Georgia Congressional Race Tests Trump’s Influence Ahead of Midterms
Voters in northwest Georgia are heading to the polls on Tuesday in a congressional race featuring a moderate Democrat and a Republican endorsed by former President Donald Trump. This election serves as a test of Trump’s influence over his base and may provide insight into the November midterm elections.
The race is to fill a U.S. House seat vacated in January when conservative Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned following a public disagreement with Trump, highlighting divisions within the Make America Great Again movement, according to .
The contest features Clay Fuller, a Trump-backed former district attorney and U.S. Air National Guard veteran, against Shawn Harris, a moderate Democrat aiming to attract disaffected Trump voters in one of Georgia’s most conservative districts.
Fuller is considered the favorite. The runoff was triggered after no candidate secured a majority in the 10 March special election, where Harris received 37.3% of the vote and Fuller led a crowded Republican field of twelve candidates with 34.9%.
Record-Breaking Partial Government Shutdown Continues as Mullin Considers ICE Removal from Sanctuary City Airports
Welcome to the live blog covering ongoing developments.
The partial government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history, has entered its eighth week with no resolution in sight.
Congress is currently in recess and is not scheduled to return until 13 April. Yesterday, House lawmakers again took no action to pass a Senate bill aimed at funding affected Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subagencies during a scheduled procedural session.
Republican leadership in both chambers recently announced a compromise plan to fund the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), while withholding funds from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and part of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The strategy is to subsequently fund immigration enforcement through a reconciliation bill that requires only a simple majority in the Senate, thereby bypassing the filibuster.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing resistance from hardline GOP members who argue that the compromise concedes too much to Democrats. They oppose passing a narrower DHS funding bill without restrictions on ICE and CBP, particularly following federal officers fatally shooting two U.S. citizens during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has indicated he is considering withdrawing U.S. customs agents from airports in sanctuary cities, a move that could disrupt international travel at some of the nation’s busiest airports.
“I believe sanctuary cities is not lawful,” Mullin said, explaining the rationale behind the potential change.
Florida Enacts Law Targeting Terrorist Group Promotion Amid Free Speech Concerns
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has signed into law a bill permitting the state to designate terrorist groups and penalize individuals who promote them. Critics argue the law threatens free speech, especially on school campuses.
The legislation specifically prohibits state courts from enforcing foreign religious laws, explicitly naming Sharia Law. Florida courts continue to enforce secular laws passed within the state.
Arizona Democrat to Introduce Impeachment Articles Against Defense Secretary
Representative Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat from Arizona, plans to introduce articles of impeachment next week against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“Only Congress has the power to declare war, not a rogue president or his lackeys,” Ansari stated.
Trump Reiterates Threats Against Iranian Infrastructure Amid Strait of Hormuz Tensions
Former President Donald Trump reiterated threats to bomb Iranian energy and civilian infrastructure if the White House fails to reach an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8pm ET today.
“The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump said during a 90-minute press conference on Monday afternoon.
Judicial Challenges Mount Against Trump Policies
District court judges have increasingly issued rulings challenging the legality of many of Trump’s policies and executive actions. These rulings have blocked key initiatives at least temporarily, eliciting strong reactions from the former president, as well as former judges and prosecutors.
Threats Against Journalists Amid Military Incident
Trump threatened to jail one or more journalists who reported that a second U.S. airman was missing after being shot down by hostile forces on Friday. The effort to identify the source of the report followed the incident in which the injured airman concealed himself in a mountain crevice to avoid capture before being rescued by a U.S. recovery team that encountered heavy fire.
