"The secretary of defense has approved providing mission-enhancing capabilities to the Department of Homeland Security" at the southern border, the Pentagon said in a statement Friday. "U.S. Northern Command will be in the lead for the duration of the operation and is in support of Custom and Border Protection."

The announcement did not say how many troops would be sent, but a Thursday report suggested it would be around 800 deployed to provide "fencing, wall materials, and other technical support."

Also Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said on Fox News there is presently no plan for the troops to shoot migrants. "We do not have any intention right now to shoot at people, but they will be apprehended, however," Nielsen said. "But I also take my officers and agents, their own personal safety, extraordinarily seriously. They do have the ability, of course, to defend themselves." Bonnie Kristian

Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) on Saturday became the first Republican to openly call for the impeachment of President Trump.

The congressman created a long tweet thread explaining that he came to the conclusion following the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on his investigation into 2016 Russian election interference. While Mueller's team found no criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Moscow, Amash believes Trump has still "engaged in impeachable conduct" and because impeachment does not, legally speaking, "require probable cause that a crime has been committed," Congress would be justified in pursuing that route.

He also said he believes Attorney General William Barr "deliberately misrepresented" Mueller's report. Amash's fellow Michigan representative, Rashida Tlaib (D), has reportedly asked Amash to cosponsor an impeachment investigation resolution.

While it may be fundamentally surprising for a Republican congressman to support impeachment openly, Amash has long been a harsh Trump critic, so it is unlikely his stance will spark similar responses. Tim O'Donnell

Alec Baldwin returned to NBC's Saturday Night Live to portray President Trump once again on Saturday evening for the show's season finale, but he also channeled his inner-Freddie Mercury during the episode's cold open.

While boasting about how much he has accomplished as commander-in-chief in the last year, Baldwin's Trump breaks into a rendition of Queen's hit song, "Don't Stop Me Now." He's shortly joined by a cast of characters including Cecily Strong's first lady Melania Trump, Beck Bennett's Vice President Mike Pence, and Aidy Bryant's White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders for what turns into a raucous sing-along. Turns out, not even Robert De Niro's Robert Mueller can ruin their fun. Watch the full skit below.

Tim O'Donnell

President Trump on Saturday night tweeted that he is "strongly pro-life," but like former President Ronald Reagan supports three exceptions for abortions — rape, incest, and when it is necessary to protect the life of the mother.

The tweet comes just days after Alabama's state legislature passed a near-total ban on abortion, which does not allow any exceptions for rape or incest. The governors of Missouri and Georgia signed their own restrictive abortion bills last week, as well, as part of a movement to overturn Roe V. Wade. This is the first time Trump has publicly commented on the recent wave of abortion laws, USA Today reports.

Trump followed his initial tweet with two more calling for unity among the pro-life movement. It's possible he was offering a veiled critique of the Alabama law, which even the likes of Pat Robertson have argued goes "too far." Tim O'Donnell

The future of charter schools could be in doubt if Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) finds his way into the White House. Early reactions to the news are mixed.

Sanders, one of the frontrunners in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary unveiled an ambitious, 10-point education policy plan on Saturday — which is the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court decision that made school segregation illegal — during a speech in South Carolina.

Sanders' proposal would put a halt to public funding for charter schools, at least until the completion of a national audit on such schools, which have become a "polarizing" topic in America, HuffPost reports. Sanders would also attempt to implement a ban on for-profit charter schools, which make up 15 percent of all charter schools. Sanders' reasoning is that charter schools can often "drain" communities of already limited resources, hurting traditional public schools in the process and leading to unofficial school segregation. However, HuffPost writes, polls show that black Democrats tend to hold more favorable views of charter schools than white Democrats. Amy Wilkins, the senior vice president of advocacy at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, called Sanders' plan "the opposite of the spirit" of the Brown v. Board decision.

Sanders is, to date, the only presidential candidate to have proposed a moratorium on charter school funding.

Other highlights of Sanders' plan are a minimum salary of $60,000 for teachers, tripling federal Title I funding, and providing universal school meals, Vox reports. Tim O'Donnell

It wouldn't be unreasonable to expect President Trump's quick trip to Ireland in June to meet with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar next month to go off without a hitch. But what seemed like a standard, mostly ceremonial visit is now in jeopardy because the two sides can't agree on a venue, putting Varadkar in an unenviable position.

Trump, who is planning on stopping in Ireland en route to Great Britain and France for the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of D-Day, reportedly really wants his meeting with Varadkar to take place at Trump's golf course and hotel in Doonbeg, an Irish government source familiar with the situation told CNN. The Irish government, though, thinks that it would be a bit "unseemly" for Varadkar to host Trump at his own hotel.

As a compromise, Ireland has proposed the two have dinner at a nearby venue, the Dromoland Castle, and then have a follow-up breakfast at Trump's property. "Leo is doing his best to minimize his exposure to Trump on this visit, but he is in a tricky position, as practically every American digital company's European headquarters are in Ireland," said the source.

The Trump visit was already complicated because the president is wildly unpopular in Ireland, CNN writes. At the same time, the prime minister wants to maintain positive relations with the United States as Ireland hosts headquarters for Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and Apple, CNN reports. Tim O'Donnell

This story has been updated.

In a surprising turn of events, Australia's governing Liberal-National Coalition has reportedly defied predictions on Saturday to win the country's federal elections.

Only 70 percent of the nationwide votes have been counted so far, but the Coalition has won — or is ahead in — 74 seats, with main opponent Labor trailing with 66 seats. The Coalition needs 76 seats to claim a majority government for center-right Liberal Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The anticipated victory comes as a shock in light of most pre-election opinion polling, which largely pointed to a narrow victory for Labor and its leader, Bill Shorten. BBC writes that it would be difficult to "find someone who says they saw this result coming" and Morrison described the result as a miracle. Shorten accepted defeat and announced he would resign his post.

The election was considered a crucial one, BBC reports, because Australia has had a tumultuous decade-plus in the political realm. While elections in the country are held every three years, no prime minister has served a full term since 2007.

Australia has mandatory voting and a reported record 16.4 million voters enrolled for the election. Tim O'Donnell