By Charlotte Lawson Cole Murphy James P. Sutton
The Senate kicked off a 鈥渧ote-a-rama鈥 on Monday, allowing senators to propose an unlimited number of amendments to the budget reconciliation megabill that contains President Donald Trump鈥檚 legislative agenda. The amendment votes were continuing this morning, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune can only afford to lose the support of one additional Republican senator after Sens. Rand Paul and Thom Tillis have committed to voting against the package. On Monday, the Senate voted in favor of a new accounting method in which the extension of the 2017 tax cuts does not count toward the budget deficit, thereby reducing鈥攐n paper鈥攖he projected $3.3 trillion the bill will add to the federal deficit to $508 billion.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday that trade talks with the U.S. have resumed, two days after Trump said that he was suspending negotiations and threatened to impose new tariffs on our northern ally. The talks collapsed over Canada鈥檚 3 percent digital services tax on U.S. technology companies, which was implemented last year but was set to begin payment collection on Monday. On Sunday, Canada鈥檚 government said that it would scrap the tax, which would have required American tech companies to pay an estimated $2.7 billion.
Dozens of Israelis rioted near an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base in the West Bank on Sunday night, setting fire to a security installation in the latest back-and-forth between the Israeli military and far-right settlers. According to IDF officials, the protesters slashed tires, set fires, sprayed graffiti, and used pepper spray to attack Israeli soldiers. The clashes came after the military fired warning shots at settlers who ambushed a patrol on Friday and followed recent conflicts between Israeli settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank.
The Trump administration on Monday accused Harvard University of being in 鈥渧iolent violation鈥 of federal civil rights laws, citing its failure to protect Jewish students on campus. In a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber鈥攆irst obtained by the Wall Street Journal鈥攇overnment officials said that an investigation found that the university violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bans discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. Harvard disputed the assertions, saying that it had taken steps to address antisemitism on campus. The accusation continues a prolonged fight between Harvard and the Trump administration, and it puts further federal funding to the university at risk, including student aid. Harvard was in talks with the White House to reach a resolution, but the negotiations reportedly have stalled.
Law enforcement on Monday identified a 20-year-old Idaho man as the suspect in an ambush of a group of firefighters on Sunday, which left two dead and another wounded. Police said the man intentionally set a fire on Canfield Mountain in Idaho to lure firefighters to the scene, where he opened fire from a sniper position in a shooting that lasted several hours. The injured firefighter is in stable condition. Law enforcement officers found the suspect dead near a firearm on the mountain, but they have yet to identify a motive for the attack.
Karen Diamond, an 82-year-old victim of the antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, last month, has died of her injuries, prosecutors announced Monday. Diamond was participating in a peaceful demonstration in support of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza when a 45-year-old Egyptian man attacked the gathering using Molotov cocktails, and prosecutors Monday said the number of victims stood at 29. Prosecutors filed two first-degree murder charges against the assailant on Monday. 鈥淭his horrific attack has now claimed the life of an innocent person who was beloved by her family and friends,鈥 Michael Dougherty, the Boulder County district attorney, said in a statement.
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a major case challenging campaign finance restrictions. In the case, which will likely be argued in the fall, the court will revisit its 2001 ruling upholding restrictions on how much political parties can pay for campaign advertising with candidate input. The case was brought by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee, and the campaigns of then-Sen. J.D. Vance and former Rep. Steve Chabot.