The New York Times reported on Sunday that the probe relates to renovations to the Federal Reserve's headquarters in Washington, D.C., and whether Powell lied to Congress about them. Powell responded by releasing a video saying the renovations and his testimony to Congress are pretexts to hide the real reason, which is that the chairman has resisted President Donald Trump's pleas to dramatically slash interest rates to try to boost economic activity.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) was asked by a reporter if he still had confidence in Hegseth's leadership, and he answered, The question will be based on the facts as we find them out, we're going to have some discussions within the committee. Until such times we know the full facts, we won't be making comment. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) also refused to answer when asked the same question, saying, I don't have, at this point, I guess, an evaluation of the secretary.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is now "open to changes" to the filibuster, as he told reporters after breakfast. Cornyn is facing two primary challengers and has been wooing Trump's endorsement. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) posted on X: "We KNOW Democrats will nuke the filibuster as soon as they're able to solidify their grip on power. We should act first in order to pass laws that benefit the AMERICAN people." Retiring Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) also posted support: "BLOW UP THE FILIBUSTER."
Republican lawmakers are reportedly split on the decision to attend a fundraiser at a luxury golf resort amid the contentious government shutdown. The shutdown went into effect earlier this week after Congress failed to pass a new spending bill. Though Republicans control the House and the Senate, they've pointed the blame at the Democratic Party and accused it of wanting to spend money to provide healthcare to illegal immigrants.
Emil Bove's nomination to the Third Circuit reflects beliefs within the Republican Party about qualifications for judicial roles, emphasizing accountability avoidance and disregard for the rule of law.