Trump Follows His Gut.  His National Security Advisers Try to Keep Up.  —  Decisions come fast, even if contradictions and inconsistencies abound.  But without much of a process, there is little preparation for how things can go wrong.  —  Sitting beside Germany's chancellor in the Oval Office on Tuesday …

GOP Sen. Steve Daines of Montana says he won't seek re-election  —  The two-term senator endorsed Kurt Alme, the U.S. attorney for Montana, as his successor.  —  Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., announced Wednesday that he will not seek a third term, making him the latest Republican in Congress to head for the exit this year.

Trump calls on Kurds to aid U.S. effort in Iran, offers support  —  In outreach to Kurdish minority leaders in Iran and neighboring Iraq, the president offered U.S. support to insurgent efforts against Tehran.  —  The Trump administration, bracing for more U.S. casualties and considering whether …

Justice Dept., Under Pressure From Trump, Fails to Build Autopen Case Against Biden  —  Prosecutors in the U.S. attorney's office in Washington were unable to build a case, underscoring the department's increasing inability to follow through on the president's desire to indict his rivals.

Dreaming of a Blue Texas  —  Whither Texas politics?  —  For several decades now, Texas has been a graveyard for Democratic dreams.  The state that was the home of LBJ, Senator Lloyd Bentsen and Governor Ann Richards hasn't elected a Democrat for state-wide office for over 30 years.

‘Nazi heaven’: Inside Miami campus Republicans' racist group chat  —  The secretary of Miami-Dade County's Republican Party started a group chat primarily for conservative students last fall — and within three weeks it was filled with racist slurs, someone wrote dozens of ways …

Iran's Underground ‘Missile Cities’ Have Become One of Its Biggest Vulnerabilities  —  U.S. and Israeli aircraft are circling over the subterranean bases, destroying missile launchers as they emerge to fire  —  Iran spent decades constructing underground bunkers to shield its vast missile arsenal from destruction.

‘I did not vote for this’: Thousands of public comments slam Trump's ballroom … President Donald Trump has spent months touting his planned White House ballroom, but this week the public gets its first chance to formally offer him their thoughts.  —  The verdict: They don't like it.

Trade court orders Trump administration to jumpstart tariff refund process  —  A top trade court ordered the Trump administration on Wednesday to start refunding tariffs to U.S. businesses. … - It comes roughly two weeks after the Supreme Court smacked down many of the tariffs that President Trump has imposed since taking office.

In lawsuit, Minnesota accuses Trump administration of ‘weaponizing’ Medicaid funding  —  Minnesota filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration this week, saying the federal government has “weaponized Medicaid against Minnesota as political punishment.”

Susie Wiles sounds the alarm on gas prices … Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other advisers focused on energy policy, including a council led by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, “are getting screamed at to find some good news” on bringing down prices, the same executive said.

Scoop: Trump officials broker massive U.S.-Venezuela gold deal … - The contract calls for 98% final gold content, the source said.  — Trafigura will shepherd the gold to U.S. refineries under a separate arrangement with the U.S. government, that source said.

Iraq plunged into nationwide blackout as US tells citizens to leave immediately  —  Iraq's Ministry of Electricity announced a complete shutdown of the national power system on Wednesday, with every governorate in the country losing electricity after all transmission lines …

Anthropic chief back in talks with Pentagon about AI deal  —  Dario Amodei holding discussions with deputy to Pete Hegseth to reach a compromise on military use of the technology  —  Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei is making a last-ditch attempt to strike a deal with the US defence department …

Tony Gonzales admits sexual relationship with former staff member who killed herself  —  Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales has admitted for the first time that he had a sexual relationship with his former staff member who killed herself last year.  Gonzales, who faces a May runoff in the Republican primary …

Pentagon identifies two soldiers killed in Iran war  —  The Pentagon on Wednesday identified two more soldiers who were killed in the war against Iran.  —  The two Army Reserve soldiers died on Sunday in a drone attack on a U.S. military facility in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait that also killed four other reservists.

How a feud led a billionaire donor to oust Rep. Crenshaw  —  Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw owes his defeat in this week's Republican primary to a billionaire megadonor who was hellbent on ending Crenshaw's career, sources tell Axios. … - In this case, Marling's clout meant Crenshaw was the first House incumbent to be ousted in 2026.

Rahm Emanuel Floods Democrats With Criticism and Ideas.  Will His Party Listen?  —  Possible 2028 presidential candidate is rolling out advice for how to win again and policy proposals as pivotal midterm elections loom  —  BIRMINGHAM, Mich.—Rahm Emanuel is delivering the Democratic Party …

ICE taking steps to close detention center at Fort Bliss, document shows  —  Preparations to shutter Camp East Montana in El Paso come less than eight months after facility's opening, according to an internal ICE document —  ending a tumultuous experiment in large-scale detention where three detainees died.