Us Senate

Four killed as US military conducts another strike on suspected drug boat

US Southern Command announced that it conducted another strike against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, following a pause of almost three weeks. Thursday's strike is the 22nd the US military has carried out against boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that the Trump administration claimed were trafficking drugs. There were four casualties in Thursday's strike, according to the social media post, bringing the death toll of the campaign to at least 87 people. In a video that accompanied the announcement, a small boat can be seen moving across the water before it is suddenly consumed by a large explosion. The video then zooms out to show the boat covered in flames and billowing smoke. The strike was conducted the same day Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the US Capitol as lawmakers began an investigation into the very first strike carried out by the military on September 2. The sessions came after a repor

US Navy admiral denies 'kill all' order amid probe on Venezuela boat strike

A Navy admiral told lawmakers Thursday that there was no kill them all order from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as Congress scrutinises an attack that killed two survivors of an initial strike on an alleged drug boat in international waters near Venezuela. Adm Frank Mitch Bradley "was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all. He was given an order that, of course, was written down in great detail, said Sen Tom Cotton, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, as he exited a classified briefing. Cotton defended the attack, but a Democrat who also was briefed said that while there was no kill them all order from Hegseth, he was still deeply concerned by video of the second strike. What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service, Connecticut Rep Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told reporters. You have two individuals in clear distress without any means of .

Larry Summers resigns from OpenAI board after release of Epstein emails

Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is resigning from OpenAI's board of directors, the ChatGPT maker said Wednesday. His departure comes after the release of emails showing he maintained a friendly relationship with Jeffrey Epstein long after the financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl in 2008. Larry has decided to resign from the OpenAI Board of Directors, and we respect his decision, the board said in a statement. We appreciate his many contributions and the perspective he brought to the Board. The announcement arrived one day after Summers said he's stepping back from public commitments.

From Trump to lawmakers: Who said what in fight to release Epstein files

The US Congress approved the bill to force the public release of Jeffrey Epstein's case files, sparking reactions from President Donald Trump, lawmakers and survivors

US Congress passes bill to force release Epstein files, sends bill to Trump

Both the House and Senate acted decisively Tuesday to pass a bill to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a remarkable display of approval for an effort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership. When a small, bipartisan group of House lawmakers introduced a petition in July to maneuver around House Speaker Mike Johnson's control of which bills reach the House floor, it appeared a longshot effort especially as Trump urged his supporters to dismiss the matter as a hoax. But both Trump and Johnson failed in their efforts to prevent the vote. Now the president has bowed to the growing momentum behind the bill and even said he will sign it. Just hours after the House passed the bill, the Senate agreed to pass the bill with unanimous consent once it is sent to the Senate. The bill passed the House 427-1, with the only no vote coming from Rep. Clay Higgins

What's next for the Epstein files after Trump's social media posts?

The House is heading toward a vote on a bill to force the Justice Department to release the case files it has collected on the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, pushing past a monthslong effort by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders to stymie the effort. The push for more disclosure in the years-old sex trafficking investigation into Epstein has come roaring back since the House returned to Washington after a nearly two-month absence during the government shutdown. As lawmakers returned last week, they were greeted by new details from a tranche of Epstein's emails, including claims that Trump had spent hours at Epstein's house with a sex trafficking victim and that he knew about the girls." The new revelations and the coming vote showed one of the rare instances where Trump has not been able to exhibit almost total control over his party. Yet the sex trafficking case into Epstein has only grown in political influence since Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail while ...

US Supreme Court extends block on full SNAP payments amid shutdown talks

The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended an order blocking full SNAP payments, amid signals that the government shutdown could soon end and food aid payments resume. The order keeps in place at least for a few more days a chaotic situation. People who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to feed their families in some states have received their full monthly allocations, while others have received nothing. The Senate has approved a bill to end the shutdown and the House of Representatives could vote on it as early as Wednesday. Reopening the government would restart the program that helps 42 million Americans buy groceries, but it's not clear how quickly full payments would resume. The justices chose what is effectively the path of least resistance, anticipating the shutdown will end soon while avoiding any substantive legal ruling about whether lower court orders to keep full payments flowing during the shutdown are correct.

Trump's $2,000 tariff 'dividend' echoes Covid-era stimulus checks

On Monday, Trump again posted on the payout idea on Truth Social, saying that the tariff revenue money "left over from the $2,000 payments" would be used to "substantially pay down national debt"

US Senate advances plan to end govt shutdown after some democrats agree

The Senate is set to hold a procedural test vote on Sunday. If that vote succeeds, the Senate will need the consent of all members to end the shutdown quickly

Hunger, flight chaos and health-care woes fail to end US govt shutdown

Shutdown is costing the US economy about $15 billion a week and the Congressional Budget Office estimates that it will cut annualised quarterly growth rate of real GDP by 1.5 per cent by mid-November

People in some US states get SNAP food aid, while others await Nov benefits

People in some US states will be able to buy groceries with federally funded SNAP benefits Saturday while those in other states were still waiting for November food benefits that had been delayed by a protracted legal battle over the federal government shutdown. The Trump administration initially said last month that it would not fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for November because of the US government shutdown. The twists and turns since have exacerbated uncertainty for the nearly one in eight Americans who receive monthly SNAP benefits to spend at grocery stores and farmer's markets. On Friday, some states began issuing full monthly SNAP benefits to people, a day after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to provide the funds. But Friday night, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson temporarily paused that judicial order to allow time for an appeals court to decide whether to issue a more lasting halt. Jackson acted because she handles ...

Congress warns US outsourcing tax bill HIRE could hit Indian economy

The Congress on Tuesday said a bill introduced in the US Senate proposing a 25 per cent tax on any American person making an outsourcing payment will "light a fire in the Indian economy" if it becomes a reality. The opposition party said the bill reflects a growing mindset in the US that while blue-collar jobs were "lost" to China, white-collar jobs should not be "lost to India." Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh made the remarks, referring to the Halting International Relocation of Employment Act, or HIRE Act Bill, introduced on October 6 by Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Finance, he said on X. The bill proposes a 25 per cent tax on any US person making an outsourcing payment, defined as "any money paid by a US company or taxpayer to a foreign person whose work benefits consumers in the United States," he said. The bill has a direct and deep impact on India's IT services, BPO, consulting and GCC

Judge blocks Trump admin from deploying troops in Portland until Nov 7

A federal judge in Oregon on Sunday barred President Donald Trump's administration from deploying the National Guard to Portland, Oregon until at least Friday, saying she found no credible evidence that protests in the city grew out of control before the president federalised the troops earlier this fall. The city and state sued in September to block the deployment. It's the latest development in weeks of legal back-and-forth in Portland, Chicago and other US cities as the Trump administration has moved to federalise and deploy the National Guard in city streets to quell protests. The ruling from US District Court Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, followed a three-day trial in which both sides argued over whether protests at the city's US Immigration and Customs Enforcement building met the conditions for using the military domestically under federal law. In a 16-page filing late Sunday, Immergut said she would issue a final order on Friday due to the voluminous evidence ...

US govt shutdown enters sixth week as Trump urges end to Senate filibuster

Republicans and Democrats remained at a stalemate on the government shutdown over the weekend as it headed into its sixth week, with food aid potentially delayed or suspended for millions of Americans and President Donald Trump pushing GOP leaders to change Senate rules to end it. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Sunday that Trump has spoken to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson as he has publicly and repeatedly pushed for an end to the Senate filibuster. But Republicans have strongly rejected Trump's calls since his first term, arguing that the rule requiring 60 votes to overcome any objections in the Senate is vital to the institution and has allowed them to stop Democratic policies when they are in the minority. Leavitt said Sunday that the Democrats are crazed people who haven't shown any signs of budging. That's why President Trump has said Republicans need to get tough, they need to get smart, and they need to use this option to

Republican leaders reject Trump's demands to scrap Senate filibuster

Back from a week abroad, President Donald Trump threw himself into the shutdown debate, calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster and reopen the government, an idea swiftly rejected Friday by Republican leaders who have long opposed such a move. Trump pushed his Republican Party to get rid of the Senate rule that requires 60 votes to overcome objections and gives the minority Democrats a check on GOP power. In the chamber that's currently split, 53-47, Democrats have had enough votes to keep the government closed while they demand an extension of health care subsidies. Neither party has seriously wanted to nuke the rule. THE CHOICE IS CLEAR INITIATE THE NUCLEAR OPTION,' GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER, Trump said in a late night social media post Thursday. Trump's sudden decision to assert himself into the shutdown now in its 31st day bringing the highly charged demand to end the filibuster is certain to set the Senate on edge. It could spur senators toward their own compromise or

US senators seek answers on use of full-body restraints during deportations

A near-total secrecy surrounding deportation flights and the use of full-body restraints onboard is raising serious human rights concerns, a group of 11 Democratic US senators wrote in a letter Thursday to top immigration officials. US Sen Chris Van Hollen of Maryland called upon US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide a full accounting of its air operations and to stop using the black and yellow restraints known as the WRAP until the agency explains its policies for the device and resolves other questions about its use on immigration detainees. I think it's very problematic, Van Hollen told The Associated Press. They want to keep the public in the dark. The senators' letter cites an AP investigation this month that revealed several examples of ICE using the device on people sometimes for hours on deportation flights dating to 2020. Van Hollen was joined by US Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Alex Padilla of California, Tammy Duckwo

4 Republicans back US Senate's resolution to undo Trump's global tariffs

The Senate passed a resolution Thursday that would undo many of President Donald Trump's tariffs around the globe, the latest note of displeasure at his trade tactics in Washington that came just as the president celebrated his negotiations with China as a success. After a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea, Trump said he would cut tariffs on the Asian economic giant and China would, in turn, purchase 25 million metric tons of US soybeans annually for the next three years. The Republican president claimed his trade negotiations would secure prosperity and security to millions of Americans. But back in Washington, senators several from Trump's Republican Party have demonstrated their dissent with Trump's tariff tactics by passing a series of resolutions this week that would nullify the national emergencies that Trump has declared to justify the import taxes. Already this week, the Senate approved resolutions to end tariffs imposed on Brazil and Canada. While the .

Indian Envoy to US discusses trade deal, energy security with US Senator

India's Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, on Sunday discussed a mutually beneficial trade agreement, energy security and oil and gas trade with Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Had a productive meeting with @SenatorShaheen, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee @SFRCdems. Our discussions focused on our work to arrive at a mutually beneficial trade arrangement, India's energy security and increasing oil and gas trade with the US, and shared geopolitical challenges in our region, Kwatra posted on social media. The Indian Ambassador also shared Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Also reiterated our PM's stance for peaceful resolution of conflict in Ukraine through constructive dialogue and diplomacy, Kwatra added. The meeting came in the backdrop of the proposed bilateral trade deal between India and the US, which, according to an official, is "very near" to concluding.

US Congressmen introduce resolution to recognise Diwali's significance

According to a press release, the resolution honours Diwali's cultural, spiritual, and historical significance to over three million Indian-Americans

Trump hosts Senate Republicans at renovated WH as shutdown drags on

Head Start programmes for preschoolers nationwide are scrambling for federal funds. The federal agency tasked with overseeing the US nuclear stockpile has begun furloughing its 1,400 employees. Thousands more federal workers are going without paychecks. But as President Donald Trump welcomed Republican senators for lunch in the newly renovated Rose Garden Club -- with the boom-boom of construction underway on the new White House ballroom -- he portrayed a different vision of America as a unified GOP refuses to yield to Democratic demands for health care funds, and the government shutdown drags on. We have the hottest country anywhere in the world, which tells you about leadership, Trump said in opening remarks, extolling the renovations underway as senators took their seats in the newly paved-over garden turned patio. It was a festive atmosphere under crisp, but sunny autumn skies as senators settled in for cheeseburgers, fries and chocolates, and Trump's favoured songs -- YMCA and