March 2026 - POLITICAL NEWS

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Tulsi Gabbard did the one thing Wednesday that she really needed to do: avoid undercutting President Donald Trump’s war in Iran under oath. Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, the once outspoken opponent of foreign intervention largely toed the White House’s line on Iran, while parrying questions from Democrats seeking to poke holes in the White House’s handling of the nearly three-week-old war.

The Senate defeated legislation aimed at halting the U.S. military campaign against Iran, the second unsuccessful attempt to rein in President Donald Trump as the conflict nears the three-week mark. The 47-53 vote Wednesday on the Democratic-led bid to require congressional approval to continue the military campaign is identical to a vote that failed earlier this month. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has tangled with the administration on Iran and other foreign interventions, was the lone Republican to side with Democrats while Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) opposed the effort.

British authorities are seeking the cooperation of the Justice Department as they pursue investigations arising from the Epstein files, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police said in an interview Wednesday.

Commissioner Mark Rowley declined to opine on why the files have resulted in the arrests of two high-profile figures in the U.K. — Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, and former ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson — while U.S. authorities have made no arrests or charges in the wake of the files’ release. But Rowley touted British authorities’ willingness to pursue “eminent” figures.

Lawmakers rejected legislation Wednesday to compel the United States to maintain a balanced budget, a perennial pursuit of fiscal conservatives that stood little chance of becoming the law of the land. The House voted 211-207 against the resolution that would have launched an effort to amend the U.S. Constitution to bar the federal government from running a deficit. It needed to clear each chamber of Congress by a two-thirds vote, then be ratified by three-fourths of all the states.

States are scrambling to distance themselves from Cesar Chavez after a stunning investigation revealed allegations of sexual abuse against the late labor leader and civil rights icon. Leaders in Arizona and California — both of which observed Cesar Chavez Day — signaled a willingness to reconsider their state’s longstanding tributes to Chavez, who died in 1993.

Estonia’s defense minister is open to helping the United States in its war with Iran. In an interview Tuesday evening, minister Hanno Pevkur said he was meeting with U.S. officials, including deputy national security adviser Andy Baker and defense leaders, and had a message: “We are ready to talk.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn unveiled a new AI framework proposal Wednesday that would enshrine into law President Donald Trump’s executive order to create a national standard for artificial intelligence. The Tennessee Republican’s discussion draft, titled the TRUMP AMERICA AI Act, comes as lawmakers are scrambling to respond to the Trump administration’s calls for Congress to establish a federal AI framework that would preempt states eager to implement their own piecemeal regulations on how to use the emerging technology.

President Donald Trump’s hype campaign for the Iran war has demolished decades of presidential decorum around wartime messaging — and is mortifying former defense officials and members of Congress.

The White House is loving it.

Sen. Thom Tillis said Wednesday that lawmakers are “very close” to an agreement to resolve a lobbying spat between banks and digital asset firms that could clear a path forward for landmark cryptocurrency legislation to advance in the Senate. The retiring North Carolina Republican said in an interview that lawmakers “could be in a good final position by next week” to land a deal that would resolve a clash between banks and crypto companies over whether digital asset exchanges should be allowed to offer rewards programs that pay annual percentage yield to stablecoin holders.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, President Donald Trump’s pick to replace Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary, stressed Wednesday to his colleagues on the Senate Homeland Security Committee that he’ll be a different type of leader of the embattled department. Amid a flurry of pointed questions and critiques of his views and past statements from both sides of the aisle, the Oklahoma Republican stressed at his confirmation hearing that he planned to make changes at the department, including requiring immigration officers to have court-ordered warrants to enter homes.

House Democrats say Attorney General Pam Bondi is attempting to evade a congressional subpoena to testify about the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffery Epstein case. Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Wednesday evening walked out of a closed door briefing with Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanche, saying the nation’s lead prosecutor declined to commit to cooperating with a subpoena issued by the panel’s Republican chair earlier this week.

Gov. JB Pritzker emerged as the kingmaker in deep-blue Illinois after pouring millions of dollars and staking his political reputation to deliver his hand-picked Senate candidate a primary victory on Tuesday.

The result strengthens Pritzker’s standing within his party at a critical moment, as he prepares for a November gubernatorial campaign for his third term and looks ahead to a potential presidential run in 2028.