congress
Congress ups pressure to release boat strike video with threat to Hegseth’s travel budget
Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images US lawmakers are trying to pressure the Trump administration to release video of a controversial “double-tap” military strike by limiting Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget. The incident on 2 September, in which the US carried out a second deadly strike on a boat in the Caribbean, has raised fresh questions about the legality of Trump’s campaign targeting alleged drug-carrying vessels. A provision buried in a lengthy defence spending policy would restrict travel funds for Hegseth’s office until the Pentagon hands over unedited footage. TheRead more
Watchdog faults Trump-era Justice Department for subpoenas to Congress, media during Russia probe
The department’s Office of Inspector General found that records were subpoenaed from two Democratic members of Congress and 43 staffers, roughly evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, as prosecutors investigated leaks of classified information to media outlets in 2017 and 2018. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters) The U.S. Justice Department’s internal watchdog said on Tuesday that prosecutors’ decision to subpoena phone and email records from members of Congress and their staff during president-elect Donald Trump’s first term risked a chilling effect on congressional oversight. The department’s Office of Inspector General found that recordsRead more
U.S. prepares to rush $1B US in military aid to Ukraine, as Congress approves bills
A sweeping foreign aid package easily passed the U.S. Congress late Tuesday after months of delay, clearing the way for fresh Ukraine funding amid advances from Russia’s invasion force and Kyiv’s shortages of military supplies. The U.S. Senate voted 79 to 18 to approve four bills passed by the House of Representatives on Saturday, after House Republican leaders abruptly switched course last week and allowed a vote on the $95 billion US in mostly military aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, and U.S. partners in the Indo-Pacific. The four bills were combinedRead more