The Republican-led US Senate has rejected a Democratic proposal to block President Donald Trump from using additional military force against Iran, hours after the president said he would consider more bombings, the Associated Press and Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The Senate voted 53 to 47 against the war powers resolution, which would have required Congressional approval for new military action against Iran. All senators voted, but Senate Democrats' efforts to prevent President Trump from continuing the escalation failed.
The resolution, authored by Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, was intended to reaffirm that Trump must seek authorization from Congress before launching new military action against Iran.
Yesterday, Trump responded to a question about whether he would order new strikes on Iranian nuclear sites with "Of course, without a doubt", the AP recalls.
One Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, joined Republicans in opposition, and Sen. Ron Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to support the proposal.
Most Republicans said Iran posed an imminent threat that required decisive action by Trump, and supported his decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites last weekend without seeking approval from Congress.
"Of course, we can discuss the scope and strategy" of military action, said Republican Senator Bill Haggerty of Tennessee. "But we should not tie the hands of our president in a time of crisis when lives are at stake."
Democrats say the president should have consulted Congress first. They also say the president has not adequately briefed them, with the first briefings for Congress taking place on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump cancels "all" trade talks with Canada and threatens its northern neighbor with new tariffs, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
"We will notify Canada of the tariffs they will pay to do business with the United States within the next seven-day period", he wrote today on social networks.
As a reason for canceling the trade talks, Trump cited Canada's planned introduction of a digital tax on the businesses of American companies.
This is "a direct and blatant attack on our country", according to the US president. Canada "is clearly copying the European Union, which has done the same and is currently discussing it with us".
The Canadian government introduced a new digital tax a year ago, while former US President Joe Biden was still in office. The measure reportedly requires large domestic and foreign companies to pay a 3% tax on certain sales generated by online users in Canada.
With this approach, Canada aims to ensure that digital companies are taxed where they make a profit - in this case, in the neighboring United States.
Washington is Canada's most important trading partner, DPA notes.
President Donald Trump said he believes a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Hamas could be reached within a week, Agence France-Presse and Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
During an event in the Oval Office dedicated to the agreement between Congo and Rwanda, Trump told the media that he believes a ceasefire is close. He said he had just spoken to some of the people involved in trying to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.
"Hamas" has said it is ready to release the remaining hostages in Gaza as part of any agreement to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if the organization is disarmed and eliminated. "Hamas" has refused to lay down its arms.
"I think it's close. I just spoke to some of the people" involved in the effort to reach a ceasefire, Trump said. "We think we will have a ceasefire within the next week."
He did not specify with whom he spoke.
Trump's surprise prediction of a possible ceasefire agreement in the coming days came at a time when there were few signs that the warring parties were ready to resume serious negotiations or to back down from their entrenched positions, Reuters notes.
In addition, Trump said today that he "would be happy" if Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell resigned, and the president also said he wanted interest rates to be cut to 1%.
"I would be happy for him to resign if he wanted to, he did a terrible job," Trump said, also calling the Fed chairman "stupid".
Trump has long attacked the Fed chairman over interest rates, which the US president wants to lower. Fed chairmen are considered protected from removal by the president for reasons other than misconduct or wrongdoing, but Trump has threatened to test that legal premise, frequently threatening to fire Powell.
The Fed chairman's term ends in May 2026, and Trump is expected to nominate his successor in the coming months.