Trump suffers rare defeat with House Republicans on FISA The House GOP revolt on FISA Friday marked a rare setback for President Trump with his own party, exposing the limits of his influence over House Republicans. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) faced a significant challenge as the White House and GOP leadership struggled to secure support for a clean extension of Section 702, a controversial national security tool. This failure highlighted the growing fractures within the Republican conference and the challenges of aligning diverse factions on contentious issues. The White House had pushed for a clean extension of the FISA program, which grants intelligence agencies broad surveillance powers. However, some of Trump’s closest allies resisted, citing longstanding concerns about privacy and oversight. Over two dozen Republicans voted against two procedural votes early Friday, a move that was previously uncommon for majority members but has become increasingly frequent in recent months. This resistance forced GOP leaders to fall back on a last-resort 10-day extension of the spy powers program. Efforts to secure support included an intense pressure campaign by the White House and GOP leadership. CIA Director John Ratcliffe addressed Republicans at their weekly meeting, and the administration held multiple briefings at the White House specifically for holdout lawmakers. A makeshift "SCIF" (Secure Compartmented Information Facility) was even set up off the House floor to streamline access to classified information during legislative strategy sessions. Despite these measures, the White House’s push failed to sway enough Republicans to support the clean extension.#trump #house_republicans #mike_johnson #john_ratcliffe #fisa
Next phase of Iran war ‘will be even more punishing’: Rubio, Trump officials brief Congress Rubio told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the U.S. military’s next phase of operations against Iran will be “even more punishing” than current efforts. He declined to specify tactical details but emphasized that the “hardest hits are yet to come.” The remarks came during a briefing with Congress, part of a series of meetings between administration officials and lawmakers this week. In addition to Rubio’s session, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine will address Congress on Tuesday. The White House confirmed the schedule, highlighting the administration’s ongoing efforts to brief lawmakers on military actions in Iran. Rubio warned of an “imminent threat” from Iran but did not provide a clear timeline for the conflict, stating the U.S. would continue operations “as long as it takes to achieve” its objectives. He asserted that the world will be “safer” after the mission concludes. Congressional sessions resumed after a break following attacks on Iran, which killed its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Senate returned late Monday, and the House plans to reconvene on Tuesday. White House spokesperson Dylan Johnson noted that congressional staff had also been briefed, with the Department of War providing over 90 minutes of details to bipartisan national security committees. Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, criticized the briefings as insufficient, arguing they raised more questions than they answered. Schumer, who attended Rubio’s session, called the information “completely and totally insufficient” and expressed skepticism about the administration’s claims of an imminent threat.#pete_hegseth #ayatollah_ali_khamenei #dan_caine #john_ratcliffe #rubio
Chuck Schumer criticized a Trump administration briefing on the US war with Iran, calling it more questions than answers. The Senate’s Democratic minority leader said the officials’ responses to congressional inquiries were “completely and totally insufficient” during a closed-door meeting at the Capitol. He left the session without answering reporters’ questions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth participated in the classified briefing, with other officials expected to share their perspectives soon. President Donald Trump outlined his administration’s goals in the conflict, vowing to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, dismantle its navy, prevent the country from acquiring nuclear weapons, and stop Iran from funding terrorist groups abroad. He did not call for the Iranian people to resist their government, a stance he had previously advocated. Trump also noted the war had exceeded his initial four-to-five-week estimate, emphasizing the US’s ability to sustain operations for longer. During a Pentagon press conference, Hegseth initially claimed US troops would not be in Iran but later avoided specifying details, stating, “This is not Iraq. This is not endless.” Central Command confirmed six service members were killed and 18 wounded in the US-Israel strike on Iran. Rubio defended the attack as “preemptive” to protect US forces from retaliation after learning Israel planned strikes. However, Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner disputed the claim, arguing there was no imminent threat to the US, only to Israel. The State Department urged Americans to leave Middle Eastern countries following the strikes, with hundreds of thousands stranded in Gulf states as airspace over major airports like Dubai and Abu Dhabi closed.#pete_hegseth #marco_rubio #chuck_schumer #john_ratcliffe #mark_warner
