Senate votes to block Trump border declaration

A dozen defecting Republicans have joined Senate Democrats to block the national emergency that President Donald Trump declared so he could build his border wall with Mexico.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, March 14, 2019, in Washington. [Photo: AP]

The rejection caps a week of confrontation with the White House as both parties in Congress strain to exert their power in new ways.

The 59-41 tally, following the Senate's vote a day earlier to end U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen, promises to force Trump into the first vetoes of his presidency. Trump had warned against both actions. Moments after Thursday's vote, the president tweeted a single word of warning: "VETO!"