CIA working to arm Kurdish forces to spark uprising in Iran, sources say  —  The Middle East Donald Trump Federal agencies National security  —  The CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran, multiple people familiar with the plan told CNN.

Americans Stranded in the Middle East Are Having a Hard Time Getting Help From the State Department  —  The Trump administration told Americans trying to evacuate the Middle East that they cannot “rely” on U.S. government assistance, despite urging Americans to “depart now” …

Inspector General Says Kristi Noem's DHS Has ‘Systematically Obstructed’ Its Work  —  Letter outlines 11 instances of agency allegedly blocking information, including in criminal inquiry  —  The inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security said the agency's leaders had …

Texas GOP Senate primary heads to runoff, with Cornyn, Paxton on ballot  —  The competitive Republican primary for Senate in Texas is headed to a runoff, according to a Decision Desk HQ projection.  —  The race will head to a May 26 showdown between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn …

Scoop: Lutnick volunteers to testify on Epstein ties  —  Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, once a Manhattan neighbor of Jeffrey Epstein, voluntarily agreed to an interview with the House Oversight Committee over past ties to the convicted sex offender, Axios has learned.

Trump Administration, in Reversal, Tries to Continue Fight Against Law Firms  —  The administration told a court on Monday that it was abandoning its defense of executive orders targeting the firms.  But on Tuesday, the Justice Department abruptly changed its position.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's Son Emerges as Leading Choice to Be His Successor  —  If Mojtaba Khamenei is chosen by Iran's senior clerics, it may signal a victory for hard-liners, an analyst said.  —  The senior clerics responsible for selecting Iran's next supreme leader met on Tuesday to deliberate …

Pentagon identifies 4 soldiers killed by Iranian attack  —  The Defense Department has identified four of the six service members who were killed over the weekend by an Iranian attack.  All four Reserve soldiers were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, based out of Des Moines, Iowa.

Support for abolishing ICE reaches 50%  —  Support for abolishing ICE has hit a new high in this week's Economist / YouGov poll.  Half (50%) of Americans now somewhat or strongly support abolishing ICE.  Only 39% oppose abolishing the agency.  —  This marks the first time support has reached 50% in YouGov polling.

Military Commander Tells Troops Bombing Iran Is 'Part Of God's Divine Plan'  —  One commander had a “big grin” on his face while saying Donald Trump “has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran,” a service member said.  —  For some U.S. military commanders …

'We're seeing chaos.' Hundreds turned away at Dallas County polls amid switch to precincts  —  Hundreds of voters were turned away from Dallas County polls Tuesday when they arrived at their typical voting sites but were rerouted to their assigned polling place due to a switch prompted by the county Republican Party.

There Are 47,635 Epstein Files Offline for Review, DOJ Says  —  Among the unreleased documents are a woman's unverified allegations against President Trump  —  The Justice Department has withheld thousands of documents from the Epstein files, including FBI documents that detailed …

DHS launches investigation into Greg Bovino's alleged remarks about Jewish lawyer - report  —  Homeland security department appears to be looking into comments made about Minnesota's top federal prosecutor  —  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has opened an internal investigation …

Kuwaiti Fighter Jet Mistakenly Shot Down American F-15s, Initial Reports Say  —  A Kuwaiti F/A-18 fighter jet was the cause of the accidental shootdown of three American F-15s on Sunday, according to three people familiar with initial reports of the incident.

Arkansas Democrats just flipped a Republican seat  —  Democrat Alex Holladay won a Republican-held seat in the Arkansas state House on Tuesday night, marking the ninth time Democrats have flipped a district from red to blue in a special election since the start of Donald Trump's second term.

‘Cheap’ and ‘Appalling’: Trump's Ballroom Plans Receive a Flood of Negative Comments  —  The National Capital Planning Commission received about 32,000 messages during its public comment period.  Suffice it to say: Many people are not happy with the president's ballroom plans.  —  “Gaudy and cheap.”

Justice Department rescinds Biden-era ‘no-knock’ warrant policy  —  Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has rescinded the Biden Justice Department's policy that tightly restricted when law enforcement agents executing a search could take the exceptional step of bursting into a home without knocking first.

Pete Buttigieg in the Wilderness  —  In May 2001, at Harvard's Institute of Politics, a 19-year-old freshman named Peter Buttigieg asked David Gergen, a Harvard professor and horse whisperer to five presidents, a question that he might have reserved for himself, a couple of decades later.

How Anonymous Bettors Cashed In on the Iran Strike, Just Hours Before It Happened  —  Polymarket users placed hundreds of bets of at least $1,000 predicting an imminent American strike, raising concerns about insider trading.  —  One day before the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran …

Fox News Poll: Views are divided on US action against Iran  —  A majority of voters think Iran poses a genuine threat to the United States  —  Voters are divided on U.S. military action against Iran, even as a majority sees the country as a security risk.  —  A new Fox News national survey finds 61% …

Trump offers U.S. insurance, military escorts to energy tankers in Mideast  —  President Trump said the U.S. will “immediately” offer “political risk insurance and guarantees” for energy tankers and other ships in the Gulf region, and that the Navy will escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz if needed.

U.S. Takes Military Action in Ecuador Against ‘Terrorist Organizations’  —  U.S. Special Forces soldiers were advising Ecuadorian commandos on raids against suspected drug shipment facilities and other drug-related sites.  —  As Trump Bashes Spain, the German Chancellor Looks On

Exclusive: US turns up heat on Venezuela with threat to indict new leader Delcy Rodriguez  —  The Trump administration is quietly building a legal case against Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodriguez including readying a draft criminal indictment, one of several tools it is using …