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Democratic senators file war powers resolution to check Trump on Cuba

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats have filed legislation that would prevent the U.S. from attacking Cuba without congressional approval as they seek to force a vote on President Donald Trump’s stated goal of a “takeover” of the Caribbean country.

Democrats have repeatedly used war powers resolutions to force debate on Trump’s foreign policy moves, though Republicans have so far mostly backed the president. The resolution filed Thursday by Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine, Ruben Gallego and Adam Schiff would require the president to remove the military from any hostilities with Cuba and could potentially receive a vote by the end of the month.

“Only Congress has the power to declare war under the Constitution, but he operates with the belief that the U.S. military is a palace guard, ordering military action in the Caribbean, Venezuela, and Iran without Congress’ authorization or any explanation for his actions to the American people,” Kaine said in a statement.

Trump said earlier this week that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was negotiating with Cuba’s leadership as the country faces a crippling energy crisis that has been exacerbated by a U.S. blockade of the island.

“It may be a friendly takeover, ⁠it may not be a friendly takeover,” Trump told reporters this week at a news conference in Florida. He added that he and Rubio would focus on that goal after the war with Iran.

The U.S. for decades has had a tense relationship with Cuba, but Trump’s turn to using military action to take out foreign opponents has raised anticipations that the island could be next. Rubio, whose family immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba in the 1950s, has long pushed for the U.S. to aggressively oppose the Caribbean nation’s leadership.

Rubio told senators earlier this year that the Trump administration would “love” to see a Cuban regime change, but cautioned that “does not mean we are going to provoke it directly.” Republicans in Congress have mostly stood behind the Trump administration’s aggressive foreign policy

However, Democrats have turned repeatedly to war powers resolutions in order to force debates over how Trump can use military force in foreign nations. They have not succeeded in passing any of the resolutions so far, but the tactic at times has compelled the Trump administration to explain its goals to Congress.

Democrats are also planning next week to potentially force votes on a series of war powers resolutions that apply to Iran unless Republicans agree to hold public hearings on the conflict.

“He ran on America First, but now it’s clear he’s become a puppet of the war hawks in his party,” Gallego said in a statement.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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