U.S.-Iran Peace Talks in Islamabad Pause With Key Differences Unresolved 
U.S. Blockade of Iran Begins as Nuclear Talks Collapse in Islamabad 
Peru Presidential Election 2026: Keiko Fujimori Takes Early Lead in First-Round Vote 
U.S. Navy Deploys Warships to Clear Mines in Strait of Hormuz 
BCA Research Warns U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Could Collapse, Maintains Cautious Equity Outlook 
U.S.-Iran Nuclear Talks Resume in Islamabad Amid Strait of Hormuz Standoff 
Spain's Sanchez Visits China to Deepen Trade Ties Amid U.S. Tensions 
Hungary's Orban Loses Power as Magyar Wins in Landslide; U.S. Reactions Divided 
Peru Presidential Election 2025: Lopez Aliaga Leads Early Results 
Czech and Slovak Leaders Rally Behind Hungary's Orban Ahead of Critical Election 
Chinese Brands Are Taking Over Brazil — And It's Just Getting Started 
U.S. Blockade of Strait of Hormuz Sends Oil Tankers Into Retreat 
Manhattan DA Investigates Sexual Assault Allegations Against Rep. Eric Swalwell 
Trump Dismisses Iran Talks, Orders Strait of Hormuz Blockade 
Iran War Fallout: How Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Egypt Are Struggling With Rising Energy Costs 
Taiwan Insists Government Must Lead Cross-Strait Engagement Amid China's New Incentives 
Following the recent passage of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package by the Senate, it is now up to the House to vote on the proposal. With the focus now on the Democratic majority in the House, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now faces pressure from all factions of her party in its passage.
The Hill reports that Pelosi is facing pressure from both moderate Democrats and liberal Democrats regarding the passage of the infrastructure bill. Moderate Democrats are hoping to seize a big bipartisan achievement by voting on the proposal sooner, but liberal Democrats are looking to refrain from making a vote until the Senate passes the $3.5 trillion proposal through reconciliation. Pelosi has previously made her support towards the latter tactic known and has reiterated it since.
Democratic House leadership also made the move of cutting their seven-week recess short, assuming that the Senate passes the proposal this week. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said in a letter to his colleagues that the House will be in session on August 23 to take up the vote on the Democratic-led proposal.
While the bipartisan proposal looks to be on track to approval by the House, delaying the move may prove to be a risk as the Senate remains evenly divided and Republican support has proven to be critical. Nevertheless, moderate Democrats are calling on Pelosi to bring the proposal to the floor for a vote immediately shortly after the proposal passed the Senate.
Pelosi praised the passage but noted that it falls short of what US President Joe Biden and the Democrats were hoping for when they made the infrastructure push. Pelosi has then dismissed calls for an immediate vote.
Meanwhile, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the GOP for threatening not to help raise the debt ceiling this year. Democrats argued that their party should not be the one to shoulder the politically toxic vote, noting that the country raked in debt of almost $7.8 trillion during the Trump administration. Only a small portion of Republicans had opposed the massive tax cuts and government spending during the pandemic, with only the wealthiest households benefiting from the cuts.
