Stories

Browse major news stories and see what officials have said.

Aug 24, 2026

ICE Has Detained More Than 50 Spouses and Parents of Active-Duty Troops — an Army Sergeant’s Wife Was Deported to Honduras Days After the Sailor on the USS Lincoln Learned His Father Was Taken in Key West

An Associated Press investigation published August 5, 2026 found that more than 50 immediate family members of active-duty U.S. troops — spouses and parents — have been placed in federal immigration detention since January 2025. At least six had been deported, one self-deported, and eight remained in custody when the AP published. Separately, DHS data obtained by Congress showed that between January 20, 2025 and January 26, 2026, ICE arrested 125 military veterans, nearly two-thirds of whom had no active criminal warrant, and moved to deport at least 282 veterans and family members. The through-line is a policy change: in April, ICE rescinded its long-standing guidance treating military service as a "significant mitigating factor" in whether to pursue enforcement, replacing it with a far less protective policy. Processing time for military parole in place — the discretionary protection recruiters have long cited to non-citizen family members — has more than doubled, to about 12 months. On August 9, 2026, a bicameral group of Democrats sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin demanding an accounting. It was led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth and Richard Blumenthal and Reps. Chrissy Houlahan, Maggie Goodlander, Delia Ramirez and Lizzie Fletcher, and signed by roughly 55 members in all, including Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nancy Pelosi. The letter argues the Pentagon's new coordination with DHS — detaining people on military property and handing them to ICE — turns bases into "traps" and creates a chilling effect on service members and their families, who "may avoid accessing bases, medical care, housing offices, or support services — or leave the military entirely." The signers set an August 23 deadline for answers. The Pentagon declined to comment and said it would reply directly to the authors. Two cases put faces on the numbers in the last week of August. On Monday, August 24, Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo — wife of Army Sgt. Hedar Leonel Turcios Juarez, stationed at Fort Bliss — was deported to Honduras, at least the seventh military spouse or parent removed under the crackdown. She was detained July 11 outside a Walmart near the base; she had no known criminal record, and her appeal and military parole-in-place application were still pending. Rep. Veronica Escobar, who represents El Paso, had opened a congressional inquiry into her case and visited her in detention. Two days earlier, in Key West, Border Patrol arrested Luis Manuel Aviles Roa, a Nicaraguan handyman of nearly 20 years' residence whose son Joshua is a sailor in his ninth month aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln — the carrier already at the center of a Senate inquiry over its record 250-day deployment. DHS has not disputed the pattern; it has defended it. "Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation's laws," the department said of the Aviles arrest, adding that "U.S. military service alone does not automatically grant lawful immigration status, or exempt aliens from the consequences of violating U.S. immigration laws." Republican chairmen of the Armed Services and Veterans' Affairs committees, Roger Wicker and Jerry Moran, did not respond to press requests for comment.

“My heart breaks for her, her children and the soldier who must feel so betrayed by the country he is sacrificing for. There are far too many families like theirs who are being targeted instead of supported.”
Veronica Escobar (D-TX) · Aug 24, 2026

Aug 23, 2026· Updated

Eleven Weeks Before the Midterms, Hakeem Jeffries Says He Does Not Support Medicare for All or "the DSA Agenda" — and Ro Khanna and Bernie Sanders Push Back the Same Day

On the August 16, 2026 edition of NBC's "Meet the Press," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries was asked directly whether he supports Medicare for All. He said he does not — "It's not legislation that I currently am co-sponsoring or that I support" — and separately declined to embrace the Democratic Socialists of America's program, saying "I don't support the DSA agenda as has been articulated by the DSA itself." Jeffries framed the party's 2026 message around affordability and a "broad caucus" containing progressives, New Democrats and Blue Dogs. Jeffries had co-sponsored the Medicare for All Act in 2019 and 2021 but did not co-sponsor the 2025 version introduced by Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Debbie Dingell. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), appearing on the same program, took the opposite position, calling Medicare for All "arguably the most important priority" and predicting most House Democrats would back it. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the policy's longtime author, weighed in publicly the same weekend, citing polling showing 64 percent support. The exchange put the party's internal fight over health care on national television with 11 weeks until the November midterms, as Democrats eye a House majority in January.

“We are facing the most dangerous, radical, and frankly, Kristen, weird Democrats I’ve seen in my lifetime.”
Tim Scott (R-SC) · Aug 23, 2026

Aug 20, 2026· Updated

The National Debt Crosses $40 Trillion Months Ahead of Schedule — Driven in Part by the Tariff Revenue the Supreme Court Took Away — and the Treasury Secretary Says "There's Nothing Magic About the $40 Trillion Number"

On August 19, 2026, the Treasury Department reported that total federal debt outstanding had crossed $40 trillion for the first time, finishing the day at $40,047,425,768,420.22 — roughly $32.3 trillion held by the public and $7.8 trillion in intragovernmental holdings. The milestone arrived months earlier than the Congressional Budget Office had projected. The government borrowed $1.8 trillion in the first ten months of fiscal 2026 — more than in all of fiscal 2025 — and the gap widened after the Supreme Court struck down Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs, costing an estimated $250 billion in revenue and forcing Treasury to refund more than $100 billion in import taxes it had already collected. The debt has doubled in under a decade, having stood at just under $20 trillion at the end of the Obama administration. Republicans who control both chambers reacted with alarm rather than a plan. House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Tex.) called the debt "an existential threat" and renewed his call for an Article V constitutional convention. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), whose chamber had just left town for August recess without acting on Trump's demand that it address the debt ceiling, told reporters "$40 trillion in debt — seems to me that should get our attention." Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) posted that voters had "40 trillion reasons 2 reject unaffordable socialist policies," drawing ridicule from critics who noted he had voted for the tax and spending bills that produced it. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) called it "bad" and demanded a balanced budget. Democrats pointed at the majority. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), ranking member on the Budget Committee, said Republicans "only care about 'fiscal responsibility' when it's time to cut your health care." House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said "The Republican economy is a disaster. Vote them all out in November." The administration's answer was growth. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC the next morning that "there's nothing magic about the $40 trillion number, and we can grow our way out of that," and said there was a "very good chance" the deficit under Trump had already peaked.

“There’s a very good chance the U.S. budget deficit under President Trump has peaked.”
Scott Bessent (R-SC) · Aug 20, 2026

Aug 13, 2026· Updated

The House Votes 308-117 to Stop Changing the Clocks — and the Fight Moves to a Senate Where the Opposition Is Republicans From States That Would Not See Sunrise Until After 9 A.M.

On July 14, 2026, the House passed the Sunshine Protection Act 308-117, sending President Trump's long-standing demand for permanent, year-round daylight saving time to the Senate. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL). Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), presiding over the vote, played the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" from his phone as he read the tally. The split does not run cleanly along party lines. The bill's loudest champions are Florida Republicans; its Republican opponents are from northern and Mountain West states — Reps. Bryan Steil (R-WI), Rick Crawford (R-AR), Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Harriet Hageman (R-WY) all voted no — where year-round daylight saving would push winter sunrise past 8:30 or 9 a.m. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries opposed the measure, while Democrats including Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) argued the sleep-medicine evidence favors permanent standard time instead. Trump renewed his pressure on the Senate on August 13, 2026. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) has publicly objected, invoking the failed 1974 experiment with year-round daylight saving, and Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) has said it does not work for his state. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said it remains to be seen whether the bill can reach 60 votes. The Senate returns from recess September 14.

“This is an issue that Republicans, Dumocrats, and Independents can unite behind.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Aug 13, 2026

House Passes Second Iran War Powers Resolution 214-208 as Senate Rejects Its Own 47-49

On Thursday, July 23, 2026, the House voted 214-208 to limit President Trump's authority to expand the war with Iran — the second war powers rebuke the chamber has passed since the war began, and the first since the ceasefire collapsed and the US resumed strikes in early July. The resolution, led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), drew four Republican crossover votes: Reps. Tom Barrett (R-MI), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Warren Davidson (R-OH). The vote came five days after an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack killed three US service members. Later the same day the Senate rejected a parallel measure 47-49, denying opponents of the war the bicameral rebuke they had secured weeks earlier. The House resolution is not legally binding.

“We have all the authorities necessary at this moment.”
Pete Hegseth (R-MN) · Jul 23, 2026

House Passes Stock Trading Restrictions 232-198, but Exempts the President

On July 22, 2026, the House passed the Stop Insider Trading Act 232-198, with 13 Democrats joining Republicans. The bill bars members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from buying individual publicly traded stocks, and requires public notice 7 to 14 days before any covered sale, published online by the Clerk of the House or Secretary of the Senate. Lawmakers may keep stocks they owned before entering Congress, may still buy private stock, and may hold certain investment funds. Most House Democrats voted no, objecting that the measure stops short of a full trading ban and exempts the president, vice president and cabinet — an exemption that drew particular attention given Trump's roughly 3,600 reported first-quarter trades. Republicans also attached a federal voter ID amendment, deepening the Democratic split. The bill's path in the Senate remains uncertain.

“This is a giant step forward. I wish my colleagues on this side of the aisle and my colleagues on this side of the aisle would recognize that and praise it.”
Chip Roy (R-TX) · Jul 22, 2026

Jul 15, 2026· Updated

DOJ Misses Deadline on Epstein Files, Less Than 1% Released

Despite the Epstein Files Transparency Act passing the House 427-1 and the Senate by unanimous consent, the Department of Justice has released less than 1% of documents one month past the December 19 deadline. Reps. Khanna and Massie, who drafted the law, say DOJ is in "flagrant violation" and sought appointment of a special master. Victims' advocates note that alleged abusers' names are redacted while survivors' identifying details remain visible. On January 8, 2026, Khanna and Massie wrote to Judge Paul Engelmayer asking him to appoint a special master to compel compliance, arguing the Department had "flagrantly and consistently ignored" the law's disclosure requirements since it was signed on November 19, 2025. They followed with a January 30 letter to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. The standoff continued into the summer: on July 15, 2026, Massie, Khanna, Leger Fernández, Merkley and Luján introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act II, which would give state attorneys general, victims and members of Congress standing to sue the DOJ over non-compliance, with sponsors saying more than 3 million files remained unlawfully withheld.

“The Department of Justice's highest-ranking officials continue to break the law, denying justice.”
Jeff Merkley (D-OR) · Jul 15, 2026

Congress Passes 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (Senate 85-5, House 358-32) — Trump Cancels Signing Ceremony

Congress passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the largest housing-affordability bill in decades, with the Senate approving it 85-5 on June 22, 2026 and the House passing it 358-32 on June 23, 2026. All 32 House no votes and all five Senate no votes were Republicans; all Democrats present voted yes. The bipartisan package streamlines federal housing-finance regulations, lets some builders bypass environmental reviews, creates a grant program for preapproved housing designs, and limits large institutional investors from buying single-family homes. It was led by Senate Banking Chairman Tim Scott and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren, and House Financial Services Chairman French Hill and Ranking Member Maxine Waters. In a twist, President Trump abruptly canceled the planned signing ceremony, calling the bill "a yawn" and vowing not to sign it until Congress passes the SAVE America Act requiring proof of citizenship to vote.

“The housing crisis is a national emergency. Do something to make life more affordable for hardworking American taxpayers. Sign the bill.”
Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) · Jul 2, 2026

Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros Unseats 15-Term Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado 1st District Primary

On June 30, 2026, 29-year-old democratic socialist and first-time candidate Melat Kiros defeated 15-term incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary for Colorado's Denver-based 1st Congressional District. The Associated Press called the race at 10:03 p.m., with Kiros leading roughly 49.3% to DeGette's 43.5%, a margin of about six points, with Wanda James third. Kiros, a lawyer who immigrated from Ethiopia as an infant, was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Democratic Socialists of America, and Justice Democrats, and built her campaign from viral Instagram videos into a volunteer operation that knocked on roughly 100,000 doors. The upset ended DeGette's nearly three-decade career in Congress and marked one of the biggest wins to date for the DSA-aligned left. Kiros is now heavily favored in the solidly Democratic district's November general election.

“Coloradoans have once again made their voices clear. We are not going to accept Trump's broken promises and cost of living emergency, or his constant corruption.”
John Hickenlooper (D-CO) · Jul 1, 2026

Jun 11, 2026· Updated

Fight Over Clean FISA Section 702 Reauthorization

A conservative revolt in the House derailed President Trump's push for a clean 18-month reauthorization of FISA Section 702, the warrantless surveillance authority set to expire April 20. After Speaker Mike Johnson pulled the procedural rule vote on April 15 when it became clear he couldn't hold his caucus, leadership tried again on April 16 — but roughly 20 Republicans joined Democrats in tanking both a 5-year and the 18-month extension. In a chaotic late-night session, the House passed a 10-day stopgap extension through April 30 via voice vote at 2 AM on April 17. Rebels demanded warrant protections for Americans' communications and attachment of the SAVE America Act. Trump called FISA 702 vital for "SUCCESS on the battlefield," while civil-liberties critics from both parties — Raskin, Davidson, Wyden, Massie, Boebert, Luna — argued the administration had dismantled oversight safeguards. The fight resumes before April 30.

“Today, we just offered a simple, clean, three-week extension of the FISA national security law. The Democrats, 199 of them, voted against a clean, three-week extension for political purposes.”
Mike Johnson (R-LA) · Jun 11, 2026

House Discharge Petition Forces Ukraine Aid Vote, Bypassing Speaker Johnson

A discharge petition introduced by Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY) reached the required 218 signatures on May 13, 2026, forcing a House floor vote on the Ukraine Support Act (H.R. 2913) — bypassing Speaker Mike Johnson, who had blocked the legislation. The bill would authorize $1.3 billion in military aid and other assistance to Ukraine, up to $8 billion in loans, and impose new sanctions on Russia. Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA) provided the decisive 218th signature. All 215 House Democrats signed, joined by Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) and Don Bacon (NE). The vote is expected to be scheduled for early June. Even if the bill passes the House, it faces significant headwinds in the Republican-controlled Senate and from the White House. The development marks the sixth successful discharge petition of the 119th Congress — an extraordinary number for a maneuver that had succeeded only a handful of times in the previous quarter-century.

“Recent Ukrainian gains have created an opportunity for peace, but the collapse of the recent ceasefire shows that leverage is needed for diplomacy to succeed. Congress can act now, in a bipartisan way, to strengthen that leverage and advance a durable peace that protects the interests of the United States and our allies. We must also send a strong message that Russian support for Iran's targeting of U.S. military assets will not be tolerated.”
Kevin Kiley (R-CA) · May 13, 2026

Commerce Secretary Lutnick Testifies Before House Oversight on Epstein Ties

On May 6, 2026, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — the highest-ranking Trump cabinet member named in the Epstein files outside the president himself — appeared before the House Oversight Committee for a closed-door, four-plus-hour transcribed interview about his evolving account of his contacts with Jeffrey Epstein. Lutnick appeared voluntarily and admitted to a 2012 family lunch on Epstein's private island, contradicting his earlier claim that he had cut ties in 2005. Democrats called him a liar and demanded his resignation; GOP Chairman Comer said Lutnick was "very transparent" but also conceded he "wasn't 100% truthful."

“I did have lunch with him...I don't recall why we did it.”
Howard Lutnick (R-NY) · May 6, 2026

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