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House speaker calls early recess before midterms amid AI regulation frenzy

Mike Johnson cancels votes on Thursday, meaning House members will avoid voting on impeaching Pete Hegseth

The Republican speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, announced on Wednesday that he would again cancel votes scheduled for Thursday, sending lawmakers home one day early ahead of the midterm election recess.

The latest change to the legislative schedule means House members will avoid voting on Republican Thomas Massie’s resolution to impeach the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and comes amid a frenzied attempt to propose legislation on artificial intelligence.

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© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

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Obama family dog Sunny dies: ‘a force of nature’

Sunny, who joined the Obama family at the White House in 2013, was the second Obama dog after Bo, who died in 2021

Sunny Obama, the Obama family’s second beloved Portuguese water dog, died on Tuesday, Barack Obama announced on Wednesday morning.

“Yesterday, we lost a cherished member of our family,” the former president wrote on social media, attaching a photo of the 14-year-old dog, whom he called “a force of nature”.

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© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Shutterstock

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US judge blocks DHS from threatening prosecution against man who criticized ICE

David Streever was issued a ‘warning notice’ after sending an email critical of ICE to the agency’s director in January

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may no longer issue a “warning notice” – threatening prosecution against a US citizen – for criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a federal judge in Washington DC ruled on Tuesday.

Judge Rudolph Contreras sided with David Streever, a New York man who accused DHS officials of violating his first amendment rights when they showed up first at his home in June with a “warning notice”, claiming he made a threat against former ICE director Todd Lyons, and then to a hotel where Streever and his young daughter were staying.

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© Composite: Courtesy FIRE

© Composite: Courtesy FIRE

© Composite: Courtesy FIRE

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Kash Patel defends FBI hiring policy on applicants who have engaged in bestiality

Senators question FBI chief on move to cut restrictions on agent applicants who have engaged in bestiality

The FBI director, Kash Patel, defended his agency’s decision to roll back restrictions on agent applicants who have previously engaged in bestiality, arguing the FBI “did not want to punish victims of bestiality” by automatically disqualifying them.

The unusual topic of bestiality emerged during a Senate judiciary committee oversight hearing on Tuesday after Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican John Kennedy questioned Patel’s decision to remove barriers that previously prevented applicants who engaged in prostitution and bestiality from being qualified for a job at the FBI.

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© Photograph: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock

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Top Democrat on House oversight panel investigating Trump Jr wedding party bankrolled by Russian oligarch

Robert Garcia expresses concern over ‘any possible foreign entanglement’ between White House and Umar Kremlev

Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, is investigating potential ties between the White House and a Russian oligarch who paid for a portion of Donald Trump Jr’s wedding.

In a letter sent to Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, on Monday, Garcia expressed concern about “any possible foreign entanglement” between the president’s son and the oligarch, Umar Kremlev. Garcia asked Wiles to provide documents, records and communications between the White House and Trump Jr about Kremlev, among other requests.

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© Photograph: Gabriela Passos/AP

© Photograph: Gabriela Passos/AP

© Photograph: Gabriela Passos/AP

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