Democrats have rejected President Trump's offer to trade temporary protections for DREAMers and longtime legal immigrants who escaped war and natural disasters in exchange for $5.7 billion to start his proposed border wall. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says he will bring Trump's proposal up for a vote this week anyway. No details have been announced. "When we have (a plan) we will be sure to let everyone know," McConnell spokesman David Popp said Sunday.
"If [Trump] opens the government, we'll discuss whatever he offers, but hostage taking should not work," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday, stating the unified Democratic position. Democrats also say they are unwilling to trade a permanent wall for a temporary fix to a problem Trump himself created. The bill has also been derided as "amnesty" by some on the right, and without Democrats, it has almost no chance to pass in the Senate and it would be dead on arrival in the House.
This week, House Democrats are expected to pass their latest bill to reopen parts of the government closed in the 31-day-long partial shutdown. McConnell has not allowed votes on any of those measures, having "said for weeks that he has no interest in 'show votes' aimed only at forcing members to take sides after Trump rejected the Senate's earlier bipartisan bill to avert the shutdown," The Associated Press notes.
Most Senate Republicans are publicly united in opposing any bill Trump won't say he'll sign, but privately, "White House officials and GOP leaders would accept virtually any offer from Democrats to end the impasse, hoping they sell it to Trump as a 'victory' and move forward," The Washington Post reports, citing one Republican with close ties to both the administration and congressional leaders. "There is extreme consternation about how poorly the shutdown was playing out and how polling shows many Americans heaping blame on Trump." Peter Weber
Saturday is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the moment humans first set foot on the lunar landscape. And while that's brought with it some dazzling displays of commemoration, it has also put the discourse on the present and future of human space exploration front and center. The two surviving Apollo 11 astronauts weighed in on Friday evening.
Reunited in the Oval Office to celebrate the anniversary, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins both spoke about NASA and it's future plans after President Trump asked them their opinions. It's safe to say that they weren't entirely in agreement with the direction the agency has been going.
Collins, who remained in the command module while Aldrin and the late Neil Armstrong surfaced the moon, said he supports NASA bypassing a return to the moon — which is the current plan — and going straight to Mars. Aldrin, who is known for being direct, said he's disappointed with the state of human space exploration over the last decade or so. He also said that he doesn't support NASA's plan for a small space station around the moon from which to stage lunar landings, pointing out that Apollo 11 had no need.
Trump told NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who was also at the gathering, to listen to the "other side." It seems not even the anniversary moon landing can escape Trump's desire to stir the pot. Read more at The Associated Press. Tim O'Donnell
The Iran nuclear deal Jenga tower is wobbling and the Trump administration is close to pulling the final block before it could collapse for good, NBC News reports.
The deal is already in a fragile state following America's 2018 withdrawal, and Iran's recent decision to surpass the pact's uranium enrichment regulations. Now, the White House is reportedly considering ending waivers that allow Tehran to operate a civilian nuclear program with international assistance, which the government says it needs to generate electricity and conduct research.
Advocates on both sides are reportedly pleading with President Trump to take their desired course. On the side of restraint are European nations still clinging to the hope that the original deal from 2015 can be salvaged through diplomacy. Several Republican members of Congress, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), however, are whispering in Trump's other ear, arguing that Iran cannot be trusted.
The latter view may be winning out, especially in light of Iran's seizure of a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, which Tehran says was an act of reciprocity. Even the aforementioned European nations — the United Kingdom, Germany, and France — have condemned Iran's move, with the U.K. promising "robust" action if the ship is not returned. Meanwhile, the U.S. announced it will deploy military personnel to Saudi Arabia as a result of rising tensions.
CNN's Sam Kiley suggests that Tehran's latest "gamble," which is seemingly proof that the country's moderate voices have been stifled, could shift those European countries more closely to Washington. Perhaps supporting the end of the waiver is the next step, though plenty of people still believe exercising caution is the correct course. Tim O'Donnell
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has gone on the defensive against his own team.
The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate pushed back following complaints by his unionized campaign staffers who reportedly said they are receiving "poverty wages," rather than the proposed federal minimum of $15 an hour that Sanders has made a central part of his campaign.
In a statement on Friday, Sanders said his campaign has a "historic contract agreement that provides unprecedented protections and benefits" that include pay of at least $15 an hour and "the best health care benefits that any employer can provide for our field organizers."
Field staff do earn above minimum wage for a standard workweek of 40 hours, Vox explains, but those workers say they actually work around 60 hours per week, which would place their earnings at around $13 an hour, less than Sanders' proposed federal minimum. Those long hours are typical of campaigns, Vox reports. But the issue is that some members of the team are salaried and therefore don't necessarily receive overtime wages for pulling those extra hours.
Sanders also expressed frustration that his staffers aired their complaints to the media. "It is not really what labor negotiations are about, and it's improper," Sanders said. Read more at Vox. Tim O'Donnell
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office on Friday opened an internal investigation into whether it properly handled the case of Jeffrey Epstein.
The multimillionaire spent 13 months in jail beginning in 2008 after pleading guilty to solicitation of a minor, following a plea deal with Florida prosecutors that spared him from a much harsher sentence.
The investigation will specifically look at the office's decision to allow Epstein to be free 12 hours a day, 6 days a week on work release and determine whether deputies violated any rules or regulations related to the matter, The Miami Herald reports. While on work release Epstein was reportedly monitored by deputies, whom he paid $128,136 to watch him, the entire time he was out. On some occasions, records show, Epstein's personal limousine would drop him off at his office as early as 7:15 a.m. and returned him to jail as late as 10:40 p.m.
Epstein also was not allowed to leave his office while out of jail, but records show that deputies escorted him to his Palm Beach mansion on at least eight occasions.
"All aspects of the matter will be fully investigated to ensure total transparency and accountability," Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said on Friday. Bradshaw was the sheriff during Epstein's time in jail, as well.
Epstein has been charged with sex trafficking minors by New York prosecutors. He has denied wrongdoing. Tim O'Donnell