Friday, April 10, 2026

GOP blocks Democratic bill to end Iran war

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On Politics

Thu Apr 9 2026

Kathryn Palmer | Politics Reporter

@KathrynPlmr

Hello readers, Kathryn Palmer here. Welcome to Thursday's On Politics. A whole lot is going on, so let's dive straight in.

GOP blocks Democratic bill to end Iran war

As Democrats look for a way to rein in President Donald Trump amid the war in Iran, Republicans in the House of Representatives blocked them on April 9 from considering a measure to halt military hostilities in the region.

With Congress still on recess until next week, a war powers resolution that Democrats planned to offer would've needed unanimous support within the GOP-controlled chamber to move forward.

Though the bill was never likely to succeed with Republican leaders standing in the way, it underscored the pressure Democrats on Capitol Hill are feeling to use any political lever to stop what many of them refer to as a "war of choice."

Heavy machinery operates at the site of an Israeli strike carried out on Wednesday, in Ain Al Mraiseh in Beirut, Lebanon, April 9, 2026.

Raghed Waked, REUTERS

A politics roundup:

•	Why is Israel bombing Lebanon? What to know after deadly attacks
•	The NFL is under DOJ investigation over fan subscription fees
•	Articles of impeachment filed against Trump − Why it's a long shot
•	North Carolina hasn't legalized pot. Now it faces a $3 billion problem

Gallery: Photos show impact of Israel's heaviest strikes on Lebanon during Iran war

Selective Service imposes automatic draft registration

Eligible men will be automatically registered into the U.S. military draft pool by December of this year, in an effort to streamline the existing self-registration process, according to the agency that oversees the system.

On March 30, the Selective Service System – the federal agency that operates the database of men eligible for service in the event of a military draft – submitted a proposed rule for automatic registration to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, according to its website.

The new automatic registration process was approved by Congress and Trump signed it into law in December 2025. Here's what to know about the new military draft registration process.

Army veteran accused of sharing military secrets with journalist

A U.S. Army veteran has been arrested and is facing criminal charges for allegedly sharing top-secret information with a journalist over a span of nearly four years.

Courtney P. Williams, a former United States Special Operations Command member, was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina on April 8 on charges he violated the Espionage Act in connection with the alleged transmission of classified national defense information to the journalist, federal court records reviewed by USA TODAY show.

Court documents do not identify the journalist or an affiliated news outlet.

Thanks for reading! Scroll down for more stories. You can reach me at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @ KathrynPlmr.