Good Tuesday evening and happy St. Patrick's Day! In this edition: Senate begins marathon debate on SAVE America Act; and Trump says U.S. no longer needs help from allies on Strait of Hormuz.
Plus, Bondi subpoena, Illinois primaries, Iranian leadership and Irish taoiseach.
SAVE America Act
The Senate voted to begin consideration of the SAVE America Act, setting up a lengthy debate on the GOP elections bill that President Trump has been pressing Congress to send to his desk despite its bleak prospects in the chamber.
The 51–48 vote fell largely along party lines, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joining all Democrats in opposition and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) missing the vote.
Following the procedural vote, Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) filled the amendment tree, blocking additional amendments for now while maintaining control of the floor. He did not, however, file cloture, which would have started the clock toward a vote to end debate.
Instead, Sen. Thune said he wants a "full and robust debate," aiming to put Democrats on the record over their opposition to the legislation.
At the core of the bill are requirements that Americans provide proof of citizenship to register to vote and show photo ID to cast ballots in federal elections — measures that Gallup polling shows have support from more than 80% of Americans.
The president has also urged senators to attach additional provisions, including limits on mail-in voting, a ban on biological men competing in women's sports and restrictions on minors receiving transgender surgery.
President Trump has vigorously pushed Congress to pass the bill, even threatening to withhold his signature from other legislation until the SAVE Act reaches his desk. But Republicans lack the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster, as well as the votes to change Senate rules to pass it by a simple majority.
"The votes aren't there to do a talking filibuster. And so what we are doing is we are having a fulsome debate on the floor of the United States Senate," Sen. Thune told reporters. "We'll have it up. Everybody will have their say. At some point, we'll have votes, and we'll see where the votes are."
Republicans have framed the bill as a package of "commonsense" reforms to safeguard elections, noting that photo ID is already required in everyday situations like boarding a plane, visiting a doctor or getting a library card.
"If there's anything essential to the integrity of elections, it's ensuring that those who are registered to vote are eligible to vote, and that those who show up to vote at polling places are who they say they are," Sen. Thune said on the floor.
Democrats, however, argue the legislation is a tactic to "rig" elections by disenfranchising millions of voters who lack access to documents like passports or birth certificates, or who have changed their names.
Republicans plan to hold days of debate, including late nights and potentially weekend sessions, but Democrats have vowed to block the bill.
"If a small band of MAGA senators wants to drag this out on the Senate floor … they can try. It will not work," Sen. Schumer said in a floor speech. "Senate Democrats will hold the line as long as necessary because with this bill, democracy is at stake."
President Trump said the U.S. does not need help from its NATO allies to secure the Strait of Hormuz, after they rebuffed his calls to assist in reopening the critical waterway that has been largely shut down since the Iran war began late last month.
The president said NATO members were "very much in favor" of the U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran, and that he was "surprised" they did not want to get involved themselves.
"I think NATO's making a very foolish mistake," he said. "And I've long said that, you know, I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us. So, this was a great test, because we don't need them, but they should have been there."
The president has publicly called on NATO allies, as well as Japan, South Korea and Australia, to help police the Strait of Hormuz as Iran uses drones, missiles and mines to effectively close the channel, through which about 20% of the world's oil is transported.
But top U.S. allies have rebuffed those calls, saying they have no immediate plans to send ships and that it was not their war to fight.
French President Emmanuel Macron became the latest U.S. ally to reject the president's request, saying his country would only take part in operations to escort ships through the strait once hostilities in the region have eased.
"We are not a party to the conflict, and therefore, France will never take part in operations to open or liberate the Strait of Hormuz in the current context," he said. "France did not choose this war."
In other Iran news, Joe Kent resigned as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, citing his opposition to the war and what he said was Israel's influence over the Trump administration.
"I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran," he wrote in his resignation letter to the president. "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby."
President Trump called Mr. Kent's resignation a "good thing," saying he was "very weak" on security issues.
"I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security. I didn't know him well, but I thought he seemed like a pretty nice guy," he told reporters in the Oval Office.
"It's a good thing he's out, because he said that Iran was not a threat. Iran was a threat. Every country realized what a threat Iran was. The question is whether or not they wanted to do something about it."
The House Oversight Committeesubpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify over her handling of the Epstein files. "The Committee has questions regarding the Department of Justice's handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his associates and its compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act," Rep. James Comer (R-KY), the committee's chair, wrote in a letter. "As Attorney General, you are directly responsible for overseeing the Department's collection, review, and determinations regarding the release of files pursuant to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and the committee therefore believes that you possess valuable insight into these efforts." Five Republicans joined Democrats on the panel in supporting the motion from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC).
Voters in Illinois are casting ballots in a key primary that will determine the Democratic nominee in the race to succeed Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the longtime No. 2 Democrat in the Senate. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D) and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) are among those competing in a crowded field, the winner of which will almost certainly win the general election in November. Several House races are also on the ballot, including primaries to replace Reps. Krishnamoorthi and Kelly, as well as retiring Democratic Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Danny Davis. Follow the results here.
Ali Larijani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and Brig. Gen. Gholamreza Soleimani, the leader of a plainclothes militia aligned with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, were killed overnight in Israeli airstrikes near Tehran. Mr. Larijani had become the country's de facto leader before Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, succeeded him as supreme leader.
Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martinmade the rounds in Washington, DC, as part of the annual St. Patrick's Day celebration, beginning with breakfast at Vice President JD Vance's official residence before meeting with President Trump in the Oval Office. The two leaders then traveled to Capitol Hill for the Friends of Ireland luncheon, and later in the afternoon, the taoiseach presented the president with the Shamrock Bowl, symbolizing the friendship between the two nations.
For your radar…
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), the president's nominee to succeed Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary, testifies Wednesday at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN3 at 9:30am ET.
DNI Tulsi Gabbard, FBI Director Kash Patel and CIA Director John Ratcliffe testify Wednesday on threats to the U.S. before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Watch LIVE online at 10am ET.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holds a press conference Wednesday after the central bank announces its latest interest rate decision. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN3 at 2:30pm ET.
