Republican senators push forward a $340 billion budget to advance Donald Trump’s priorities. A look at the increased presence of Mexican troops at the border. And an entire Alabama police department is placed on leave.
Here’s what to know today.
Senate adopts $340 billion budget plan in late-night ‘vote-a-rama’
The Republican-controlled Senate on Friday morning adopted a $340 billion budget blueprint designed to boost funding for President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, energy production and the military.
The mostly partly-line vote came just before 5 a.m. ET following an all-night “vote-a-rama,” where senators cast votes on 33 amendments over the course of a 10-hour span. The final vote was 52-48, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., as the lone Republican to join all 47 Democrats in voting against the budget resolution.
“If we were fiscally conservative, why wouldn’t we take the savings from Elon Musk and DOGE and move it over here and help with the border?” Paul said on the Senate floor. “Why would we be doing a brand new bill to increase spending by $340 billion?”
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The resolution seeks $175 billion for immigration and border enforcement, the amount requested by border czar Tom Homan. It also calls for expanding the military by $150 billion, even as Trump and Elon Musk say they want to cut costs at the Pentagon.
However, the Senate’s plan conflicts with a budget plan making its way through the House. Trump this week endorsed that plan, which includes a $4.5 trillion tax cut and a $4 trillion debt limit hike. GOP senators have indicated their version could be a fallback plan if the House blueprint fails.
More Trump administration and politics news:
- The House’s budget plan could result in steep cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, putting pressure on Republicans with sizable shares of constituents who receive the assistance.
- The Senate confirmed Kash Patel as FBI director, an agency he has talked about drastically restructuring.
- Sen. Mitch McConnell’s decision not to run for re-election in Kentucky opens up his seat for the first time since 1984 — and the competition to fill it is already brewing.
- A federal judge denied a bid by labor unions to block the Trump administration from carrying out mass layoffs at federal agencies.
- Another federal judge ruled that the Trump administration has not fully complied with a court order pausing the freeze on foreign assistance grants and contracts.
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she won’t remove embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams from office, for now, but will instead impose limits on his power.
- In the face of uncertainty about the future of the IRS and DOGE’s access to sensitive taxpayer information, experts say it’s still important to file accurately and on time (and cross your fingers).
- The layoffs of thousands of national parks employees could mean longer entry lines, dirty bathrooms and potentially unsafe conditions for hikers. Here’s what staffers had to say.
The early impact of Mexican troops at the southern border
Mexico has ramped up its presence of troops along the U.S. border, particularly in the historically violent city of Ciudad Juárez, just across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. The 2,500 Mexican troops positioned there in an attempt to stave off President Donald Trump’s planned tariffs on the country appear to be having an impact.
Just feet from El Paso, guard members recently discovered a large, sophisticated tunnel with a complete lighting and ventilation system, pictured above. Meanwhile, Mexican National Guard Maj. Alexander Vásquez Hernández, giving an interview along the fence between Mexico and New Mexico, attributed a drop in illegal border crossings to the amount of new personnel in the area.
But some critics think the presence of Mexican troops is little more than a political stunt that will do little to stop desperate migrants or the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S. The director of a shelter for migrant families in Monterrey, Mexico, said “organized crime finds ways of crossing desperate migrants.” NBC News also spoke to a human smuggler, who called the troops at the border “foolishness” and said he won’t stop his operation — though he did concede that stricter border policies have cut into his business.
More immigration news:
The Trump administration has flown out all of the migrants who were held at the facility at Guantánamo Bay.
Entire Alabama police department is put on leave
An entire police department in an Alabama town was placed on administrative leave yesterday, days after local officials announced that a grand jury had recommended the department be abolished. Now, the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office will receive 911 calls and provide law enforcement services to Hanceville, a city of about 3,200 people that is roughly 45 miles north of Birmingham. The department employed eight officers as of August, according to The Cullman Times.
Earlier this week, a grand jury indicted Police Chief Jason Shane Marlin and four other officers, as well as one of the officers’ wives, on various charges, which included tampering with evidence, as part of an extensive corruption investigation. The police department “has recently operated as more of a criminal enterprise than a law enforcement agency,” the grand jury declared.
The revelations about Hanceville police came as a result of the Alabama State Bureau of Investigations’ probe into the 2024 overdose death of a 911 dispatcher while he was at work. Read more about the alleged misconduct within the Hanceville Police Department.
Read All About It
- The Israeli Defense Forces have demanded the return of mother Shiri Bibas after it said a body returned by Hamas this week was not her and did not match any other hostage.
- Canada defeated the U.S. 3-2 in overtime to claim the title in the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament, capping what had become a heated and politically charged event.
- Six correction officers in New York were charged with murder in the death of Robert Brooks, the 43-year-old inmate at an upstate prison who was beaten by prison guards in December.
- Bakeries slammed by the national egg shortage (and rising cocoa prices) have been forced to raise prices on everything from cakes to breakfast sandwiches.
- The discovery of the long lost tomb of a pharaoh has been found, providing an answer to one of ancient Egypt’s great mysteries.
Staff Pick: RFK Jr. turns his attention to antidepressants
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has amplified false claims about selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a class of antidepressants that includes Lexapro, Prozac and Zoloft. He has suggested, without evidence, that the drugs are linked to violent behavior and addiction and claimed some people have a harder time “getting off SSRIs than people have getting off heroin.” Kennedy has also pointed to some concerns that doctors share, like prescribing SSRIs to patients for whom therapy would be more effective. But doctors and mental health advocates caution that the drugs can mitigate thoughts of suicide and help people participate in daily activities, meaning access to them can be life-saving.
Now, such drugs have been thrust into the national spotlight after Kennedy pledged to address the risks of antidepressants and the possible overmedication of children in his first staff meeting as Health and Human Services Secretary. — Aria Bendix, health reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Searching for a good alternative to eggs? Here are the best egg substitutes, according to culinary instructors, including ingredients like mashed bananas and yogurt. Plus, Select reporter Harry Rabinowitz tested and reviewed the latest Apple AirPods 4 with active noise cancelling.
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