Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said Tuesday that he's secured the 51 Senate votes needed to pass a revised version of his war powers resolution, which would require President Trump to seek approval from Congress before taking further military action against Iran, per the AP.
Why it matters: The bipartisan resolution, which has the backing of Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), illustrates the degree to which the Trump administration's actions against Iran have tested the president's Republican allies.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday responded to reports that a Russian military intelligence unit successfully targeted Burisma, the Ukrainian gas company that once employed Joe Biden's son as a board member, and demanded that Congress be briefed on the administration's knowledge of the hack.
Why it matters: Pelosi called the reports "alarming" and said they serve as evidence that Russia is "continuing to interfere in our elections to benefit the President and to undermine our democracy."
China will no longer be labeled a currency manipulator, the Treasury Department announced, just two days before President Trump and Vice Premier Liu He are set to sign "phase one" of a long-awaited trade deal.
What happened: China was added to the list just five months ago after its government allowed the yuan to slip below a 7-to-1 dollar ratio for the first time in more than a decade.
The leaders of the U.K., Germany and France said in a Tuesday letter that they are triggering a "dispute mechanism" in the Iran nuclear agreement in response to Tehran’s attempts to undo parts of the deal, the AP reports.
Why it matters: The action could lead to the restoration of European sanctions on Iran that were rolled back in 2015.
Protesters stared down Iranian riot police in at least two cities as demonstrations over the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane entered a third day, the New York Times reports.
Driving the news: Amid the protests, Iranian authorities announced the arrests of "some individuals" over the crash — without specifying who or how many — and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for the creation of a special court regarding the incident, per the AP.
Twelve days in which war between the U.S. and Iran seemed to loom ever closer began and ended with apparent Iranian mistakes.
The big picture: Iran is under growing pressure at home and abroad, while President Trump appears emboldened. But Trump is also facing criticism in Washington for failing to substantiate claims of an "imminent" threat, and overseas for his role in driving the escalation.
The Treasury Department announced Monday that China will no longer be designated as a currency manipulator, just two days before President Trump and Vice Premier Liu He are set to sign "phase one" of a long-awaited trade deal, CNBC reports.
Why it matters, per Axios' Felix Salmon: China never fit the textbook definition of being a currency manipulator. The decision to apply the label was a political one — as was the decision to remove it.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a very bad political day.
Driving the news: Less than 50 days before Israel's third elections in a year, three new political developments will make his efforts to get re-elected much harder.
Jordan's King Abdullah II said in an interview with France 24 that he thinks President Trump will present his Israeli-Palestinian peace plan soon, stressing that he hopes it will allow his country and the rest of the international community to see "the glass half full."
Why it matters: The king’s remarks signal a shift in his rhetoric regarding the U.S. peace plan. In the last several months, the king and other Jordanian officials raised concerns about the plan both in private and in public — and even said they don’t want the White House to present it.
In 1967, at the height of the Cold War, the FBI began collecting information on thousands of Chinese scientists and students in cities across the U.S. The Scientist and the Spy, a book publishing in February, reveals the existence of this former program for the first time.
Why it matters: Recent FBI indictments and investigations, targeting Chinese researchers in the U.S. and aimed at stemming the unauthorized flow of science and tech secrets to China, have raised fears among Chinese-Americans that another period of racially tinged suspicion is upon them.
Iranian protesters have taken to the streets for a second day, calling for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's resignation after the government admitted to accidentally shooting down a Ukrainian passenger plane, killing all 176 people on board, Reuters reports.
The latest: Security forces used tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition to break up protests in Tehran on Sunday, per the New York Times, which notes demonstrations have spread to other cities across the country.
