Axios

The U.S. Postal Service said Thursday that it plans to raise stamp prices this summer as it looks to shore up finances amid mounting cost pressures.

Why it matters: The proposed increase — alongside a series of cost-cutting and pricing moves — shows USPS is pulling multiple levers to stabilize its finances.

First lady Melania Trump denied that she had a friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein or that she had any ties to his crimes in a head-turning White House address Thursday.

The big picture: The administration's handling of the Epstein files — and the president's ties to the disgraced financier — have become a months-long headache for the administration.

The Trump administration is pushing back on Republican-led AI bills in Nebraska and Tennessee, with sources familiar with the negotiations describing the outreach as pressure to weaken or abandon the efforts.

Why it matters: This behind-the-scenes push puts GOP state lawmakers who support AI guardrails but don't want to cross the White House in a tough position.

House Democrats are weighing whether or how the 25th Amendment might be used to remove President Trump after his recent threat to wipe out the entire Iranian "civilization."

Why it matters: The effort faces steep legal and political hurdles — and would require buy-in from Trump's own Cabinet.

A federal appeals court in D.C. on Wednesday denied Anthropic's request to pause enforcement of the Pentagon's designation of the company as a supply chain risk.

Driving the news: Anthropic sought the stay to fend off financial and reputational harm. The ruling comes after a federal judge in a San Francisco court last month granted the company a preliminary injunction keeping the administration from banning the use of Claude.

Vice President JD Vance will head the U.S. negotiating team for the peace talks with Iran on Saturday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday.

Why it matters: It's the highest level meeting between the U.S. and Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, as ceasefire negotiations hit a crucial tipping point that could lead to the resumption and escalation of the war if the high-stakes talks fail.

Some Federal Reserve officials wanted to keep interest rate increases on the table, given the stubborn inflation that was set to be amplified by the Iran war, according to minutes from the central bank's March 17-18 policy meeting, released Wednesday.

Why it matters: Even as many officials see rate cuts down the line, the prospect of increasing rates highlights the uncertainty about the path of borrowing costs this year.

Iran agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But the economic fallout from five weeks of effective closure is just beginning.

Why it matters: Supply chains don't unsnarl overnight. The gloomiest forecasts for the U.S. economy from the war may not come to pass, but shortages and price shocks will continue to pinch the world for months.

• Moreover, there's no certainty that the two-week ceasefire will turn into lasting peace.

President Trump pulled back from the brink last night, after having threatened to destroy Iran's "civilization," agreeing to a two-week ceasefire.

• In so doing, he also may have saved the next generation of defense-tech companies.

The U.S., Israel and Iran agree that a ceasefire is now in effect, but they're contradicting each other and themselves in terms of what's actually been agreed to and what happens now.

Why it matters: Those differences will have to be reconciled at the negotiating table, beginning on Saturday in Islamabad. One thing everyone agrees on is that there is no guarantee this war is actually over.