https://www.scmp.com/rss/522389/feed The US Senate is a prominent Washington D.C.-based governmental body, which serves as the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress. Its primary mission is to legislate, providing a crucial check and balance on the executive and judicial branches. Key activities include passing federal laws, confirming presidential appointments, approving treaties and conducting impeachment trials. With two senators representing each state for staggered six-year terms, it ensures continuity and... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters Sixteen months into his second presidency, Donald Trump may ⁠be as unpopular as he has ever been among the American electorate – but his grip on his ⁠core base of Maga voters remains unshaken. That power was on full display over the last two weeks, as Trump ousted a string of fellow Republicans he considered apostates for not showing him enough personal fealty. The president’s revenge tour continued on Tuesday, when a hand-picked loyalist defeated US congressman Thomas Massie, a frequent critic,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354293/how-trumps-revenge-tour-against-republicans-could-backfire-midterms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354293/how-trumps-revenge-tour-against-republicans-could-backfire-midterms?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 May 2026 23:36:38 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the state’s Republican Senate primary shortly after early voting began in an increasingly personal and expensive run-off against incumbent Senator John Cornyn. “Ken Paxton has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next United States Senator from the Great State of Texas – KEN PAXTON WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!,” Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday. The timing of the move came as a shock, with early voting already... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354148/trump-backs-paxton-over-cornyn-texas-senator-shock-endorsement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3354148/trump-backs-paxton-over-cornyn-texas-senator-shock-endorsement?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 May 2026 19:30:26 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang A US Senate hearing on nuclear capabilities issued a warning about China on Wednesday, hours before US President Donald Trump was due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Senator Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in his opening statement that China has been engaged in an “unprecedented nuclear expansion” in recent years. China, Wicker said, had “rapidly constructed hundreds of new missile silos, expanded mobile missile and ballistic... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3353483/us-senate-warns-chinas-nuclear-capabilities-hours-xi-trump-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3353483/us-senate-warns-chinas-nuclear-capabilities-hours-xi-trump-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2026 21:14:01 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed Kevin Warsh as the new Federal Reserve chairman to lead a central bank whose independence is under attack and with inflation at a three-year high. The Senate voted 54 to 45 to in favour of Warsh, with Republicans holding a slim majority and ensuring US President Donald Trump’s nominee to replace Jerome Powell was confirmed. Once known as a monetary “hawk” against inflation, Warsh has shifted in line with Trump’s push for lower interest rates that has posed an... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3353480/warsh-confirmed-federal-reserve-chair-us-central-bank-faces-trump-assault?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3353480/warsh-confirmed-federal-reserve-chair-us-central-bank-faces-trump-assault?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2026 19:42:18 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press FBI Director Kash Patel angrily lashed out at a Democratic lawmaker at a budget hearing Tuesday, calling allegations that he drinks excessively on the job and has been unreachable to his staff at times “unequivocally, categorically false”. “I will not be tarnished by baseless allegations and fraudulent statements from the media,” Patel told Senator Chris Van Hollen during a testy exchange that began when the Maryland Democrat confronted him about a recent article in The Atlantic magazine that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3353338/fbi-director-kash-patel-denies-drinking-allegations-heated-us-senate-exchange?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3353338/fbi-director-kash-patel-denies-drinking-allegations-heated-us-senate-exchange?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 May 2026 22:46:22 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The Philippine House of Representatives has moved Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment closer to a decisive vote, the first step in a week-long process that will test whether allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr have enough support to send the case to a Senate trial. The House placed the impeachment on its plenary agenda on Tuesday, a day after its justice committee endorsed the case, setting up a possible vote by all lawmakers on whether Duterte-Carpio should stand trial in the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352525/philippine-vp-sara-dutertes-impeachment-case-heads-plenary-vote-amid-coercion-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352525/philippine-vp-sara-dutertes-impeachment-case-heads-plenary-vote-amid-coercion-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 12:25:33 +0000 Reuters Reuters Federal Reserve chief nominee Kevin Warsh ⁠called for “regime change” at the US central bank, including a new approach for controlling inflation and a communications ⁠overhaul that may discourage his colleagues from saying too much about the direction of monetary policy. Warsh’s comments during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee left key questions about his nomination unresolved. Republican Senator Thom Tillis used his full time to explain why he would not vote for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350927/kevin-warsh-trumps-pick-fed-chief-calls-regime-change-us-central-bank?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350927/kevin-warsh-trumps-pick-fed-chief-calls-regime-change-us-central-bank?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 17:46:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters Congress passed a short extension to a high-profile surveillance law on Friday after failing to secure the long-term reauthorisation pushed by US President Donald Trump. The brief pause comes after a late-night attempt to reauthorise the law for ‌five years failed in the House. It sets up another round of wrangling over whether and how to reform what is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the National Security Agency to surveil foreigners using data... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350544/us-congress-extends-controversial-surveillance-law-10-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350544/us-congress-extends-controversial-surveillance-law-10-days?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:27:55 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang The two-week ceasefire the United States agreed to with Iran on Tuesday not only sets a deadline to seal a deal with Tehran, but leaves just days before the expiration of the 60-day legal limit for waging war without congressional authorisation that is set out under America’s War Powers Resolution. This has left open the question of how the conflict will proceed if diplomacy fails and the legal clock runs out. “Almost all the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3349437/us-ceasefire-iran-sets-diplomatic-clock-war-powers-deadline-nears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3349437/us-ceasefire-iran-sets-diplomatic-clock-war-powers-deadline-nears?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 21:17:26 +0000 Reuters Reuters Absences among transportation security ⁠workers this weekend reached their highest since a partial US government shutdown began five weeks ago, the Department of Homeland Security said on Sunday, while immigration enforcement agents prepared to fill in for them at some of the busiest US airports. At airports in Houston, New York and Atlanta, more than one-third of Transportation Security Administration staff were calling in sick or otherwise absent, DHS said, as the shutdown left tens of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347514/trump-administration-touts-plan-ice-airports-amid-criticism-union-democrats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347514/trump-administration-touts-plan-ice-airports-amid-criticism-union-democrats?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 22:19:27 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof The news rippled through Malaysian social media with something close to glee. Nick Adams, the Australian-born, self-described “alpha male” whom US President Donald Trump had nominated as ambassador to Kuala Lumpur, was not coming after all. “They do listen sometimes,” said Muhammad Izuan Ahmad Kasim, a youth leader from the People’s Justice Party who had been among the dozens who marched to the US embassy last July demanding Washington reconsider the appointment. Adams himself offered a very... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3344540/malaysians-cheer-us-drops-alpha-male-ambassador-pick-nick-adams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3344540/malaysians-cheer-us-drops-alpha-male-ambassador-pick-nick-adams?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 04:15:51 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert, a critic of the Trump administration, says he was barred from airing an interview with a Democrat seeking a US Senate seat in Texas by network lawyers concerned the appearance would violate federal fairness rules. Speaking on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday night, Colbert said the lawyers informed his team that state congressman James Talarico could not appear on the broadcast and his name shouldn’t be mentioned. “He was supposed to be here, but... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343857/trump-critic-colbert-says-cbs-blocked-interview-democratic-candidate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343857/trump-critic-colbert-says-cbs-blocked-interview-democratic-candidate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 23:59:33 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier The US Government experienced its second shutdown in four months on Saturday, as funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) halted, underscoring Washington’s growing partisanship and dysfunction. But in an ironic twist, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, at the centre of the Congressional showdown, will continue to operate despite being part of DHS, given its independent source of funding. In an unprecedented move, US President Donald Trump’s administration has allocated at... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3343562/partial-us-government-shutdown-throws-congress-turmoil-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3343562/partial-us-government-shutdown-throws-congress-turmoil-again?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 05:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US Congress has teed up a Tuesday vote on a spending bill to end the government shutdown, following a House committee vote late on Monday. The shutdown followed a breakdown in spending negotiations amid Democratic anger in response to federal immigration agents killing two US citizens in Minneapolis, which derailed talks over new money for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Late Friday, the Senate had passed a package clearing five outstanding funding bills to cover most federal... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342160/trump-urges-no-changes-spending-bill-end-3-day-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342160/trump-urges-no-changes-spending-bill-end-3-day-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 22:07:00 +0000 Reuters Reuters US House ‍Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday he believes he has the Republican votes to end a partial government shutdown within days and that the chamber will debate Immigration and Customs Enforcement reforms for two weeks after that. “I’m confident that we’ll do it at ⁠least by Tuesday. We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone in town,” Johnson said on NBC’s Meet the Press. Transport problems are persisting following a snowstorm that affected travel in the southeastern US. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342021/us-house-speaker-johnson-says-he-has-votes-end-partial-government-shutdown-tuesday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342021/us-house-speaker-johnson-says-he-has-votes-end-partial-government-shutdown-tuesday?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 17:34:39 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han The US is poised to avoid a major shutdown after senators agreed on Friday to separate a controversial bill funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from a package that also includes funding for the State Department and the Pentagon. On Friday, the Senate voted 71-29 to advance the package. The House, which is out of session this week, will still need to approve the package before it can be signed into law, meaning that there will be at least a brief funding lapse after the current... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3341911/us-likely-averts-major-government-shutdown-splitting-bill-partial-closure-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3341911/us-likely-averts-major-government-shutdown-splitting-bill-partial-closure-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 22:50:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US Senate leaders were scrambling to save a bipartisan spending deal and avert a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday as Democrats have demanded new restrictions on federal immigration raids across the country. Democrats struck a rare deal with US President Donald Trump Thursday to separate funding for the Homeland Security Department from a broad government spending bill and fund it for two weeks while Congress debates curbs on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341750/trump-seeks-avoid-shutdown-democrats-block-funding-demand-ice-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341750/trump-seeks-avoid-shutdown-democrats-block-funding-demand-ice-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 23:32:42 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US Senate Democrats are threatening to block legislation that would fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other agencies on Thursday, potentially bringing the US government a step closer to a partial shutdown if Republicans and the White House do not agree to new restrictions on US President Donald Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement. As the country reels from the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis, irate Senate Democrats laid out a list of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341626/partial-us-shutdown-seems-increasingly-likely-amid-political-stand-over-ice?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3341626/partial-us-shutdown-seems-increasingly-likely-amid-political-stand-over-ice?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 03:51:36 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants his government to fast track the legal process to ensure that a ban on social media for children under the age of 15 can enter into force in September at the start of the next school year. In a video released late on Saturday by French broadcaster BFM-TV, Macron said he had asked his government to initiate an accelerated procedure so that the proposed legislation can move as quickly as possible and be passed by the Senate in time. “The brains of our... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341169/macron-pushes-forward-frances-social-media-ban-under-15s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3341169/macron-pushes-forward-frances-social-media-ban-under-15s?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 11:47:41 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump suggested on Friday that he may punish countries with tariffs if they don’t back the US controlling Greenland, a message that came as a bipartisan Congressional delegation sought to lower tensions in the Danish capital. Trump for months has insisted that the US should control Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Nato ally Denmark, and said earlier this week that anything less than the Arctic island being in US hands would be “unacceptable”. During an unrelated... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340228/trump-says-he-may-tariff-countries-dont-back-us-controlling-greenland?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340228/trump-says-he-may-tariff-countries-dont-back-us-controlling-greenland?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 18:48:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US lawmakers voted on Thursday to revive health insurance subsidies that expired at the end of last year, offering hope to millions of Americans facing steep premium hikes – and pressuring the Senate to follow suit. The bill, which passed with Democratic support and backing from a small bloc of Republicans defying their own leadership, would extend enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act – widely known as Obamacare – for three years. Those subsidies lower monthly insurance costs for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339246/us-house-votes-extend-obamacare-subsidies-thanks-revolt-among-republicans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339246/us-house-votes-extend-obamacare-subsidies-thanks-revolt-among-republicans?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 23:43:42 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US Senate advanced a resolution on Thursday that would limit US President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, sounding a note of disapproval for his expanding ambitions in the western hemisphere. Democrats and five Republicans voted to advance the war powers resolution on a 52-47 vote and ensure a vote next week on final passage. It has virtually no chance of becoming law because Trump would have to sign it if it were to pass the Republican-controlled... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339242/us-senate-rejects-trumps-venezuela-threats-war-powers-vote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339242/us-senate-rejects-trumps-venezuela-threats-war-powers-vote?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 18:41:12 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US President Donald Trump’s Justice Department on Friday released only a partial set of documents related to its investigation into convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein, an issue that has sparked the first major split between Trump’s Make America Great Again support base since he returned to office. The department was compelled by Congress to make the documents public after lawmakers passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on November 19, a measure that required the disclosure... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3337136/trump-justice-department-release-partial-set-epstein-files-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3337136/trump-justice-department-release-partial-set-epstein-files-now?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 16:11:49 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Senate on Wednesday approved US President Donald Trump’s renomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman to head Nasa, following months of backtracking and uncertainty over the space agency’s future. The 42-year-old businessman made his fortune in online payment processing and has a personal passion for space. He will take over as administrator of the US agency at a sensitive time – when it faces major budget cuts and pressure to travel to the moon again and eventually reach Mars. The Trump... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336835/musk-ally-isaacman-confirmed-nasa-chief-amid-moon-race-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336835/musk-ally-isaacman-confirmed-nasa-chief-amid-moon-race-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 21:29:30 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippine government is weighing whether a United Nations anti-corruption treaty can help track down and extradite a former lawmaker accused of being one of the masterminds behind the billion-peso flood control scandal and believed to be hiding overseas. Presidential press officer and undersecretary Claire Castro said Manila was studying a proposal by Senator Panfilo Lacson to tap the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) to help locate and extradite former congressman Zaldy Co. Co, who... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336671/philippines-weighs-using-un-anti-corruption-treaty-zaldy-cos-extradition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3336671/philippines-weighs-using-un-anti-corruption-treaty-zaldy-cos-extradition?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Dec 2025 13:04:32 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump’s administration is facing a Friday deadline to release decades of government secrets on notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the latest milestone in the long-running effort to uncover the full extent of his network. Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) must release by December 19 its vast cache of records on the late financier’s sex-trafficking empire, which was alleged to have entangled underage girls and brushed against the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336435/deadline-looms-release-epstein-files-test-us-transparency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3336435/deadline-looms-release-epstein-files-test-us-transparency?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 04:23:30 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung The United States Senate has passed a bill seeking to review long-standing restrictions on official engagement with Taiwan, a move certain to anger Beijing. For over four decades, Washington’s own guidelines have limited how officials may interact with their Taiwanese counterparts. But the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act asks the State Department to “identify opportunities and plans to lift self-imposed restrictions on relations with Taiwan”. Passed without objection by senators from both... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3333577/us-senate-approves-bill-could-clear-way-more-official-exchanges-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3333577/us-senate-approves-bill-could-clear-way-more-official-exchanges-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 11:24:38 +0000 Agencies Agencies US President Donald Trump signed legislation on Wednesday that compels his administration to release files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, bowing to political pressure from his own party after initially resisting those efforts. Trump could have chosen to release many of the files on his own months ago. “Democrats have used the ‘Epstein’ issue, which affects them far more than the Republican Party, in order to try and distract from our AMAZING Victories,” Trump said in a social media... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333459/bondi-says-shell-follow-law-release-epstein-files-bill-heads-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333459/bondi-says-shell-follow-law-release-epstein-files-bill-heads-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 19:26:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Republican-controlled US Congress voted almost unanimously on Tuesday to force the release of Justice Department files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, an outcome President Donald Trump had fought for months before ending his opposition. Two days after Trump’s abrupt about-face, the House of Representatives passed the measure with a vote of 427-1, sending a resolution requiring the release of all unclassified records on Epstein to the Republican-majority Senate, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333318/us-lawmakers-vote-overwhelmingly-force-release-epstein-files?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333318/us-lawmakers-vote-overwhelmingly-force-release-epstein-files?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 19:50:19 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The death of Juan Ponce Enrile has brought an end to one of the most complicated lives in Philippine politics – a man I covered for decades, whose brilliance, ruthlessness and endless reinventions shaped the country as much as they confounded those who tried to understand him. A central figure in the Philippines’ modern history, Enrile served as Ferdinand Marcos Snr’s defence minister during martial law, defected during the 1986 People Power revolt, and eventually reclaimed power as Senate... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3333147/philippines-political-chameleon-juan-ponce-enriles-complicated-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3333147/philippines-political-chameleon-juan-ponce-enriles-complicated-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 02:00:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives will vote on Tuesday on forcing the release of investigative files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with passage seen as all but guaranteed after President Donald Trump dropped his long-standing opposition. Trump’s reversal late on Sunday came days after a House petition gathered enough support to force a vote, a rare instance of House Republicans defying the president’s wishes. Until the weekend, Trump and his staff had lobbied hard... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333171/us-house-push-forward-epstein-vote-after-trump-reversal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333171/us-house-push-forward-epstein-vote-after-trump-reversal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 22:03:52 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The new speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives has pledged to push through a long-stalled law banning political dynasties – despite hailing from one of the country’s most prominent clans and sharing the chamber with multiple relatives. Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, elected speaker in September with near-unanimous support, told lawmakers on November 11 that he would prioritise legislation to finally implement the constitution’s ban on dynasties. Observers say the move could address public... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333121/philippine-speakers-anti-dynasty-push-just-lip-service?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333121/philippine-speakers-anti-dynasty-push-just-lip-service?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 10:26:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s administration said on Friday it was formally withdrawing a plan by his predecessor to require airlines to pay passengers cash compensation when US flight disruptions are caused by carriers. In December 2024, the US Transportation Department (DOT) under then-president Joe Biden sought public comment on writing rules to require airlines to pay US$200 to US$300 for domestic delays of at least three hours and up to US$775 for longer delays. In September, the USDOT first... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332883/trump-administration-scraps-bidens-airline-compensation-plan-delayed-flights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332883/trump-administration-scraps-bidens-airline-compensation-plan-delayed-flights?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Nov 2025 15:02:47 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The longest government shutdown in US history has ended, but it could take days - and in some cases a week or more - before normal operations resume. Payroll systems must be updated to pay out weeks of back wages. Backlogs of grant disbursements, loan applications and customer calls that went unanswered for 43 days would need to be cleared. Delayed environmental permits, workplace inspections and contracting activities have stacked up across federal agencies. The work of reopening the government... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332617/us-government-reopens-costs-43-day-shutdown-will-linger-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332617/us-government-reopens-costs-43-day-shutdown-will-linger-weeks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 07:30:56 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han US President Donald Trump signed a bill to end the record-breaking US government shutdown after the House of Representatives approved a bipartisan funding deal on Wednesday. The signing at the White House in Washington capped a 43-day stoppage that has left hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay and disrupted public services in the United States. However, just how quickly full government services and operations would resume was not immediately clear. “This is no way to run a... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3332563/us-government-shutdown-house-representatives-votes-end-historic-funding-deadlock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3332563/us-government-shutdown-house-representatives-votes-end-historic-funding-deadlock?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 01:27:12 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US Supreme Court on Tuesday extended an order blocking full Snap payments, amid signals that the government shutdown could soon end and food aid payments resume. The order keeps in place at least for a few more days a chaotic situation. People who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme to feed their families in some states have received their full monthly allocations, while others have received nothing. The order will expire just before midnight on Thursday. The Senate has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332404/us-supreme-court-lets-trump-continue-cuts-snap-food-aid-even-shutdown-nears-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332404/us-supreme-court-lets-trump-continue-cuts-snap-food-aid-even-shutdown-nears-end?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 23:49:26 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The longest-ever US government shutdown moved towards an eventual resolution on Monday, after several Democratic senators broke ranks to join Republicans in a 60-40 vote passing a compromise deal, sparking intraparty backlash. Since October 1, the first day of the shutdown, more than a million federal workers have been unpaid, while government benefits and services have been increasingly disrupted. Severe impacts on air traffic have begun to mount in recent days, with more than 1,000 flights... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332269/end-us-government-shutdown-sight-senate-passes-bill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332269/end-us-government-shutdown-sight-senate-passes-bill?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 02:34:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump on Monday demanded air traffic controllers return to work as travellers endured another day of flight cancellations, which the administration ordered to manage staff shortages during the government shutdown. Trump’s comment came after the US aviation system has suffered serious disruptions in recent days as air traffic controller absences soared while they work without pay. Some are absent as they need to work second jobs or cannot afford child care. An airline trade... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332257/trump-tells-air-traffic-controllers-return-work-flight-cancellations-jump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332257/trump-tells-air-traffic-controllers-return-work-flight-cancellations-jump?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 21:14:46 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Senate on Sunday moved forward on a measure aimed at reopening the federal government and ending a now 40-day shutdown that has sidelined federal workers, delayed food aid and snarled air travel. In a procedural vote, senators advanced a House-passed bill that will be amended to fund the government until January 30 and include a package of three full-year appropriations bills. If the Senate eventually passes the amended measure, it still must be approved by the House of Representatives... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332129/us-shutdown-may-be-nearing-end-senators-support-funding-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332129/us-shutdown-may-be-nearing-end-senators-support-funding-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Nov 2025 01:07:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters Hundreds of thousands of travellers had their flights delayed or cancelled on Sunday in the worst day for disruptions since the start of a US government shutdown, as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned of worse to come in the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday. Airlines cancelled more than 2,800 US flights and delayed more than 10,200 on Sunday in the third day of government-mandated flight cuts due to rising air traffic control staffing shortages, after thousands of delays and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332122/us-air-travel-will-fall-trickle-due-government-shutdown-transport-secretary-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332122/us-air-travel-will-fall-trickle-due-government-shutdown-transport-secretary-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Nov 2025 17:32:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters The economic impact of the US government shutdown is far worse than expected, but the US economy is likely to rebound quickly once it ends, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said on Friday. Construction projects are starting to slow down and travel is suffering, Hassett said in an interview with Fox Business Network. “Travel and leisure is a place that’s really being heavily hit right now, and if it continues to get hit, if the air travel thing goes south for another week or two, then... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332000/us-government-shutdown-far-worse-expected-white-house-adviser-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3332000/us-government-shutdown-far-worse-expected-white-house-adviser-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 14:27:28 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse More than 1,000 flights were cancelled across the US on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers working without pay amid a federal government shutdown. Forty airports were slated for the cuts, including major hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. With Republicans and Democrats in a bitter stand-off, particularly over health insurance subsidies, federal agencies have been grinding to halt since funding lapsed... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331996/us-airline-chaos-cancels-800-flights-budget-crisis-hits-air-traffic-control?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331996/us-airline-chaos-cancels-800-flights-budget-crisis-hits-air-traffic-control?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 13:33:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse,Reuters Agence France-Presse,Reuters US President Donald Trump accused “kamikaze” Democrats of being prepared to destroy the country as the government shutdown became the longest in history on Wednesday, eclipsing the 35-day record set during the Republican leader’s first term. Federal agencies have been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, and the pain has been mounting as welfare programmes – including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Snap, that helps millions of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331679/trump-blames-kamikaze-democrats-longest-ever-us-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331679/trump-blames-kamikaze-democrats-longest-ever-us-government-shutdown?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 14:47:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US government shutdown became the longest ever on Wednesday, topping the 35-day record set during Donald Trump’s first term, as his administration warned of holiday air travel chaos and threatened Americans’ benefits in a bid to force a resolution. Federal agencies have been grinding to a halt since Congress failed to approve funding past September 30, and the pain has been mounting as welfare programmes - including aid that helps millions of Americans afford groceries - hang in limbo. There... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331587/us-government-shutdown-becomes-longest-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331587/us-government-shutdown-becomes-longest-history?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 05:44:49 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US government shutdown was poised to become the longest ever this week as the impasse between Democrats and Republicans dragged into a new month. Millions of people could lose food aid benefits, healthcare subsidies were set to expire and there were few real talks between the parties over how to end it. US President Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Sunday that he “won’t be extorted” by Democrats who were demanding negotiations to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3331259/us-shutdown-set-drag-6th-week-trump-pushes-republicans-change-senate-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3331259/us-shutdown-set-drag-6th-week-trump-pushes-republicans-change-senate-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Nov 2025 22:12:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US government shutdown barrelled towards its second month on Friday and the pain is spreading fast – with federal workers broke, food aid vanishing and millions of Americans caught in the crossfire. What started on October 1 as a Washington sideshow has morphed into a slow-motion implosion of public services and a growing economic convulsion, with federal offices dark and President Donald Trump’s government stuck in neutral. Republicans warned that millions will begin feeling the full force... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331126/americans-facing-hunger-shutdown-enters-second-month-starting-become-very-real?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3331126/americans-facing-hunger-shutdown-enters-second-month-starting-become-very-real?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 14:03:44 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Republican-led US Senate passed legislation on Tuesday that would overturn President Donald Trump’s tariffs against Brazil by terminating the national emergency he declared in July in retaliation for Brazil’s prosecution of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro, for an alleged coup attempt. In the first of three tariff bills expected in the Senate this week, lawmakers approved the Brazil measure 52-48, with five Republicans crossing partisan lines to back the legislation. Legislative measures... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3330696/us-senate-passes-bill-end-trump-tariffs-against-brazil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3330696/us-senate-passes-bill-end-trump-tariffs-against-brazil?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 23:48:27 +0000 Reuters Reuters Air travel turmoil deepened as nearly 7,000 flights were delayed in the United States on Monday, with air traffic controller absences surging as the federal government shutdown reached its 27th day. The Federal Aviation Administration cited staffing shortages and imposed ground delay programmes affecting Newark Airport in New Jersey, Austin Airport in Texas and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Flights in the southeast were delayed earlier because of significant staffing shortages at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3330540/flight-delays-soar-past-4300-us-government-shutdown-continues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3330540/flight-delays-soar-past-4300-us-government-shutdown-continues?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2025 22:18:59 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg With the US government shutdown stumbling towards the one-month mark, the effects of the stand-off between Republicans and Democrats were being felt further away from the Capitol, as flights began to back up and food aid was drying up. US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy warned that travellers would face more flight delays and cancellations in the coming weeks as the continuing shutdown exacerbates the air traffic controller staffing crunch. “What I see coming forward, as we get to Monday,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3330405/food-benefits-millions-americans-be-paused-government-shutdown-continues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3330405/food-benefits-millions-americans-be-paused-government-shutdown-continues?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 21:49:24 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The agency responsible for safeguarding the US nuclear stockpile began placing most staff on enforced leave Monday, an official said, as yet another congressional vote to end the crippling government shutdown failed. With the stand-off about to enter its fourth week, some 1,400 workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration were due to receive notices telling them they had been placed on unpaid furlough. “Due to the Democrat shutdown, approximately 1,400 NNSA federal employees will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329716/us-begins-sending-nuclear-workers-home-government-shutdown-drags?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329716/us-begins-sending-nuclear-workers-home-government-shutdown-drags?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 17:41:08 +0000