Senate vote-a-rama still ongoing
The Senate has now been voting on amendments to the GOP’s domestic policy bill for 14 hours, with no immediate end in sight.
A megabill mystery: New solar and wind tax comes as a surprise to Republican senators
Frank Thorp V and Sahil Kapur
Reporting from Washington
Tucked inside Republicans’ massive domestic policy bill is an excise tax for wind and solar projects, a provision that came as a surprise not just to the renewable energy industry, but also to numerous senators who are crafting the legislation.
In a twist, Republican senators insist they don’t know how or why the tax was inserted into the bill they’re rushing to pass. No senator is taking credit for or defending it. And at least one wants it removed.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the Budget Committee chairman, who released the 940-page bill, said he doesn’t know where that provision came from.
“It’s a secret, I guess,” Graham told NBC News tonight. “I don’t know where it came from.”
Schumer has thoughts on the lengthy vote-a-rama: ‘They don’t have a bill’
Reporting from Washington
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reports tonight that he suspects the reason the vote-a-rama is going slowly is that Republicans are “stalling.”
“They don’t have a bill; they’re delaying,” Schumer said.
“They’re cutting a lot of backroom deals,” he added. “They got a lot of members who were promised things that they may not be able to deliver on. And so they’re just stalling.”
Trump rips AT&T service weeks after Trump Mobile licensing deal was announced
Trump criticized AT&T in consecutive Truth Social posts today, writing that the country’s third-largest wireless carrier “ought to get its act together.”
Trump wrote that he was trying to hold a conference call with “faith leaders” but that “AT&T is totally unable to make their equipment work properly.”
The back-to-back posts came two weeks after the Trump Organization announced it had licensed the Trump name to a new wireless phone service, Trump Mobile, that also sells a $499 smartphone.
Trump promotes new fragrance line on social media
Trump announced tonight on Truth Social that he was launching a “Trump Fragrances” line for men and women.
“They’re called ‘Victory 45-47’ because they’re all about Winning, Strength, and Success — For men and women. Get yourself a bottle, and don’t forget to get one for your loved ones too. Enjoy, have fun, and keep winning!” Trump wrote in the post, which included a link to buy the product.
The fragrances are the latest in a series of Trump-branded items he has promoted. Other ventures include the $TRUMP meme coin, branded watches and apparel — some of which included the slogan “Trump 2028.”
Trump’s financial disclosures last month revealed tens of millions of dollars’ worth of income from a host of Trump-branded items, including Bibles and guitars.
Donald Trump Jr. this month announced the launch of “Trump Mobile,” a mobile carrier service for “real Americans” launched by the president’s business organization. Though the president did not promote the new venture, he ripped into AT&T today.
Senate bill now includes a provision to block Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood
Frank Thorp V and Sahil Kapur
Reporting from Washington
Democrats are criticizing Republicans for a provision in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that would block federal Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood and certain other health care providers, a provision the Senate parliamentarian approved today as complying with the chamber’s rules so it could be included in the legislation.
The provision, which Democrats say would cost $52 million over the next 10 years, would prohibit Medicaid funding for organizations that provide abortions for reason other than if a pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest or when a woman suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury or physical illness, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself, that would, as certified by a physician, place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed.
The Senate voted tonight on a Democratic amendment introduced by Patty Murray of Washington to strip the provision from the bill. The Democratic effort failed in a 49-51 vote; 60 votes were needed to pass.
Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to vote in favor of removing the provision, which will remain in the bill.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson said in a statement tonight: “There is no other explanation: Congressional Republicans’ reconciliation bill blatantly targets Planned Parenthood because Planned Parenthood health centers provide abortions. In fact, they’re so determined to ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood and create a backdoor abortion ban that they’re willing to dismantle our country’s reproductive health care infrastructure and charge taxpayers to do it.”
AI state regulation moratorium provision deal falls apart in Senate
Julie Tsirkin and Frank Thorp V
Reporting from Washington
A proposed deal between Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., to come up with a compromise provision to impose a moratorium on artificial intelligence regulation in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” has fallen apart, according to Blackburn.
The original provision, which would prohibit states from enacting regulations on AI for 10 years, had drawn criticism from some Republicans senators, as well as Republican governors, and it ran the risk of falling out of the bill because GOP opposition.
A proposed deal struck by Blackburn and Cruz would have reduced that moratorium to five years and provided a carveout for laws related to unfair or deceptive acts or practices, child online safety, child sexual abuse material, rights of publicity and protection of a person’s name, image, voice or likeness. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick even expressed support for it on X.
But Blackburn said in a statement tonight that the deal fell apart. It’s not clear whether the provision will have to be stripped out of the bill completely.
“While I appreciate Chairman Cruz’s efforts to find acceptable language that allows states to protect their citizens from the abuses of AI, the current language is not acceptable to those who need these protections the most,” Blackburn said. “This provision could allow Big Tech to continue to exploit kids, creators, and conservatives. Until Congress passes federally preemptive legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act and an online privacy framework, we can’t block states from making laws that protect their citizens.”
Trump drops federal lawsuit against Iowa pollster Ann Selzer, refiles in state court
Zoë Richards and Gary Grumbach
Trump today dropped his federal lawsuit against Iowa pollster Ann Selzer and The Des Moines Register over a poll that found Democratic nominee Kamala Harris leading in Iowa shortly before Election Day in November.
Hours later, Trump’s attorneys refiled the lawsuit in state court.
Trump’s lawyers provided no explanation in the federal filing in Polk County. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A federal judge denied Trump’s request to move the case to a state venue this month.
Here’s what’s in the Senate’s version of the ‘big, beautiful bill’
Julie Tsirkin and Frank Thorp V
Reporting from Washington
Trump’s sweeping domestic policy package that’s moving through the Senate would affect virtually every American, overhauling tax, health care and energy policy.
It would renew the tax cuts Trump signed into law in his first term and pay for them in part with steep cuts to Medicaid, food aid programs and clean energy funding.
But the sprawling package — which is likely to face substantial changes before a final vote in the Senate — also touches on a range of other policy issues, from artificial intelligence and space exploration to immigration.
Musk vows new political party will be formed ‘the next day’ if Congress passes Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ bill
Musk said this evening he would immediately form a new political party if Republicans in Congress pass Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” to advance his agenda.
“If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,” Musk wrote on X. “Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE.”
Musk has used his social media platform recently to lambaste the legislation and call for a new party, weighing in numerous times over the past few days despite an earlier pledge to step back from politics after having clashed with Trump. In one post today, he repeated a threat to support primary challenges to lawmakers who vote for the bill.
Susan Collins expects ‘a gazillion’ more vote-a-rama amendments
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Sahil Kapur, Frank Thorp V, Brennan Leach and Zoë Richards
The Senate’s vote-a-rama — a process that allows senators to put forward a limitless number of amendments — is moving at a glacial pace, with GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine telling NBC News “there are going to be a gazillion more amendments tonight.”
The Senate has completed only 14 votes over seven hours, and there is no telling when it will stop.
Votes will eventually speed up after a full picture of proposed amendments becomes clear. At that point, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., will urge senators to take their seats for votes lasting 10 to 15 minutes.
Collins also said she’s still leaning against the bill.
“My position has not changed. But you know, if there are a lot of amendments accepted that could make a difference, that’s why I just don’t want to prejudge what’s happening,” she said.
No notable amendments have passed today.
Trump drops lawsuit against Iowa pollster Ann Selzer and Des Moines Register newspaper
Zoë Richards and Gary Grumbach
Trump today dropped his lawsuit against Iowa pollster Ann Selzer and The Des Moines Register over a poll that showed Democratic nominee Kamala Harris leading in Iowa shortly before Election Day in November.
Trump’s lawyers provided no explanation in the filing in Iowa District Court in Polk County. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump in December sued Selzer, her polling firm, The Des Moines Register and the newspaper’s parent company, Gannett, alleging consumer fraud over the poll, which show Harris up by 3 percentage points in the state. Trump won Iowa 55.7% to 42.5% last year.
Karl de Vries, a spokesperson for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonprofit civil liberties group that is representing Selzer, said in a statement that they were determining how to proceed.
To fight Trump’s funding freezes, states propose a new gambit: Withholding federal payments
Democratic legislators mostly in blue states are trying to fight back against Trump’s efforts to withhold funding from their states with bills that aim to give the federal government a taste of its own medicine.
The novel and untested approach — so far introduced in Connecticut, Maryland, New York and Wisconsin — would essentially allow states to withhold federal payments if lawmakers determine the federal government is delinquent in funding owed to them. Democrats in Washington state said they are drafting a similar measure.
Netanyahu to meet with Trump at the White House next week
An administration official confirmed Netanyahu will visit Trump at the White House on Monday, July 7. The meeting comes as the United States ramps up efforts to broker a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel to end the war in Gaza.
Musk criticizes the GOP bill and bashes Republicans: ‘PORKY PIG PARTY’
Weeks after saying he would step back from politics to focus on his businesses, Elon Musk returned to bashing the GOP policy bill on social media.
“It is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS that we live in a one-party country — the PORKY PIG PARTY!! Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people,” Musk posted this afternoon.
He also threatened once again to support primary challenges to lawmakers who vote for the bill.
“Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!” he wrote. “And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
He posted several similar sentiments over the weekend.
Musk also tweeted that he will help Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in his re-election bid. Massie voted against Trump’s bill in the House, prompting two top Trump advisers to launch an anti-Massie super PAC.
Who wins and who loses in Republicans’ ‘big, beautiful bill’
Legislation making its way through the Senate stands to have wide-ranging effects across the economy — bolstering tax benefits for businesses and higher-income households while threatening health insurance for millions of people and putting thousands of clean energy and health care jobs at risk.
The bill, which is more than 900 pages long and which Republicans have dubbed the “big, beautiful bill,” passed on a key procedural vote in the Senate largely along party lines over the weekend, with all but two Republicans voting to advance it.
Karoline Leavitt says Trump will sign an executive order to end U.S. sanctions on Syria
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will sign an executive order later today to end U.S. sanctions on Syria, a move that marks a major shift in U.S.-Syria relations.
“This is in an effort to promote and support the country’s path to stability and peace,” she said. “The order will remove sanctions on Syria while maintaining sanctions on the former President Assad, his associates, human rights abusers, drug traffickers, persons linked to chemical weapons activities, ISIS and their affiliates and Iranian proxies.”
Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled Syria in December after rebel forces captured Damascus, the country’s capital.
Democrats plan to make seven-figure investments in Virginia
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said on a call with reporters that the committee plans to spend more than a million dollars on races up and down the Virginia ballot ahead of the state’s elections this November.
Martin said the DNC, in coordination with the Virginia Democratic Party, will visit “every corner” of the state and organize everything from book clubs to sporting events, with a focus on rural communities.
Martin touted a bus tour that the Democratic candidate for governor, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, and the rest of the Democratic slate have been taking over the past week, traveling hundreds of miles across the commonwealth.
In November, Virginians will head to the polls to elect a governor, a lieutenant governor, an attorney general and the members of the state House of Delegates, as well as candidates in local races. Gov. Glenn Youngkin is term-limited and cannot run again, but he has put his support behind his lieutenant governor, Winsome Sears, the Republican nominee.
Trump administration sues Los Angeles over ‘sanctuary’ city policies
The Trump administration has sued the city of Los Angeles over its immigration policies, claiming that the city’s law discriminates against federal law enforcement by treating them differently from other law enforcement authorities.
The lawsuit, filed in the Central District of California, notes up top that Trump “campaigned and won the presidential election on a platform of deporting the millions of illegal immigrants the previous administration permitted, through its open borders policy, to enter the country unlawfully.”
Karoline Leavitt touts Florida detention center as ‘isolated and surrounded by dangerous wildlife in unforgiving terrain’
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previewed Trump’s visit to a Florida Everglades immigration center that the administration and state leaders have referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
Trump will attend the facility’s opening tomorrow, she said. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Rep. Byron Donalds and other leaders will also attend, according to Leavitt.
“It is isolated and surrounded by dangerous wildlife in unforgiving terrain,” Leavitt said. “The facility will have up to 5,000 beds to house, process and deport criminal illegal aliens. This is an efficient and low-cost way to help carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history.”
GOP Rep. Dusty Johnson announces South Dakota gubernatorial run
Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., announced today that he plans to run for governor of South Dakota next year, joining a growing group of lawmakers who want to lead their states as governor.
In a campaign announcement video, Johnson laid out several typical Republican priorities, such as getting fentanyl off the streets, rooting out government waste and “sending folks who are here illegally back home.”
Johnson, 48, has been in the House since 2019, representing South Dakota’s at-large district. His predecessor was Kristi Noem, who went on to run and win election for governor before she became Trump’s homeland security secretary.
He’s the fourth House Republican to announce plans to run for governor of their states next year.
Trump says the administration is working on a ‘temporary pass’ for immigrants in certain industries
Trump said in an interview on Fox News that the administration is working to develop a temporary pass for immigrants who work in certain industries, which would be the latest shift in the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement for farmworkers.
“We’re working on it right now. We’re going to work it so that some kind of a temporary pass where people pay taxes, where the farmer can have a little control, as opposed to you walk in and take everybody away,” Trump said in an interview that was recorded Friday and aired Sunday on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
Trump administration accuses Harvard of violating civil rights law
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Gary Grumbach, Meriam Bouarrouj and Megan Lebowitz
The Department of Health and Human Service’s civil rights office accused Harvard University today of violating federal civil rights law “by acting with deliberate indifference towards harassment of Jewish and Israeli students by other students and faculty” since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel that launched the war in Gaza.
In a news release, the office referred to federal funds Harvard received, noting that federal civil rights law “prohibits a recipient of Federal financial assistance from discriminating” against protected categories.
“OCR’s Notice of Violation finds that Harvard has been — and is — deliberately indifferent to the severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive harassment of Jewish and Israeli students by its own students and faculty,” the office said.
In a statement responding to the allegations, Harvard emphasized that “antisemitism is a serious problem and no matter the context, it is unacceptable,” adding that is has taken steps to address antisemitism.
“In responding to the government’s investigation, Harvard not only shared its comprehensive and retrospective Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias Report but also outlined the ways that it has strengthened policies, disciplined those who violate them, encouraged civil discourse, and promoted open, respectful dialogue,” Harvard’s statement said. “Harvard is far from indifferent on this issue and strongly disagrees with the government’s findings.”
Senate to vote on moderate Sen. Susan Collins’ amendments
Frank Thorp V and Rebecca Shabad
The Senate will vote today on a pair of amendments from Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, to the Republican domestic policy measure, including one that would target Trump’s tax breaks for the ultrawealthy.
One amendment would let the 2017 tax breaks expire for individuals making $25 million and couples making $50 million.
The other amendment would increase money for rural hospitals by $25 million.
Trump to meet with GOP leaders of Congress as Senate votes on agenda bill amendments
Gabe Gutierrez
Trump plans to meet at the White House today with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., a senior White House official said.
The president remains “engaged” as he tries to get the “Big Beautiful Bill” over the finish line, the official said, adding that Trump made calls to lawmakers all weekend and monitored the developments on the Hill until nearly midnight Saturday.
Centrist Republican Rep. Don Bacon makes his retirement official
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., formally announced that he would not seek re-election in 2026. NBC News previously reported that he planned to announce his retirement.
“I’d like to find new ways to serve our great country. I have a love for national security, and I’ll always be a proponent for old-fashioned Ronald Reagan Conservative values,” Bacon said in a statement.Bacon, a centrist Republican who has opposed aspects of Trump’s agenda, noted that he wanted to spend more time with his family, church and the Omaha community.
“It has been an honor to serve the 2nd District of Nebraska and the nation, and I thank our constituents for trusting me to represent them,” he said. “I am proud of the work we have done and will continue to do until the lights in the office are turned off for the last time. Thank you, and God bless America.”
Democratic Rep. Dwight Evans announces he won’t run for re-election
Rep. Dwight Evans, D-Pa., announced in a statement this morning that he won’t seek re-election next year.
“After some discussions this weekend and thoughtful reflection, I have decided that the time is right to announce that I will not be seeking re-election in 2026. I will serve out the full term that ends Jan. 3, 2027,” said Evans, who made clear that he’s in good health.
“I am deeply proud of what I have been able to accomplish over my 45 years in elected office — from revitalizing neighborhoods block by block to fighting for justice, economic opportunity, investments in infrastructure and education,” he added. “I cannot express the gratitude that I have for the trust that voters put in me as their voice in both state and federal office. It has been a privilege of a lifetime to serve as their advocate in government.”
Evans, 71, has served in the House since 2016, representing Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, which covers parts of Philadelphia. He’s the 10th House Democrat to announce plans not to seek re-election next year or seek other office.
Senate begins voting on Trump’s massive bill as Republicans race toward final passage
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Sahil Kapur, Scott Wong and Frank Thorp V
Entering the final stretch of an arduous process, the Republican-controlled Senate began voting today on amendments to Trump’s massive tax cut and spending bill, with the goal of passing it later in the day.
The 940-page legislation, which the Senate advanced on a 51-49 vote late Saturday, was still taking shape even as the “vote-a-rama” began — a process in which senators can offer an unlimited number of amendments — with GOP leaders hoping to use it to satisfy concerns from wavering factions.
Appeals court allows Institute of Peace dismantling to move forward
A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is allowing the dismantling the United States Institute of Peace to move forward, pausing a decision by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell that nullified a Trump administration takeover of the independent agency.
“The President faces irreparable harm from not being able to fully exercise his executive powers,” Judges Gregory Katsas, Neomi Rao, and Justin Walker wrote. The judges said that harm outweighs any that the removed Institute of Peace board members may face.
“Because the Institute exercises substantial executive power, the Government is likely to succeed on its claim that the Board’s removal protections are unconstitutional,” the judges wrote. “We agree with the Government that “[f]acilitating the foreign policy of the United States by brokering peace among warring parties on the international stage is plainly an exercise of executive power under our Constitution.”
The Institute of Peace building has already been transferred out of the hands of the board and into the hands of the General Services Administration.
The fired board members have asked the circuit court to reconsider the judicial panel’s decision in a “en banc,” meaning a new decision heard by every judge on the circuit, and for an emergency administrative stay of the panel’s decision while the new request is considered.
Supreme Court turns away online censorship claim by Kennedy’s anti-vaccine group against Meta
The Supreme Court today turned away without comment a claim brought by the group formerly run by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. alleging that its anti-vaccine speech was censored by the social media company Meta Platforms.
Kennedy, now the health and human services secretary in the Trump administration, founded and was chairman of the group, Children’s Health Defense, that sued Meta, the operator of sites such as Facebook and Instagram.
McConnell says Tillis’ retirement is a ‘big setback for the Senate’
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in a post on X that Tillis’ retirement next year will be a “big setback for the Senate” and the GOP Conference.
The message was notable as McConnell, like Tillis over the weekend, has faced attacks from Trump when he has defected from Republicans in the past. Tillis opposed opening debate on Republicans’ sweeping policy package Saturday.
“.@SenThomTillis is one of the most effective and collegial members that I have ever served with in the United States Senate,” McConnell wrote. “His announcement is a big setback for the Senate and the Republican Conference. I want to thank him for his service in this institution representing the people of North Carolina and our nation.”
Supreme Court takes up major new challenge to campaign finance restrictions
The Supreme Court took up a new challenge to campaign finance restrictions in a case brought by Republicans seeking to overturn limits on party committees spending money in coordination with individual candidates.
It is the latest in a long-running sequence of cases that have eroded campaign finance restrictions since Congress sought to strictly limit them in the 1970s.
Canada rescinds digital services tax after Trump cuts off U.S. trade talks
Canada has walked back on its digital services tax “in anticipation” of a mutually beneficial comprehensive trade arrangement with the United States, Ottawa announced last night, just one day before the first tax payments were due.
The move comes after Trump announced over the weekend that he will be “terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada” in response to Ottawa’s decision to impose a digital services tax on American tech firms.
First to NBC News: AFL-CIO to launch a summer bus tour
The AFL-CIO is hitting the road for a cross-country bus tour to oppose White House priorities that the union conglomerate believes hurt working people, according to an AFL-CIO official.
Union leaders, including AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, will participate in the two-month tour, during which two buses will make stops in dozens of cities, according to details first shared with NBC News. Among the stops are destinations in North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada — vital battleground states that helped deliver the presidency to Trump in 2024.
The AFL-CIO official said they’ll be meeting with workers who are organizing and on strike, helping with contract fights, conducting trainings and planning for Labor Day events.
Union representatives plan to emphasize what they perceive as threats from DOGE and the Trump administration to job security, Medicaid and the energy sector. The tour will lead up to Labor Day and Shuler’s State of the Unions speech, during which the AFL-CIO head reflects on top labor issues.
The AFL-CIO is composed of dozens of affiliated labor unions and it endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 race. Working-class voters ultimately helped propel Trump to victory in November, sparking conversations among Democrats about how to win back voters who have a history of voting blue.
Democrats launch ‘organizing summer’ to mobilize against GOP agenda bill and lay groundwork for future elections
Democratic groups are announcing mobilization plans across key House, Senate and gubernatorial battleground states in what they’re calling an “organizing summer.”
The push aims to “cultivate a robust volunteer base ready to put pressure on Republicans” through in-person and virtual programming, according to a news release. The groups will also hold voter registration events, help volunteers “authentically enter conversation in non-political spaces” online and in person, and provide a “direct pathway” for supporters to share voters’ feedback and what they’re seeing online with the party.
The organizing efforts are being spearheaded by party groups that are focused on election efforts: the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Governors Association and the Association of State Democratic Committees.
The announcement comes as Republicans in Congress work to push their Trump-backed domestic policy package through the House and Senate. In their release, Democrats called the bill as a “tax scam that will take health care and food away from millions of Americans while gifting Trump’s billionaire backers a massive tax break.”
“Our job this summer is to make sure working families know exactly who is responsible for taking food off their table and ripping away their health care,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. “We are deploying an army of thousands of volunteers to activate their communities, register voters, and make sure the Republicans who are putting billionaires ahead of working and middle class Americans lose their elections in 2025 and lose their seats in the midterms.”
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis won’t seek re-election in North Carolina after drawing Trump’s ire
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Sahil Kapur, Frank Thorp V, Melanie Zanona and Vaughn Hillyard
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., announced yesterday that he would not run for re-election, one day after he drew Trump’s ire for opposing the party’s sweeping domestic policy package.
The surprise decision opens up seat in battleground North Carolina that was already set to be one of the most hotly contested races of the 2026 midterms.
AARP sends letter to Senate party leaders with concerns about ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
Christine Romans and Raquel Coronell Uribe
AARP, an interest group advocating for people 50 and older, sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., yesterday, expressing its concerns with provisions in the Trump-backed Republican domestic policy bill that would cut Medicaid, marketplace health coverage and food assistance.
“While we support several provisions in the Senate package that would provide meaningful relief, we oppose others that would put health coverage, food assistance, and financial security further out of reach for those already struggling,” Nancy LeaMond, the organization’s executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer, wrote in the letter.
AARP’s letter comes a day after the Senate voted to advance its version of the bill, voting mostly along party lines — despite some GOP holdouts. That vote put the bill one step closer to passing, which Republicans are hoping to get done by a self-imposed July 4 deadline.
“As the Senate continues its deliberations, we urge you to focus on the real-world consequences of these provisions for older Americans,” LeaMond said at the end of the letter. “This is a moment to strengthen—not weaken—the supports that help people stay in their homes, access needed health care, and live with dignity and independence.”
Protester arrested after disrupting Senate floor during debate of ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
Frank Thorp V and Nnamdi Egwuonwu
U.S. Capitol Police arrested a man last evening after he disrupted the Senate floor as lawmakers engaged in debate over Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” appearing to protest Republicans as they rush to pass the funding package this week.
The protester, Allen D. Rogers, made the interruption immediately after Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., ended remarks decrying the 940-page bill.
“How do you sleep at night,” the man is heard yelling, appearing to direct his ire at the Republican members of the body. “You’re horrible!”
The interruption lasted roughly a minute as Rogers was promptly removed from the chamber. U.S. Capitol Police said it arrested him after he refused commands to halt the disruption.
“Our officers arrested a man who started being disruptive in the Senate Galleries. Allen D. Rogers of Florida was arrested for Unlawful Conduct after he refused to obey our lawful orders to stop the disruption,” the federal law enforcement agency wrote in a statement.
Senate to start vote-a-rama on ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ as Republicans rush to pass the legislation
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Nnamdi Egwuonwu, Frank Thorp V and Syedah Asghar
The Senate today is expected to begin a vote-a-rama on the Republican-led reconciliation bill aimed at funding much of Trump’s agenda. During the process, the lawmakers will consider an unlimited number of proposed amendments to the legislation, dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., informed members they’d begin the process at 9 a.m., after the chamber spent much of the weekend advancing the legislation through procedural hoops.
Proposed amendments to the bill, particularly those by Democrats, are unlikely to be added to the legislation, which has been fiercely negotiated to ensure Senate Republicans have enough votes to pass it. However, Democrats can utilize the process to force votes they feel would highlight unpopular provisions in the bill.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to use the vote-a-rama to “highlight the disastrous impacts of the GOP’s historically unpopular proposal,” his spokesperson said in a statement.
“Senate Dem amendments will highlight the hypocrisy and devastation of the Republican bill, including Republicans ripping away health care from millions of Americans and closing rural hospitals across the country to pay for tax cuts to the wealthy,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has been advised to expect votes on the “Big, Beautiful Bill” as early as Wednesday morning, given the Senate is able to pass its version of the bill. House members were previously advised they’d be given 48 hours’ notice prior to any votes this week.