The Trump administration said this week that its recent sale of the rights to drill in a contentious area of Alaska generated record revenue for federal oil and gas lease sales. The news signals optimism from the oil industry that high energy prices could persist – as expanding
Former Trump aide Bill Stepien on Wednesday said it was a “little strange” that some Democrats are lauding former top intelligence official Joe Kent as a “beacon of truth” after strongly opposing his nomination to become the director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
Clear federal guidelines for use of AI in U.S. federal courts have yet to be established, as broader concerns about the technology grow on Capitol Hill.
Legislative leaders in California announced Thursday they will rename César Chavez Day after The New York Times detailed allegations of abuse against him. California was the first state to designate Chavez’s birthday as a holiday in 2000. The state's Democratic governor, Gavin
Republicans are grappling with how to handle an expected $200 billion request for supplemental funding for the war in Iran, weighing their desire to support the president with demands from fiscal hawks, questions about the scope of the funding and the challenge of a super-slim
A U.S. F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at a regional U.S. airbase in the Middle East after flying a combat mission over Iran, the U.S. military said Thursday. CNN reported the plane, which cost up to $100 million, was believed to have been hit by Iran, citing two
The Trump administration will temporarily display a statue taken down in Delaware years ago of a slave owner who signed the Declaration of Independence as part of the celebrations commemorating the U.S.'s 250th birthday, according to multiple reports. The statue of Caesar
The MLB is jumping into the prediction market frenzy with an exclusive business partnership with Polymarket and an agreement with a federal regulator, the league announced Thursday. In a Thursday statement, MLB announced it had struck a deal with Polymarket to make the platform
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, asked President Trump's nominee to serve as Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh, to clarify his links to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a Wednesday letter to Warsh, Warren referenced
FBI Director Kash Patel doesn’t want to take responsibility for his decision to fire an entire team of Iran experts days before the Trump administration attacked the country. On Thursday, Patel was called to testify about national security before the House Select Committee on
Plus: Drones over base housing Rubio, Hegseth raise security concerns {beacon} Happy Thursday. Let the madness begin! 🏀 We’re in the extremely brief period when we all have perfect brackets. Hold onto that luck for another hour or two. 😉 In today's issue: Iran war meme wars
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) went after Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) over his tension with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), which was prominently on display during a hearing Wednesday on his possible new role as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary. “There's a difference
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that Democrats are lining up en masse against helping Republicans advance legislation to a final vote to extend the government’s warrantless surveillance powers. Jeffries acknowledged that the vote on the bill itself
The House on Thursday passed a bill that would make foreign nationals and noncitizens inadmissible to the U.S. and subject to deportation if they are convicted of, or admit to, harming animals used in law enforcement. The legislation, dubbed the Bill to Outlaw Wounding of
The funding lapse is nearly five weeks old.
On Thursday, President Trump was asked why he didn’t warn Japan before he decided to attack Iran last month. His response, in front of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi: “Who knows better about surprise than Japan?” “Japan and U.S. are very good friends. But … why didn’t
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) on Thursday called the moment when Democrats walked out of a closed-door meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi a "low point" in the committee's investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. "The way the
President Trump ribbed the nation of Japan over its World War II bombing of Pearl Harbor in a Thursday Oval Office meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Taking questions from reporters, Trump said he would call on a “beautiful person from Japan.” Asked why he
House Democrats will soon launch another effort to end President Trump’s war with Iran, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) announced on Thursday. “What we’re focused on now is stopping this reckless war of choice,” Jeffries told reporters in the Capitol. Democrats
A leading election handicapper on Thursday shifted its ratings of six gubernatorial races toward Democrats, though Republicans are well positioned to hold onto their advantage in the country’s governorships this fall. Sabato’s Crystal Ball moved Georgia’s open governor’s seat
The Iranian threat to close the Strait of Hormuz has caused world oil prices to spike, and the US Navy is preparing for mine-countermeasure operations, but needs the help of allies to augment its capabilities and secure the sea lanes.
Republican strategist Karl Rove on Wednesday argued President Trump will not lose any voters over the war against Iran. “Much of the criticism of Operation Epic Fury comes from the likes of the Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, the Israel-obsessed podcasters Tucker Carlson and
The leaders of Japan and several European nations condemned recent Iranian attacks in the Gulf states, which have effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil trading channel. “We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through
Darren Indyke's appearance is the latest in the Oversight committee’s string of closed-door depositions with people in Jeffrey Epstein’s orbit.
The Department of Homeland Security under Kristi Noem turned into an ATM for Republican operatives hoping to make a buck off of multimillion-dollar contracts. Two companies with ties to Kristi Noem’s inner circle raked in millions of dollars from government contracts, Politico
If you haven't updated your Apple device in a while, now may be the time to do it.
The Trump administration has eased oil-related sanctions on some countries in response to the sharp increase in oil prices, but this decision is dangerous for U.S. interests and must be accompanied by a strong rebuke to Russia to ensure that the frozen Russian assets are
All my assigned readings are about epiphanies. I send myself and my writing students on walks, telling them to track one color, then “write the poem that follows.” I collect green: a gardening hose, Rutland Road, an Astroturf lawn in Ditmas Park. I return to this lawn at night
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that President Trump could not tolerate Iran moving “closer and closer” to obtaining nuclear capabilities in choosing to begin his war with Tehran — the day after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified that such
That logic would put much of the global trading system on trial, including the United States itself.
National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard had her past quotes against war on Iran broadcast at a House intelligence hearing—and was asked why they contradict her current statements. Democratic Representative Ami Bera put Gabbard in the hot seat when he highlighted her
Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D) said Wednesday she would “absolutely support” ending the filibuster in the Senate after winning the Democratic nomination to replace longtime Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). The filibuster allows unlimited debate and frequently requires a
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said early Thursday that the U.S. may lift sanctions on Iranian oil that is already in transit amid rising energy prices resulting from the ongoing U.S. military operation in the Middle East. Bessent told Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo that about
The U.S. national debt crossed a new milestone Wednesday, surpassing $39 trillion, a record reached five months after the debt sailed past the $38 trillion mark. The record-breaking amount was revealed in a daily statement from the Treasury Department. It comes amid the
In response to skyrocketing oil prices as a result of the war with Iran, the Trump administration is considering lifting sanctions on the country it is currently bombing. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business Thursday morning that “we had a break-the-glass plan
Disagreements about war and peace are as old as American democracy itself. They should be debated vigorously, examined carefully, and decided with the seriousness that questions of life and death demand.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) on Wednesday criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) for spending millions in various Democratic primaries in the state. AIPAC and affiliated shell committees reportedly spent more than $21 million in multiple Democratic
Join The Hill Editor-in-Chief Ian Swanson, Congressional Editor Regina Zilbermints, White House Editor Rema Rahman, and Defense and Foreign Policy Editor Colin Meyn for an in-depth discussion on news of the day followed by a Q&A. Will the SAVE America Act become law? Will
Brent crude oil prices on Thursday briefly topped $119 per barrel before dropping back down. Prices had dropped to about $112 per barrel mid-morning after spiking earlier as Iran attacked Gulf energy sites. The international benchmark climbed more than 3 percent from the day
Illinois Lieutenant Gov. Juliana Stratton, the Democrat favored to win the race to succeed Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), says she won’t support Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) to serve another term as Senate Democratic leader. “I’ve made it clear that I would not support Chuck Schumer
Senator Markwayne Mullin has secured the votes he needed to advance to a final floor vote in the upper chamber, all thanks to Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman. Fetterman differed from his colleagues in the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Thursday, voting
Per the families’ requests, media access was reportedly restricted during a dignified transfer of six killed service members at Dover Air Force Base Wednesday. But that didn’t stop the White House from turning the ceremony into content for the internet. The White House shared
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise declined to say if such a request could pass the House.
A group of eight state attorneys general have filed a lawsuit seeking to block a proposed mega merger between Nexstar Media Group and fellow local broadcaster Tegna. The deal, if approved by President Trump's administration, would create the largest local broadcast group in the
Vice President Vance, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are meeting with oil executives as prices soar over the conflict in Iran. A spokesperson for the American Petroleum Institute (API), a major oil and gas lobbying group, confirmed that the
If that instability grows while Washington is focused elsewhere, Americans may be the ones to feel the consequences first.
Iran has not gotten anywhere close to developing nuclear weapons over the last year, according to ex-counterterrorism director Joe Kent. Kent blindsided the Trump administration earlier this week when he suddenly resigned from his post as the director of the National
Joe Kent, a top intelligence official who resigned this week in the wake of the U.S. strikes in Iran, said the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk last summer implored him to do what he could to make sure the Trump administration resisted getting involved in a war in the
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) called the “defund the police” movement a “mistake” in a new interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity. “In retrospect, the whole concept of ‘defund the police’ made no sense,” de Blasio said in a preview clip of Thursday’s episode
Uber is investing in the electric vehicle maker Rivian for a robotaxi launch, according to a Thursday press release. Uber is set to make an investment with a ceiling of $1.25 billion in Rivian for the next five years, according to the release, in the aim of “a scaled,