President Trump may have changed his mind about welcoming responsibility for shutting down part of the federal government over his proposed border wall, but Americans are still sticking him and his party with most of the blame, according to two polls released Sunday. In a Washington Post/ABC News poll, 53 percent of respondents blamed Trump and the Republican Party for the shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history, while 29 percent blamed Democrats and 13 percent blamed both sides. In a CNN/SSRS poll, 55 percent of American adults blamed Trump and the GOP, 32 percent blamed Democrats, and 9 percent blamed both sides equally.

Trump and the GOP "are losing the messaging war on the government shutdown," Politico reports, but only among Democrats, independents, and white voters without a college education. Almost 7 in 10 Republicans blame Democrats for the shutdown in the Washington Post/ABC poll, but GOP support for building a border wall has increased by 16 percentage points since last January, to 87 percent now from 71 percent a year ago. In the CNN poll, 8 in 10 Republicans back a wall. Overall, in the CNN poll, 56 percent of Americans oppose the wall and 39 percent support it; in the Post/ABC poll, 54 percent oppose the wall versus 42 percent who support it.

Trump's poll numbers have also taken a hit amid the shutdown, the CNN poll found. His approval rating remained steady at 37 percent, but his disapproval number rose 5 percentage points since December, to 57 percent. Much of that rise in disapproval came from whites without college degrees, among whom he is now underwater for the first time in a year, with 45 percent approving and 47 percent disapproving. This group also blames Trump over Democrats for the shutdown, 45 percent to 39 percent.

The Post-ABC poll was conducted via phone Jan. 8-11 among 788 Americans nationwide, and its margin of sampling error is ±4.5 percentage points. The CNN/SSRS poll was conducted Jan. 10-11 among 848 adults nationwide, and its margin of sampling error is ±4.1 points. Peter Weber

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

Iran and the U.S. have both maintained they have no intention of becoming mired in a physical, on-the-ground war. On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he does not believe such a conflict will break out and that no country is under the "illusion it could confront Iran."

But as tensions heighten between the two nations, media reports out of Saudi Arabia said that multiple Gulf states have agreed to a U.S. request to redeploy military forces in Gulf waters and territories as a form of deterrence should Iran attempt to use force, Al Jazeera reports.

The U.S. has taken other precautionary measures, as well. U.S. diplomats have issued warnings to commercial airliners flying over the Gulf. The diplomats said the planes could be misidentified as military planes, putting them at risk. That said, commercial planes will still be able to fly as normal in the region. Lloyd's of London, an insurance company, also warned of increased risks for ships passing through the region's waters. The advisories went into place after Washington increased sanctions on Iran and pulled non-essential staff from its embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, citing possible threats from Iran's proxy forces. Tim O'Donnell

The Department of Homeland Security has remained embroiled in drama even after the tense resignation of former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in April.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan threatened to leave his post after President Trump's senior adviser Stephen Miller tried to dictate agency hiring, administration officials told The Washington Post on Friday. McAleenan blocked Miller's attempts, but he reportedly made known that he needed to have more control over his agency.

The dispute revolved around former FBI official Mark Morgan, whom Trump selected to be the new director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Miller, though, sought to have Morgan installed as the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection instead. But McAleenan made clear to White House officials, including Trump's chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, that he, not Miller, was the head of the DHS in closed-door meetings. One anonymous Trump aide described the clash as an "immigration knife fight."

McAleenan ultimately prevailed and Morgan will take over as acting ICE director next week. Read more at The Washington Post. Tim O'Donnell

In an attempt to relieve overcrowding at border facilities in Texas, hundreds of migrant families, mostly from Central America, detained while trying to cross the southern border will be flown to San Diego where they will be interviewed, finger printed, and photographed before being turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"We're in the middle of a humanitarian crisis and the numbers in Texas are staggering so the BP is helping out in those sectors to more efficiently process those folks," an unnamed CPB official said, referring to the Border Patrol.

The first official flight arrived on Friday and three flights carrying between 120 and 135 people will take off weekly, Customs and Border Protection Interim Chief Patrol Agent Douglas Harrison said on Friday. The families will be medically screened before departure to ensure they are fit for travel. There are not expected to be any unaccompanied minors on the flights.

The announcement comes as two Department of Homeland Security Officials said the DHS is planning to transport recent border crossers to cities around the country before releasing them after processing. It is not clear if the San Diego flights are part of that plan, NBC News reports. Tim O'Donnell