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Senate votes down effort to restrict Trump’s Iran war powers
Washington — The Senate defeated a war powers resolution on Wednesday that aimed to block President Trump from ramping up the war with Iran, as the operation approaches a fourth week.
In a 53 to 47 vote, a Democrat-led effort to restrict Mr. Trump from taking military action in Iran fell short for a third time. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the sole Democrat to vote against advancing the resolution. GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky supported it.
The resolution, led by Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, would have directed the president to “remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.” Congress has not authorized military force against Iran.
The vote came as Republicans are holding an unusual and lengthy debate on elections legislation amid pressure by Mr. Trump, who has threatened to withhold his signature from other bills that reach his desk until the measure passes. Democrats were able to force the war powers vote despite the floor takeover because the resolution is privileged.
The Senate had previously defeated an Iran war powers resolution introduced by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia on March 4. It was the second time in less than a year that the upper chamber had voted down an effort to rein in Mr. Trump’s ability to strike Iran, following a similar vote after last June’s U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
But as the Iran war approaches the one-month mark, Mr. Trump has yet to make clear an exit strategy and has not ruled out sending ground forces into the country. The president has said he expects the war to end “soon,” but hasn’t specified a timeline.
After the early March defeat, a group of Democratic senators vowed to keep pressing the issue if Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not testify in public about the war. The Democratic senators behind the war powers push indicated in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, that they would abandon votes on a handful of resolutions if the Trump officials testified at public hearings.
“We’re going to use every lever that we have to stop business as usual and force the Senate [to do] what it should have done already,” Booker told reporters earlier this month.
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, accused the Trump administration of dodging public hearings on Iran out of fear of losing any public support for the war.
“I don’t think they can defend this war,” Murphy told reporters earlier this month. “I think they’ll lose votes in the Senate if they actually have to go in front of the American public and explain why gas prices are so high, explain whether we’re engaged in regime change or whether we’re not, explain how they’re going to get the nuclear weapons and the nuclear material without the ground invasion.”
The Trump administration’s top intelligence officials testified Wednesday to the Senate Intelligence Committee in a hearing that was pegged to the release of the annual worldwide threats assessment, though questions largely focused on Iran. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard deferred to Mr. Trump when pressed on the president’s claims that Iran posed an “imminent” threat to the United States.
The administration and most congressional Republicans have argued that Mr. Trump acted within his legal authority when ordering strikes on Iran. In a letter to Congress in early March, the president said the strikes were necessary to eliminate threats.
“Despite my Administration’s repeated efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution to Iran’s malign behavior, the threat to the United States and its allies and partners became untenable,” the president wrote. He acknowledged that “it is not possible at this time to know the full scope and duration of military operations that may be necessary.”
NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, left, and NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist are seen sitting on a Navy MH-60 Seahawk from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha.
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The Artemis II crew made their return to Earth on Friday following the Orion spacecraft’s historic 10-day trip around the Moon, capturing the attention of awestruck fans nationwide.
In stadiums across the country, Jumbotrons projected the team’s successful splashdown into the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, Calif.
NASA’s Orion spacecraft with Artemis II crewmembers NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist aboard is seen as it lands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, Friday, April 10, 2026.
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Viewers watched in open amazement as the capsule, crewed by commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch, pilot Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, parachuted from the skies into the ocean.
NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, left, and NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist are seen sitting on a Navy MH-60 Seahawk from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha.
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The trip broke the record for farthest space flight accomplished by humans and gave the scientists aboard the spacecraft a chance to test critical systems within Orion, including the ship’s life support system, maneuverability, its heat shield, and the first toilet to ever orbit the moon.
NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, left, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, are seen sitting on a Navy MH-60 Seahawk from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha.
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Humankind hasn’t set foot on the moon since 1972’s Apollo 17. The Artemis mission series seeks to change that. The third flight of the series is expected to launch sometime next year, with the plan to stay in Earth orbit to test the gear that will send astronauts to the lunar surface.
U.S. Navy divers and Artemis II astronauts aboard an inflatable raft are approached by helicopters and lifted away to the recovery ship.
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new video loaded: Police Fatally Shoot Man After Stabbings at Grand Central Subway Station
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Police Fatally Shoot Man After Stabbings at Grand Central Subway Station
A man with a large knife was shot by police after stabbing three people at Grand Central subway station on Saturday.
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Two officers, detectives assigned to transit overtime posts, were flagged down by a civilian reporting that a man armed with a knife had just stabbed multiple people on the subway platform. The individual was armed with a large knife, described as a machete, and was behaving erratically, repeatedly stating that he was Lucifer. He then advanced toward the officers with the knife extended. One officer discharged his firearm, striking the perpetrator twice. The individual was transported to Bellevue Hospital and he was pronounced deceased.
By Cynthia Silva
April 11, 2026
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York has launched an investigation into a sexual assault allegation against Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., NBC News confirmed Saturday.
Multiple women in the last two days have come forward alleging that Swalwell sexually assaulted or harassed them while serving in Congress, including one who alleged he assaulted her in New York. Swalwell has denied the allegations.
A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office urged “survivors and anyone with knowledge of these allegations to contact our Special Victims Division at 212-335-9373. Our specially trained prosecutors, investigators, and counselors are well-equipped to help you in a trauma-informed, survivor-centered manner.”
On Friday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that one woman said she had sexual encounters with the congressman when he was her boss and alleged that he twice sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent. One of those incidents, the woman alleged, took place in New York in 2024.
And later Friday, CNN reported on sexual misconduct allegations against Swalwell from three additional women, including one who said he kissed her without her consent in public and two others who said the congressman sent them unsolicited photos or videos of his penis.
NBC News has not independently corroborated their stories.
CNN was the first to report of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office investigation.
Representatives for Swalwell’s office and campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Swalwell on Friday denied the allegations in a video posted to X, telling viewers: “These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They’re absolutely false. They did not happen. They have never happened, and I will fight them with everything that I have.”
The CNN and San Francisco Chronicle stories were reported just weeks before California voters are set to begin voting in the state’s primary for governor, where Swalwell has been a leading candidate in a crowded field of Democrats, including former Rep. Katie Porter, businessman Tom Steyer and former U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra.
On Friday and Saturday, multiple high-profile figures and groups rescinded their previous endorsements of Swalwell, including the California Federation of Labor Unions and the California chapter of the Service Employees International Union.
Democratic leaders in the House, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., on Friday called the allegations against Swalwell “disturbing” and urged him to “immediately end his campaign to be California’s next Governor.”
On Saturday, two Republican congresswomen vowed to seek punishment against against Swalwell in the wake of the sexual assault allegations.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., said in a post on X that she plans to force a floor vote this week on a resolution to censure Swalwell, which would require a simple majority to succeed.
And Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said in a post on X that she plans to introduce a resolution to expel Swalwell from Congress. That resolution would have a higher threshold for passage, with two-thirds of the chamber needing to vote in favor.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Adam Edelman contributed.
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