White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to comment on the Biden administration’s response, particularly a lack thereof, escalating tensions in the Middle East during her Friday morning press briefing. 

‘I know there’s a lot of interest in reports from the Middle East overnight. And we understand that, we get that. I’m going to see it now, though. I know you will all certainly ask me about it. That we do not have any comment on the reports at this time. Obviously, you all heard from Secretary Blinken earlier this morning,’ Jean-Pierre said.

Jean-Pierre added that President Biden is kept in the loop and up-to-date on everything happening with unrest in the Middle East. 

This comes after Israel carried out limited strikes on Iran early Friday in retaliation for Tehran firing a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel last Saturday.

Fox News confirmed there have been explosions in Iran’s Isfahan province, which is where Natanz, one of Iran’s nuclear facilities, is located. 

Jean-Pierre said the White House does not want to see conflict escalate in the Middle East.

‘We have been very, very clear from the beginning that we do not want to see this conflict escalate. We continue to consult with our allies and partners, including in the region, obviously, and to reduce further risk of escalation in the region. And that’s a sentiment that was expressed in the G-7 Foreign Ministry’s joint statement that went out this morning,’ Jean-Pierre said. ‘You heard that now, obviously, from Secretary Blinken, who was part of that meeting. I’m just going to be super mindful. I’m not going to speculate or speak to any of the reportings that are out there at this time.’

When asked whether the U.S. was informed by the Israelis ahead of the counter strike, Jean-Pierre still declined to comment.

‘I’m not going to speak to our diplomatic conversations,’ Jean-Pierre stated.

She also declined to answer if the U.S. has leverage in the Middle East after being questioned about President Biden’s response of ‘don’t’ to any Iranian retaliation.

‘I know this is not going to be satisfying. I’m not going to speak to any of the reports out there. I’m just not going to do that, not going to speculate. I will say, you’ve heard this from my NSE colleagues, and you’ve heard this from many of us here at The White House. The president and the prime minister have a long-standing relationship that goes decades, decades,’ Jean-Pierre said. 

‘Because of that long-standing relationship, they are able to speak very honestly with each other and have difficult conversations when it’s necessary. That is the type of friendship that they have. I’m just not going to speak to any of the events that’s been reported.’

The United States has denied any involvement in the strike, having pleaded with Israel for days to respond with restraint against Iranian strikes.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when asked about Israel’s strikes on Iran on Friday morning, said, ‘I’m not going to speak to that except to say that the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations.’

‘What we’re focused on, what the G7 is focused on, and again, it’s reflected in our statement and in our conversation, is our work to de-escalate tensions, to de-escalate from any potential conflict. You saw Israel on the receiving end of an unprecedented attack,’ he added. ‘But our focus has been on, of course, making sure that Israel can effectively defend itself, but also de-escalating tensions, avoiding conflict.’

Iranian state media has also reportedly downplayed Friday’s strikes, those of which a well-placed military source told Fox News that those strikes were ‘limited.’ 

‘The explosion this morning in the sky of Isfahan was related to the shooting of air defense systems at a suspicious object that did not cause any damage,’ according to Iranian army commander Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi in a report by the Associated Press. 

A senior Iranian official reportedly told Reuters on Friday that Tehran has no immediate plans to strike back.

Israel and its government have remained relatively quiet leading up to, and following, the retaliatory strike on Iran. 

‘Israel will do whatever it needs to defend itself,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement before the Israeli strike. ‘[Foreign leaders] have all sorts of suggestions and advice. I appreciate that. But I want to be clear: Our decisions we will make ourselves.’

Former Israel Defense Forces spokesman Jonathan Conricus tweeted that following the strike, and while Iran appears to downplay the strike, he ‘think[s] they’ve gotten the message.’

Fox News Digital’s Timothy H.J. Nerozzi, Bradford Betz, Jennifer Griffin, Greg Norman and Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.

The House of Representatives is holding a rare Saturday vote to consider Speaker Mike Johnson’s foreign aid plan, which has spurred calls for his ouster by a small group of GOP rebels.

Three of the four bills fund Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific, totaling roughly $95 billion. A fourth bill includes national security priorities like the House’s recently passed crackdown on TikTok’s ownership, as well as the REPO Act, which would liquidate seized Russian assets and give that funding to Ukraine.

Each is expected to receive a final vote sometime later this afternoon after lawmakers weigh amendments to all but the Israel bill, which House leaders decided must stay as is.

Among the amendments up for consideration is one by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., one of the House GOP’s fiercest foreign aid skeptics, to strip all funds from the $60 billion Ukraine aid bill. It’s not likely to pass, but it could get a significant amount of Republican support with a growing number of right-wing lawmakers opposed to the U.S.’ involvement in Kyiv’s war with Moscow.

Johnson’s handling of foreign aid and government spending spurred Greene to file a resolution calling for a vote to oust him from power, known as a motion to vacate the chair. Since revealing the details of his plan earlier this week, two more Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. — have formally backed her effort.

Foreign aid has proven to be one of the most politically fraught fights Johnson has faced in his short tenure as speaker. As has been the case for most complicated issues, he’s caught in a two-front battle between the Democrat-controlled Senate and White House, as well as outspoken conservatives in his own conference — namely the House Freedom Caucus and their allies.

The former group had been pressuring Johnson to take up the Senate’s $95 billion supplemental aid package as one item, while the latter objected to foreign aid without spending offsets or border security measures.

To assuage GOP border concerns, Johnson is also holding a vote on a border security and immigration bill on Saturday — though it’s unlikely to pass. Republican rebels blasted that move as a meaningless display, arguing that Johnson knows it has no chance in the Senate if not paired with foreign aid. 

The foreign aid proposal passed a key procedural hurdle on Friday morning known as a rule vote, which now allows for debate and passage of the final bills.

Rule votes have traditionally fallen across party lines, with lawmakers on both sides following their leadership to allow for a vote on legislation even if they don’t agree with its contents.

However, members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus have deliberately sunk GOP rule votes several times this Congress in protest of House Republican leadership’s decisions.

In a stunning turn of events not often seen in modern U.S. politics, Democrats leaped to the foreign aid proposal’s rescue and provided more than enough support to counter the 55 Republican defections — something that further irked Johnson’s right-wing critics.

Not only did Democrats vote for the rule, they outnumbered Republicans in support. It got 165 Democratic ‘yes’ votes compared to 151 Republicans, for a total 316 to 94 margin.

‘We agreed with the objective,’ Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the former House majority leader, told reporters when asked about the overwhelming Democratic support. ‘I think Democrats are going to continue to save the country. And when the speaker proposes something that we think is good for the country, we’re not going to arbitrarily oppose it because it happens to be a Republican proposal.’

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good, R-Va., accused Johnson of dividing the Republican Party but distanced himself from calls for his ouster.

‘Funding Ukraine divides the country. It divides Republicans tremendously, divides the Republican conference, as evidenced by the vote today, just a moment ago. And so that should not be our starting point, to do what the Democrats want to do,’ Good said.

Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Texas, one of the House’s GOP national security hawks, said he was ‘absolutely’ relieved that the bills advanced on Friday but that he was ‘confident’ they would.

Unlike his colleagues who were criticizing the show of bipartisanship, Ellzey said he was glad to see Democrats buck norms to support the rule.

‘I think that, this is a good thing for us now, for our national security, and the assurance of our friends and allies across the world, that we are a steady partner, and it’s bipartisan. Americans come together in times like this,’ he said.

On the evening of April 17, following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron confirmed in an interview with the BBC that ‘It is clear that the Israelis are making a decision to act.’ After four days of tense deliberations within the Israeli cabinet since the April 13 direct attack by the Islamic regime of Iran against Israel, which involved more than 300 objects, containing 30 cruise missiles, 120 ballistic missiles and 170 drones, it is evident that Israel has reached the decision to target the bases of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps inside Iran. The question is no longer whether Israel will launch an attack on Iran, but rather when and to what extent the retaliatory strike by Israel might occur. 

The United States and Israel, with the support from allies and friendly nations such as Britain, France, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, could successfully intercept IRGC’s missiles. Then, immediately Biden asked his ‘fellow G7 leaders to coordinate a united diplomatic response.’ The objective was to urge Israel to avoid further escalation of conflict in the Middle East.  

However, these efforts were perceived as weak from Israel’s standpoint. Israel has valid reasons to be concerned about the next phase of Iran’s actions against the Jewish state. The aggressive behavior of the mullahs’ regime over the past 45 years, starting from the storming of the American Embassy in Tehran and the hostage crisis in 1979, to the bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina in 1992, the October 7 attack six months ago, the recent massive missile and drone attack, and numerous other assaults against the United States and Israel, all underscore the fact that this regime cannot be trusted to behave rationally and respectfully within the international community. 

Despite all of that, it was revealed days before last weekend’s attack that the Islamic regime of Iran has a supply of highly enriched uranium, which, according to current and former officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency, ‘could be converted to weapons-grade fuel for at least three bombs within a time frame ranging from a few days to a few weeks.’  

‘This cannot just pass. It cannot go unanswered,’ Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog said in an interview with Bret Baier on Fox News. ‘Because if you don’t answer, the Iranians will feel impunity, and they will feel that you can strike anywhere in the Middle East or elsewhere, without any consequences.’ He followed ‘We have to respond, and we will respond. How exactly we do it remains to be seen. I don’t want to discuss any details.’  

Herzog clearly stated that, ‘In our part of the world, defense is not enough to create deterrence. We need to push back.’ He added ‘If we do not push back against Iran, in a matter of few years, you may see nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles.’ Israel has valid concerns and may feel compelled to preemptively disable IRGC’s missile and nuclear capabilities permanently, echoing their 1981 intervention at Iraq’s Osirak Nuclear reactor.  

White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby addressed questions about Iran and the IRGC’s motives regarding the recent missile attack. Kirby informed reporters, ‘The aim was to get as many [missiles and drones] through Israel’s defenses as possible.’ He refuted theories suggesting that the Iranians intended the operation to fail, labeling such claims as ‘categorically false’ and asserting, ‘Given the scale of this attack, Iran’s intent was clearly to cause significant destruction and casualties.’  

Reflect on the potential threat if Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, known for his enmity with the United States and Israel, had access to nuclear ballistic missiles. He likely would not hesitate to use such weapons, aligning with their longstanding so-called Islamic revolutionary slogan of ‘Israel must be wiped off the map.’  

In 1989, seven days after Ali Khamenei was appointed as Iran’s second supreme leader following Ruhollah Khomeini’s death, Smith Hempstone, soon to be appointed by President George H.W. Bush as Ambassador to Kenya, speculated that ‘Unfortunately if Khamenei remains in power and seeks an opening to the outside world, he is more likely to look to the Soviet Union than to the U.S. He is a graduate of Moscow’s Patrice Lumumba university.’  

Over the past 35 years, Khamenei’s actions have consistently revealed his ties to Russia. Under his command, the IRGC has suppressed numerous uprisings, with the most brutal crackdown occurring in November 2019. This incident saw the IRGC, under General Qassem Soleimani’s leadership, kill at least 1,500 peaceful protesters across 200 cities using military-grade weapons.  

Following Soleimani’s death by a U.S. drone strike ordered by then-President Donald Trump, IRGC General Mohammadreza Zahedi took control as the deputy commander of the Quds Force. Zahedi, known for his long-standing loyalty to Khamenei, was responsible for suppressing protests involving mostly teenagers in 500 cities last year.  

Despite all of that, it was revealed days before last weekend’s attack that the Islamic regime of Iran has a supply of highly enriched uranium, which, according to current and former officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency, ‘could be converted to weapons-grade fuel for at least three bombs within a time frame ranging from a few days to a few weeks.’  

Zahedi himself was killed on April 1st by an Israeli strike in Syria, which subsequently triggered a missile attack by Iran against Israel. He was killed by Israel because its undoubtedly confirmed ‘that he participated in the planning and execution of the October 7 attacks – and at the time of his assassination, Zahedi was planning other terror plots.’  

Given the historical actions attributed to Iran’s supreme leader and the IRGC’s pervasive influence in Iran, Israel has significant reasons for concern. Over the past two decades, the IRGC has gradually taken control of key aspects of Iranian society, including almost every seat in parliament, the cabinet, national TV, the banking system, and the import and export sectors, as well as the police departments and the supreme leader’s headquarters, all under Khamenei’s direct command.  

As a result, IRGC facilities represent a broad array of potential Israeli targets for retaliation following missile attacks. Understandably, many Iranians view potential Israeli strikes on these targets as a beacon of hope for the overthrow of the Mullahs’ regime. While Biden expressed concern in his op-ed in The Wall Street Journal about the potential for being dragged into war, he should be even more worried about the prospect that ‘Israel’s failure to strike back at Iran could lead to NUCLEAR WAR,’ warned the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 

The House of Representatives is voting on whether to proceed with Speaker Mike Johnson’s $95 billion foreign aid proposal on Friday after it cleared its first key procedural hurdle with Democratic help.

The Friday morning vote is a test vote of sorts for the four foreign aid bills, known as a ‘rule vote.’ If successful it will allow lawmakers to debate each of the individual four bills and vote on their final passage on Saturday.

Three of the four bills fund Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific. A fourth bill includes national security priorities like the House’s recently passed crackdown on TikTok’s ownership as well as the REPO Act, which would liquidate seized Russian assets and give that funding to Ukraine.

Democrats had to help bail the GOP-led proposals on Thursday night in the face of conservative opposition. The Rules Committee, the final barrier before legislation traditionally gets a House-wide vote, spent all day considering the bills before advancing their ‘rules’ package in a 9-3 vote.

It’s highly unusual for Democrats, or any opposition party, to cross the aisle on a Rules Committee vote as well as a House-wide rule vote. But it underscores the urgency that lawmakers on both sides feel about sending aid to foreign allies.

The three conservatives on the panel — Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ralph Norman, R-S.C. — all voted against the measure; an equally unusual move that’s become common in the 118th Congress, where members of the House Freedom Caucus and their allies have wielded outsized influence in Republicans’ thin majority by blocking procedural hurdles such as this. Democrats’ support will be critical for the rule vote and potentially even final passage of the bills. 

Johnson has faced furious pushback from the right flank of his conference over most of his plan, particularly sending $60 billion to Ukraine, which has become a politically fraught topic for much of the GOP.

Those same foreign aid hawks have objected to some of the Israel funding being aimed at humanitarian aid in Gaza, though its inclusion was critical to winning Democratic support. In a victory for Republicans, however, it prevents any of the Israel-Gaza funding from going toward the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a Palestinian refugee agency alleged to have ties to Hamas.

Conservative rebels also decried House GOP leaders’ decision to combine the four bills into one before sending it to the Senate, arguing it amounted to the same $95 billion foreign aid package the Democrat-majority chamber passed earlier this year and which House Republicans oppose. Johnson has argued that packaging them together for the Senate would prevent them from neglecting the Israel bill at a time when the issue has divided the Democratic Party.

Earlier this week, Massie threatened he’d move to oust Johnson from the speakership if he did not step aside after having the House vote on his foreign aid plans. One GOP lawmaker who was present at the closed-door meeting where it happened told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that Johnson challenged him to do so.

Massie is now signed onto Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to vacate resolution, which, if deemed ‘privileged’ by Greene, would force the House to begin voting on Johnson’s potential ouster within two legislative days.

Some discussion over whether to raise the threshold needed to call a motion to vacate — currently just one member can call for it — ended with Johnson backing off of the controversial move after it enraged GOP rebels and spurred new ouster threats.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., suggested to reporters earlier that a wide swath of rank-and-file Republicans supported the idea; but Johnson denied having such conversations earlier on Thursday when asked by Fox News Digital.

‘Recently, many members have encouraged me to endorse a new rule to raise this threshold. While I understand the importance of that idea, any rule change requires a majority of the full House, which we do not have. We will continue to govern under the existing rules,’ Johnson said on Thursday evening. 

Israel carried out limited strikes in Iran early Friday in retaliation for Tehran firing a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel last Saturday.

Here are the key facts you need to know about the latest escalation of violence between the two countries.

1. Where did the strike hit?

Fox News confirmed there have been explosions in Iran’s Isfahan province, which is where Natanz, one of Iran’s nuclear facilities, is located. 

A well-placed military source has told Fox News that the strike was ‘limited.’

2. How much damage did the attack cause?

Following the attack, Iranian state media stated that the nation’s atomic sites were ‘fully safe’ and had not been struck by the missiles.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, a United Nations affiliate watchdog organization, later confirmed ‘there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites.’

There have been no reports of large-scale damage or casualties.

3. How will Iran respond?

A senior Iranian official reportedly told Reuters on Friday that Tehran has no immediate plans to strike back.

That official said ‘the foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed,’ and ‘the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack.’ 

Iranian state media reportedly has been downplaying Friday’s strikes. A well-placed military source has told Fox News that the strikes were ‘limited.’ 

‘The explosion this morning in the sky of Isfahan was related to the shooting of air defense systems at a suspicious object that did not cause any damage,’ Iranian army commander Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. 

4. What has Israel said about the strike?

Israel and its government have been notably quiet leading up to and following the retaliatory strike on Iran. 

‘Israel will do whatever it needs to defend itself,’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement before the Israeli strike. ‘[Foreign leaders] have all sorts of suggestions and advice. I appreciate that. But I want to be clear: Our decisions we will make ourselves.’

Former Israel Defense Forces spokesman Jonathan Conricus wrote on X following the strike that while Iran appears to downplay the strike, he ‘think[s] they’ve gotten the message.’

5. Was the U.S. involved in the strike on Iran?

The United States has denied any involvement in the strike, having pleaded with Israel for days to respond with restraint against Iranian strikes.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when asked about Israel’s strikes on Iran Friday, said, ‘I’m not going to speak to that except to say that the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations.’

‘What we’re focused on, what the G7 is focused on, and again, it’s reflected in our statement and in our conversation, is our work to de-escalate tensions, to de-escalate from any potential conflict. You saw Israel on the receiving end of an unprecedented attack,’ he added. ‘But our focus has been on, of course, making sure that Israel can effectively defend itself, but also de-escalating tensions, avoiding conflict.’

Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz, Jennifer Griffin, Greg Norman and Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.

Former President Trump warned of the consequences of losing his presidential immunity argument, saying that if he loses that protection, so will ‘crooked’ President Joe Biden. 

The former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee argued that presidential immunity is essential to the proper functioning of the presidency in a Friday post to his Truth Social account. 

‘Without presidential immunity, it would be impossible for a president to properly function, putting the United States of America in great and everlasting danger!’ he posted, in all capital letters. ‘If they take away my presidential immunity, they take away crooked Joe Biden’s presidential immunity.’ 

The Supreme Court of the United States is expected to hear arguments on presidential immunity Thursday, and eventually rule on whether Trump is immune from prosecution on charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s election interference investigation. 

Trump pleaded not guilty to charges brought by Smith, and has claimed presidential immunity. 

Trump said that without immunity from prosecution, the presidency ‘will lose its power and prestige, and under some leaders, have no power at all.’ 

‘The Presidency will be consumed by the other Branches of Government. That is not what our founders wanted!’ he wrote. 

In another post, Trump argued that if a president does not have immunity, ‘the Opposing Party, during his/her term in Office, can extort and blackmail the President by saying that, ‘if you don’t give us everything we want, we will Indict you for things you did while in Office,’ even if everything done was totally Legal and Appropriate.’ 

‘That would be the end of the Presidency, and our Country, as we know it, and is just one of the many Traps there would be for a President without Presidential Immunity,’ Trump posted. 

Pointing to his presidential predecessors, and 2020 and 2024 opponent Biden, Trump said: ‘Obama, Bush, and soon, Crooked Joe Biden, would all be in BIG TROUBLE.’ 

‘If a President doesn’t have IMMUNITY, he/she will be nothing more than a ‘Ceremonial’ President, rarely having the courage to do what has to be done for our Country,’ Trump continued, calling for the protection of presidential immunity. ‘MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’ 

Trump added that if immunity is not granted to a president, ‘every president that leaves office will be immediately indicted by the opposing party.’ 

‘Without complete immunity, a president of the United States would not be able to properly function,’ he said again.

Trump posted about the issue on his Truth Social platform while he sat in a New York City courtroom for day four of his criminal trial stemming from charges brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. 

Bragg charged Trump last year with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges are related to alleged hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts. 

Trump and his attorneys sought to delay the trial, which began Monday, until after the Supreme Court ruled on the issue of presidential immunity on April 25. That request was denied. 

Trump is required to be in court every day for the criminal trial, which is expected to last through early June. Court for the criminal trial is expected for every day except Wednesdays, and Monday, April 29. 

Trump and his attorneys argued that the former president should be able to attend the Supreme Court arguments on immunity next Thursday, but Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial, denied that request as well. 

‘Arguing before the Supreme Court is a big deal, and I can certainly appreciate why your client would want to be there, but a trial in New York Supreme Court … is also a big deal,’ Merchan said this week, rebuffing Trump lawyer Todd Blanche’s request.

Merchan added, ‘I will see him here next week.’

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has said it would fast-track the appeal, and a ruling on the issue of presidential immunity is expected by mid-June. 

Trump’s criminal trial on charges brought against him by Smith has been put on hold pending resolution on the matter. 

Smith charged the former president with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. Those charges stemmed from Smith’s investigation into whether Trump was involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and any alleged interference in the 2020 election result.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in August.

This will be the second time this term the Supreme Court will hear a case involving the presumed Republican presidential nominee. 

Last month, the Supreme Court sided unanimously with the 2024 presumptive Republican nominee in his challenge to Colorado’s attempt to kick him off the 2024 primary ballot. 

The high court ruled in favor of Trump’s arguments in the case, which will impact the status of efforts in several other states to remove the likely GOP nominee from their respective ballots. 

The court considered for the first time the meaning and reach of Article 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars former officeholders who ‘engaged in insurrection’ from holding public office again. Challenges have been filed to remove Trump from the 2024 ballot in over 30 states.

Speaker Mike Johnson’s $95 billion foreign aid proposal survived a key test vote Friday morning, setting House lawmakers up to consider its four individual components sometime Saturday.

In a stunning break from modern historical precedent, more Democrats voted for the GOP proposal than Johnson’s fellow Republicans.

Democrats bucked party norms to support the plan through a procedural hurdle known as a ‘rule vote’ after conservative foreign aid skeptics defected from Republicans to try to block the plan. It passed 316-94, with 165 Democrats and 151 Republicans in favor.

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee that advanced the proposal on Thursday night, said before the Friday vote, ‘Democrats are providing the votes necessary to advance this legislation to the floor, because at the end of the day, so much more is at stake here than petty [brinkmanship].’

The rule vote now sets up debate on the four individual bills followed by amendment votes and four votes on passage sometime Saturday. It’s highly unusual for Democrats, or any opposition party, to cross the aisle on a rule vote, but it underscores the urgency that lawmakers on both sides feel about sending aid to foreign allies.

The 55 Republican dissidents on this latest rule vote illustrate the fractured House Republican Conference that Johnson is trying to manage, with the House Freedom Caucus and their allies having wielded outsized influence for much of this term. 

Three of the four bills fund Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific. A fourth bill includes national security priorities like the House’s recently passed crackdown on TikTok’s ownership, as well as the REPO Act, which would liquidate seized Russian assets and give that funding to Ukraine.

Johnson’s push for foreign aid has infuriated members on the right of his House GOP conference, putting added pressure on the Louisiana Republican as he also navigates a historically slim majority.

Earlier this week, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., threatened to oust Johnson if he did not step aside after a House vote on his foreign aid plan. Massie is now signed onto Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s, R-Ga., motion to vacate resolution, which, if deemed ‘privileged’ by Greene, would force the House to begin voting on Johnson’s potential ouster within two legislative days.

Massie said during debate ahead of the final vote, ‘I’m concerned that the speaker’s cut a deal with the Democrats to fund foreign wars rather than to secure our border.’

Greene’s amendment to strip all Ukraine funding from the foreign aid bill is slated to get a vote on Saturday ahead of the vote on final passage.

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee say they’ll field a massive team of 100,000 lawyers and volunteers in the key battleground states to monitor and possibly challenge the counting of votes in November’s election.

In a statement released Friday morning, the Trump campaign and the RNC touted the launch of what they called ‘the most extensive and monumental election integrity program in the nation’s history.’

The program is expected to be a crucial part of what the RNC calls its ‘commitment to ensuring transparency and fairness in the 2024 elections.’

‘Election integrity is the foundation of our democracy,’ recently installed RNC chair Michael Whatley said in a statement. ‘Through this unprecedented program, we are mobilizing lawyers and volunteers who are committed to preserving the sanctity of our elections.’

The Trump campaign and the RNC say that they plan to deploy what they describe as ‘aggressive attorneys’ to monitor voting machine testing, early voting, Election Day voting, mail-in ballot processing, and canvassing, audits and recounts following the election.

According to the announcement, the plans also call for hotlines in the battleground states, which poll watchers and concerned voters can call to report potential problems.

‘Lawyers will guide poll watchers through the appropriate election code and provide clarity on how various issues should be answered, resolved or escalated,’ according to the announcement. ‘This system will be operational from the first day of early voting through election day – and afterward if necessary.

A majority of states enforce rules regulating partisan monitoring at polling sites, in order to prevent voter intimidation and obstruction of voting. While partisan monitoring is permitted, it isn’t allowed to interfere in the voting process other than to report issues.

The new program underscores the former president’s emphasis on election integrity. For years, Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that his 2020 election loss to President Biden was due to massive voter fraud. And he has been indicted in two criminal cases for his alleged efforts to undermine and overturn those election results.

The former president and his allies have also claimed that Democrats will try to rig the 2024 election.

‘Having the right people to count the ballots is just as important as turning out voters on Election Day. Republicans are now working together to protect the vote and ensure a big win on November 5th!’ Trump said in a statement.

The RNC — under then-chair Ronna McDaniel — announced in October that it planned to recruit and train tens of thousands of poll workers and watches in the crucial battleground states in the 2024 election.

After Trump became the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee, he installed Whatley as RNC chair, and his daughter-in-law Lara Trump as co-chair. Whatley and Lara Trump, as well as RNC chief counsel Charlie Spies, hammered out the new program.