Lawmakers

• U.S. lawmakers and foreign policy analysts have reached bipartisan consensus that Russia and Iran have formed a "transformational" military alliance that extends far beyond diplomatic convenience, fundamentally reshaping conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. • The alliance involves weapons transfers, intelligence sharing, and sanctions-evasion tactics, with experts describing the relationship's trajectory as shifting "from turbulent to transactional to transformational" following Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. • Senator Tom Tillis emphasized the lethal implications for American personnel, stating that intelligence and satellite data sharing between Moscow and Tehran directly endangers U.S. service members deployed globally.

Climate experts and advocates warn House and Senate bills will protect polluters at the cost of the climate Republican lawmakers are attempting to shield big oil from having to pay for its contributions to the climate crisis, alarming environmental advocates.New House and Senate bills, led by Harriet Hageman, a Wyoming representative, and Ted Cruz, a Texas senator, respectively, would give oil and gas companies broad legal immunity from policies and lawsuits aimed at holding the industry accountable for damages caused by its emissions. Continue reading...

Analysis finds 53 allegations against 30 lawmakers; nine still in office amid wave of resignations in CongressFifty-three allegations of workplace sexual harassment have been made against at least 30 House and Senate lawmakers over the past two decades, an advocacy group said in a study that was released Tuesday amid a spate of ethics-fueled resignations in Congress.Most of the lawmakers from 13 states and Guam who have faced allegations have since left office, but nine continue to hold seats, the nonpartisan National Women’s Defense League (NWDL) said. Continue reading...

The hearing marks a key hurdle Kevin Warsh must overcome in order to succeed Jerome Powell when his term ends on 15 MayHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Federal Reserve will commit to protecting central bank independence on interest rates at a crucial confirmation hearing later today.Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Donald Trump’s labor secretary, resigned from her role with the administration. She said it was “an honor and a privilege to serve” to serve and that she would take on a job in the private sector. The departure came after she became entangled in a string of political and personal controversies. Democrats celebrated, writing “this administration is imploding”.Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, called for Kash Patel’s immediate resignation following a report from the Atlantic detailing the FBI director’s alleged excessive drinking and absences. Patel has sued the magazine for defamation with his attorneys calling the article a “sweeping, malicious, and defamatory hit piece”.Donald Trump signed memorandums related to coal supply chains, natural gas and grid infrastructure on Monday. The president invoked the Defense Production Act in the energy-related memos, writing that increasing energy production is “essential to United States national defense”.The crowded field of Democratic candidates in the California’s governor’s race appears to be narrowing as Betty Yee — a former state controller— announced Monday she planned to end her campaign. Meanwhile, the California Democratic party chair Rusty Hicks continued to urge candidates trailing in the polls to exit the race. Continue reading...

Republicans call on Trump to ‘finish the job’ while top Democrats warn against resuming hostilitiesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe failure of negotiations to end the US war with Iran has unleashed a barrage of starkly partisan political responses, with leading Republicans making hawkish calls for Donald Trump to “finish the job” while top Democrats warned that it would be disastrous for the president to resume hostilities.The former UN ambassador during Trump’s first presidency, Nikki Haley, led the Republican charge. She told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that the current two-week ceasefire was a test of nerves. Continue reading...

Tabloid outlet has covered Republicans and Democrats relaxing at places like Disney World as shutdown drags onWhen US federal workers were missing paychecks and the partial government shutdown entered its seventh week, Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, was doing what any responsible lawmaker would do: riding Space Mountain and carrying a bubble wand at Disney World in Florida.Naturally, TMZ had photos of the vacationing senator on its homepage a few days later. Continue reading...

• U.S. lawmakers and Silicon Valley leaders are converging on policies to counter China's rapid AI advances, viewing it as a strategic economic battle. • House Speaker Mike Johnson urged tech firms to keep chips, data centers, and AI systems domestic and away from geopolitical rivals. • Proposed GAIN AI Act would mandate prioritizing U.S. access to advanced AI chips and require export licenses to countries of concern.

• Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders introduced legislation Wednesday to pause new data centers in the United States until national safeguards are established for worker protection, consumer safety, and environmental impact. • A typical AI-focused data center consumes as much electricity as 100,000 households, contributing to record U.S. electricity consumption hit in 2024 that is expected to continue rising as data centers expand. • The bill is unlikely to advance in either chamber but signals deep progressive concerns about AI infrastructure's rapid expansion and its effects on working families, democracy, and technology equity.

Gavin Newsom set to sign bill to rename 31 March holiday following sexual abuse allegations against labour leaderCalifornia lawmakers have voted to rename Cesar Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day in an effort to reconcile the Latino labor leader’s legacy with explosive sexual abuse allegations before the state holiday on 31 March.Democratic governor Gavin Newsom is expected to quickly sign the bill. Continue reading...

• North Carolina lawmakers introduced bills to scale back hospitals' property tax and sales tax exemptions, potentially shifting millions to state and local governments amid soaring medical costs. • The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Services heard arguments on March 10, with a vote expected in April before advancing to full House and Senate. • Hospital groups like the North Carolina Healthcare Association warn of strained resources, especially for rural facilities operating on small margins, threatening patient access.

• Nearly three weeks after the first strikes on Iran, GOP lawmakers are resisting the idea of calling top officials to testify before Congress, according to reporting from the New York Times. • The resistance reflects Republican Party divisions over the administration's Iran military operations and broader foreign policy strategy. • Democratic efforts to investigate the strikes face obstacles as the Republican-controlled Congress shows reluctance to pursue official inquiries into the military action.

New York Times report leads to multiple cancellations of events meant to celebrate the late labor organizerSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxLawmakers, union leaders and several community organizations expressed their shock and disgust after several women shared allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior and abuse by the late labor organizer César Chávez.The New York Times released an investigation on Wednesday detailing the allegations, which revealed that for years the co-founder of the United Farm Workers (UFW) union had groomed and sexually abused girls who were involved in the movement. Continue reading...

• Both Republicans and Democrats signaled strong opposition to cutting National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in the 2027 budget request expected within two weeks, following President Trump's failed 40 percent cut request for the prior year. • Last month Congress approved a $415 million increase for the NIH, allocating $48.7 billion to the agency for biomedical research, with bipartisan lawmakers encouraging NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya to distribute funding to their districts and projects improving American health. • Appropriations ranking member Rosa DeLauro stated lawmakers would "continue to reject cuts to NIH research, because what you do is life-saving," underscoring commitment to maintaining research support.

• Senators Marsha Blackburn and Peter Welch sent a formal complaint letter to ByteDance CEO demanding the company halt its new AI app Seedance 2.0, citing concerns that it poses a direct threat to American creative industries. • Content creators have documented instances where Seedance replicated expensive film shots for pennies, including a comparison showing the AI generated a near-exact copy of a clip from the film F1 for nine cents, sparking concerns about systemic copyright infringement. • The letter reflects growing Capitol Hill concerns about AI companies' training practices and insufficient protections for content creators whose materials are used to develop AI models without permission.

• Two key Democratic lawmakers have raised national security concerns about the Trump administration's approval for exports of Nvidia chips to China, warning that the move risks harming U.S. technological leadership. • The legislators are calling for bipartisan legislation to prevent American technology from reaching Chinese hands and being used improperly, echoing broader concerns about technology transfer and competitive advantages in AI computing. • Nvidia has pushed back against criticism of the Trump administration's export approval decision, defending the company's position on international trade and technology availability.

John Cornyn and Greg Casar debate TSA agent pay outside Austin airport as partial shutdown enters second monthSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxRepublican senator John Cornyn and Democratic congressman Greg Casar of Texas squabbled outside Austin’s international airport on Monday over funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as the shutdown of the agency enters its second month.Cornyn, the longtime Texas senator who is locked in a tough primary battle against attorney general Ken Paxton, went to Austin-Bergstrom international airport to bring Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees lunch. As he pulled up outside the terminal, he encountered Casar, whose district includes Austin and whom a spokesperson said was there to catch a flight back to Washington DC. Continue reading...

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...