In the News

A group of nearly 40 Democratic lawmakers is praising the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for reportedly considering updates to free trade agreements with Canada, Mexico and Colombia that would rein in investor protections. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce earlier this month accused the agency of “secretly renegotiating” the investment chapters of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement through side letters, calling on the Biden administration not to continue with the effort. But a group of Democrats, led by House Ways & Means Committee member Lloyd Doggett (TX), House Appropriations Committee ranking member Rosa DeLauro (CT) and Senate Finance Committee member Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), argues such efforts are necessary to prevent corporations from “weaponiz[ing] undemocratic international tribunals to attack domestic policies and prioritiz[ing] narrow corporate interests at the expense of those countries’ workers, consumers, small businesses, and the environment.

Representative Lloyd Doggett, a Texas Democrat, said he hopes funding for pediatric cancer research is added back to the spending bill as Congress scrambles to pass a bill to fund the government on Friday.

It's time for Austin-area voters to cast their ballots in the Nov. 5 general election. Early voting started Monday in Texas and several races will be decided, including the presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Early voting ends Nov. 1.

A bipartisan coalition in Congress is demanding the Biden administration tighten sanctions on Russia’s oilfield services industry, alleging the current rules are enabling a major US firm to fuel Vladimir Putin’s war machine.

The popular debit cards that Medicare Advantage plans give older adults as a perk for signing up may be cutting off their access to some public assistance because of conflicting interpretations on what counts as income.

Ire­land has rejec­ted Israeli calls for its UN peace­keep­ing troops to with­draw from Lebanon, insist­ing it will not evac­u­ate them even as Israel intens­i­fies its air cam­paign against the mil­it­ant group Hizbol­lah.

If you want to cast a ballot in this year’s presidential election, the deadline to register to vote is Monday.