“In the insular world of Maine politics, it’s known as the ‘water bottle incident,'” CNN reports. “The moment happened some five years ago when then-state Senate president Troy Jackson clashed with fellow Democrats during a private meeting inside the state capitol. Jackson, a gruff former logger who has now catapulted into position as the state’s […]

“Republican senators are pressing the Trump administration to offer a clearer plan and more information about the Iran war after three U.S. service members were killed and dozens were wounded in renewed attacks in recent days,” NOTUS reports. “Several lawmakers said Monday that Congress should no longer remain on the sidelines and that the White […]

“President Trump is nearing a decisive fork in the Iran war, with U.S. and Israeli officials envisioning only two viable endgames,” Axios reports. “Option 1: Pursue a new 10-day ceasefire aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz.” ”Option 2: Launch a massive joint military campaign with Israel to force Tehran’s capitulation.” “Trump hasn’t made a […]

“President Trump quietly denied nearly 6,000 clemency applications this month from people who mostly lacked political connections and had waited patiently in a queue while he awarded pardons and commutations to allies who had skipped the line,” the New York Times reports. “The denials came after his administration had raised hopes that he might mark […]

“Iran’s government is unlikely to feel significant impact or soften its negotiating position as a result of new rounds of U.S. military strikes like those now underway, according to a new intelligence assessment described by current and former U.S. officials,” the Washington Post reports. “Analysts at American spy agencies also have concluded that Tehran and […]

“The Pentagon said Monday that nearly 100 U.S. troops have been injured in the war with Iran over the last two weeks, underscoring the significance of Tehran’s strikes on U.S. military installations across the region since negotiations to end the conflict collapsed,” the Washington Post reports.

“Democrats are planning a rolling protest of the renewed war in Iran this week with efforts to block a series of military policy and defense budget measures — potentially ruining the GOP’s dreams of legislative victories heading into the summer break,” Politico reports. ”The flurry of action presents Democrats with a chance to score real […]

“The Trump administration sought the phone records of several New York Times journalists and their relatives — including one reporter’s mother — in its effort to unmask the confidential sources who had provided information for articles about the security capabilities of President Trump’s new Air Force One jet,” the New York Times reports.

“The Iranian ballistic missile attack on a Jordanian air base that killed two U.S. servicemembers struck prefabricated housing units where troops lived and slept,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“It is a sprawling and tawdry tale: a former county sheriff accused, among other things, of sexting women outside his marriage and of threatening to sic state law enforcement on one of the recipients to keep her from posting about it online,” the New York Times reports. “That ex-sheriff is also the Trump-endorsed front-runner in […]

“Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) gave two young female staffers each a personalized handgun as a present while they worked in his office in 2024,” Axios reports. “The guns, and a surprise musical performance organized by the congressman, are additional examples of Edwards allegedly singling out the young female staffers for unusually personal attention, conduct that […]

“Tucker Carlson branded President Donald Trump a ‘weak’ man who allowed Israel to strong-arm him into the Iran War,” Mediaite reports. Said Carlson: “I don’t think he’s the most powerful man in the world,’ Carlson said. ‘I have held him directly accountable, it’s his fault, he’s the U.S. president, he was elected. That’s his job, […]

“Rep. Nancy Mace announced Monday that she will not run for the South Carolina Senate seat held by the late Lindsey Graham,” Politico reports. Said Mace: “I’m not running for the U.S. Senate, not because I’m backing down from a fight, but because the one I’m already in matters right now.” “Her decision comes after […]

“Ex-DNC vice chair David Hogg torched the top campaign arm of the Democratic Party as being ‘evil’ and picking ‘terrible candidates.'” Mediaite reports. Said Hogg: “We’re an organization — imagine if there was a non-evil version of the DCCC that existed. No offense. Like, we need their funding in general elections, but man, they really […]

“President Trump has yet again circumvented the legislative branch as he orders American forces back into combat in the Middle East, weeks after both chambers of Congress rebuked him for waging war with Iran without authorization,” the New York Times reports. “The collapse of the cease-fire and resumption of hostilities has inflamed a debate on […]

“President Trump will impose an additional 50% tariff on certain goods from Canada, including wine, hockey sticks and cement, the White House announced Monday,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The move comes after the administration plunged the future of its signature trade pact with Mexico and Canada into doubt in recent weeks, though negotiations on […]

“Houthi militants in Yemen on Monday declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia effective immediately, threatening to exacerbate the oil supply disruption triggered by Iran’s attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz,” CNBC reports. “The Houthis have repeatedly threatened to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait during the U.S.-Iran war. The strait is a choke […]

“A federal judge on Monday paused Paramount Skydance’s $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery — a deal that has promised to reshape Hollywood and the TV news industry — in response to an antitrust lawsuit brought by 12 Democratic state attorneys general last week,” the Washington Post reports. Deadline: Judge grants temporary restraining order […]

“Sen. Darline Graham, sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, announced she’ll run for a full term for her brother’s old South Carolina seat,” Politico reports. Said Graham: “’I’ve made a decision. I’m in.”

“President Donald Trump said Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘will not be arrested’ when he visits New York in September, pushing back on a suggestion by Mayor Zohran Mamdani that such an arrest could happen,” CNBC reports.

“House Republican leaders are making plans for a Trump administration official to attend Tuesday morning’s GOP Conference meeting on Capitol Hill to brief members on the latest developments in the war with Iran, according to four people granted anonymity to share private discussions,” Politico reports. “Their hope is that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will the […]

“Sen. Ron Johnson is jumping directly into a legislative train wreck,” Politico reports. ”The Wisconsin Republican cut his teeth as a fiscal hawk willing to irritate his own party in pursuit of his deficit-shrinking dreams. Now, following Lindsey Graham’s death, Johnson is poised to take over the Senate Budget Committee gavel — and assume an […]

“Pressure mounted on President Volodymyr Zelensky to dismiss Ukraine’s top commander on Monday, as a growing number of active-duty soldiers and veterans joined the chorus of protesters who have taken to the streets calling for a military overhaul,” the New York Times reports.

“A process to choose a new Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine that began as a messy free-for-all has turned into a coronation for Troy Jackson, a progressive in the mold of Graham Platner, who was forced from the race 12 days ago,” the New York Times reports. “Over the weekend Mr. Jackson’s supporters swept […]

“President Donald Trump installed a statue of Thomas Jefferson in the Rose Garden last week, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the yet-to-be-announced move — continuing Trump’s effort to remake the White House and Washington,” the Washington Post reports.

Washington Post: “Outside of the president’s list of frequently dialed contacts and the clips assembled of White House-aligned influencers praising his speech, the prime-time address failed to galvanize conservatives, with some publicly questioning his focus on 2020 as the midterms approach. Republicans fighting to maintain congressional control this fall largely sidestepped the message.” ”By the […]

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“Mediators were working to push the U.S. and Iran into a new ceasefire Monday, fearful the two foes could settle into a pattern where they keep conflict below the level of all-out war but disrupt regional economies indefinitely and run the risk of a miscalculation that escalates the fighting,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The efforts […]

“A bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last week to make daylight saving ​time permanent will face a tough fight in the Senate to win approval, ‌a lawmaker said Monday,” Reuters reports. “Senator John Kennedy, a Republican, said President Donald Trump called him recently to ask him to support the bill to end […]

“Democrats eyeing the 2028 presidency are increasingly trying to seize the narrative on Israel, as they sense the politically fraught issue is likely to become a defining test for the party in its next presidential primary,” NewsNation reports.