Saturday, May 9, 2026

The International American

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The International American
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United States

U.S. politics and policy, covered with an eye toward international implications.

Tennessee Passes a New Congressional Map; Protests Erupt at Capitol

The Republican-controlled legislature ended a three-day special session Thursday by approving a map that fragments Memphis, the state's lone majority-Black congressional district, into three districts and that Republicans expect will deliver a 9-0 GOP delegation in 2026. Democratic lawmakers walked off the floor, troopers arrested protesters who tried to reach the chamber, and litigation under the new Callais standard is expected to begin within days.

May 8, 2026 · 6 min read

Bass, Pratt, and Raman Clash in First Three-Way LA Mayoral Debate

The May 6 debate, hosted by NBC and Telemundo Los Angeles, produced sharp exchanges over the January wildfires, the city's homelessness response, and the dwindling Hollywood film industry, four weeks before the June 2 primary that will determine which two candidates advance to a November runoff.

May 7, 2026 · 6 min read

House Foreign Affairs Members Want a Vote on the Blockade. The Speaker Does Not.

A bipartisan letter from 47 House members, organized through the Foreign Affairs Committee and including 31 Republicans, has invoked Section 5 of the War Powers Resolution to demand a floor vote on the continuing naval blockade of Iranian ports, opening a constitutional confrontation with the administration that the 60-day clock will force into the open by June 11 whether the Speaker schedules a vote or not.

May 2, 2026 · 6 min read

Treasury Names Six Chinese Banks in New Iran Sanctions Round

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated three regional Chinese banks and three Hong Kong-based trade-finance houses Monday for processing roughly $4 billion in payments tied to Iranian oil exports during the first quarter, the most direct sanctions confrontation with Beijing since the Iran war began and a calibrated test of how far the Treasury can press without triggering the kind of Chinese retaliation that derails broader administration objectives in the Pacific.

April 27, 2026 · 5 min read

Supreme Court Hears Trump v. Barbara as President Attends Oral Arguments

Several justices appeared skeptical of the executive order during Tuesday's oral arguments in the most consequential citizenship case to reach the Court since 1898, but the questioning suggested the Court may issue a narrow ruling on presidential authority rather than reaching the deeper constitutional question of what 'subject to the jurisdiction thereof' actually requires. A decision is expected by late June.

April 2, 2026 · 7 min read