Senate Majority Leader John Thune is exploring an open-ended debate on the SAVE America Act that could run a week or longer, forcing Democrats to publicly defend their opposition to the bill, according to senators and aides.

Why it matters: Working through nights is on the table (beginning early next week). Passing the bill with a 50-vote threshold is not.

• It's a gambit by Thune to let off some of the MAGA steam over an issue President Trump and his supporters say is central to democracy: requiring ID and proof of citizenship to vote.
• "The idea is to get it to the floor and discuss it and debate the merits of getting this done," said Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.). "Right now, it doesn't appear that we have the votes to pass the bill."

State of play: Thune, who is getting blasted by Trump and the online right, is in a pickle.

• He doesn't have the votes to change Senate filibuster rules and lower the threshold to a simple majority.
• But he also doesn't have the ability, apparently, to convince Trump that the numbers aren't there.
• 💥 Earlier today, Trump called on Thune "to be a leader," with the clear implication that he isn't acting like one.

🎧 What we're hearing: For now, Thune does have the sympathy of his GOP colleagues.

• "All of the members in our caucus know that this is an impossible spot for Thune, and no one blames him for it," said one GOP senator. "Except for maybe Mike Lee."

The intrigue: The president peeled off one prominent Republican senator today.

• Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), seeking Trump's endorsement in his brutal primary runoff, announced that he would support "whatever changes to Senate rules may prove necessary" to pass the SAVE Act.

🔎 Zoom in: The emerging plan, discussed at length at yesterday's GOP lunch, is to allow amendments to the SAVE Act incorporating changes that the president suggested Monday night at House Republicans' policy retreat.

• 📫 Trump called for new rules on mail-in voting, as well as two unrelated provisions on transgender minors and transgender athletes.
• "There will be an opportunity to introduce and debate amendments, and at some point we will vote. The exact sequence is yet to be decided," said Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), the bill's sponsor.

Zoom out: Looming over the SAVE Act debate is the long-simmering fight over Senate rules — specifically, the requirement to secure 60 votes to pass most legislation outside of budget bills.

• Senators like Thune have jealously guarded the 60-vote threshold. Trump and many in the MAGA base see that commitment as antiquated — and naïve.

The bottom line: The Senate GOP conference seems stuck. Cornyn's reversal didn't open the floodgates.

• "I understand why Senator Cornyn may be open to it, but nobody has given me any credible scenario where we would succeed in the end," said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).
• "The only thing I think we could succeed at is providing a lot of fodder for Democrats in this year's election."

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— Hans Nichols

Senate Democrats are drafting legislation to codify federal guardrails around the use of AI in fully autonomous weapons and domestic mass surveillance, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: The issue is at the heart of the Trump administration's standoff with Anthropic over the government's access to the company's AI models.

• ✍️ Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is writing legislation that he said would place "commonsense safeguards" around the use of AI in warfare and surveillance, adding that there's an "urgent need for guardrails on how AI is used by the Defense Department."
• 👀 Schiff is eyeing an upcoming must-pass defense authorization package as one potential vehicle, a source familiar with the matter said.

Driving the news: The Trump administration this month designated Anthropic a supply chain risk after a high-profile dispute over how the military can use the company's technology.

• Anthropic refused to give the Pentagon unfettered access to its AI model, saying it would not allow its model to be used for the mass surveillance of Americans or the development of weapons that fire without human involvement.

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— Stephen Neukam

President Trump called GOP Rep. Thomas Massie "disloyal" and a "nut job" during a visit to Massie's district today that marks a striking escalation in his long-running feud with the Kentucky Republican.

Why it matters: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has been watching Trump go after some of his GOP incumbents from afar for years. But now, the president is doing it on a lawmaker's own turf.

• 🚨 "He is the worst person. His name is...What the hell? How did he ever end up in Kentucky, his name is Thomas Massie," Trump said this afternoon, drawing boos from the audience at the mention of Massie's name.
• Trump brought Massie's primary challenger, Ed Gallrein, on stage to speak, calling Gallrein, whom he recruited and has endorsed, "a real hero."

Driving the news: Massie is the first Republican incumbent that Trump's political organization targeted for defeat this cycle — and the intensity of the president's anti-Massie efforts means the primary outcome will be scored as a test of Trump's influence.

• 🗳️ Trump noted that he won Kentucky handily and cast Massie as out of step with the state's voters.

Between the lines: Massie's willingness to buck the party line has become so routine that Johnson doesn't factor him into the equation for tough votes.

• The speaker has neither endorsed Massie nor offered much public support, despite his self-described role as head of an "incumbent protection program."
• Johnson told us last month that he has "the back of every House Republican," but added that "it would be helpful if Thomas would play with the team more."
• Massie did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's remarks.

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— Kate Santaliz