Senators

Richard Blumenthal says company acts like it has ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’ as records show it upping fees to cut lossesTicketmaster quietly raised other fees after US crackdown on hidden chargesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailSenators slammed Ticketmaster for raising ticket fees following a regulatory crackdown on hidden charges as revealed in a report by the Guardian last week.The Federal Trade Commission last May began requiring Ticketmaster to disclose concert ticket fees upfront – a practice known as all-in pricing. The company eliminated the order processing fee it charged at the the end of a transaction to comply with the rule. Continue reading...

Thom Tillis joins McConnell in warning withdrawal would aid rivals and threaten US securityUS politics live – latest updatesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailA second Republican senator spoke out in defense of Nato on Thursday, joining Mitch McConnell and the Democrats, after Donald Trump said that he was “absolutely” considering withdrawing from the alliance after it refused to take part in the joint assault with Israel against Iran.“Nato stood by America when we were under attack and came to our aid after the September 11th attacks. Their soldiers fought and died alongside our troops in Afghanistan,” said Thom Tillis, a Republican, and Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, who co-chair the Senate Nato observer group. Continue reading...

• Senators introduced the Fiscal Commission Act mirroring House version to create commission recommending fiscal health policies. • Commission aims to tackle rising U.S. debt through targeted policy proposals amid ongoing budget concerns. • Bill provides structured approach for bipartisan fiscal reforms without specifying exact recommendations upfront.

Top prediction market sites usher in new guardrails after senators introduced bill that could limit booming industryKalshi and Polymarket, the two biggest prediction market sites, rushed to institute new industry guardrails and add new surveillance tools on Monday after two key senators announced legislation that could severely curtail the industry’s prospects.Kalshi said it would ban political candidates from trading on their own campaigns, and it would preemptively block anyone involved in college or professional sports from trading contracts related to the sports they play or are employed by. Continue reading...

• Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) announced a tentative agreement with White House officials Friday on cryptocurrency legislation addressing the clash between banks and digital asset firms over stablecoin yield payments. • The agreement aims to bar yield payments 'on a passive balance' to prevent deposit flight from traditional bank accounts to cryptocurrency platforms, addressing Wall Street concerns about customer capital migration. • The breakthrough could unblock landmark crypto regulatory legislation stalled in Senate Banking Committee since January and represents potential progress toward comprehensive digital asset framework.

• President Trump confronts a pivotal Iran war decision on deploying U.S. troops to seize Tehran's enriched uranium, deemed essential by nuclear experts but politically risky amid vows against prolonged Middle East conflicts. • Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) warned that securing uranium requires a physical U.S. presence, criticizing Trump's 'confused and chaotic objectives,' while Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) noted no briefing exists on alternatives to boots on the ground. • Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) cited multiple plans on the table without details, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized available options without specifics; Trump claimed strikes neutralized the nuclear threat.