The U.S. Congress approved Tuesday a bill toughening sanctions against Iran and banning the White House from any new nuclear cooperation with Russia and other countries.

"Congress Is Making Internet Service Providers Responsible for Piracy on Their Networks, Not Just Those Who Download or Share the Content," Said Congressman Howard Berman at Anti-Piracy Event in LA

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are poised to add billions of dollars to the fiscal year 2008 research and development (R&D) budget, with much of the proposed new funding targeted for environmental, energy and biomedical initiatives, according to a new report by the R&D Budget and Policy Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The Armenian Assembly of America welcomed the news that Congressman John P. Sarbanes (D-MD) has officially joined the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues this week, bringing the total Caucus membership to 155.

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) applauded the House and Senate Judiciary Committees for approving legislation this week to modernize the US patent system.

Ben. S. Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, has presented the Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress, Before the Committee of Financial Services, US House of Representatives.

Administration officials say President Bush plans to assure Americans that he wants to begin bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq eventually.

Majority Democrats are vowing to go ahead with plans for a new legislative push to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq after Congress returns next month from a week-long break. House and Senate Democratic leaders met with reporters as lawmakers began the July 4th Independence Day break.

As debate continues over Iraq, U.S. lawmakers have heard from a number of voices including U.S. military officials, and current and former U.S. and Iraqi diplomats. VOA's Dan Robinson was present during many of the discussions by some of these figures as the battle of wills between the Democratic-led Congress and President Bush over the war in Iraq continues.

U.S. Congressional Democrats say the passage of funding legislation for Iraq, even without setting a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal, marks a major step forward in efforts to end the war there. VOA's Dan Robinson reports that with approval of the measure, key Republicans are once again signaling that President Bush must consider altering his approach on Iraq if conditions there do not improve over the next four months.

U.S. Congress poised Thursday to increase the federal minimum wage by $2.10 (1.56 EUR). For years, the idea of increasing the minimum wage from $5.15 (3.83 EUR) an hour has been stalled by partisan bickering between Republicans and Democrats.

U.S. congressional Democrats have dropped their demands to include in a war funding bill a timetable for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq. At the same time, they are vowing to seek other ways to press the Bush administration to change the course of the unpopular war.