War Powers

Resolution, which comes after similar one in June, is largely symbolic, as Trump administration says it’s unconstitutionalUS politics live – latest updatesThe US House of Representatives on Thursday for the second time passed a war powers resolution directing Donald Trump to withdraw the US military from the conflict with Iran, amid renewed fighting in the Middle East that has driven oil prices to their highest levels in weeks.The resolution proposed by Democrat Pramila Jayapal passed by a 214-208 vote, with four Republicans joining all Democrats in attendance to vote in favor. Continue reading...

• NPR correspondents Joanna Kakissis and Greg Myre analyze the ongoing conflicts involving Russia's attacks on Kyiv and the broader tensions between the U.S. and Iran. • The discussion focuses on whether these wars demonstrate the inherent limits of modern military might and the inability of global powers to achieve decisive victories. • This analysis matters as it challenges traditional assumptions about the effectiveness of superior technology and weaponry in achieving strategic political goals.

• President Donald Trump ordered U.S. strikes against Iran for a second consecutive day, prompting retaliatory actions from Tehran. • A Democratic lawmaker has accused the President of violating a war powers resolution recently passed by Congress, which required him to seek approval or end the conflict. • The situation highlights a legal and political clash over the executive branch's authority to conduct military operations without explicit legislative consent.

• Senate Republicans held a late-night vote on Wednesday to reject a war powers resolution, moving to appease President Donald Trump after he berated them for opposing his war in Iran. • The move follows a face-to-face confrontation where Trump harangued GOP senators for allowing a vote to block his military actions on Tuesday, specifically targeting Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy. • This internal conflict has stalled general Senate business and diverted the GOP's focus away from key election-year issues regarding affordability.

Late-night vote came hours after US president berated GOP senators over opposition to the conflictSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailSenate Republicans rejected a war powers resolution in a late-night vote, hours after they were berated by Donald Trump over opposition to his controversial war on Iran.The US president was said to have harangued GOP senators during a lunch on Capitol Hill earlier on Wednesday. The previous day, they had angered the White House by allowing a vote to block Trump’s war in Iran. Continue reading...

Four Republicans joined Democrats to back a measure seeking to limit the US president’s military authorityUS politics live – latest updatesThe US Senate on Tuesday approved a war powers resolution preventing Donald Trump from continuing the conflict with Iran, delivering the president a significant but symbolic rebuke over a conflict that has proven unpopular with the US public.The resolution passed by a 50-48 vote, with four Republicans – Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Rand Paul of Kentucky – breaking with their party to vote in favor. John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, was the sole Democrat to vote against it. Continue reading...

US president accused of ‘putting polluters first’ by invoking Defense Production Act to prop up coal outputDonald Trump is to use a wartime presidential authority to hand $700m to coal-fired power plants in the US, the latest move by the president to bolster what he calls “beautiful clean coal” despite it being the dirtiest of fossil fuels.Trump is using the Defense Production Act, a cold war-era statute used to accelerate American industrial output in times of national need, to provide grants to more than a dozen existing coal plants across the US, including facilities capable of exporting coal. Continue reading...

Lebanese government agrees ceasefire but Israeli drone strikes continue. Plus the story of the man who launched Cuba’s first independent magazineGood morning.Israel and Lebanon have agreed to implement a ceasefire to end hostilities, the Trump administration has announced – but it comes with caveats. Not only is the deal contingent on a complete cessation of fire from the Iran-aligned Hezbollah armed group, and on the evacuation of all its fighters from the area south of the Litani River – but Hezbollah have not been part of the talks.Where has Israel been targeting? William Christou in Beirut reports that three hospitals in southern Lebanon have been attacked by Israel in under a week, wounding more than 150 people and killing nine. Analysts and human rights experts have said the attacks on healthcare facilities were aimed at degrading the conditions for life in south Lebanon.What did Israel say about it? The military said it had struck “Hezbollah infrastructure in the area of Tyre” and acknowledged a hospital was “affected incidentally”. It accused Hezbollah of “taking over” one of the hospitals it struck.Is that number significant? Yes, the 90-day threshold is important because the 1973 War Powers Resolution lays down that a president must seek congressional approval to continue waging war after hostilities have continued that length of time. Trump’s White House has rejected that argument, citing a temporary ceasefire that has been in place since 8 April – although it has been broken several times by the US, Israel and Iran. Continue reading...

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...

Cancellation, which avoids embarrassment for Trump, is latest signal of diminishing congressional support for warHouse Republicans canceled a scheduled vote Thursday on a war powers resolution aimed at ending the US war with Iran, a measure that likely would have advanced had the vote been held.The cancellation, which avoided political embarrassment for Donald Trump, is the latest signal that congressional support for the US president’s war is diminishing. Continue reading...

Chamber advances bill for first time as four Republicans join all but one of Senate’s DemocratsThe Senate voted on Tuesday to advance a war powers resolution aimed at forcing Donald Trump to end the war in Iran unless he receives congressional authorization to continue it.Tuesday’s vote marks the first time the chamber has advanced the bill. Continue reading...

• The Senate voted 49-50 on Wednesday to block continued U.S. military action in Iran, falling short even as three Republicans joined Democrats in support. • Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul and Susan Collins backed the resolution, while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman again opposed his party’s effort. • The vote underscored widening GOP unease as the war becomes more unpopular and gas prices rise, adding pressure on Trump’s handling of the conflict.

Resolution failed in a 49-50 vote, with Lisa Murkowski and fellow GOP members Rand Paul and Susan Collins voting in favorThe Senate on Wednesday rejected the seventh attempt by Democrats to force an end to American involvement in the war on Iran, even as the ranks of Republicans opposed to Donald Trump’s strategy grew.The war powers resolution proposed by Jeff Merkley, a Democratic senator of Oregon, failed in a 49-50 vote. All Democrats with the exception of John Fetterman of Pennsylvania supported its advancement. Continue reading...

Lawmakers agree 45-day extension but Republican and Democratic critics urge reform of surveillance programThe US Congress has passed a 45-day extension of a law that grants US intelligence agencies warrantless spying powers.Bitter infighting over section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in the Republican wing of Congress has repeatedly tanked conservative leaders’ plans to renew the controversial surveillance law for multiple years. The deadlock continued on Thursday, as the Republican House speaker Mike Johnson refused to include key reforms pushed by hardliners in his party and progressive Democrats. Continue reading...

Resolution needed two more votes to pass, but Democrats now appear solidified in oppositionSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US House of Representatives on Thursday narrowly rejected a war powers resolution that would have prevented further military action against Iran, as Democrats united against continued US involvement in the conflict amid peace talks that have yet to make a breakthrough.The resolution introduced by Greg Meeks, the top Democrat on the House foreign affairs committee, failed by a vote of 213-214, with one Republican member voting present. It required at least two more votes to pass, as tied votes fail in the House. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ministers urged to consult sector on proposed social cohesion measures meant to tackle extremismSeveral leading civil society organisations have urged the government to consult the sector before introducing new powers for the Charity Commission, which they warn risks “suppressing legitimate advocacy” at a time when civic space is under increased pressure.Signatories including leaders from some of the UK’s largest civil society bodies, alongside faith-based and community organisations, wrote to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, saying the proposed social cohesion measures could lead to the “suppression of lawful advocacy, campaigning and community engagement”. Continue reading...

Republicans will almost certainly block Democrats’ efforts to pass legislation amid ‘fragile’ two-week US-Iran ceasefireHouse Democrats will attempt Thursday to pass a resolution curtailing Donald Trump’s war powers over Iran – a move Republicans will almost certainly block, but one that signals unease on Capitol Hill about a Middle Eastern conflict on pause with no clear endgame.The vote, scheduled for Thursday morning, will use a procedure called unanimous consent, which is a shortcut that allows legislation to pass the chamber instantly, without debate or a formal tally, so long as not a single member objects. Any one lawmaker can kill the resolution by simply objecting, and Republicans are expected to do exactly that. Continue reading...

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called President Trump a 'military moron' and announced Democrats will force a vote on a War Powers Resolution next week 'to end this war for good.' • The push comes amid challenges on the first full day of the two-week Iran War ceasefire, with U.S. and Iran disagreeing over Israel's Hezbollah conflict. • Many congressional Democrats labeled Trump's profanity-laden threats to Iran 'unhinged,' following weekend warnings to target infrastructure.

• 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.

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...

Democrat says Congress ‘doing nothing’ may embolden president to attack countries such as Cuba and North KoreaDemocratic US senator Cory Booker has criticized both his own political party as well as its Republican counterpart for being “feckless” in ceding congressional war powers to Donald Trump, saying that their decision could embolden the president to unilaterally attack Cuba, North Korea and other countries.“I’m going to be one of those Democrats [who] say I think both parties have been feckless in allowing the growth of the power of the presidency,” Booker said on Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union. Continue reading...