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Recess on ice as Republicans hunker down for high-stakes nominee blitz
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Senate Republicans are still trying to hash out a deal with their Democratic counterparts to push through a package of President Donald Trump’s nominees as their scheduled departure from Washington has come and gone.
Republicans are under pressure from the White House, and their own members, to find a path forward, but Senate Democrats have largely dug their heels into the dirt in opposition in a bid to slow down the confirmation process. Lawmakers are still in town hammering toward a deal, while growing frustrations and weariness simmer in the upper chamber.
SENATE GOP EYES RULES REVOLT AS DEMS STONEWALL TRUMP NOMINEES
President Donald Trump listens at an event to promote his proposal to improve Americans’ access to their medical records in the East Room of the White House on July 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., appeared more upbeat about the state of affairs, despite rumblings that negotiations were faltering.
«Democrats aren’t negotiating with us, we’re negotiating among ourselves,» he told Fox News Digital. «I think we found, I think we may have found a landing spot.»
Underscoring negotiations with Senate Democrats are threats of rule changes to the confirmation process, which could speed things up but drive a partisan wedge even deeper between the aisles.
Trump had initially called on Senate Republicans to consider canceling their August recess to ram through as many of his nominees as possible. But late Thursday night, he took a more stern tone.
‘ALL THE OPTIONS’: GOP EYES CUTTING AUGUST RECESS TO MOVE DOZENS OF TRUMP NOMINEES STALLED BY DEMS
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) pauses while speaking to reporters at the U.S. Capitol Building on July 1, 2025 in Washington. (Getty Images/Andrwe Harnik)
«The Senate must stay in Session, taking no recess, until the entire Executive Calendar is CLEAR!!! We have to save our Country from the Lunatic Left,» Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social. «Republicans, for the health and safety of the USA, DO YOUR JOB, and confirm All Nominees. They should NOT BE FORCED TO WAIT. Thank you for your attention to this matter!»
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has been locked in negotiations with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., throughout the week to hammer out a deal that would allow lawmakers to vote on a tranche of nominees quickly.
He told reporters Friday evening that he didn’t have a «report that adds any certainty to the question of schedule at the moment.»
«It’s still in flux,» he said.
Senate Republicans have moved at a rapid pace to add more and more nominees to the calendar, and so far have placed nearly 160 onto the schedule. Should a deal not be reached, and the GOP adheres to Trump’s demands, leaving Washington to return to their home states until early September may be out of the question.
THUNE VOWS TO ‘GRIND DOWN’ DEMOCRATS AS TRUMP’S NOMINEES FACE ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ SENATE OBSTRUCTION
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol during the vote-a-rama on President Trump’s «big beautiful bill» reconciliation package on June 30, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
While most Republicans are on board with trying to ram through Trump’s picks, the desire to leave Capitol Hill after a blistering seven-month stretch — where lawmakers have already confirmed over 120 of the president’s nominees — is palpable.
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., said that the idea that lawmakers would leave town in the next few days «seems to have disappeared.»
«Grumpiness is here already, as you can hear from my tone, but we’re still here. We know the factor of weariness and other commitments outside of Washington, D.C., they work, but there is still a whole set of … nominations that need to be completed,» he said.
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A bright spot for Republicans is that the resistance to advancing nominees and confirming them is not across the board among Senate Democrats.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told Fox News Digital that he has plans for recess, but he’s ready to cancel those if need be.
«My hope is that we’ll move a number of nominees through and get out fairly soon,» he said. «But I’m not the one doing the negotiating.»
politics,senate,donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
Senate Democrats are feverishly recruiting top candidates to win back majority in 2026 midterms
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As they mount their uphill effort to win back the Senate majority in next year’s midterm elections, Democrats feel that they’re on a roll.
Late last month, they landed their biggest recruit to date, when former two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina declared his candidacy in the 2026 race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
Democrats view the open Senate seat in the crucial southeastern battleground state as a top pick-up opportunity next year as they try to win back control of the Senate, which the Republicans currently hold with a 53-47 majority.
«It’s hard to overstate the importance of getting Gov. Cooper to run for the Senate in North Carolina, and already we are seeing a potential for a ripple effect,» longtime Democratic strategist Chris Moyer told Fox News Digital.
THIS REPUBLICAN JUST JUMPED INTO BATTLEGROUND GEORGIA’S HIGH-PROFILE SENATE RACE
Then-Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat from North Carolina, speaks with reporters on Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News )
Moyer, a veteran campaign communicator, said that Cooper recruitment is «giving more faith to potential candidates who are questioning whether there’s a chance for a Democratic majority in the Senate next year.»
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, after landing Cooper, said he «is a formidable candidate who will flip North Carolina’s Senate seat.»
Top Democrats now have their eyes on former Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who lost last year’s re-election bid in a onetime top swing state that’s become reliably red over the past decade.
WHAT A TOP POLITICAL HANDICAPPER SAID ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS’ CHANCES TO WIN BACK SENATE IN 2026
Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, trekked to Ohio this summer in hopes of convincing Brown to take on Republican Sen. Jon Husted, Fox News confirmed.
Brown, who served over three decades in the House and later the Senate, is viewed by Democrats as the only candidate who could potentially topple Husted, who was named at the beginning of this year to fill the seat left vacant when then-Sen. JD Vance stepped down to become vice president.
Former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio is seriously considering a 2026 bid to return to the Senate. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Democrats landed the candidate they were hoping for in swing state New Hampshire in the race to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
Four-term Rep. Chris Pappas’ announcement in early April that he would run to succeed Shaheen has cleared the Democratic primary field, as of now, of any potential rivals for the party’s Senate nomination.
Democratic Senate candidate in New Hampshire Rep. Chris Pappas is interviewed by Fox News Digital on July 4, 2025, in Portsmouth, N.H. (Paul Steinhauser – Fox News)
Meanwhile, a Republican primary in the state – where the GOP hasn’t won a Senate race in 15 years – is heating up between former Sen. Scott Brown and state Sen. Dan Innis, with the possibility of more candidates entering the race.
In battleground Georgia, which President Donald Trump narrowly carried in last year’s White House race, Republicans view first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democrat incumbent up for re-election next year.
But Ossoff is off to a very hot fundraising start, and a GOP primary between Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, and former college and professional football coach Derek Dooley, is starting to turn combustible.
Republicans view Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democrat running for re-election in the 2026 midterm elections. (AP)
Of potential concern for the Democrats is Michigan, where the dynamics appear to be the opposite of Georgia, in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers, the 2024 GOP Senate nominee who narrowly lost last year’s race, appears to have cleared the Republican, thanks in great part to Trump’s endorsement and likely arm twisting by the president’s political team.
Democrats, meanwhile, have a very competitive primary on their hands. The primary race includes three well-known Democrats: Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, and former gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who enjoys the backing of progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
And popular Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is running for the Senate as an independent, which could potentially hurt Democrats in the general election.
While Texas has long been a reliable red state, and conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz comfortably won re-election last year, Democrats are optimistic about their 2026 chances to potentially flip a red seat to blue.
That’s because longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn is facing a serious primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a MAGA world rockstar.
Former Rep. Colin Allred of Texas, seen on the campaign trail last October, is running for a second straight election cycle for the Senate. (Reuters/Marco Bello)
Paxton has long been surrounded by scandals, and is now dealing with a headline-grabbing divorce with his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxtom. And Democrats believe if Paxton topples Cornyn in next March’s GOP primary, he’ll be toxic in the general election.
But Democrats could have a competitive primary in Texas as well.
Former Rep. Colin Allred, who lost to Cruz last November, launched a second straight campaign earlier this year.
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who came close to ousting Cruz in the state’s 20218 Senate election before unsuccessfully running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and losing the 2022 Texas gubernatorial race to GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, is taking a hard look at a 2026 Senate run.
State Rep. James Talarico, who grabbed national attention recently for his appearance with popular podcaster Joe Rogan, and Rep. Joaquin Castro, are also mulling bids.
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Democrats also feel they may have a shot in Iowa – a onetime swing state that’s become firmly red in recent election cycles – if Republican Sen. Joni Ernst decides against seeking a third term in the Senate.
But they’ll likely have a much better chance of flipping a GOP-held seat in blue state Maine if longtime Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins decides against seeking re-election.
democrats senate,senate,midterm elections,elections,donald trump,democratic party,republicans elections
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White House envoy Steve Witkoff landed in Russia on Wednesday for his fifth visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin as President Donald Trump looks to force a peace deal and bring an end to the three-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine.
Little seems to have been accomplished from the three-hour meeting in the way of securing a peace deal, or even circumventing the threatened sanctions by Trump that Putin now stares down, though according to Russian foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, the meeting was described as «useful and constructive.»
Ushakov said Putin «received some signals from Trump» and «sent some signals,» but he did not elaborate on any specifics.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) meets with US President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (R) at Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia on August 6, 2025. (Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
WITKOFF SCRAMBLES FOR PEACE DEAL WITH RUSSIA AS SANCTIONS LOOM TARGETING INDIA, CHINA
The advisor also told reporters that Putin and Witkoff had discussed developing the «strategic partnership» between the U.S. and Russia but did not elaborate how. The comment came after Witkoff was spotted earlier in the day taking a walk near the Kremlin with Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s envoy for investment and economic cooperation.
Witkoff and Putin met shortly before noon in Moscow, according to the timestamp released by the Kremlin which accompanied an image of Putin and Witkoff smiling and shaking hands as Russian foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov looked on.
Witkoff’s team did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions on what the envoy was hoping to accomplish in his meeting with Putin, though some reporting this week suggested he may look to secure a moratorium on air strikes.
A police officer at the site of a Russian air strike that hit a residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Witkoff traveled to Moscow in a last-ditch effort to get Putin to capitulate to Trump’s and Western calls for an end to the war, though the Kremlin chief was not expected to make great concessions in ending his war ambitions ahead of the trip.
In mid-July, while seated next to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump promised to enforce «very severe» tariffs on Russia if Putin does not enter into a deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy within 50 days.
«Tariffs at about 100%, you’d call them secondary tariffs,» he had said, implying that nations who trade with Russia will see 100% tariffs slapped on them when trading with the U.S.
He then pushed the date up to within 10 days of July 29, forcing the new deadline for Friday.
But on Tuesday Trump walked back his 100% tariff threat amid tough trade talks with India and China, and said, «I never said a percentage.»
«We’ll see what happens over the next fairly short period of time,» he added in response to questions from reporters. «We have a meeting with Russia tomorrow. We’re going to see what happens.
President Donald Trump, right, and Mark Rutte, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), shake hands during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, July 14, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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«We’ll make that determination at that time,» he added.
The tariffs would most drastically target China and India, which are the largest purchasers of Russian oil, though high tariffs on those nations, both of which are major traders with the U.S., would also mean higher prices for the American consumer.
russia,vladimir putin,ukraine,donald trump,world
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Italia aprobó la construcción del puente colgante más largo del mundo sobre el estrecho de Mesina
El gobierno italiano aprobó este miércoles el proyecto definitivo para la construcción del puente sobre el estrecho de Mesina, una obra faraónica de 13.532 millones de euros que unirá por primera vez la península italiana con la isla de Sicilia mediante lo que será el puente colgante más largo del mundo.
El visto bueno fue otorgado por el Comité Interministerial para la Planificación Económica y el Desarrollo Sostenible (Cipess), tras evaluar la documentación técnica y financiera presentada por el Ministerio de Infraestructuras y Transportes y las empresas involucradas en el proyecto.
El ministro de Infraestructuras y viceprimer ministro, Matteo Salvini, anunció en rueda de prensa que espera “iniciar las obras, los trabajos y las expropiaciones entre septiembre y octubre”, una vez que el Tribunal de Cuentas otorgue su aprobación final. Salvini describió el proyecto como una “obra sin precedentes en el mundo” y un “proyecto de ingeniería fascinante” que acelerará el desarrollo económico del sur de Italia.
La estructura que unirá la isla con la península será el puente colgante más largo del mundo, con un vano central de 3.300 metros. Estará sostenido por dos torres de 399 metros de altura, situadas en las costas de Calabria y Sicilia, unidas por cuatro cables de suspensión.
El puente contará con tres carriles de carretera por sentido, dos carriles de servicio y dos vías ferroviarias en el centro. El tablero tendrá 60,4 metros de ancho y una altura de 72 metros sobre el nivel del mar para permitir el paso de embarcaciones de gran calado.
Según las estimaciones oficiales, una vez completado entre 2032 y 2033, el puente tendrá una capacidad máxima de hasta 6.000 vehículos por hora y 200 trenes al día, reduciendo dramáticamente el tiempo de viaje entre Calabria y Sicilia de las actuales dos o tres horas en ferry a apenas 15 minutos por carretera y 10 minutos en tren.
La construcción del puente que una la región de Calabria con la ciudad de Messina es una idea que se estudia desde 1971. El ex primer ministro Silvio Berlusconi relanzó el proyecto durante su segundo gobierno (2001-2006) como uno de sus grandes sueños, aunque nunca llegó a colocarse la primera piedra.
Los intentos por construir un puente sobre el estrecho de Mesina se remontan incluso a tiempos antiguos. Según el cronista romano Plinio el Viejo, en el año 252 a.C. un cónsul logró trasladar 100 elefantes de guerra capturados desde Sicilia hasta la península italiana utilizando balsas hechas de “filas de barriles atados”.
En 2005, Berlusconi otorgó el primer contrato de 3.900 millones de euros para el puente, pero fue archivado meses después cuando cayó su gobierno. Al regresar al poder dos años más tarde, intentó revivir el proyecto, pero fue cancelado nuevamente en 2011 durante la crisis de deuda soberana europea.
Los costos han aumentado significativamente: de 4.400 millones de euros estimados hace dos décadas a los actuales 13.500 millones.
El gobierno de Giorgia Meloni ha reenmarcado el proyecto no solo como una obra de desarrollo económico, sino como una infraestructura estratégica crucial para la seguridad nacional. Italia ha comprometido aumentar su gasto en defensa al 5% del PIB dentro de una década como parte de sus compromisos con la OTAN, destinando 1,5% del PIB a infraestructuras estratégicas.
“El puente del estrecho de Mesina constituye una infraestructura fundamental con respecto a la movilidad militar, teniendo en cuenta la presencia de importantes bases de la OTAN en el sur de Italia”, señalaron las autoridades italianas en un informe de abril.
Sin embargo, expertos como Alessandro Marrone del Instituto de Asuntos Internacionales de Roma cuestionan esta justificación, argumentando que la prioridad de la OTAN es facilitar el despliegue rápido de tropas hacia el este europeo en caso de ataque ruso.
Marrone dijo al Financial Times que Italia debía centrarse en mejorar los puertos, aeropuertos y carreteras de las regiones donde están estacionadas sus tropas: “Si hay que ir al este, hay que hacerlo por el Adriático, en avión o por los Alpes”.
Se espera que el proyecto movilice más de 23.000 millones de euros en inversiones totales y genere aproximadamente 120.000 puestos de trabajo durante su ejecución. El consorcio Eurolink, liderado por la empresa italiana Webuild y que incluye la participación de 235 compañías —entre ellas la española Sacyr con un 22,4% de participación—, además de empresas japonesas y danesas, se adjudicó la obra.
Sin embargo, el proyecto enfrenta resistencias. Diversas asociaciones ciudadanas y medioambientales han denunciado los posibles daños al ecosistema marino del estrecho de Mesina y alertan sobre el riesgo de infiltración de mafias locales, como la ‘Ndrangheta en Calabria y Cosa Nostra en Sicilia.
La Dirección de Investigación Antimafia ha advertido en varias ocasiones sobre estos peligros, por lo que no se descarta que se presenten denuncias legales contra el proyecto.
Los residentes de Messina también se han movilizado para intentar detener el proyecto, que requerirá cambios masivos en la ciudad, incluyendo la reubicación de la estación de tren y demoliciones de algunos barrios.
A pesar de las controversias, el gobierno describió el puente como “infraestructura estratégica” y de “interés nacional” para completar las redes transeuropeas de transporte, con lo que describe como un “acelerador del desarrollo” para dos de las regiones más pobres de Italia.
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