Stories

Browse major news stories and see what officials have said.

Sep 3, 2026

The House Votes 237-169 to Strip Federal Student Aid From Colleges That Boycott Israel — a Bill Written by a Democrat, Opposed by His Own Leadership, and Passed With 33 Democrats and All but Two Republicans

On September 3, 2026, the House passed H.R. 4795, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026, by a vote of 237-169. The bill bars colleges and universities that engage in what it defines as a "non-expressive commercial boycott" of Israel from participating in federal student aid programs — including Pell grants and federal student loans. The bill was written by an unusual pair: Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), the former chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), one of the most pro-Israel Democrats in the House. It had cleared the Education and Workforce Committee 24-9 after a June 25 hearing. The floor vote split both parties, but far more unevenly on one side than the other. Republicans voted 203-2 in favor, with only Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Warren Davidson (R-OH) opposed. Democrats voted 167-33 against — meaning 33 Democrats broke with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and the rest of the leadership team, all of whom voted no. Supporters framed the bill as an answer to campus antisemitism. Opponents, led by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) — who has spent decades opposing the BDS movement itself — argued it punishes constitutionally protected speech, and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), the ranking member on Education and Workforce, argued on the floor that no American university administration has actually adopted the policies the bill describes. The vote landed the same week House Democratic leaders were weighing discipline against two members who crossed the aisle on a procedural rule, and ten weeks before the midterms — sharpening an intra-Democratic fight over Israel that has been building all year.

“Our universities should not use taxpayer-funded federal programs to discriminate against Israeli students, faculty, institutions, or businesses simply because they are Israeli.”
Tim Walberg (R-MI) · Sep 3, 2026

The United States Designates a British Protest Group and an Italian Web-Hosting Collective as Global Terrorists — the First Sanctions Under Rubio’s "Far-Left Terrorism" Doctrine

On Wednesday, August 26, 2026, the State and Treasury Departments designated three organizations as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under Executive Order 13224, the first sanctions imposed under the administration's push to reorient counterterrorism policy toward what it calls violent far-left terrorism. The three are Palestine Action, a United Kingdom protest group proscribed by the British government in July 2025 after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton and damaged military aircraft; Autistici/Inventati, an Italy-based collective that provides encrypted email, web hosting and anonymity services and that the State Department describes as supplying "the digital infrastructure for Antifa cells"; and Masar Badil, a transnational pro-Palestinian movement the Treasury says operates as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, along with two of its leaders. The designations block the groups' US assets and bar Americans from transacting with them. The action follows Secretary of State Marco Rubio's July 2026 summit in which delegations from more than 60 countries were pressed to treat far-left political violence as terrorism, and the administration's 2026 National Counterterrorism Strategy, which names violent far-left groups as one of three top threats — a reversal of the Biden-era emphasis on far-right and white supremacist violence. Civil liberties groups and Palestine Action itself say the designation criminalizes protest and civil disobedience. House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats had already written to Rubio in July warning that the Department was politicizing counterterrorism work, hosting a conference focused exclusively on left-wing extremism while cutting the offices that assessed extremist violence of all kinds. No member of Congress had issued an on-record response to the designations themselves in the first 24 hours.

“Far-left terrorism poses a profound threat to the United States and the broader West.”
Marco Rubio (R-FL) · Aug 26, 2026

The Air Force Charges a Major Under Article 88 for Calling Trump a "Failure" — His Lawyer Says He Is the First Officer of His Rank Ever Charged With Contempt Toward the President

On Monday, August 24, 2026, the Air Force preferred charges against Maj. Jason P. Watson, an officer last assigned to Poland, over public statements calling for President Trump's impeachment. The charge sheet his attorney released lists ten specifications across three articles of the Uniform Code of Military Justice: three under Article 88 (contempt toward officials), five under Article 92 (failure to obey an order), and two under Article 133 (conduct unbecoming an officer). Article 88 is the provision that makes it a crime for a commissioned officer to use "contemptuous words" against the President, Vice President, Congress and other named officials. It is rarely invoked, and prosecutors must show the words were contemptuous rather than merely critical. Watson's counsel, Christopher Mutimer, says Watson is the first major in the history of the U.S. military to be charged under it. The Article 88 specifications trace to three things: a June interview Watson gave the Substack newsletter Defenders of Our Republic, a July 1 protest in uniform on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, and an August 17 CNN interview in which he said Trump "is flagrantly violating the Constitution, breaking the law, engaged in rampant corruption, and is killing Americans." The July 1 demonstration was held alongside Rep. Al Green (D-TX), who was calling for the impeachment of both Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Watson was arrested there, then taken into pretrial confinement again on August 18 — a day after the CNN interview — after telling his chain of command he would no longer wear the uniform. The Article 92 and 133 counts allege he wrongfully wore the uniform at the Capitol, violated leave regulations to travel to Washington, and then refused to wear the uniform. Watson has remained in military pretrial confinement. "Who I am is immaterial," he said in a statement through counsel. "In the grand scheme of things, I'm just a nobody. What matters far more than who I am is what I have to say and the price I'm willing to pay to say it." The case tests where military law ends and political speech begins at a moment when the administration has already fired the leadership of Stars and Stripes over what its editor called censorship of the troops' newspaper. Active-duty service members do not have the same First Amendment latitude as civilians, and the Air Force has framed the prosecution as ordinary accountability. As of publication, Green is the only member of Congress on record about the case.

“Pursuant to a thorough investigation — which will proceed unimpeded — commanders will ensure appropriate disposition when holding service members accountable in accordance with military law and due process.”
Troy Meink (R) · Aug 25, 2026