Authority

Stunning rebuke to president as lawmakers vote 215-208 for measure forcing him to seek congressional approvalThe US House of Representatives delivered a stunning rebuke to Donald Trump over his war on Iran on Wednesday, as representatives backed a move to force him to seek approval from Congress or withdraw US forces.The House voted 215 to 208 in favor of the war powers resolution, as four Republicans voted with Democrats. Continue reading...

• The Supreme Court issued the SIR verdict, which reaffirms the constitutional authority of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to ensure electoral integrity. • The ruling separates constitutional principles from political theater, emphasizing that the ECI's powers are not unchecked. • To maintain accountability, the Court specified that the Commission remains subject to judicial review, statutory limitations, and the requirement to provide recorded reasons for its actions.

Group of MPs and peers in effect accuse government of failing to comply with parliament’s will over release of filesA powerful parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing files relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador has revealed that the government is withholding his vetting file despite not having the authority to do so.In an extraordinary intervention, the intelligence and security committee (ISC) has criticised the government over its handling of the release of Mandelson-related papers and in effect accused ministers failing to comply with parliament’s will. Continue reading...

Ethylene oxide (EtO) is about 60 times more carcinogenic than believed in 2006, research findsA new Trump administration plan to rescind 2024 regulations for toxic ethylene oxide (EtO) pollution more broadly aims to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to strengthen public health protections around hazardous emissions and could result in more of the toxin being released into the air.Recent research has found EtO is about 60 times more carcinogenic than thought when the last regulations were developed in 2006. In 2024, the Biden EPA passed a rule that strengthened the regulations to reflect the updated science, and required the nation’s EtO emitters to collectively cut their emissions by about 90%. Continue reading...

• Israel and Palestinian Authority delegations reconvened ceasefire talks in Cairo on April 12 with US State Department officials facilitating discussions aimed at establishing a lasting truce in Gaza. • Negotiators are discussing humanitarian aid corridors, Israeli security arrangements, and parameters for Palestinian governance, with a tentative framework potentially emerging within two weeks according to US officials. • The talks mark a significant shift after months of stalled diplomacy, though Israeli settlements expansion and Palestinian factional divisions continue to complicate negotiations.

Critics say ‘election integrity’ plan to compile national voter list is unconstitutional and will be blocked by the courtsDonald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order seeking to restrict mail-in voting and compile a national voter list in a move that is unprecedented and likely unconstitutional.The order directs the administration to establish a federal list of confirmed citizens that can legally vote in each state, and orders the postal service to send mail-in ballots only to those on the list. During a press conference at the White House, Trump said the administration would like to require voter ID and proof of citizenship, and repeated falsehoods about mail-in voting. Continue reading...

Leaseholders criticise plan to reclaim funds spent on destroyed Spectrum Building in DagenhamPeople who lost their homes when a tower block in Dagenham burned down say they are being made to pay for the building’s fire safety works after the government demanded its money back.Former leaseholders of the Spectrum Building, a seven-storey block of flats which was demolished after a major fire in August 2024, said it was “absolutely outrageous” the Greater London Authority (GLA) was seeking to reclaim £6m for the safety works because the blaze meant they were never completed. Continue reading...