• Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin was confirmed as Homeland Security Secretary in a 54-45 Senate vote, replacing fired Kristi Noem to oversee mass immigration raids and deportations.
• Republican Rand Paul voted against Mullin, calling him a 'freaking snake' during hearings, while Democrats John Fetterman and Martin Heinrich crossed lines to support him.
• Confirmation occurs as DHS partial shutdown risks extending into April amid staffing shortages, with ICE agents deployed to airports to ease security lines.
Incumbent Mette Frederiksen widely predicted to continue as PM but neither bloc expected to be able to form majorityDenmark election: far right has slowed under Frederiksen – but at what cost?After votes in France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia over the weekend, it’s now time for Denmark, as Danes go to the polls today amid the backdrop of (waves arms) everything, everywhere, all at once.As our Nordic correspondent Miranda Bryant explains, the incumbent, Mette Frederiksen, has been widely predicted to continue as prime minister after the election. Continue reading...
• The House of Representatives returns Tuesday, March 24, 2026, with the Rules Committee preparing floor votes on bills addressing safety in Washington, D.C., Department of Homeland Security funding, and vessel security.
• Speaker Johnson has no plans to bring a clean extension of FISA Section 702 to the floor this week, as the surveillance provision faces expiration in mid-April.
• These votes occur amid ongoing bipartisan efforts in the House Financial Services Committee to initiate bicameral conference negotiations on differing housing bills between chambers.
Referendum result could tarnish PM’s reputation and make winning next year’s general election challenging Italian voters have rejected an overhaul of the country’s judiciary pushed by the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni,, an outcome expected to tarnish her reputation and make winning next year’s general election more challenging.In a two-day referendum, 54.63% of voters said “No” to the reforms to reorganise the judiciary compared with 45.37% for the “Yes” camp. Continue reading...
• President Trump demands passage of the SAVE Act, which requires passport or birth certificate for voter registration, photo ID at polls, and in-person citizenship proof for mail-in ballots, refusing to sign other legislation until it passes.
• The bill would compel states to share voter rolls with the federal government; Senate Majority Leader John Thune refuses to eliminate the filibuster, dimming prospects.
• Political history professor Nolan Higdon warns it could disrupt midterms by forcing separate state and federal elections if rules can't be implemented in time.
National referendum is being seen as a de facto confidence vote on the government – and the polls are neck and neckIn the run-up to a referendum in Italy on a government quest to overhaul the judiciary, a campaign flyer circulated online quoting Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister, taking aim at judges and feminists. “Judges block the deportations of rapists. Where are the feminists? Vote yes – there will not be another opportunity,” it read.The flyer, posted on the Facebook page of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, a party with neofascist roots, was subsequently removed. But its tone has defined a campaign dominated by inflammatory rhetoric rather than meaningful debate. Continue reading...
• Senate rejected a cloture motion on H.R. 7147, a consolidated appropriations bill for fiscal year 2026, on March 20, 2026, with 47 votes in favor and 37 opposed, failing to reach the 60-vote threshold required for advancement.
• The procedural defeat underscores continued partisan divisions over government funding as the DHS shutdown approaches five weeks.
• The failed vote indicates ongoing legislative gridlock as lawmakers attempt to resolve multiple appropriations disputes.
Premier Peter Malinauskas appears on track for a landslide win as Liberal party’s lower-house seats tipped to be reduced to single digitsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPeter Malinauskas appears on track for a landslide re-election victory in South Australia’s state election as polls closed at 6pm, local time (6.30pm AEDT), on Saturday.The race is a key test of the surge in support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, with the Liberal opposition’s lower-house seats tipped to be reduced to single digits. Continue reading...
Calls for Pennsylvania senator – Trump’s ‘favorite Democrat’ – to resign after casting decisive committee voteDemocrats reacted with outrage to their party colleague John Fetterman’s decision to advance the nomination of Republican US senator Markwayne Mullin as homeland security secretary.Fetterman, the senior US senator from Pennsylvania, has in recent months broken with the party several times to support Republican proposals, and has routinely expressed staunch support for Israel. He cast the decisive committee vote on Thursday to advance Mullin’s nomination to succeed Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary. Continue reading...
• Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) criticized the Republican SAVE Act on March 18, 2026, as 'one of the most extreme voter suppression bills in recent history.'
• The bill mandates in-person proof of citizenship like passports, which 140 million Americans lack, banning online, mail, and automatic registration.
• It would disenfranchise rural voters, veterans, and women changing names, despite existing laws prohibiting noncitizen voting under penalty of perjury.
• Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee, claiming last year's strikes obliterated Iran's nuclear program with no rebuild efforts.
• Republican senators blocked a war powers resolution to limit President Trump's Iran attacks, amid questions on an imminent nuclear threat.
• Gabbard dodged direct queries during the hearing, drawing criticism from Sen. Jon Ossoff on threat assessments.
House of Lords decision welcomed as ‘landmark moment’ after attempt to strike out amendment is defeatedUK politics live – latest updatesWomen who have been convicted, and in some cases jailed, over illegal abortions are set to be pardoned after a historic vote in the House of Lords.Last June, the House of Commons voted to end the criminalisation of women who terminate their pregnancies outside of the legal framework, while keeping the existing framework in place. Doctors and others who act outside of the law could still face the threat of prosecution. Continue reading...
Daria Boyarskaya coordinating OSCE mission to monitor next month’s parliamentary vote in countryHungarian rights groups have raised concerns over the appointment of Vladimir Putin’s former interpreter to a key role in an international election monitoring mission, amid fears of Russian interference ahead of Hungary’s crucial vote next month.Daria Boyarskaya, who worked for many years for Russia’s foreign ministry and interpreted in numerous high-level meetings including one between Putin and Donald Trump, is now a senior adviser at the parliamentary assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE-PA), based in Vienna. She is coordinating the body’s mission to monitor next month’s parliamentary election in Hungary. Continue reading...
Republicans block resolution to take up the measure, which Democrats vow to bring up ‘again and again and again’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxSenate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a measure that aimed to reign in Donald Trump’s power to wage war against Iran without congressional authorization.The 53-47 vote against taking up the measure fell almost completely along party lines, with no movement from earlier this month when Republicans blocked Democrats’ bid to limit Trump’s war-making power in the days after the joint US-Israeli strikes, known as Operation Epic Fury, began across Iran. Continue reading...
Evanston mayor Daniel Biss and Cook County commissioner Donna Miller were among those who came out on top in the elections ahead of the midtermsDemocratic voters in Illinois handed the party’s nominations for five open seats in the House of Representatives to candidates that included Evanston mayor Daniel Biss and Cook County commissioner Donna Miller, after heated and at times bitter campaigns that saw significant spending by outside groups, most controversially the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac).The primaries acted as a test of the style of politics voters were looking for ahead of the midterm elections in November, when Democrats hope to regain control of Congress. All five districts are heavily Democratic, making the primary victors favorites to triumph in the general elections. Continue reading...
MSPs reject bill after concerted campaign to block it and despite amendments intended to placate criticsThe Scottish parliament has voted against legalising assisted dying after critics and religious groups led a concerted campaign to block the measures.MSPs voted 69 to 57 to reject the proposals in a late night vote on Tuesday, despite a series of last-minute amendments designed to placate critics of the private member’s bill. Continue reading...
• The Senate passed H.R. 6644, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, on March 12, 2026, with a bipartisan vote of 89 to 10, combining housing supply and community investment measures.
• The bill includes provisions to raise caps on bank community development investments, update the definition of manufactured housing to include modular and prefabricated homes, and restrict large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes.
• The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a statement strongly supporting the Senate amendment and indicating the president's advisors would recommend signing it into law if presented in its current form.
Prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre says connections have been proved between those in ‘trusted and central positions’ and late sex offenderThe Norwegian parliament has voted unanimously to appoint an independent investigative commission to look into connections between its foreign office and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Speaking before the vote on Tuesday, the prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, paid tribute to Epstein’s victims and said that the files released by the US Department of Justice had clearly shown “it is possible to buy and abuse influence if you are rich enough”. Continue reading...
Donald Trump has vowed not to sign any other legislation until the passage of Save America act, which would create more barriers for votingSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxDonald Trump has vowed that he will not sign any other legislation until Republicans’ massive voting bill, the Save America act, is passed. The bill would upend voting for all Americans in the middle of a federal midterm election year and create costly, chaotic changes for elections workers.The Senate is set to consider the legislation next week, though Senate leaders say they don’t have the votes to get over the filibuster hurdle, essentially dooming the bill for failure.Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, denied that he is in talks with Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s real-estate pal turned chief diplomat, and accused the US of leaking false claims that the two are in direct contact to calm panicked markets.After Trump claimed that he had spoken to a former US president who told him that he approved of his attack on Iran, all four living former presidents denied having spoken with Trump about Iran.Trump publicly revealed details about a Republican congressman’s “terminal” diagnosis that could have left him “dead by June”, prompting Mike Johnson, speaker of the House, to say: “That wasn’t public.”The appointment of a controversial slate of vaccine advisers by Robert F Kennedy Jr likely violated federal law, a federal judge ruled, and all votes taken by the committee over the past year have been stayed.Gregory Bovino, the US border patrol chief and frequent Fox News guest who was the face of the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts until the killing of two protesters in Minneapolis by federal agents, said he will retire within weeks.Trump, who once mocked the gestures of a New York Times reporter with a congenital condition that limits his ability to move his joints, claimed that the governor of California’s dyslexia means that he is “dumb”. Continue reading...
Trustees approve Trump’s $257m ‘revitalization project’ to remake DC arts institution that president has taken overSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Kennedy Center board of trustees unanimously voted on Monday in favor of a controversial plan to temporarily shutter the arts institution for renovations, rubber-stamping a $257m project initiated by Donald Trump to remake the arts institution in line with other grand plans for Washington DC.In a statement, the center said it had voted for “a comprehensive revitalization project” lasting two years that would follow an Independence Day celebration in July with “a grand re-opening to follow”. Continue reading...
• Senate Republicans are preparing to advance the SAVE America Act, a voting overhaul that is a key priority for President Trump.
• The legislation represents a significant voting system reform effort being led by the GOP-controlled chamber.
• The measure is considered controversial, suggesting it will face Democratic opposition and potential legal challenges.
• Congress reconvenes Monday amid multiple crises: ongoing DHS shutdown, Middle East war impacts, and an impending East Coast storm.
• Republicans prioritize the SAVE Act vote while DHS funding debates, linked to H.R. 7147, raise immigration service risks.
• The session's timing on the Ides of March underscores high-stakes challenges for lawmakers returning from recess.
• Senate Republicans are preparing to vote on the SAVE America Act, President Trump's key priority for overhauling voting procedures, as Congress returns from recess.
• The legislation aims to implement stricter voter ID requirements and other election integrity measures pushed by Trump.
• The vote comes amid broader congressional challenges including the ongoing DHS shutdown and Middle East tensions, heightening political stakes.
• Senate Republicans are set to take up the SAVE America Act, a voting overhaul legislation that represents a key priority for President Trump as part of his political agenda.
• The bill aims to make significant changes to voting procedures and election administration across the United States.
• The vote marks a major legislative push by the Republican-controlled Senate to advance Trump's election-related policy priorities.
The bill continues a cycle of abortion restrictions repeatedly blocked by the state supreme courtSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxWyoming’s Republican-dominated legislature passed a six-week abortion ban this week, prompting a new lawsuit and some lawmakers to call it “an insult to voters and our institution”.Mark Gordon, Wyoming’s governor, signed the bill while simultaneously warning of its constitutional hurdles, noting that prior abortion bans were struck down by the state’s all Republican-appointed supreme court this January. Almost immediately, an identical set of plaintiffs filed suit against the new bill. Continue reading...
Ballots in 35,000 villages, towns and cities will be closely watched for signals about party strategies and alliancesFrance has begun voting in the first round of municipal elections, seen as crucial a test of the political temperature before next year’s presidential election.The vote for mayors and councillors in 35,000 villages, towns and cities across France is focused on local issues including security, housing and refuse collection and is very different from national elections. Continue reading...
Congressional Republicans, backed by President Trump, are advancing the SAVE America Act in the Senate this week after House passage last month, mandating documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voter registration alongside photo ID requirements. The bill's strict provisions, lacking any phase-in period, would take immediate effect if signed into law, potentially impacting midterm elections by burdening millions of eligible voters without easy access to documents like birth certificates or passports. Critics including the Fair Elections Center warn it could disenfranchise married women, people of color, and rural residents, moving the U.S. 'in the opposite direction' of representative democracy. Noncitizen voting remains rare and illegal nationwide, but Republicans argue the safeguards enhance election integrity.
Congress is slated to debate the Save America Act next week, a Trump-backed bill mandating citizenship proof for voter registration and restricting mail-in ballots. The proposal aims to enhance election integrity amid partisan divides. Critics warn of disenfranchisement risks for millions, while supporters cite fraud prevention. Passage could reshape 2026 midterms and beyond.
Congress prepares for debate next week on the Save America Act, backed by President Trump, requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration and new limits on mail-in ballots as of March 14, 2026. The bill aims to enhance election integrity amid partisan divides. House Speaker Michael Johnson called it 'essential for trust,' while Democrats label it 'suppression.' Passage could reshape voting access ahead of midterms.
President Trump is urging Congress to pass the Save America Act next week, requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration and limiting mail-in ballots. The proposal faces contentious debate on Capitol Hill amid broader diplomatic strains from the Iran war. Lawmakers prepare for votes as Trump backs stricter election integrity measures post-2024. The bill could reshape US voting access if approved.
