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In the week after the Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a criminal probe into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, the central bank head called 13 lawmakers. The calls, listed on Powell’s public calendar for January, were all 10 to 15 minutes in length. The Fed chair spoke with lawmakers from both chambers of Congress and…

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that an “international coalition” could escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. “Are you starting to think, if this does keep persisting as it is, that the Navy has to go into the Strait of Hormuz to — to help ships get through, which would have a big effect…

A Republican-backed voter requirements bill that recently passed in the House –– and has become President Trump’s top legislative priority –– faces an uncertain future in the Senate. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act would require Americans to show proof of citizenship to register to vote and a valid ID in order to…

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday that he is going to personally review his posts on the social platform X after deleting a post about a military escort that the White House disputed. “My last question for you is, there was the X post the other day that came from the Department of Energy, that…

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s resignation amid mounting questions about how a deadly strike on an all-girls elementary school on the first day of the military operation in Iran unfolded. Gillibrand told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room” on Thursday that she had “deep concerns” about how the…

The Trump administration’s tariff refund system is more than 40 percent developed, a customs official told a federal judge Thursday, and additional performance testing will take place “in the next few weeks.” Businesses are pushing for speedy refunds of the $166 billion in levies the Supreme Court struck down last month, but the administration has…
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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) backed his fellow Kentuckian, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a day after President Trump slammed the libertarian representative during an address in Massie’s home district.  “I’m a big supporter of Thomas Massie. I have campaigned with him, will continue to campaign with him,” Paul said Thursday on Bloomberg radio.  During a visit…

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday went after the Trump administration over the fallout from the conflict against Iran, specifically tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. “Mr. Secretary, you heard the new supreme leader’s warning that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed. The U.S. Energy secretary said this morning here on CNN that…

Joe Rogan said in a podcast aired Wednesday that it’s “spooky” President Trump is turning 80 this year. His guest, British political commentator Konstantin Kisin, asked if someone like former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would look at the president and say “let’s f— with that guy.” “Right, he’s 80, he doesn’t have much…

A Costco shopper in Illinois has sued the retail giant in an attempt to secure refunds for U.S. customers after the Supreme Court struck down the bulk of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs last month. The proposed class action lawsuit seeks to prevent what is described as “double recovery” by Costco, arguing that the corporation should…

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on an ABC News report that the FBI warned police departments in California that Iran wants to retaliate over the U.S. military operation in the country, saying “no such threat from Iran to our homeland exists, and it never did.” “This post and story should be immediately…

A United Nations panel issued a Wednesday decision condemning hate speech from President Trump and raising concerns with his administration’s immigration policies.  The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination warned that hate speech from political leaders including Trump combined with intensified immigration crackdowns near schools, hospitals and faith-based institutions has sparked “grave human…

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Wednesday went after President Trump over a post calling dyslexia a “mental disorder.” In a post on his Truth Social platform Wednesday evening, Trump said that Newsom “said, in a speech, he was dumb, had low Boards, can’t read, has dyslexia, and has a mental disorder — A Cognitive…

Former national security adviser John Bolton urged the U.S. on Wednesday to seek out defectors in Iran as President Trump continues to push for regime change nearly two weeks into the conflict. “They need to look for defectors. People who, at this very fractured time at the top of the regime, are willing to consider…

Retired Army Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson said Tuesday that President Trump would be “smart” to “declare victory” in the conflict against Iran and “go home.” “Well, this war will end whenever Donald Trump says it’s going to end, whenever he decides to declare victory. And if he was smart, he’d declare victory today and go…

Current and former UFC fighters will train FBI agents in Quantico, Va., this weekend, the mixed martial arts company announced on Wednesday. The fighters will visit the FBI Special Agent Academy to host an “exclusive training seminar for academy students as well as senior FBI staff from around the world,” according to a UFC release.…
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Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, released his first statement on Thursday, asserting the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed and Tehran will continue attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbors. In a message read on Iranian state television by a news anchor, Khamenei said the “lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely continue to…

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday that the U.S. Navy was not yet ready to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz but predicted it could begin to do so by the end of the month. “It will happen relatively soon, but it can’t happen now. We’re simply not ready,” Wright said during…

Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Wednesday said there will be a “surge of investment” in the Middle East after the Iranian regime is “defanged.” Wright has been a frequent face on television this week as he makes the case that the short-term increases in energy costs will be worthwhile by reducing Iran’s long-term ability to…

The White House is launching new investigations into alleged unfair trade practices involving a number of countries, weeks after President Trump imposed a 10 percent tariff on goods not covered under current exemptions.  U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters during a press call Wednesday that the Trump administration is opening probes into the tax…

President Trump claimed Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping traffic has been stymied for nearly two weeks amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, was in “great shape” despite growing concern about the effect of a prolonged blockade on global oil markets. “The straits are in great shape,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base…

Oil prices seesawed overnight on fears that Iran will attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz, even after an agreement Wednesday among nations to release a significant amount of petroleum reserves. Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Thursday morning told CNN high oil prices were a “short-term energy disruption for just huge long-term gain.” Brent crude…

What began in Fulton will not stay in Fulton.

Crude oil prices eased slightly on Thursday morning after briefly climbing above $100 overnight, as Iran moves to strengthen its hold over the Strait of Hormuz in an attempt to ramp up economic pain amid the ongoing war. Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, was trading about 4.7 percent higher at about $98 per barrel…

And it’s “reeaallllly bad” with one particular group, said CNN’s chief data analyst.