Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., speaks during a press briefing on the Iran war powers resolution at the Capitol, Monday, March 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)2026-03-16T04:01:07Z WASHINGTON (AP) The United States war with Iran is entering its third week, but Congress has yet to publicly test the Trump administrations case for the conflict.Republicans in Congress have so far side-stepped public debate over the war, even as Senate Democrats reach for every tool at their disposal to demand hearings with Trump administration officials. Increasingly frustrated, Democrats are threatening this week to force a series of votes on the war, hoping that the effort to gum up the Senates voting schedule will prod Republicans to action.Weve had no oversight whatsoever over what the executive is doing as were spending a billion dollars a day, and we have failed to have any real substantive debate or discussion, said Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.The role of Congress in the deliberations is an unsettled question with enormous stakes, given that lawmakers have the power to shape the trajectory of the conflict as it grows in cost and casualties. So far, 13 military members have been killed and billions of dollars have been spent, but President Donald Trump has not sought congressional approval for attacking Iran. As the 17th day of the conflict dawned Monday, Republican lawmakers remained mostly resistant to the idea of quickly forcing public testimony before Congress. How GOP leaders are handling calls for hearingsSenate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters last week that he didnt expect public hearings specifically on the Iran war, but noted it would inevitably come up in the regular rhythm of testimony on military policy and spending.They have briefed us, Thune, R-S.D., said, pointing to classified briefings from the Trump administration. Those sessions have been held behind closed doors and most lawmakers refuse to disclose more than the broad topics of discussion.Thune also noted there have been regular news conferences from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They are answering the hard questions that are being asked, Thune said. The GOP chairs of committees dealing with national security have also said they dont have plans in the near term to hold hearings specifically on the war, though some acknowledged the value of lawmaker questioning. Sen. Roger Wicker, the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued that the regular run of hearings on Capitol Hill would provide lawmakers with plentiful opportunities to ask questions. Were going to conduct generous oversight, thorough oversight, said Wicker, R-Miss.Some Republicans are looking ahead to an expected supplemental budget request from the Trump administration to cover the costs of the war. That request, however, is likely weeks away and faces a difficult path through Congress.Democrats have pointed out that the Pentagon has already received additional funding from Republicans marquee tax cut law that was passed last year and provided funding for GOP priorities, including at the Pentagon. Wariness growing from some RepublicansStill, agitation from a few Republicans at the lack of high-level responses from the Trump administration is starting to show, especially as they brace for a hefty war bill from the administration. I dont want to just be given the invoice from the Department of Defense, saying this is what its going to cost, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. I want them to be engaged with us.She added that it was important for lawmakers to get information both in classified briefings and public hearings so that the public can better understand this, too.Another GOP senator on the powerful Appropriations Committee, Louisianas John Kennedy, exited a classified briefing last week fuming that it had been a total waste of time because the officials were not able to provide the answers that top-level Cabinet officials could.Republicans have almost uniformly backed Trumps decision to launch an attack on Iran, though many are wary of a lengthy conflict. Trump has cycled through different objectives for the war, ranging from crippling Irans military capabilities to a demand for unconditional surrender. I think we have to let the objective play out as far as we can, and if then the effort gets murky on how to get to the objective, that might be a good time to have some hearings, but its too early, said Sen. Cynthis Lummis, a Wyoming Republican.But as the midterm elections approach, Republicans are also aware that public support for the war remains tepid. I wish we could disclose a lot of this publicly because it would make it a whole lot easier to explain to the American people, said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., adding that classified briefings were necessary to protect U.S. service members now that the war is under way. How Democrats may force a debateDemocrats, meanwhile, are threatening to do just about everything in their power to bring attention to the war, even if it means repeatedly forcing votes that fail.A group of six Democrats has said that unless hearings are scheduled with Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other Cabinet officials, they will call up daily votes on a series of war powers resolutions that if passed would require Trump to gain congressional approval before carrying out any more attacks on Iran. Similar resolutions have already been rejected by both chambers in the Republican-controlled Congress.The votes, however, would eat up valuable time on the Senate floor and set the ground for a debate on the conflict just as Senate Republicans plan to spend much of the week trying to pass Trumps priority legislation to impose strict new proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting.The group of Democratic senators also hinted at using other tactics to slow the Senates work on other business.Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, told reporters that unless there is a commitment for public hearings, Were not going to let the Senate go on with business as usual. Were not going to let the Senate be silenced. STEPHEN GROVES Groves covers Congress for The Associated Press. twitter mailto

Workers clear snow off the ground Sunday, March 15, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)2026-03-16T04:05:53Z CHICAGO (AP) Successive punches of snow and wind were set to impact the eastern half of the United States on Monday as severe weather swept across much of the nation and made roads impassable in the Upper Midwest.Forecasters said mid-Atlantic states and Washington, D.C., were at greatest risk for high winds and tornadoes. The cold front was expected to move off the East Coast by Tuesday, bringing sharply colder weather in its wake, forecasters said.The late winter blast comes as Hawaii continued to be affected by a separate storm system that caused severe flooding over the weekend. Forecasters warn about line of storms, tornadoesThe National Weather Service that warned a line of severe storms with damaging winds would cross much of the Eastern U.S. After firing up Sunday, the storms were crossing the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys.The storm threat was expected to enter the Appalachians, then move toward the East Coast, where severe thunderstorms with widespread damaging winds and several tornadoes were expected, the service said.A stretch from parts of South Carolina to Maryland appeared most likely to experience the greatest damaging winds Monday afternoon, the weather service said. That could include Raleigh, North Carolina, Richmond, Virginia, and the nations capital. Officials said schools in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, would be closed Monday. Gov. Josh Stein urged residents to enable emergency alerts on their phones ahead of expected wind gusts of 74 mph (119 kph).Beyond the threat to lives and property, whether its wind gusts from a squall line, blizzard or snow, or just wind because of the storm, youre looking at several major airports being impacted, said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Tyler Roys. Big snows in Minnesota, Wisconsin, MichiganAn area from central Wisconsin to Michigans Upper Peninsula was likely to see over 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow, with higher isolated totals on the peninsula, Roys said. Lower snow accumulations in places such as Chicago and Milwaukee will likely create trouble for commuters on Monday, he added. Jim Allen, 45, who lives on the Upper Peninsula, said his family stocked up on necessities and he was ready to clear snow several times Sunday with a shovel and snowblower.Were basically prepared to just kind of hunker down for a few days if we need to, Allen said.More than 600 flights were canceled at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, according to FlightAware, which tracks flight disruptions. Dozens more through Detroit were scrapped. OHare and Midway international airports in Chicago reported more than 850 cancellations. Power outages remain, some from earlier high windsMore than 210,000 utility customers in six Great Lakes states were without electricity Sunday, according to PowerOutage.us. Some originated on Friday when gusts in the region reached 85 mph (137 km). Widespread outages also were reported in parts of Pennsylvania and Arkansas.In Nebraska, about 30 National Guard members were deployed to combat multiple wildfires across a broad swath of range and grassland, state officials said. One fire-related fatality was reported. Landslides, rescues, collapsed home on MauiRain continued falling on Sunday in Hawaii, where acres of farmland and homes have been flooded, roads have been closed and shelters opened. Some areas of Maui received more than 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said in a social media post. Maui County later on Sunday downgraded an evacuation notice and said crews were pumping water from retentions basins to keep them at safe levels.Resident and real estate broker Jesse Wald, who recorded video of a coastal roads collapse Saturday, said other parts of the road were flooded out by mud and sediment.In the 20 years Ive been here Ive never seen this much rain, he said.__Robertson reported from Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press writers Julie Walker in New York and Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, also contributed to this report. MATTHEW BROWN Brown is based in Billings, Montana. He covers breaking news, the environment, politics, energy, crime and more. RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site

Iran players pose for a team photo ahead of the Women's Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAPImage via AP,File)2026-03-15T20:29:34Z MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) A fifth member of the Iranian womens soccer team who accepted a refugee visa to stay in Australia has left the country, the Australian government said on Monday.The players departure shortly before midnight on Sunday leaves two of an initial seven squad members in Australia, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burkes office said.The Iranian authorities have welcomed the womens change of heart as a victory against Australia and U.S. President Donald Trump. The Iranian diaspora in Australia blame pressure from Tehran. Burke reported on Sunday that two players and a team support staff member had left Sydney for Malaysia on Saturday.Irans team arrived in Australia for the Womens Asian Cup last month, before the war in the Middle East began on Feb. 28.Initially, six players and a support staff member from a squad list of 26 players accepted humanitarian visas to stay in Australia before the rest of the Iranian contingent flew from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur on March 10. Another later changed her mind and left Australia.The rest of the team has remained in Kuala Lumpur since they left Australia. Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite described the womens plight in Australia as a very complex situation.Weve been working very, very closely with them, but obviously this is a very complex situation. These are deeply personal decisions, and the government respects the decisions of those that have chosen to return. And we continue to offer support to the two that are remaining, Thistlethwaite told Sky News television. Theyre being given all the support of the Australian government and indeed the diaspora community to remain here and settle in Australia, he added.Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a political scientist at Melbournes Macquarie University who spent more than two years in Iranian prisons on spying charges from 2018 to 2020, said winning the propaganda war had overshadowed the womens welfare. The high stakes made the Iranian regime sit up and pay attention and try to force their hand in response, in my view, Moore-Gilbert told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.But it wasnt necessarily to be known that this story would blow up and become the international story that it did. But I do think in this case, had these woman quietly sought asylum without that publicity around them, its possible that the Islamic Republic officials might have, as they have in the cases of other Iranian sports people in the past whove defected ... simply allowed that to happen, she added.Irans Tasnim News Agency said after the three left Australia on Saturday and that they were returning to the warm embrace of their family and homeland. Concerns about the teams safety in Iran heightened when the players didnt sing the Iranian national anthem before their first match.The Australian government was urged to help the women by Iranian groups in Australia and by Trump.The Iranian news agency described the womens return to the team as the disgraceful failure of the American-Australian project and another failure for Trump. Some members of the Iranian diaspora in Australia have accused the support staffer who initially accepted asylum then left Australia on Saturday of spreading Iranian government propaganda to her teammates via text messages.Thistlethwaite said there was no evidence to support the theory that the staffer had persuaded others to leave. All those who had remained in Australia after the team had left were genuine asylum seekers, he said.Thistlethwaite said the women had been taken to an undisclosed safe destination once they had decided to stay in Australia.Theyve been able to communicate with family and with others. I understand that some of them did make contact with the Iranian embassy here in Australia. We cant cut off communications for them, Thistlethwaite said.The embassy in the national capital Canberra remains staffed, despite the Australian government expelling the ambassador last year.Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese cut off diplomatic relations with Iran in August after announcing that intelligence officials had concluded that the Revoluntionary Guard had directed arson attacks on a Sydney kosher food company and Melbournes Adass Israel Synagogue in 2024. Australian-Iranian Society of Victoria vice-president Kambiz Razmara said the women who accepted asylum had been under pressure from the Tehran regime.Theyve had to make decisions at the spur of the moment with very little information and theyve had to react to the circumstance, Razmara said. Im surprised that theyve decided to go, but Im actually not surprised because I appreciate the pressures that theyre experiencing. ROD MCGUIRK McGuirk covers Australian and South Pacific news for The Associated Press. He is based in Melbourne. mailto

Two hours after a blown ball-strike call ended the Dominican Republic's World Baseball Classic, players emerged from the team's clubhouse with smiles, music and a message.

Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells final 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) on Sunday, winning seven straight points to rally from a 4-0 deficit in the second-set tiebreak and claim the title without dropping a single set.

Undefeated UConn was awarded the top overall seed in the women's NCAA tournament Sunday. The Huskies are joined by UCLA, Texas and South Carolina as the other No. 1 seeds.

The United States held the Dominican Republic's vaunted offense in check to advance to the World Baseball Classic final with a 2-1 victory.

The Huskies are six wins away from a 13th title. Coaches and analysts gave us a blueprint for how to beat them.

What did the academy get right? Wrong? What was just weird? Three culture fans discuss Hollywoods biggest night.

A defeated Iran will not produce the transformation of the Middle East sought by many.

Bangladesh is taking steps to conserve electricity, which its factories need to keep stitching together the worlds clothing.

The winning actors, directors, pictures and more at the 98th annual Academy Awards.

Jewel-tone gowns, bumblebee brooches, overalls and more.

The post Good Oscars, Good Oscars, Repeat Nominees In Forced Post-Ceremony Handshake Line appeared first on The Onion.

LOS ANGELESWaving his arms wildly over his head and yelling as part of an apparent effort to attract attention, actor Joel Edgerton was reportedly going nuts Sunday in hopes of getting on the Academy Awards jumbotron. Over here, over here! said the 51-year-oldTrain Dreamsstar, who leapt from his seat and cried out upon spotting a pair of camera operators weaving among the seats at the Dolby Theatre ceremony. Hey! Camera guy! Want to see me slap my belly? Come on, just give me two seconds on the big screen! Hey! Im right here! At press time, a moping Edgerton was overheard complaining that the cameras were showing Michael B. Jordan and all he was doing was sitting there.The post Joel Edgerton Going Nuts In Hopes Of Getting On Oscars Jumbotron appeared first on The Onion.

LOS ANGELESAfter flouting rules put in place to protect decorum at the Academys biggest night, actor Timothe Chalamet was reportedly kicked out of the Oscars ceremony Sunday evening for bringing in an outside award. Hey, wait, I promise I wont take it out during the show, said the 30-year-old Marty Supreme star, who was seen attempting to shove a Golden Globe statuette into girlfriend Kylie Jenners clutch before Dolby Theatre security guards arrived to confront him on the red carpet. Can I just run and put it in my car really quick? Come on, man, dont make me throw it away. This is such bullshit. The awards you guys have here arent even that good. At press time, Chalamet was spotted attempting to sneak back into the ceremony with a Critics Choice Award stuffed into his puffer coat.The post Timothe Chalamet Kicked Out Of Oscars For Bringing In Outside Award appeared first on The Onion.