House

• The Supreme Court has ruled to allow the construction of a new ballroom at the White House to proceed. • Government filings indicate the ballroom's specific height and mass are essential for shielding underlying military facilities from kinetic impacts. • This decision highlights the intersection of architectural aesthetics and national security requirements for high-profile government installations.

• House Speaker Mike Johnson is launching a floor vote on a stopgap funding bill to prevent a federal government shutdown before the November midterm elections. • The short-term measure aims to keep the government fully funded through early December, avoiding a lapse in services. • To secure Democratic support, the Senate modified the bill to delay an Office of Management and Budget rule that would have increased political appointees' control over federal grants.

Inquiry come after conservative thinktanks claim unions are using member dues to support Democratic causesHouse Republicans are investigating several US labor unions based on claims from far-right nonprofits alleging union dues are being used for illegal political funding.Republicans on the House’s education and workforce committee opened the investigation this summer after multiple reports from the conservative thinktanks targeted unions and their spending, claiming that unions are using member dues to support Democratic causes. Continue reading...

Speaker Mike Johnson to launch a floor vote designed to prevent any federal shutdown before the November midtermsHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.House speaker Mike Johnson will launch a floor vote to pass the stopgap funding bill designed to keep the federal government fully funded through early December, removing the possibility of a shutdown before the midterm elections.The Supreme Court allowed Donald Trump to continue building his $400m White House ballroom project. In a 5-4 decision along political lines, the justices found that a group issuing a legal challenge against the ballroom did not have standing to bring their case. Trump celebrated with a post on his Truth Social platform while Democrats criticized the decision.Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down from his role after 18 months on the job, leaving another top military position vacant. Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had reportedly butted heads for some time.Trump vowed further strikes on Iran and called it a “failed nation”. The remarks came as Washington and Tehran exchanged their first military strikes in a month.JD Vance gave a speech in Michigan that included an attacked against Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. “There’s something about Abdul El-Sayed that is very, very evil,” Vance told the crowd.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of turning their trade dispute into a “political shouting match”. Carney had rejected the Trump administration’s terms that would have given the US government extensive power over Canada’s trade policy.California Governor Gavin Newsom vowed to block the appointment of election denier Tina Peters, who was convicted in 2024 in relation to a plot to chase pro-Trump election conspiracies. Newsom announced he would take measures to prevent Peters from working as an election consultant for Northern California’s Shasta county. Continue reading...

Average price of home rose 0.2% month on month in August to £275,465 as market awaits interest rate voteUK houses near top state secondary schools cost £40,000 more, research revealsUK house prices increased for the first time in four months in August, according to a leading index, as buyers and sellers remain in a “holding pattern” before an expected increase in interest rates later this year.The average price of a British home rose 0.2% month on month in August to £275,465, the first increase since April, according to Nationwide. Analysts had forecast a 0.1% rise in house prices. Continue reading...

Seven-year-old girl and aunt, 34, killed while four others injured in incident near Middlesbrough last WednesdayA 23-year-old man has been charged with murder after a house fire killed a seven-year-old girl and her aunt, police said.Officers were called to reports of a blaze at Birchington Avenue in Grangetown at 5.23am on 26 August. Continue reading...

Boy, 16, testifies he was radicalised on TikTok before connecting to extremists on TelegramFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA school student has testified about falling down a social media rabbit hole that led him to planning to bomb the Sydney Opera House in a terrorist attack.The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has pleaded guilty to planning a terrorist act over the course of more than a month in 2024. Continue reading...

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4, along political lines, to allow Donald Trump to resume construction of a $400 million ballroom at the White House. • The justices determined that the group filing the legal challenge against the project lacked the necessary legal standing to bring the case forward. • This decision removes a significant legal hurdle, enabling the high-cost construction project to proceed without further judicial delay.

• The House of Representatives has returned to session, though many Republicans are eager to return to campaign trails ahead of the upcoming elections. • Lawmakers are currently focused on passing a stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown before departing. • GOP members expect legislative productivity to remain low through September, predicting that only fast-tracked "suspension of the rules" bills will successfully pass.

• U.S. House members are returning to Capitol Hill on Monday, Aug. 31, to begin a one-month legislative session. • This work period serves as the final push for legislative activity before the November midterm elections. • There is significant uncertainty regarding whether the House will pass meaningful legislation, specifically concerning local priorities in the Miami Valley.