Today in one sentence: House Republicans vowed to kill the Senate’s bipartisan $118.3 billion national security bill that pairs strict border enforcement policies with aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other U.S. allies; Trump's federal 2020 election trial was officially postponed indefinitely; and the Biden administration said it will take “further action” against Iranian-backed militias who have carried out attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East.

1/ House Republicans vowed to kill the Senate’s bipartisan $118.3 billion national security bill that pairs strict border enforcement policies with aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other U.S. allies. For months, Republicans have demanded concessions from Democrats, threatening to tank any deal that didn’t link significant new U.S. immigration restrictions with unrelated aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other U.S. allies. The proposed agreement includes $20.2 billion to improve security at the U.S. border, and would require the president to close the border if the number of migrant crossings reach a certain threshold, allow the government to more easily expel migrants at the border, and make it more difficult for migrants to claim asylum. In exchange, the bill includes $60.1 billion in aid for Ukraine, $14.1 billion for Israel, $10 billion in humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, $2.33 billion for refugees from the war in Ukraine, and $4.83 billion for allies to “deter aggression by the Chinese government.” Nevertheless, House Speaker Mike Johnson called the legislation “even worse than we expected” and declared it “dead on arrival” in the House. Trump, who’s made the border his signature campaign issue, called it a “great gift to the Democrats, and a Death Wish for The Republican Party.” Several Republicans have admitted they’d rather walk away from border security policies they’ve sought for years than give Biden a win ahead in an election year. Biden, meanwhile, called the agreement some of the “toughest and fairest set of border reforms in decades,” and ones that he “strongly” supports. “Now, House Republicans have to decide. Do they want to solve the problem? Or do they want to keep playing politics with the border?” The Senate is expected to hold a key test vote on the package this week, which would require 60 votes to pass. It’s unclear whether it has the support to pass a filibuster. (Axios / Politico / NBC News / Associated Press / CNN / NPR / New York Times)

2/ Trump’s federal 2020 election trial was officially postponed indefinitely. The case had been paused since December while Trump appealed a lower-court’s rejection of his immunity claims. “The court will set a new schedule if and when the mandate is returned,” Judge Tanya Chutkan said in her order. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals eventual ruling will likely be appealed to the Supreme Court, prompting further delays. The delay in the federal election interference case makes it likely that the first of Trump’s four criminal trials will begin March 25 in Manhattan on New York state charges of business fraud in connection with hush money payments during the 2016 election. (NBC News / Associated Press / New York Times / Axios / Bloomberg / Washington Post / Politico)

  • 64% of Americans want to see a verdict on the federal charges Trump faces related to election subversion in 2020 before this year’s presidential election. “A 72% majority of Democrats and 52% of independents say it’s essential that a verdict is reached pre-election. Republicans are more split. While 38% say that a verdict should be reached before the presidential election, including 20% who call that essential, another 39% say it doesn’t matter when the trial is held, and 23% that they think the trial should be held after this election.” (CNN)

3/ The Biden administration said it will take “further action” against Iranian-backed militias who have carried out attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East. On Friday, the U.S. military struck more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian forces and the Iran-backed militants. That action was followed by airstrikes on Saturday by the U.S. and U.K. targeting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in response to the group’s continued attacks in the Red Sea. “I would just say that the president was clear when he ordered them and when he conducted them that that was the beginning of our response and there will be more steps to come,” Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. (NBC News / CNN / Washington Post / New York Times / Bloomberg / NPR)