Welcome to our coverage of US politics today as the conflict as Iran continues to dominate the agenda.

The House is preparing to vote on Thursday on a war powers resolution that would require Donald Trump to seek congressional permission before continuing the war with Iran – a sign of unease in Congress over the rapidly widening conflict.

It’s the second vote in as many days, after the Senate defeated a similar measure along party lines on Wednesday.

The tally in the House is expected to be tight, but the outcome will provide an early snapshot of the political support, or opposition, to the US-Israel military operation and the president’s rationale for bypassing Congress, which alone has the power to declare war.

“Donald Trump is not a king, and if he believes the war with Iran is in our national interest, then he must come to Congress and make the case,” said Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Meanwhile Republicans are invoking the war in Iran and the prospect of retaliatory terrorist attacks as they tee up votes on Thursday on a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

The House already approved a DHS spending bill in January, but it faltered in the Senate as Democrats insisted on changes to immigration enforcement operations following the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents in the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. As a result, funding for the department lapsed on 14 February.

Republicans are calling on Democrats to reconsider their vote in the wake of the conflict in Iran. Both the House and the Senate are expected to hold votes on the matter.

“The military action in Iran makes it all more urgent and crucial to have a fully funded, fully staffed DHS across all its departments,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said.

It appears unlikely this strategy will win over Democrats but stay with us to see how it plays out.

In other news:

• Defense secretary Pete Hegseth told Israel to “keep going until the end” on Iran, saying the US stood with the country, in overnight talks with his counterpart, Israel Katz.

• The Pentagon has released the names of the final two of the six soldiers who were killed during a recent drone strike in Kuwait. The two soldiers were identified as Chief Warrant Officer Robert Marzan, 54, and Maj Jeffrey O’Brien, 45. They were from Sacramento, California, and Indianola, Iowa, respectively.

• Republican Senator Steve Daines of Montana dropped his bid for a third term on Wednesday in a surprise withdrawal just minutes before a filing deadline for candidates. Daines, 63, said in a statement that he wrestled with the decision for months before deciding to retire. Montana US Attorney Kurt Alme entered the race shortly before the state’s deadline for major party candidates. Donald Trump has endorsed Alme and praised Daines.

• Former President Barack Obama is promoting a Democratic effort to redraw congressional lines in Virginia, the latest front in a nationwide redistricting battle ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The announcement on Thursday comes a day after the state Supreme Court allowed the redistricting question to go to voters for an April 21 election. Early voting begins Friday.