Republicans spend all night fighting over one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial ideas, then hand him a major immigration victory just before sunrise.
Plus, a growing group of Republicans breaks with the president over Ukraine, joining Democrats to advance billions in new aid.
And John Bolton goes from Trump insider to Trump critic to criminal defendant. Why he’s pleading guilty in a classified-information case that could have ended very differently.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Friday, June 5, 2026.
Senate passes $70B immigration bill, funding ICE and Border Patrol through 2029
After an all-night session on Capitol Hill, the Senate passed a bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol through 2029.
After nearly 18 hours of voting on amendments, senators approved the $70 billion package just before 5 a.m. ET on Friday by a 52-to-47 vote.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican to vote no.
Much of the overnight drama centered on Trump’s controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, with both Democrats and some Republicans trying, and failing, to add language that would have permanently blocked it.
Lawmakers also rejected amendments aimed at preventing federal funds from being used for Trump’s proposed White House ballroom project.
The bill would provide three years of funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, taking those agencies through the end of Trump’s term.
The package now heads to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson says he expects a vote as early as next week.
18 Republicans break with Trump as House passes $1.8B Ukraine aid bill
A growing number of Republicans have broken with Trump over Ukraine. On Thursday, 18 House Republicans joined Democrats to advance a new aid package, despite opposition from GOP leadership.
The House voted 226-to-195 to approve nearly $2 billion in new aid for Ukraine, with 18 Republicans crossing party lines to make it happen. Only one Democrat, Minnesota’s Ilhan Omar, voted no.
The bill would also impose new economic penalties on Russia, including additional sanctions on its energy sector, tighter restrictions on financial institutions doing business with Moscow and 500% tariffs on Russian imports.
The vote reached the floor through a rare discharge petition — a procedural move that allowed lawmakers to bypass House leadership after supporters gathered the 218 signatures needed to force action.
The result exposes a deepening divide inside the Republican Party over Ukraine, where a growing number of lawmakers are openly parting ways with Trump’s approach to the war.
The vote also comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the four-year conflict.
Putin said Thursday he is prepared to pursue a diplomatic end to the war.
Trump says Pulte’s tenure as director of national intelligence won’t be long-term
Just two days after naming Bill Pulte to lead the nation’s intelligence community, Trump is already making one thing clear: this is not a long-term job.
Trump told reporters Thursday that Pulte’s appointment as acting director of national intelligence is only temporary and that the White House is already interviewing candidates for the permanent role.
Pulte currently runs the Federal Housing Finance Agency and oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He has no known intelligence or national security background.
“It is an acting position. It’s not a permanent … He is not going to be permanent because, you know, I don’t think he wants to be permanent, but he is a very smart guy, and he may find out some things about the rigged elections, etc., etc. I think he would like to do it. I would like to … I think he wants to do it very much. Got a lot of energy, but he will be very good. Again, it’s not a permanent position. We are looking at, we are interviewing people right now, but it’s somebody just to take it over for a little while.”
President Donald Trump
The pick has drawn criticism from both parties.
On Tuesday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries blasted the selection.
“The appointment of Bill Pult as the acting director of national intelligence is another indication of how unserious, reckless, and dangerous Donald Trump and his administration are with respect to the national security of the American people,” Jeffries said.
On X, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote Pulte is, “a partisan thug with no experience in intelligence.”
But Trump defended the choice, saying Pulte is smart, has high integrity and can figure the job out quickly.
Trump also suggested Pulteney could look into what he again described as “rigged elections,” a comment that’s already drawn some attention given former DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s high-profile appearance at an FBI seizure of election records in Fulton County, Georgia, earlier this year.
John Bolton reaches plea deal in classified documents case
One of Trump’s most prominent former advisers, turned fierce critic, is about to plead guilty in a classified information case that’s been hanging over him for years.
Former national security adviser John Bolton has reached a deal with federal prosecutors and is expected to plead guilty to a single felony count of unlawfully retaining sensitive national security information.
Under the agreement, Bolton would pay more than $2 million in fines and could avoid prison time.
A federal judge still must approve the deal.
The case stems from notes and diary entries Bolton kept after leaving the first Trump administration while working on his 2020 memoir, which was highly critical of the president.
Last August, FBI agents searched Bolton’s Maryland home after investigators discovered what court filings described as classified national security information in personal records and email accounts.
Prosecutors originally brought 18 counts against Bolton, including allegations he shared more than 1,000 pages of material with family members who did not have security clearances. The plea deal would narrow the case to a single retention charge.
A hearing is scheduled for June 26.
FDA launches review of abortion pill mifepristone
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a new review of the safety of the abortion pill, which could shape future restrictions on how the drug is distributed. A senior FDA official told CBS News the agency has started a large-scale study of mifepristone, analyzing hundreds of thousands of cases involving women who used the drug.
Preliminary findings could be available sometime in July.
Trump administration officials told The Wall Street Journal the review has been in development for some time, but gained urgency after discussions with anti-abortion advocates and a court-imposed October deadline in a Louisiana case challenging the mail delivery of the drug.
The FDA first approved mifepristone in 2000, and it is used in the majority of abortions in the U.S. For now, the FDA continues to maintain that the drug is safe and effective when used as directed.
Animals or icons? Britain debates next currency design
Britain is debating what should appear on its money. For the first time in decades, the choice isn’t between historical figures; it’s between wildlife.
The Bank of England is inviting the public to help choose new designs for future banknotes over the next month. The shortlist features native wildlife, including Atlantic puffins, red foxes, kingfishers, bumblebees and dolphins.
The proposal would mark a major change. British banknotes have long featured historical figures, such as former Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Critics have accused the Bank of England of trying to erase Britain’s history, while supporters say the designs would better reflect the country’s natural heritage.
Voting runs through July 3. After that, Bank of England Gov. Andrew Bailey will make the final decision.
More from Straight Arrow:
Inside the high-stakes quest to find cancer-causing viruses in city sewers
HOUSTON — The graph that popped up on Michael Tisza’s computer screen sent his eyebrows arching high across his forehead.
A bright red dot had surfaced where there once had been a flat black line.
That is not normal, thought Tisza, an assistant professor of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
It was January, 2025. There hadn’t been a confirmed case of measles in Texas for two years.
Tisza tested it manually. Still measles.
So he reached out to Anthony Maresso, a professor in his same department and lead on Baylor’s wastewater surveillance program. They activated their notification protocol, alerting public health officials that the virus had arrived.
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