Rappler's latest stories on US senators
Police reform bill clears U.S. House but deadlock awaits in Senate
President Donald Trump is opposed to the House measure, and says the Democrats were aiming to 'weaken our police' and end officer immunity

Republican police reform bill blocked in U.S. Senate
The Republican proposal, which President Donald Trump supports, would discourage but not ban tactics like choke holds

U.S. Senate panel head steps down amid virus insider-trading probe
Burr is under investigation over whether he used his access to highly classified intelligence to sell stocks in February – before the coronavirus pandemic struck the US

U.S. Senate threatens sanctions on China over COVID-19 accounting
'The Chinese Communist Party must be held accountable for the detrimental role they played in this pandemic,' says Senator Jim Inhofe, one of the sponsors of the 'COVID-19 Accountability Act'

U.S. Senate approves new $480 billion pandemic relief plan
The effort is the government's latest massive cash infusion to prop up a collapsing economy amid struggles to contain a pandemic that has killed 43,000 Americans and left some 22 million people jobless

U.S. economic rescue plan blocked again in Senate, talks continue
Democrats argue the current Republican-led legislation prioritizes big corporations over protecting workers

U.S. Senate votes to restrain Trump on Iran
One Republican who voted yes is Mike Lee, who says a classified session by the Trump administration after the Soleimani killing was the 'worst' defense briefing he ever received

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'

Trump impeachment prosecutor: Philippine EJK victims, kin look to U.S. for rule of law
'They’re not going turn to Russia. They’re not going turn to China…. They look to us because we are still the indispensable nation. They look to us because we have a rule of law,' says US Congressman Adam Schiff

Democratic prosecutors wrap up case against Trump
Democrats continue to hope for subpoenas on 4 potential witnesses, while Trump's victory is virtually assured in a Republican-led US Senate

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'

De Lima thanks U.S. Senate for ‘standing strong for larger truths’
Senator Leila de Lima says US Senate Resolution 142 is 'a watershed in the history of keeping democracy and human rights accountability in the country'

[OPINION] Reflections at the dawn of a hope-filled New Year and decade
I am filled with hope to see that there is a growing momentum for demanding accountability, as more and more allies committed to defending human rights, democracy and the Rule of Law are making themselves heard

Why the Global Magnitsky Act matters to the Philippines
With a US Senate committee passing a resolution invoking the Global Magnitsky Act, Philippine officials face the prospect of being denied US visas and having their assets there frozen

U.S. senators misled over PH officials ban? De Lima: ‘Nakakatawa naman ito’
Senator Leila de Lima tells Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo her detention is a 'test case for your boss’ attempt to flex his tyrannical ambitions'

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'

Groups welcome proposed U.S. travel ban on officials in De Lima detention
The Philippine government, meanwhile, tags the move as an intrusion of sovereignty

U.S. attorney general grilled over handling of Russia report
After undergoing tough questioning in the US Senate, Bill Barr refuses to appear before the House

Barr faces tough questions on handling of Mueller report
US Attorney General Bill Barr 'whitewashed the report,' Senator Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, tells CNN ahead of the hearing

Sotto, Lacson, Honasan seek Senate rebuke of US lawmakers
The 3 senators file Senate Resolution 1037, seeking the rebuke of United States lawmakers for 'interfering' in Philippine affairs

U.S. senators urge Philippines to drop charges vs De Lima, Maria Ressa
US senator Marsha Blackburn says of the bipartisan resolution: '...while we value our relationship with the Philippines, the US Congress expects to see real change to the current practices of the Duterte government'

Trump signs first veto to secure funding for border wall
(UPDATED) The US President overrides the Congress' decision to terminate his declaration of an emergency at the Mexican border

Senate rebukes Trump on border emergency; U.S. president vows veto
Donald Trump's terse response: 'VETO!' he tweets after a dozen Republicans joined Democrats in voting down the emergency, declared as a way to secure alternative funding for the border wall denied to him by Congress

'Chilling' testimony promised from Trump's former lawyer
Michael Cohen, the longtime personal lawyer to Donald Trump is set to appear before lawmakers eager to press for dramatic details of his former client's business and personal affairs

Rebuking Trump, House votes to end U.S. help in Saudi's Yemen war
The US House of Representatives approves historic legislation directing Trump to 'remove United States armed forces from hostilities in or affecting the Republic of Yemen'

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

Saudi Arabia slams U.S. Senate vote as 'interference'
The largely symbolic vote deals a fresh warning to President Donald Trump, who has staunchly backed the Saudi regime in the face of intense global outrage that analysts say has left the kingdom diplomatically weakened

Ex-U.S. senators warn of 'constitutional crisis' under Trump
Forty-four former US senators urge current and future members of the US Senate to make sure that 'partisanship or self-interest not replace national interest'

U.S. senators blast Saudi prince over Khashoggi, after CIA chief briefing
'I have zero question in my mind that the crown prince directed the murder and was kept appraised of the situation all the way through it,' says Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker

Trump swoops in to support Republican in tense Senate race
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is locked in an unexpectedly tight runoff vote on November 27 in what should have been reliable Republican territory for the final Senate race of the 2018 midterms

HOAX: 'US Senator' Richard Black calls Duterte a ‘druglord’
(UPDATED) In the embedded interview video, the Virginia State Senator did not mention this term

Races to watch in U.S. midterm elections 2018
Here is a look at some of the most interesting contests

Democrats favored to take House, Republicans to hold Senate
All 435 seats in the House are up for grabs on November 6, while 35 seats in the 100-member Senate are at stake. Americans will choose new governors in 36 states.

Kavanaugh sworn into Supreme Court after divisive fight
Across the United States, protestors rally against the nominee who has been plagued by allegations of sexual misconduct. The confirmation ushers in Republican control of the top court, a major win for Trump

U.S. Senate poised to confirm Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh
If Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed, Trump will have succeeded in having his two picks seated on the court – a major coup for the Republican leader less than halfway through his term

U.S. Senate braces for key vote on embattled Supreme Court nominee
Three key Republican lawmakers still officially undecided on Brett Kavanaugh, who has faced accusations of sexual misconduct

Supreme Court nominee in unusual plea as U.S. Senate nears vote
Furor over Kavanaugh's nomination has overshadowed next month's midterm elections in which control of Congress by Donald Trump's Republican Party could be at stake

Trump orders FBI probe of Kavanaugh as Senate delays final vote
President Donald Trump's probe order comes after key Republican senator Jeff Flake threatened to break ranks with his party over the controversy

Senate panel backs Trump's Supreme Court pick Kavanaugh
The panel splits along strict party lines with the 11 Republican members backing Kavanaugh and all 10 Democrats voting against the president's controversial nominee.

First vote on embattled U.S. court nominee after fraught hearing
(UPDATED) Friday's vote – set for 1:30 pm (1730 GMT; 1:30 am Saturday, Manila time) – will take place under an intense spotlight, following a historic day of testimony that put the toxic partisan feuding in Washington on full display

Trump backs embattled court nominee after fiery hearing
'I categorically and unequivocally deny the allegation by Dr Ford,' says Brett Kavanaugh in his opening statement

Trump defends Supreme Court pick but says he could change mind
Donald Trump says he is skeptical because he personally had been the target of 'false statements' in the past made by various women

Battle lines drawn for U.S. Senate showdown on Trump court nominee
A university professor agrees to give her testimony publicly in the US Senate, accusing Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault

Kavanaugh accuser willing to testify in U.S. Senate – reports
Christine Blasey Ford's lawyers have told the Senate judiciary committee she cannot appear at its hearing scheduled for Monday, September 24, calling the date Republicans set 'arbitrary'

Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter's Jack Dorsey testify before U.S. Congress
The two executives reassure lawmakers that they're not going to drop the ball again on foreign manipulation on social media but both acknowledge there is still a long way to go
LIVE: U.S. Senate hearing with Facebook, Twitter on foreign influence in social media
Watch the US Senate's hearing with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg live here
Twitter to verify those behind hot-button US issue ads
In response to foreign meddling, Twitter sets new policy prohibiting state-owned media or national authorities from buying political ads on Twitter that will be shown outside their home countries
Democrats want Trump interpreter to testify about Putin summit
'We want the interpreter to come before the committee. We want to see the notes,' says the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
