FIRST ON FOX: Senate Republicans launched a test of Senate Democrats’ resolve against voter ID legislation, and while it may not look like what many wanted, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued it was the only path forward.

Thune has been pressured by President Donald Trump, a cohort in the Senate GOP, and a fervent online network of conservatives demanding that he activate the talking filibuster to pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.

But it’s a floor tactic that Thune argued has never proven successful in passing legislation.

REPUBLICANS SIGNAL NO RETREAT ON SAVE ACT AS MARATHON SENATE DEBATE KICKS OFF

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., pushed back against the external pressure for him and Republicans to launch the talking filibuster, and told Fox News Digital “Nobody really knows how this ends, and the people who are out there saying they do, don’t.”  (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“Nobody really knows how this ends, and the people who are out there saying they do, don’t,” Thune told Fox News Digital in an interview. “Because it’s never been done, or at least hasn’t been done in modern history.”

Proponents of the talking filibuster view it as a method to blow through the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold and ensure that the SAVE America Act is passed. But it comes at the steep price of the upper chamber’s most valuable currency — floor time — which, during an ongoing shutdown, is not something lawmakers would want to give up.

Thune added that Senate Democrats have also considered the move in the past under former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and noted that they “opted against it in both cases because I think they felt like the price that we would make them pay wasn’t worth whatever it was they were trying to get done.”

GOP TRIGGERS MARATHON SENATE FIGHT TO EXPOSE DEMS’ OPPOSITION TO TRUMP-BACKED VOTER ID BILL

President Donald Trump takes questions from reporters during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in the Oval Office of the White House, on St. Patrick’s Day, Tuesday, March 17, 2026, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“If I saw a pathway, even if it was a small-percentage pathway of getting an outcome, I’d be more inclined to do it,” Thune said. “But we looked at it, ran all the contingencies, gamed it out, mapped it out, what it would look like on the floor, did the research, studied the history, and couldn’t find a single example in modern Senate history where a talking filibuster actually led to a piece of legislation passing.”

Instead, Thune and Senate Republicans are doing a version of the talking filibuster that does allow for unlimited debate but prevents an unlimited number of amendments from Senate Democrats that would drastically alter the bill and that Republicans know they don’t have the votes to kill.

It’s not a move he made on his own, either. The nature of Thune’s leadership style, which helped secure him the top spot in the Senate GOP, is to avoid unilateral decision-making and instead allow Republicans to come to an agreement on a plan.

SENATE GOP EYES BLAME GAME AS TRUMP-BACKED SAVE ACT HEADS FOR DEFEAT

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, was determined to make sure the Senate continued to debate his voter ID bill until it “damn well passes.”  (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Still, there are critics who are unhappy with the plan Republicans landed on given that it doesn’t lower the threshold to pass the bill. But the pressure Thune felt from all sides wasn’t enough to make him cave and pull the trigger on the talking filibuster.

“I think there’s a sort of a leadership guru who, one of his main points is, the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality, and so I try and figure out what’s achievable,” he said. “And there are a lot of folks out there who are over-promising and creating false expectations about what we can get done here.”

Republicans’ plan has seen the Senate engage in three straight days of debate on the SAVE America Act in a bid to force Senate Democrats to argue against the legislation. When that debate comes to an end is still in the air.

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Some, like Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who is the lead sponsor of the bill, want the Senate to spend time on the bill for “as long as it takes” to wear down Senate Democrats.

“And if we’re not there yet, we need to continue debating it,” Lee said.

Amidst the increasing tension in the Middle East, both Iraq and Iran have made their positions clear. While Iraq has refused to give a military base to the US Army, Iran has given a strong message to Britain and warned of possible action.

Iraq’s clear stance
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani told British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that giving the US military a military base in Iraq would be a violation of the country’s sovereignty. He clarified that Iraq is not in favor of increasing foreign military presence on its soil. The Iraqi government says that the Iraqi Army itself can handle the responsibility of the country’s security. Therefore there is no need to give a base to the American Army.

Parliament’s approval required
The government also made it clear that no final decision has been taken yet on the issue of giving base to the American Army. Any such step would require the approval of the Iraqi Parliament. The presence of US forces in Iraq has long been a matter of controversy. Different opinions have been emerging regarding this within the country. Experts believe that after Iran’s recent attacks on Gulf countries, Iraq has become more cautious and wants to avoid any major conflict.

Iran’s stern warning to Britain
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi clearly told Britain’s Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper that if Britain allows America to use its military bases against Iran, it will be considered a direct action against Iran.

warning of retaliation
Iran has bluntly said that it will take every step to protect its sovereignty. This also means that such military bases can be targeted if needed.

in today’s time Oil It is considered very important for the strength and war capability of any country. The latest example of this can be seen by looking at the current war going on in the Middle East. at this time iran The ongoing war has put the entire world in a serious oil crisis, as hundreds of oil ships are stranded in the Strait of Hormuz. 20 percent of the world’s oil is transported from this place.

meanwhile Global Firepower A report has come out, in which the ranking of major oil producing countries of the world has been given. In this list, oil production ranking of major countries of the world is given. America is at the top position in this list, where 20,953,000 barrels of oil are produced every day.

After this, Saudi Arabia is at second place, where 11,174,000 barrels of oil is extracted per day. Russia is at third place, whose production is 10,879,000 barrels per day. After this, Canada is in fourth place with 5,688,000 barrels per day. China is at fifth place with production of 4,984,000 barrels per day. Iraq is in sixth place, where 4,448,000 barrels of oil is extracted per day.

Names of countries ranked 7th to 10th

Brazil is at seventh place in this list, whose production is 4,221,000 barrels per day. After this UAE is in eighth place with 4,146,000 barrels per day. Iran is at ninth place, where 4,112,000 barrels are produced per day. In tenth place is Kuwait, whose production is 2,910,000 barrels per day.

Which is India’s number in this list?

India is at number 21 in this list, where 82200 barrels of oil are produced every day. This ranking clearly shows that America is at the forefront in oil production. Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Iran also play a big role in the world’s energy supply. Oil production is not only important for the economy but also determines the military strength of any country and its influence in the world, because in today’s time, industry, transportation and war all depend on oil to a great extent.