By CHARLOTTE KRAMON, ALEX VEIGA and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
In a rare bipartisan effort for a deeply divided Congress, the Senate has passed a broad bill to make U.S. housing more accessible and affordable. The bill passed on Thursday would reduce regulations, regulate corporate investors and expand how housing dollars can be used to build affordable homes and rentals. It now heads back to the House, which passed a separate version earlier this year. It is unclear whether President Donald Trump would sign it after declaring last weekend that he won't sign any new measures unless Congress passes legislation that would require voters to show proof of citizenship.
By STEPHEN GROVES, LISA MASCARO and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
Updated
Senators are clashing over an Iran war resolution as Congress' first vote on the conflict draws near. In their debate Wednesday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer implored fellow senators to ask themselves if they stand with Americans "exhausted with forever wars" or with a president and defense secretary set to "bumble us headfirst" into another one. Sen. John Barrasso is second in Senate Republican leadership and said Democrats would rather obstruct President Donald Trump than "obliterate Iran's national nuclear program." The vote is expected later Wednesday.
By STEVEN SLOAN and STEVE PEOPLES Associated Press
President Donald Trump will use his State of the Union speech to defend his agenda. On Tuesday, he returns to the House chamber days after the Supreme Court struck down his sweeping tariff policy. Trump has blasted the justices who ruled against him. Some justices may skip the speech to avoid a confrontation. Democrats also plan a quieter approach after last year's signs and heckling. Some Democrats say they will not attend. Trump also faces voter anxiety about consumer prices and immigration enforcement.
President Donald Trump is heading to Capitol Hill this week to deliver the State of the Union address. Trump will speak Tuesday before a transformed nation. One year back in office, Trump is defying conventional expectations. The Republican president has executed a head-spinning agenda that includes upending priorities at home, shattering alliances abroad and challenging the nation's foundational system of checks and balances. Lawmakers in the House chamber will listen to Trump's agenda for the year ahead. It's an important moment for Congress, which has essentially become sidelined as Trump often bypasses the legislative branch to act on his own, amassing enormous power.
How many Democrats are too many? In the race for California governor, so many Democratic candidates have crowded into the contest that party insiders have become fearful of a historic calamity in the making. It's become mathematically possible that Democrats divide their vote so much that only two Republicans advance from the June primary to a November runoff. Democratic candidate and former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter's campaign is warning "there's a very real chance there could be only Republicans on November's ballot." A twin victory for GOP primary candidates remains a long shot. A Republican candidate hasn't won a statewide election in California in two decades.
