Legislative

Republican candidate Thomas Ross and his former campaign manager devised a plan to stash drugs in their opponent Louise Secker’s purse or vehicleA Missouri House race has been rocked by the Wednesday arrest of Republican candidate Thomas Ross, whom prosecutors accuse of attempting to frame his primary opponent Louise Secker for cocaine possession.In June, Ross allegedly gave his former campaign manager, identified by the initials “CS” in court documents, a bag of cocaine and Adderall. The two devised a plan for the former manager to stash the drugs in Secker’s purse or vehicle. Continue reading...

• The House of Representatives released a legislative scorecard detailing the performance of the 10th National Assembly over a three-year period. • Between June 2023 and June 15, 2026, the House introduced 2,747 bills, of which 363 were successfully passed into law. • The data was unveiled during a media briefing led by the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Parliamentary Affairs to provide transparency on legislative output.

• House Republicans are facing a severely constrained legislative calendar after an internal party revolt forced Speaker Mike Johnson to implement an early recess for the second consecutive week. • The disruption has significantly reduced the available time for the GOP majority to advance its ambitious policy agenda during a critical election year. • This legislative gridlock highlights ongoing instability and division within the House Republican conference, hindering their ability to pass key priorities.

Trump suddenly scrapped the signing of a pivotal bipartisan housing bill yesterday, demanding the Senate pass his voter ID bill Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.A dramatic day is in store in Washington DC as Donald Trump heads for a crucial meeting with Mike Johnson, the House speaker, in an attempt to break a legislative gridlock as huge political fireworks have detonated on Capitol Hill far ahead of anything resembling a Fourth of July celebration.Maryland’s Democratic US Senator Chris Van Hollen is endorsing the progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Senate primary, a split with Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, the Associated Press reports as an exclusive.The US supreme court is expected to issue opinions at 10am ET and most of the big cases have not yet been ruled upon. We await immigration and finance-related opinions in particular.Huge focus on the Hill where the House speaker, Mike Johnson, meets with Trump at 2pm, with both hoping the House will be persuaded to take a vote and end a rebellion from within the right wing of the Republican caucus over the Save Act to tighten up on who can vote in US elections.Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana got into a shouting match with Trump at the Senate lunch on Wednesday after Trump admonished four senators, including him, for backing a resolution to rein in the war in the Middle East. Kennedy reportedly responded: “You have not told the American people what’s going on” with the war, adding afterwards to reporters: “It was supposed to last four weeks. It’s lasted four months,” according to Politico. Continue reading...

• Hungary has approved a new legislative package designed to eliminate corrupt structures and reduce the influence of oligarchs. • A key component of the reforms involves returning universities to state control to ensure greater transparency and governance. • These legal changes are intended to satisfy European Union requirements, potentially unlocking billions in withheld EU funds.

• Pennsylvania Film Commissioner Gino Anthony Pesi announced that the state has awarded $117 million in tax credits to a record 59 film and television projects for 2025-2026. • These productions are expected to inject $1.11 billion into the economy and create 11,700 jobs across 35 different counties. • High-profile projects receiving funding include season 5 of Paramount’s *Mayor of Kingstown*, season 3 of Netflix’s *Tires*, and the second season of HBO’s *Task*.

• Nepal elected a former rapper as prime minister following legislative elections held in March 2026, which were preceded by widespread youth protests. • The new leader, Shah, has committed to a balanced and independent foreign policy based on non-alignment to navigate the influence of neighboring China and India. • This transition marks a significant political shift driven by youth activism and a desire for independent governance.

However, Tate Reeves said he expects to redraw state’s four congressional districts before the 2027 electionsOn Wednesday morning, Mississippi’s governor, Tate Reeves, said that he is canceling a special legislative session that was scheduled to redraw the state’s supreme court districts next week. However, Reeves, a Republican, noted that he does expect the state to redraw its four congressional districts at some point in the near future.Reeves, in an appearance on SuperTalk radio, a conservative talk radio network, also said that it would be difficult for the state to redraw the congressional districts in the Republicans favor in time for the upcoming midterm elections, slated for November. Doing so might also hurt Republicans in congressional races. Continue reading...

• Tensions between House and Senate Republicans are escalating, directly threatening the party's unified legislative agenda. • Divisions center on key bills, with high animosity stalling progress on spending, taxes, and reforms. • The rift matters as it weakens GOP messaging and momentum heading into critical 2026 midterms.

• India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in power since 2014, has captured independent institutions like the Election Commission, judiciary, and media, leading to democratic backsliding into a hybrid regime. • After winning 240 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections—short of the 272 majority—Prime Minister Narendra Modi rapidly passed a citizenship law targeting Muslims as a key poll promise amid strong partisan support. • Legislative capture has weakened checks and balances, turning parliament into a rubber stamp through censorship, intimidation, and power centralization.

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a landmark 206 out of 294 seats in West Bengal's legislative assembly, marking its first-ever electoral victory in the opposition-held state of over 100 million people. • The BJP's conquest of West Bengal, long a bastion of its political adversary, represents a significant expansion of Hindu nationalist electoral dominance across India's regional politics. • Results announced Monday were part of elections held across five states and territories in April and May, with the BJP also securing a third consecutive victory in northeastern Assam and participation in the ruling coalition in coastal Puducherry.

• White House released a national AI legislative framework on March 20, 2026, proposing federal preemption of state AI regulations while carving out exceptions for child safety, fraud, consumer protection, zoning, and government procurement. • The framework defers copyright issues to courts rather than codifying the administration's position that training AI on copyrighted material constitutes lawful fair use, contradicting Senator Blackburn's bill that would categorically exclude copyrighted works from fair use. • Provisions address energy costs for data centers, government censorship via AI platforms, and workforce displacement studies, though the line between 'AI development' preemption and preserved 'consumer protection' authority remains contentious.

• MultiState released its March 15, 2026 chart tracking legislative deadlines, with sessions starting January 6 in Vermont and February 9 in Wyoming. • 23 states allow bill carryover between 2025-2026 or 2026-2027 sessions, while 27 require new introductions each year. • Key deadlines include Florida's January 13 bill filing and California's February 20 cutoff; Virginia ends regular session March 14 with veto session April 22.