Democrat

• Ein neu gegründetes, den Republikanern nahestehendes Super-PAC hat laut Wahlkampf-Finanzberichten eine Wahlkampfkasse von 140 Millionen Dollar angesammelt, um einen amtierenden Demokraten aus Ohio zu besiegen, der 2026 die Wiederwahl in den Senat anstrebt. • Der Demokrat, der zuvor mehrere Amtszeiten im Senat absolvierte und als wichtiges Ziel in der Strategie der GOP zur Erweiterung ihrer Mehrheit gilt, sieht sich einer dicht besetzten Vorwahl gegenüber und steht an mehreren politischen Fronten unter Druck. • Die Demokraten warnen, dass die Ausgaben auf Kleinspenden basierende Kampagnen überwältigen und die Medienlandschaft des Bundesstaates verändern könnten, während die Republikaner argumentieren, dass das Geld dazu dienen wird, die bisherige Bilanz des Kandidaten genau unter die Lupe zu nehmen.

Rusty Hicks ist besorgt, dass sich Democrats im „open“-System gegenseitig verdrängen und Republicans den Sieg zuspielen könnten. Der Vorsitzende der California Democratic Party sagt, er wolle die idiosynkratische „open primary“ des Bundesstaates abschaffen; er nennt sie einen Fehlschlag, der riskiert, ein überfülltes Feld von Democratic-Kandidaten so gegeneinander auszuspielen, dass ein Republican zum Governor eines der „bluest states“ in den US gewählt werden könnte. „Das aktuelle System, das wir haben, funktioniert nicht“, sagte Rusty Hicks in einem Interview. „Es muss überarbeitet oder aufgehoben werden.“ Weiterlesen...

• Die Gouverneurin von Maine Janet Mills gab am Donnerstag bekannt, dass sie ihre geplante Senatskandidatur zurückziehen wird, wodurch sie aus den Vorwahlen der Demokraten ausscheidet und effektiv den Weg für den Staatssenator Ben Chipman frei macht, in ein offenes Rennen einzutreten. • Mills nannte familiäre Gründe und die Belastung durch einen prominenten Senatswahlkampf als ausschlaggebende Faktoren und erklärte, dass Maine „eine beständige Führung“ im Gouverneursamt benötige, während sie ihre zweite Amtszeit fortsetzt. • Ihr Rückzug ordnet die politische Landkarte des Bundesstaates neu und erspart den Demokraten wahrscheinlich eine aufreibende innerparteiliche Vorwahl in einem Bundesstaat, der bei nationalen Wahlen zuletzt einen Trend zum „Purple State“ aufwies.

Lee Zeldin behauptet vor dem Senat, dass der Plan der Trump-Administration die Environmental Protection Agency „effizienter“ machen wird. Die Demokraten im Senat warfen der Trump-Administration bei einer Kongressanhörung am Mittwoch vor, die Mission der Environmental Protection Agency zum Schutz der menschlichen Gesundheit und der Umwelt aufzugeben, und kritisierten die Behördenleitung scharf wegen eines Vorschlags, ihr Budget zu halbieren. Lee Zeldins Auftritt vor dem Umweltausschuss des Senats war die letzte von drei Haushaltsanhörungen des EPA-Administrators in dieser Woche, bei denen er für eine stark reduzierte Finanzierung der Behörde argumentierte, die unter seiner Leitung bereits den niedrigsten Personalbestand seit Jahrzehnten verzeichnete. Während eines Großteils der Woche verfolgte der ehemalige republikanische Kongressabgeordnete aus New York einen aggressiven Ansatz, reagierte auf die Demokraten im Repräsentantenhaus und im Senat mit eigenen Fragen und warf ihnen zeitweise vor, unvorbereitet zu sein oder sich nicht für die Bilanz der EPA zu interessieren. Weiterlesen...

• Die Demokraten im Repräsentantenhaus befragten Verteidigungsminister Pete Hegseth während einer Anhörung am 29. April zum ersten Mal seit Beginn des Iran-Krieges skeptisch und drängten auf Antworten zu Strategie und Kosten. • Ein Demokrat warf Hegseth Parteilichkeit vor und zitierte in einem hitzigen Wortgefecht dessen frühere Aussagen. • Die Konfrontation verdeutlicht die parteipolitische Spaltung über die wirtschaftlichen Folgen des Krieges und Trumps Außenpolitik angesichts sinkender Umfragewerte.

• Wähler in Virginia haben knapp einen von den Demokraten unterstützten Plan zur Neugestaltung der Kongresswahlbezirke genehmigt, der mehrere amtierende Republikaner gefährdet. • Die Maßnahme zieht die Wahlkreisgrenzen neu, um die Demokraten in Schlüsselbezirken zu begünstigen, was das Gleichgewicht für die Zwischenwahlen 2026 verschiebt. • Dieser Kampf um die Wahlkreisgrenzen an der Küste unterstreicht die nationalen Spannungen über faire Karten und parteipolitische Vorteile.

• Florida-Gouverneur Ron DeSantis hat neue Karten für die Kongresswahlbezirke vorgestellt, die weitere demokratische Sitze im Repräsentantenhaus eliminieren könnten. • Der Vorschlag zur Neugliederung zielt auf Gebiete mit demokratischen Amtsinhabern ab und verschärft die Auseinandersetzungen vor den Zwischenwahlen 2026. • Republikaner sehen darin einen entscheidenden Schlüssel zur Sicherung der Mehrheit im Repräsentantenhaus, während Demokraten vor Taktiken zur Wählerunterdrückung warnen.

• Ein politisch ambitionierter Demokrat aus Connecticut brach überparteiliche Verhandlungen über die Regierungsfinanzierung aufgrund von Parteidruck auf Einbeziehung ab. • Der Ausstieg verschärft die Spannungen über die Prioritäten des Bundeshaushalts und Ausgabenkürzungen. • Dies könnte Finanzierungsgesetze verzögern, die für anstehende Haushaltsfristen entscheidend sind.

TPOR poll of 1,018 likely voters puts Talarico ahead of John Cornyn by three percentage points and Ken Paxton by fiveUS politics live – latest updatesDemocrats’ hopes of winning control of the US Senate in November’s midterm elections have been boosted by a poll showing James Talarico, the party’s candidate in Texas, leading in a head-to-head matchup against two potential Republican opponents.The Texas public opinion research (TPOR) survey has Talarico, a Democratic state legislator, ahead of the GOP incumbent senator, John Cornyn, and his internal party challenger, Ken Paxton, in one-on-one contests. Continue reading...

The case is part of a national redistricting fight with high stakes for the November midterm electionsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxVirginia supreme court justices on Monday questioned whether the state’s Democratic-led legislature complied with constitutional requirements when it sent a congressional redistricting plan to voters, in a case that carries high stakes for the balance of power in the US House.The new districts, which could net Democrats four additional seats, won narrow voter approval last week. But a Republican legal challenge contends the general assembly violated procedural rules by placing the constitutional amendment before voters to authorize the mid-decade redistricting. If the court agrees that lawmakers broke the rules, it could invalidate the amendment and render last week’s statewide vote meaningless. Continue reading...

• Support for Israel has dramatically shrunk among Democrats in Congress, marking a political shift. • Last week saw a seismic change with key figures like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez highlighting the reversal. • This internal party divide impacts U.S. foreign policy and bipartisan legislation on Middle East aid.

Janet Mills says moratorium would’ve been ‘appropriate’ if it didn’t interfere with ongoing datacenter project in MaineThe Democratic governor of Maine on Friday vetoed a bill that would have made it the first US state to impose a moratorium on large new datacenters, even as local opposition to the electricity-hungry facilities grows.The decision reflects the difficult trade-off facing political leaders, who must weigh the impact of datacenters on the environment and household energy bills against the millions of dollars in investment and tax revenue they can bring. Continue reading...

Kim Leadbeater tells of plan to table identical bill that peers would be unable to stopMPs and peers who led the assisted dying bill have promised to bring it back to parliament after it ran out of time in the House of Lords.Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who tabled the private member’s bill, said the plan would be to table an identical bill in the next parliamentary session, which would prevent peers blocking it again, as the Lords cannot stop the same bill twice. Continue reading...

Recriminations continue over failure to bring in new laws allowing assisted dying for terminally ill people in England and WalesAmid the failure of an attempt to bring in new laws allowing assisted dying for terminally ill people with less than six months to live, campaigners on both sides of the debate vented their anger and frustration with the opposing side.Its supporters, including terminally ill people, blamed the failure of the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, which passed in the House of Commons, on sabotage by a handful of unelected peers. Continue reading...

Republicans deploy measure known as budget reconciliation to push through plan without backing from Democrats during lengthy late-night voteHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The Senate voted to adopt a $70bn budget plan to fund ICE and Border Patrol as part of a new effort to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).We have a multistep process ahead of us, but at the end Republicans will have helped ensure that America’s borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies.Instead of pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into ICE and Border Patrol, Republicans should be working with Democrats to lower out-of-pocket costs.The Pentagon announced, without explanation, that “Secretary of the Navy John C Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately”. The head of the US navy, which is now enforcing a wartime blockade of Iranian ports, was replaced by a former Maga political candidate, Hung Cao, now acting secretary of the navy.The surprise announcement brought renewed attention to Cao’s 2023 comments that that “witchcraft” had “taken over” Monterey, California.Virginia’s attorney general, Jay Jones, promised to appeal an injunction issued by a circuit court judge that temporarily blocks the state from certifying the results of the Tuesday’s redistricting referendum.As jet fuel prices spike amid the ongoing energy crisis sparked by Donald Trump’s war on Iran, two Republican senators, Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton, denounced a proposed US government bailout of budget carrier Spirit Airlines.Representative David Scott, a Democrat from Georgia, has died at the age of 80. He is the fifth member of Congress to die in office within the last year. Continue reading...

Report from Elizabeth Warren calls Trump administration cuts to Social Security Administration ‘catastrophic’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxCuts to the Social Security Administration have caused “customer service chaos” for millions of older Americans and those with disabilities who rely on the agency’s services, according to a new report from a group of Democratic senators.An investigation found that phone wait times were more than 10 times higher than what the agency claimed on its website, if the calls were even answered at all. Continue reading...

• House Republicans openly questioned President Donald Trump's mid-decade redistricting strategy on Wednesday, following a Democratic victory in Virginia on Tuesday that threatens the GOP's slim House majority. • The Virginia vote paves the way for as many as four Republican seats to be lost, intensifying GOP concerns about the redistricting war Trump sparked. • Republican lawmakers are now expressing misgivings about the strategy, signaling potential fractures within the party over Trump's aggressive electoral positioning ahead of the November midterms.

Democrats within reach of House majority after voters rebel against Republican gerrymanderingSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxMonths into his second term, Donald Trump wagered that he could beat the historic trend of the party in power losing seats in midterm elections if Republican-led states redrew congressional maps to sweep Democrats out of office.The gamble is looking to be a bust, or at best a draw, for the president, after Democrats fought back with their own redistricting efforts, the latest of which came to fruition in Virginia on Tuesday, when voters approved a plan that could remove all but one of the five Republicans in its current House of Representatives delegation. Continue reading...

Amid growing congressional scrutiny of his conduct, Patel has claimed he has ‘never been intoxicated on the job’US politics live – latest updatesHouse judiciary Democrats have launched a formal inquiry into FBI director, Kash Patel’s alleged drinking habits, demanding he complete a standardized alcohol abuse assessment and submit the results to Congress.In a letter sent on Tuesday, led by Jamie Raskin, a Maryland representative, Democrats on the committee called on Patel to take the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (Audit) – a 10-question World Health Organization screening tool used to identify harmful patterns of drinking – along with a sworn statement attesting to his answers. Lawmakers also requested all security clearance questionnaires Patel has completed since taking the role. Continue reading...

• A $140 million super PAC war chest is poised to challenge Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown's 2026 Senate return. • Funded by Republican donors, the group aims to exploit Brown's vulnerabilities in a key battleground. • This escalation underscores high stakes for Senate control amid Trump's midterm focus.

• California Democrats are urging swift action to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by former Rep. Eric Swalwell following his resignation. • Party leaders emphasize the need for a special election to maintain Democratic representation in the competitive district. • The vacancy heightens midterm stakes, with Republicans eyeing gains in the state amid shifting voter dynamics.

Florida US representative indicted in November for allegedly misusing more than $5m of federal disaster fundsDemocratic US representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick said she is resigning effective immediately, after a House committee found she violated ethics rules. The panel was set to issue its recommended punishment for the Florida representative on Tuesday.Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted by a federal grand jury in November for allegedly funneling more than $5m worth of federal disaster funds from her company into her 2021 congressional campaign. Continue reading...

Climate leaders say Democrats need to extol clean energy as a way to cut costs for Americans as war roils oil marketsDemocrats should get louder in championing clean energy’s affordability and resilience from global shocks, according to some of the party’s leading voices on the climate.As the Iran war roils economies by raising the cost of oil and gas, countries are aiming to accelerate their shift to cleaner energy. But in the US, Donald Trump has sought to kill off any alternative to fossil fuels while opposing Democrats have been reluctant to tie the conflict to any action on the climate crisis. Continue reading...

• The African Union convened emergency sessions Friday in Addis Ababa to address military coup concerns in three Sahel nations and coordinate response to deteriorating security conditions affecting 180 million people across West Africa. • Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have experienced military takeovers since 2020, with suspended AU memberships and international sanctions creating governance vacuums exploited by extremist groups and destabilizing the entire region. • The AU proposed conditional reinstatement frameworks for suspended nations contingent on democratic transition timelines, though France and Western partners expressed skepticism about implementation feasibility given entrenched military leadership.

Victory means Democrats hold on to the 11th district seat in the House, where Republicans hold a thin majorityDemocrat Analilia Mejia won a New Jersey special election for the US House on Thursday, defeating Republican Joe Hathaway on a message of standing up to Donald Trump.Mejia, a former head of the Working Families Alliance who had support from the senator Bernie Sanders, will fill the seat previously held by the Democratic governor Mikie Sherrill and serve until January. Continue reading...

Democratic lawmakers urged Republican leaders to postpone the confirmation hearing of Kevin WarshSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxDemocrats have moved to stall Donald Trump’s effort to exert greater control over the US Federal Reserve, condemning the president’s “absurd” bid to install a new leader of the central bank while it is targeted with criminal investigations.Democratic lawmakers on the Senate banking committee urged its Republican leadership on Thursday to postpone the planned confirmation hearing for Kevin Warsh, the financial executive and former Fed governor Trump has nominated to replace Jerome Powell as Fed chair. Continue reading...

Accusations refer to attack on Iran without congressional authorization and strikes on alleged drug smuggling boatsHouse Democrats filed six articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing the defense security of “high crimes and misdemeanors”, in reference to the attack on Iran without congressional authorization and deadly strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats, among other official acts.The move comes as the Trump administration faces mounting scrutiny over recent foreign action, particularly the war with Iran. Continue reading...

• A defiant House incumbent facing low polling numbers and a fragmented base has announced he will not yield to pressure to step aside for another centrist candidate, Zohran Mamdani, in an upcoming primary. • The incumbent's decision to remain in the race despite weak polling reflects confidence in his political base despite internal party divisions. • The contested primary underscores Democratic Party tensions between progressive and centrist factions as ambitious candidates position themselves for the upcoming midterm cycle.

Measure by Jamie Raskin follows statements by Trump about annihilating Iran and post depicting himself as JesusSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxHouse Democrats on Tuesday proposed creating a commission that would work with JD Vance to remove Donald Trump from office under the 25th amendment, should they determine he is no longer fit to serve.The measure, introduced by Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House judiciary committee, follows a series of statements from Trump, including his recent warning that Iran’s “whole civilization will die” if it did not capitulate to his demands, and a social media post that depicted him as Jesus Christ. Continue reading...