President Donald Trump walks down the stairs of Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Thursday, after returning from Asia. (AP photo)

(AP) — President Donald Trump is calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster, so that the Republican majority can bypass Democrats and reopen the federal government.

“THE CHOICE IS CLEAR — INITIATE THE ‘NUCLEAR OPTION,’ GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER,” Trump posted Thursday night on his social media site, Truth Social.

The filibuster is a long-standing tactic in the Senate to delay or block votes on legislation by keeping the debate running. It requires 60 votes in a full Senate to overcome a filibuster, giving Democrats a check on the 53-seat Republican majority that led to the start of the Oct. 1 shutdown when the new fiscal year began.

His call to end the filibuster came at a moment when certain senators and House Speaker Mike Johnson believed it was time for the government shutdown to come to an end. It’s unclear if lawmakers will follow Trump’s lead, rather than finding ways to negotiate with Democrats.

Here’s the latest:

Trump’s demand to end filibuster ‘not my call,’ House speaker says

Speaker Mike Johnson said he texted with the president after Trump’s late night demand to change the Senate rules to end the government shutdown.

But the GOP leader but refused to publicly weigh in the issue that deeply divides the senators.

“It’s not my call,” Johnson said during his daily press conference at the Capitol, day 31 of the shutdown.

Trump’s Agriculture Secretary Rollins says she can’t release SNAP funds

Brooke Rollins says her department can’t unleash contingency funds to ensure SNAP food aid doesn’t cut off Saturday.

And even if it could, she said, the funds would barely cover costs of the program.

A lawsuit to force the administration to release the funds is now pending.

Speaking at a press conference with House Speaker Mike Johnson at the Capitol, she blamed Democrats for conducting a “disgusting dereliction of duty” as they refuse to reopen given and hold out for health care funds.

US defense chief vows to ‘stoutly defend’ Indo-Pacific interests in talks with China

The U.S. Secretary of Defense said Friday he told his Chinese counterpart during talks in Malaysia that Washington would “stoutly defend” its interests in the Indo-Pacific. He also signed a new agreement aimed at strengthening security ties with India.

Pete Hegseth described as “good and constructive” his meeting with Chinese Admiral Dong Jun, held on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations defense ministers meeting in Kuala Lumpur. He said he raised U.S. concerns over Chinese activities in the South China Sea, around Taiwan and toward U.S. allies and partners in the region.

“I highlighted the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,” Hegseth wrote on social media platform X. “United States does not seek conflict (but) it will continue to stoutly defend its interests and ensure it has the capabilities in the region to do so.”

China’s defense ministry issued a cautious response, emphasizing its longstanding positions. Dong Jun stressed the reunification of China and Taiwan is an “unstoppable historical trend” and urged the U.S. to be cautious in its words and actions on the Taiwan issue, the statement said.

Advocates allege ‘inhumane’ conditions at Chicago-area ICE facility in new lawsuit

Attorneys with the ACLU of Illinois and the MacArthur Justice Center say ICE agents have denied people being held at the Broadview facility private calls with attorneys and also coerced them into signing paperwork they don’t understand, leading some people to unknowingly relinquish their rights and face deportation.

The lawsuit, which was filed Friday, also alleges that people at the facility have been denied food, water, hygiene and medical care, and places to sleep and shower.

Alexa Van Brunt, lead attorney for the lawsuit, said community members are “being kidnapped off the streets, packed in hold cells, denied food, medical care, and basic necessities, and forced to sign away their legal rights.”

Senate report details medical neglect in federal immigration detention centers

The investigation has uncovered dozens of credible reports of neglect and poor conditions in immigration detention centers nationwide — with detainees denied insulin, left without medical attention for days and forced to compete for clean water.

Federal food aid could run dry

The Department of Agriculture says that funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, will end Friday due to the government shutdown. But a federal judge in Boston on Thursday seemed skeptical of the administration’s argument that SNAP benefits could be suspended.

UN human rights chief calls US strikes on alleged drug boats ‘unacceptable’

U.N. Commissioner Volker Türk called for an investigation into the strikes, in what appeared to mark the first such condemnation of its kind from a United Nations organization. The U.S. has killed at least 61 people during 14 strikes since the campaign began in early September.