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Dems to Block Govt Funding, Moscow Says No, Schumer Palestinian?, Chinese Student Visas

• Ranting Politics • Season 1 • Episode 128

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Dems to Block Govt Funding, Moscow Says No, Schumer Palestinian?, Chinese Student Visas

 • Senate Democrats led by Chuck Schumer will block the House Republican funding bill, ensuring a government shutdown by Friday midnight
• House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans have left town until March 24, telling Senate to take it or leave it
• Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov firmly rejected US-Ukraine ceasefire proposals and NATO peacekeepers
• Putin threatens to retake Kursk province and label Ukrainians on Russian soil as terrorists
• Trump claimed "Schumer is not Jewish anymore" despite Schumer's strong support for Israel
• House Republicans proposing "Stop CCP Visas Act" to ban 300,000 Chinese nationals from obtaining student visas
• Legislation supporters cite national security concerns while critics call it discriminatory 

 Political tensions are reaching a boiling point across multiple fronts as Washington barrels toward yet another government shutdown. Chuck Schumer has announced that Senate Democrats will block the House Republican funding bill, practically guaranteeing government operations will halt Friday at midnight. With House Speaker Mike Johnson and his Republican colleagues already gone until March 24th, Americans are once again caught in the crossfire of partisan brinkmanship.

The international stage offers no respite as Russia's diplomatic stance hardens against peace proposals in Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov explicitly rejected any NATO peacekeeping presence while Putin, unusually dressed in military camouflage, threatens to treat Ukrainians on Russian soil as terrorists. Despite the White House's optimistic rhetoric about being "at the 10-yard line of peace," Moscow's firm "nyet" to peacekeepers suggests we're not even playing on the same field.

Domestic politics took a troubling turn when Trump questioned Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's Jewish identity, declaring he's "not Jewish anymore" and "he's a Palestinian" – despite Schumer's long history of supporting Israel. Meanwhile, House Republicans advance legislation to ban Chinese students from American universities, citing espionage concerns after incidents like Chinese nationals photographing joint US-Taiwan military exercises. This proposal immediately faces pushback from Asian American advocacy groups who see it as discriminatory overreach rather than legitimate security policy. The question remains: how do we navigate these complex political waters without sacrificing our values or security?


Source Credits:

https://nypost.com/2025/03/12/us-news/government-shutdown-likely-friday-night-after-schumer-says-senate-dems-will-block-gop-funding-bill/ https://nypost.com/2025/03/12/us-news/russia-says-no-peacekeepers-in-ukraine-under-any-conditions-as-trump-reups-threat-of-devastating-sanctions/ https://nypost.com/2025/03/12/us-news/trump-slams-chuck-schumer-as-not-jewish-anymore-hes-a-palestinian-as-far-as-im-concerned/ https://www.foxnews.com/politics/chinese-nationals-banned-from-us-student-visas-under-new-house-gop-prop

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Speaker 1:

Hello America. Joc, here with your Ranting Politics Headline Updates, where we are diving into today's most explosive political stories that you need to know about Coming up. We're diving into the latest Capitol Hill drama as we barrel toward another government shutdown, russia's firm Nayet to peacekeepers in Ukraine, trump taking aim at Chuck Schumer's identity and a controversial proposal to ban Chinese students from American universities. Stick around for all this and more in your daily dose of unfiltered news and common sense commentary. This is Ranting Politics Headline Updates.

Speaker 1:

Well, folks, it looks like we're headed for yet another government shutdown showdown and this time Senate Democrats are playing hardball. Chuck Schumer dropped a bombshell today announcing that most Senate Democrats will playing hardball. Chuck Schumer dropped a bombshell today announcing that most Senate Democrats will block the House Republican funding bill, practically guaranteeing those government lights start flickering out Friday at midnight. Here's the deal the House barely squeaked through their continuing resolution with a razor-thin 2-17-2-18 vote, but with the Senate's 60-vote threshold, republicans need at least seven Democrats to cross the aisle and according to Schumer, that's just not happening. Now let me paint you this picture. House Speaker Mike Johnson and his crew have already packed up and left town until March 24th, essentially telling the Senate take it or leave it. Talk about a political game of chicken. And who's caught in the middle? The American people. As usual, the Republican plan keeps most funding steady, throws an extra $6 billion to defense and bumps up ICE funding by about $10 billion To balance the books. They're trimming roughly $13 billion from non-defense spending, but Democrats are crying foul, claiming they were completely shut out of the process. Here's where it gets interesting. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania is the lone Democrat openly backing the GOP bill while a handful of others were on the fence. But after a heated Democratic caucus lunch, those fence-sitters seem to be falling, in line with Schumer. According to the New York Post, some Democrats see this as their last chance to squeeze concessions from Republicans until the next budget battle this fall. Meanwhile, republicans are already spinning this as a Democrat-engineered shutdown, because of course, they are the real kicker. This would be our 11th partial government shutdown since 1980. At this point we might as well add it to our national calendar right between President's Day and Spring Break. But hey, at least we're getting consistent at something in Washington.

Speaker 1:

The diplomatic temperature in Ukraine just hit a new boiling point, folks. Russia's Foreign Minister, sergei Lavrov, came out swinging today with Moscow's strongest rejection yet of the US-Ukraine ceasefire proposal. And let me tell you he didn't mince words, straight from the Kremlin's playbook. Lavrov complained that nobody's talking to Russia, about Russia. The irony there is thicker than a Moscow winter. He's particularly fired up about the suggestion of NATO peacekeepers, saying Russia won't accept them under any conditions. A direct middle finger to proposals from France and Britain. Meanwhile, putin decided to play dress-up in military camo not his usual look, by the way threatening to retake the Kursk province and ominously warning that any Ukrainians found on Russian soil will be treated as terrorists, because nothing says diplomatic solutions like thinly-veiled threats.

Speaker 1:

Right here in Washington, president Trump is wielding his favorite diplomatic tool the threat of sanctions. He's promising devastating financial consequences if Russia doesn't play ball, while simultaneously trying to sweet-talk them to the negotiating table. Classic Trump, the diplomatic equivalent of offering someone candy while holding a stick behind your back. The White House is putting on an optimistic face, with Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt claiming we're at the 10-yard line of peace, though from where I'm sitting, it looks more like we're playing on completely different fields. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia this week, probably hoping he doesn't fumble that metaphorical football. And in a particularly interesting twist, witkoff is heading to Russia this week, probably hoping he doesn't fumble that metaphorical football. And, in a particularly interesting twist, trump's been floating the idea of individual country peacekeepers, claiming Putin's on board, but the Kremlin's response? A hard nyet, pointing right back to Lavrov's earlier rejection. It's like watching a diplomatic version of he said, she said, except with nuclear powers. According to reporting from both the New York Post and Fox News, we're witnessing a high stakes game of international chicken, with neither side showing signs of blinking first.

Speaker 1:

Well, folks, we've got to talk about the latest episode in Washington's ongoing political drama. President Trump just dropped what can only be called a rhetorical bombshell in the Oval Office, taking aim at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer with some seriously charged language about his Jewish identity. During what was supposed to be a routine bilateral meeting with Ireland's Taoist Yach Mikheal Martin, trump declared that Schumer is not Jewish anymore and went as far as to say he's a Palestinian. As far as I'm concerned, this isn't just your typical political mudslinging. We're talking about questioning someone's religious and cultural identity here. Now, let's put this in context.

Speaker 1:

Schumer has been one of Israel's strongest supporters in Congress, especially after those horrific Hamas attacks in October 2023 that claimed 1,200 lives. He literally flew to Israel, came back with shopping lists of weapons they needed and promised to deliver everything on them. That's hardly the action of someone turning their back on Israel, but here's where it gets interesting. Schumer's stance has evolved. While he initially condemned anti-Israel protests and called out pro-Hamas rhetoric, he's recently become more critical of Netanyahu's government. Last March, he even called for new elections in Israel, suggesting Netanyahu's policies were pushing the boundaries of what the US could support. This latest dust-up is really about something bigger than just Trump versus Schumer. It's about the increasingly complex relationship between American political leadership and Israel and how criticism of Israeli government policies has become a lightning rod in American politics. The question is, where do we draw the line between legitimate policy criticism and questioning someone's fundamental identity?

Speaker 1:

In a move that's stirring up quite the debate in Washington House, republicans are pushing forward with legislation that would effectively slam the door shut on Chinese nationals seeking student visas to study in the United States. Representative Riley Moore from West Virginia is leading this charge with what they're calling the Stop CCP Visas Act, and let me tell you, it's making waves. Currently, we're looking at around 300,000 Chinese nationals coming to the US annually on student visas. Moore and his Republican colleagues are arguing that this has essentially created an open invitation for the Chinese Communist Party to conduct espionage on American soil, particularly targeting our military installations and intellectual property. They're not just throwing these concerns around without reason. Just last year, we saw a pretty alarming case where the FBI charged five Chinese nationals who were here on student visas. These individuals, all former University of Michigan students, were caught red-handed photographing joint US-Taiwan military exercises. That's the kind of incident that's really fueling this push.

Speaker 1:

The legislation's already gaining support from some key players in the House, including Representatives Andy Ogles, scott Perry and Brandon Gill. But let's be real here this isn't going to sail through without serious pushback. Asian American advocacy groups and progressive organizations are already lining up to challenge this, drawing parallels to previous similar proposals that faced intense criticism. Critics, including the Asian Americans Advancing Justice Group, are calling this kind of blanket ban discriminatory, pointing out that it follows a concerning pattern of racial profiling. They're arguing that we can't just shut out an entire nation's worth of students based on the actions of a few. According to Fox News, who first broke this story, the battle lines are being drawn and we're likely looking at a heated debate over where exactly to draw the line between national security concerns and educational opportunity. The question now is whether Congress will see this as a necessary security measure or an overreach that could damage international academic exchange.

Speaker 1:

And that wraps up today's biggest political headlines. Folks, what a day it's been, from the looming government shutdown showdown between Schumer and the GOP to Russia's firm stance against peacekeepers in Ukraine, trump's controversial comments about Chuck Schumer and this breaking proposal to ban Chinese student visas, each story showing just how complex and interconnected our political landscape has become. Remember for more detailed coverage and daily updates on these stories and more. You can catch us on all your favorite platforms Follow us on X at Ranting RP, subscribe to our channel on YouTube and find us on Spotify, iheartradio and Apple Podcasts. For deep dives and exclusive content, head over to RantingPoliticscom. This is JOC signing off, and thank you, our loyal listeners, who now come from 36 different countries and nearly 4,000 cities, for choosing Ranting Politics Headline Updates. We'll be back soon with the updates you need to navigate these interesting times. Until then, stay tuned, stay informed and, as always, stay free.