Plus three other things you need to know today.
House to vote today on limiting presidential powers during war
Congress will vote on the War Powers Resolution this afternoon to limit the president’s actions against Iran, following an airstrike that killed a top Iranian general last week and prompted missile attacks on two Iraqi bases housing U.S. personnel. “America and the world cannot afford war,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. In a broadcast address Wednesday, Donald Trump signaled that there may be no further military response in the conflict, threatening more sanctions but refraining from mentions of more military aggression.
‘Public charge’ immigration rule loses in federal appeals court
The court upheld an injunction blocking a new rule that would prevent immigrants from obtaining green cards if they are likely to qualify for public assistance. The rule, which was introduced last year, had been challenged by New York state, New York City, Connecticut, Vermont and several nonprofits, and several other lawsuits are pending around the country. New York Attorney General Letitia James called the ruling a win for “millions of immigrants in our state and in this country that have been sidelined, disrespected, and demeaned by the Trump administration.”
Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee side with Dems on Iran briefing, calling it inadequate
Members of Congress emerged from the classified meeting sharply divided ahead of Thursday’s war powers vote, with Democrats criticizing a lack of detail and strategy as well as the justification for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee agreed, with Lee calling the administration’s actions “absolutely insane” and Paul saying the reasoning behind the escalations was “absurd.” Both said they would support limiting the president’s powers to take military action without congressional approval.
Deadline has passed to ratify Equal Rights Amendment, DOJ legal counsel says
Despite the opinion, there is still hope for supporters of the decades-long campaign, who say it would ban discrimination across the board on the basis of sex and guarantee equality for women under the Constitution. Bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to remove the deadline, and a spokesperson for the ERA Coalition called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to call a floor vote to that end. Opponents fear it will give women greater access to abortion.
Emiene Wright Emiene Wright is associate editor at Cardinal & PIne. Before that she was on the 24-hour news desk of the Miami Herald and the Detroit Free Press, and her writing has been featured in Crisis, the Charlotte Observer, and Our State magazine.
