(…)
Archiv: US Kongress (Legislative) / US Congress (legislative branch)
US Democrats look to stop Trumpâs Saudi nuclear deal
Trump sent the proposed agreement to Congress in August, opening a 90-day window for lawmakersâ review and giving them an opportunity to try to pass a resolution of disapproval.
Democrats and nonproliferation advocates have criticized the nuclear pact for not barring âSaudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing nuclear waste, two potential pathways to a nuclear weapon. The United Arab Emirates agreed to such measures, known as the gold standard, in its 2009 civil nuclear deal with Washington.
Judge orders Trump to give 30-day notice before any demolition of Kennedy Center
A federal judge effectively blocked President Donald Trump from taking immediate action to demolish the Kennedy Center, ordering on Sept. 17 that the center provide a 30-day notice to plaintiffs before any demolition or other major changes to the center‘s main building can begin.
It means the legality of any attempt to demolish the Kennedy Center â which Trump has argued is necessary without substantial renovations â would likely be subject to the judge‘s review during the 30-day period.
Trump seen with âKennedy Center demolishedâ poster; judge orders 30-day notice before any major changes
Trump has sought to rename the memorial to President John F. Kennedy after himself, recasting it as the âTrump-Kennedy Centerâ last year. Cooper had ruled that only Congress can enact such a change and the name was removed from the buildingâs facade.
WATCH LIVE: House meets as pressure to regulate AI grows
House Speaker Mike Johnson says it‘s time for President Donald Trump to „summon everyone together“ and take the lead addressing questions about AI at the White House, rather than Congress.
Lawmakers are at a loss for how to regulate AI as insiders warn of impending doom
(September 9, 2026)
In conversations with POLITICO throughout the day Wednesday, more than a dozen lawmakers and aides from both parties said they were hopeful Congress would start taking the issue seriously. By Wednesday evening, OpenAIâs chief global affairs officer, Chris Lehane, was pledging to âwork with Congressâ to implement âmandatory, capability-based national AI safety regulation.â
But many also conceded that Congress is currently sleepwalking into a crisis, far from ready to tackle the stakes of the moment in light of both philosophical differences and intractable partisan politicking.
Top A.I. Leaders Call for Slowing Down A.I. Development
(September 12, 2026)
Dario Amodei, the chief executive of Anthropic, called for a global slowdown of artificial intelligence development in a 3,800-word essay on Saturday, just days after one of the companyâs employees quit over concerns about the safety of the technology.
Top executives of other major A.I. companies quickly signed on to the effort. Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI; Elon Musk, whose SpaceX rocket company has been ramping up spending on A.I.; and Demis Hassabis, the chair of Google DeepMind, wrote in social media posts that they agreed on the need for a slower pace.
AUMF 2001
(search entries)
On 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks, Condemnation of Global âWar on Terrorâ That Has Killed Millions
International human rights campaigners, United Nations experts, journalists, and anti-war activists marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US by paying tributes to the thousands of lives lost on that day while condemning what followed: an unparalleled expansion of state surveillance, crackdowns on dissent, arbitrary detention, torture, and catastrophic wars that cost trillions of dollars and millions of lives.
Mourning the lasting impact of âthose horrific acts of violenceâ perpetrated in the US a quarter-century ago, a group of more than 40 UN experts said in a joint statement on Friday that âwe equally acknowledge the millions of other victims worldwide of terrorist attacks, excessive counter-terrorism responses, and conflicts in the name of countering terrorism.â
Libya, Syria, Somalia and Yemen: Calculating the Millions-High Death Toll of Americaâs Post-9/11 Wars
(26.4.2018)
As Barbara Lee presciently warned her colleagues before she cast her lone dissenting vote in 2001, we have âbecome the evil we deplore.â But these wars have not been accompanied by fearsome military parades (not yet) or speeches about conquering the world. Instead they have been politically justified by âinformation warfareâ to demonize enemies and fabricate crises, and then waged in a âdisguised, quiet, media freeâ way, to hide their cost in human blood from the American public and the world.
After 16 years of war, about 6 million violent deaths, 6 countries utterly destroyed and many more destabilized, it is urgent that the American public come to terms with the true human cost of our countryâs wars and how we have been manipulated and misled into turning a blind eye to them â before they go on even longer, destroy more countries, further undermine the rule of international law and kill millions more of our fellow human beings.
âWe Are in a Constitutional Crisisâ: Congress Urged to Sue Trump to End Iran War
With no end in sight to President Donald Trumpâs illegal war with Iran, Congress is being urged to take legal action to bring the conflict to an end.
Jamal Abdi, executive director at National Iranian American Council (NIAC) Action, said on Wednesday that Congress must go to court to enforce the war powers resolution that passed in the House and the Senate earlier this year.
âBeyond Parodyâ: Critics Left Stunned by Revelations in Shocking WSJ Report on John Fetterman
Critics were shocked by the numerous allegations in The Wall Street Journalâs bombshell report on Sen. John Fettermanâs (D-PA) behind-the-scenes behavior, with one calling the Pennsylvania Congressmanâs actions âbeyond parody.â
âToo lazy to do the jobâ: Democrats dump on Fetterman after WSJ report
A swath of Democrats denounced Sen. John Fetterman in the aftermath of a Wall Street Journal report that showed the Pennsylvania Democrat routinely ducking meetings with constituents, skirting committee hearings and contemplating skipping a police funeral in his home state.
Mind-Blowing Real Life of MAGAâs Favorite Dem Exposed
Fettermanâs staff had to inform the veterans, after they arrived in D.C. from rural Pennsylvania in June, that the Democrat could not make their long-awaited meeting to discuss legislation to improve their care because he was not feeling well.
Fetterman told his staff he may have eaten something bad, and his team held the meeting instead. However, less than an hour later, Fetterman walked into his D.C. office looking perfectly healthy for what he considered a more vital appointment: appearing on Donald Trumpâs favorite network to discuss the war on Iran and fawn over Israel.
Behind Closed Doors, John Fetterman Shows Little Interest in the Work of a Senator
Poised to be a possible swing vote in a divided Congress, he churns through staff as he dodges constituents, alienates fellow Democrats and courts Israel lobby
C.I.A.-AffĂ€re: Der Offenbarungseid von Dianne Feinstein â Video, Zusammenfassung, EinschĂ€tzung
(12. MĂ€rz 2014)
Die Rede von Senatorin Dianne Feinstein vor dem Senat der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika ĂŒber die Sabotage der verfassungsmĂ€Ăigen Kontrolle des Parlaments ĂŒber die Central Intelligence Agency durch die Central Intelligence Agency ist vielleicht das ErbĂ€rmlichste, was ich in meinem Leben je gesehen und gehört habe. Es ist nicht nur der Offenbarungseid eines Ausnahmezustands, eines ĂŒber sich selbst und die Welt verhĂ€ngten Kriegsrechts des mĂ€chtigsten Imperiums auf dem Planeten, in seinem Krieg „on terror“, weltweit gefĂŒhrt mit seinen „Einflussgebieten“, „Alliierten“, Ablegern, schlechten Kopien und Kolonien. Es ist der Offenbarungseid seiner bis auf die Knochen korrupten, feigen, abgetakelten, unfĂ€higen ZutrĂ€ger, Mitwisser, Kollaborateure und FunktionĂ€re.
Was Senatorin Feinstein hier zeigt, was sie da zeigt, ist so unbeschreiblich, das sogar mir die Worte fehlen um es zu beschreiben. Ich will hier den Inhalt ihres Statements nur deshalb zusammenfassen, weil ich davon ausgehe dass die ganzen Feinsteins der deutschsprachigen Presse dies alles weder hören, lesen, geschweige denn darĂŒber berichten wollen, genauso wie deren KundInnen…..
Senator Feinstein on the Intel Committee‘s CIA Detention, Interrogation Report
Mar 11, 2014
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein‘s speech about the committee‘s study on the CIA Detention and Interrogation Program.
25 Years Ago, 9/11 Triggered a US Crusade of Torture
Despite public pressure, Bush vetoed a version of the Intelligence Authorization Act in March 2008 that would have required CIA interrogators to adhere to Army Field Manual regulations. As soon as Barack Obama became president, he issued an executive order rescinding the free hand for the CIA director on interrogations that Bush had reaffirmed in a July 2007 order. Obamaâs directive removed the CIAâs detention power and required the agency to follow Army Field Manual rules.
Yet five and a half years went by before President Obama acknowledged, in his notable words, âWe tortured some folks.â He told a news conference: âWhen we engaged in some of these enhanced interrogation techniques, techniques that I believe and I think any fair-minded person would believe were torture, we crossed a line.â
The acknowledgement came four months before the long-awaited release of a report in December 2014 by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. While heavily redacted, it was a political indictment of torture. âCIA personnel, aided by two outside contractors, decided to initiate a program of indefinite secret detention and the use of brutal interrogation techniques in violation of US law, treaty obligations, and our values,â wrote the committeeâs chair, Senator Dianne Feinstein. …
Joint Letter to Chairmen Wicker and Rogers and Ranking Members Reed and Smith Opposing Further U.S.-Israel Defense Integration
Dear Chairmen Wicker and Rogers and Ranking Members Reed and Smith,
As you enter into conference to resolve the differences between the House-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2027 (H.R.8800) and the pending Senate bill (S.4784), We, the undersigned U.S. organizations, strongly urge you to reject the entrenchment of U.S. and Israeli defense collaboration, which goes against U.S. national interests and values, and would expand the risk of U.S. complicity in, and exposure to, human rights violations, war crimes, and genocide.
Specifically, we are deeply concerned by Section 219 in the House NDAA and Section 1217 in the Senate version, which establish a new U.S. Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative aimed at accelerating joint research, development, and integration of Israeli-origin and jointly developed defense technologies into U.S. military systems and programs of record. This would expand U.S-Israeli military integration across some of the most sensitive domains of emerging technology, including quantum computing, AI and autonomous systems, cyber and electronic warfare, directed energy, and defense industrial base co-production, while expediting pathways from R&D into procurement.
56 US groups urge Congress to drop Israel defence ties provision
The provision would deepen cooperation between the US and Israeli defence sectors by accelerating joint military technology development and other partnerships. The bill passed the House of Representatives in July and awaits Senate action.
The provision of the 2027 National Defence Authorisation Act, known as Section 219, seeks to set up frameworks for joint ventures, licensing agreements and US-based co-production partnerships with the Israeli industry.
In Thursday‘s letter addressed to leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, 56 groups said deeper integration with Israel‘s defence sector would be „exceptionally dangerous“ and urged lawmakers to remove the provision.
ACLU Demands End to the Trump Administrationâs Illegal Year-Long Boat Strikes Campaign
In Just One Year, the Trump Administrationâs Bombing Campaign Has Killed at Least 227 People, Including Fishermen and Farmhands
Trump Condemned for 200+ Extrajudicial Killings After Yearlong Murder Spree at Sea
Wednesday marked one year since President Donald Trump began bombing boats allegedly smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Oceanâa grim anniversary that sparked a fresh wave of condemnation from rights advocates across the United States and beyond.
Merkleyâs Response to Trumpâs Submission of U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal to Congress
(August 28, 2026)
Washington, D.C. â Following the Trump Administrationâs submission to Congress on a proposed U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear cooperation agreement, referred to as a â123 agreement,â Oregonâs U.S. Senator Jeff Merkleyâco-chair of the bicameral Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group and a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committeeâissued the following statement:
âWith this deal, President Trump is not only triggering a nuclear arms race in the Middle East but also weakening Americaâs security and standing on the world stage.
âThe Presidentâs decision to provide Saudi Arabia with a nuclear deal that does not meet the bipartisan Gold Standard nor mandate the Additional Protocol, both necessary to ensure sensitive U.S. technology is not used to help build a nuclear bomb, is dangerous and a strategic mistake for our national security.
Six months of Trumpâs illegal war of choice. Itâs cost us dearly.
(August 28, 2026)
Merkley criticizes Trumpâs 6-month Iran war while urging War Powers vote
(August 31, 2026)
In his address, Merkley outlined the severe consequences of the conflict, saying it has failed to control nuclear materials while at the same time has strengthened Iranian hardliners, fractured alliances, and enriched Russia. He also highlighted the human and military costs, pointing to deaths and injuries among U.S. service members and depleted domestic munitions.
Since the start of the war on February 28th, 18 service members have died and 757 have been wounded. Furthermore, Merkley warned that the war is financially pressing Americans against the wall as skyrocketing gas, diesel, and fertilizer prices hit families and farmers hard.
Twilightâs Last Gleaming
There is a point in the decline of republics when the problem is no longer that government breaks its own laws. Governments will always behave unlawfully. The deeper problem comes when the constitutional machinery designed to prevent those acts stops functioning â when spending becomes detached from arithmetic, presidential power becomes detached from law and Congress and the courts become detached from the Constitution.
Thatâs where America is today.
(…)
The twilight of our constitutional republic has not arrived because the sun suddenly disappeared. It has arrived because, little by little, nearly everyone became accustomed to the darkness.
How the Iran-Contra Scandal Impacts American Politics Today
(May 14, 2025)
The revelation of the intertwined scandals captivated Americans. Between the fall of 1986 and the fall of 1987, more than seven out of 10 Americans watched some of the televised congressional hearings about Iran-Contra. But once it became clear that Democrats would not impeach Reagan, public interest waned. Unlike Watergate, when a smoking gun tape implicated President Richard Nixon, to many, the 1980s scandal seemed a blur of byzantine Cold War diplomacy, opaque Swiss bank accounts, and a large cast of forgettable middlemen. The country boxed up the ugly affair and stored it in the attic of its memory.
It did so even as the scandal persisted and investigators indicted dozens of administration officials. In 1988, Reaganâs vice president, George H.W. Bush, won the presidency, and throughout his entire administration, those responsible for Iran-Contra dodged the political and legal consequences of their actions.
CAIR Renews Call on Congress to Demand Israel Release Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya After Torture Reportedly Causes Broken Ribs
(August 5, 2026)
âDr. Abu Safiya has been in Israeli captivity since December 2024. In that time, he has been subjected to repeated acts of torture causing serious injuries. Dr. Abu Safiyaâs only crime was treating the thousands of Palestinians maimed by Israelâs genocidal assault on Gaza. We call on all members of Congress to demand his immediate release from captivity and hold the Israeli government accountable for its treatment of him.â
CAIR has previously called for Dr. Abu Safiyaâs release.