Axios

The Senate on Wednesday rejected an effort to advance legislation that would restrict President Trump from using further military action in Iran, despite overwhelming support from Democrats.

Why it matters: Congress has now denied repeated attempts to rein in Trump's military interventions in the Middle East and South America.

House Democrats largely voted with Republicans on Wednesday to defeat a measure that would have forced the House Ethics Committee to release all of its records related to sexual misconduct investigations into House members.

Why it matters: The cause is one that has been championed by lawmakers in both parties, but Democratic leadership made the case privately to their members that this was too haphazard a way to go about it.

Some five days into the sprawling Middle East conflict sparked by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, significantly more Americans disapprove than approve of the attacks across several polls.

The big picture: President Trump has offered a mixed bag of motivations for the strikes and his plans to resolve the rapidly escalating conflict that has killed six U.S. service members.

The Pentagon says it's threatening to blacklist top American AI lab Anthropic without putting similar restrictions on Chinese rivals.

Why it matters: By penalizing a domestic leader for its safety standards, the U.S. is creating a market opening for cheaper, unregulated models from competing countries.

Texas state Rep. James Talarico of Austin defeated U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Dallas for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Texas.

Why it matters: Talarico's victory sets the stage for a battle royal that promises to be among the most expensive contests of the year, as Democrats hope President Trump's unpopularity translates to red-state victories.

Former U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson are headed for a runoff in the Democratic primary for a redrawn North Texas seat.

Why it matters: Democrats were left fighting for fewer congressional seats in Texas after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas to use an election map giving Republicans five more GOP-leaning seats.

U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee and Rep. Al Green are headed for a runoff in the Democratic primary in a redrawn Houston-area district, the Associated Press projects.

The big picture: With no candidate topping 50%, the race is headed to a May runoff — setting up a high-stakes showdown between Menefee and Green. For Green, who was first elected in 2004, the stakes are steep after he decided to run in the 18th District when lawmakers redrew his old seat to tilt Republican.

New York and Utah are leading the nation on children's well-being, according to a new 50-state ranking of policy, leadership and family perceptions called The Childhood Index.

Why it matters: Lack of federal oversight has forced states to step in and fill the gap as concerns about addictive social media algorithms and technology's impact on children have mounted.

One House Republican lost his seat outright in Texas' primary elections Tuesday night, and four other House members will face grueling, 12-week runoff campaigns.

Why it matters: While short of a full-on wipeout, it's not the kind of result that instills confidence in lawmakers who are trying to withstand the anti-incumbency wave roiling both parties right now.

The House Ethics Committee formally launched an investigation into Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) on Wednesday over an alleged affair with his former staffer who died by suicide.

Why it matters: The investigation comes as Gonzales heads into a high-stakes primary runoff and faces growing calls from his colleagues to step aside. Gonzales has denied having the affair.