US Navy tells shipping industry Hormuz escorts not possible for now  —  The U.S. Navy has refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on Iran, saying the risk of attacks is too high for now, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Thune eyes action on SAVE America Act next week — without a ‘talking filibuster’  —  Senate Majority Leader John Thune is aiming to take action on a GOP-only election bill next week — without pursuing a longshot procedural gambit advocated by some Republican hard-liners.

Whistleblower claims ex-DOGE member says he took Social Security data to new job  —  The Social Security inspector general's office is investigating allegations that the former DOGE engineer took sensitive data on a thumb drive in a major potential security breach, said people familiar with the process.

Democrat Shawn Harris to face Trump-endorsed Republican Clay Fuller in runoff to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene, CNN projects  —  Republican Clay Fuller will face Democrat Shawn Harris in a runoff to replace former GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia's 14th Congressional District, CNN projects.

The U.S. Built a Blueprint to Avoid Civilian War Casualties.  Trump Officials Scrapped It.  —  Images from the missile strike in southern Iran were more horrifying than any of the case studies Air Force combat veteran Wes J. Bryant had pored over in his mission to overhaul how the U.S. military safeguards civilian life.

Don't Hold Your Breath for More Epstein Prosecutions … But more than a month after the release, something like the opposite has happened.  —  A variety of public figures in the U.S. have incurred professional and reputational consequences as a result of socializing with Epstein …

Bondi Is Said to Move to Military Housing Because of Threats  —  The attorney general relocated from a Washington apartment to a base in the area within the past month, according to people familiar with the situation.  —  Attorney General Pam Bondi has quietly relocated to one of several military bases …

The war makes it more urgent for journalists to call out Trump's derangement  —  Let's say the president is mentally unfit for duty.  —  Let's say that has been pretty clear for a while now, what with his delusion that he won an election he lost, his chaotic imposition of illegal and irrational tariffs …

Scoop: White House tells House Republicans to stop talking about mass deportations … - Nearly half — 49% — of Americans say Trump's mass deportation campaign is too aggressive, including 1 in 5 voters who backed the president in 2024, a Politico poll from January found.

Trump pick for State Department drops out after drawing heat for comments about ‘white culture’ … In announcing his withdrawal in a social media post, Carl thanked the administration for nominating him and praised the White House for being willing not “to simply pick nominees from the same stable …

The contracting mess Noem's leaving behind at DHS  —  Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is on track to leave dozens of pending contracts on her desk when she leaves office in three weeks, the legacy of a system she imposed to cut “waste, fraud and abuse,” but that has stalled DHS programs.

‘Titanic’ statue of Trump and Epstein on the Mall draws praise, scorn  —  The statue is the third satirical installation placed on the Mall by a mysterious group of artists that highlights the relationship between the two men.  —  The anonymous artists who have targeted President Donald Trump …

Drone hits U.S. diplomatic facility in Iraq as Mideast violence deepens  —  The attack on a major U.S. diplomatic compound in Baghdad was suspected to be a retaliatory move by pro-Tehran militias against the U.S.- and Israeli-led war on Iran.  —  A drone assault hit a major U.S. diplomatic facility …

Democrats win GOP seat in New Hampshire, notching 10th straight special election flip  —  The third time was the charm for New Hampshire Democrat Bobbi Boudman, who flipped a Republican-held seat in the state House in a special election on Tuesday night.  —  Boudman, a financial analyst …

Senators seek review of Justice Department's handling of Epstein files  —  A bipartisan group of senators raised concerns in a letter to the Government Accountability Office that the department failed to redact names and photos of victims.  —  A bipartisan group of senators is asking …

RFK Jr.'s vaccine advisers drop proposal to revisit covid-19 shot  —  Some members of the CDC's vaccine advisory panel have publicly questioned the safety and manufacturing of the shots, including raising a debunked theory that DNA contaminants in the vaccines are harmful.