Senate begins voting on Republican bill to fund ICE as GOP is split on Trump’s $1.8B fund
The Senate began voting on a bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol as Republicans split on Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund.

A Muslim, pro-Palestine valedictorian from a North Carolina high school blasted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during her commencement speech last week, which a school official is seen on video cutting short.During the graduation ceremony for Clayton High School last Thursday, Leen Hijaz delivered the welcome speech, WRAL-TV said, adding in its video report that Hijaz is the valedictorian of the graduating class.As Hijaz reached the closing remarks of her speech, she began commenting about ICE and Palestine, the station said. The following is the transcript of Hijaz's final words based on a video recording:Before I leave the stage, I have one last thing to say. Every single person here has a voice, and we are privileged to have the freedom to use it when so many people around the world are struggling and suffering to be heard. Whether it's the millions suffering in Palestine, Sudan, Congo, Afghanistan, and so many other countries around the world, or the families being torn apart by ICE, these are not distant issues; they are happening right now as I speak. My point is, we're not given a voice to stay silent.Then what appeared to be a school official approached Hijaz at the podium and cut off her speech, after which Hijaz turned and sat down in her seat onstage.Nevertheless, the crowd gave Hijaz a big round of applause.Below is the clip of her off-script words:RELATED: Hillary Clinton, other leftists praise HS valedictorian's surprise, unapproved speech attacking pro-life 'heartbeat bill' in Texas The moment was captured on video as Clayton High School live streamed the commencement ceremony on the school's YouTube page, WRAL reported.What's more, Hijaz on her TikTok account the day after the graduation ceremony said her diploma was being withheld due to her words in her speech, the station said."What I focused on throughout my entire life was my education, and for something so important to me, something that I worked hard for 12 years of my life to get taken from me, I feel oppressed," Hijaz said, according to WRAL. Hijaz in her TikTok video also identified herself as a Muslim and added that she was the graduating class' valedictorian even though she was technically a junior, noting that she graduated early.Hijaz added that for six months she did "a lot of fighting to get on that stage" before the school "gave in and they said that I could do the welcome speech.""The only reason why I wanted to go on that stage is because I wanted to say something,” Hijaz said in her TikTok video. “And I really think that somebody had to say something because nobody else is going to speak up. Nobody."Hijaz added in her TikTok video that when the high school principal approached her at the podium, the principal said that "if you don't stop speaking right now, you're not graduating."What's more, Hijaz said in her TikTok video that her diploma was going to be "withheld for a week."RELATED: 'Substantial risks': USC releases outside commencement speakers just days after axing Muslim student's valedictorian speech The News & Observer said the school's principal didn't respond to an email requesting comment on the incident.In a statement provided to WRAL, Johnston County Public Schools said students were required to submit their remarks well in advance of graduation and that a student deviated from what administrators preapproved."School administrators intervened in order to maintain the integrity and focus of the program in real time," the district said, according to the station. "This action was not about limiting a student’s voice but about ensuring that a school-sponsored event remained consistent with its intended purpose."In her TikTok video, Hijaz said she didn't submit the end of her speech as part of her official speech because she said the school would've denied it "immediately because of how racist they are.""I was extremely scared to say something and really wasn't planning on doing it, but I had so much support from my friends and family around me, and they really encouraged me to say something," Hijaz said in her TikTok video, adding that "I didn't get the chance to say everything I wanted to say, but I said enough that the word went out."Hijaz added in her TikTok clip that her principal was yelling her name and making her feel "uncomfortable" — and that later the principal said that she was "so disappointed" in Hijaz and that the valedictorian "made this all about" herself and "abused" the "privilege to speak."The school district told WRAL that while it respects students' right to express their views and encourages important conversations concerning their views, they also have "a responsibility to ensure that official school events remain inclusive, respectful, and focused on celebrating all graduates.""We remain committed to supporting student expression while upholding the structure and expectations of school-sponsored activities," the district said, according to WRAL.WRAL added that the...
The Senate began voting on a bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol as Republicans split on Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was repeatedly ordered to stop talking and struggled to answer basic questions about the farm economy Thursday during a tense House Agriculture Committee hearing that devolved into a shouting match.Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), the committee's ranking member, came loaded with data — and used every second of her question time to expose what she called the administration's ignorance of its own record."Reclaiming my time means you stop talking," Craig snapped after Rollins repeatedly interrupted her. "That's what it means in this building."Craig opened by asking Rollins how many farms the U.S. lost last year. Rollins cited bankruptcy figures. Craig cut her off: the country lost 15,000 farms in 2025 — fourth- and fifth-generation operations wiped out, she said, "because of bad policy on the part of this administration."When Craig asked about total farmer losses, Rollins pushed back on the math. Craig was unimpressed."If this administration didn't have terrible policies, we would not need all that support for family farmers," she said, "because we would have export markets still left in China." Craig cited $28 billion in farmer losses — a figure the American Farm Bureau Federation has used to describe net crop returns after support payments for the 2025/26 crop year.Craig then demanded to know the current national average price of farm diesel. Rollins deflected to the Biden administration. Craig fired back."Joe Biden is no longer the president of the United States. Mr. Trump is. Your party controls Congress. You own these numbers." Farm diesel hit $5.41 a gallon in May — up 95% year over year, she noted, across "the entire year in which this administration was in power in the White House, the House, and the Senate."On fertilizer, Craig asked what share of farmers can't afford it this planting season. Rollins began breaking down fertilizer categories by region. "Oh, my God!" Craig cut in. "70% is the answer." A Farm Bureau survey of more than 5,700 farmers confirmed that figure.Rollins shot back: "Those are not the numbers. That's not correct."The hearing grew most heated over SNAP. Rollins disputed the program's official fraud rate, claiming states were self-reporting numbers the administration couldn't verify. Craig read the USDA's own data back to her."USDA's own data found 1.6%," Craig said. "I honestly don't think you understand the difference between error rates and fraud rates."Rollins accused Craig of grandstanding. "You're not asking questions for an answer. You're asking questions to make a political statement."Craig dismissed the charge and closed with a warning: "When you describe the farm economy as the 'golden age,' this administration needs to wake up and start understanding that family farmers are in need."
President Donald Trump fired off a Truth Social broadside on Thursday, accusing California Democrats of stealing the state’s gubernatorial primary — and given the Golden State’s long, sordid history of electoral shenanigans, he’s got plenty of reason to be suspicious. “There’s BIG cheating by the Dumocrats in California,” Trump posted. “Votes are all tied up. ...
'Did you tell Pulte you were gonna punch him in the face?' Senator Thom Tillis, an North Carolina Republican, asked Bessent.
President Donald Trump on Thursday ripped four “bad” Republicans who joined Democrats in passing legislation that effectively forces the president to end American military operations in Iran. The House passed legislation to “remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities against Iran unless explicitly authorized” by Congress, delivering a high-profile foreign policy defeat to the president. The […]
The U.S. spends more money on ICE than Israel, France and Japan spend on their defense programs.
Hunter Biden ripped into Jake Tapper after the CNN host criticized former First Lady Jill Biden for her “downright false” assessment of her husband’s health while he […]
During Donald Trump's second presidency, many of his top appointees — from former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to FBI Director Kash Patel to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — have faced aggressive grilling from Democratic lawmakers in congressional hearings. Journalist Brian Beutler examined this type of grilling during an early June appearance on The New Republic's podcast, "The Daily Blast," emphasizing that lawmakers can do some valuable debunking when they ask not only tough questions, but also, the right questions.During their conversation, guest Beutler and host Greg Sargent — a former Washington Post columnist — examined Rep. Ted Lieu's (D-California) forceful questioning of Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. Lieu highlighted the fact that President Donald Trump has been falling asleep in meetings, and Beutler and Sargent pointed to his grilling as a prime example of the type of thing Democratic lawmakers should be doing when they have a chance to question Trump administration officials.Beutler told Sargent, "Part of the reason he's falling asleep in Cabinet meetings is that he's this erratic person who is outraged all night, stays up all night tweeting, and then is too exhausted for the work that he actually finds boring — the work of the president that happens during mostly normal business hours. But I think that the point here is to put Rubio, or whoever happens to be testifying before Congress, in a bind and make them say ridiculous things under oath that are contradicted right there by video evidence, so that they make the rounds on social media and you and I talk about them on this podcast."Beutler and Sargent's conversation went way beyond Lieu grilling Rubio, and they brought out the role that Democratic lawmakers can play in debunking false claims from Republicans.Beutler told Sargent, "I mean, even before Donald Trump kind of took it to this insane level where everything he says about his opponent, you can count on to be a lie and abusive and maybe libelous — with the goal being to make them look small and easily squashed like a bug, and he's the strong person who's setting the terms of the political argument — Republicans would do this. They did this to (Democratic presidential nominee) John Kerry in 2004. He was a war hero. And so, they said, 'Nah, you faked your injuries, and you didn't deserve your purple heart.' And the idea wasn't just to convince people of the lie — it was to put Kerry in a bind, to make Kerry reveal that he didn't know how to fight back, to defend himself, and thus appear weak."Sargent noted that Republicans, similarly, are "attacking" James Talarico, the Democratic nominee in Texas' 2026 U.S. Senate race, "as transgender, as someone with low testosterone, as a vegan — basically as a wimp."Beutler told Sargent, "I guess the through line here is that there's a lot of political value in putting your opposition in a bind that, at least at a glance, feels impossible…. Think through what your opposition is likely to throw at you and how you’re going to respond. And so, this is why I write a lot about how Democrats can prepare to counter Republicans or set their own traps for Republicans. And what was so sharp about what Lieu did is, in a sort of more aboveboard and honest way, it required Rubio to make a choice: I either have to lie and debase myself, or tell the truth and lose my job."The journalist continued, "And if Democrats on Capitol Hill grilling Republicans before committees can try to keep that binary in mind, then their questions are going to be a lot sharper, a lot better. And there will be people who aren't quite as adept as Rubio, and they will start to flounder."