Congress

The House voted Wednesday to take up legislation that would impose sweeping new sanctions on Russia and provide additional aid to Ukraine, as six Republicans and an independent broke with party leaders to join Democrats in forcing the measure to the floor.

A federal jury on Friday convicted former Republican U.S. Rep. David Rivera of Florida and political consultant Esther Nuhfer of secretly working as foreign agents for Venezuela’s government in 2017 and 2018, capping a five-week trial that featured testimony from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

A Republican-led U.S. House committee voted on Tuesday to advance legislation that would exempt American limited liability companies and other businesses from reporting on their beneficial owners under the Corporate Transparency Act.

U.S. House Republicans are threatening to block all funding for the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) until the agency finalizes a rule requiring companies to report beneficial ownership information.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, said he has pressed Binance for records over concerns the cryptocurrency exchange may have given Congress misleading information about reported money laundering and terrorist financing tied to Iran. 

A bipartisan pair of U.S. senators is set to introduce legislation that would seek sanctions on senior Hungarian officials involved in blocking aid to Ukraine and maintaining the country’s reliance on Russian energy.

House Republicans have opened an investigation into alleged hospice fraud in California, citing a CBS News investigation that found widespread warning signs among hospice operators in Los Angeles County and raising concerns about potentially tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer losses.

Two U.S. senators are set to introduce bipartisan legislation that would prohibit Commodity Futures Trading Commission-regulated prediction-market platforms from offering contracts tied to sporting events.

Tether is accelerating its push into the United States, betting that political support in Washington, deep Treasury holdings, and a growing investment portfolio will cement its place in mainstream finance.

Senate Democrats are pressing for a congressional hearing on the Trump administration’s decision to ease sanctions on Russian oil, arguing that the step could benefit Moscow even as the Kremlin is providing support for Iranian forces.