Rappler's latest stories on US Congress
Floyd brother tells U.S. Congress to 'stop' pain, pass police reform
Philonise Floyd appears in person before a House hearing, where he describes the anguish of watching a video of George's death and demands lawmakers address the systemic problems in law enforcement

Democrats take a knee in U.S. Congress in George Floyd tribute
They kneel for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to mark the length of time a white police officer pinned his knee on the neck of the 46-year-old Floyd

U.S. Congress votes to restrain Trump on Iran
'There are a lot of countries in the world where one person makes the decision. They're called dictators,' says Representative Steny Hoyer

Trump takes impeachment victory lap after 'terrible ordeal'
In his first public comments since being acquitted by the Senate, President Donald Trump says he has been 'put through a terrible ordeal by some very dishonest and corrupt people'

Top Democrat Nancy Pelosi rips copy of Trump speech
The tension between Trump and his Democratic nemesis was palpable from the outset, as Pelosi extended her hand for a handshake – and the president failed to return the favor

Trump trial opens with clash over witnesses
Flexing his solid 53-47 majority, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell makes clear he would summarily block any Democratic attempts to change his rules

Trump brief assails impeachment, demands immediate acquittal
(UPDATED) One source working with the president's legal team says impeachment process was 'illegitimate from the start,' adding, 'The president did nothing wrong'

U.S. lawmakers urge action on 'crimes against humanity' in China
'The Commission believes Chinese authorities may be committing crimes against humanity against the Uighur people and other Turkic Muslims,' says the Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Putin says Trump impeachment based on 'made-up grounds'
Putin describes the events in the US legislature as 'simply the continuation of a internal political fight' between Democrats and Republicans

House votes on impeaching Trump for abuse of office
The Democratic majority in the House, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is expected to approve two articles of impeachment

House panel approves Trump charges, sets up impeachment vote
Democrats and Republicans in the House Judiciary Committee vote along strict party lines, 23 to 17
Trump impeachment debate opens with fiery partisan battle
Lawmakers in the televised hearing appear focused on speaking to voters, whose sentiment will be crucial if, as expected, US President Donald Trump goes on trial in the US Senate in January

Obstruction, abuse of power charges unveiled in Trump impeachment
(3rd UPDATE) The charges, if approved by the House of Representatives in a vote expected next week, would make Trump only the third US president to be impeached and placed on trial in the Senate

U.S. House passes Uighur bill urging sanctions on Chinese officials
The legislation adds to tensions between the two superpowers just as they are locked in negotiations to finalize a "phase one" deal to resolve their protracted trade war

Hong Kong rights bill clears US Congress, heads to Trump
The White House says US President Donald Trump is expected to sign the measure

U.S. Senate passes Hong Kong rights bill
(UPDATED) China shoots back that it would 'have to take strong countermeasures to defend our national sovereignty, security and development interests' if the US carried on making 'wrong decisions'

U.S. officials tell impeachment probe of concerns over Trump-Ukraine call
'It is improper for the president of the United States to demand a foreign government investigate a US citizen and a political opponent,' says Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, one of the witnesses

Trump says will 'strongly consider' testifying in impeachment probe
But it is unclear what kind of testimony US President Donald Trump has in mind

Key moments from Day Two of Trump impeachment hearing
(UPDATED) Former US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch testifies before US Congress about intimidation from Trump and the 'smear campaign' against her

Ousted U.S. envoy testifies at Trump impeachment hearing
Earlier witnesses in the inquiry said US envoy Marie Yovanovitch was removed after a smear campaign involving Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Yovanovitch will now tell her side of the story.

Trump asks Supreme Court to protect his tax returns
The US president's attorneys argue that Trump enjoys immunity both from prosecution and from any acts of investigation

U.S. Congress can still seek Trump tax records, court decides
The decision marked the second time an appeals court has denied Donald Trump's attempt to avoid a House subpoena that calls for him to turn over 8 years of accounting documents

Pence aide testifies in Trump impeachment inquiry
A veteran diplomat who advises Vice President Mike Pence on Europe and Russia, Jennifer Williams will be the first person from the vice president's office to testify

U.S. House formalizes Trump impeachment process in landmark vote
The chamber votes along party lines, 232 to 196, to pass a resolution that lays out rules for the next stages of the impeachment process

Trump rallies Republicans as impeachment probe goes public
'If we don't hold this president accountable, we could be ceding our ability to hold any president accountable,' says Jim McGovern, chariman of the House Rules Committee

New impeachment witness shakes White House
National Security Council Ukraine expert Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman is the first witness to have personally listened in on the July 25 phone call at the core of the impeachment inquiry

U.S. diplomat: Trump pushed for Ukraine probe of firm linked to Biden son
US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland tells Congress that in May, President Donald Trump ordered diplomats to involve his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in discussions about Ukraine policy

Trump demands whistleblower testify, as ex-aide talks to Congress
US President Donald Trump faces a new setback with his former top Russia advisor, Fiona Hill, sitting for a closed-door deposition before Capitol Hill lawmakers

Zuckerberg to testify in U.S. Congress on Facebook digital currency plan
The Facebook chief will be the sole witness at the October 23 hearing on 'An Examination of Facebook and Its Impact on the Financial Services and Housing Sectors'
U.S. Democrats subpoena Pentagon docs in impeachment inquiry
The chairmen of 3 House panels leading the impeachment investigation are seeking information related to President Donald Trump pressing his Ukrainian counterpart to uncover dirt on 2020 US presidential contender Joe Biden

Trump says unsure if he'll cooperate with Congress on impeachment
President Donald Trump once again denies that he's done anything wrong in his relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, insisting that his only interest is 'looking at corruption'

Zuckerberg meets Trump, senators; nixes breaking up Facebook
The world's biggest social network is facing a myriad of regulatory and legal questions surrounding issues like competition, digital privacy, censorship and transparency in political advertising

China rebukes Washington after HK activists make Congress plea
China's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang calls for the US to 'stop interfering in Hong Kong's affairs in any form'

Pelosi vows to thwart U.S.-UK trade deal if Brexit risks Irish peace
Any trade agreement needs the green light from US Congress, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – Trump's political nemesis on Capitol Hill – has made clear she would not play ball if the Irish peace deal were put at risk

Mueller to Congress: Trump was not exonerated
(UPDATED) 'The finding indicates that the president was not exculpated from the acts that he allegedly committed,' Robert Mueller tells the House Judiciary Committee

Trump says minority congresswomen should 'apologize to America'
US President Donald Trump's comments come a week after he sparked a firestorm of outrage when he attacked the left-leaning lawmakers with a series of tweets saying they should 'go back' to their countries of origin

Ilhan Omar, U.S. congresswoman in eye of political storm
The Somali-born Muslim lawmaker came to the United States as a child and eventually won a seat in Congress

U.S. House votes to condemn Trump's 'racist comments'
Democrats hold a majority in the 435-member House but are outnumbered by Republicans in the Senate, where the resolution is unlikely to be considered

Robert Mueller to testify in U.S. Congress on Russia probe
The former US special counsel agrees to testify in public on July 17 about his report into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election

Trump sues banks in bid to block Congress subpoenas
The suit accuses Congress of stepping beyond its law-making mandate into law enforcement, and says the subpoenas violate the privacy rights of Donald Trump and his family

[ANALYSIS] How Congress can and will follow up on a redacted Mueller report
Here are some of the ways the US House of Representatives will likely follow up with more investigation

Trump ex-lawyer has no proof of Russia collusion but 'suspicions'
Michael Cohen believes Donald Trump had advance knowledge of a June 2016 meeting between campaign members, including his son, and Russians peddling 'dirt' on election rival Hillary Clinton

U.S. House strikes down Trump's border emergency
US President Donald Trump's emergency declaration now goes to the Republican-held Senate

War of words rages as Pelosi blocks Trump's speech to Congress
Trump tell reporters, the 'State of the Union speech has been cancelled by Nancy Pelosi because she doesn't want to hear the truth' about border security, adding that he is considering an 'alternative' for the speech

Ex-Trump lawyer to testify to Congress in February
'I look forward to having the privilege of being afforded a platform with which to give a full and credible account of the events which have transpired,' Michael Cohen says in a statement

America's youngest congresswoman launches term with radical plan
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposes taxing the ultra-wealthy up to 70 percent

Democrats seize U.S. House control, but shutdown impasse remains
(UPDATED) After a historic opening session of the 116th Congress, lawmakers take aim at a bipartisan priority of ending an embarrassing partial government shutdown

It's official: Divided government arrives on Capitol Hill
January 3 brings an end to US President Donald Trump's one-party rule in Washington, a massive boost for Democrats who felt deflated after Trump's 2016 victory

Trump warns U.S. government shutdown could last a 'long time'
One day before Democrats take over the House of Representatives, US President Donald Trump shows no signs of backing away from his insistence that Congress cough up $5.6 billion for his 'beautiful' southern wall

Trump signals retreat on wall funding, but shutdown threat remains
'The president asked every one of his cabinet secretaries to look for funding that can be used to protect our borders,' White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders says
