In a move that had all the suspense of a nail-biter but the partisan rigidity of a kindergarten lineup, House Republicans narrowly advanced a rule to debate Trump’s $70 billion immigration enforcement bill. The rule passed 213-211 along party lines, because why would anyone cross the aisle when there’s a TV camera nearby?
The bill, which funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through the end of Trump’s term, now heads to a final vote later today. Speaker Mike Johnson will need near-perfect GOP attendance - and maybe a few prayers - to push it through, given the slim majority and one absent member, Tom Kean Jr., who’s been MIA due to a health crisis.
The legislation has been a rollercoaster of political toxicity: initially it included $1 billion for enhanced White House security (including a new ballroom for Trump, because why not?) and a $1.8 billion fund to compensate allies who claim unjust prosecution. Those gems were scrapped, leaving a lean, mean immigration enforcement machine: $38 billion for ICE, $26 billion for Border Patrol, and $5 billion for unforeseen costs of Trump’s mass deportation agenda. This is on top of the $140 billion Congress already gave them last year.
Democrats, still fuming over fatal shootings by agents, demanded reforms like requiring agents to remove masks and show ID during enforcement, and getting warrants before entering private property. After a monthslong standoff that triggered the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, negotiations failed. Republicans then used a procedural loophole to bypass the filibuster, ensuring the funding arrives with virtually no strings attached. Democracy: it’s all about the fine print.
Meanwhile, in a twist that could be a soap opera plot, Vice President JD Vance told CBS News a deal with Iran over its nuclear program could “absolutely” happen before the midterms - maybe next week, maybe months from now. So, clear as mud.
Elsewhere, hospitality workers in Los Angeles are threatening strikes during the World Cup, which kicks off June 11. At SoFi Stadium, cashiers, cooks, and bartenders - represented by Unite Here Local 11 - voted 96% in favor of a strike authorization before reaching a tentative agreement Tuesday. But they reserved the right to walk off if ICE threatens worker safety. Workers like bartender Eva Miles, who commutes two hours daily, are demanding pay above $30 an hour. “Without us, they don’t have a stadium,” Miles noted, adding that FIFA’s bulldozing of immigration rules has hit a wall with Trump’s border crackdown. Case in point: Somali referee Omar Artan, who was set to officiate at the World Cup, was refused entry to the U.S. after arriving in Miami.
And in Maine, progressive activists who recruited Senate candidate Graham Platner - whose baggage includes a Nazi-symbol tattoo and sexually explicit texts - are now dodging journalists like they’re carrying a skunk. Platner’s supporters, like student Aiden Grant, say he owns his mistakes. But farmer Adam Jones, a recovering heroin addict, isn’t buying it: “I understand change, but he hasn’t shown it.” Primary voting continues under a hot sun, because even democracy needs a tan.