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‘We didn’t cave’: Thune highlights Schumer, Dems’ losses in DHS funding deal
As a Homeland Security shutdown drags on, the top Senate Republican says Democrats are getting “zero” of the reforms they demanded.
Congressional Democrats have taken victory laps, viewing the outcome as a key win in their push for reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). They have also accused congressional Republicans of caving to their demands.
While the Senate’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deal includes funding for ICE and much of CBP, it does not include the structural reforms Democrats spent the last 48 days pushing.
SENATE PASSES BILL TO FUND MOST OF DHS AFTER HOUSE GOP CAVES
When asked whether Republicans gave in, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom,” “No, we didn’t cave.”
“I mean, ultimately, what the Democrats did, you could say … this was all about ‘reforms,’ restrictions on ICE and CBP agents and what they could or couldn’t do,” Thune said. “They got none of that. They got zero of the reforms they were advocating for.”
Thune was responding to accusations from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who argued that “House Republicans caved” after backing down from their push for a 60-day funding extension for the agency.
HOUSE CONSERVATIVES RAGE AGAINST SENATE DHS SHUTDOWN DEAL
Schumer argued that divisions in the GOP “derailed a bipartisan agreement” and said Democrats were clear in their objectives to “fund critical security, protect Americans, and provide no blank check for reckless ICE and Border Patrol enforcement.”
“We were united, held the line, and refused to let Republican chaos win,” Schumer said.
Thune countered, “In the end, this was all about their left-wing base demanding that no funding be provided.”
HOUSE GOP RAMS THROUGH NEW DHS FUNDING PLAN WITH SHUTDOWN FAR FROM OVER
“The good news for us is we saw this coming, and we pre-funded this last summer, so ICE and CBP are funded through the end of the fiscal year. Then we’ll add to those accounts and make sure they’re funded in future years,” Thune said.
Republicans, now with the backing of President Donald Trump, are eyeing the budget reconciliation process to fund immigration enforcement operations for the foreseeable future. It’s a tricky maneuver that would require full buy-in from Senate Republicans.
Trump lauded Republicans, including Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who originally torpedoed the Senate deal, for coming together to reopen most of DHS. He also noted that he would soon sign an executive order to pay, “ALL of the incredible employees at the Department of Homeland Security,” which comes as the funding plan currently wouldn’t pay immigration enforcement support staff.
“Republicans are UNIFIED, and moving forward on a plan that will reload funding for our FANTASTIC Border Patrol and Immigration Enforcement Officers,” Trump said on Truth Social.
In the meantime, the shutdown is still ongoing. The Senate’s redo of its funding plan Thursday morning sets up another vote in the House, where there is still significant resistance among some hardline Republicans, and the House is not expected to return to Washington, D.C., until April 13.
Few places on the planet matter more to the global economy than the Strait of Hormuz.
That’s why President Donald Trump has given Iran until Tuesday to allow all vessels through the key waterway — or face strikes on critical infrastructure, as fuel costs climb worldwide.
In a profanity-laced post on Truth Social, Trump wrote on Sunday: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F—–’ Strait, you crazy b——-, or you’ll be living in Hell – JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”
“Tuesday, 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time!” he wrote in a second post.
Trump also said he will hold a press conference at the White House on Monday alongside military officials.
SAN FRANCISCO BECOMES FIRST US CITY WHERE DIESEL PRICES TOP $8 A GALLON
At just 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, the waterway between Iran, Oman and the United Arab Emirates is one of the world’s most critical energy choke points. It carries roughly 20 million barrels of oil a day, along with about one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas.
It’s also a key artery for refined fuels. The Middle East exports about 1.1 million barrels per day of jet fuel — roughly 15% to 17% of global consumption — according to Jaime Brito, executive director of refining and oil products at OPIS. Much of that supply moves through the Strait of Hormuz.
The escalation is already sending oil, gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices sharply higher worldwide.
As of April 5, the national average for regular gasoline stood at $4.11 per gallon, according to AAA — up 86 cents from a month earlier. On the West Coast, drivers are seeing the highest costs, with prices reaching $5.92 per gallon in California and $5.37 in Washington.
WHERE GAS PRICES ARE RISING FASTEST AS TRUMP ISSUES FRESH WARNING TO IRAN
On the East Coast, gas prices are exceeding $4 in several areas, including $4.27 in Washington, D.C., and $4.06 in New York.
In the Midwest, Illinois stands out at $4.29 per gallon, while much of the region remains in the mid-$3 range. Southern states remain cheaper overall, though prices are rising. Texas and South Carolina are averaging $3.82, while Florida is higher at $4.20.
Diesel has climbed to $5.61, up about $1.45 over the past month. As a key fuel for freight, shipping and public transportation, it is especially sensitive to supply disruptions.
In San Francisco, prices have surged even higher. For the first time on record, average diesel costs have surpassed $8 per gallon, according to GasBuddy — an unprecedented milestone for any U.S. city.
Additionally, jet fuel prices in the U.S. have more than doubled in a matter of weeks as Middle East tensions squeeze supply.
THE UNLIKELY TOOL TRUMP IS EYEING TO TACKLE RISING OIL PRICES AMID THE IRAN CONFLICT
Prices jumped from about $2.11 in January to $4.88 per gallon by April 2, according to the Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index, a daily benchmark tracking prices in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York.
Jet fuel — one of airlines’ largest expenses — is especially volatile due to thin inventories, specialized storage and limited spot trading. That can amplify price swings when supply tightens.
Airlines have warned that inventories could run dry within weeks, raising the risk of higher airfares and flight cancellations.
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New Hampshire suspect who shot officer and triggered massive manhunt killed in police gunfight
The suspect who allegedly shot a New Hampshire police officer has been killed in a gunfight with authorities, officials said Sunday.
Matthew J. Masse, 38, allegedly opened fire on family members and the responding officer Saturday afternoon in Raymond, sparking a massive manhunt that included road closures and a shelter-in-place order.
“There was an exchange of gunfire between Mr. Masse with his rifle and the officers,” the state Attorney General’s Office said. “Following that exchange, Mr. Masse was found deceased by officers when they approached his location.”
An autopsy has been scheduled for early this week to confirm his cause and manner of death, the office added.
The incident erupted shortly after 1:30 p.m., when Masse reportedly shot his relatives with a long gun and then fired at responding police. A Nottingham Police Department officer was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
The suspect — described as a middle-aged white male who is 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 202 pounds — reportedly had active felony warrants for attempted arson at his family’s home on Thursday.
After the shooting, Masse fled into a wooded area, triggering a large-scale manhunt, officials said, and K-9 units were deployed and officers were “working feverishly with other agencies” in an all-hands-on-deck search.
New Hampshire State Police found Masse around 10:06 p.m., hours after residents near Ham Road had been told to shelter in place, authorities said.
During the attempted arrest, an exchange of gunfire broke out. Authorities later found Masse dead at the scene, with his long gun recovered nearby.
No other officers or civilians were injured, and authorities said there is no further threat to the public.
The names of the officers involved are being withheld pending formal interviews, per protocol.
Fox News’ Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
Three people were killed, including a 10-month-old girl, after high winds toppled a tree in Germany during an Easter egg hunt on Sunday morning, according to authorities.
Around 50 people from a nearby residential facility for new mothers, pregnant women and children were attending the egg hunt in a wooded area near the town of Satrupholm at about 11 a.m. when a 100-foot tree fell on top of them, police said in a statement.
Four people became pinned under the tree, police said.
First responders arrived at the scene and first began treating a 21-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl, but both died at the scene.
The woman’s 10-month-old daughter also later died at the hospital.
An 18-year-old woman sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital in a helicopter.
The residential facility is part of the state-funded child welfare system, supporting pregnant women and new mothers who need help, according to its website.
Grief counselors were sent to the scene after the fatal incident on Sunday.
Pictures from the scene showed several Easter eggs scattered on the ground as two of the victims were seen covered in white sheets.
The German weather service had put the area under a high winds warning.
Officials from the Schleswig-Holstein region, where the facility is located, said they were “deeply shaken” by the Easter tragedy.
“Our thoughts are with the family members of the dead, with the injured, and with everyone who had to experience this terrible occurrence,” regional Governor Daniel Günther, Interior Minister Magdalena Finke, and Youth and Families Minister Aminata Touré said in a joint statement to the dpa news agency.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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