Senate begins debate on Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
After a dramatic procedural vote late Saturday, the bill went to the floor.
The Senate on Sunday afternoon began debate on President Donald Trump's megabill for his second term priorities after a dramatic procedural vote late Saturday night.
There is up to 20 hours of debate but while Democrats will use their allotted 10 hours, Republicans are expected not to. After that, likely in the early hours of Monday, senators will begin offering amendments to the bill.
Overnight Sunday, the Senate parliamentarian ruled more provisions out of order with the reconciliation process Republicans are using to pass the bill with a simple majority. If it passes in the Senate, the bill goes back to the House to consider changes the Senate made to the House's version of the bill, which passed by one vote.
Latest headlines:
Trump says Hegseth will hold 'interesting and irrefutable' news conference
President Donald Trump announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will hold a news conference Thursday morning as the administration pushes back on news coverage of an intelligence assessment of U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The news conference -- which Trump said on social media would be "both interesting and irrefutable" -- is set for 8 a.m. at the Pentagon.
Speaking at the NATO summit on Wednesday, Trump said the B-2 bomber pilots from Whiteman Air Force Base were upset at news coverage over the recent intelligence assessment and called him.
The news conference comes as the White House insists on the efficiency of the U.S. military strike, describing the result as "complete and total destruction" of the Iranian nuclear capabilities.
An initial intelligence assessment showed that the strikes did not completely destroy the country's nuclear program but likely set it back a few months, according to sources familiar with the early findings. However, the Defense Intelligence Agency later said its findings were a "a preliminary, low confidence assessment – not a final conclusion."
-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh
’Big Balls’ has left DOGE
Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old member of Elon Musk's DOGE team, has left the Trump administration, a White House official confirmed to ABC News.
Coristine, who gained notoriety for his age and going by the online nickname "Big Balls," handed in his resignation this week, becoming the latest high-profile departure from DOGE after Musk left the administration earlier this month.
During his time at DOGE, Coristine was a key player on Musk's team and worked across multiple top agencies, including General Services Administration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of Education, and Health and Human Services.
ABC News previously reported that other senior DOGE officials were leaving the Trump administration, including James Burnham, DOGE’s top attorney, and Steve Davis, a longtime Musk lieutenant at his private companies. Katie Miller, a special government employee who had served as a senior adviser and spokesperson for DOGE, is also leaving the administration and will work with Musk, sources said.
Wired was first to report the news.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
34 arrested in Senate protest over Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
At least 34 people were arrested Wednesday in the Russell Senate Office Building while protesting Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump's "Beautiful Big Bill," Capitol Police said.
They were charged with "Crowding, Obstructing and Incommoding," Capitol Police said.
An additional person "was arrested for crossing a police line outside where we are processing the arrests," according to police.
-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson
Trump reiterates his vow to end Ukraine-Russia war fast was 'sarcasm'
A Dutch reporter brought up President Donald Trump's campaign vow that he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours of returning to office, but later claimed that was "sarcasm."
"Of course it was sarcastic," Trump said.
The president added that the situation is "more difficult than people would have any idea," claiming both leaders were difficult. Trump then pivoted to other foreign conflicts including the Indian-Pakistan conflict which he took responsibility for resolving.