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Trump administration ‘fine-tuning’ actions to ease US beef shortages, White House says

2026-05-12 14:22:25 UTC / Reuters

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) – The Trump administration is “fine-tuning” potential presidential executive orders aimed at reducing domestic ​beef prices, a White House official said on Tuesday after a ‌delay in signing actions that were expected on Monday.

Trump had been considering executive actions to allow increased beef imports into the U.S. and additional government support to help ranchers rebuild ​the American cattle herd that has dwindled to its lowest level in ​75 years.

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“The president is committed to lowering beef and other ⁠grocery costs for everyday Americans, and the administration is accordingly fine-tuning potential executive ​actions to alleviate temporary shortages in the domestic beef market,” the White House ​official said in an emailed statement.

Beef prices have hovered near record highs despite lower prices for other grocery staples in recent months, including eggs and milk. Beef is over 16% ​more expensive than when Trump returned to office in January 2025, making ​it a symbol of persistent inflation for American consumers as the summer backyard grilling season ‌gets underway.

Cattle are prepared for auction at Giddings Livestock in Giddings, Texas, U.S. May 4, 2026.

Chicago ⁠Mercantile Exchange June live cattle futures were up 0.6% in mid-morning trade on Tuesday, while August feeder cattle dropped 0.6%.

Trump’s previous efforts to reverse beef prices by cutting tariffs on major exporters Brazil and Argentina have not stopped their climb amid persistent ​shortages.

The U.S. cattle herd ​is at its ⁠lowest since 1951, while demand has risen with the U.S. population more than doubling since then. Ranchers slashed their ​herds in recent years due to a persistent drought that ​burned grazing ⁠lands and raised feeding costs. High cattle prices have also encouraged ranchers to sell livestock to be slaughtered, instead of keeping them for breeding.

The U.S. Department of ⁠Agriculture ​has projected that the country will import a ​record 5.8 billion pounds of beef this year, up about 6% from 2025 and 25% from 2024.

Reporting ​by David Lawder and Tom Polansek; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Deepa Babington

韩军携手现代汽车推进“机器人前线化”应对兵力锐减布局无人作战时代

2026年5月12日 20:12 / 联合早报

韩国媒体报道，现代汽车集团与韩国军方已举行多轮工作会议，重点讨论在侦察、搜索、警戒、补给等非战斗领域部署机器人。图为墨西哥准备在瓜达卢佩市体育场（2026年国际足联世界杯比赛场地之一）部署新型K9-X机器狗，以执行监视及监控等任务。 （路透社）

面对人口断崖式下降的冲击，韩国军方正加快引进机器人技术，积极推动军队无人化、智能化转型，以填补兵力空缺，并成为提升战斗力的重要力量。

韩国《韩国经济新闻》5月10日独家报道，现代汽车集团与韩国陆军总部近期将正式制定包括机器人供应在内的合作方案。双方此前已举行多轮工作会议，重点讨论在侦察、搜索、警戒、补给等非战斗领域部署机器人。这意味着韩军正加快推动军队无人化、智能化转型。

据报道，此次合作的核心装备之一，是现代汽车旗下波士顿动力（Boston Dynamics）研发的四足步行机器人“Spot”。这款机器人此前已在浦项制铁、SK能源等工业现场执行高危区域巡检任务。由于采用四足步行结构，而非传统轮式或履带方式，即使在山区、泥泞、积雪等复杂地形中，也能稳定移动。

业界认为，机器人未来在韩军最前线一般前哨（GOP）警戒、海岸监视及山地巡逻等任务中的应用潜力尤为突出。

除“Spot”外，现代汽车集团的移动平台“MobED”、可穿戴机器人“X-ble Shoulder”等设备，也被列为军方重点研究对象。其中，“MobED”具备自主移动、调节车身高度与倾斜角度等功能，可在士兵难以进入的区域执行侦察、运输与补给任务。类似轮式机器人目前已在俄乌战争中被广泛用于运送弹药、粮食、药品及后送伤员，被视为经过实战验证的无人化装备。

“X-ble Shoulder”等穿戴机器人，则主要用于减轻士兵负重与体力消耗，以提升长时间任务执行效率。

分析指出，随着人工智能与自动化技术发展，未来机器人在军队中的角色将逐渐从辅助装备扩展至重要作战支援力量。

事实上，美中等军事强国也正积极推进军用机器人实战化。美国幽灵机器人公司开发的四足机器人“Vision 60”，目前已在多个空军基地执行警戒与侦察任务，并结合热成像与人工智能（AI）系统，对异常情况进行自主识别与判断。韩国防务企业LIG Nex1也正参与相关技术合作。

韩军加速推进机器人部署，主要原因是兵力结构正快速萎缩。韩国常备兵力已从2020年的65万人减少至今年约45万人，预计到2040年将进一步降至35万人，仅相当于朝鲜现有兵力的三分之一左右。

韩国国防部长安圭伯日前还提出，将最前线一般前哨兵力由目前约2万2000人缩减至6000人，并在2040年前全面改组军队结构。

分析认为，若韩军能够在实战环境中积累机器人运用经验，不仅有助于缓解兵力不足问题，也可能推动韩国军用机器人产业提升全球竞争力。

韩军携手现代汽车推进“机器人前线化”应对兵力锐减布局无人作战时代

2026年5月12日 20:12 / 联合早报

韩国媒体报道，现代汽车集团与韩国军方已举行多轮工作会议，重点讨论在侦察、搜索、警戒、补给等非战斗领域部署机器人。图为墨西哥准备在瓜达卢佩市体育场（2026年国际足联世界杯比赛场地之一）部署新型K9-X机器狗，以执行监视及监控等任务。 （路透社）

面对人口断崖式下降的冲击，韩国军方正加快引进机器人技术，积极推动军队无人化、智能化转型，以填补兵力空缺，并成为提升战斗力的重要力量。

韩国《韩国经济新闻》5月10日独家报道，现代汽车集团与韩国陆军总部近期将正式制定包括机器人供应在内的合作方案。双方此前已举行多轮工作会议，重点讨论在侦察、搜索、警戒、补给等非战斗领域部署机器人。这意味着韩军正加快推动军队无人化、智能化转型。

据报道，此次合作的核心装备之一，是现代汽车旗下波士顿动力（Boston Dynamics）研发的四足步行机器人“Spot”。这款机器人此前已在浦项制铁、SK能源等工业现场执行高危区域巡检任务。由于采用四足步行结构，而非传统轮式或履带方式，即使在山区、泥泞、积雪等复杂地形中，也能稳定移动。

业界认为，机器人未来在韩军最前线一般前哨（GOP）警戒、海岸监视及山地巡逻等任务中的应用潜力尤为突出。

除“Spot”外，现代汽车集团的移动平台“MobED”、可穿戴机器人“X-ble Shoulder”等设备，也被列为军方重点研究对象。其中，“MobED”具备自主移动、调节车身高度与倾斜角度等功能，可在士兵难以进入的区域执行侦察、运输与补给任务。类似轮式机器人目前已在俄乌战争中被广泛用于运送弹药、粮食、药品及后送伤员，被视为经过实战验证的无人化装备。

“X-ble Shoulder”等穿戴机器人，则主要用于减轻士兵负重与体力消耗，以提升长时间任务执行效率。

分析指出，随着人工智能与自动化技术发展，未来机器人在军队中的角色将逐渐从辅助装备扩展至重要作战支援力量。

事实上，美中等军事强国也正积极推进军用机器人实战化。美国幽灵机器人公司开发的四足机器人“Vision 60”，目前已在多个空军基地执行警戒与侦察任务，并结合热成像与人工智能（AI）系统，对异常情况进行自主识别与判断。韩国防务企业LIG Nex1也正参与相关技术合作。

韩军加速推进机器人部署，主要原因是兵力结构正快速萎缩。韩国常备兵力已从2020年的65万人减少至今年约45万人，预计到2040年将进一步降至35万人，仅相当于朝鲜现有兵力的三分之一左右。

韩国国防部长安圭伯日前还提出，将最前线一般前哨兵力由目前约2万2000人缩减至6000人，并在2040年前全面改组军队结构。

分析认为，若韩军能够在实战环境中积累机器人运用经验，不仅有助于缓解兵力不足问题，也可能推动韩国军用机器人产业提升全球竞争力。

Their son died of a drug overdose after consulting ChatGPT. Now they’re suing OpenAI.

2026-05-12 08:54 EDT / CBS News

By Megan Cerullo, Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting. Read Full Bio Megan Cerullo, Jo Ling Kent, Jo Ling Kent Senior Business and Technology Correspondent
Journalist Jo Ling Kent joined CBS News in July 2023 as the senior business and technology correspondent for CBS News. Kent has more than 15 years of experience covering the intersection of technology and business in the U.S., as well as the emergence of China as a global economic power. Read Full Bio Jo Ling Kent, Emily Pandise
Updated on: May 12, 2026 / 10:00 AM EDT / CBS News

A Texas couple whose son died of an overdose in 2025 after using OpenAI’s ChatGPT tool to get information about drugs sued the technology company on Tuesday, blaming the AI platform for his death.

Leila Turner-Scott and her husband, Angus Scott, are seeking to hold OpenAI and its creators accountable after their son, Sam Nelson, who was 19 when he died, turned to ChatGPT to advise him on using drugs. The AI platform provided advice it was not qualified to dispense, they alleged in the lawsuit, claiming that Sam would still be alive if not for ChatGPT’s flawed programming.

Specifically, the platform advised the couple’s son that it was safe to take kratom, a supplement used in drinks, pills and other products, in combination with Xanax, a widely used anti-anxiety medication, according to the suit, filed in California state court.

Turner-Scott told CBS News in an exclusive interview that she knew her son was using ChatGPT as a productivity tool and for homework help. But she said she was unaware that he was using it for guidance on drugs, alleging that the AI tool eventually recommended a lethal combination of substances.

She holds OpenAI and its creators responsible for Sam’s death, alleging that the company “bypassed safety guards” and could have implemented restrictions to avoid such tragedies.

“The chatbot is capable of stopping a conversation when it’s told to or when it’s programmed to. …And they took away the programming that did that, and they allowed it to continue advising self-harm,” Turner-Scott told CBS News.

“This is a heartbreaking situation, and our thoughts are with the family,” OpenAI said in a statement to CBS News.

The company also said that Sam interacted with a version of ChatGPT that has since been updated and is no longer available to the public.

Did ChatGPT act as a doctor?

Angus Scott also said ChatGPT acted as a medical doctor in its exchanges with his stepson, even though it was not licensed to offer medical advice.

“It’s providing information to the public about safety concerns, about drug interactions, about all of this information,” he told CBS News.

Without proper safety protocols and more rigorous safety testing, ChatGPT “can dispense that knowledge in a way that is very dangerous to people,” Angus Scott said.

“It can start feeding psychosis. It can start misrepresenting things to people. And while it is trying to validate users, it’s also undermining any chance that that user has to get a grounded opinion, you know, and so it kind of takes them away from reality,” he added.

OpenAI said its technology isn’t intended to offer health care advice.

“ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical or mental health care, and we have continued to strengthen how it responds in sensitive and acute situations with input from mental health experts,” the company said. “The safeguards in ChatGPT today are designed to identify distress, safely handle harmful requests and guide users to real-world help. This work is ongoing, and we continue to improve it in close consultation with clinicians.”

Turner-Scott told CBS News that she is confident that her son, who would have been a rising college junior, would support the steps the family is taking to hold the makers of AI chatbots accountable for the potential adverse effects they can have on users’ lives.

“He would not want anyone else to be harmed like he was,” she said.

Edited by Alain Sherter

US indicts two foreign operators, individual in 2024 collapse of Baltimore Key Bridge

2026-05-12 14:15:43 UTC / Reuters

By David Shepardson

May 12, 2026 2:15 PM UTC Updated 32 mins ago

View of the Dali cargo vessel which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., April 4, 2024. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday a grand jury indicted two foreign operators and a shoreside superintendent in the ​March 2024 collision of the 984-foot cargo ship Dali that destroyed Baltimore’s ‌Francis Scott Key Bridge and killed six construction workers.

The Justice Department said the collision caused at least $5 billion in damage and significant environmental damage. The National Transportation Safety Board found a single loose wire in the ​electrical system caused a breaker to unexpectedly open, launching a sequence of events ​that led to two vessel blackouts and a loss of propulsion and ⁠steering.

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Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, based ​in Chennai, India, along with Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, an Indian national who worked for ​both companies as the technical superintendent for the Dali, are charged with conspiracy, willfully failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and false ​statements.

Prosecutors said Nair is believed to be in India.

The companies and individual ​were charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and with causing the death of six construction ‌workers ⁠on the bridge, among other charges.

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The companies and Nair are also charged with providing false statements and documents to the NTSB.

The two Synergy corporations are also charged with violations of the Clean Water Act, Oil Pollution Act, and Refuse Act for the discharge ​of pollutants into the ​Patapsco River.

According ⁠to the indictment, the Dali lost power twice in a four-minute span, as it was leaving the Port of Baltimore, causing it ​to crash into the Key Bridge.

The Justice Department said the ​defendants are ⁠accused of relying on a flushing pump to supply fuel to two of the Dali’s four generators but the flushing pump was not designed to automatically restart following a blackout, and ⁠the Dali’s ​generators could not operate without a fuel supply.

​The indictment alleged that if the Dali was using proper fuel supply pumps, the vessel would have regained power ​in time to safely navigate under the bridge.

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Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Andrea Ricci

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世卫：应对汉坦病毒疫情工作“还未结束”

2026年5月12日 21:31 / 联合早报

世界卫生组织总干事谭德塞星期二在联合记者会上，感谢西班牙政府同意接收涉疫游轮并组织人员撤离行动，同时强调目前“工作还未结束”，世卫组织将继续与相关国家紧密合作，追踪撤离人员的健康状况。 （路透社）

世界卫生组织总干事谭德塞说，涉汉坦病毒疫情游轮洪迪厄斯号人员撤离行动完成后，目前尚未出现更大规模疫情暴发的迹象，但相关应对工作还未结束，预计未来数周仍有可能出现新增病例。

综合新华社和法新社报道，谭德塞与西班牙首相桑切斯星期二（5月12日）在西班牙首相府蒙克洛亚宫举行联合记者会。

谭德塞感谢西班牙政府同意接收涉疫游轮并组织人员撤离行动，同时强调目前“工作还未结束”，世卫组织将继续与相关国家紧密合作，追踪撤离人员的健康状况。

谭德塞说，截至目前已有11例汉坦病毒病例报告，均曾是涉疫游轮上的人员，其中三人死亡；11例病例中有9例已确诊感染汉坦病毒“家族”中的安第斯病毒，另外两起为疑似病例。

他强调，目前“尚未看到一次更大规模暴发开始的迹象”，世卫组织依然评估此次事件对全球公共卫生造成的风险“总体较低”，但考虑到病毒潜伏期较长，未来数周仍有可能出现新增病例。

延伸阅读

西班牙一男游轮乘客确诊汉坦病毒 目前出现症状
世卫：汉坦病毒出现症状时最具传染性

谭德塞说，世卫组织建议，所有从涉疫游轮上撤离的人员，自可能暴露在病毒感染风险的最后一日起，在指定隔离设施或居家接受42天健康监测。

大多数国家都遵循了世卫组织的指导方针，不过美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）说，返回美国的游轮乘客不一定会被隔离。

谭德塞说：“我希望他们（各国）会遵循我们提出的建议。”

桑切斯在记者会上说，西班牙协调10架次特别航班，完成了120余名不同国籍人员的疏散工作。

西班牙卫生部星期一（11日）说，涉疫游轮所有撤离人员均已离开西班牙特内里费岛。

Justice Department announces criminal charges in Baltimore’s deadly Key Bridge collapse

May 12, 2026, 10:30 AM ET / CNN

By Holmes Lybrand

Updated May 12, 2026, 11:42 AM ET

A view of the Dali cargo vessel which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 26, 2024.

Julia Nikhinson/Reuters

Two years after a container ship rammed into and collapsed Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, the Justice Department has announced criminal charges against two companies and the ship’s technical superintendent.

The crash killed six highway workers and cut off traffic to one of the US’ largest shipping ports, officials said, adding it will cost billions to rebuild the bridge.

Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd, based in Chennai, India, along with Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, who worked for both companies as the technical superintendent for the “Dali,” are charged with conspiracy, willfully failing to immediately inform the Coast Guard of a known hazardous condition, obstruction of an agency proceeding, and false statements.

“The government’s investigation also found that Synergy employees, including its shore side technical managers, fabricated and directed the fabrication of safety inspections and certifications related to vessel systems,” US Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland said at a press conference in Baltimore Tuesday. She said investigators believe Nair, who is an Indian national, is in India.

“We are going to enforce and use all our available law enforcement tools” to try and get him, Hayes said.

Following the crash, the FBI and US Coast Guard opened a criminal investigation. Several members of the crew, who were not US citizens, were told to remain in the country as the investigation continued.

In December of last year, the National Transportation Safety Board issued its final report on the incident, which concluded that a wire label had slid over a covering keeping that wire from establishing a proper connection with the circuit breaker.

This caused power outages on the ship, the Dali, as it was leaving the port of Baltimore. Despite the crew’s failed efforts to “recover propulsion from the loss of electrical power,” the report says, the Dali careened into the bridge minutes later.

In November, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said finding the loose wire in a ship the size of the Dali would be like finding a loose bolt in the Eiffel Tower.

The NTSB report also found the bridge had significant structural risk never evaluated by the Maryland Transportation Authority.

According to the indictment, the defendants allegedly altered the ship and relied on a flushing pump to supply fuel to two of the Dali’s four generators. The flushing pump was not designed to automatically restart following a blackout, and the Dali’s generators could not operate without a fuel supply, so the ship ultimately experienced a second blackout, the Justice Department says.

The Justice Department said that if the ship had not been relying on the flushing pump, power would have been restored, preventing the crash.

The obstruction charge stems from Nair telling officials he was unaware the ship was using the flushing pump, according to the indictment.

Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Field Office Jimmy Paul said the bridge was struck “because those who were responsible for the ship’s operation deliberately cut corners to the expense of safety.”

“The indictment shows that Synergy and (Nair) repeatedly failed to document, investigate and report significant safety risk and hazards aboard the Dali,” Paul said. “They forged safety inspections and certifications. They falsely claimed the ship was in good working order and then lied to investigators about their actions when there was question.”

Related vertical video CNN Two years later: what’s next for Maryland’s Key Bridge

A bench trial is set for June 1 in a separate, civil case against the ship’s owner and operator by the city of Baltimore and others as the companies look to limit their liability in the crash.

“At the conclusion of their investigation, the NTSB determined that Synergy Marine and its crew were not among the probable or contributing causes of the DALI making contact with the bridge,” Synergy said in a statement Tuesday on behalf of both companies. “Instead, the NTSB identified the probable cause of the incident was a loss of electrical power due to a loose signal wire connection, a defect outside of Synergy Marine’s control.”

“We are deeply disappointed that the United States Attorney for the District of Maryland and prosecutors within the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice have ignored the clear and well-documented findings of the seasoned maritime professionals within the NTSB, as well as the documented findings and testimony of multiple maritime experts,” the company said, adding that the timing of the announcement coming less than a month before the civil trial raises “serious questions.”

The Justice Department and state of Maryland previously reached settlement agreements with the owners and operators of the Dali.

CNN’s Gabe Cohen contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional information.

世界卫生组织总干事谭德塞星期二在联合记者会上，感谢西班牙政府同意接收涉疫游轮并组织人员撤离行动，同时强调目前“工作还未结束”，世卫组织将继续与相关国家紧密合作，追踪撤离人员的健康状况。 （路透社）

世界卫生组织总干事谭德塞说，涉汉坦病毒疫情游轮洪迪厄斯号人员撤离行动完成后，目前尚未出现更大规模疫情暴发的迹象，但相关应对工作还未结束，预计未来数周仍有可能出现新增病例。

综合新华社和法新社报道，谭德塞与西班牙首相桑切斯星期二（5月12日）在西班牙首相府蒙克洛亚宫举行联合记者会。

谭德塞感谢西班牙政府同意接收涉疫游轮并组织人员撤离行动，同时强调目前“工作还未结束”，世卫组织将继续与相关国家紧密合作，追踪撤离人员的健康状况。

谭德塞说，截至目前已有11例汉坦病毒病例报告，均曾是涉疫游轮上的人员，其中三人死亡；11例病例中有9例已确诊感染汉坦病毒“家族”中的安第斯病毒，另外两起为疑似病例。

他强调，目前“尚未看到一次更大规模暴发开始的迹象”，世卫组织依然评估此次事件对全球公共卫生造成的风险“总体较低”，但考虑到病毒潜伏期较长，未来数周仍有可能出现新增病例。

延伸阅读

西班牙一男游轮乘客确诊汉坦病毒 目前出现症状 世卫：汉坦病毒出现症状时最具传染性

谭德塞说，世卫组织建议，所有从涉疫游轮上撤离的人员，自可能暴露在病毒感染风险的最后一日起，在指定隔离设施或居家接受42天健康监测。

大多数国家都遵循了世卫组织的指导方针，不过美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）说，返回美国的游轮乘客不一定会被隔离。

谭德塞说：“我希望他们（各国）会遵循我们提出的建议。”

桑切斯在记者会上说，西班牙协调10架次特别航班，完成了120余名不同国籍人员的疏散工作。

西班牙卫生部星期一（11日）说，涉疫游轮所有撤离人员均已离开西班牙特内里费岛。

Senate weighs new, painful leverage tactic as fears of another government shutdown grow

May 12, 2026 9:56am EDT / Fox News

The resolution is one of several measures aimed at stopping shutdowns or creating leverage against them

By Alex Miller, Fox News

CBS “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan challenged Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu on the party’s midterm election messaging, saying Democrats “lost” the shutdown fight over the Department of Homeland Security.

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The Senate will soon decide whether lawmakers should be paid during another government shutdown as the specter of more closures looms large.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., teed up a vote on a measure that would prevent senators from being paid during a government shutdown, a political option of last resort that has now become commonplace in the midst of President Donald Trump’s second term.

The resolution from Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., is straightforward: if there is another shutdown, he and his colleagues won’t get paid. It’s one of several resolutions and bills tossed around by lawmakers to find a way to stop shutdowns, or at least find a leverage point against them.

KENNEDY PUSHES PLAN TO HALT CONGRESS PAY DURING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Senate Majority Leader John Thune spoke to the media outside the Senate chamber at the U.S. Capitol after the Senate passed a Department of Homeland Security funding bill by unanimous consent on April 2, 2026, in Washington, D.C.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Thune quietly set up the resolution for a vote when the Senate returned on Monday as lawmakers gear up to fund immigration operations for the next three and a half years — a route they’re having to take as a result of the most recent shutdown.

When asked how he felt about his measure getting a shot, Kennedy said he pushed Thune to do it.

“He did it, and I think he’s a fine American,” Kennedy said.

Shutdowns have become a common tool over the last year and a half that Democrats have turned to as a negotiating counterpoint. In Trump’s second term alone, Congress has been on the precipice of a closure four times.

REPUBLICANS EYE ENDING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWNS FOREVER OVER FEARS DEMS WILL DO IT AGAIN

When asked how he felt about his measure getting a shot, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said he pushed Thune to do it.(Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

And those shutdown run-ins have yielded the longest full shutdown in history, and the longest partial closure ever.

That reality, where Democrats are using a shutdown like a political cudgel in a way lawmakers have never seen, has some Republicans worried that they’ll do it again before the midterm elections in November.

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats of being “legislative terrorists” who view political opportunity in forcing another closure.

DEMS’ DHS SHUTDOWN THREAT WOULD HIT FEMA, TSA WHILE IMMIGRATION FUNDING REMAINS INTACT

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Senate GOP leaders spoke to the media outside the White House Rose Garden in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 21, 2025, amid a government shutdown.(Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

It could be over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE again, Schmitt said, or something else entirely.

“It’ll be something else, and then we’ll just shut the whole thing down, and we should not, you know, let them do that,” Schmitt said. “So I think we ought to have some plans in place to account for that, to make it painful for them if they want to do that, because the American people suffer on it.”

Kennedy isn’t the only lawmaker trying to take the option off the table. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has been pushing his Shutdown Fairness Act, which would require that working federal workers are paid during a shutdown.

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And Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., has his own legislation, the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act, which would automatically fund the government for two-week stretches until Congress landed on a compromise funding deal.

“We need to pass it so we never have a moment like this again,” Lankford told Fox News Digital. “We will have disagreements. It’s America, but we should not have federal workers, programs that stop because we’re having a disagreement. Let’s have the fight. But let’s keep going.”

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.