Senate Blocks War Powers Resolution, Tensions Escalate

0:00It's April 23rd. This is Anchorage News today, AI-powered stories from your city. I'm Cory with the story. For the fifth time, the U.S. Senate shot down a resolution to force President Trump to get congressional approval before escalating the war in Iran. The vote landed at 46-51, with most Republicans holding the line alongside one Democrat, Senator John Federman from Pennsylvania. This keeps Trump's hands free in the Middle East conflict that kicked off February 28th alongside Israel. Trump just extended the ceasefire with Iran after peace talks crumbled, but he didn't set an end date and vowed to stick with the blockade on Iranian. Ports, on Truth Social, he boasted Iran's economy is tanking, losing $500 million a day, with their military and cops going unpaid. Meanwhile, U.S. forces seized the sanctioned Iranian cargo ship Sunday, which Iran's Ford ministers slammed as a ceasefire violation. Ports like Senator Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin are leading the charge against the war, calling

1:02it a betrayal of Trump's no-new war's promise. Fuel prices jump 21% from February to March, with regular gas averaging over $4 a gallon nationwide. Airlines like United are hiking fares up to 20% to cover jet fuel costs, and Brent crude oil spiked above $100 a barrel. Again, the Pentagon now reports 400 American troops injured so far. Iran hit back early Wednesday by claiming attacks on two commercial vessels in the Shred of Hormuz that vital choke point for global oil. Their reps framed it as payback for the ship seizure and eye for an oil tanker. Senators say they'll keep forcing these votes and pushing war powers resolutions, no quit in sight as the economic ripples and military tensions drag on without clear resolution.