INTERNACIONAL
Lawmakers budge, ushering in government shutdown’s potential ‘end of the beginning’

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«Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.» – Winston Churchill
It’s not an agreement. Just a plan.
But the political ice which has frozen lawmakers and closed the government for 37 days is softening.
Just barely.
THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHERE WE STAND WITH A POTENTIAL BREAK IN THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
«There seems to be some indication of a thaw,» said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.
Let’s face it:
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers are skittish about the shutdown. They’re agonizing about aviation. There’s increasing worry among bipartisan lawmakers about federal workers not getting paid and the cessation of emergency food benefits known as SNAP. Everyone wants a deal. However, no one knows where to find one.
Any agreement will be about the math. But lawmakers are locked in this shutdown box and can’t find the combination to escape.
There’s movement on the Hill for the first time since the government shut down on October 1 – as Churchill once said, it’s, «perhaps, the end of the beginning.» (Mehmet Eser/Anadolu via Getty Images)
That’s why it’s significant there are at least attempts to turn the wheels of Congress to open the government. But that may take a while.
That’s why it’s notable that, for the first time since October 1, lawmakers are even attempting to turn the gears of government back on.
«I’m optimistic that we should get something done this week,» said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D. «I think there’s a path forward here.»
Back on Tuesday, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., believed the Senate would vote soon.
«I think it probably could happen Thursday. It might be pushed until Friday. But more than likely Thursday,» said Mullin.
But the Oklahoma Republican offered this caveat.
«I’m just making assumptions,» cautioned Mullin.
OVER ONE MONTH INTO GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AND NO END IN SIGHT – BUT PREDICTIONS RUN RAMPANT
This is the government shutdown of 2025. And no one knows anything.
Mullin was back on FOX Business on Wednesday, recalibrating what he said a day earlier.
«There’s been a group working in a very strong bipartisan manner, saying once this election is over, we’re going to reopen. And then today, they came back with some of the most ridiculous demands to take authority away from President Trump – wanting us as a Senate to guarantee what the House can and can’t do. And it’s just not feasible,» said Mullin.
Republicans have long known that the House-passed interim spending bill (from September 19) simply doesn’t work anymore. Even if the Senate were to align with the House, that legislation only funds the government through November 21. And that would deposit Congress right back where it started on October 1 with a shutdown.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., says «there’s been a group working in a very strong bipartisan manner,» but «they came back with some of the most ridiculous demands to take authority away from President Trump.» (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
So Republicans began eyeing a longer temporary spending bill running through late January.
«We’ve lost five weeks. So the November 21st, deadline no longer makes a lot of sense,» said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., referring to the end date of the original spending bill – still not passed by the Senate.
But Republicans need buy-in from Democrats to break a filibuster on any bill to terminate the record-breaking shutdown.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was circumspect when asked what Democrats might support after a lengthy lunch meeting of Democratic senators on Tuesday.
«We had a very good caucus and we’re exploring all the options,» was Schumer’s anodyne reply.
SHUTDOWN SEEN FROM THE PULPIT: INCHING ALONG ON A WING AND A PRAYER
But despite discussions, no one is exactly sure what could court Democratic votes. Especially since Republicans aren’t relenting.
«It seems they’re pretty dug in and they’re okay, screwing people over on their healthcare,» said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.
Schumer and a group of Senate Democrats incensed House liberals when they helped the GOP avoid a filibuster on a bill to fund the government in March. So it’s natural that House Democrats are leery of getting burned again.
«How much skepticism would there be from House Democrats on any sort of agreement that would come from the Senate?» yours truly asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
«We said from the very beginning that we will evaluate in good faith any bipartisan agreement that emerges from the Senate,» said Jeffries.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., claims his caucus has said from the start that they’ll «evaluate in good faith any bipartisan agreement that emerges from the Senate.» (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)
And that’s why the government likely remains shuttered for a while – even though there are bona fide efforts to solve the crisis.
«I don’t think any of us expected that it would drag on this long,» said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
But on Thursday, Senate Republicans developed a new plan which they hoped might end the government shutdown.
Or at least liquefy the ice a little more.
OPTIMISM FADES AS SENATE DEMOCRATS DIG IN, HOLD OUT OVER OBAMACARE DEMANDS
Republicans are challenging Democrats to block a test vote on a new gambit which would fund the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects, the Department of Agriculture and Congress itself. That represents three of the 12 federal spending areas which Congress must approve each year. This plan would fund those three sectors until September 30, 2026. Lawmakers would attach another Band-Aid spending bill for the rest of the government until late January. But it was unclear if Democrats would go along.
«I’m less optimistic this morning than I was yesterday,» said Johnson. «What I understand is that Chuck Schumer has pulled them back from that and that they’re being instructed and told they can’t go there.»
And progressives are again leaning on Schumer.
Especially after his decision to help fund the government in March.
«He’s got to keep doing it and we’ve got to deliver a win because we can’t have what happened in the spring happen again,» said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., to colleague Aishah Hasnie.

Progressives are once again leaning on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Democrats are invigorated after Tuesday’s election results.
«There is no reason to surrender now. Every reason to stand firm,» said Blumenthal. «The message of Tuesday simply confirms what we’ve been hearing again and again and again.»
The plan could include an agreement to hold a vote by a particular date in the future related to healthcare subsidies. That’s the Democrats’ key request. But Democrats want more: a guarantee that Congress will offset spiking ObamaCare costs.
With the House not voting since September 19, Democrats are turning to political guerrilla tactics to make their points about the shutdown.
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., showed up at a press conference by the House Republican leadership on Wednesday and hectored Johnson. U.S. Capitol Police tried to remove Houlahan – until they realized she was a member of Congress.
Johnson called Houlahan’s interruption «beneath her.»
TRAVEL INDUSTRY SOUNDS ALARM OVER HOW SHUTDOWN WILL IMPACT AMERICANS AHEAD OF THANKSGIVING
Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., set up a table outside the speaker’s office on Thursday afternoon, promising to answer questions, discuss healthcare and the Epstein files. Ansari says Capitol Police told her she could «get arrested if the table’s not moved.»
Ansari hawked healthcare subsidies as the nation’s air traffic controllers continue to work without paychecks.
«They’re heroes. They keep us safe every single day,» said Ansari of the controllers.
But she added a caveat:
«Is it more important than 24 million Americans losing their health insurance or not being able to afford their rent?» asked Ansari. «No.»

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., noted that the air travel threatened by the shutdown is «nothing to mess around with.» (Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Aviation concerns are gripping the nation. But only one Republican is saying out loud what everyone is thinking.
«All it takes is one little accident. And if people die?» said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. «So air travel is nothing to mess around with.»
Even if the Senate votes this week, few expect an immediate breakthrough.
«My hopes and expectations are always that we’re going to have enough Democrats to actually proceed. But I don’t know. We’ll see,» said Thune. «The Dems are having a hard time taking yes for an answer.»
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., offered his own time frame.
SEN. JOHN KENNEDY PREDICTS HOW LONG SHUTDOWN WILL LAST, SAYS DEMOCRATS ARE STILL ‘STAMPING THEIR LITTLE FEET’
«We’re at least seven days and more likely ten and very possibly two weeks away from opening up at best,» said Kennedy.
Democrats are split as to what they want to do. Still, many want an off-ramp. And progressives are ready to rage if moderate Democrats burn them again.
So we are far from the end of the government shutdown saga. But we’re not at the beginning anymore. Perhaps that’s solace to those tracking the shutdown.
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After all, anything which begins – usually ends.
Eventually.
congress,senate,house of representatives politics,government shutdown
INTERNACIONAL
Cambodian PM says Thai forces occupying disputed land despite Trump-brokered ceasefire

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FIRST ON FOX: Last year, when President Donald Trump helped broker a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, he took a victory lap.
«Who else could say, ‘I’m going to make a phone call and stop a war between two very powerful countries, Thailand and Cambodia?’» he said.
Now, that agreement appears under strain. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told Fox News Digital that Thai forces have pushed into long-held Cambodian territory beyond the line of dispute. Thai soldiers have sealed off villages with barbed wire and shipping containers, leaving 80,000 Cambodians unable to return home, according to Cambodian officials.
«The occupation is beyond even Thailand’s unilateral claim,» Manet said. «Many of the villagers cannot go back to their hometowns.»
US ALERTS TOURISTS OF ‘UNPREDICTABLE SECURITY SITUATION’ IN POPULAR HOLIDAY DESTINATION
Cambodia and Thailand have sparred for decades over sections of their 500-mile land border, much of which was drawn during the French colonial era and later interpreted differently by Bangkok and Phnom Penh. The dispute has periodically flared into armed clashes, particularly around areas near historic Khmer temple sites and rural villages where demarcation remains incomplete.
Tensions escalated again last year, with fighting breaking out along contested stretches of the frontier and displacing thousands of civilians on both sides. The clashes prompted diplomatic intervention and culminated in a ceasefire agreement brokered with U.S. involvement during an ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Images and local reporting from the most recent fighting show damage to buildings near the frontier, including at or near the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear temple complex, raising concerns about the safety of cultural heritage sites in contested zones. Cambodian officials have blamed Thai forces for the damage, while Thai officials have denied deliberately targeting religious or cultural landmarks, saying military operations were limited to contested security areas.
The Thai embassy could not be reached for comment on this interview.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet interviewed with Fox News Digital during a trip to Washington, D.C., for President Trump’s Board of Peace. (Fox News Digital)
TRUMP’S PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH IN 2025: WHERE WARS STOPPED AND RIVALS CAME TO THE TABLE
Still, Manet declined to threaten military retaliation.
«Our position is to always stick to peaceful resolutions,» he said. «We don’t believe that using war to stop a war is sustainable or practical.»
Thailand, with a population of more than 70 million — roughly four times Cambodia’s 17 million — maintains a significantly larger and better-equipped military, raising the stakes of any renewed conflict.
With fighting again threatening fragile stability along the frontier, Manet traveled to Washington this week for the inaugural meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace.
«The Board of Peace can play an active role in promoting peace, stability and normalcy between Cambodia and Thailand,» Manet said.
TRUMP CONVENES FIRST BOARD OF PEACE MEETING AS GAZA REBUILD HINGES ON HAMAS DISARMAMENT
Hun Manet took office in 2023, succeeding his father, Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades. The leadership transition marked the first formal handover of power in decades, though the ruling Cambodian People’s Party has maintained firm control over the country’s political system amid longstanding criticism from rights groups about limits on opposition activity.
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Manet has sought to maintain close ties with China while cautiously reopening channels with Washington, including restoring joint military exercises that had been suspended in 2017.
As Cambodia navigates tensions with Thailand, it is also balancing relations between Washington and Beijing.

The Preah Vihear temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, where cluster munitions, unexploded artillery shells and other ordnance are marked around the temple grounds, after clashes between the two countries, in Preah Vihear province, Cambodia, Feb. 12, 2026. (Soveit Yarn/Reuters)
Manet said navigating ties with competing world powers «doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game» and that Cambodia, as a smaller nation, cannot afford to «choose one country against the other.»
That balance has centered in part on Ream Naval Base, a strategic site on Cambodia’s southern coast rebuilt with Chinese financing.
The USS Cincinnati docked at Ream in late January, marking the first U.S. warship visit since the base was renovated with Chinese funding and technical support. The visit was marked by a striking visual, the USS Cincinnati docked roughly 150 meters from a Chinese naval vessel already moored at the base. For years, U.S. officials have raised concerns that Cambodia had granted China exclusive access.
But Manet insisted the base remains under Cambodian control.
«Our constitution says that no foreign military base [can] be situated on Cambodian soil,» Manet said.

Images and local reporting from the most recent fighting show damage to buildings near the frontier, including at or near the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear temple complex, raising concerns about the safety of cultural heritage sites in contested zones. (Soveit Yarn/Reuters)

Manet said navigating ties with competing world powers «doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game» and that Cambodia, as a smaller nation, cannot afford to «choose one country against the other.» (Samrang Pring/Reuters)
The U.S. visit, he said, «clearly shows that Cambodia is not exclusively used as a naval base for cooperation with China.»
Manet also confirmed that annual U.S.-Cambodia military exercises known as Angkor Sentinel, suspended in 2017, will resume this year, signaling warming defense ties.
«We hope to have expanding cooperation with the U.S.,» Manet said.
In recent years, Cambodia has emerged as a hub for large-scale online scam operations, including so-called «pig butchering» schemes that have defrauded victims worldwide — including Americans — out of billions of dollars. U.S. authorities have sanctioned Cambodian-linked entities tied to crypto fraud and pressed Phnom Penh to intensify enforcement efforts amid concerns about trafficking and forced labor linked to some compounds.
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Manet said his government has stepped up cooperation with U.S. authorities and recently worked with the FBI to dismantle a major operation.
«We have recently worked with the FBI cracking on a major case involving one of the Oknyaks,» he said, referring to an influential Cambodian figure. «We arrested him, and we closed down one of the big compounds.»
conflicts defense,asia,foreign policy,donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
Zelenskyy dismisses Putin’s ‘historical s—’ in peace talks as ‘delay tactic,’ urges focus on ending the war

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday dismissed what he described as Vladimir Putin’s «historical s—,» saying he has no interest in debating the past and wants peace talks focused squarely on ending the war.
In a pointed post on X, Zelenskyy described Russia’s historical arguments as a «delay tactic,» accusing Moscow of using them to stall meaningful negotiations. He argued the only issue worth discussing with Putin is how to bring the war to a swift and successful end.
Putin has long made claims about the history of Ukraine and Russia, including a 2021 piece he wrote that discussed his position that «Russians and Ukrainians were one people» and that the two countries are «essentially the same historical and spiritual space.» Zelenskyy said debates about history will not accomplish the goal of reaching peace, and will only prolong the process of reaching a resolution.
«I have been to Russia – to many cities. And I knew a lot of people there. He [Putin] has never been to Ukraine this many times. He was only in big cities. I went to small cities. From the northern part to the southern part. Everywhere. I know their mentality. That’s why I don’t want to lose time on all these things,» Zelenskyy wrote.
PUTIN REJECTS KEY PARTS OF US PEACE PLAN AS KREMLIN OFFICIAL WARNS EUROPE FACES NEW WAR RISK: REPORT
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have both met separately with President Donald Trump. Despite a peace deal agreement being close, territorial disputes remain, Zelenskyy said. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP; Christian Bruna/Getty)
The remarks came after another round of trilateral talks between Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian officials in Switzerland; meetings the Ukrainian president suggested he had produced limited progress.
«As of today, we cannot say that the outcome of the meetings in Geneva is sufficient,» Zelenskyy explained, saying that while military representatives had discussed certain issues «seriously and substantively,» sensitive political matters, possible compromises and a potential meeting between leaders have not yet been adequately worked through.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS THREATEN TO FORCE RUSSIA SANCTIONS VOTE AFTER GIVING LEADERSHIP ‘ONE LAST CHANCE’

A Ukrainian delegation (right) and Russian delegation (left) wait for the start of a meeting on the first day of the third round of trilateral talks between delegates from Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. in Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb. 17, 2026. (Press Service Of The National Security And Defence Council Of Ukraine/Handout via Reuters)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte questioned at the Munich Security Conference last week whether Russia is serious about negotiations, noting that Moscow again sent presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who has previously emphasized historical narratives in talks, to lead discussions in Geneva.
Medinsky characterized the two days of negotiations as «difficult but businesslike,» according to a translation of his remarks from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
RUSSIA GETS PARALYMPIC SPOTS UNDER NATIONAL FLAG; UKRAINE OFFICIALS BOYCOTT OVER ‘OUTRAGEOUS DECISION’

Russia’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky leaves after a second round of U.S.-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Geneva on Feb. 18, 2026. (Harold Cunningham/AFP via Getty Images)
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NBC News reported that Medinsky, who has served as a Kremlin aide since 2020, is regarded as a close Putin ally whose views on Ukrainian history closely align with the Russian president’s.
«It would seem obvious to anyone familiar with history at the primary school level: Russians and Ukrainians are historically — one people,» he wrote in a November op-ed for the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.
volodymyr zelenskyy,vladimir putin,ukraine,russia
INTERNACIONAL
De la IA a Starlink: cómo la tecnología de los drones está transformando la guerra en Ucrania

A medida que la guerra en Ucrania entra en su quinto año, los drones han llegado a dominar por completo la línea del frente, una transformación en la guerra moderna que está siendo observada en todo el mundo.
He aquí una mirada a la tecnología que está transformando la guerra, cuatro años después de que Rusia lanzó su invasión a gran escala enviando tanques y hombres a través de la frontera:
Los drones, que van desde dispositivos comerciales baratos diseñados para uso civil hasta aeronaves en miniatura cargadas de explosivos, son responsables de hasta el 80 por ciento de los daños en el campo de batalla, afirmó el ministro de Defensa de Ucrania , Mykhailo Fedorov.
“La guerra moderna es ahora imposible sin drones”, declaró a la AFP Koleso, un soldado de infantería ucraniano, en el este de Ucrania .
La línea del frente se ha transformado en una “zona de muerte” que se extiende hasta 20 kilómetros (12 millas) de profundidad: “un área entre dos lados donde nada puede sobrevivir porque está constantemente monitoreada por drones”, explicó la experta militar Kateryna Bondar.
Los soldados sólo pueden operar allí en pequeños grupos, moviéndose rápido y con la mirada fija en el cielo, con la esperanza de pasar desapercibidos.
Las piezas de artillería pesada, así como los lentos tanques y vehículos blindados, son demasiado lentos y visibles, lo que los convierte en blancos fáciles para ambos bandos.
Las tropas ucranianas, que no están dispuestas a enviar más hombres de los necesarios a la zona de exterminio, utilizan drones terrestres para transportar suministros a áreas peligrosas y evacuar a los soldados heridos.

Mantener una conexión estable entre el dron y su operador, controlándolo de forma remota, es una tarea crucial. “Ahí es donde se desarrolla la verdadera carrera : las comunicaciones y las conexiones”, dijo Bondar.
Inicialmente, la mayoría de los drones funcionaban mediante una conexión de radio. Pero demostraron ser vulnerables a la guerra electrónica, la práctica de interferir e interceptar naves enemigas, provocando que caigan del cielo o pierdan la conexión con el operador.
Rusia ha recurrido a drones controlados por cables de fibra óptica ultrafinos, en gran medida inmunes a las interferencias electrónicas. En escenas que parecen una película de ciencia ficción distópica, su uso generalizado ha dejado franjas de ciudades y campos de primera línea sepultados en redes de cables.
Como otra alternativa al control por radio, los ucranianos han comenzado a colocar terminales Starlink en los drones. Esto les permite volar utilizando una conexión a Internet por satélite.
“Necesitamos volar lejos con una señal de vídeo estable y un control estable”, dijo Phoenix, un comandante del Grupo Lasar de Ucrania, pionero en el uso de Starlink .
Las tropas rusas pronto comenzaron a copiar, hasta que Ucrania presionó a Elon Musk el mes pasado para que desactivara terminales rusas no autorizadas. La medida alteró los sistemas rusos y ucranianos, dijeron observadores militares.
El Instituto para el Estudio de la Guerra, con sede en Estados Unidos, dijo que el apagón probablemente ayudó a posibilitar un avance ucraniano localizado, pero rápido, en la región sureña de Zaporizhia a principios de febrero.
La proliferación de drones ha obligado a renovar los sistemas de defensa aérea. Disparar misiles avanzados, que pueden costar millones, para derribar drones que valen apenas una fracción de eso es una respuesta demasiado costosa.
Además de realizar interferencias, Ucrania también ha desarrollado drones interceptores baratos, construidos específicamente para destruir otras naves en el aire. “Abrimos el capítulo de la guerra de los drones con drones”, dijo Marko Kushnir de General Cherry, un fabricante líder de drones interceptores .
Las carreteras cercanas al frente han sido equipadas con redes protectoras que intentan detener los drones atacantes, mientras que camiones equipados con jaulas antidrones y bloqueadores de drones pasan a toda velocidad por ellas.
Las ametralladoras también son un último recurso para derribar drones del cielo. Los aliados occidentales de Ucrania han recurrido cada vez más a la experiencia de Kiev después de que drones rusos hicieran repetidas incursiones en el espacio aéreo europeo en los últimos meses.
Los ingenieros están compitiendo para equipar los drones con inteligencia artificial para mejorar su rendimiento.
Empresas ucranianas como The Fourth Law (TFL) dicen haber desarrollado la llamada guía terminal, que permite a la IA tomar el control de un dispositivo en los momentos finales antes del impacto. Esto tiene como objetivo mejorar la precisión de los golpes, especialmente porque la conexión generalmente se pierde en los momentos finales antes de un golpe.
“Rusia y China también están desarrollando este tipo de tecnologías, y si nuestros países no lo hacen… perderemos”, dijo Maksym Savanevskyi de TFL. Pero la autonomía plena aún está lejos.
“La IA está cumpliendo una función de ayuda en lugar de sustituir a la humana”, afirmó Bondar, el experto militar. “Pensé que simplemente podrían retirar a la gente del equipo de batalla, que podría automatizarse completamente. Esa es una visión ingenua”, dijo el ex director ejecutivo de Google, Eric Schmidt, ahora director de SwiftBeat, una empresa que suministra drones con inteligencia artificial al ejército de Ucrania .
“En el futuro previsible, primero tendremos drones y después personas”, dijo en una conferencia en Kiev. Durante todo el frente oriental, Koleso afirmó que los soldados de infantería siempre seguirían siendo relevantes.
“Hasta que no plantes la bandera tú mismo, con tus propias manos, y tomes la posición, no puede considerarse tuya”, dijo.
(AFP)
Europe,KYIV
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