Watch live: White House briefs reporters as concerns rise over widening Iran war
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will brief reporters Wednesday afternoon as concerns rise over the U.S. military’s operation in Iran and the risk of a wider war. The U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran over the weekend, killing supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier Wednesday previewed that more military…
Johnson: ‘Everybody in America better watch’ how lawmakers vote on DHS funding
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters on Wednesday that “everybody in America” should watch how their representatives vote on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill expected to come to the floor on Thursday. “You better watch that board. And everybody in America better watch that board. Anybody who votes to block funding for…
Iranian leader of Trump assassination plot killed, Hegseth says
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said the Iranian leader who planned to assassinate President Trump was killed. “Yesterday, the leader of the unit who attempted to assassinate President Trump has been hunted down and killed. Iran tried to kill President Trump, and President Trump got the last laugh,” Hegseth said during a press briefing….
Ohio Republican: Americans ‘right to be skeptical’ about Iran operation
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) on Tuesday said Americans have every “right to be skeptical” about the U.S.-Israeli military operation in Iran. Davidson responded to context given by CNN anchor Boris Sanchez about the “somewhat dubious, only at least on the surface” rationale that the administration provided after launching airstrikes on Saturday. Sanchez named off the…
Comer on sending US troops into Iran: ‘Sometimes that’s unavoidable’
House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) on Wednesday said sometimes deploying troops overseas is “unavoidable” while addressing the current situation in Iran following U.S. strikes on the nation over the weekend. “The president has yet to rule that out. I certainly hope not,” Comer told NewsNation’s “Morning in America,” referring to the potential of sending…
House Republican: Voters should ‘stay concerned’ about Iran becoming ‘forever war’
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) on Tuesday said “MAGA voters” should have their concerns with them if U.S. military action in Iran possibly becomes “another forever war.” “I would say stay concerned,” Burchett told a reporter, who asked if he had a message to President Trump’s supporters. “I mean, be concerned. Be vigilant. Hold our feet…
America’s ethics laws were written for a different era
Around the world, the pattern is familiar: A foreign government or sovereign-linked actor identifies an incoming leader or political family. Money moves early, often before formal power is assumed. The investment is framed as commercial, not political. Later, favorable policy decisions follow.
Warren: ‘Illegal’ Iran war ‘based on lies’
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Tuesday railed against President Trump’s strikes on Iran stating attacks were “based on lies” after attending a classified briefing for lawmakers. “It is so much worse than you thought. You are right to be worried. Trump Administration has no plan in Iran. This illegal war is based on lies and…
Jared Polis signals possible clemency for Tina Peters
The former Colorado elections clerk was convicted in a 2020 election interference case.
Gallego says he’d vote to fund ‘dumb’ Iran war
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) on Tuesday said he’d vote to fund a war against Iran if other Gulf States contribute to the cost, despite previously describing the conflict as “dumb.” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Gallego, “If the Pentagon asks for more funding for what’s happening, would you support it?” “I’m going to say that in…
Watch live: Noem facing House questioning over DHS oversight
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem will testify before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday morning on oversight of the department as lawmakers remain at an impasse over funding for it. Noem on Tuesday faced fierce questioning in the Senate, where she received a chilly reception from even Republicans. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) unleashed…
Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, possible candidate to replace father as Iran leader?
Mojtaba Khamenei has emerged as a leading candidate to replace his Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his father, as Iran’s new supreme after U.S.-Israeli airstrikes attacked Iran and killed the elder Khamenei on Saturday. The former supreme leader’s son is believed to be alive and in hiding, after his wife Zahra Haddad Abdel was also killed in…
Hegseth, Caine preview major gravity-bombing campaign on Iran
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and America’s top general on Wednesday morning previewed a major bombing campaign on Iran now that the U.S. and Israel have asserted greater control over the country’s airspace. “More and larger waves are coming. We are just getting started. We are accelerating, not decelerating. Iran’s capabilities are evaporating by the hour,…
So much for affordability: Trump’s war with Iran exposes the deceit of ‘America First’
For the millions of people struggling to make ends meet, Trump’s war just became another front in Republicans’ cost-of-living crisis.
Former rep stranded in Dubai: Thousands of Americans are in the same position
Former Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) on Tuesday said he was stranded in Dubai, noting he was in the same position as thousands of Americans unable to evacuate the Middle East amid U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. “My understanding is our name is on a list somewhere at the State Department, which I‘m very grateful…
Live updates: Talarico prevails over Crockett in Texas; Hegseth details Iran operation
Democrat James Talarico prevailed in a Senate Democratic primary in Texas on Tuesday over Rep. Jasmine Crockett, delivering the party a candidate many had seen as the stronger general election choice. On the GOP side, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and state Attorney General Ken Paxton are headed to a May runoff after no candidate won…
Iranian drone strike killed US soldiers at civilian port in Kuwait
An Iranian drone strike on Sunday killed six U.S. soldiers at a civilian port in Kuwait, according to The Associated Press. The group relocated from Army base Camp Arifjan to Port Shuaiba, approximately 10 miles away, in hopes of evading the incoming strikes from Tehran. “They were dispersing because they were in fear that the…
Watch live: Hegseth, Caine give update on Iran strikes
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine will speak with reporters Wednesday morning, just days after U.S. strikes in Iran over the weekend took out the country’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Saturday strikes have garnered mixed reactions across the political spectrum and resulted in retaliatory strikes from Iran on…
GOP says it’s a targeted, limited combat operation, not a war, with Iran
Congressional Republicans are denying that President Trump is waging a war in Iran, arguing instead that the U.S. is responding to acts of war by the Iranian regime and engaging in a limited combat operation. “This isn’t a war. We haven’t declared war,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said on CNN on Monday, later adding that Iranian Supreme…
Cornyn, Paxton in ugly runoff: 5 takeaways from Texas, North Carolina primaries
Texas Republicans are bracing for an ugly Senate runoff, while Democrats wait to see the outcome of its contest for the upper chamber, with primary season in full swing. Voters in Texas, North Carolina and Arkansas headed to the polls Tuesday to kick start the 2026 midterm cycle. Texas held competitive primaries for Senate, state attorney general and a…
Crenshaw ousted by Toth in Texas GOP primary upset
Texas State Rep. Steve Toth (R) is projected to pull off a victory in Tuesday’s primary, unseating fourth-term incumbent Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), according to Decision Desk HQ. Toth’s win all but ensures he will represent the deep-red Texas 2nd Congressional District in Congress next year. Crenshaw, who has at times broken with President Trump,…
Laurie Buckhout wins GOP primary in North Carolina, will face Don Davis in general
Former Pentagon official Laurie Buckhout is projected to win the Republican primary in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ. Buckhout defeated four other GOP candidates: Asa Buck, Robert Hanig, Eric Rouse and Ashley-Nicole Russell. She will face incumbent Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.) in November’s general election, a rematch of their 2024…
Teixeira secures GOP nod in bid to succeed Roy in Texas
Retired professional baseball player Mark Teixeira is projected to win the Republican primary in Texas’s 21st congressional district, according to Decision Desk HQ. Teixeira defeated a crowded GOP field in the race to succeed Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who is running for attorney general in the Lone Star State. That position is being vacated by…
Roy, Middleton head for May runoff in Texas attorney general GOP primary
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Texas state Sen. Mayes Middleton (R) are projected to head into a May runoff for the GOP nod to succeed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), according to Decision Desk HQ. The two men were among four Republicans competing for the nomination. The other GOP contenders included Paxton-endorsed Aaron Reitz,…
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Canadian PM Carney says US and Israel’s strikes on Iran mark ‘failure of the international order’
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday lamented the “failure of the international order” that led to the ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Carney said in Sydney, Australia, that his country “has long seen Iran as the principle source of instability and terror in the Middle East.” The Canadian prime minister noted, though,…