Trump backs newest Republican spending deal that would prevent a government shutdown if passed: Live

House Democrats are scrambling to respond to a new Republican deal that aims to fund the government through March, but which will also push the debt ceiling deadline back until January 2027 — a move Donald Trump demanded from House Speaker Mike Johnson.

According to a recent Axios report, Democrats met Thursday afternoon to discuss the deal, which is expected to go a vote later this evening.

A senior House Democrat reportedly told Axios that they believe the party will ultimately back the Republican’s proposed deal.

“Honestly, if they put what they are proposing right now on the floor three weeks ago, it would’ve gotten a lot of votes,” the source reportedly said.

Elon Musk posted racist images of Elizabeth Warren after the Massachusetts senator called for President-elect Donald Trump to hold the billionaire to the ethics standards set for government officials.

Musk took to X Tuesday to post images that seemingly had been generated by artificial intelligence to make Warren appear in Native American attire. DNA results from 2018 showed that Warren likely has a Native American ancestor but that the overwhelming majority of her heritage is European.

One of the images showed Warren wearing a beaded headdress with bird feathers and a buckskin shirt with a leather fringe. Several other posts showed Warren in Native American attire while eating cake and smiling at the viewer.

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House Republicans have struck a deal on a short-term funding bill 24 hours after Elon Musk and Donald Trump derailed a resolution and steered the government into a shutdown the weekend before Christmas.

A newly hashed-out deal arrived Thursday after the world’s wealthiest person and the incoming president commanded members of Congress to reject the bipartisan, months-in-the-making stopgap funding bill as lawmakers prepared to vote.

Following news of the deal, Trump hailed “SUCCESS” in Washington, D.C., and called on lawmakers to vote in support “tonight.”

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Donald Trump celebrated a “very good Deal for the American people,” and announced on Truth Social that Congress has come to an agreement on the American Relief Act of 2024, which will fund the government and provide emergency hurricane relief for areas of the country affected by storms earlier this year.

Trump was also pleased that the debt ceiling deadline will be pushed back by two years — to January 30, 2027 — as part of the deal.

“A VERY important piece, VITAL to the America First Agenda, was added as well - The date of the very unnecessary Debt Ceiling will be pushed out two years, to January 30, 2027. Now we can Make America Great Again, very quickly, which is what the People gave us a mandate to accomplish,” Trump wrote.

Despite Trump’s celebration, it seems as though Democrats may not have been aware such a deal was struck.

Axios’s Stephan Neukam wrote in a post on X that sources familiar with the Democrat’s stance on the deal “have been left in the dark,” and that any deal that was struck was between House Republicans.

President-elect Donald Trump’s co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita and chief pollster Tony Fabrizio sat for an interview with Politico and revealed what they believed helped Trump secure victory in the 2024 election.

Fabrizo said Trump was unhappy with some of the speakers at his Madison Square Garden rally — a rally during which a right-wing podcaster called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage and made other disparaging remarks about latinos and Jewish people — but that Joe Biden insulting Trump supporters after the event “saved” the campaign from an extended negative news cycle.

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been,” Biden said after the rally.

Elsewhere in the interview, LaCivita said he does not believe that the impact of the visual of Trump after the Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt has been fully appreciated.

He said the visual of Trump, bleeding, with his fist in the air after the shooting conveyed that “Americans get knocked down, but they always fight back.”

“And that visual is as quintessential America as the f****** flag is,” he said.

President Joe Biden took part in an interview with MeidasTouch, recorded on December 16:

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement released a new report showing that deportations are at their higest level since 2014.

According to the report, ICE deported 271,484 immigrants to nearly 200 countries in the last fiscal year, making 2024 the year with the highest number of deportations in the last decade.

The report covered a time period of October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024.

Sir Keir Starmer has hit out at the “dangers” of tariffs, putting the prime minister on a collision course with incoming US president Donald Trump.

The prime minister said he was “not a fan” as he was grilled by MPs on the Commons Liaison Committee about how he plans to deal with the next occupant of the White House.

Experts have warned of a looming trade war after Mr Trump himself said: “Tariff is my favourite word.”

Kate Devlin, The Independent’s Whitehall editor, filed this report today:

President-elect Donald Trump has lashed out at a Texas Congressman — and a fellow Republican — who is opposing GOP efforts to force a government shutdown.

“The very unpopular “Congressman” from Texas, Chip Roy, is getting in the way, as usual, of having yet another Great Republican Victory - All for the sake of some cheap publicity for himself,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Republican obstructionists have to be done away with.”