Democrat

• Rusty Hicks 担心 Democrats 可能会在“开放”体系中因人数过多而陷入内耗，从而将胜利拱手让给 Republicans • California Democratic party 主席表示，他希望废除该州独特的“开放初选”制度，称其为一个失败的体系，面临着因众多 Democratic 候选人竞争激烈而相互抵消，甚至可能导致 Republican 在这个美国最“蓝”的州当选州长的风险。 • “我们现有的制度行不通，”Rusty Hicks 在一次采访中表示，“它需要被修改或废除。” 继续阅读...

• 缅因州州长 Janet Mills 周四宣布，她将撤回原定的参议院竞选计划，退出民主党初选，并实际上为州参议员 Ben Chipman 参加这一公开职位的竞争扫清了道路。 • Mills 将家庭因素和备受瞩目的参议院竞选带来的重负列为主要原因，并表示在她继续第二个任期之际，缅因州州长办公室“需要稳定的领导”。 • 她的退出重塑了该州的政治版图，在这个近期在全国大选中呈现“紫色”摇摆趋势的州，此举可能会使民主党免于一场激烈的党内初选。

• Lee Zeldin 在 Senate 面前声称 Trump administration 的计划将使 Environmental Protection Agency “更高效” • Senate Democrats 在周三举行的一次国会听证会上指责 Trump administration 正在放弃 Environmental Protection Agency 保护人类健康和环境的使命，并猛烈抨击该机构领导层提出的将其预算缩减一半的提案 • Lee Zeldin 在 Senate environment committee 的亮相是这位 EPA administrator 本周三场预算听证会中的最后一场，他在会上主张大幅削减该机构的资金，而在其领导下，该机构的人员编制已缩减至数十年来的最低水平

• 众议院民主党人在 4 月 29 日的听证会上，自伊朗战争爆发以来首次带着质疑质询了国防部长 Pete Hegseth，重点追问了战略和成本问题。 • 在一场激烈的交锋中，一位民主党议员引用了 Hegseth 之前的言论来反驳他，指责其具有党派立场。 • 此次对抗凸显了在支持率暴跌的背景下，各方在战争经济代价和 Trump 外交政策上的党派分歧。

• 弗吉尼亚州选民以微弱优势批准了一项由民主党支持的国会选区重划计划，该计划使多名共和党现任议员处于不利地位。 • 该措施通过重新划分关键选区的界线以利于民主党，从而改变了2026年中期选举的平衡。 • 此次沿海地区的选区重划之争凸显了全美范围内关于公平地图与党派优势的紧张局势。

• 佛罗里达州州长 Ron DeSantis 公布了新的国会选区地图，这可能会进一步削减民主党在众议院的席位。 • 该重新划分选区的方案针对民主党现任议员所在的区域，加剧了 2026 年中期选举前的竞争。 • 共和党认为这是维持众议院多数地位的关键，而民主党则警告称这是在采取压制选民的策略。

• 一位政治抱负远大的康涅狄格州民主党人在党内要求参与的压力下，放弃了关于政府资金的跨党派谈判。 • 此次离席加剧了在联邦预算优先事项和削减开支问题上的紧张局势。 • 这可能会推迟对于即将到来的财政截止日期至关重要的拨款法案。

TPOR poll of 1,018 likely voters puts Talarico ahead of John Cornyn by three percentage points and Ken Paxton by fiveUS politics live – latest updatesDemocrats’ hopes of winning control of the US Senate in November’s midterm elections have been boosted by a poll showing James Talarico, the party’s candidate in Texas, leading in a head-to-head matchup against two potential Republican opponents.The Texas public opinion research (TPOR) survey has Talarico, a Democratic state legislator, ahead of the GOP incumbent senator, John Cornyn, and his internal party challenger, Ken Paxton, in one-on-one contests. Continue reading...

The case is part of a national redistricting fight with high stakes for the November midterm electionsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxVirginia supreme court justices on Monday questioned whether the state’s Democratic-led legislature complied with constitutional requirements when it sent a congressional redistricting plan to voters, in a case that carries high stakes for the balance of power in the US House.The new districts, which could net Democrats four additional seats, won narrow voter approval last week. But a Republican legal challenge contends the general assembly violated procedural rules by placing the constitutional amendment before voters to authorize the mid-decade redistricting. If the court agrees that lawmakers broke the rules, it could invalidate the amendment and render last week’s statewide vote meaningless. Continue reading...

• Support for Israel has dramatically shrunk among Democrats in Congress, marking a political shift. • Last week saw a seismic change with key figures like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez highlighting the reversal. • This internal party divide impacts U.S. foreign policy and bipartisan legislation on Middle East aid.

Janet Mills says moratorium would’ve been ‘appropriate’ if it didn’t interfere with ongoing datacenter project in MaineThe Democratic governor of Maine on Friday vetoed a bill that would have made it the first US state to impose a moratorium on large new datacenters, even as local opposition to the electricity-hungry facilities grows.The decision reflects the difficult trade-off facing political leaders, who must weigh the impact of datacenters on the environment and household energy bills against the millions of dollars in investment and tax revenue they can bring. Continue reading...

Kim Leadbeater tells of plan to table identical bill that peers would be unable to stopMPs and peers who led the assisted dying bill have promised to bring it back to parliament after it ran out of time in the House of Lords.Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who tabled the private member’s bill, said the plan would be to table an identical bill in the next parliamentary session, which would prevent peers blocking it again, as the Lords cannot stop the same bill twice. Continue reading...

Recriminations continue over failure to bring in new laws allowing assisted dying for terminally ill people in England and WalesAmid the failure of an attempt to bring in new laws allowing assisted dying for terminally ill people with less than six months to live, campaigners on both sides of the debate vented their anger and frustration with the opposing side.Its supporters, including terminally ill people, blamed the failure of the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, which passed in the House of Commons, on sabotage by a handful of unelected peers. Continue reading...

Republicans deploy measure known as budget reconciliation to push through plan without backing from Democrats during lengthy late-night voteHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The Senate voted to adopt a $70bn budget plan to fund ICE and Border Patrol as part of a new effort to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).We have a multistep process ahead of us, but at the end Republicans will have helped ensure that America’s borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies.Instead of pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into ICE and Border Patrol, Republicans should be working with Democrats to lower out-of-pocket costs.The Pentagon announced, without explanation, that “Secretary of the Navy John C Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately”. The head of the US navy, which is now enforcing a wartime blockade of Iranian ports, was replaced by a former Maga political candidate, Hung Cao, now acting secretary of the navy.The surprise announcement brought renewed attention to Cao’s 2023 comments that that “witchcraft” had “taken over” Monterey, California.Virginia’s attorney general, Jay Jones, promised to appeal an injunction issued by a circuit court judge that temporarily blocks the state from certifying the results of the Tuesday’s redistricting referendum.As jet fuel prices spike amid the ongoing energy crisis sparked by Donald Trump’s war on Iran, two Republican senators, Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton, denounced a proposed US government bailout of budget carrier Spirit Airlines.Representative David Scott, a Democrat from Georgia, has died at the age of 80. He is the fifth member of Congress to die in office within the last year. Continue reading...

Report from Elizabeth Warren calls Trump administration cuts to Social Security Administration ‘catastrophic’Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxCuts to the Social Security Administration have caused “customer service chaos” for millions of older Americans and those with disabilities who rely on the agency’s services, according to a new report from a group of Democratic senators.An investigation found that phone wait times were more than 10 times higher than what the agency claimed on its website, if the calls were even answered at all. Continue reading...

• House Republicans openly questioned President Donald Trump's mid-decade redistricting strategy on Wednesday, following a Democratic victory in Virginia on Tuesday that threatens the GOP's slim House majority. • The Virginia vote paves the way for as many as four Republican seats to be lost, intensifying GOP concerns about the redistricting war Trump sparked. • Republican lawmakers are now expressing misgivings about the strategy, signaling potential fractures within the party over Trump's aggressive electoral positioning ahead of the November midterms.

Democrats within reach of House majority after voters rebel against Republican gerrymanderingSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxMonths into his second term, Donald Trump wagered that he could beat the historic trend of the party in power losing seats in midterm elections if Republican-led states redrew congressional maps to sweep Democrats out of office.The gamble is looking to be a bust, or at best a draw, for the president, after Democrats fought back with their own redistricting efforts, the latest of which came to fruition in Virginia on Tuesday, when voters approved a plan that could remove all but one of the five Republicans in its current House of Representatives delegation. Continue reading...

Amid growing congressional scrutiny of his conduct, Patel has claimed he has ‘never been intoxicated on the job’US politics live – latest updatesHouse judiciary Democrats have launched a formal inquiry into FBI director, Kash Patel’s alleged drinking habits, demanding he complete a standardized alcohol abuse assessment and submit the results to Congress.In a letter sent on Tuesday, led by Jamie Raskin, a Maryland representative, Democrats on the committee called on Patel to take the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (Audit) – a 10-question World Health Organization screening tool used to identify harmful patterns of drinking – along with a sworn statement attesting to his answers. Lawmakers also requested all security clearance questionnaires Patel has completed since taking the role. Continue reading...

• A $140 million super PAC war chest is poised to challenge Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown's 2026 Senate return. • Funded by Republican donors, the group aims to exploit Brown's vulnerabilities in a key battleground. • This escalation underscores high stakes for Senate control amid Trump's midterm focus.

• California Democrats are urging swift action to fill the U.S. House seat vacated by former Rep. Eric Swalwell following his resignation. • Party leaders emphasize the need for a special election to maintain Democratic representation in the competitive district. • The vacancy heightens midterm stakes, with Republicans eyeing gains in the state amid shifting voter dynamics.

Florida US representative indicted in November for allegedly misusing more than $5m of federal disaster fundsDemocratic US representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick said she is resigning effective immediately, after a House committee found she violated ethics rules. The panel was set to issue its recommended punishment for the Florida representative on Tuesday.Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted by a federal grand jury in November for allegedly funneling more than $5m worth of federal disaster funds from her company into her 2021 congressional campaign. Continue reading...

Climate leaders say Democrats need to extol clean energy as a way to cut costs for Americans as war roils oil marketsDemocrats should get louder in championing clean energy’s affordability and resilience from global shocks, according to some of the party’s leading voices on the climate.As the Iran war roils economies by raising the cost of oil and gas, countries are aiming to accelerate their shift to cleaner energy. But in the US, Donald Trump has sought to kill off any alternative to fossil fuels while opposing Democrats have been reluctant to tie the conflict to any action on the climate crisis. Continue reading...

• The African Union convened emergency sessions Friday in Addis Ababa to address military coup concerns in three Sahel nations and coordinate response to deteriorating security conditions affecting 180 million people across West Africa. • Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have experienced military takeovers since 2020, with suspended AU memberships and international sanctions creating governance vacuums exploited by extremist groups and destabilizing the entire region. • The AU proposed conditional reinstatement frameworks for suspended nations contingent on democratic transition timelines, though France and Western partners expressed skepticism about implementation feasibility given entrenched military leadership.

Victory means Democrats hold on to the 11th district seat in the House, where Republicans hold a thin majorityDemocrat Analilia Mejia won a New Jersey special election for the US House on Thursday, defeating Republican Joe Hathaway on a message of standing up to Donald Trump.Mejia, a former head of the Working Families Alliance who had support from the senator Bernie Sanders, will fill the seat previously held by the Democratic governor Mikie Sherrill and serve until January. Continue reading...

Democratic lawmakers urged Republican leaders to postpone the confirmation hearing of Kevin WarshSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxDemocrats have moved to stall Donald Trump’s effort to exert greater control over the US Federal Reserve, condemning the president’s “absurd” bid to install a new leader of the central bank while it is targeted with criminal investigations.Democratic lawmakers on the Senate banking committee urged its Republican leadership on Thursday to postpone the planned confirmation hearing for Kevin Warsh, the financial executive and former Fed governor Trump has nominated to replace Jerome Powell as Fed chair. Continue reading...

Accusations refer to attack on Iran without congressional authorization and strikes on alleged drug smuggling boatsHouse Democrats filed six articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing the defense security of “high crimes and misdemeanors”, in reference to the attack on Iran without congressional authorization and deadly strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats, among other official acts.The move comes as the Trump administration faces mounting scrutiny over recent foreign action, particularly the war with Iran. Continue reading...

• A defiant House incumbent facing low polling numbers and a fragmented base has announced he will not yield to pressure to step aside for another centrist candidate, Zohran Mamdani, in an upcoming primary. • The incumbent's decision to remain in the race despite weak polling reflects confidence in his political base despite internal party divisions. • The contested primary underscores Democratic Party tensions between progressive and centrist factions as ambitious candidates position themselves for the upcoming midterm cycle.

Measure by Jamie Raskin follows statements by Trump about annihilating Iran and post depicting himself as JesusSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxHouse Democrats on Tuesday proposed creating a commission that would work with JD Vance to remove Donald Trump from office under the 25th amendment, should they determine he is no longer fit to serve.The measure, introduced by Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House judiciary committee, follows a series of statements from Trump, including his recent warning that Iran’s “whole civilization will die” if it did not capitulate to his demands, and a social media post that depicted him as Jesus Christ. Continue reading...