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.

James Talarico Says ‘New Politics Is Being Born’ After Texas Primary Win  —  After clinching the Democratic Senate primary, he told supporters in Austin that the country's real divide is between “top versus bottom,” not the left versus right.  —  James Talarico, the state lawmaker and seminarian …

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.

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 …

‘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 …

‘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.

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.

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 …

Trump mulls Noem firing … Even Speaker Mike Johnson speculated about the potential for a change at the top of DHS during a recent House Republican elected leadership retreat in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.  —  Trump dialed up some GOP senators after Noem testified in front of the Senate …

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 …

Judge moves, cautiously, toward civil contempt in case over treatment of trans people in prison  —  U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth made clear on Wednesday morning that he had no problem holding Trump administration officials in contempt if needed.  —  “Once I issue an order …

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.

House rejects Nancy Mace's push for sexual harassment disclosure  —  The House effectively bottled up an attempt to force the release of sexual harassment claims against lawmakers after bipartisan leaders of the House Ethics Committee publicly condemned the effort led by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.).

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 …

‘No Tax on Overtime’ Isn't All It Seems for Some Workers  —  President Trump's simple campaign promise, now reality, includes lots of fine print that is confounding taxpayers and companies this filing season.  —  Eric Schweitzer has come to count on the annual fire season.