House narrowly rejects resolution directing Trump to end ‘hostilities’ in Iran The Senate turned back a similar measure Wednesday seeking to rein in the president as the unpopular war approaches the two-month mark.

Presidential Power / Congressional Power / Foreign Policy

Note: Trump has not sought authorisation for military action in Iran, and that Democrats in Congress are using the 1973 War Powers Act to force these votes:
wapo.st/4cSbUaS

Elections, Voting rights, midterms, Trump Administration
(The Save America Act):

Jury restriction plan clears first hurdle despite Labour dissent The justice secretary says the limits are required to stem a growing backlog of cases in crown courts.

2. Parliament - legislative process, backbenchers, executive, and Judicial Reform
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Hereditary peers to be removed from Lords as bill passes The bill abolishes the 92 seats reserved for peers who inherit their titles through their families.

Two important examples for UK politics in Parliament yesterday.
1: Constitutional Reform / Parliament
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

‘MAGA is Trump’: President fires back at right-wing mutiny over Iran Tucker Carlson and other MAGA figures with big online audiences have criticized the assault on Iran, triggering pushback from the president and White House.

GOP divisions over Iran:
wapo.st/4rPQBvw

Analysis | Congress tries to retake its war powers The Washington Post’s essential guide to power and influence in D.C. Democrats — and some Republicans — hope to make their disapproval of Trump’s Iran strikes clear in a war powers vote.

Congress v Executive on War Powers
(Constitution & Parties too)

wapo.st/4aR1XcP

Your Questions Answered: Can Congress Stop President Trump’s Illegal War Against Iran? Amid President Donald Trump's unconstitutional war against Iran, ACLU experts break down who has the power to declare war — and how Congress can assert its war powers. ACLU experts explain constitutio...

Pressure Groups / Constitution / War powers - executive and congress:
www.aclu.org/news/civil-l...

5 times Trump pushed Congress aside to take control The strikes on Iran are the latest way Trump sidestepped the GOP-controlled legislature.

Presidential Power - Trump bypassing Congress - useful examples:
www.axios.com/2026/03/02/t...

Green Party wins Gorton and Denton by-election, pushing Labour into third place Labour, which took the seat with more than 50% of the vote in 2024, came behind Reform UK.

Gorton & Denton byelection - UK elections, parties:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Analysis | Ranking the 2028 Democratic presidential contenders There already are a few standouts among Democrats’ potential 2028 candidates, but the long road to the next presidential contest features plenty of dark horses.

Election 2028 - Primary underway?
wapo.st/46ZaLuK

With tariffs ruling, Supreme Court reasserts its power to check Trump​ The ruling did not waffle or leave questions about legality for another day.

US Supreme Court - a defeat for Trump (note the result: 6-3, with two Trump appointees - Gorsuch and Coney Barrett joining Roberts and the Liberals):
www.reuters.com/world/us/wit...

Good Law Project loses challenge to interim EHRC advice on single-sex spaces Judge rejects argument that advice is legally flawed and excludes trans people from services they have long used

UK Supreme Court 2 of 2:
www.theguardian.com/law/2026/feb...

UK High Court rules Palestine Action terror ban is unlawful, marking blow to government | CNN The UK High Court on Friday ruled that the government’s decision to ban activist group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization last summer was unlawful, marking a major victory for civil libertie...

It's been a half-term of big court decisions - firstly off the UK
1 of 2:
edition.cnn.com/2026/02/13/u...

Assisted dying: could a rarely used 1911 act help supporters override the Lords? Parliament Act, passed after row over David Lloyd George’s budget, was last used in 2004 to pass ban on foxhunting

British politics - parliament (also of interest to History students):
(NB - remember there was a second Parliament Act in 1949 which cut the time the Commons has to wait to overturn the Lords from 2 years to 1 - they had to use the first Parliament Act to pass it)
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

NRA and pro-gun groups call for ‘full investigation’ into killing of Alex Pretti Groups typically aligned with Trump call for investigation as NRA wades into the national dialogue

Interesting on the NRA's view of the Trump administration's response to the latest shooting in Minnesota (and useful for understanding the NRA).

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Opinion | How to make the midterms slightly less disgusting Divided government would be good outcome next fall.

Interesting on midterms, checks and balances and partisanship:
wapo.st/4aVlucB

Column | Thom Tillis wants you to know something: ‘I’m sick of stupid’ The North Carolina Republican has been at the forefront this month of staking out anti-MAGA ground and criticizing Trump’s aides.

Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) following a pattern of GOP politicians coming out as anti-Trump after they announce that they will not be seeking re-election.
Interesting insight into what they really think?

wapo.st/3YAtSqz

The Supreme Court’s major cases during the 2025-2026 term The Supreme Court will take up Trump-related cases in its new term, as well as cases dealing with gay and transgender issues and campaigns.

Supreme Court 2025/26:

wapo.st/3Nj9rfk

Trump is trying to change how the midterm elections are conducted Many of these endeavors go far beyond typical political persuasion, challenging long-established democratic norms.

MIdterms - presidential power / elections / federalism:
wapo.st/3YCkrqx

US House breaks with Trump to revive Affordable Care Act subsidies Seventeen Republicans join Democrats to pass a three-year extension of tax credits cutting ACA premiums

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

US House expands healthcare subsidies but bill faces uphill battle in Senate Seventeen moderate Republicans defied their party leadership and sided with Democrats to help pass the bill.

More on the House vote on ACA - not the highest profile news story, but a very useful example for parties, policy, workings of Congress (note discharge petition, executive power & midterms:
Note: 2 articles both free to access (second post links to another)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Trump suffers day of significant Republican defections on House and Senate votes More than two dozen Republicans in the House and Senate broke with President Trump in votes on Thursday.

Congress v Executive, GOP beginning to split against Trump?
Important read: This link should work without a subscription.
wapo.st/49uM4ab

Trump’s attack on Venezuela without alerting Congress tests limits of executive power Trump’s audacious arrest of Maduro marks a conspicuous break with convention, even as previously observed by the president himself

2 of 2: Executive Power / Foreign policy & Congress (NB - important context - the Trump administration did inform some Congressional GOP members in advance of strikes on Iran in June - but was criticised for only briefing selected members of Congress)

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

After Maduro, who's next? Trump spurs speculation about his plans for Greenland, Cuba and Colombia A day after the ouster of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump is renewing his calls for an American takeover of the Danish territory of Greenland and is threatening Colombia with milita...

1 of 2: President C-in-C powers, Foreign Policy

apnews.com/article/trum...

‘We will grind you down’: how rogue peers became Labour’s toughest opponents As Labour seeks abolition of hereditary peers, Tory-dominated House of Lords has inflicted near-record number of defeats on No 10

House of Lords - role, power, party balance

www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

Supreme Court to review Mississippi case on alleged omission of Black jurors The Supreme Court agreed to review the conviction of a death-row inmate who says prosecutors discriminated by excluding Black jurors during his 2006 trial.

Court / Race + Rights - ongoing example
wapo.st/4rZY77B

Trump has signed more executive orders in 2025 than in his entire first term One third of Trump’s executive orders have been explicitly challenged in court, a Post analysis of data from nonprofits CourtListener and JustSecurity found.

Presidential Power: Executive Orders
wapo.st/4j1Kdhd

Presidential power v Congress (also relevant to the court who seem likely to decide)

MAGA leaders warn Trump the base is checking out. Will he listen? President Donald Trump is taking criticism from supporters for not addressing cost-of-living issues while focusing too much on foreign policy and billionaires.

Interesting on MAGA support and the midterms - possibly more useful for Y12 than Y13.

wapo.st/44tphK5

Workers' rights bill standoff continues after latest Lords defeat It comes after ministers struck a deal between businesses and unions aimed at allowing the bill to progress.

House of Lords:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...