs-kentucky-bourbon-trump-canada-europe-11bbb928bcacccb6ba35c31522783e14\">becoming \u201ccollateral damage\u201d<\/a><\/span> in escalating tit-for-tat disputes. This situation intensified this week when Trump <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-tariffs-eu-whiskey-cb259623a25ca1bfdb4673262ceef85b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">threatened a 200% tariff<\/a><\/span> on European wine, champagne, and other spirits if the EU went forward with a planned tariff on American whiskey.<\/p>\n<p>In solidly Republican Kentucky, the governor and senators have been in lockstep in their disapproval of the tariffs. Beshear, who is seen as a potential presidential contender in 2028, has been especially critical.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <i>Read more about <\/i><span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/tariffs-kentucky-bourbon-6642cd04446127ac6e38a49cadf53ee0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Kentucky\u2019s bourbon sector.<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>A history lesson, about shutdowns<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-95dd-d3ba-afff-bfdf0d010000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741976219509&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-95dd-d3ba-afff-bfdf0d010000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>A history lesson, about shutdowns<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center>                     <bsp-figure>     <\/p>\n<figure data-openoverlay>              <a id=\"image-a10000\"><\/a>                    <picture data-crop=\"imgEn-medium-nocrop\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><source width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., center, is joined by House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., left, and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., right, during a news conference at the Capitol, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)\"   width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/184be97\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1024x682+0+0\/resize\/599x399!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F91%2Ff9%2F6691f971403d805bff2c849e931d%2Fap25073667753616.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"> <\/picture>\n<div><bsp-read-more data-more-button-text=\"Read More\" data-less-button-text=\"Read Less\" data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-limit=\"110\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\"><figcaption>\n<p>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., center, is joined by House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., left, and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., right, during a news conference at the Capitol, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/bsp-read-more><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>          <template data-bsp-figure-overlay-template>                  <\/p>\n<div data-slidenumber=\"0\" data-slidescount=\"1\">                         <bsp-carousel-read-more data-show-less data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\" data-more-id data-less-id>                             <\/p>\n<p>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., center, is joined by House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., left, and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., right, during a news conference at the Capitol, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)<\/p>\n<p>                         <\/bsp-carousel-read-more>                     <\/div>\n<p>     <\/template>      <\/bsp-figure>                 <\/div>\n<p>Democrats are reminding people it was Trump who led the nation in <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/30769167ab7a4ef9adf880d020b775dd\">the longest shutdown in U.S. history<\/a><\/span> during his first term, when Congress refused to fund his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.<\/p>\n<p>They say some values are worth fighting for.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCheck the history,\u201d Jeffries said. \u201cWe are on the right side of the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2018, Trump\u2019s demands from Congress sparked the 35-day shutdown, which shuttered much of government over the holiday season. <\/p>\n<p>Standing alone in the Rose Garden in late January, Trump then said he would sign legislation to temporarily fund the government and try again to persuade lawmakers to finance his long-sought wall.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"House Democratic leaders dashed back to the U.S. Capitol to sway senators to fight the GOP spending bill\" data-post-id=\"00000195-95da-d3ba-afff-bfdeb4500000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741976036495\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-95da-d3ba-afff-bfdeb4500000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             House Democratic leaders dashed back to the U.S. Capitol to sway senators to fight the GOP spending bill         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center>                     <bsp-figure>     <\/p>\n<figure data-openoverlay>              <a id=\"image-f20000\"><\/a>                    <picture data-crop=\"imgEn-medium-nocrop\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><source width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., center, is joined by House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., left, and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., right, during a news conference at the Capitol, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)\"   width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/4f6cbf3\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1024x682+0+0\/resize\/599x399!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2Fab%2F81%2Fc4c12fd841078e12bbb36b88bdf7%2Fap25073667759808.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"> <\/picture>\n<div><bsp-read-more data-more-button-text=\"Read More\" data-less-button-text=\"Read Less\" data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-limit=\"110\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\"><figcaption>\n<p>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., center, is joined by House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., left, and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., right, during a news conference at the Capitol, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/bsp-read-more><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>          <template data-bsp-figure-overlay-template>                  <\/p>\n<div data-slidenumber=\"0\" data-slidescount=\"1\">                         <bsp-carousel-read-more data-show-less data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\" data-more-id data-less-id>                             <\/p>\n<p>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., center, is joined by House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., left, and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., right, during a news conference at the Capitol, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)<\/p>\n<p>                         <\/bsp-carousel-read-more>                     <\/div>\n<p>     <\/template>      <\/bsp-figure>                 <\/div>\n<p>Moments before a key vote, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership team urged Democratic senators to block the bill and negotiate a better package.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a fight worth having,\u201d said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the Democratic Caucus leader.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic Whip Katherine Clark urged the two parties to \u201ccome back to the table\u201d and avoid a shutdown.<\/p>\n<p>Jeffries said senators still have time to stop the bill ahead of the procedural vote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe do not want to shutdown the government,\u201d Jeffries said. \u201cBut we are not afraid of a government funding showdown. And we will win that showdown because we stand on the side of the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"Read House Democrats\u2019 letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer\" data-post-id=\"00000195-95d3-dd27-a5f5-ffd39d210000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741975644458\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-95d3-dd27-a5f5-ffd39d210000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             Read House Democrats\u2019 letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer         <\/h2>\n<p>                                                      <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"House Democrats send letter expressing \u2018strong opposition\u2019 to their Senate counterparts supporting the continuing resolution\" data-post-id=\"00000195-95bf-d183-a7bd-dfff59c20000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741975093996\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-95bf-d183-a7bd-dfff59c20000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             House Democrats send letter expressing \u2018strong opposition\u2019 to their Senate counterparts supporting the continuing resolution         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Sixty-six House Democrats from a diverse regional and ideological cross section of the party sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to express \u201cstrong opposition\u201d to any Senate Democrats backing the Republican continuing resolution.<\/p>\n<p>Freshman Rep. Derek Tran of California spearheaded the letter, but sources close to the process say that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democratic member of the House Appropriations Committee, blessed sending the letter to Schumer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe American people sent Democrats to Congress to fight against Republican dysfunction and chaos,\u201d the letter reads. \u201cInstead of capitulating to their obstruction, we must fight for a regular (2025 fiscal year) appropriations measure that reflects our nation\u2019s values to provide uninterrupted access to lifesaving government services.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>JD Vance suggests Trump\u2019s promised manufacturing boom won\u2019t be \u2018easy\u2019 nor \u2018happen overnight\u2019<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-95bd-d1bb-a5ff-f7fd6e2f0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741974401204&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-95bd-d1bb-a5ff-f7fd6e2f0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>JD Vance suggests Trump\u2019s promised manufacturing boom won\u2019t be \u2018easy\u2019 nor \u2018happen overnight\u2019<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center>                     <bsp-figure>     <\/p>\n<figure data-openoverlay>              <a id=\"image-900000\"><\/a>                    <picture data-crop=\"imgEn-medium-nocrop\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><source width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Vice President JD Vance, center, speaks at a rally about \"America's industrial resurgence,\" as he is flanked by his wife, Usha Vance, left, and Vantage Plastics President Paul Aultman, Friday, March 14, 2025, at Vantage Plastics in Bay City, Mich. (AP Photo\/Jose Juarez)\"   width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/bdbad48\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1024x682+0+0\/resize\/599x399!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2Faa%2Fa4%2F055035344367920218f6247c2576%2Fap25073602021804.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"> <\/picture>\n<div><bsp-read-more data-more-button-text=\"Read More\" data-less-button-text=\"Read Less\" data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-limit=\"110\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\"><figcaption>\n<p>Vice President JD Vance, center, speaks at a rally about \u201cAmerica\u2019s industrial resurgence,\u201d as he is flanked by his wife, Usha Vance, left, and Vantage Plastics President Paul Aultman, Friday, March 14, 2025, at Vantage Plastics in Bay City, Mich. (AP Photo\/Jose Juarez)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/bsp-read-more><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>          <template data-bsp-figure-overlay-template>                  <\/p>\n<div data-slidenumber=\"0\" data-slidescount=\"1\">                         <bsp-carousel-read-more data-show-less data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\" data-more-id data-less-id>                             <\/p>\n<p>Vice President JD Vance, center, speaks at a rally about \u201cAmerica\u2019s industrial resurgence,\u201d as he is flanked by his wife, Usha Vance, left, and Vantage Plastics President Paul Aultman, Friday, March 14, 2025, at Vantage Plastics in Bay City, Mich. (AP Photo\/Jose Juarez)<\/p>\n<p>                         <\/bsp-carousel-read-more>                     <\/div>\n<p>     <\/template>      <\/bsp-figure>                 <\/div>\n<p>The vice president toured a plastics facility in Bay City, Michigan, and promised \u201ca great American comeback\u201d in manufacturing \u2014 even as he urged patience for it to fully materialize.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe road ahead of us is long,\u201d Vance told the crowd of about 100 people at Vantage Plastics. <\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration\u2019s tariffs on Canada has especially concerned some businesses in the border state, but Vance defended them as a way to increase domestic manufacturing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you want to be penalized, build outside of America,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"Immigration officials arrest second person who participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia\" data-post-id=\"00000195-95bc-d9a4-afb7-dfff93910000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741974099171\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-95bc-d9a4-afb7-dfff93910000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             Immigration officials arrest second person who participated in pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Immigration officials have arrested a second person who participated in Pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, and have revoked the visa of another student, they announced Friday.<\/p>\n<p>Leqaa Kordia, a Palestinian from the West Bank, was arrested by immigration officers for overstaying her student visa, the Department of Homeland Security said. Kordia\u2019s visa was terminated in January 2022 for \u201clack of attendance,\u201d the department said. Kordia was previously arrested for her involvement in protests at Columbia in April 2024, it added.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration also revoked the visa of Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian citizen and doctoral student, on March 5 \u201cfor advocating for violence and terrorism.\u201d On Tuesday, Srinivasan opted to <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-immigrant-deportation-87badb16224730affadf95c67c551da7\">\u201cself-deport,\u201d<\/a><\/span> the department said.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement comes after the recent arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist who helped lead student protests at the school and is facing deportation.<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <i>Read more about <\/i><span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/columbia-university-mahmoud-khalil-ice-arrests-3a8db6e646b786a721089a6f0bc8d9fc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>the Trump administration\u2019s arrest of pro-Palestinian protesters<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Rubio denies that the US is giving up on a demand that Russia agree to an immediate ceasefire<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-95b6-d3ba-afff-bff6a29b0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741973972992&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-95b6-d3ba-afff-bff6a29b0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Rubio denies that the US is giving up on a demand that Russia agree to an immediate ceasefire<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Rubio was speaking to reporters Friday after talks in Moscow between a U.S. envoy and Putin ended with no word of an agreement on a ceasefire with Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will get there,\u201d Rubio said. \u201cWe\u2019re certainly at least talking about peace for the first time in three years.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"JUST IN: Immigration officials arrest a second person who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University\" data-post-id=\"00000195-95af-d183-a7bd-dfeff5df0000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741973917605\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-95af-d183-a7bd-dfeff5df0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             JUST IN: Immigration officials arrest a second person who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University         <\/h2>\n<p>                                        <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Rubio says Canada as a 51st state came out of Trump-Trudeau talks<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-95a2-d1bb-a5ff-f7ebb7b90000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741973528094&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-95a2-d1bb-a5ff-f7ebb7b90000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Rubio says Canada as a 51st state came out of Trump-Trudeau talks<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center>                     <bsp-figure>     <\/p>\n<figure data-openoverlay>              <a id=\"image-230000\"><\/a>                    <picture data-crop=\"imgEn-medium-nocrop\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"767\" height=\"512\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" width=\"767\" height=\"512\"  ><source type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"599\" height=\"400\"  ><source width=\"599\" height=\"400\"  ><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with reporters following the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, on Friday, March 14, 2025.  (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)\"   width=\"599\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/d3a1daf\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1024x683+0+0\/resize\/599x400!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F98%2Fc2%2F13d806ea4df2ae07f43d2cfef68b%2Fap25073600787161.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"> <\/picture>\n<div><bsp-read-more data-more-button-text=\"Read More\" data-less-button-text=\"Read Less\" data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-limit=\"110\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\"><figcaption>\n<p>US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with reporters following the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/bsp-read-more><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>          <template data-bsp-figure-overlay-template>                  <\/p>\n<div data-slidenumber=\"0\" data-slidescount=\"1\">                         <bsp-carousel-read-more data-show-less data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\" data-more-id data-less-id>                             <\/p>\n<p>US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with reporters following the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n<p>                         <\/bsp-carousel-read-more>                     <\/div>\n<p>     <\/template>      <\/bsp-figure>                 <\/div>\n<p>Rubio says Trump\u2019s repeated calls for Canada to become the 51st state began with a chat the president had with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio said Trudeau told Trump that Canada \u201ccouldn\u2019t survive as a nation-state\u201d if the U.S. went ahead with threatened tariffs on Canadian imports.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt which point the president said, well, then you should become a state. And that\u2019s where this began,\u201d Rubio told reporters. <\/p>\n<p>Trump \u201cloves Canada,\u201d Rubio insisted. He simply \u201cmade an argument for why Canada would be better off joining the United States from an economic perspective and the like. He\u2019s made that argument repeatedly, and I think it stands for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u25b6 <i>Read more about <\/i><span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/video\/canada-imposes-retaliatory-tariffs-in-response-to-u-s-taxes-on-metals-9de738c6845148ef8337f3c74b9eacb4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Canada\u2019s response to Trump tariffs<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"Protesters organize outside the Department of Education\" data-post-id=\"00000195-95a8-d3ba-afff-bffe81290000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741973090232\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-95a8-d3ba-afff-bffe81290000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             Protesters organize outside the Department of Education         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center data-video-orientation=\"landscape\">\n<p>Former Department of Education press secretary Dorie Nolt speaks at a protest following staffing cuts at the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., Friday, March 14, 2025. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ringing cowbells and chanting, organizers, teachers, former employees and locals gathered in Washington to protest personnel cuts in the Department of Education on Friday morning. Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii joined teachers\u2019 union representatives and advocacy organizations to speak at the event. Dozens of cars and trucks, along with tour buses and a Metro bus, honked in support of the line of protesters along Independence Avenue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t just about a department and a building, this is about federal streams of money that help students live into their full potential,\u201d said Kim Anderson, National Education Association executive director. \u201cThis agenda is about cutting funding and shipping it to public schools.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Education Department plans to lay off more than 1,300 of its employees as part of an effort to halve the organization\u2019s staff \u2014 a prelude to Trump\u2019s plan to <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-education-department-executive-order-8519eaa465385cc13f4ddcae90228dd3\">dismantle the agency<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Rubio says Trump administration will be revoking more student visas<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9597-d1bb-a5ff-f7df886a0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741972223390&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9597-d1bb-a5ff-f7df886a0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Rubio says Trump administration will be revoking more student visas<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center>                     <bsp-figure>     <\/p>\n<figure data-openoverlay>              <a id=\"image-9a0000\"><\/a>                    <picture data-crop=\"imgEn-medium-nocrop\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"767\" height=\"512\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" width=\"767\" height=\"512\"  ><source type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"599\" height=\"400\"  ><source width=\"599\" height=\"400\"  ><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with reporters following the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, on Friday, March 14, 2025.  (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)\"   width=\"599\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/8c3c21e\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1024x683+0+0\/resize\/599x400!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2Fe9%2Fa7%2F662206744a0c8be96dc5633fd4f9%2Fap25073603538679.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"> <\/picture>\n<div><bsp-read-more data-more-button-text=\"Read More\" data-less-button-text=\"Read Less\" data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-limit=\"110\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\"><figcaption>\n<p>US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with reporters following the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/bsp-read-more><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>          <template data-bsp-figure-overlay-template>                  <\/p>\n<div data-slidenumber=\"0\" data-slidescount=\"1\">                         <bsp-carousel-read-more data-show-less data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\" data-more-id data-less-id>                             <\/p>\n<p>US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks with reporters following the G7 foreign ministers meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Saul Loeb, Pool Photo via AP)<\/p>\n<p>                         <\/bsp-carousel-read-more>                     <\/div>\n<p>     <\/template>      <\/bsp-figure>                 <\/div>\n<p>It comes after the arrest of <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/columbia-university-mahmoud-khalil-ice-arrests-3a8db6e646b786a721089a6f0bc8d9fc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mahmoud Khalil<\/a><\/span>, a well-known Palestinian activist now detained in Louisiana over his role in protests at Columbia University against the war in Gaza. Khalil is a legal U.S. permanent resident with no criminal history and a pregnant American citizen wife.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio said they\u2019ll keep looking for people with student visas who wouldn\u2019t have been let into the country by the Trump administration \u201chad we known they were going to do what they\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut now that they\u2019ve done it, we\u2019re going to get rid of them,\u201d Rubio said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Rubio says Americans are cautiously optimistic on Ukraine ceasefire after talking with Putin<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9594-d3ba-afff-bfd624080000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741971489817&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9594-d3ba-afff-bfd624080000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Rubio says Americans are cautiously optimistic on Ukraine ceasefire after talking with Putin<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Rubio said Friday he\u2019s \u201ccautiously optimistic\u201d about Russian President Vladimir Putin agreeing to a cease-fire with Ukraine after Putin\u2019s meeting with a U.S. envoy on the war.<\/p>\n<p>Trump administration officials plan to spend the weekend debriefing presidential envoy Steve Witkoff on his session with <br \/>Putin and on next steps, Rubio said. Rubio spoke to reporters at the end of a Group of Seven meeting in Canada.<\/p>\n<p>The talks with Putin did not appear to secure the immediate agreement for a ceasefire that Rubio had said Americans would press Putin for. Still, he said \u201cwe certainly feel like we\u2019re at least some steps closer to ending this war.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Among Senate Democrats, two NOs and a maybe<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9592-d3ba-afff-bfd6c0d10000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741971267040&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9592-d3ba-afff-bfd6c0d10000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Among Senate Democrats, two NOs and a maybe<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p><b>Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, NV:<\/b> She said she\u2019s \u201cstill weighing the impact\u201d of her vote.<\/p>\n<p><b>Sen. Maria Cantwell, WA:<\/b> \u201cIt\u2019s so important for my state to have infrastructure investment. They\u2019re cutting 40% out of the Army Corps of Engineers. The lifeblood of my state is growing agriculture product and getting it to destinations all around the globe.\u201d She said she\u2019d vote no on the continuing resolution.<\/p>\n<p><b>Sen. Tina Smith, MN:<\/b> \u201cI\u2019m voting no on the CR. I believe that the CR would do terrible damage. It\u2019s not even a CR. It\u2019s a it\u2019s a new bill written exclusively by Republicans that would do great damage to Minnesota.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>What some Senate Democrats are saying about today\u2019s vote<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9590-dd27-a5f5-ffd0cba30000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741971171682&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9590-dd27-a5f5-ffd0cba30000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>What some Senate Democrats are saying about today\u2019s vote<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p><b>Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, RI:<\/b> \u201cThe real danger here is this Trump-Musk cabal that is out to break government, destroy agencies, fire off thousands of people, ruined government services. Also they can give data probably and tax breaks to billionaires.\u201d He said he\u2019d vote no on the resolution.<\/p>\n<p><b>Sen. Ben Lujan, NM:<\/b> \u201cColleagues are having to make those decisions. If you\u2019re ask if I support Chuck Schumer, I support Chuck Schumer. And, I announced I\u2019ll be voting no. And I\u2019m, right now, that\u2019s where I\u2019m standing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Secretary of State says tariffs aren\u2019t a \u2018hostile move\u2019 against allies<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9583-d9a4-afb7-dfe7ec090000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741971048315&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9583-d9a4-afb7-dfe7ec090000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Secretary of State says tariffs aren\u2019t a \u2018hostile move\u2019 against allies<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Marco Rubio says the Trump administration\u2019s tariffs are about making trade fair.<\/p>\n<p>He told reporters Friday after the Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Canada that Trump wants to \u201ccharge other countries what they charge us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rubio acknowledged that those benefiting from previous arrangements likely do \u201cfeel it is hostile to change the status quo.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>But he said \u201cThis is not meant as a hostile move against Japan or Germany or anybody else. This is about balancing and fairness and trade.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tariffs and other Trump policies overshadowed the meeting of G7 allies, but they were able to find consensus on peace in Ukraine and other topics.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Pelosi warns Senate Democrats it\u2019s \u2018unacceptable\u2019 not to fight GOP funding bill<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-956f-d9a4-afb7-df6f33e20000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741969688793&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-956f-d9a4-afb7-df6f33e20000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Pelosi warns Senate Democrats it\u2019s \u2018unacceptable\u2019 not to fight GOP funding bill<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>In a scathing rebuke to Senate leadership, the House Speaker Emerita said Trump and Musk are offering a false choice between the bill and a shutdown.<\/p>\n<p>Instead Rep. Nancy Pelosi is imploring Senate Democrats to \u201clisten to the women\u201d \u2014 top Democratic appropriators Sen. Patty Murry and Sen. Rosa DeLauro \u2014 and fight in favor of their 30-day stopgap plan. \u201cWe must fight back for a better way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, Pelosi\u2019s statement mentions Trump\u2019s first-term shutdown, which was the longest in history when Democrats refused to provide funding for his promised U.S-Mexico border wall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmerica has experienced a Trump shutdown before \u2014 but this damaging legislation only makes matters worse,\u201d Pelosi said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>House Democrats tamp down talk of primarying Democratic senators who vote for GOP spending bill<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9564-d3ba-afff-bf76291c0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741969636240&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9564-d3ba-afff-bf76291c0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>House Democrats tamp down talk of primarying Democratic senators who vote for GOP spending bill<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s always going to be an election cycle. This is not about politics. This is about what is best for the American people. We made that vote with that interest in mind,\u201d said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the Democratic caucus chair.<\/p>\n<p>Aguilar reiterated that House Democrats feel that supporting the bill makes lawmakers \u201ccomplicit\u201d in Trump\u2019s agenda. But he said \u201cwe have all the respect in the world for our Senate colleagues\u201d \u2014 a message they\u2019re sharing while lobbying them on the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis has really been about what are our tactics and strategies to defending Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, from what Donald Trump and Elon Musk are seeking to do each every day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"Mark Carney is sworn in as Canada\u2019s new prime minister as his country deals with Trump\u2019s trade war\" data-post-id=\"00000195-955c-d183-a7bd-df7d208c0000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741969329256\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-955c-d183-a7bd-df7d208c0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             Mark Carney is sworn in as Canada\u2019s new prime minister as his country deals with Trump\u2019s trade war         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center>                     <bsp-figure>     <\/p>\n<figure data-openoverlay>              <a id=\"image-9b0000\"><\/a>                    <picture data-crop=\"imgEn-medium-nocrop\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><source width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Prime minister-designate Mark Carney arrives for a swearing in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Adrian Wyld \/The Canadian Press via AP)\"   width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/58c28ac\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/4000x2666+0+0\/resize\/599x399!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F2e%2F71%2F7f02f27e0ddf695f4d97585e0464%2F0afd96c780c54c479e75081fa90d468a\" loading=\"lazy\"> <\/picture>\n<div><bsp-read-more data-more-button-text=\"Read More\" data-less-button-text=\"Read Less\" data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-limit=\"110\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\"><figcaption>\n<p>Prime minister-designate Mark Carney arrives for a swearing in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Adrian Wyld \/The Canadian Press via AP)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/bsp-read-more><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>          <template data-bsp-figure-overlay-template>                  <\/p>\n<div data-slidenumber=\"0\" data-slidescount=\"1\">                         <bsp-carousel-read-more data-show-less data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\" data-more-id data-less-id>                             <\/p>\n<p>Prime minister-designate Mark Carney arrives for a swearing in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Friday, March 14, 2025. (Adrian Wyld \/The Canadian Press via AP)<\/p>\n<p>                         <\/bsp-carousel-read-more>                     <\/div>\n<p>     <\/template>      <\/bsp-figure>                 <\/div>\n<p>Carney, a former Goldman Sachs executive with no experience in politics, becomes Canada\u2019s 24th prime minister, and will now try to steer his country through <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/tariffs-trump-economy-mexico-canada-bfed103a11a2a71d8353350f94c78814\">Trump\u2019s trade war<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Carney has said <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/canada-mark-carney-trump-prime-minister-tariffs-413e1d8ab73b059f6bf92aa79e40d5a2\">he\u2019s ready to meet with Trump<\/a><\/span> if he shows \u201crespect for Canadian sovereignty\u2033 and is willing to take \u201da common approach, a much more comprehensive approach for trade.\u2033<\/p>\n<p>Trump put 25% tariffs on Canada\u2019s steel and aluminum and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products April 2. He has threatened economic coercion in his annexation threats and suggested the border is a fictional line.<\/p>\n<p><i>\u25b6 Read more about <\/i><span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/canada-carney-new-prime-minister-trump-tariffs-46b29cfb1d40a8ade38f003774934792\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Canada\u2019s new prime minister<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Musk met with NSA, US Cyber Command in sign that DOGE could soon focus on spy agencies<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9561-d3ba-afff-bf773c290000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741968123021&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9561-d3ba-afff-bf773c290000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Musk met with NSA, US Cyber Command in sign that DOGE could soon focus on spy agencies<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>The billionaire\u2019s meeting with the leader of the National Security Agency suggests his push to slash spending and personnel may soon focus on the nation\u2019s intelligence community.<\/p>\n<p>The agency said Friday that Musk met Wednesday with Gen. Timothy Haugh, who directs the NSA as well as U.S. Cyber Command, which coordinates the Pentagon\u2019s cybersecurity work.<\/p>\n<p>An NSA statement said the meeting was intended to ensure both organizations are \u201caligned\u201d with the new administration\u2019s priorities.<\/p>\n<p>Like the CIA, the NSA has offered buyouts to personnel as Trump and Musk push deep cuts to the federal workforce.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Trump said \u2018tariff\u2019 is the dictionary\u2019s \u2018most beautiful word.\u2019 Elon Musk\u2019s car company isn\u2019t sure <\/b> &#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9552-d1bb-a5ff-f7db541d0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741967931842&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9552-d1bb-a5ff-f7db541d0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Trump said \u2018tariff\u2019 is the dictionary\u2019s \u2018most beautiful word.\u2019 Elon Musk\u2019s car company isn\u2019t sure <\/b>          <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Tesla warned a top Trump trade official that retaliatory tariffs could add to the costs of its cars sold abroad.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cU.S. exporters are inherently exposed to disproportionate impacts when other countries respond to U.S. trade actions,\u201d Tesla wrote this week in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, first reported by the Financial Times. <\/p>\n<p>The carefully worded letter expresses support for Trump\u2019s \u201cfair trade\u201d efforts while also aligning with most economists who say tariffs do more harm than good. The retaliation by China, Canada and Europe comes as Tesla\u2019s sales plunge overseas amid competition by foreign EV makers and calls for boycotts.<\/p>\n<p>Tesla\u2019s stock rocketed after Trump\u2019s election, but it has plummeted 50% since its mid-December high, wiping out hundreds of billions of dollars of wealth.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Nonprofits sue Trump for freezing funding for clean energy and conservation projects<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9547-d1bb-a5ff-f7cf09410000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741966954242&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9547-d1bb-a5ff-f7cf09410000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Nonprofits sue Trump for freezing funding for clean energy and conservation projects<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Their federal lawsuit filed in Rhode Island argues that Trump\u2019s \u201cUnleashing American Energy\u201d executive order freezing billions of dollars already approved by Congress is arbitrary and capricious, lacks statutory authority and violates the Administrative Procedure Act.<\/p>\n<p>Americans are being harmed, they say, by the freeze on weatherization programs, programs aimed at reducing food waste and work to protect giant sequoias and other large trees.<\/p>\n<p>The suit by the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, National Council of Nonprofits, Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District and Green Infrastructure Center demands the resumption of funding from the Inflation Reduction Act as well as Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\" <b>White House press secretary says Trump will use DOJ speech to decry past \u2018weaponization\u2019<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-953f-d3ba-afff-bf7f59ee0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741966214734&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-953f-d3ba-afff-bf7f59ee0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>              <b>White House press secretary says Trump will use DOJ speech to decry past \u2018weaponization\u2019<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center>                     <bsp-figure>     <\/p>\n<figure data-openoverlay>              <a id=\"image-6b0000\"><\/a>                    <picture data-crop=\"imgEn-medium-nocrop\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><source width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci)\"   width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/7116c43\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6000x4000+0+0\/resize\/599x399!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F67%2F98%2Fe7d9fbdd41c5a57d3915bb85d97f%2Fap25073529465724.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"> <\/picture>\n<div><bsp-read-more data-more-button-text=\"Read More\" data-less-button-text=\"Read Less\" data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-limit=\"110\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\"><figcaption>\n<p>White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/bsp-read-more><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>          <template data-bsp-figure-overlay-template>                  <\/p>\n<div data-slidenumber=\"0\" data-slidescount=\"1\">                         <bsp-carousel-read-more data-show-less data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\" data-more-id data-less-id>                             <\/p>\n<p>White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci)<\/p>\n<p>                         <\/bsp-carousel-read-more>                     <\/div>\n<p>     <\/template>      <\/bsp-figure>                 <\/div>\n<p>Addressing reporters outside the White House, Karoline Leavitt said Trump\u2019s afternoon speech at the Department of Justice also will focus \u201con restoring law and order to our country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She accused the Biden administration of creating a DOJ that she said \u201cwas weaponized against Americans for their political ideologies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said Trump will be joined by relatives of people who died due to fentanyl overdoses and by \u201cangel moms,\u201d whose children were killed in violence involving people in the country illegally.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>U.S. allows energy license with Russia to expire, tightening pressure for ceasefire<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9529-dd27-a5f5-fff944960000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741965710637&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9529-dd27-a5f5-fff944960000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>U.S. allows energy license with Russia to expire, tightening pressure for ceasefire<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>The license allowed U.S. firms to do business with Russian energy companies through sanctioned Russian banks. <\/p>\n<p>A Treasury Department representative confirmed the expiration. The official wasn\u2019t authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, telling The Associated Press that the Trump administration is focused on fostering negotiations to end the war.<\/p>\n<p>The expiration of the license, which was issued during Joe Biden\u2019s presidency, adds pressure on Russia to accept a ceasefire deal crafted by the U.S., which Ukraine has accepted.<\/p>\n<p>Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently said the Trump administration would go \u201call in\u201d on Russia sanctions in order to end the war raging since February 2022.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Senate says yes to cowboy hats, no to sneakers and gym shorts<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9536-d183-a7bd-df771fc50000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741965293736&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9536-d183-a7bd-df771fc50000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Senate says yes to cowboy hats, no to sneakers and gym shorts<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>For the second day, Sen. Markwayne Mullin is presiding over the Senate chamber in a tan cowboy hat, pushing the limits of rules for attire in the Senate chamber.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing in the rules says I can\u2019t wear my hat to preside on the floor,\u201d Mullin said Thursday.<\/p>\n<div data-align-center>                     <bsp-figure>     <\/p>\n<figure data-openoverlay>              <a id=\"image-cf0000\"><\/a>                    <picture data-crop=\"imgEn-medium-nocrop\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"767\" height=\"431\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" width=\"767\" height=\"431\"  ><source type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"599\" height=\"337\"  ><source width=\"599\" height=\"337\"  ><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"In this screengrab from a Senate livestream, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., is seen wearing a cowboy hat on the floor of the Senate chamber. (AP Photo)\"   width=\"599\" height=\"337\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/0d9de2d\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1920x1080+0+0\/resize\/599x337!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F5e%2F2a%2Facc48a8b45008cebf3f7c3327dd3%2Fmullin-1.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"> <\/picture>\n<div><bsp-read-more data-more-button-text=\"Read More\" data-less-button-text=\"Read Less\" data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-limit=\"110\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\"><figcaption>\n<p>In this screengrab from a Senate livestream, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., is seen wearing a cowboy hat on the floor of the Senate chamber. (AP Photo)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/bsp-read-more><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>          <template data-bsp-figure-overlay-template>                  <\/p>\n<div data-slidenumber=\"0\" data-slidescount=\"1\">                         <bsp-carousel-read-more data-show-less data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\" data-more-id data-less-id>                             <\/p>\n<p>In this screengrab from a Senate livestream, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., is seen wearing a cowboy hat on the floor of the Senate chamber. (AP Photo)<\/p>\n<p>                         <\/bsp-carousel-read-more>                     <\/div>\n<p>     <\/template>      <\/bsp-figure>                 <\/div>\n<p>Exactly what senators can and cannot wear when they enter the chamber has evolved over the years, and it has recently come up as some lawmakers go casual: <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sen. Jim Banks, an Indiana Republican, was prevented from standing on the Senate floor this week when he walked up in sneakers. <\/li>\n<li>Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat who almost always sports gym shorts and a hoodie, does not fully enter the chamber, but casts his vote by signaling from the doorway.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Schumer vows a long-term fight over the Trump agenda<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9534-d183-a7bd-df75e0330000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741965106162&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9534-d183-a7bd-df75e0330000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Schumer vows a long-term fight over the Trump agenda<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>Facing a groundswell of Democratic dissent, Schumer insists that voting for the Republican funding bill is better than a federal shutdown, which he says would give Trump and Musk free rein to gut the government.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA shutdown would allow DOGE to shift into overdrive,\u201d Schumer warned as the Senate opened.<\/p>\n<p>Schumer said Democrats are not backing down and vowed a long-term fight against the Trump agenda.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"WATCH: Crowds gather at the Department of Education to protest layoffs\" data-post-id=\"00000195-9525-d1bb-a5ff-f7ed97190000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741964570533\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-9525-d1bb-a5ff-f7ed97190000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             WATCH: Crowds gather at the Department of Education to protest layoffs         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center data-video-orientation=\"landscape\">\n<p>AP video journalist Mike Pesoli describes the scene outside the Department of Education in Washington D.C. on Mar. 14, 2025. (AP Video\/Mike Pesoli) <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u25b6 <i>Read more about how <\/i><span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-education-department-layoffs-civil-rights-8cbf463cce765f497c10d688ab4d51e1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>layoffs are impacting the Department of Education<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Dr. Mehmet Oz would oversee Medicare, Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-9521-dd27-a5f5-fff168a30000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741964263478&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-9521-dd27-a5f5-fff168a30000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Dr. Mehmet Oz would oversee Medicare, Medicaid and Affordable Care Act coverage<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center>                     <bsp-figure>     <\/p>\n<figure data-openoverlay>              <a id=\"image-040000\"><\/a>                    <picture data-crop=\"imgEn-medium-nocrop\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><source width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, sits before testifying at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 14, 2025.\u00a0(AP Photo\/Ben Curtis)\"   width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/caf9c72\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/7608x5072+0+0\/resize\/599x399!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2Ff2%2F5b%2F3be5fab04b689ed5d57d891d69fb%2Fap25073543150930.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\"> <\/picture>\n<div><bsp-read-more data-more-button-text=\"Read More\" data-less-button-text=\"Read Less\" data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-limit=\"110\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\"><figcaption>\n<p>Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump\u2019s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, sits before testifying at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo\/Ben Curtis)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/bsp-read-more><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>          <template data-bsp-figure-overlay-template>                  <\/p>\n<div data-slidenumber=\"0\" data-slidescount=\"1\">                         <bsp-carousel-read-more data-show-less data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\" data-more-id data-less-id>                             <\/p>\n<p>Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump\u2019s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, sits before testifying at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo\/Ben Curtis)<\/p>\n<p>                         <\/bsp-carousel-read-more>                     <\/div>\n<p>     <\/template>      <\/bsp-figure>                 <\/div>\n<p>A Senate Finance Committee hearing has begun for Trump\u2019s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.<\/p>\n<p>The 64-year-old Oz <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/dr-oz-mehmet-things-to-know-trump-be62594d66e07b9544e48ddf9febf7bf\">was a respected heart surgeon<\/a><\/span> who became a popular TV pitchman. Now Trump wants him to oversee health insurance for about 150 million Americans.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans likely will ask Oz how he\u2019ll <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/medicaid-cuts-budget-republicans-health-care-4a13fc3528d7bf20ea52db4a5551c8bf\">trim fraud<\/a><\/span> from Medicare and Medicaid. Democrats will probably focus on cuts he would make to insurance coverage and his televised comments supporting privatized Medicare.<\/p>\n<p><i>\u25b6 Read more about <\/i><span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/mehmet-oz-senate-medicare-medicaid-health-programs-ea693a51ae213f7a1341642af4b01056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Oz\u2019s confirmation hearing<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Senate Majority Leader hopes he has the votes to prevent a midnight shutdown<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-951a-d093-a9bf-f71b8c830000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741963748606&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-951a-d093-a9bf-f71b8c830000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Senate Majority Leader hopes he has the votes to prevent a midnight shutdown<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>John Thune says the chamber is ready to vote later in the day, and he\u2019s \u201chopeful that enough Democrats will reject their party\u2019s threat of shutting down the government to get this bill passed today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With a 53-47 majority, and some dissent within his won Republican ranks, the GOP leader still needs at least eight Democrats to cross party lines to clear the 60-vote threshold.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>Consumer sentiment falls sharply amid worries about Trump\u2019s policies<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-950c-dd27-a5f5-ffdc7dae0000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741962840152&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-950c-dd27-a5f5-ffdc7dae0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>Consumer sentiment falls sharply amid worries about Trump\u2019s policies<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center>                     <bsp-figure>     <\/p>\n<figure data-openoverlay>              <a id=\"image-680000\"><\/a>                    <picture data-crop=\"imgEn-medium-nocrop\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"767\" height=\"510\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" width=\"767\" height=\"510\"  ><source type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><source width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Customers wait in line for eggs at a Costco store in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo\/Richard Vogel, File)\"   width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/6d312da\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/6724x4475+0+0\/resize\/599x399!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2Fbb%2Fa4%2F44e286c8508bfb8b18e11f6cc7d1%2Fac39f430e89b4770a0b3a6a6895b06a2\" loading=\"lazy\"> <\/picture>\n<div><bsp-read-more data-more-button-text=\"Read More\" data-less-button-text=\"Read Less\" data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-limit=\"110\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\"><figcaption>\n<p>Customers wait in line for eggs at a Costco store in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo\/Richard Vogel, File)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/bsp-read-more><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>          <template data-bsp-figure-overlay-template>                  <\/p>\n<div data-slidenumber=\"0\" data-slidescount=\"1\">                         <bsp-carousel-read-more data-show-less data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\" data-more-id data-less-id>                             <\/p>\n<p>Customers wait in line for eggs at a Costco store in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (AP Photo\/Richard Vogel, File)<\/p>\n<p>                         <\/bsp-carousel-read-more>                     <\/div>\n<p>     <\/template>      <\/bsp-figure>                 <\/div>\n<p>The University of Michigan\u2019s consumer sentiment measure has fallen for three straight months and is down 22% from December 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Declining confidence showed up \u201cconsistently across all groups by age, education, income, wealth, political affiliations, and geographic regions,\u201d survey director Joanne Hsu said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany consumers cited the high level of uncertainty around policy and other economic factors; frequent gyrations in economic policies make it very difficult for consumers to plan for the future, regardless of one\u2019s policy preference,\u201d Hsu\u2019s statement said.<\/p>\n<p>Sentiment collapsed by more than a third among Democrats since December, nearly 20% among independents, and only slightly among Republicans. But a measure of Republicans\u2019 economic outlook dropped by 10% just this month.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"Most of the universities facing new investigations have ties to a nonprofit that aims to diversify the business world\" data-post-id=\"00000195-9509-d093-a9bf-f70b9d300000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741962517954\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-9509-d093-a9bf-f70b9d300000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             Most of the universities facing new investigations have ties to a nonprofit that aims to diversify the business world         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<div data-align-center>                     <bsp-figure>     <\/p>\n<figure data-openoverlay>              <a id=\"image-d20000\"><\/a>                    <picture data-crop=\"imgEn-medium-nocrop\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" width=\"767\" height=\"511\"  ><source type=\"image\/webp\" width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><source width=\"599\" height=\"399\"  ><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, speaks during a hearing of the Health, Education, and Labor Committee on her nomination, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)\"   width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/d3d9e68\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3655x2437+0+0\/resize\/599x399!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F2e%2F17%2Fbec903f717127169f6428e651abc%2F20083af336be45829e3c4177eae21e61\" loading=\"lazy\"> <\/picture>\n<div><bsp-read-more data-more-button-text=\"Read More\" data-less-button-text=\"Read Less\" data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-limit=\"110\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\"><figcaption>\n<p>Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump\u2019s nominee for Secretary of Education, speaks during a hearing of the Health, Education, and Labor Committee on her nomination, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/bsp-read-more><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>          <template data-bsp-figure-overlay-template>                  <\/p>\n<div data-slidenumber=\"0\" data-slidescount=\"1\">                         <bsp-carousel-read-more data-show-less data-expand=\"ReadMore-expand\" data-main-class=\"ReadMore\" data-more-id data-less-id>                             <\/p>\n<p>Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump\u2019s nominee for Secretary of Education, speaks during a hearing of the Health, Education, and Labor Committee on her nomination, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/p>\n<p>                         <\/bsp-carousel-read-more>                     <\/div>\n<p>     <\/template>      <\/bsp-figure>                 <\/div>\n<p>The Education Department announced the new investigations Friday, one month after <span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-dei-schools-dear-colleague-6cca8440afa62689991d373cc4903a4c\">issuing a memo<\/a><\/span> warning America\u2019s schools and colleges that they could lose federal money over \u201crace-based preferences\u201d in admissions, scholarships or any aspect of student life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStudents must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin,\u201d Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. \u201cWe will not yield on this commitment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Most of the new inquiries are focused on colleges\u2019 partnerships with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that helps students from underrepresented groups get degrees in business with the goal of diversifying the business world.<\/p>\n<p>Department officials said that the group limits eligibility based on race and that colleges that partner with it are \u201cengaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The group of 45 colleges facing scrutiny over ties to the PhD Project include major public universities such as Arizona State, Ohio State and Rutgers, along with prestigious private schools like Yale, Cornell, Duke and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.<\/p>\n<p><i>\u25b6 Read more about the <\/i><span><a data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-dei-universities-investigated-f89dc9ec2a98897577ed0a6c446fae7b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>new investigations into colleges\u2019 DEI practices<\/i><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"<b>House Democrats express fury at Senate counterparts over GOP spending bill<\/b>&#8221; data-post-id=&#8221;00000195-94f8-dd27-a5f5-fff84cc60000&#8243; data-posted-date-timestamp=&#8221;1741962377181&#8243; data-seconds-delta-text=&#8221;sec ago&#8221; data-minutes-delta-text=&#8221;min ago&#8221; data-hours-delta-text=&#8221;h ago&#8221;>              <a id=\"00000195-94f8-dd27-a5f5-fff84cc60000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             <b>House Democrats express fury at Senate counterparts over GOP spending bill<\/b>         <\/h2>\n<div>\n<p>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reiterated that House Democrats would not be \u201ccomplicit\u201d in the GOP spending plan.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York expressed frustration that Democratic senators aren\u2019t aligning with the members \u201cwho have won Trump-held districts in some of the most difficult territories in the United States, who walked the plank and took innumerable risks in order to defend the American people.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s still time,\u201d said Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico at a press conference of the Democratic Women\u2019s Caucus. \u201cThe American people are shouting: Please do not hand the keys over to Elon Musk.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>          <\/bsp-liveblog-post> <bsp-liveblog-post data-gtm-region=\"JUST IN: Trump administration opens investigations at more than 50 universities as part of its anti-DEI campaign\" data-post-id=\"00000195-9509-d183-a7bd-df69563e0000\" data-posted-date-timestamp=\"1741962189344\" data-seconds-delta-text=\"sec ago\" data-minutes-delta-text=\"min ago\" data-hours-delta-text=\"h ago\">              <a id=\"00000195-9509-d183-a7bd-df69563e0000\"><\/a>                          <\/p>\n<h2>             JUST IN: Trump administration opens investigations at more than 50 universities as part of its anti-DEI campaign         <\/h2>\n<p>                                        <\/bsp-liveblog-post>               <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A spending bill to avert a partial government shutdown narrowly cleared a key procedural hurdle in the Senate, paving the way for passage as a midnight Friday deadline loomed. Democrats were confronted with two painful options: allowing passage of a bill they believe gives President Donald Trump vast discretion on spending decisions or voting no [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/637\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo973e36f5\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}