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Merkley nearly breaks Booker’s filibuster record, wins his praise for fighting ‘Trump’s authoritarian tactics’
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Democrats pulled out all the stops on Wednesday to delay the vote on a short-term spending bill to reopen the government — the 12th time the Senate has considered the measure since the government entered a shutdown on Oct. 1.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., embarked on a nearly 24-hour speech at 6:23 p.m. on Tuesday, concluding his remarks at 5:00 p.m. the next day. Merkley, 68, warned viewers of the authoritarianism he said had become a facet of the Trump administration.
«Be aware and worried about the possibility of the use of an emergency in order to expand authoritarian power. That’s the position we’re in now in the United States of America. Authoritarianism with a rubber-stamp Congress, a court that’s delivering more and more power to the executive and an executive who has a well-planned strategy,» Merkley said in his remarks.
JOHNSON WARNS US ‘BARRELING TOWARD ONE OF THE LONGEST SHUTDOWNS’ IN HISTORY
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., speaks to reporters following a weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Feb. 19, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«Republicans have shut down the government to continue the strategy of slashing Americans’ healthcare,» he said.
His speech comes as lawmakers remain gridlocked over federal funding for 2026. Whereas Republicans in the House of Representatives have passed a short-term funding bill to keep the government open through Nov. 21, Democrats in the Senate have voted a dozen times to defeat the package.
The Senate once again failed to advance the package on Wednesday. It failed in a 54-46 vote.
Democrats, led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., have demanded an extension of COVID-era supplemental funding for Obamacare healthcare subsidies that are set to sunset in 2025.
SCREAMING MATCH ERUPTS BETWEEN HAKEEM JEFFRIES, MIKE LAWLER AS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CHAOS CONTINUES
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., right, update reporters following their face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump and Republican leaders on the government funding crisis, at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 29, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
Republicans need the support of seven Democrats to overcome the 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster. The GOP holds 53 seats in the chamber.
Merkley, who came close to breaking Sen. Cory Booker’s 25-hour and 4-minute record that was set earlier this year, put the shutdown blame on Republicans throughout his discourse.
Booker praised Merkley’s stalling efforts online.
«Listening to Senator Jeff Merkley for over 22 hours, it is clear that we need to stand up for our democracy. We must continue to call out and counter Trump’s authoritarian tactics. Thank you, Jeff!» Booker said in a post on X.
BOOKER CONCLUDES RECORD 25-HOUR SPEECH AGAINST TRUMP, MUSK, MARKING THE LONGEST EVER ON THE SENATE FLOOR
On the issue of authoritarianism, which comprised the bulk of Merkley’s remarks, Merkley decried what he saw as the Trump administration’s attempts to push the limits on executive power — like its deployment of the National Guard to urban areas.
«If you remove a clear standard as to whether there is a rebellion and just say a president can deploy the military on a whim in places he doesn’t like against peaceful protesters to distract Americans or to exercise a suppression of dissent, then you have flung the doors open to tyranny. To a strongman state,» Merkley said.
National Guard members began patrolling Memphis in October as part of a federal task force established by President Donald Trump to combat what the administration says is violent crime in the city. (Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
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President Donald Trump has deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago, Memphis, and Portland, Oregon, citing a need to protect law enforcement and government operations in those cities.
politics,congress,senate
INTERNACIONAL
‘No Kings’ calls itself leaderless, but its own internal documents tell a very different story
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«No Kings,» a decentralized protest movement that crystallized in opposition to President Donald Trump’s second term, will hold thousands of events on Saturday morning, according to Sarah Parker, an organizer for one of the events in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The protests mark the most recent development for the amorphous group, which has prompted similar events in the past.
«Tomorrow we’re going to have over 3,500 events across the country,» Parker said. «I think it’s important to be out in the streets at this moment in time to save our country. The events will be overwhelmingly peaceful, and there are going to be millions of Americans from different affiliations, different ages and different ethnic backgrounds coming together to be in community.»
Parker did not describe how «No Kings» works with local figures to organize events but said the protests aim to build on local displeasure with the administration.
LIZ PEEK: DEMOCRAT FURY FUELS ‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTS BUT ENDGAME IS ELUSIVE
No Kings protesters, left, pictured alongside Sarah Parker, an organizer for a protest in Minnesota, right. ( Dong Xudong/Xinhua via Getty Images; Fox News Digital)
«I think this is organic. This is a people-powered movement. We have different local hosts that are volunteers who have stepped up to host an event in their areas, even in rural areas. We have hundreds of events in rural and deep-red states,» Parker said.
Unlike other organized organizations, «No Kings» is not a non-profit, a business, or a formal organization, making its structure a mystery. Because of its lack of centralization, it has little to no financial reporting requirements and no easily identifiable leadership.
«No Kings» first burst onto the scene through «No Kings Day» in June 2025, an event that, in the words of their website, inspired «a nationwide uprising 14 times larger than both of Trump’s inaugurations combined.»
‘NO KINGS’ PROTESTERS FILMED HAVING CHILDREN BASH TRUMP PIÑATA
Almost a year later, the protests scheduled for Saturday hope to continue their opposition, touting opposition to Trump’s recent actions in Iran and debates over immigration enforcement.
«Masked secret police terrorizing our communities. An illegal, catastrophic war putting us in danger and driving up our costs. Attacks on our freedom of speech, our civil rights, our freedom to vote. Costs pushing families to the brink,» their website’s description reads.
President Donald Trump on July 28, 2025, in Turnberry, Scotland. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Despite Parker’s framing of a decentralized movement, No Kings provides a highly-structured document for organizers titled «March 28 Toolkit,» instructing viewers on how to recruit their own speakers, delegate roles, register their event and use No Kings branded media materials. It also lays out best practices for logistics as well as how to avoid permitting and insurance requirements for event-holders.
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Notably, the document also includes a «host hotline,» providing a number with a Maryland area code.
A map of events scheduled for Saturday shows organizational activity in the vast majority of urban centers across the country. Parker said that no one center will play a lead role, but that Minneapolis will act as a «flagship.»
Parker isn’t affiliated with No Kings directly. Instead, she described herself as a part of 50501 — another decentralized organization that partners with No Kings. She did not describe the nature of the partnership or how they interacted amid their similarly decentralized structures.
REVOLUTIONARY TOURISM: INSIDE THE $600M MARRIAGE OF DARK MONEY AND FAR-LEFT AGITPROP
Protesters gather in Washington, D.C., for the No Kings Day protest on October 18th, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)
Asked what 50501 meant, Parker said the name originally stood for «50 states, 50 capitols, one day.»
It, too, is not registered as a non-profit or business.
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When asked who should be listening to No Kings’ messaging, Parker said she believes its lawmakers that should pay attention.
«I think it’s for any elected official that is not listening to their constituents again. It should be a message for any, any elected officials, regardless of their political affiliation,» Parker said.
us protests, donald trump, politics
INTERNACIONAL
«No Kings»: multitudinarias protestas contra Donald Trump en todo Estados Unidos y otros países
INTERNACIONAL
Zelenskyy offers cutting-edge drone defense to Gulf allies as Ukraine seeks missile support
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is turning battlefield innovation into bargaining power, offering Ukraine’s anti-drone systems to Middle Eastern allies, while seeking more air-defense support as the war with Russia drags into its fourth year.
Zelenskyy met Friday in Abu Dhabi with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the two discussed an agreement by which Ukraine would provide its cutting-edge counter-drone technology in exchange for ballistic missile support and financial aid.
In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News after the meeting, Zelenskyy detailed how Ukraine’s battlefield innovations, namely its anti-Russian drone systems, are influencing defense partnerships worldwide.
ZELENSKYY ANNOUNCES NEXT ROUND OF TALKS WITH US, RUSSIA AS UKRAINE AIMS FOR ‘REAL AND DIGNIFIED END TO THE WAR
In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy detailed how Ukraine’s battlefield innovations are influencing defense partnerships worldwide. (Fox News)
«We have, for example, drone interceptors. We have [a] system of electronic warfare and a lot of things. All these jointly work in one system. This is what we have [that] nobody has,» Zelenskyy told Fox News correspondent Matt Finn in Abu Dhabi.
Ukraine is now sharing elements of that system with at least four Persian Gulf nations — the UAE, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia — as they confront growing threats from Iran’s drone capabilities.
But Zelenskyy emphasized the partnership must be reciprocal. Ukraine continues to face a «big deficit» of critical air defense weapons, particularly PAC-3 Patriot missiles used to intercept ballistic threats.
«We are ready to help Middle East countries with our expertise and with our knowledge, and we hope … that they can help with anti-ballistic missiles,» Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine has already signed 10-year defense agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with a similar deal with the UAE expected soon, according to the AP.
TRUMP MEETS WITH ZELENSKYY; TALKS COULD UNLOCK FIRST ZELENSKYY-PUTIN CALL IN FIVE YEARS: SOURCE
A plume of smoke rises from the site of a strike in Tehran early on March 28, 2026. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)
Zelenskyy also warned that increasing U.S. military focus on the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran and the ongoing «Operation Epic Fury» could slow the flow of weapons to Ukraine.
He claimed Russia is already strengthening Iran’s military by sharing drone technology, including Shahed «kamikaze» drones, as well as battlefield tactics developed during the war.
«Russia will share all they know about this war. … They’re already sharing with Iranians,» Zelenskyy said.
While he stopped short of confirming missile transfers, Zelenskyy suggested Moscow has a strategic interest in prolonging instability in the Middle East to divert U.S. attention away from Ukraine.
«This is what they do,» Zelenskyy said.
On the battlefield, Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine will not cede territory in the contested Donbas region, arguing it would weaken defenses, damage troop morale and displace tens of thousands of civilians.
«I think their morale will decrease,» Zelenskyy said.
He also urged the Trump administration not to lose sight of Ukraine while addressing Middle East tensions.
AS UKRAINE WAR DRAGS ON, TRUMP HITS PUTIN BY SQUEEZING RUSSIA’S PROXIES
Destroyed homes after a Russian drone attack March 28 in Odesa, Ukraine. (Viacheslav Onyshchenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
More than 270 Russian drones struck Ukraine overnight Friday, leaving at least five people dead, Ukrainian officials said Saturday, according to AP.
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«I hope that President Trump … will find a way to end this war with pressure on the Iranian regime, and I hope that also they will not forget about … the war of Russia against Ukraine,» Zelenskyy said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
world, ukraine, russia, volodymyr zelenskyy, conflicts, iran, war with iran
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