Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) speaks all night and all day on the Senate floor about what he calls President Donald Trump's "growing authoritarianism"; He is closing in on the record for the longest Senate floor speech in history; Day 22 of the federal government shutdown, and it appears Republican and Democratic positions have not moved and remain at odds, and the government will stay closed for now; less than two weeks until the closely-watched Virginia gubernatorial election between Republican Winsome Earle-Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger; NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visits Washington for meetings with President Trump & Senators after the postponement of a summit between President Trump & Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary on Russia's war in Ukraine; Vice President JD Vance joins Israeli Prime Minister's Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Vice President says say he and other Trump Administration officials are not there to monitor the status of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza as one monitors a toddler but ensuring that "our people are doing what we need them to do.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
