Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.(link is external)) announced Thursday they've secured commitments for the 218 signatures(link is external) needed to force another vote the release of files related to sex offender…
Community bankers have been especially vocal. They have said allowing crypto companies to offer these types of incentives would have posed a direct threat to their business and led them to lose customers. Rebeca Romero Rainey, president…
The US House of Representatives delivered a stunning rebuke to Donald Trump over his war on Iran on Wednesday, as representatives backed a move to force him to seek approval from Congress or withdraw US forces. The House voted 215 to 208…
Democratic state representatives in Minnesota staged an overnight sit-in in their house chamber on Thursday after the Republican speaker failed to put a gun violence prevention bill up for a vote.Samantha Sencer-Mura, a Democratic…
The Senate Minority Leader from New York called on the administration to rehire Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cruise ship inspectors and Port Health Station staff laid off during cuts overseen by the Department of Government…
The bill’s official introduction comes as calls to halt AI datacenter expansion have gone from the margins to the mainstream. Since August 2025, towns and counties across the country – including in Missouri, Indiana, Georgia and North…
Community bankers have been especially vocal. They have said allowing crypto companies to offer these types of incentives would have posed a direct threat to their business and led them to lose customers.
Rebeca Romero Rainey, president and CEO of the Independent Community Bankers of America, said that keeping their customers' money with local banks is critical because it allows them to provide small business and agricultural loans to members of their communities.
"If community banks aren't there, and those local deposits aren't there to fund it, who's going to fund those small businesses and ranchers and farmers?" she said. "I don't think it's going to be the crypto industry."
The big picture: Answers about the disgraced financier and his web of wealthy connections have continued to haunt the administration, with Attorney General Todd Blanche now facing the threat of contempt proceedings over the Epstein files.
This is the bipartisan duo's second push in less than a year after they forced their first Epstein transparency bill through Congress, which the president signed after initially opposing the effort.
Driving the news: "Thomas Massie and I have defied history for a second time," Khanna said in a videoposted to social media late Thursday afternoon.
His post read that the pair had secured commitments for 218 votes on their discharge petition, including from three Republicans: Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C), Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.).
Two Democrats were sick, he added, but will sign the day the House returns. Massie also posted that he and his partner across the aisle would have enough names once lawmakers are back from a lengthy recess.
Friction point: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) dumped fuel on the fire blazing between him and Massie by again sending the House home early this week, Axios' Kate Santaliz reports.
The more than six-week recess will also delay Massie's effort to force a vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Johnson's office did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
What's inside: Massie and Khanna introduced the Epstein Files Transparency Act II in July to strengthen enforcement of last year's law.
It would allow state attorneys general, local prosecutors and victims to sue the U.S. attorney general over alleged unlawful withholdings, redactions or failure to produce records.
The bill would also require the attorney general provide certain unredacted documents to victims upon request.
Flashback: The House voted nearly unanimously on the first transparency act last year.
The DOJ released millions of pages related to Epstein — though the information drop faced criticism for puzzling redactions and allegations of withheld files.
The bottom line: Massie and Khanna's victory could renew one of the most disruptive Hill fights of the president's second term — but not until after the critical midterm election.
Khanna's post read, "We will not rest until the Epstein abusers are held accountable and there is justice."
The US House of Representatives delivered a stunning rebuke to Donald Trump over his war on Iran on Wednesday, as representatives backed a move to force him to seek approval from Congress or withdraw US forces.
The House voted 215 to 208 in favor of the war powers resolution, as four Republicans voted with Democrats. The dissident Republicans were Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Tom Barrett of Michigan.
“Following repeated attempts to get sycophants in the Republican-controlled House to join us, House Democrats successfully passed our war powers resolution today to stand up for the American people and hold Donald Trump accountable,” the top three House Democrats – Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Pete Aguilar of California – said in a joint statement. “It is now time for Senate Republicans to do the right thing.”
Democratic state representatives in Minnesota staged an overnight sit-in in their house chamber on Thursday after the Republican speaker failed to put a gun violence prevention bill up for a vote.
Samantha Sencer-Mura, a Democratic representative from Minneapolis, first announced the plan on Wednesday from the floor of the state’s house of representatives, giving the speaker, Lisa Demuth, a candidate for governor, 24 hours to give the bill a vote before the sit-in would start.
The sit-in began around 9pm local time. Lawmakers intend to stay until the house comes back in session, which is set for Saturday at noon.
The Minnesota senate, controlled by Democrats, narrowly passed the gun violence prevention omnibus earlier this month. The house, where there is a 67-67 vote tie and a Republican speaker in charge, has so far not taken up the bill.
The push for new gun laws came after a school shooting at Annunciation Catholic church last August, where two students were killed and others injured during a school-wide mass. Minnesota also saw the killings of state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the shootings of state lawmaker John Hoffman and his wife, last summer.
The Senate Minority Leader from New York called on the administration to rehire Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cruise ship inspectors and Port Health Station staff laid off during cuts overseen by the Department of Government Efficiency, the cost-cutting initiative established during President Donald Trump’s first year in office by billionaire Elon Musk.
In a letter sent to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Schumer demanded details about the federal response to the outbreak and current CDC staffing levels. He also urged the White House to restore funding for infectious disease research, vaccine programs and viral threat surveillance, and to rejoin the World Health Organization.
The bill’s official introduction comes as calls to halt AI datacenter expansion have gone from the margins to the mainstream. Since August 2025, towns and counties across the country – including in Missouri, Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina – have passed temporary bans on datacenter buildout. At least 11 states are now considering similar policies, according to Good Jobs First, a watchdog group tracking economic development.
Check out Mobilize to find protests, postcard-writing parties, virtual events, and volunteer opportunities.
Action is the antidote to fear and despair.
Even doing small things - learning more about how we can strengthen our democracy, sharing what you know with others, making a phone call - can make a difference.
