Here’s the biggest news you missed this weekend

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., defended Senate Minority Leader Chuck SchumerDN.Y., in an exclusive interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” urging House Democrats to stick to their chamber rather than focus on the party’s direction in the Senate.

“I’m not telling Ro Khanna or AOC or anyone else who you should choose as House leader, because I have a full-time job as a senator,” Kaine said, referring to Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

Both politicians criticized Senate leadership after eight Democrats, including Kaine, sided with Republicans on a funding bill to reopen the government that did not extend Affordable Care Act subsidies.

As part of the deal, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he would hold a vote on extending health care subsidies. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has not made a similar promise, however.

“Frankly, I saw the situation last weekend because we had no path, none, to a solution in health care until we reopened the government,” Kaine told moderator Kristen Welker. “Now we have a path, not a guarantee, but we at least have a path. »

Border Patrol operations begin in Charlotte as officials call for calm

Federal agents began make arrests in Charlotte, North Carolina, On Saturday, as Border Patrol deployments began in the city, a change the Department of Homeland Security said was intended to “keep Americans safe and eliminate threats to public safety.”

Local officials sought to reassure residents as the impending operations created anxiety throughout the region, emphasizing that Charlotte-Mecklenburg police do not participate in federal immigration enforcement and urging the community to remain peaceful.

In recent months, federal immigration agencies have undertaken large-scale operations in cities like Chicago, where a court order found 85 percent of those arrested in Operation Midway Blitz detained without warrants and demanded the release of hundreds of detainees. In Portland, Oregon, reports of protest activity and federal troop deployments related to immigration enforcement have sparked lawsuits and scrutiny of the use of force.

“Meet the press”

Rep. Ro Khanna, Democrat of California, one of two House lawmakers spearheading the Trump administration’s push to release records related to Jeffrey Epstein, said the effort “is not about Donald Trump” and called on the president to meet with survivors of Epstein’s abuse.

“What we’re asking for is justice for the survivors,” Khanna told NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “So it’s not about Donald Trump. I don’t even know to what extent Trump was involved. There are a lot of other people involved who need to be held accountable.”

Khanna said many survivors who have spoken publicly about their experiences with Epstein will be in Washington on Tuesday and would ask Trump to meet with them.

The California congressman successfully joined forces with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., on a petition calling on the Justice Department to release all documents it possesses regarding Epstein. Last week, the petition reached 218 signatures, which will force a vote on the measure in the House.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who later appeared on “Meet the Press,” called Khanna’s effort to release the Epstein files “an attempt by Democrats to make Trump a lame-duck president.”

“I think there are a lot more important things to address right now to get the country back on track,” he added.

Politics in brief

• Consequences of the quarrel: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who was once one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters, said she had been receive threats following the president’s criticism of him on social networks.
• Man, oh “manosphere”: Democratic candidates and activists are working on how to renew the party’s appeal among young menamid some signs of progress after an abrupt wake-up call in 2024.
• Back home: Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said on social media that he was with his family and fully recovered after being hospitalized for a fall caused by a serious cardiac episode last week.

• Threat of prosecution: President Donald Trump said he would sue the BBC for billions of dollars after the British public broadcaster published a misleading version of one of his speeches.

Taps dry up as water crisis forces Iran to consider evacuating its capital

A drastic new message adorns the walls of the Iranian capital, usually reserved for war heroes and weapons.

“There is a water shortage! » » reads the slogan of the government poster, inside a nearly empty water container. “It’s fall and it’s still not raining.”

This is no news to Erfan Ensani, 39, who returned home after a long day of work in the textile section of Tehran’s central bazaar last week and found that his taps were dry.

Iran is facing its worst water crisis in decades. With no way out and authorities warning they may even have to evacuate the capital of 10 million people, residents like Ensani are scrambling to react.

Jets cornerback Kris Boyd in critical condition after New York shooting

Jets cornerback Kris Boyd is in critical condition after shooting in New York early Sunday morning, according to a police source close to the investigation.

Police went to Sei Less Restaurant and Bar in Manhattan around 2:09 a.m. ET and found the 29-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, according to the New York Police Department.

A police source said Boyd was engaged in a fight when the shooting occurred. No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting, according to police.

In a statement, a Jets spokesperson said the team was “aware of the situation” involving Boyd “and would have no further comment at this time.”

• A battle of weight on ‘SNF’: The Detroit Lions travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in what could be a taste of the playoffs. NBC News is covering all the action.

Remarkable quote

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In case you missed it

• Heavy rain flooded camps in Gazaworsening the conditions of displaced Palestinians.
• A Mega Millions player in Georgia won the $980 million jackpotovercoming daunting obstacles to win the huge prize.
• Alice Wong, a disability rights activist and author whose independence and writing inspired others, has died at age 51.
• ByHeart Infant Formula Recall Following Botulism Outbreak Is put parents on edge.
• The Screen Actors Guild Awards will be change name at the Actor Awards in 2026.
• Pope Leo XIV welcomed Spike Lee, Cate Blanchett, Greta Gerwig and dozens of other Hollywood luminaries to a Vatican special audience.
• Todd Snider, a singer whose cosmic compositions have made him a beloved figure in American roots music, died at 59.