Senate Republicans poke holes in the filibuster despite vowing to protect it

WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leaders have made consequential moves this year to weaken or end-run minority power when it stands in the way of their ambitions during the second Donald Trump administration and GOP control of Congress. In three separate instances, they have knocked down longstanding precedents and established new rules to advance their goals in the face of Democratic opposition, eroding the power of the minority in the process. In May, Republicans