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Dems not budging on government shutdown demands ahead of high-stakes Trump meeting, Jeffries suggests
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has signaled that Democrats are not budging on their key demands ahead of a high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump about government funding.
The federal government will enter a partial shutdown at midnight on Wednesday if Republicans and Democrats do not reach a deal on funding priorities for fiscal year (FY) 2026, which ends at the end of the day on Sept. 30.
All but one House Democrat rejected Republicans’ plan for a roughly straightforward extension of FY 2025 funding levels, through Nov. 21, aimed at giving appropriators more time for a longer-term deal.
Jeffries blasted the measure — called a continuing resolution (CR) — as partisan and has demanded that Republicans make concessions on healthcare in exchange for Democratic support.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, left, is signaling that Democrats are holding firm on their healthcare demands ahead of a high-stakes meeting with President Donald Trump on government funding. (Getty Images)
He signaled during a last-minute news conference on Monday that Democrats would reject anything less than a written plan to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
«No one can trust their word on healthcare. Are you kidding me? These people have been trying to repeal and displace people off the Affordable Care Act since 2010. That’s 15 years,» Jeffries said. «And on behalf of the American people, we’re supposed to simply take their word that they’re willing to negotiate? The American people know that would be an unreasonable thing for us to do.»
Jeffries also pointed out that an alternate CR offered by Democrats would expand those subsidies under the ACA, colloquially known as «Obamacare,» permanently.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol, in Washington on March 6, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
It comes hours before he, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., are set to meet with Trump to discuss government funding at 3 p.m. on Monday.
Johnson and Thune, along with other Republicans in Congress, have been pushing Democrats to accept the deal on the table — pointing out that funding levels have remained roughly the same since former President Joe Biden’s time in office.
«We are ready, we are willing, we are able to find a bipartisan path forward and reach a spending agreement that actually keeps the government open, but meets the needs of the American people in terms of their health, their safety, and their economic well-being related to lowering the high cost of living, as opposed to allowing tens of millions of Americans to experience dramatically increased health care costs,» Jeffries told reporters.
«What we will not do is support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of the American people.»
The COVID-era Obamacare subsidies are due to expire at the end of this year without any action by Congress.
Thune told NBC News’ «Meet the Press» on Sunday that he would be open to negotiating a deal but not paired with the current government funding talks.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks with reporters near his office on Capitol Hill on Sept. 18, 2025, in Washington. (Mariam Zuhaib/AP Photo)
«We can have that conversation, but before we do, release the hostage. Set the American people free, keep the government open, and then let’s have a conversation about those premium tax credits. I’m certainly open to that. I think we all are,» he said.
«I will say … that particular program is desperately in need of reform. It’s fraught with waste, fraud and abuse. So we are going to have reforms if we take action there, but I think there’s potentially a path forward.»
The GOP-led CR passed the House earlier this month largely along party lines.
It’s now on the Senate, where at least several Democrats will be needed to reach the 60-vote threshold to proceed with the bill.
Schumer is under tremendous pressure by his left flank after playing a key role in advancing Republicans’ earlier CR in March, which extended through Sept. 30.
This time, however, Jeffries assured that he and Schumer are in «lock-step» on bucking the Republican plan unless a compromise is reached.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speak at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
He said of their upcoming sit-down with Trump, «We’re heading into the meeting to have a good faith negotiation about landing the plane in a way that avoids a government shutdown but does not continue the Republican assault on the healthcare of the American people.»
«Republicans control the House and the Senate, and there’s a Republican president. If the government shuts down, it’s because Republicans want to shut the government down,» Jeffries said at another point.
Johnson, meanwhile, hammered Democrats’ position in an appearance on «Sunday Morning Futures.»
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«We passed a continuing resolution, a simple, very clean, 24-page continuing resolution to keep the government open for seven more weeks, so the appropriators can finish that process,» Johnson said.
«And [Schumer] said, ‘No. Instead, I want to add $1.5 trillion in new spending to a seven-week stopgap bill…we want to reinstate free healthcare to illegal aliens paid for by U.S. taxpayer dollars. We want to claw back the $50 billion that we passed, Republicans passed, in our big, beautiful bill, the Working Families Tax Cuts, to provide for rural hospitals and healthcare, and a laundry list of other partisan priorities. He knows it’s a nonstarter.»
politics,donald trump,house of representatives politics,democrats,government shutdown
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Alliance with US ‘dismantled’ by leftist Petro regime, Colombia’s former defense minister says
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Former Colombian Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzón warned that the once-close U.S.–Colombia alliance has «collapsed» under President Gustavo Petro, accusing the leftist leader of aligning with Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro and turning Colombia into a «narco-state.»
Pinzón, who is weighing a presidential run, told Fox News Digital he could «repair U.S.-Colombian relations in a week» and urged international oversight of Colombia’s May elections amid what he called growing cartel influence and political corruption.
«Petro has made himself an ally to [Venezuelan dictator Nicolás] Maduro’s regime, a narco-state, and a regime that is held mainly by the Cartel de los Soles,» Pinzón said. «He has justified the existence of drug trafficking in Colombia … he has aligned himself with the idea of something that he calls ‘Total Peace,’ which implies that he’s providing benefits to drug traffickers and terrorist organizations and in general terms to organized crime.»
Relations between Washington and Bogotá — historically one of the closest U.S. security partnerships in Latin America — have deteriorated sharply under Petro, who has sought warmer ties with Caracas while distancing Colombia from the U.S. and Western allies.
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Colombia’s former defense chief and Ambassador to the U.S. Juan Carlos Pinzon (right) floats a run for the presidency. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)
During his tenure as defense minister from 2011 to 2015 under President Juan Manuel Santos, Pinzón oversaw some of Colombia’s most aggressive operations against the FARC and other armed groups, helping drive coca production and kidnappings to historic lows. As ambassador to Washington from 2015 to 2017, he helped secure Colombia’s designation as a major non-NATO ally, expanding intelligence sharing and military training programs with the U.S. — partnerships he now says have been «dismantled» under Petro.
Under Petro’s «Total Peace» policy, the Colombian government negotiates directly with armed criminal groups in an effort to end decades of internal conflict and integrate fighters into civilian life. Critics, including Pinzón, say the initiative has legitimized cartels and weakened the country’s security forces.
«Homicide has gone up, terrorist actions have gone up, kidnappings have gone up, and the killing of police officers and military is increasing,» he said. «All this is very bad for my country. And this is why I’m so committed to fight this, to confront this.»
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President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro. (Getty Images)
Pinzón, who previously served as both defense minister and ambassador to Washington, is positioning himself as a pro-U.S. alternative ahead of Colombia’s 2026 presidential race. «I might announce a decision in the coming weeks,» he said. «That’s something that I’m really considering.»
He also called for international election monitoring, warning that criminal networks could interfere in the vote. «If I were to ask something to the world today and to the international community — to the U.S., to the European Union, and even to countries in Asia — it’s that they make sure Colombian elections are not tainted by drug trafficking, illegal mining or terrorist hands,» Pinzón said.
After a recent spat where Petro accused the U.S. of killing a Colombian fisherman in one of its seven Caribbean strikes targeting drug traffickers, Trump announced he would cut off all counter-narcotics aid to Colombia and hike tariffs on the nation.
Pinzón urged Washington not to punish ordinary Colombians for Petro’s policies.
«It’s not regular Colombians who are doing this,» he said. «Most of us completely disagree with what is going on under Petro. We don’t want to see tariffs that can affect jobs and businesses in Colombia.»
While he praised Trump’s stance against narco-trafficking and corruption, Pinzón said he hopes the U.S. will avoid cutting counternarcotics aid, which he described as vital to Colombia’s military and police forces on the front lines of the drug war. «Our military and police are the real fighters against drugs,» he said. «They continue to sacrifice, they continue to confront terrorism and drug trafficking. If that support disappears, it’s the criminals who are going to benefit.»
Instead, Pinzón said Washington should focus on targeted financial sanctions — such as those imposed by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) — to hit specific traffickers, corrupt officials and their enablers rather than imposing measures that «hurt regular Colombians.» «We would prefer OFAC-style sanctions on the people committing crimes,» he said, «not policies that punish those who oppose Petro’s agenda.»
Looking ahead to potential ties with Washington, Pinzón said he could quickly rebuild the partnership through renewed security and intelligence cooperation, technology exchange and educational programs.
«Petro has made himself an ally to Maduro’s regime, a narco-state, and a regime that is held mainly by the Cartel de los Soles,» Pinzón said. (LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images)
TRUMP GOES ALL-OUT AGAINST COLOMBIA’S PETRO AFTER CLAIMS DRUG STRIKE KILLED FISHERMAN: WHAT WE KNOW
«I will just come to the U.S., speak openly and clearly with President Trump and the U.S. leadership, and speak on the need of creating a security agreement again on intelligence, on air mobility, on technology, on combating drug trade, but also on critical minerals and education,» he said. «We want more Colombians to come to U.S. schools and enhance their capabilities and come back to Colombia to create knowledge, wealth and prosperity. We’re going to be again the closest ally of the United States strategically in the region.»
If Colombia continues on its current course, Pinzón warned, it could destabilize the entire hemisphere. «Colombia is a stabilizer at the end,» he said. «If Colombia fails, the whole region will fail.»
Asked if he would seek U.S. backing, Pinzón said he values bipartisan support. «Everybody knows that I will have a very good relationship with the United States, certainly with the current administration, with President Trump,» he said.
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Pinzón also accused Petro of «abandoning» Colombian citizens during a diplomatic spat with Washington after refusing deportation flights from the U.S. because the migrants were shackled. He said he would cooperate on deportations and be open to broader agreements if asked.
«When Afghanistan fell, we offered the U.S. even to take care of some of the Afghanis if necessary,» Pinzón said. «When you have a strong relationship as the one we used to have between Colombia and the U.S., and we will have if I can get to the presidency, what we’re going to see is a lot of good coordination and a lot of good things for both the people of Colombia and the people of the United States.»
Fox News Digital reached out to the Colombian Embassy for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
latin america,foreign policy,venezuelan political crisis
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Una heladera, una TV, un teléfono y las «serenatas» de otros presos: así es la minúscula celda donde encarcelaron a Nicolas Sarkozy en pleno corazón de París
El martes 21 de octubre, Nicolas Sarkozy marcó un hito en la historia de Francia: se convirtió en el primer expresidente en ser encarcelado desde el final de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Condenado a cinco años de prisión efectiva por financiar una campaña con dinero del dictador libio Gadafi, el exmandatario enfrentará su detención en el sector de aislamiento de la famosa prisión de la Santé, en pleno corazón de París.
Ubicada en el XIV arrondissement, entre la Place d’Italie y la Gare Montparnasse, la Santé es la única cárcel dentro de la ciudad. Allí, Sarkozy será alojado en una celda de 9 m² en el área de mayor seguridad del penal, un sector reservado para los detenidos considerados “vulnerables” o de alto perfil.
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Pocos lujos: así son por dentro las celdas de máxima seguridad de La Santé. (Foto: AFP).
Un régimen de aislamiento total y vigilancia permanente
El sector de aislamiento de la Santé es conocido por su seguridad extrema. Los internos permanecen completamente solos en sus celdas y, cuando salen para una breve caminata o para hacer algo de ejercicio, lo hacen sin compañía. Incluso en la biblioteca, la rutina es en soledad absoluta.
La senadora ecologista Anne Souyris visitó el lugar y describió el protocolo al sitio FranceInfo: “Cuando abren la celda, hay una trampa en la puerta. Los presos deben sacar las manos para que los esposen. Es realmente muy seguro”. La Santé es la única cárcel dentro de París. (Foto: AFP/Boris Horvat).
Las celdas son pequeñas, de apenas 9 metros cuadrados. Tienen una pequeña heladera, una cocina eléctrica rodeada de humedad, una televisión y un teléfono fijo en la pared.
El mobiliario es básico: una cama y, a veces, un colchón en el suelo para un segundo interno. Las condiciones, según los propios presos, dejan mucho que desear: “El problema es la ventilación de la ducha y la cocina. Las paredes se hinchan”, contó uno de ellos.
Una pequeña heladera, una cocina eléctrica y un teléfono fijo en la pared. Así es la celda donde detuvieron a Sarkozy. (Foto: gentileza France Info).
Sobrepoblación, violencia y un pasado de figuras polémicas
La Santé está sobrepoblada: aloja a 1237 detenidos, aunque su capacidad es de solo 657. Apenas una treintena de internos, menos del 3%, son considerados “vulnerables”, como Sarkozy.
Por el penal pasaron otros políticos famosos en Francia: Patrick Balkany, Claude Guéant, Bernard Tapie, el cantante Jean-Luc Lahaye y hasta el exjefe policial Michel Neyret.
Neyret, que estuvo ocho meses en aislamiento, recordó: “Las primeras noches, cada media hora te despiertan y prenden la luz para ver si no tenés pensamientos suicidas. Después, vienen las ‘serenatas’ de los otros presos, que gritan tu nombre toda la noche. Es el recibimiento que seguramente le espera a Sarkozy”.
Sarkozy será detenido en un sector para presos considerados «vulnerables». (Foto: gentileza France Info).
El clima puede ser hostil. Muchos internos seguramente no habrán olvidado las declaraciones del expresidente, que había prometido “limpiar la escoria con una hidrolavadora” o propuso la castración química para violadores. “Eso no le cayó bien a nadie. Nos sentíamos tratados como animales”, dijo un preso.
Leé también: Condenaron al expresidente Nicolás Sarkozy por financiar su campaña con dinero del dictador libio Gadafi
Privilegios, rutina y la posibilidad de libertad anticipada
A pesar del aislamiento, Sarkozy tendrá acceso a los mismos servicios que el resto de los internos de ese sector: tres visitas semanales, un teléfono fijo en la celda y dos salidas diarias al patio.
Sin embargo, la rutina es monótona y el tiempo pasa lento. “No hay actividades, solo una hora de deporte y una hora y media de paseo”, explicó Pierre Botton, un exempresario que estuvo dos veces en la Santé. Nicolás Sarkozy junto a su esposa, la modelo y cantante Carla Bruni. (Foto: AFP/Julien De Rosa).
Desde el primer día, el expresidente podrá pedir la libertad provisional ante la Cámara de Apelaciones. El tribunal tendrá hasta dos meses para responder.
Minutos antes de despedirse de su esposa, la cantante y modelo Carla Bruni, y de entregarse esta mañana, Sarkozy escribió en la red social X: “Esta mañana encierran a un inocente”. Denunció un “escándalo judicial” y un “viacrucis”, y aseguró: “La verdad triunfará, pero el precio a pagar habrá sido abrumador”.
Policías vigilan la cárcel de La Santé a la espera de la llegada de Nicolás Sarkozy. (Foto: REUTERS/Christian Hartmann).
Días atrás, contó al diario Le Figaro que entraría a la cárcel “con la cabeza alta”, acompañado por una biografía de Jesús y el clásico libro “El Conde de Montecristo”, símbolo de los inocentes injustamente condenados. Hojas para matar la soledad.
Nicolas Sarkozy, Francia, Cárceles, París
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