The White House lauded the growing number of Republican lawmakers coming out on Thursday in opposition to Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) holds on Pentagon nominations. For months, Tuberville has held up more than 400 Department of Defense nominations in protest of the Biden administration’s abortion policies at the Pentagon. A group of Republican senators, however, brought 61 of those nominations to the floor on Wednesday evening for voice votes, all of which were blocked by Tuberville.

Holiday spending is expected to break another record this year even though consumers are grappling with inflation and higher interest rates, according to a new forecast. The National Retail Federation released its 2023 holiday shopping projections on Thursday. It expects holiday spending will increase by between 3% and 4% from last year, with shoppers set to spend up to $966.6 billion in November and December.