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US Senate again rejects attempt to limit Trump action in Iran

An Iranian flag is planted in the rubble of a police station, damaged in airstrikes on March 3, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. The United States and Israel have continued the joint attack on Iran that began Feb. 28. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — An effort to force President Donald Trump to seek congressional approval for further war actions in Iran failed in the U.S. Senate for the fourth time Wednesday, with all but one Republican continuing to support the president’s Middle East conflict. Senators voted down the measure, 47-52, with a similar partisan breakdown as earlier votes that saw one Republican and one Democrat break with their parties. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who previously sponsored one of the Iran War Powers Resolutions, again split with his party to oppose Trump’s military actions in Iran, which the president launched without approval from Congress. As he has previously, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., was the only Democrat to support Trump continuing t...

Trump’s budget director defends ‘out of whack’ defense spending boost to skeptical Dems

Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought testifies before the U.S. House Budget Committee on April 15, 2026. (Screenshot from committee webcast) WASHINGTON — The White House budget director on Wednesday defended the administration’s latest request for Congress, testifying before the House Budget Committee that a 43% increase in defense spending and a 10% cut to domestic programs is the best path forward. Democrats on the panel were highly critical of that proposal, which lawmakers will debate in the months ahead and is unlikely to be approved in full. Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle, ranking member on the committee, said the administration’s request to increase defense spending so significantly while not bolstering health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid or helping people pay for child care “is a reflection of priorities that are out of whack,” with what Americans truly need. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vou...

Analysis: U.S. defense contractors are getting a huge share of taxpayer dollars

A U.S. military helicopter flies over the Afghan Embassy in a leafy, quiet neighborhood in the northwest section of the U.S. capital. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images). Except for Medicare, Medicaid, and interest on the national debt, defense contractors are getting the biggest share of Ohioans’ federal tax dollars, according to a new analysis. Medicare and Medicaid provide health care to more than 144 million Americans, and paying interest on the $39 trillion national debt isn’t really optional. However, policymakers choose to spend nearly $900 billion a year on defense, and allow the Pentagon to ship 54% of that off to wealthy defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin — sometimes for weapons systems of questionable military value . If you look at the federal tax bill of the average American, that person is giving those contractors more than he or she is paying for food and agriculture, school lunches, housing and urban development, disaster relief and nation...

Trump’s DOJ wants personal voter data for ‘improper purposes,’ Michigan official says

The Sugar Maple Square poll in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on primary Election Day, May 21, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony) The Department of Justice’s stated reason for obtaining sensitive personal data on millions of voters masks the Trump administration’s true intention for obtaining state voter lists, Michigan’s top election official asserted in federal appeals court Monday. Attorneys for Michigan Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson made the allegation in a brief in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The argument reflects a concern broadly held among Democratic state election officials that the Trump administration wants to compile voter data in an effort to influence the upcoming midterm elections. The Justice Department, under President Donald Trump, is suing 29 states for refusing to provide voter information. It says it needs the data to evaluate efforts to clean and maintain voter rolls, including whether noncitizens are reg...

Alabama, other states make it easier for physician assistants to practice

A patient registers for care at a mobile dental and medical clinic last year. A few states recently adopted policies that make it easier for physician assistants to practice and serve more patients. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Alabama, Maine and Virginia recently adopted policies that make it easier for physician assistants to practice and serve more patients. Alabama became the 24th state to adopt the PA Licensure Compact, an agreement between states that authorizes these clinicians to practice across state lines. The compact can help remove administrative barriers for physician assistants, making it easier for them to fill gaps in rural and underserved communities that don’t have enough primary care medical professionals, advocates say. Alabama has about 1,400 physician assistants. The legislation, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Paul Lee, received unanimous support in both the House and Senate. Ten states — Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Miss...

Alabama spared for now as nationwide measles outbreaks outpace 2025 cases

Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris speaking at the State Committee on Public Health meeting on April 9, 2025, in the RSA Regions tower in Montgomery, Alabama. Alabama recorded one case of measles in 2025 despite nationwide outbreaks and low vaccination rates. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) Alabama to this point has largely managed to avoid the measles outbreak that broke out nationwide in the United States last year. The state’s top health official said Thursday that credit is due to the work behind the scenes at the Alabama Department of Public Health. “I assure you, if you haven’t been to many of these meetings, there are things that you have no idea that are in here, that are working behind the scenes in public health,” said Dr. Scott Harris at the State Committee on Public Health meeting. “Nobody knows about us until something goes wrong, because they’re generally working in the background, trying to keep people safe.” The state recorded one measles case in no...