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Browse major news stories and see what officials have said.

May 1, 2026

Trump Administration Claims Iran War "Terminated" to Dodge 60-Day War Powers Deadline

On May 1, 2026, the Trump administration declared that the Iran war has been "terminated" for the purposes of the War Powers Resolution — a legal maneuver designed to avoid the law's requirement that Congress authorize military action within 60 days of its start. A senior administration official stated that "the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28 have terminated," pointing to the US-Iran ceasefire agreed on April 7 and its subsequent extensions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators the ceasefire effectively paused or stopped the 60-day clock entirely. Trump separately sent a letter to congressional leaders formalizing the declaration and called the War Powers Act itself "totally unconstitutional." On May 5, Secretary of State Rubio formally declared Operation Epic Fury — the offensive bombing campaign — concluded, with the US transitioning to the defensive Project Freedom mission in the Strait of Hormuz. Critics and legal experts continued to reject the administration's interpretation. Democrats noted that Senate Republicans had blocked a war powers resolution for the sixth time, while moderate Republicans including Susan Collins and Rand Paul broke with leadership to demand congressional authorization. Congress then left town for a week recess without taking action.

Hegseth Grilled by Congress on Iran War Costs; Pentagon Reveals $25 Billion Price Tag

On April 29-30, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced congressional testimony for the first time since the US went to war with Iran in late February. The hearings — first before the House Armed Services Committee, then before the Senate Armed Services Committee — were contentious, with Democrats attacking the war's legality, strategy, and cost. The Pentagon disclosed for the first time that the Iran war has cost approximately $25 billion to date. Democrats argued the figure dramatically understates the true cost, which they said includes surging oil prices, increased consumer goods prices, and long-term strategic damage. Hegseth defended the operation as necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and attacked critics as defeatist. The hearings came on the same day the 60-day War Powers Resolution deadline arrived, with the Trump administration separately claiming the ceasefire had "terminated" hostilities and thus the legal clock. Several Republican senators said they still expect a war authorization vote, while Democrats called for an immediate end to the conflict.

Senate Republicans Block War Powers Resolution to End Trump's Cuba Blockade

On April 28, 2026, Senate Republicans voted 51-47 to dismiss a war powers resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) that would have required President Trump to obtain congressional approval to continue the US energy blockade of Cuba. Republicans argued the resolution was out of order because the US is not engaged in outright hostilities with Cuba, sidestepping the substance of whether Trump needed congressional authorization for the naval blockade. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only Democrat to vote with Republicans to kill the resolution. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Rand Paul (R-KY) were the only Republicans to break with their party and support the measure. Kaine argued the blockade had caused a humanitarian crisis in Cuba, including disrupted medical care, lack of clean water, and spiking food prices. The vote marked the latest in a series of congressional attempts to use the War Powers Act to constrain Trump's unilateral military and paramilitary actions during his second term.

Congressional War Powers Debate Over Iran

As the U.S.-Israel war on Iran approaches its 60-day mark — the limit set by the 1973 War Powers Resolution before continued hostilities require congressional authorization — senators from both parties have pushed war powers resolutions to force a vote. The Senate has defeated three such resolutions in 53-47 votes since the war began on February 28, 2026, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) the lone Republican consistently voting in favor. Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) drew a line in an April 1 op-ed: "60 days must mean 60 days."

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Feb 28, 2026

US and Israel Launch Joint Military Attack on Iran

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran — codenamed "Epic Fury" by the Pentagon and "Roaring Lion" by Israel — striking nuclear facilities, missile sites, and government compounds across Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, Karaj, and Kermanshah. By Day 2, CENTCOM confirmed over 1,000 targets had been hit, and Iranian state media acknowledged that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed along with dozens of senior officials. Iran retaliated by launching waves of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel, US military bases, and Gulf states including the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, killing three US service members and eight people in Israel. Hezbollah broke its November 2024 ceasefire by firing rockets at northern Israel, the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted, and Middle Eastern airspace was largely closed. In Congress, bipartisan war powers resolutions were introduced with votes expected as early as March 4, while Trump said the operation was "ahead of schedule" and could take "four weeks or less." As of March 1, strikes continued with international calls for ceasefire from the UN, China, and others, while Oman offered mediation and Iran signaled openness to de-escalation.

Trump Military Strikes on Alleged Drug Boats in Caribbean and Pacific

Beginning September 2, 2025, the Trump administration launched a sustained military campaign of lethal strikes against vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific that the administration described as drug-trafficking boats operated by designated narco-terrorist organizations, principally Venezuela's Tren de Aragua. The first strike — announced personally by President Trump — killed 11 people on a vessel that had departed Venezuela. By late March 2026, the U.S. military had conducted more than 47 strikes on at least 48 vessels, killing at least 163 people, under what the Pentagon branded "Operation Southern Spear." The campaign has triggered an escalating war powers and legality fight in Congress. The Washington Post revealed in November 2025 that on the very first strike Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had given a "kill them all" order, and that a follow-on "double tap" strike killed two survivors clinging to the burning wreckage. Both House and Senate Armed Services committees opened bipartisan probes. Sens. Tim Kaine, Adam Schiff, Rand Paul and Chuck Schumer forced repeat war powers votes, all defeated by the Republican Senate majority — most recently on January 8, 2026 (52-47 to advance, then defeated on final passage). Critics across both parties argue the strikes are extrajudicial killings without congressional authorization and may constitute war crimes; defenders, led by Secretary Rubio and Sen. Lindsey Graham, characterize the boats' operators as terrorists in an "armed conflict" with the United States.