Why 🐵 UnitedStatesNews-NoOpEd picked: ‘So many loopholes’: Democratic House leader Jeffries flags concerns over Russia sanctions bill – US politics live

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Jeffries said the legislation had so many loopholes that sanctions harming Russia might not be appliedHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said the Russia sanctions bill had “so many loopholes” as Congress passed the sweeping bill to give Donald Trump the power to raise tariffs on top buyers of Russian energy.Why in the world would this Congress give this president additional authority to visit that kind of economic harm on the American people?Donald Trump responded to the Federal Reserve’s unanimous decision on Wednesday <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/sep/16/us-federal-reserve-votes-hike-rates" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc" target="_blank">to raise its benchmark interest rate</a> by a quarter-percentage point, to a range of 3.75% to 4%, by demanding a massive cut in rates.Asked why it is so important to him to have his name inscribed on the Kennedy Center, a memorial to another president, Trump said he deserves “recognition” for saving the venue. If not, Trump said, “It’ll end up being ripped down.Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, a Democrat and Kennedy Center trustee, has <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/28651958-kennedy-center-closed/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc" target="_blank">filed a motion for an emergency hearing</a> on the performing arts venue’s apparent closure.Mitch McConnell, the former Republican Senate majority leader who returned to work this week after a months‑long absence, had to be prompted by colleagues as to how to vote near the start of a televised meeting of the Senate agriculture committee on Wednesday.The House speaker, Mike Johnson, cancelled votes currently scheduled for Thursday, meaning that lower chamber lawmakers will now head back to their districts for the midterm recess a day early. The change to schedule means that the House will avoid voting on Republican congressman Thomas Massie’s resolution to impeach the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.Speaking in North Carolina, Trump explicitly compared his effort to blame Democrat Roy Cooper, the former governor and Senate candidate, for the brutal killing of a young Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska, last year, by using false information, on the infamous 1988 Willie Horton ad. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/sep/17/donald-trump-democrats-republicans-russia-sanctions-us-politics-latest-news" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc" target="_blank">Continue reading...</a>

Why 🐵 UnitedStatesNews-NoOpEd picked: ‘So many loopholes’: Democratic House leader Jeffries flags concerns over Russia sanctions bill – US politics live

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