Donald Trump launched into a bizarre attack on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer – the highest-ranking Jewish person in the American government – by inexplicably claiming that the New York Democrat is no longer Jewish during a marathon media event alongside Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin on Wednesday.
Trump was speaking to reporters in the Oval Office about his plans for tax cuts when he suddenly pivoted to rebuking Democrats and said of their Senate leader: “Schumer is a Palestinian, as far as I’m concerned. You know, he’s become a Palestinian. He used to be Jewish. He’s not Jewish anymore. He’s a Palestinian.”
Hours later, Schumer said that Senate Democrats could not support the Republican spending bill passed by the House of Representatives earlier this week as a government shutdown looms.
“Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort,” he said.
“But Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their continuing resolution (CR) without any input, any input, from Congressional Democrats.
“Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR.”
Trump also used his sitdown with the Irish PM to hint, once again, about serving an unconstitutional third term.
Key Points
- Trump attacks Schumer as ‘not Jewish anymore’ and says he’s ‘Palestinian’ now
- Schumer says Senate Democrats won’t support spending bill as shutdown looms
- Trump again hints at serving unconstitutional third term as president
Trump again hints at third term while hosting Irish PM Micheal Martin
09:30
,
Joe Sommerlad
Elsewhere during the president’s pre-St Patrick’s Day sitdown with Martin, Trump hinted about serving for an unconstitutional third term in the White House when he told his opposite number he hopes to celebrate the occasion with him “at least three more times.”
“Taoiseach, I want to just thank you once again for being here, it’s an honor, and hopefully we’re gonna be doing this at least three more times, OK. We’re gonna be doing this three more times, at least,” the president said at a “Friends of Ireland” lunch at the Capitol.
“When I say ‘at least’ they go absolutely crazy,” Trump added, referring to the press, drawing laughs in the room.
“So thank you very much for being here.”
Here he is mangling the pronunciation of “Taoiseach”, inevitably.
Schumer says Senate Democrats won’t support spending bill as shutdown looms
09:10
,
Joe Sommerlad
Hours after Trump’s odd personal broadside against him, Schumer said that Senate Democrats could not support the Republican spending bill passed by the House of Representatives earlier this week as a government shutdown looms.
Here are his remarks in full:
“Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort.
“But Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their continuing resolution (CR) without any input, any input, from Congressional Democrats.
“Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR.
Our caucus is unified on a clean April 11th CR that will keep the government open and give Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that can pass.
“We should vote on that.
Schumer: Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR. Our caucus is unified on a clean April 11th CR.. pic.twitter.com/Bh96hogy1x
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 12, 2025
Here’s Eric Garcia on whether Schumer’s side could yet be forced to cave in and pass the resolution for the greater good.
Trump attacks Schumer as ‘not Jewish anymore’ and says he’s ‘Palestinian’ now
08:51
,
Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump launched into a bizarre attack on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer – the highest-ranking Jewish person in the American government – by inexplicably claiming that the New York Democrat was no longer Jewish during a marathon media event alongside Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin on Wednesday.
Trump was speaking to reporters in the Oval Office about his plans for tax cuts when he suddenly pivoted to recounting how, in his view, Democrats hadn’t stood up and applauded sufficiently at different parts of the speech he delivered to a joint session of Congress last week.
“We are planning to lower taxes... if the Democrats behave, but the Democrats have no clue – you saw that the other night during the speech,” he said.
“That evening was a disaster for the Democrats, in my opinion.”
Then, for no apparent reason, the president pivoted to attacking the background of Schumer, a fellow New Yorker and a longtime foil during his decade-long political career.
“And Schumer is a Palestinian, as far as I'm concerned. You know, he's become a Palestinian. He used to be Jewish. He's not Jewish anymore. He’s a Palestinian.”
Trump: Schumer is a Palestinian as far as I’m concerned. He’s become a Palestinian. He used to be Jewish. He’s not Jewish anymore. pic.twitter.com/YyFNLhyTKY
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 12, 2025
Schumer, a 74-year-old veteran of the upper chamber who has served as the Democratic floor leader since 2017, is not Palestinian.
He was born in Brooklyn and has lived in New York for his entire life.
Here’s Andrew Feinberg’s report.
RFK Jr and Sean Hannity reveal Trump’s secret to losing ‘30 pounds’
08:30
,
Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has made the surprising claim that the president has recently lost 30 pounds – while conceding that his junk food diet still leaves a lot to be desired.
Interviewed by Fox News host Sean Hannity in a branch of Steak ’n Shake in Florida on Tuesday, Kennedy said of Trump: “I saw him yesterday and I think he’s lost 30 pounds.”
Read more:
Trump’s team wants vaccines to stop bird flu. RFK Jr. says it could turn ‘flocks into mutation factories’
08:00
,
Julia Musto
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., says that vaccinating the nation’s poultry flocks against pervasive H5N1 bird flu could turn them into “mutation factories.”
“All of my agencies advise against vaccination of birds, because if you vaccinate with a leaky vaccine, in other words a vaccine that does not provide sterilizing immunity, that does not absolutely protect against the disease, you turn those flocks into mutation factories,” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “They’re teaching the organism how to mutate.”
But, vaccines could be key to the administration’s response going forward — at least, according to the Department of Agriculture
Keep reading:
Head of Social Security admits he doesn’t know what ‘DOGE kids’ have been doing with Americans’ data, bombshell audio reveals
07:30
,
Rhian Lubin
The acting head of the Social Security Administration admitted that he doesn’t know exactly what the “DOGE kids” have been doing with Americans’ sensitive data, according to a bombshell audio recording.
An hour-long meeting last week led by the department’s acting commissioner, Leland Dudek, was captured on an audio recording shared with ProPublica, where he repeatedly referred to young staffers at the Department of Government Efficiency as the “DOGE kids,” and confirmed they had “broad access” to Social Security numbers and personal data.
Addressing what DOGE staffers had been doing with Social Security data, Dudek reportedly asked at one point in the meeting: “Are we going to break something? I don’t know.”
Read more:
JD Vance responds to cousin who called him and Trump ‘Putin’s useful idiots’
07:00
,
Gustaf Kilander
Vice President JD Vance has responded to the criticism levied by his cousin Nate Vance, who volunteered in Ukraine and called the VP and President Donald Trump Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “useful idiots.”
Read more:
Has Steve Bannon just revealed the real reason Trump is siding with Putin over Ukraine?
06:30
,
Michael Sheridan
Steve Bannon loves talking. In fact, he can’t stop. The Trump whisperer has laid out a plan behind the abandonment of Ukraine, namely for the United States to make a deal with Russia and turn to its real enemy, China. While Beltway think-tankers apply their fine minds to the puzzle of the Trump administration’s diplomacy, Bannon has cheerfully taken to the airwaves, most recently on the podcast of Tim Dillon, a stand-up comedian, to explain it to the little guy.
Keep reading:
Watch: Starmer breaks silence on Trump's 'disappointing' global tariffs
06:00
,
Katie Hawkinson
MTG’s boyfriend Brian Glenn asks Irish PM ‘why in the world’ he let Rosie O’Donnell move there
05:30
,
Justin Baragona
Real America’s Voice correspondent Brian Glenn, who also happens to be the paramour of MAGA congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, used the White House sitdown between President Donald Trump and Irish Taoiseach Michael Martin to press Ireland’s leader about Rosie O’Donnell moving to the Emerald Isle.
Keep reading:
DOGE suffers biggest loss yet as thousands of probationary USDA employees ordered back to work
05:00
,
John Bowden
The chair of a quiet government agency secured the re-employment of nearly 6,000 fired federal workers for the next month and a half on Wednesday, just a day after her own firing was ruled illegal by a federal judge.
Cathy Harris struck what is likely the biggest blow so far to DOGE’s firing campaign on Wednesday, ruling that 5,600 probationary employees at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) were terminated in a move that may have violated federal procedures. Her ruling halts the firings for 45 days, while the Merit Systems Protection Board, which she chairs, reviews the firings.
Read more:
Trump attacks Schumer as ‘not Jewish anymore’ and says he’s ‘Palestinian’ now
04:30
,
Andrew Feinberg
President Donald Trump on Wednesday launched into a bizarre attack on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — the highest-ranking Jewish person in the American government — by inexplicably claiming that the New York Democrat was no longer Jewish during a marathon media availability alongside Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin.
Trump was speaking to reporters in the Oval Office about his plans for tax cuts when he suddenly pivoted to recounting how, in his view, Democrats hadn’t stood and applauded sufficiently at different parts of the speech he delivered to a joint session of Congress last week.
Keep reading:
Trump discusses next steps for Putin after Ukraine accepts 30 day ceasefire
04:00
,
Lucy Leeson
JD Vance’s cousin is fighting for Ukraine – this is what he thinks of Trump, Putin and the VP
03:30
,
Sam Kiley
In the mafia-like world of the White House where loyalty tests are routine and macho threats the norm, JD Vance might have hoped for omertà from his actual family. Instead, both the vice president and the president himself find themselves described by one of JD’s close relatives as “useful idiots” serving Vladimir Putin.
But this is not just a family member who backs the Democrats. This is his first cousin who has spent much of the last two years fighting, and killing, Russians in Ukraine for what he thought were the ideals America stands for.
Read more:
Trump whines about who signed deal to allow Canada to supply energy to the US – it was him
03:00
,
Rhian Lubin
President Donald Trump took to social media to whine about who negotiated a deal allowing Canada to supply energy to the U.S. — but, it turns out, he made the deal.
Amidst the trade tariffs back-and-forth with Canada and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who suspended the province’s 25 percent electricity surcharge on three U.S. states Tuesday, Trump fumed on Truth Social: “Why would our Country allow another Country to supply us with electricity, even for a small area?”
“Who made these decisions, and why?” the president demanded.
Read more:
King Charles conveys ‘deepest affection’ for Canada amid Trump’s 51st state threat
02:30
,
Barney Davis
King Charles has reportedly expressed his “deep affection” for Canada as Donald Trump has threatened to annex the nation and has engaged in a trade war with his northern neighbour.
His Majesty, who is also King of Canada, delivered a warm exchange of greetings in French and English to Gregory Peters, the Usher of the Black Rod of the Senate of Canada and Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagne ahead of a private meeting on Wednesday.
In the 30-minute meeting, they are thought to have discussed topics “of great concern to all parties, both nationally and internationally”.
Keep reading:
Trump to give 'law and order' speech at DOJ after purging dozens of staffers
02:00
,
Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump is set to give a speech about his plans to restore “law and order” at the Justice Department after purging dozens of staffers he perceived as disloyal or political enemies, Axios reports.
Those removed from the department included attorneys involved in criminally prosecuting Trump.
This comes after the Trump administration dismissed a Justice Department lawyer after she refused a request to restore gun rights to Hollywood actor and Donald Trump ally Mel Gibson, according to a report.
Read the full story from The Independent’s Josh Marcus:
What is a recession, and how can you prepare for one?
01:30
,
Katie Hawkinson
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost almost 900 points at closing Monday, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Donald Trump’s world-rattling tariffs would be “worth it” even if they led to a downturn.
"These policies are the most important thing America has ever had," Lutnick told CBS News when asked whether the tariffs would be worth it if they lead to a recession. "It's worth it!”
Here’s what you need to know about a recession — and what experts say you can do to prepare:
Trump administration lawyers tie themselves in knots trying to defend trans military ban to judge
01:00
,
Kelly Rissman, Alex Woodward
A federal judge is considering whether to strike down President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender service members in the U.S. military as defense officials begin removing trans troops from all branches.
Keep reading:
ICE returns migrants from Guantánamo Bay
00:33
,
Katie Hawkinson
All remaining migrants being held at Guantánamo Bay have been returned to facilities in Louisiana over the last two days, The New York Times and CBS News report.
This comes after Trump announced he’d be signing an executive order “to instruct the departments of Defense and Homeland Security to begin preparing the 30,000-person migrant facility at Guantanamo Bay."
Last week, reports indicated the administration was rethinking the move amid financial, legal and organizational challenges.
Will Senate Democrats cave to Trump to prevent a government shutdown?
00:30
,
Eric Garcia
The stopgap spending bill that Republicans in the House of Representatives passed on Tuesday put Democrats into a bind: Do they oppose the bill and risk a government shutdown or do they support a bill that significantly slashes government spending and allows Elon Musk to run even more roughshod over various departments?
So far, they seem no closer to answering that question.
Keep reading:
Trump’s team wants vaccines to stop bird flu. RFK Jr. says it could turn ‘flocks into mutation factories’
00:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., says that vaccinating the nation’s poultry flocks against pervasive H5N1 bird flu could turn them into “mutation factories.”
“All of my agencies advise against vaccination of birds, because if you vaccinate with a leaky vaccine, in other words a vaccine that does not provide sterilizing immunity, that does not absolutely protect against the disease, you turn those flocks into mutation factories,” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “They’re teaching the organism how to mutate.”
Julia Musto has the story.
Trump’s team has shelved a $1bn program to keep housing affordable
Wednesday 12 March 2025 23:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
The Trump administration is halting a $1 billion program that helps preserve affordable housing, threatening projects that keep tens of thousands of units livable for low-income Americans, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press.
The action is part of a slew of cuts and funding freezes at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, largely at the direction of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, that have rattled the affordable-housing industry.
Continue reading...
CPAC's Mercedes Schlapp calls for US-born congresswoman to be deported
Wednesday 12 March 2025 23:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Conservative Political Action Conference host Mercedes Schlapp suggested on Tuesday night that the Trump administration should “deport” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) alongside Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, even though Tlaib is an American-born citizen.
Justin Baragona has the story.
Despite constant Republican attacks most people still trust CDC, five years after Covid
Wednesday 12 March 2025 22:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Five years after the devastating and deadly effects of the Covid pandemic swept the U.S., most Americans say they they still trust information from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Of the more than 1,000 adult participants, 57 percent reported that they have a fair amount or great deal of trust in information provided by the NIH, according to a Tuesday survey from Axios and Ipsos. And, 40 percent do not trust the institute.
Julia Musto reports.
How many ceasefires has Putin broken with Ukraine?
Wednesday 12 March 2025 22:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump’s administration has taken a Ukrainian proposal for a 30-day truce with Russia to Vladimir Putin for consideration.
After months of Mr Trump blaming Ukraine for being the obstacle to peace despite Russia’s sole role as the aggressor, Washington says the ball is now in Moscow’s court.
Ukraine hopes this will show that it has always been Russia that is the one in the way of peace.
Tom Watling reports.
Watch live: Donald Trump and Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin hold White House reception
Wednesday 12 March 2025 21:39
,
Katie Hawkinson
Which U.S. products are being targeted by U.S. tariffs
Wednesday 12 March 2025 21:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Red states may be hardest hit when the European Union retaliates against U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum.
The E.U. has said it will issue retaliatory tariffs in two phases, with the first wave taking effect on April 1, affecting 8 billion euros worth of goods. A 99-page list of products that may be taxed by the second wave of tariffs — which goes into effect on April 13 and targets 18 billion euros worth of goods — has already been made public. In total, over the two phases, the E.U. will impose 26 billion euros worth of additional tariffs.
Gustaf Kilander looks at which goods might be hit:
New poll shows Zelensky has 72% approval rating
Wednesday 12 March 2025 21:15
,
Katie Hawkinson
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has a 72 percent approval rating, a new Ipsos poll commissioned by The Economist finds.
This further rebukes President Donald Trump’s misleading claim last month that the Ukrainian leader has just a 4 percent approval rating.
In addition to his high approval rating, eight in ten Ukrainians told pollsters they believe Zelensky is still a legitimate president and more than seven in ten trust him to lead negotiations.
‘30 days could be just 30 minutes’
Wednesday 12 March 2025 21:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
The chances of Vladimir Putin upholding a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine are “close to nil” European officials fear – with one warning that it