Murkowski becomes 3rd GOP senator to vote to end Iran war

The Senate on Wednesday blocked Democrats’ seventh attempt to halt the war in Iran, as Republicans banded together almost unanimously to beat back the first such effort since President Trump blew past a 60-day deadline to seek congressional authorization to continue the fighting.

But another Republican who had opposed earlier attempts defected from the party line on Wednesday, in a sign of growing cracks in the G.O.P.’s patience with the conflict and the president’s handling of it.

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska for the first time joined Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky in voting with Democrats to advance the measure. The effort failed on a vote of 50 to 49, with Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania again joining Republicans in opposition…(Read full story)