President Trump's suggestion that Republicans attach the SAVE America Act to the must-pass reauthorization of FISA is already complicating one of Congress' most contentious upcoming fights.
An ad maker behind Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's multimillion-dollar media campaign for immigration enforcement is disputing Democrats' claims about how much money it was paid.
The Strategy Group for Media, a DHS subcontractor, was paid about $226,000 for audio and video production, not the $143 million Democrats claimed, according to a letter and invoices the company sent to lawmakers.
Driving the news: In a grilling on Capitol Hill last week, lawmakers from both parties questioned Noem's decision to spend about $200 million on ads that prominently featured her, and why a company with ties to her staff was involved in the work.
The U.S. and Israel could soon find themselves a new enemy in the Iran war — the Houthis.
Why it matters: The Houthis involvement in the Iran war could potentially disrupt shipping lanes in a major way and threaten President Trump's military campaign in the Gulf.
The Trump administration might suspend requirements that only U.S. ships can carry cargo between domestic ports as officials look to temper rising gasoline prices.
Why it matters: Possible waivers of the 1920 law, the Jones Act, show how the Trump administration is scrambling to ease the fuel price shock from the Iran war.
The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan package aimed at driving down the cost of housing, but it faces opposition from House conservatives. Why it matters: Congressional Republicans are struggling to find ways to address the housing affordability crisis, despite controlling both chambers of Congress.
Americans are growing increasingly concerned with rising gas prices, and about half are blaming President Trump, per flash polling conducted Wednesday night by Morning Consult and shared with Axios.
Why it matters: The spike in oil prices caused by the war is fast becoming a political liability for the White House — and threatening economic growth in the U.S.
White House officials are outraged over CBS' hiring of Jeremy Adler, a communications executive who previously worked for former Rep. Liz Cheney.
Adler will join CBS News' communications team, according to two people familiar with the move.
Why it matters: Cheney was one of President Trump's biggest foils during his first term, after which she led the House's probe into the Jan. 6 Capitol siege.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Thursday he will seek another term in Congress, bucking a trend of generational change that has prompted other older House Democrats to retire.
Why it matters: The 85-year-old is poised to be the third-oldest member of Congress if reelected, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), 85, and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), 86, both retiring.
Major airports are collecting gift cards and stocking food pantries for Transportation Security Administration workers working without pay through a second shutdown in six months.
Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said in his first public message that his country will take revenge for the ongoing U.S. and Israeli attacks.
Why it matters: Khamenei warned that attacks on U.S. military bases in the region would continue if they aren't shut down and stressed Iran will maintain its leverage by continuing to close the Strait of Hormuz.
After a video call with G7 leaders Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron declared publicly what others had said privately: no one can tell what Donald Trump wants from this war.
Why it matters: Nearly two weeks in, Trump continues to send conflicting signals about how and when the fighting ends. The confusion has left both allies and adversaries struggling to plan for what comes next.
Plans for historically large releases from emergency oil stockpiles reveal the scope of the energy crisis — and the market response reveals President Trump's limited options for tackling it.
Why it matters: The 400-million-barrel infusion over time from International Energy Agency member countries — including a big dose from U.S. holdings — likely won't push prices down by itself.
Why it matters: The world needs oil right now — Iran has effectively shut down the critical Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the global supply travels.
The latest: The Trump administration said on Wednesday that the U.S. would release 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, or about 40% of what's in there now.
By the numbers: The reserve, which is stored in huge underground salt caverns along the Gulf Coast, currently holds 415 million barrels — about 58% of capacity.
Where it stands: The U.S. has the largest oil stockpile among the 32 countries planning to release 400 million barrels of oil to deal with the spike in prices.
The coordinated release would amount to about 1.2 million barrels a day —about what the system can manage, JPMorgan Commodities Research finds.
Though potentially calming for jittery markets, it would be insufficient to counter the potential loss of roughly 12 million barrels a day from a prolonged Hormuz shutdown, the JPMorgan analysts note.
Reality check: America has plenty of oil — it is the world's largest producer, after all.
But storing enough oil for emergency use offers reassurance to markets that could restrain price spikes.
Catch up quick: The Trump administration has made replenishing the SPR a priority — but it has been slow going.
The One Big, Beautiful Bill Act contained some funding to make it happen, but nowhere near the billions of dollars required.
Even if the effort were fully funded, it would take a lot of time.
"Adding barrels is also more logistically challenging than releasing them," says S&P Global Energy.
Zoom in: A fully funded effort — Energy Secretary Chris Wright put the number at $20 billion — made at the fastest possible speed of 4 million barrels a month would get the SPR filled back up by 2031, per S&P Global.
And then there's a limit on how much can be drawn: The SPR must keep about 150 million barrels in place to maintain operational flexibility, JPMorgan noted.
Flashback: The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve was established by President Ford in the wake of the 1973-74 Middle East oil embargo.
U.S. presidents have authorized emergency releases from the SPR on only four occasions: President Biden's 2022 drawdown after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in 2011 during a crisis in Libya, after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Between the lines: The release of oil reserves won't mathematically solve the problem of lost supply, but it will psychologically keep investors from bidding crude oil prices higher, Mark Malek, chief investment officer at Siebert, wrote in a note Wednesday.
"The signaling effect can stabilize prices temporarily, even if the physical math doesn't work."
"Think of it as the energy equivalent of Mario Draghi's famous 'whatever it takes' moment during the European debt crisis," Malek wrote. "The credible threat of coordinated action is doing more heavy lifting than the actual barrels ever could."
President Trump's advisers warn the Iran war could drag on longer if the regime succeeds in strangling the Strait of Hormuz and driving oil prices beyond his tolerance.
"The Iranians f*cking around with the Strait makes him more dug in," a senior Trump administration official told Axios.
Why it matters: Trump launched Operation Epic Fury to destroy Iran's nuclear program, ballistic missiles, navy and regional proxies. But oil markets now are occupying as much of his headspace as battlefield data.
Americans' positive views of Canada and Great Britain, historically two of Washington's closest friends,hit their lowest level since the 1980s in new Gallup polling.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday the International Energy Agency "unanimously" agreed to President Trump's request to coordinate the release of 400 million barrels of oil and refined products from its reserves.
Why it matters: Consumers are seeing significant price jumpsat the pump — and Republicans recognize offsetting that increase is crucial ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Tens of millions of Americans have delayed surgeries, vacation plans, career moves and other big life decisions because of the cost of health care, a new West Health-Gallup survey found.
Why it matters: Affordability concerns are hanging over the midterm election cycle, with just over half of all Americans believing basic medical care is affordable and accessible.
A United Nations watchdog on Wednesday criticized "intensified immigration crackdowns" in the U.S. and accused President Trump and other American leaders of using "racist hate speech" — both of which it said had "sparked grave human rights violations."
Why it matters: The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination's report marks an unprecedented singling out of a U.S. leader by a United Nations body — and it prompted the White House to accuse the global intergovernmental organization of "extreme bias" in response.
There's "growing momentum to establish a naval protection system" in the Strait of Hormuz as Iran's military escalates attacks on commercial ships, Eurasia Group says.
The big picture: U.S. Central Command warned "the Iranian regime is using civilian ports along the Strait of Hormuz to conduct military operations that threaten international shipping" and put lives at risk.
Watch the White House, Congress and most political campaigns, and it seems clear we're too polarized and too tribal to find common cause.
Well, that's a lie.
Why it matters: In an earlier column, we showed how algorithms and screens hide a more normal and agreeable American public. This actually extends to many hot political debates: Most people agree on most big topics most of the time. The results are striking — and should give you hope. See if this aligns with your experience.
