![\"Jeffries](\"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot_2-9.png\")
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed anger over an emerging deal with Republicans to reopen the federal government after his party kept it closed for more than 40 days.<\/p>\n
\u201cHouse Democrats have consistently maintained that bipartisan legislation that funds the government must also decisively address the Republican healthcare crisis,\u201d Jefferies said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor seven weeks, Democrats in the House and Senate have waged a valiant fight on behalf of the American people,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cIt now appears that Senate Republicans will send the House of Representatives a spending bill that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a result of the Republican refusal to address the healthcare crisis that they have created, tens of millions of everyday Americans are going to see their costs skyrocket. Many will not be able to afford a doctor when they or their children need one,\u201d it continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmerica is far too expensive. We will not support spending legislation advanced by Senate Republicans that fails to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. We will fight the GOP bill in the House of Representatives, where Mike Johnson will be compelled to end the seven-week Republican taxpayer-funded vacation,\u201d it said.The statement concluded: \u201cDonald Trump and the Republican Party own the toxic mess they have created in our country and the American people know it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, with zero Republican votes in 2010, which included hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer-provided subsidies. At the time, they claimed that the ACA would \u201cfix\u201d healthcare and keep costs down, neither of which came true.<\/p>\n
Also, Democrats have consistently voted to keep the government shut down for nearly a month and a half, thereby depriving tens of millions of Americans SNAP and other benefits, as well as paychecks for millions of federal workers and U.S. military personnel.<\/p>\n
The Senate made a huge step toward reopening the government on Sunday night when several chamber Democrats gave in and joined Republicans in their effort to adopt a new proposal to end the closure.<\/p>\n
As the day wore on, it became more and more evident that the shutdown, which was now in its 41th day as of Monday, would be coming to an end after senators revealed a bipartisan bundle of spending bills that they intended to attach to a modified plan to reopen the government.<\/p>\n
Eight Democrats in the Senate voted with Republicans to end the shutdown, which was the first stage in the GOP-led plan. Many of the legislators who broke away from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., were part of conversations between Republicans and Democrats over the past few weeks.<\/p>\n
Senators Angus King (I-Maine), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the second most powerful Democrat in the Senate, were among those who sided with the plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question was, does the shutdown further the goal of achieving some needed support for the extension of the tax credits? Our judgment was that it will not,\u201d King said. \u201cIt would not produce that result. And the evidence for that is almost seven weeks of fruitless attempts to make that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schumer and other Senate Democrats have said for weeks that they would only vote to reopen the government if there was a real deal to extend Obamacare subsidies that were about to run out. But several of them caved to Republicans on Sunday, making the last seven weeks essentially a fruitless exercise in political gamesmanship.<\/p>\n
Erika Frantzve Kirk\u00a0<\/strong>is trying to cope with a painful loss.<\/p>\n One day after her husband\u00a0Charlie Kirk<\/strong>\u00a0was\u00a0shot dead at age 31\u00a0while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University,\u00a0President\u00a0<\/p>\n As he\u00a0told reporters\u00a0on Sept. 11, per CNN journalist\u00a0Kaitlan Collins<\/strong>, \u201cShe\u2019s absolutely devastated.\u201d<\/p>\n While Erika\u2014who shares a 3-year-old daughter and a 15-month-old son whose names have not been publicly revealed with the conservative activist\u2014has been in contact with the POTUS, she has yet to speak publicly on Charlie\u2019s fatal shooting, which occurred after a suspect fired a gunshot from a building about 200 yards away from where her partner was speaking at the Orem, Utah, school.<\/p>\n Charlie was taken to a hospital shortly after, a spokesperson for the university told\u00a0NBC News, but Trump confirmed he had died later that day. (A suspect\u00a0is not in custody\u00a0in connection with the attack.)<\/p>\n However, dozens of Charlie\u2019s loved ones and other notable figures have\u00a0spoken out since his passing, including\u00a0Barack Obama<\/strong>,\u00a0Chris Pratt<\/strong>,\u00a0Kamala Harris<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Savannah Chrisley<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m even writing these words,\u201d Savannah, who was a longtime friend of Charlie and a member of his conservative youth advocacy group Turning Point USA, wrote on\u00a0Instagram Sept 10. \u201cCharlie Kirk changed my life\u2026he brought me into the Turning Point family this past year, and I was supposed to be standing next to him at every college this October. Instead, I sit here with a broken heart, devastated beyond words.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile,\u00a0Donald Trump Jr.\u00a0<\/strong>shared a heartfelt note about his close bond with the right-wing influencer.<\/p>\n \u201cCharlie wasn\u2019t just a friend\u2014he was like a little brother to me\u2014and to millions of people around the world,\u201d the 47-year-old son of Trump and late ex\u00a0<\/p>\n Describing Charlie\u2019s passing as \u201chorrible\u201d and \u201cheartbreaking,\u201d he added, \u201cWe\u2019ve lost a leader, a fighter, and a man whose character and conviction were rare. Too rare. To think that his life was cut short by a brutal, heinous, evil act is beyond comprehension.\u201d<\/p>\n For more stars who have reacted to Charlie\u2019s passing, keep reading.<\/p>\n Donald Trump<\/strong><\/p>\n After\u00a0Charlie Kirk<\/strong>\u00a0was shot dead at age 31 while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University Sept. 10, 2025, the POTUS confirmed the conservative activist\u2019s death on Truth Social with a heartfelt tribute.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,\u201d Trump wrote. \u201cNo one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSuch a sad, senseless, and disgusting act!\u201d the\u00a0Wicked<\/em>\u00a0actress wrote on her Instagram Story. \u201cWow\u2026prayers for teh Kirk family and prayers for our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Phil<\/strong><\/p>\n The TV personality reacted to news of Kirk\u2019s death during the Sept. 10 episode of his show\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCharlie Kirk, husband, father, friend, American, has been assassinated,\u201d Dr. Phil said during the episode. \u201cHis spirit, passion and message will live on. Prayers for his soul and his wife and children.\u201d<\/p>\n Russell Brand<\/strong><\/p>\n The comedian offered his condolences to the right-wing influencer\u2019s wife\u00a0Erika Frantzve Kirk\u00a0<\/strong>and their two kids with a message on\u00a0Instagram, writing, \u201cHe was a good, strange Christian man. Dear God please comfort his family.\u201d<\/p>\n Barack Obama<\/strong><\/p>\n On behalf of him and his wife\u00a0Michelle Obama<\/strong>, the former president said that his heart went out to Kirk\u2019s loved ones.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy,\u201d she wrote on\u00a0X.\u00a0\u201cMichelle and I will be praying for Charlie\u2019s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.\u201d<\/p>\n Kamala Harris<\/strong><\/p>\n The former vice president shared that she and her husband\u00a0Doug Emhoff<\/strong>\u00a0were \u201cdeeply disturbed\u201d by the fatal shooting of Kirk, who co-founded the\u00a0\u00a0conservative youth advocacy group Turning Point USA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDoug and I send our prayers to Charlie Kirk and his family,\u201d Harris wrote on X. \u201cLet me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Candace Owens<\/strong><\/p>\n The political commentator broke down in tears while sharing her memories with Kirk over the years, starting when she worked with him at Turning Point USA.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s not a single person in the world that I would wish that on, and least of all someone with a heart like Charlie\u2019s,\u201d she shared in a\u00a0YouTube\u00a0video Sept. 11. \u201cHe loved his family. He loved his wife. He loved his country. And he didn\u2019t deserve that ending.\u201d<\/p>\n Owens continued, \u201cWe will carry the torch. I will never allow the memory of Charlie to be forgotten, obviously, because there is no Candace without Charlie. We came up in politics together. I don\u2019t know what else to say other than I\u2019m in a lot of pain right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Chris Pratt<\/strong><\/p>\n The\u00a0Guardians of the Galaxy<\/em>\u00a0star had Kirk\u2019s family in his heart after the tragic incident, writing on\u00a0X, \u201cPraying for Charlie Kirk right now, for his wife and young children, for our country. We need God\u2019s grace. God help us.\u201d<\/p>\n Donald Trump Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\n The 47-year-old son of President Trump and his late ex\u00a0Ivana Trump<\/strong>\u00a0detailed his incredibly close bond with Kirk in a length tribute.<\/p>\n \u201cCharlie wasn\u2019t just a friend\u2014he was like a little brother to me\u2014and to millions of people around the world,\u201d he explained on\u00a0X. \u201cHe was a true inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve lost a leader, a fighter, and a man whose character and conviction were rare. Too rare,\u201d Trump Jr. added. \u201cTo think that his life was cut short by a brutal, heinous, evil act is beyond comprehension. It is horrible and it is heartbreaking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Arnold Schwarzenegger<\/strong><\/p>\n In the wake of Kirk\u2019s passing, the\u00a0Terminator<\/em>\u00a0star offered his thoughts and prayers to the political speaker\u2019s family.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a horrible tragedy,\u201d Schwarzenegger wrote on\u00a0X. \u201cMay it also be a moment for everyone to rediscover their humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n Rosie O\u2019Donnell<\/strong><\/p>\n Following Kirk\u2019s passing, the former\u00a0View<\/em>\u00a0host made it clear she condemned the act of violence.<\/p>\n Sharing a photo of Kirk speaking onstage before the attack, she wrote on\u00a0Instagram,\u00a0\u201cNo just no\u2014do not become the murderer\u2014this is wrong on every level.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Bill Clinton<\/strong><\/p>\n The 42nd president of the United States said that he was \u201csaddened and angered\u201d by Charlie\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope we all go through some serious introspection and redouble our efforts to engage in debate passionately, yet peacefully,\u201d Clinton wrote on X. \u201cHillary and I are keeping Erika, their two young children, and their family in our prayers.\u201d<\/p>\n Savannah Chrisley<\/strong><\/p>\n The reality TV star said that she was \u201cnumb\u201d following the news that her longtime friend Kirk had passed away.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t believe I\u2019m even writing these words,\u201d she wrote on\u00a0Instagram\u00a0alongside a video reflecting on his legacy. \u201cCharlie Kirk changed my life\u2026he brought me into the Turning Point family this past year, and I was supposed to be standing next to him at every college this October. Instead, I sit here with a broken heart, devastated beyond words.\u201d<\/p>\n Chrisley added, \u201cRest easy, my friend. Heaven has gained a warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n Melania Trump<\/strong><\/p>\n Following Kirk\u2019s fatal shooting, the First Lady of the United States shared her heartbreak for his kids, writing on\u00a0X\u00a0that they will \u201cbe raised with stories instead of memories, photographs instead of laughter, and silence where their father\u2019s voice should have echoed.\u201d<\/p>\n Jared Kushner & Ivanka Trump<\/strong><\/p>\n Ivanka retweeted a message from her husband, reading, \u201cCharlie Kirk was a close friend and a special human being. He played a significant role in helping President Trumps\u2019s 2016 campaign, building and fostering the MAGA movement.\u201d<\/p>\n He added, \u201cTo me, Charlie represented the best of MAGA. Firm in his beliefs, compassionate, curious, and respectful. He had huge allotments of courage, charisma, and character. The world lost a powerful force today, way before his time.\u201d<\/p>\n The former NFL player said he and wife Demi-Leigh Tebow are praying for his family and \u201ceveryone who loved him.\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019m shocked and devastated to learn about the passing of Charlie Kirk,\u201d he wrote on X. :Above all else, Charlie was a follower of Jesus, a husband, and a dad. He was a man of passion, courage, and devotion to making an eternal impact.\u201d<\/p>\n James Woods<\/strong><\/p>\n The actor spoke out on his connection to Kirk.<\/p>\n \u201cI enjoyed dinners with Charlie, but worried for his safety,\u201d he wrote on social media. \u201cThe left says they want \u2018national conversations.\u2019 Charlie Kirk actually did just that. In the lion\u2019s den, no less, at left leaning venues, hoping facts and common sense would prevail.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe Biden<\/strong><\/p>\n Echoing his fellow leaders\u2019 sentiments, the 82-year-old reiterated that there is \u201cno place in our country for this kind of violence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt must end now,\u201d Biden wrote on\u00a0X, adding that he and wife\u00a0Jill Biden<\/strong>\u00a0are \u201cpraying for Charlie Kirk\u2019s family and loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n George W. Bush<\/strong><\/p>\n After the tragedy, the former POTUS spoke out against the violent attack.<\/p>\n \u201cIt happened on a college campus, where the open exchange of opposing ideas should be sacrosanct,\u201d Bush shared in a\u00a0statement. \u201cViolence and vitriol must be purged from the public square. Members of other political parties are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n He added, \u201cMay God bless Charlie Kirk and his family, and may God guide America toward civility.\u201d<\/p>\n POLITICAL activist Charlie Kirk\u2019s last words before being fatally shot during a debate event in Utah have emerged.<\/p>\n The Conservative activist, 31, was doing a Q&A at Utah Valley University in Orem when a single\u00a0shot was fired at him on Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a debate in Utah<\/span>Credit: AP:Associated Press<\/span><\/p>\n Kirk, a father of two, was hosting an event for\u00a0Turning Point USA, a nonprofit he founded at 18 which works with conservative youth on college campuses, when he was struck.<\/p>\n The event was previously described as a \u201chigh-energy evening featuring a candid conversation about conservative values.\u201d<\/p>\n A video circulating on social media shows the activist speaking from a tent with \u201cThe American Comeback\u201d written on it as\u00a0gunfire rang out.<\/p>\n Moments before he was shot, Kirk was discussing gun violence throughout the country.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?\u201d one audience member asked Kirk.<\/p>\n \u201cCounting or not counting gang violence,\u201d he replied before being cut off by the gunshot.<\/p>\n FBI director Kash Patel said in a statement on X that the person responsible for the shooting had been arrested.<\/p>\n However, when asked about the statement, Utah officials said that a person of interest was being interviewed.<\/p>\n Chilling footage showed Kirk recoil back to his left and fall into his chair.<\/p>\n Blood could be seen pouring down from his neck as the crowd began to panic.<\/p>\n Attendees screamed and chaotically fled the stage area after Kirk collapsed.<\/p>\n Witness Justin Higgens told\u00a0NBC News\u00a0that he saw the speaker get hit by the bullet.<\/p>\n \u201cWe heard a big loud shot, I saw a bunch of blood come out of Charlie, I saw his body kind of kick back and go limp, and everybody dropped to the ground,\u201d Hickens said.<\/p>\n As people began to dash for the exit, Hickens said he felt safe as no more gunshots rang out after Kirk was hit.<\/p>\n \u201cI kind of turned around and all of a sudden I saw officers walking with this very elderly gentleman with white hair,\u201d Hickens said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey had him arrested, they had him on his knees and he was screaming about his rights and all that stuff.<\/p>\n \u201cThey cuffed him and put him away.\u201d<\/p>\n Witness Tyler McGettigan also told NBC News that there was no security going into the event.<\/p>\n \u201cI was expecting when I got here that I\u2019d have to pass through some kind of security, but that just wasn\u2019t a thing,\u201d McGettigan said.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one checked the barcode or the QR code. There was no checkpoint to get in. It was literally, anyone could walk in if they wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n Donald Trump confirmed the death of his longtime friend on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,\u201d he posted.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!\u201d<\/p>\n Kirk leaves behind his wife Erika and their two young children, a one-year-old son and a daughter who turned three just weeks ago.<\/p>\n Initial statements reported that Kirk was in critical condition as he was being treated at a local hospital.<\/p>\n \u201c[Kirk] is in the hospital, and we are praying for him at this time,\u201d Turning Point USA initially confirmed to NBC News.<\/p>\n Utah Governor Spencer Cox posted on X immediately after the shooting, declaring that he will hold those responsible \u201cfully accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am being briefed by law enforcement following the violence directed at Charlie Kirk during his visit to Utah Valley University today. We will continue to share updates,\u201d the governor posted.<\/p>\n \u201cThose responsible will be held fully accountable. Violence has no place in our public life.<\/p>\n \u201cAmericans of every political persuasion must unite in condemning this act. Our prayers are with Charlie, his family, and all those affected.\u201d<\/p>\n Conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been shot at a university speaking event in Orem, Utah.<\/p>\n Politicians and fellow political activists were quick to condemn the shooting of Charlie Kirk.<\/p>\n \u201cThe attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible,\u201d Democratic California governor Gavin Newsom\u00a0posted on X.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump\u00a0also begged for prayers as Kirk fought for his life.<\/p>\n Kirk rose to fame after being an early supporter of Trump\u2019s bid for president in 2012, when he was just 18 years old.<\/p>\n The two came together for presidential rallies and events hosted by Kirk\u2019s organization.<\/p>\n In January, the day before he was sworn into office, Trump spoke about Kirk, who was in attendance at an event.<\/p>\n \u201cCharlie Kirk is here. And I want to thank Charlie,\u201d Trump said at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cCharlie is fantastic. I mean, this guy.\u201d<\/p>\n The campus police chief, Jeff Long, said that he was left heartbroken after Kirk was killed on their watch.<\/p>\n \u201cYou try to get your bases covered, and unfortunately, today, we didn\u2019t,\u201d he told reporters at a conference.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of that, we have this tragic incident.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed anger over an emerging deal with Republicans to reopen the federal government after his party kept it closed for more than 40 days. \u201cHouse Democrats have…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t