Stephen Groves | Associated Press

Donald Trump is used to defending himself. But as JD Vance's rocky rollout continues, the Republican presidential nominee is in the rare position this week of having to defend someone else’s controversial comments.

Republicans are dismissing an immigration-related bill pushed by Democratic senators and allied independents as an election year ploy. Six Democratic and independent senators are offering legislation that focuses on immigrants with or without permanent legal status who are charged with or convicted of violent crimes.

A bipartisan consensus that Congress should act to toughen regulations on railroads is emerging in the U.S. Senate. The Senate Commerce Committee is examining a fiery hazardous train derailment last month on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. Republicans and Democrats on the committee peppered Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw with questions Wednesday on what enhanced safety measures he would support.

Norfolk Southern’s CEO Alan Shaw is under pressure from senators and federal safety regulators to step up his commitment to safety regulations as he appears before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday.

Norfolk Southern’s CEO is apologizing to Congress and pledging millions of dollars to help East Palestine, Ohio, recover from last month's fiery train derailment. But he stopped short on Thursday of fully endorsing a Senate bill that would toughen safety regulations.