Kerry seeks update of war powers law
WASHINGTON – Secretary of State John Kerry asked Congress on Tuesday for new war powers to provide the legal grounding for U.S. military operations against the Islamic State, but said any new authorization should not limit the fight to Iraq and Syria and should not bind President Barack Obama from ever deploying ground troops against the group if necessary.
In the U.S. battle against the Islamic militants, Obama has been relying on congressional authorizations that former President George W. Bush used to justify military action after Sept. 11. Critics say the White House’s use of post-Sept. 11 congressional authorizations is a legal stretch at best.
Obama has insisted that he had the legal authority to send about 3,000 U.S. troops to train and assist Iraqi security forces and launch hundreds of airstrikes against targets in Iraq and Syria since September. More recently, the president has said that he wants a new authorization for use of military force.
Lawmakers reach $1 trillion budget deal
WASHINGTON – Time running short, Republicans and Democrats agreed Tuesday on a $1.1 trillion spending bill to avoid a government shutdown and delay a politically-charged struggle over President Barack Obama’s new immigration policy until the new year.
The compromise will permit virtually the entire government to operate normally through the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year, with the exception of the Department of Homeland Security.
Funds for that one agency will run out again in late winter. That will give Republicans an opportunity to try to use the expiration as leverage to force Obama to roll back a decision that will suspend the threat of deportation for an estimated 4 million immigrants living in the country illegally.
Perry still deciding on another run
AUSTIN, Texas – Rick Perry says he won’t make up his mind about a 2016 presidential run for five or six more months.
But the Texas governor insists he doesn’t feel pressure to announce sooner because most political observers already expect him to jump into the race.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Perry said such expectations are “not necessarily a bad thing.”
Associated Press
