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Thune guarantees voter ID bill to hit the Senate despite Schumer, Dem opposition: ‘We will have a vote’
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is ready to put Senate Democrats to the test on voter ID legislation.
The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act has earned the backing of 50 Senate Republicans, including Thune, which is enough to break through a key procedural hurdle.
Whether it can pass from the Senate to President Donald Trump’s desk is, for now, an unlikely scenario if lawmakers take the traditional path in the upper chamber. Still, Thune wants to put Democrats on the spot as midterm elections creep closer.
«We will have a vote,» Thune told Fox News Digital.
SCHUMER SAYS DEMS WILL FIGHT VOTER ID PUSH ‘TOOTH AND NAIL,’ BALKS AT DHS ROLE IN ELECTIONS
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News Digital that the SAVE America Act, voter ID legislation backed by President Donald Trump, would get a vote in the Senate. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
His comments came as he crisscrossed his home state of South Dakota, where he and Republicans in their respective states are out selling their legislative achievements as primary season fast approaches.
Thune viewed the opportunity of a floor vote as a way to have Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his caucus explain to voters why they would block a legislative push to federally enshrine voter ID and proof of citizenship to register to vote.
«We will make sure that everybody’s on the record, and if they want to be against ensuring that only American citizens vote in our elections, they can defend that when they have to go out and campaign against Republicans this fall,» Thune said.
COLLINS BOOSTS REPUBLICAN VOTER ID EFFORT, BUT WON’T SCRAP FILIBUSTER
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and most Senate Democrats aren’t willing to back the SAVE America Act, complicating the bill’s survival in the upper chamber. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
But the political makeup of the Senate will prove a tricky path to navigate if Republicans want to pass the bill.
Though the majority of the Senate GOP backs the bill, without at least a handful of Senate Democrats joining them, it is destined to fall victim to the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
And Schumer has time and again made clear that he and the majority of Senate Democrats view the legislation, which passed the House last week, as a tool of voter suppression that would unduly harm poorer Americans and minority groups.
So Senate Republicans are looking at their options.
One, which Thune already threw cold water on, is nuking the Senate filibuster. The other is turning to the talking, or standing, filibuster. It’s the physical precursor to the current filibuster that requires hours upon hours of debate over a bill.
FETTERMAN SLAMS DEMOCRATS’ ‘JIM CROW 2.0’ VOTER ID RHETORIC AS PARTY UNITY FRACTURES
President Donald Trump listens during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Some fear that taking that path could paralyze the Senate floor. Thune acknowledged that concern, having previously made it himself, but noted another wrinkle.
«A lot of people focus on unlimited debate, and yes, it is something that could drag on for weeks or literally, for that matter, months,» Thune said. «But it’s also unlimited amendments, meaning that every amendment — there’s no rules — so every amendment will be 51 votes.»
He argued that there are several politically challenging amendments that could hit the floor that would put members in tough reelections in a hard spot and possibly cause them to pass, which «could also be very detrimental to the bill in the end.»
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Thune didn’t shut down the idea of turning to the talking filibuster, especially if it ended in lawmakers being able to actually pass the SAVE America Act. But in the Senate, outcomes are rarely guaranteed on politically divisive legislation.
«I think that, you know, this obviously is a mechanism of trying to pursue an outcome, but I don’t know that, in the end, it’ll get you the outcome you want,» Thune said. «And there could be a lot of ancillary damage along the way.»
politics,senate,elections,john thune
INTERNACIONAL
EEUU instó a Ucrania a sentarse “rápidamente” a la mesa de negociaciones con Rusia en la víspera de una nueva ronda de conversaciones
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, instó este lunes a Ucrania a sentarse “rápidamente” a la mesa de negociaciones con Rusia, en la víspera de una nueva ronda de conversaciones entre Moscú y Kiev en Ginebra, impulsadas por Washington.
“Más vale que Ucrania se siente a la mesa rápidamente”, afirmó el mandatario ante la prensa a bordo del avión presidencial, mientras viajaba hacia Washington. En el mismo intercambio con periodistas, subrayó que se trata de “conversaciones importantes” y aseguró: “Va a ser muy fácil”. “Eso es todo lo que le digo. Estamos en posición de hacerlo. Queremos que vengan”, agregó.
La reunión prevista en Ginebra tendrá lugar tras dos rondas anteriores de contactos mediadas por Estados Unidos en Abu Dhabi, que no arrojaron señales de avance decisivo. Ambas partes describieron públicamente esos intercambios como productivos, pero mantienen diferencias profundas sobre la cuestión territorial, eje central del conflicto que comenzó con la invasión rusa a Ucrania en febrero de 2022.
Trump impulsa una salida negociada a la guerra y enviará a su principal emisario, Steve Witkoff, junto a su yerno y ex asesor Jared Kushner, como parte de la delegación estadounidense. Por parte de Rusia, la delegación estará encabezada por el exministro de Cultura Vladimir Medinski. Ucrania estará representada por Rustem Umerov, jefe del Consejo de Seguridad Nacional, acompañado por otros funcionarios.
Moscú mantiene sus exigencias de amplias concesiones territoriales y políticas por parte de Ucrania, planteamientos que Kiev rechaza y considera equivalentes a una capitulación. Las posiciones continúan alejadas en torno al estatus de los territorios ocupados y las garantías de seguridad futuras.
En paralelo a la presión diplomática, el presidente ucraniano, Volodimir Zelensky, advirtió el lunes que Rusia prepara un “ataque masivo” contra la infraestructura energética del país. Según indicó, instruyó a las autoridades para reforzar la seguridad de instalaciones estratégicas ante el riesgo de nuevos bombardeos.
Zelensky también se refirió a las negociaciones previstas en Ginebra y defendió que Ucrania no debe “repetir errores y ceder parte del territorio” a Rusia. En ese contexto, sostuvo que no se puede frenar las ambiciones del presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, con “besos y flores”.
El Gobierno ucraniano insiste en que cualquier acuerdo sobre cuestiones territoriales debe tratarse a nivel de líderes y no limitarse a negociaciones técnicas. Kiev mantiene que la soberanía sobre los territorios en disputa no está sujeta a renuncia.
La propuesta planteada por Washington contempla la creación de una zona franca en el territorio en disputa, donde se pueda comerciar libremente como fórmula de compromiso. No obstante, Ucrania remarca que incluso en ese esquema conservaría la soberanía sobre esas áreas.
En cuanto a las opciones sobre el terreno, Ucrania apuesta por congelar las líneas actuales del frente como paso inicial hacia un arreglo político. Rusia, en cambio, aspira a consolidar el control sobre todo el Donbás, incluyendo zonas que no ocupa actualmente en el marco de la ofensiva iniciada en 2022.
Las conversaciones en Ginebra se desarrollarán en ese contexto de posiciones contrapuestas y bajo la presión de una situación militar que sigue activa. La Casa Blanca presenta la ronda como una oportunidad para avanzar hacia un entendimiento, mientras Kiev y Moscú mantienen exigencias que hasta ahora impiden un consenso sobre el futuro de los territorios en disputa.
(Con información de EP y AFP)
Diplomacy / Foreign Policy,Europe
INTERNACIONAL
Swalwell’s ‘I should be working’ gym, pool videos resurface as Dem rival hammers his missed House votes
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One of Rep. Eric Swalwell’s, D-Calif., top Democratic opponents in the race for California governor unleashed a «savage» campaign ad using Swalwell’s own words against him.
Billionaire gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer, who was also unsuccessful in running for president in 2020, used multiple videos Swalwell posted on social media during the 2025 government shutdown by the pool and at the gym as an attack on his missed votes in Washington, D.C.
The Swalwell videos, which were initially intended as an attack on Republicans and blaming them for why he wasn’t working during the 40+ day shutdown, repeatedly say, «I should be working.»
«Eric Swalwell’s job is to vote in Congress,» the ad starts out in between videos of Swalwell in the pool and at the gym telling his followers that he «should be working» right now. «In 2025, Eric Swalwell missed 95 votes. That’s more than Rep. Raul Grijalva missed. Rep. Grijalva died in March 2025.»
UNEARTHED PHOTO OF SWALWELL MEETING WITH TOP CCP OFFICIAL RAISES ALARM BELLS: ‘VERY DISTURBING’
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) wears a protective mask while speaking during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on April 15, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images)
According to GovTrack.US, Swalwell missed 102 out of 139 roll call votes, or 73%, between Sept. 19, 2025 and Feb. 9, 2026. In late November, he announced his run to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom as California’s next governor. In Steyer’s ad, the billionaire’s campaign claims Swalwell has missed 68% of votes since declaring his candidacy.
«He hasn’t been showing up to work, and now he’s asking for a promotion,» the advertisement concluded, as it continued showing clips of Swalwell bench pressing and talking about how he should be in a suit on Capitol Hill and not pumping iron.
Congressman Eric Swalwell pumping iron in a video he posted to social media in July 2025, slamming Republicans for allegedly sending him home and preventing the California congressman from doing his job. (Eric Swalwell for Governor)
ICE DIRECTOR FLIPS SCRIPT ON SWALWELL AFTER DEM LAWMAKER DEMANDED HIS RESIGNATION
«Savage,» Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff posted on X.
«Steyer going negative on Swalwell this early is the latest piece of evidence Dem primaries this cycle are going to be nastier than they’ve been in a while,» senior Huffington Post editor Kevin Robillard posted on X.
«Brutal ad,» Washington Free Beacon reporter Jon Levine posted on X.
Swalwell began posting these videos last summer, complaining that Republicans had sent him home for political reasons.
«I should be working right now. I should be in Congress. I should be voting to lower your costs. But, instead, I’m in a pool because Republicans sent everyone home because they don’t want to release the Epstein files,» Swalwell said in a late July video he posted to his social media accounts from a glistening pool on the water. «We could be working to lower your costs, make sure healthcare is affordable, and make sure we are restoring the rights of everyone in our community. I should be working right now.»
«Swalwell has, however, kept constituents informed of his workouts even if he is not actually working,» Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley posted on X last summer. «It turns out that the shutdown was not the problem since he is being outvoted by deceased colleagues.»
According to Swalwell and other Democrats, at the time, Republicans sent everyone in Congress home early to avoid voting on an Epstein transparency app, later passed. However, Republicans said that Democrats were trying to ram through measures already being pursued by the executive branch at the time.
The pool video was part of a series of other «I should be working right now» videos from Swalwell at the time, including one he took while throwing out the first pitch for his hometown’s minor league baseball team and another one of him bench pressing 135 pounds at the gym.
Congressman Eric Swalwell lounging in his pool in a video he posted to social media slamming Republicans for allegedly sending him home and preventing the California congressman from doing his job in July 2025. (Eric Swalwell for Governor)
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Fox News Digital reached out to Swalwell and his representatives for comment on the criticism about him missing votes, but did not hear back in time for publication.
eric swalwell,politics,democrats,california,democrats elections
INTERNACIONAL
100 US troops land in Nigeria as Islamic militants threaten West Africa regional security
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Around 100 U.S. troops and military equipment arrived in Nigeria Monday to help support local forces battling Islamic militants and other armed groups in the West African nation, the Nigerian military said.
The U.S. personnel touched down as part of a broader security cooperation effort between Washington and Abuja with 100 more arriving over time.
The arrival came at the request of the Nigerian government, which sought assistance with training, technical support and intelligence sharing as it confronts violence, the Associated Press reported.
About 200 U.S. Africa Command personnel are expected to deploy to Nigeria in total and in what officials have described as a support mission aimed at strengthening the capacity of Nigerian forces.
NIGERIA’S FIRST LADY SAYS US STRIKES WERE A ‘BLESSING,’ WELCOMES COLLABORATION WITH TRUMP
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. John W. Brennan, deputy commander, U.S. Africa Command met Nigerian officials upon arriving in Nigeria for talks. (U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Tucceri)
The effort is focused on combating Islamist extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, both of which have carried out attacks in northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.
The first batch of troops represents the initial group of what is expected to be a roughly 200-person deployment of others, including U.S. intelligence analysts, advisers and trainers.
The move follows recent visits by senior U.S. Africa Command officials to Abuja to reinforce military-to-military ties and expand counterterrorism cooperation.
DEADLY STRIKE ON US TROOPS TESTS TRUMP’S COUNTER-ISIS PLAN — AND HIS TRUST IN SYRIA’S NEW LEADER
Nigerian soldiers man a checkpoint in Gwoza, Nigeria. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi)
On Feb. 8, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu met with a high-level U.S. delegation led by U.S. Africa Command commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson at the State House in Abuja, according to Nigeria’s presidency.
The meeting included senior officials from Nigeria’s military, security and intelligence agencies and focused on expanding intelligence sharing and operational coordination.
Monday’s deployment came as tensions between Washington and Abuja have eased following earlier friction over religious violence and civilian protection.
AMERICANS CAN’T CLOSE OUR EYES TO THE MURDER OF CHRISTIANS IN NIGERIA
Split of President Donald Trump and President of Nigeria Bola Tinubu (Ton Molina/Getty Images; Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump had previously accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians from what he described as a genocide, citing attacks by extremist groups and armed bandits.
Trump ordered airstrikes on Dec. 25 targeting Islamic State militants and said they were responsible for killing Christians.
Africom conducted strikes in Sokoto State in northwest Nigeria targeting what it described as Islamic State terrorists and said they were coordinated with Nigerian authorities.
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«The United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!» Trump said in a post on Truth Social at the time.
africa,counter terrorism,military,terrorism
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