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Donald Trump faces House voting down his veto of Defense Act less than 24 hours after giving up his veto of COVID relief in humiliating display of his lame duck status

President Donald Trump faces a second humiliating defeat at the hands of Congress in a 24-hour span as the House is set to override his veto Monday of the National Defense Authorization Act.  

Trump tried using his veto to get lawmakers to change section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects so-called 'big tech,' like Facebook and Twitter, from being held liable for what's posted on their sites.

The president also objected to language in the bill that would start the process of renaming military bases currently named for Confederate figures.  

President Donald Trump, photograhed heading to his West Palm Beach golf club on Monday, will face another defeat at the hands of Congress early this week when the House, and then the Senate, override his veto of the National Defense Authorization Act

President Donald Trump, photograhed heading to his West Palm Beach golf club on Monday, will face another defeat at the hands of Congress early this week when the House, and then the Senate, override his veto of the National Defense Authorization Act

President Donald Trump, who is on his holiday vacation in Florida and seen golfing Sunday, faces a second humiliating defeat at the hands of Congress in a 24-hour period, after he retreated and signed the giant spending and COVID-19 stimulus bill Sunday night

President Donald Trump, who is on his holiday vacation in Florida and seen golfing Sunday, faces a second humiliating defeat at the hands of Congress in a 24-hour period, after he retreated and signed the giant spending and COVID-19 stimulus bill Sunday night 

President Donald Trump in a golf cart on his West Pal Beach golf course on Monday

President Donald Trump in a golf cart on his West Pal Beach golf course on Monday

The House of Representatives, led by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to override President Donald Trump's veto of a giant defense bill. The GOP-led Senate will follow suit Tuesday when senators return to Capitol Hill 

President Trump golfs nearly daily when he is Palm Beach, staying at Mar-a-Lago

President Trump golfs nearly daily when he is Palm Beach, staying at Mar-a-Lago

President Trump playing golf for the fourth time since he arrived in Florida

President Trump playing golf for the fourth time since he arrived in Florida

President Trump's public schedule notes he is working 'tirelessly' for the American people; above he's seen on his golf course

President Trump's public schedule notes he is working 'tirelessly' for the American people; above he's seen on his golf course

President Trump on his golf course on Monday

President Trump on his golf course on Monday

Fort Lee, named after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, is one of the 10 bases that will be renamed once Congress overrides President Donald Trump's veto this week

Fort Lee, named after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, is one of the 10 bases that will be renamed once Congress overrides President Donald Trump's veto this week  

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer lashed out at President Donald Trump for vetoing the giant defense package over culture war complaints on Wednesday

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer lashed out at President Donald Trump for vetoing the giant defense package over culture war complaints on Wednesday 

'I have been clear in my opposition to politically motivated attempts like this to wash away history and to dishonor the immense progress our country has fought for in realizing our founding principles,' the president wrote in the veto message. 

The Democrat-led House is expected to override Trump's veto on Monday, with the GOP-led Senate following suit when senators return to Capitol Hill Tuesday. 

This will mark the first time during Trump's nearly four years in office that his veto will be overruled by Congress.  

Sunday night, after days of threatening to hold up the giant spending and COVID-19 stimulus package, Trump backed down and signed the bill - gaining nothing politically, but several days of drama and nail-biting. 

The president has been vacationing at his Palm Beach Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, since Wednesday evening. 

Lawmakers have long planned to simply override Trump's veto of the defense bill. 

'Donald Trump just vetoed a pay raise for our troops so he can defend dead Confederate traitors,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, tweeted Wednesday, adding that Senate Democrats planned to override Trump's veto.  

'The NDAA has become law every year for 59 years straight because it’s absolutely vital to our national security and our troops. This year must not be an exception. Our men and women who volunteer to wear the uniform shouldn’t be denied what they need— ever,' said Jim Inhofe, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and a Republican. 

Inhofe argued that the bill 'cements all the remarkable gains our military has made thanks to President Trump's leadership. 

'I hope all of my colleagues in Congress will join me in making sure our troops have the resources and equipment they need to defend this nation,' Inhofe said.  

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who sits on the committee, called the veto a 'deeply destructive blunder' and said it was 'pathetic and crazy.' 

Blumenthal blasted the president for 'eliminating the new tools and authorities we need for our nation’s cyber defense' on the heels of a massive cyberattack, which looks to be the handiwork of Russia, though Trump has pointed a finger at China - who he holds responsible for the coronavirus outbreak - instead.  

Trump has threatened to veto the massive bill for months, recently calling on lawmakers to make changes to section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

In his veto message Wednesday, Trump said that keeping section 230 intact was a win for foreign bad actors. 

'The Act fails even to make any meaningful changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, despite bipartisan calls for repealing that provision,' he wrote. 'Section 230 facilitates the spread of foreign disinformation online, which is a serious threat to our national security and election integrity. It must be repealed.'  

In his tweets, Inhofe pitched the Senate making modifications to section 230 in a different piece of legislation, saying he agreed with the president that it should be changed. 

Republicans have claimed that social media platforms like Twitter are biased against conservatives and want to be able to sue the companies more easily. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham encouraged lawmakers to do what the president requested. 

'Congress should vote to Repeal Section 230 as requested by President Trump. I will not vote to override presidential veto unless effort is made to wind down Section 230,' he said. 

Graham was one of the three lawmakers who didn't vote either way for the bill when it passed the Senate on December 11.  

Prior to focusing on section 230, Trump said he would veto the package because of the provision included in it to change the names of the 10 bases still named after Confederate generals. 

'Over the course of United States history, these locations have taken on significance to the American story and those who have helped write it that far transcends their namesakes,' Trump argued in the veto message Wednesday.

'My Administration respects the legacy of the millions of American servicemen and women who have served with honor at these military bases, and who, from these locations, have fought, bled, and died for their country,' he continued. 'From these facilities, we have won two World Wars.'  

Trump referred to them in the veto message as 'certain military installations,' not specifically pointing out that the namesakes were members of the Confederacy, who fought to keep slavery of black Americans in place.   

The Senate passed the NDAA by huge margins.

The final vote was 84 for the bill and just 13 against, with Graham, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, sitting it out. 

Among those who voted no were prominent Republicans and Democrats, including Sens. Tom Cotton and Josh Hawley - expected to compete for their party's nomination in 2024 - as well as Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker, who ran for president earlier this year. 

Sanders explained in a tweet that he was against a bloated military budget. 

'I will be voting against the Defense Appropriations bill. We need to get our priorities right. At a time when we have enormous unmet needs in our country we should not be spending $740 billion on the military – more than the next 10 nations combined,' Sanders wrote in a Thursday tweet.   

With 84 senators voting for the bill, the Senate should have no problem overriding a veto. Two-thirds of the Senate is needed to do so. 

Earlier that week, on December 8, the bill cleared the House of Representatives with a vote 335-to-78. 

Lawmakers have until noon on January 3 to successfully override Trump's veto.   

Trump leaned in to culture war themes after the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, which reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter movement. 

On June 10, he tweeted out a statement and McEnany come out to the podium and read it.  

'These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great American Heritage, and a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom,' Trump said.  'The United States of America trained and deployed our HEROES on these Hallowed Grounds, and won two World Wars.' 

'Therefore, my Administration will not even consider the renaming of these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations,' Trump said. 

Black Lives Matter activists have encouraged the removal of Confederate statues and relics, because those southerners tried to keep black people enslaved and fought the Civil War over it. 

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy had told Politico he was 'open' to renaming the 10 bases named for Confederate figures. Floyd's death and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests, motivated McCarthy's change of heart, one Army official told Politico.   

On June 30, Trump made his first veto threat after Warren, who ran for the 2020 Democratic nomination, inserted the provision to rename the bases into the bill.

It passed with bipartisan consensus, but was a voice vote - meaning there's no record of which Republicans defected from Trump's position. 

Trump angrily tweeted about it then.   

'I will Veto the Defense Authorization Bill if the Elizabeth "Pocahontas" Warren (of all people!) Amendment, which will lead to the renaming (plus other bad things!) of Fort Bragg, Fort Robert E. Lee, and many other Military Bases from which we won Two World Wars, is in the Bill!' Trump wrote.   

After the election, Trump continued to say he would veto the bill over the Confederate base provision. 

NBC News reported in late November that Trump told Republican lawmakers that he planned to keep his campaign promise to supporters and veto the bill. 

'He's said that,' a senior administration official told NBC News, confirming the conversations. 

While some Republicans argued that the provision should be stripped to avoid the veto, Democrats held firm.   

Thirty-seven Democratic senators penned a letter to Inhofe and other GOP leaders on November 10. 

'Millions of servicemembers of color have lived on, trained at, and deployed from installations named to honor traitors that killed Americans in defense of chattel slavery,' they wrote. 

'Renaming these bases does not disrespect our military – it honors the sacrifices and contributions of our servicemembers in a way that better reflects our nation’s diversity and values,' the Democrats argued. 'We know who these bases were named for and why they were named.'

'It is long past the time to correct this longstanding, historic injustice,' they added. 'We must not shrink from our solemn duty in his moment.' 

Ex-Defense Secretary Mark Esper was quietly working with Congress to rename the bases. 

He was sacked by Trump six days after the election, marking the president's first major firing after his loss.             

THE 10 BASES NAMED FOR CONFEDERATE GENERALS

Camp Beauregard, Louisiana

National Guard training facility. Initially named Camp Stafford. Renamed for Confederate general P. G. T. Beauregard in 1917

Beauregard was West Point superintendent when his native Louisiana seceded in 1861 but quit to join the rebels, firing the first shots at Fort Sumter and commanding them at Shiloh. He advised surrender in 1865. Unusually advocated integration in later life.

Fort Benning, Alabama/Georgia 

'Home of the Infantry.' Named in 1917 for plantation owner Henry L. Benning, who argued for secession from 1849, and railed against 'black governors, black legislatures, black juries, black everything.' No military experience but rose to general and was one of the last to surrender at the ceremony at Appomattox Court House.

Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Home of Special Operations Command. Named for General Braxton Bragg when it opened in 1918

Slaveowner former U.S. Army officer who joined the Confederates and rose to general but oversaw a string of defeats, culminating in Chattanooga when he resigned. Widely disliked by his men for his quick temper and obsession with discipline; historians have said his losses were a key part in Grant's victory. 

 Fort Gordon, Georgia

Base for Army Signal Corps and Cyber Corps. Named for Major General John Brown Gordon when it opened in 1917

Despite no military training Gordon rose to major general, on the back of personal courage and tactical ability. Led the last charge of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox. Generally - but not definitively - acknowledged as the KKK's leader in Georgia, then anti-Reconstruction governor and senator. Died in 1904 hailed as 'the living embodiment of the Confederacy.'

Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia

Training and maneuver center. Named for General A.P. Hill when it opened in 1940

Hill was a career Army officer who quit just before Virginia seceded and immediately joined its forces. Distinguished brigade and division commander but blamed as Third  Corps commander for part of the Gettysburg defeat and lead the rebel retreat. Killed in action a week before the Confederate surrender, after saying he did not want to outlive the Confederacy.

Fort Hood, Texas

Headquarters of III Corps. Named on opening in 1942 for General John Bell Hood

Kentucky native Hood resigned his Army commission and volunteered for the Confederates in Texas, quickly becoming brigadier-general but failed as an army commander and was relieved of command after defeat at Nashville. 

Fort Lee, Virginia

Headquarters of Combined Arms Support Command. Named on opening as a camp in 1917 for General Robert E. Lee

Slaveowner Lee, the Army's most brilliant officer, turned down a Union command to join the rebels despite opposing secession. He had victories in the Seven Days Battles and the second Bull Run, but led the rebels to the pivotal defeat at Gettysburg. Held off Grant from complete victory then personally surrendered at Appomattox as General in Chief. After the war backed the end of slavery but said black people 'lack intelligence.'

Fort Pickett, Virginia  

National Guard training site. Named for Major General George Pickett on opening in 1941

Pickett, raised on a plantation, resigned his Army commission a month after joining the Confederacy. Best known for the bloodbath of Pickett's Charge which led to defeat at Gettysburg, he also ordered 22 Union soldiers executed after defeat at New Bern, North Carolina. Fled to Canada for a year after Confederate defeat fearing he would be prosecuted for the crime. His wife's hagiography of him was a key part of the 'Lost Cause' movement of the 1890s onward - which itself led to the bases' Confederate names.

Fort Polk, Louisiana 

Home of the Joint Readiness Training Center. Named on opening in 1941 for General (and bishop) Leonidas Polk

Polk quit a brief Army career to become an Episcopal priest but was estimated to have as many as 400 slaves in the 1850s. So keen on secession that he set up a Confederate church, his brief military experience earned him commission as major-general. Led troops at a series of defeats including Shiloh and was regarded as a poor tactician disliked by those he led. Killed by shellfire at Atlanta after being spotted personally by Sherman.

Fort Rucker, Alabama 

Home to Army Aviation Center of Excellence. Renamed from Ozark Triangular Division Camp in 1942 for Brigadier General Edmund Rucker

Rucker volunteered as a private and rose quickly, playing a key role at the Confederate victory at Chickamauga but was captured and freed in a prisoner swap organized by Nathan Bedford Forrest. Was with Forrest when Union prisoners were systematically massacred at Pillow Hill, and worked with him after surrender, when Forrest established the KKK.

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THE 10 BASES NAMED FOR CONFEDERATE GENERALS

Camp Beauregard, Louisiana

National Guard training facility. Initially named Camp Stafford. Renamed for Confederate general P. G. T. Beauregard in 1917

Beauregard was West Point superintendent when his native Louisiana seceded in 1861 but quit to join the rebels, firing the first shots at Fort Sumter and commanding them at Shiloh. He advised surrender in 1865. Unusually advocated integration in later life.

Fort Benning, Alabama/Georgia 

'Home of the Infantry.' Named in 1917 for plantation owner Henry L. Benning, who argued for secession from 1849, and railed against 'black governors, black legislatures, black juries, black everything.' No military experience but rose to general and was one of the last to surrender at the ceremony at Appomattox Court House.

Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Home of Special Operations Command. Named for General Braxton Bragg when it opened in 1918

Slaveowner former U.S. Army officer who joined the Confederates and rose to general but oversaw a string of defeats, culminating in Chattanooga when he resigned. Widely disliked by his men for his quick temper and obsession with discipline; historians have said his losses were a key part in Grant's victory. 

 Fort Gordon, Georgia

Base for Army Signal Corps and Cyber Corps. Named for Major General John Brown Gordon when it opened in 1917

Despite no military training Gordon rose to major general, on the back of personal courage and tactical ability. Led the last charge of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox. Generally - but not definitively - acknowledged as the KKK's leader in Georgia, then anti-Reconstruction governor and senator. Died in 1904 hailed as 'the living embodiment of the Confederacy.'

Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia

Training and maneuver center. Named for General A.P. Hill when it opened in 1940

Hill was a career Army officer who quit just before Virginia seceded and immediately joined its forces. Distinguished brigade and division commander but blamed as Third  Corps commander for part of the Gettysburg defeat and lead the rebel retreat. Killed in action a week before the Confederate surrender, after saying he did not want to outlive the Confederacy.

Fort Hood, Texas

Headquarters of III Corps. Named on opening in 1942 for General John Bell Hood

Kentucky native Hood resigned his Army commission and volunteered for the Confederates in Texas, quickly becoming brigadier-general but failed as an army commander and was relieved of command after defeat at Nashville. 

Fort Lee, Virginia

Headquarters of Combined Arms Support Command. Named on opening as a camp in 1917 for General Robert E. Lee

Slaveowner Lee, the Army's most brilliant officer, turned down a Union command to join the rebels despite opposing secession. He had victories in the Seven Days Battles and the second Bull Run, but led the rebels to the pivotal defeat at Gettysburg. Held off Grant from complete victory then personally surrendered at Appomattox as General in Chief. After the war backed the end of slavery but said black people 'lack intelligence.'

Fort Pickett, Virginia  

National Guard training site. Named for Major General George Pickett on opening in 1941

Pickett, raised on a plantation, resigned his Army commission a month after joining the Confederacy. Best known for the bloodbath of Pickett's Charge which led to defeat at Gettysburg, he also ordered 22 Union soldiers executed after defeat at New Bern, North Carolina. Fled to Canada for a year after Confederate defeat fearing he would be prosecuted for the crime. His wife's hagiography of him was a key part of the 'Lost Cause' movement of the 1890s onward - which itself led to the bases' Confederate names.

Fort Polk, Louisiana 

Home of the Joint Readiness Training Center. Named on opening in 1941 for General (and bishop) Leonidas Polk

Polk quit a brief Army career to become an Episcopal priest but was estimated to have as many as 400 slaves in the 1850s. So keen on secession that he set up a Confederate church, his brief military experience earned him commission as major-general. Led troops at a series of defeats including Shiloh and was regarded as a poor tactician disliked by those he led. Killed by shellfire at Atlanta after being spotted personally by Sherman.

Fort Rucker, Alabama 

Home to Army Aviation Center of Excellence. Renamed from Ozark Triangular Division Camp in 1942 for Brigadier General Edmund Rucker

Rucker volunteered as a private and rose quickly, playing a key role at the Confederate victory at Chickamauga but was captured and freed in a prisoner swap organized by Nathan Bedford Forrest. Was with Forrest when Union prisoners were systematically massacred at Pillow Hill, and worked with him after surrender, when Forrest established the KKK.

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