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Congress returns with vast agenda amid high-profile resignations – US politics live | US Congress

Published

4 months ago

April 14, 2026

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Congress agenda also includes DHS funding bill and war powers resolution

As both chambers of Congress return to Capitol Hill today, the news of two resignation announcements is not the only thing news occupying lawmakers.

The House still needs to pass a bill to fund several Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subagencies, like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Coast Guard, amid a record-breaking partial government shutdown.

Although the Senate advanced a measure that remedies this funding lapse, but notably doesn’t include money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and border patrol. Hardline House Republicans argue that their colleagues in the upper chamber are ultimately handing Democrats a win, after they refused to pass legislation to fund DHS without stronger guardrails on federal immigration enforcement, following the crackdown in Minneapolis where officers fatally shot two US citizens.

Now, House speaker Mike Johnson has to bring his fractured GOP conference together. Both he and John Thune, the Senate majority leader, are also on the clock to pass a budget bill that would fund ICE and CBP via reconciliation, a process that only requires a simple majority.

Meanwhile, there is a bicameral effort from Democrats to pass a war powers resolution to curb the Trump administration’s military action in Iran. Lawmakwers in the House and Senate appear confident they have the handful of Republican votes needed to pass the measure. However, even if it were to pass, it’s unlikely to achieve a two-thirds majority needed to overcome Donald Trump’s inevitable veto.

Key events

Former attorney general Pam Bondi was meant to testify before the House oversight committee today on the government’s handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, and the justice department’s release of files relating to the late sex offender.

However, the panel was informed last week that since she no longer serves as an administration official she would no longer sit for lawmakers. Robert Garcia, the committee’s top Democrat, has continued to slam her decision, noting that the subpoeana stands regardless of her position. “If she continues to ignore the law, Oversight Dems will move forward with contempt proceedings immediately,” he said in a statement.

A reminder that at 12.30pm ET a woman “with serious sexual misconduct allegations” against Swalwell will hold a press conference alongside her attorneys, Lisa Bloom and Arick Fudali.

Both lawyers have previously represented victims in sexual misconduct cases involving Bill O’Reilly and Jeffrey Epstein, “will describe the next legal steps” in the woman’s case.

As Swalwell has announced his resignation from Congress, he will probably avoid the House ethics committee investigation that was launched on Monday. This, of course, doesn’t prohibit any criminal or civil charges being brought against the representative.

Luna vows expulsion vote if Swalwell doesn’t officially resign today

Anna Paulina Luna, the Republican congresswoman from Florida, said that she would push for an expulsion vote if Eric Swalwell didn’t formally resign with the Clerk of the House by 2pm ET today.

Notably, the embattled California Democrat did not say when he would officially step down in his resignation announcement. Instead, Swalwell said he is working with his staff to ensure they can “serve the needs” of constituents. Luna, for her part, called this “not binding” and “wormy”.

Luna said she would also continue her expulsion resolution against Tony Gonzales if he doesn’t follow through with his plan to file his “retirement from office” today.

Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, slipped toward $98 per barrel on Tuesday. This comes after Donald Trump’s claims that Iranian officials want to make a deal “very badly” and a blockade of Iranian ports in the strait of Hormuz.

The price of oil has ricocheted throughout the war on Iran, peaking at $119 per barrel at the end of March. On Monday, Chris Wright, the US energy secretary, sais oil prices will peak “in the next few weeks” until the US gets “meaningful ship traffic through the strait of Hormuz”.

Congress agenda also includes DHS funding bill and war powers resolution

As both chambers of Congress return to Capitol Hill today, the news of two resignation announcements is not the only thing news occupying lawmakers.

A reminder that my colleagues are covering the latest developments out of the Middle East, including the ongoing blockade of ships entering and leaving Iranian ports in the strait of Hormuz.

According to reports that have analyzed shipping data, three Iran-linked tankers have passed through the waterway on the first full day of the blockade. This comes after Trump threatened to decimate any vessels that come close to the US flotilla.

Donald Trump is in Washington today. All of his scheduled events are currently closed to the press, but there’s always a chance things open up.

He’s set to meet with House speaker Mike Johnson and Richard Hudson, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee at 1:30pm ET. He’ll then speak with labor union leader Sean O’Brien, who serves as general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Trump will also sit for an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo at 4pm ET, before welcoming David Perdue, US ambassador to China, to the White House at 5:30pm ET.

French president Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he had spoken with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian and US president Donald Trump on Monday and called for talks to restart between Washington and Iran and for a halt of any possible escalation.

He added in a post on social media platform X that the strait of Hormuz must be reopened unconditionally as soon as possible.

“Under these circumstances, negotiations should be able to resume quickly, with the support of the key stakeholders,” he said.

Eric Berger

Faced with high demand for GLP-1 drugs, some American cities and states that previously covered the cost of the weight-loss medication for low-income residents and public employees have now started to restrict or eliminate coverage.

The pullback stems from the dramatic increase in public spending on drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy in recent years.

Still, some legislators and healthcare providers argue that dropping coverage of the drugs might provide short-term relief for governments but will ultimately harm Medicaid recipients’ health. They argue that cities and states will then have to pay for more health problems related to obesity.

“Patients should have access to these therapies,” said Dr Matthew Klebanoff, a professor of internal medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine who has studied prior authorization policies for GLP-1 drugs. “It’s just very challenging right now for payers to be able to afford covering these medications for everyone who could benefit.”

The obesity rate in the United States among adults was 40% in August 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In November 2025, 12% of adults reported that they were taking a GLP-1 drug – a 6% increase from 18 months earlier, KFF reported. Those drugs have contributed to a decrease in the country’s obesity rate, which fell to 37% in 2025, according to a Gallup report.

Maryland Democrats have rejected an effort to redraw the state’s congressional map to boost their party’s chances in the midterm elections.

The clock officially ran out on the proposal late Monday night as the state legislative session ended, a casualty of internal party disagreements, AP reported.

In the end, the Maryland Senate left the bill in a committee, with Democrats who control the chamber concerned it could backfire under judicial review.

The unusual mid-decade redistricting spree, which started when Trump encouraged Republican-controlled Texas to redraw their map last year, is expected to continue next week.

Republicans want to change congressional boundaries during a special legislative session in Florida, while Democrats are asking voters to approve a redistricting referendum in Virginia.

But Democrats will not be poised to pick up a seat in Maryland, where the proposed map would have made it easier for voters to oust the state’s lone Republican member of the US House.

Moore, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, said he disagreed with another powerful Maryland Democrat, state Senate president Bill Ferguson, about “what is required to be able to make sure we’re fighting back” against Trump.

“This is not a political game to me,” Moore said in an interview with the Associated Press.

“I don’t look at this as some kind of political talking point. I look at the fact that I think Donald Trump is actively trying to manipulate and change the rules around the November election and beyond because he knows he cannot win on his policies.”

The Save America Act looks set to die in Congress, but 23 mostly Republican-led US states have recently changed their voting procedures to mirror key aspects of president Donald Trump’s sweeping package of voting restrictions in time for November’s midterm elections, a Reuters analysis shows.

States from Wyoming to Georgia since 2024 have imposed new proof-of-citizenship requirements on Americans registering to vote and limited the types of photo ID accepted at the polls.

Officials in at least 17 of the states have opted to follow one of the Save America Act’s most controversial mandates: screening lists of registered voters for non-US citizens by running them through a federal system normally used to verify eligibility for public benefits.

Most of these state changes are not as extreme as the Save America Act when it comes to how voters can prove their citizenship and the types of photo ID accepted when casting a ballot, according to the Reuters analysis.

But voting rights advocates warn that these copycat measures could still disenfranchise citizens who lack certain forms of identification during this year’s elections, which will determine whether Trump’s fellow Republicans retain control over Congress.

Senate majority Leader John Thune, a Republican, did not mention the Save America Act in his opening address after Congress reconvened on Monday.

Norman Solomon

When the Democratic party’s governing body adjourned its meeting on Saturday in New Orleans, supporters of Palestine and an end of the genocide in Gaza had few reasons to celebrate. The Democratic National Committee had refused to give any ground to the large majority of the party’s voters with distinctly negative views of Israel.

Last summer, a Quinnipiac Poll found that 77% of Democrats agreed that “Israel is committing genocide.” Last month, an NBC poll found that registered Democrats – by a margin of 67-17% – were more sympathetic toward Palestinians than Israelis.

But the DNC continues to operate as if fully sealed off from the party’s voters on such matters. When the national meeting got under way on Thursday, the party’s resolutions committee proceeded to quickly discard a pair of resolutions critical of Israel.

One urged “an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory” as well as “pausing or conditioning US weapons transfers to any military units credibly implicated in violations of international humanitarian law”. Another included opposition to “military actions that endanger civilians or exacerbate repression” in Iran.

Those resolutions vanished in a matter of minutes as opponents shunted them aside to a snail’s-pace Middle East working group. That panel has scarcely met since it was announced last August by the DNC chair, Ken Martin. Only a minority of the panel’s eight members has a record of support for Palestinian rights, while several are fervent Zionists. The oil-and-water mix seems destined for stalemate or compromising platitudes.

Trump deletes post with AI image of himself as Jesus-like figure after outcry

Joseph Gedeon

Less than a year after signing legislation that will pull nearly 12 million Americans off health insurance by gutting Medicaid, Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself to Truth Social on Sunday depicting him as a Jesus-like figure, with divine light emanating from his hands as he heals a stricken man in a hospital bed with a demon from hell floating in the background.

The president has since deleted the post, which also followed a lengthy tirade about Pope Leo XIV on the site the same day in which he called him “weak on crime” and blamed the head of the Catholic church for being influenced by Barack Obama strategist David Axelrod. Trump refused to apologize to the pope, saying: “He went public. I’m just responding to Pope Leo.”

Trump faced the wrath of some of his most high-profile and loyal Christian supporters, many of whom have stood by the president through multiple other indiscretions and were unable to contain their righteous fury.

Riley Gaines, a Fox News podcast host and conservative commentator, wrote on X she “cannot understand why he’d post this”.

She continued: “Is he looking for a response? Does he actually think this? Either way, two things are true. 1) a little humility would serve him well 2) God shall not be mocked.”

When reporters asked Trump whether he posted a picture depicting himself as Jesus Christ, Trump said “it wasn’t a depiction, it was me”, though he insisted: “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better.”

He added: “And I do make people better. I make people a lot better.”

House returns as two lawmakers vow to resign amid scandals

Hello and welcome to our coverage of US politics. The House returns following recess amid continued anger over Donald Trump’s conflict with Iran, the standoff over the DHS funding package and debates over restrictive voter ID legislation.

But first let’s look at the news that two lawmakers have stepped down, with two more facing possible expulsion over a series of scandals that have rattled both parties and thrown the House of Representatives into turmoil.

Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat from California, said on Monday he would resign from Congress following multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that ended his bid for governor.

“I am deeply sorry to my family, staff, and constituents for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell said in a statement shared on social media. “I will fight the serious false allegation made against me. However, I must take responsibility and ownership for the mistakes I did make.”

Hours later, representative Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas, announced he was stepping down from Congress after acknowledging an extramarital affair with a staffer. House speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders had already urged him not to seek reelection.

“There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all. When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas,” Gonzales wrote on X.

Meanwhile, lawmakers are considering separate controversies involving two Florida lawmakers – Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Republican Cory Mills – in an unusual push for disciplinary action.

“Congress should not tolerate representatives who abuse staff, betray public trust for personal gain, and generally violate their oath of office,” New York Democrat Nydia Velazquez posted on X, calling for all four to resign and adding “if they refuse, they should be expelled.”

Expulsion from the House requires a two-thirds majority, a threshold so high that Congress has wielded the sanction only in the gravest cases, removing just six members in its 237-year history.

In other developments:

Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV exchanged retorts after Trump posted and then deleted an AI-generated image of himself as a Christ-like figure. As he began a 10-day tour of four African countries, Leo told reporters he didn’t “want to get into a debate” with Trump, but added that “the message of the gospel” is being “abused”.
As the US blockade of the strait of Hormuz continues, Trump vowed that any Iranian ships that came “anywhere close” would be “immediately ELIMINATED”. In a post on Truth Social, the president added that US forces would use “the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal.”
The US military struck another vehicle in the eastern Pacific, killing two people. Following an attack on Saturday that killed five people, this strike brings the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the US military to at least 170 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in early September.
A federal judge dismissed Trump’s $10bn lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and its publisher Dow Jones, after the president claimed the Rupert Murdoch-owned outlet defamed him by reporting on the president’s alleged message to Jeffrey Epstein, as part of the late sex offender’s 50th birthday album. Judge Darrin Gayles said that Trump’s legal team failed to proved that the Journal acted with “actual malice”, a key requirement in defamation cases involving a public figure.
The Senate returned to work, while the House held a brief procedural session before getting back to regular business on Tuesday. Lawmakers have a vast agenda to tackle on their return, including a funding bill to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subagencies affected by the record-breaking partial government shutdown, now in its ninth week.

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Driver killed in Bedford train crash named

Published

2 months ago

June 21, 2026

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The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.

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Spain v Saudi Arabia: World Cup 2026 – live | World Cup 2026

Published

2 months ago

June 21, 2026

info@oxinfo.co.uk

Key events

In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.

Oyarzabal profile

Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.

“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “

News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.

“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.

“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”

Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.

Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.

The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.

The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.

An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.

In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.

For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:

“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.

“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”

Saturday’s match reports here.

The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same ⁠team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.

“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are ⁠missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against ‌Cape Verde.

“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you ‌should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.

“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.

“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.

“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”

The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”

Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.

The teams – Lamine Yamal starts

Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.

Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.

Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)

Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?

Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.

Al-Aqidi profile

Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat

The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.

The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.

Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.

“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.

Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.

Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.

A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.

Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP

Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?

Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.

Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.

“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”

A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.

“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”

We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.

The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.

Lamine Yamal profile

Preamble

Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.

Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.

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