Stay up to date with live coverage of the Trump administration and national politics Thursday as the House will vote to stop President Trump’s attack on Iran a day after the Senate rejected to a similar resolution.
The Senate voted 47-53 against the resolution, introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in January and backed by Republican Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), that would compel the president “to remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran” and seek congressional approval for further hostilities.
Meanwhile, the National Capital Planning Commission will hear public testimony on Trump’s ballroom project. Trump will welcome the Miami 2025 Major League Soccer champions, Inter Miami CF, to the White House later in the day.
The Senate voted 47-53 against the resolution, introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in January and backed by Republican Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), that would compel the president “to remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran” and seek congressional approval for further hostilities.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was the only Democrat to vote against the measure, and Paul was the only Republican to vote in support of it.
The resolution allows for the US to defend its personnel or facilities and continue “assisting Israel” in similar non-offensive operations. It reaffirms: “Congress has the sole power to declare war.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Getty Images
A Pakistani man, Asif Merchant, accused of plotting to kill US politicians, testified that Iranian spies coerced him into the scheme to protect his family. He claimed he was ordered to target Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Nikki Haley, paying undercover FBI agents $5,000 for the alleged murders.
Senate Republicans voted to block a Democrat-led resolution on Wednesday that would rein in President Trump's military authority against Iran — just days after the US and Israel struck Tehran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of other high-ranking officials.
The Senate voted 47-53 against the resolution, introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in January and backed by Republican Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), that would compel the president "to remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran" and seek congressional approval for further hostilities.
"I do think it's really important to put every member of Congress on the record about this," Kaine told reporters ahead of the vote. "If you don't have the guts to vote 'Yes' or 'No' on a war vote, how dare you send our sons and daughters into war where they risk their lives?" Getty Images
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was the only Democrat to vote against the measure, and Paul was the only Republican to vote in support of it.
The resolution allows for the US to defend its personnel or facilities and continue "assisting Israel" in similar non-offensive operations. It reaffirms: "Congress has the sole power to declare war."
President Trump convened executives from some of the nation's largest artificial intelligence companies Wednesday to announce a "Ratepayer Protection Pledge" in which those companies committed to generating more electricity to offset soaring consumer prices.
Corporate reps spoke about plans to generate their own electricity or invest in production off-site — aligning with Trump's core emphasis on the path forward to address voter disgruntlement about massive jumps in utility bills due to increased demand from data centers.
Gwendolyn Cooper of Elon Musk's xAI said that the firm had even more ambitious long-term plans.
President Donald Trump speaks during an event about the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, in the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex on Wednesday. AP
"Mr. President, we commit to take these efforts into orbit. We are currently designing orbital data centers powered by the nuclear reactor in the sky," Cooper said.
"Launching supercomputers into space will mean even more energy on Earth, as all the power plants that we're building now and power sources we've built will be available to the communities instead of the data centers."
xAI's less-ambitious plans include a new data center on the Tennessee-Mississippi line along with new electrical generation that will yield "1.2 gigawatts of power as our super computer's primary power source."
She did not identify the source of that power, but said it would "provide enough backup power... to power the city of Memphis, and more than sufficient energy to power the town of South Haven, Mississippi, where the data center resides."
The powerful GOP-led House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi for testimony about late sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.
In a 24-19 bipartisan vote, GOP Reps. Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Lauren Boebert (Col.), Nancy Mace (SC), Scott Perry (Pa), and Michael Cloud (Michael) joined Democrats in backing the subpoena after Bondi.
The GOP-led House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi for testimony about Jeffrey Epstein. REUTERS
Of particular concern for the Oversight panel is the missing Epstein files. Mace had brought forward the motion to subpoena Bondi earlier in the day Wednesday.
"Our motion to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi before the Oversight Committee PASSED," Mace declared on X. "The American people want answers on the Epstein files, and so do we."
The House hearing into Kristi Noem's tenure as Homeland Security secretary came to a close after nearly four and half hours of grilling her.
Homeland Security Kristi Noem testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Wednesday. Getty Images
Democratic lawmakers targeted Noem on her professional work leading the agency and her personal life, demanding to know if she had an extra marital affair with top aide Corey Lewandowski.
Noem didn't say no but called the question "garbage."
Her husband Bryon Noem was present for the start of the hearing but then left to catch a flight. He missed the spicy back-and-forth Noem had with Democrats about Lewandowski, who wasn't at the hearing.
President Trump announced he will soon endorse a candidate in the Texas GOP Senate runoff. He stated that the candidate not receiving his endorsement should immediately withdraw from the race, emphasizing the need for party unity to defeat their “Radical Left Opponent” in the general election.
Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) advanced to the May 26 election after Tuesday's primary. Getty Images
State Attorney General Ken Paxton also advanced to the May 26 election after Tuesday's primary in Texas, edging out Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas). AP
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem refused to directly answer when asked if she is having sexual relations with top aide Corey Lewandowski, calling the question “garbage.”
“Have you had sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski,” Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) asked Noem during her appearance before the House Judiciary Committee.
.@RepKamlagerDove: "Secretary Noem, at any time during your tenure…have you had sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski?"
Noem: "That is garbage and it is offensive that you have brought that up."
"I am shocked that we're going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee today," Noem said in response. "What I would tell you is that he is a special government employee."
Kamlager-Dove pushed back, telling Noem: “You should be wanting to answer that question.”
"It is garbage,” Noem responded.
Asked again, by Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Noem refused to deny the allegations of an affair.
"I really think you need to say the word no into the record so that you can clear that up," Moskowitz said.
"I think the ridiculousness of this and the tabloids that you are quoting and referencing are insane," Noem said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt gave a fiery defense of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth Wednesday when asked about his morning remarks suggesting news outlets were using six US military deaths in the Iran war to make Trump "look bad."
"Is it the position of this administration that the press should not prominently cover the deaths of US service members?" CNN's Kaitlan Collins asked Leavitt at a briefing.
"No. It's the position of this administration that the press in this room and the press across this country should accurately report on the success of Operation Epic Fury and the damage it is doing to the rogue Iranian regime that has threatened the lives of every single American in this room," Leavitt retorted.
Karoline Leavitt gives a MAJOR BLOW to CNN's Katilan Collins, leaving her GAGGED.
COLLINS: "Secretary Hegseth was complaining that it was front-page news about these six service members who were killed."
"If the Iranian regime had their choice, they would kill every single person in this room. And so we can all be very grateful that we an administration and that we have men and women in our armed forces who are willing to sacrifice their own lives for the rest of us in this room and for every American across the country."
Collins interjected, "But Secretary Hegseth was complaining that it was front-page news about these six service members who were killed."
"That's not what the secretary said, Kaitlan. And that's not what the secretary meant, and you know it!" Leavitt replied as the exchange grew heated.
"You know you're being disingenuous. We've never had a secretary of defense who cares more."
As Collins read Hegseth's quotes, Leavitt defended him again, saying: "The press does only want to make the president look bad. That's a fact. Especially you — no, listen to me — especially you and especially CNN. And the secretary of defense cares deeply about our warfighters and our men and women in uniform. He travels all across this country to meet with them, to connect with them. And your network has hardly ever probably reported on that."
WASHINGTON, DC — White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied a CNN report that the administration is planning to arm Iranian Kurds to foment a popular uprising.
"[President Trump] did speak to [Iraqi] Kurdish leaders with respect to our base that we have in northern Iraq. But as for any report suggesting that the president has agreed to any such plan is completely false and should not be reported," Leavitt said.
Leavitt claimed reports that the Trump administration is planning to arm Kurds in Iran for an uprising are completely false. Getty Images
CNN wrote that "the Trump administration has been in active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq about providing them with military support" with "the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that part of the impetus behind President Trump's decision to green-light Operation Epic Fury was concerns about an imminent threat from Iran.
"The president had a feeling, again, based on fact, that Iran was going to strike the United States, was going to strike our assets in the region," Leavitt said. "And he made a determination to launch Operation Fury based on all of those reasons."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Trump authorized Operation Epic Fury because of fears of an imminent strike on the US from Iran. Getty Images
"These decisions are not made in a vacuum," she later added. "He was not going to sit back and watch that happen."
Leavitt also said that "victory will be determined by the commander in chief."
The Trump administration is not aware of the US being responsible for conducting a strike on a girls' elementary school in Iran that killed 175 people, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
"Not that we know of," she said. "The Department of War is investigating this matter. And I would just tell you very strongly, the United States of America does not target civilians, unlike the rogue Iranian regime."
Iranians attending a funeral for the girls killed after a strike on an elementary school in Minab, Iran on March 3, 2026. via REUTERS
"[Iran] uses propaganda quite effectively. And unfortunately, many people in this room have fallen for that propaganda. So I would caution you from pointing the finger at the United States of America."