Latest news with #USHouse


Korea Herald
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
House committee passes bill to establish interparliamentary dialogue among S. Korea, US, Japan
A US House committee passed a bill Tuesday to establish an interparliamentary trilateral dialogue among South Korea, the United States and Japan as part of efforts to deepen cooperation in tackling shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific. The House Foreign Affairs Committee endorsed the US-Japan-ROK Trilateral Cooperation Act aimed at creating permanent channels of communication and coordination among the three countries' legislative bodies, according to the office of Rep. Ami Bera, ranking member of the subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific. "As we face growing threats in the Indo-Pacific, now is the time to invest in our closest alliances rooted in democratic principles," Bera said in a statement. "This bill creates a permanent forum for lawmakers from the United States, Japan, and South Korea to meet regularly, exchange ideas, and coordinate on challenges ranging from maritime security and economic growth to safeguarding democratic institutions," he added. The lawmaker said the legislative effort builds on the momentum from the first standalone trilateral summit that the leaders of the three countries held at Camp David in Maryland in August 2023 to strengthen three-way cooperation. Bera introduced the bill, while Reps. Joe Wilson, Mike Kelly, Joaquin Castro, Adrian Smith and the late Gerry Connolly co-led the legislation.


India Today
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Republicans move to rename Kennedy Centre Opera House after Melania Trump
US House Republicans have moved to rename the opera house at Washington's Centre for the Performing Arts after First LadyMelaniaTrump, further stamping the Trump brand on America's cultural a move during a Tuesday hearing on the 2026 budget, the Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee advanced a proposal to rechristen the 2,364-seat venue as the 'First Lady Melania Trump Opera House.'advertisementIdaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson, who introduced the amendment, described it as 'an excellent way to recognise her support and commitment to promoting the arts.' The name change was tucked into a broader funding bill for the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency — and is the latest flashpoint in President Donald Trump's increasingly aggressive campaign to reshape the Kennedy Centre in his own image, reports this year, Trump fired several board members, installed himself as chairman, and replaced the long-serving president with loyalist Richard Grenell. He also appointed chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief Dan Scavino, and Second Lady Usha Vance as who has accused the centre of being 'too woke,' is eager to put his stamp on one of the capital's most revered cultural June, Trump drew a mix of cheers and boos during his appearance at an opening-night performance of the musical Les opera house renaming push is part of a broader Republican effort to lionise Trump's legacy in his second term. Other proposals include renaming Dulles International Airport after him, putting his face on the $100 bill, adding him to Mount Rushmore, establishing a Trump national holiday, and rebranding Washington's Metro as the 'Trump Train.'However, any such change must pass both chambers of Congress, and with Democrats in a strong enough position to block provisions in the Senate — where 60 votes are needed for spending bills — the final fate of any change remains uncertain.- EndsWith inputs from AFPMust Watch


The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
AOC's office vandalized after recent House vote involving US aid to Israel
A Bronx office of the US House member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was vandalized early on Monday, according to New York City police, who say they are investigating. The vandalism occurred as the progressive Democratic congresswoman grapples with 'threats on [her] life', as her campaign manager put it, after a recent US House of Representatives vote involving American aid to Israel. Officers called out to Ocasio-Cortez's campaign office in Westchester Square at about 12.45am found its front covered in red paint, police said. Images circulating online and on local news media outlets showed someone had left a sign which alleged that Ocasio-Cortez 'funds genocide in Gaza', though she has repeatedly criticized the Israeli military's strikes there. The vandalism occurred after Ocasio-Cortez on Friday voted against a defense spending bill amendment authored by the Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia that would have eliminated funding for the system protecting Israel from missiles. Ocasio-Cortez voted 'no' on the defense spending bill itself, which passed the House and included more than $600m in aid for Israel, as she alluded to on an X post hours after the office's vandalism. Her vote on Greene's amendment prompted the Democratic Socialists of America to issue a statement accusing Ocasio-Cortez of backing Israel's 'eliminationist campaign against the Palestinian people'. Ocasio-Cortez, who has maintained that Israel's military actions in Gaza amount to a 'genocide' and often draws political criticism from US conservatives, wrote on Monday on X: 'Google is free. If you're saying I voted for military funding, you are lying.' A separate X post from Ocasio-Cortez's campaign manager, Oliver Hidalgo-Wohlleben, said Monday's office vandalism coincided with her staff having recently received 'multiple threats on the congresswoman's life'. 'We are treating this seriously with our security partners to make sure she, our staff, and volunteers are safe,' Hidalgo Wohlleben's post said. A post on Monday on the social media platform Bluesky from Ocasio-Cortez added: 'The threat environment this morning is scary. 'Drag me for the position if you disagree but don't lie. It's out of control. Saying I voted for this funding is false.' Hidalgo-Wohlleben's X post said that the Bronx congresswoman's staff was in the process of cleaning up the vandalized office. 'Our office is a hub in the community, and we want it to be a safe space for all our neighbors,' Hidalgo-Wohlleben also wrote. Ocasio-Cortez has represented New York's 14th congressional district since early 2019. Her endorsement of the democratic socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani in New York City's mayoral race in June captured national headlines.


Hindustan Times
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Epstein files fight leads US House Republicans to start summer break a day early
* Epstein files fight leads US House Republicans to start summer break a day early House Republicans avoid vote on Epstein files resolution * Democrats, some Republicans push for Epstein document release * Bondi asks federal judge to unseal grand jury transcripts By David Morgan WASHINGTON, - The top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Tuesday he would send lawmakers home a day early for a five-week summer recess to avoid a political fight over files on disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The move averts a push by Democrats and some Republicans for a vote on a bipartisan resolution to require the Justice Department and FBI to release all government documents on Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019. "What we refuse to do is participate in another one of the Democrats' political games. This is a serious matter. We are not going to let them use this as a political battering ram," House Speaker Mike Johnson, of Louisiana, told reporters. Many of President Donald Trump's supporters who embraced a slew of conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein saw their hopes raised when the administration vowed to release a slew of new documents on the case, only to backtrack and say it had concluded that there was no evidence to support the theories. That opened a rare breach between Trump and parts of his Make America Great Again base of support. Majorities of Americans and Trump's Republicans say they believed the government is hiding details on the case, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. On Monday, Democrats sought to use a House Rules Committee meeting to force a vote on the Epstein resolution introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna. The panel serves as gatekeeper for floor-bound legislation. Republicans instead suspended the hearing, preventing the panel from approving bills for floor consideration this week. The House had been expected to hold the week's final votes on Thursday. But House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the chamber's No. 2 Republican, told reporters there would be votes on Tuesday and Wednesday for less important legislation considered under suspension of the rules. A subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and Epstein's longtime girlfriend, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted of sex trafficking in 2021. Under mounting pressure from Trump supporters for the release of material, Attorney General Pam Bondi has asked a federal judge to unseal grand jury transcripts in the cases of both Epstein and Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of five federal charges related to her role in Epstein's alleged sexual abuse of underage girls. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.


News18
14 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
US Justice Department Seeks Meeting With Epstein Conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell US News
US House Speaker Mike Johnson announced an early adjournment of the chamber, stalling efforts to force the release of documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey move delays a politically fraught vote on the matter until September amid growing bipartisan pressure for transparency. It followed a key committee vote to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate, to testify before to declassify Epstein-related files have intensified recently, including from supporters of President Donald Trump. News18 Mobile App -