Senate's Vote-a-Rama, Bot Takeover & 'Odyssey' Ticket Madness - Friday, June 5, 2026

**Erica Mandy** (0:00)
Today is Friday, June 5th. We'll tell you about US senators spending the night at the Capitol, what contentious issues are coming up in the so-called Votorama, and why it was paused for a moment of celebration. Also, why a fragile ceasefire in the Middle East fell apart in a matter of hours. Plus, President Trump's multimillion-dollar push for coal. What new data found about the number of bots versus humans online, and the movie causing so much demand for tickets, the tech can't keep up. Those stories and more news coming up.
Welcome to The NewsWorthy, all the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.
As we published early this morning, US senators are still in a so-called votorama that at this point has gone on for more than 16 hours. And so far, not much has gotten done. It's part of Republicans' efforts to fund immigration enforcement and border security through the end of President Trump's term. They don't have any Democratic support, since the Dems are still trying to push for more limits on the immigration agency's tactics. But for the GOP to go this route, without needing a two-thirds majority, they have to endure this marathon session during which senators from either party can offer amendments. And both Republicans and Democrats are using the opportunity to bring up their priorities or force the other party to take a public position on controversial issues. For example, senators have proposed multiple ways to ban, limit or redirect that $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund that came out of a settlement President Trump reached with his own administration. Remember, in the face of backlash to that, the Justice Department shelved the idea, so some lawmakers wanted to make sure it doesn't resurface by getting something passed. Well, so far, Democrats' efforts to address the potential fund have failed in the Senate. Other amendments have focused on the proposed White House ballroom, President Trump's tariffs, the war with Iran, voter ID and, of course, the immigration crackdown. So far, all of those have failed as well. Eventually, Senate Republicans hope to pass the bill and send it to the US. House. But as of early this morning, it's unclear when final action will happen or what changes might still be adopted before a final vote. By the way, there was one moment of bipartisanship during the Votorama. Senators took a pause to celebrate Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine as she cast her 10,000th vote. Collins has never missed a single vote in her nearly 30-year Senate career. So both Republicans and Democrats congratulated the Senator and gave her a round of applause.
You know that big ceasefire breakthrough we told you about between Israel and Lebanon? Well, it seems it's already fallen apart. The militant group Hezbollah rejected the terms, so the agreement ended up having little, if any, effect on the ground in Lebanon. Both Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces have been launching strikes.
Still, President Trump has expressed hope for peace in Lebanon, saying he'd spoke to Hezbollah and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that there's now progress being made. Of course, Trump has acknowledged the need to resolve the conflict as a way to reach a peace deal with Iran. But he also said the Iran war was not a big thing for the US and that it's going better than expected.
President Trump's former National Security Advisor turned critic, John Bolton, is now expected to plead guilty to mishandling classified information. That's according to several news outlets that say the move is part of a plea deal. Bolton has been under investigation for more than a thousand pages of notes he compiled for a book that ended up being harshly critical of the president. Those notes apparently included national defense information, and he shared them with family members who did not have security clearances. If Bolton had gone to trial and lost, he could have faced decades in prison. Now reports say the plea agreement could allow him to avoid prison time, but then again, he could still face up to five years behind bars, and he'll have to pay a fine worth more than $2 million.
Ultimately, the punishment will be up to a judge. The case is seen as a major win for the Trump administration, which has made it a priority to prosecute Trump's political opponents and critics. But to be clear, Bolton was also investigated by the Biden administration when intelligence agencies gathered what officials have described as troubling evidence. So far, no official comment from the Justice Department or Bolton about the deal.
A handful of Republican governors are now starting their own celebration set to last the month of June, despite the fact that June is already widely celebrated as Pride Month in honor of the LGBTQ community. For example, this year, the governors of Tennessee and Indiana have rebranded June as Nuclear Family Month, meant to celebrate units made up of one husband, one wife, and their children. Meanwhile, the governors of Utah and Arkansas deemed it Fidelity Month that emphasizes fidelity to faith, family and country. And in Alabama, it's Strong Families Month. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey's proclamation says that one is meant to coincide with Father's Day, since, as the proclamation puts it, fathers are the head of the household. And that, quote, homes led by a father and mother provide children with the structure and discipline necessary to succeed throughout life.