Trump Knew the Risk of Iran Blocking the Strait of Hormuz.  He Still Went to War.  —  The president told his White House team that Tehran would likely capitulate before closing the strait, the world's most vital shipping lane  —  WASHINGTON—Before the U.S. went to war, Gen. Dan Caine …

The Court Ruling in the Fed Chair's Favor Is a Double-Edged Sword  —  The decision was a vindication for Jerome Powell, but shows that Fed independence now depends on judges  —  For decades, the Federal Reserve's independence from the White House rested on an unwritten set of norms …

War has already displaced nearly a million Lebanese, and aid groups warn of a humanitarian crisis  —  Fatima Nazha slept on the street for two days after she and her family fled their home in Beirut's southern suburbs following an Israeli mass evacuation order.

Jared Kushner Solicits Funds for His Firm While Working as Mideast Envoy  —  President Trump's son-in-law is trying to raise $5 billion or more from foreign governments and others for his private equity firm.  —  Jared Kushner, one of the U.S. government's chief negotiators in the Middle East …

TikTok Investors Set to Pay $10 Billion Fee to Trump Administration  —  The large fee is the latest example of the White House's inserting itself into corporate deal making in unusual and aggressive ways.  —  Investors in a deal to create a U.S.-controlled TikTok are set to pay $10 billion …

DOGE Deposition Videos Taken Down After Judge Order and Widespread Mockery  —  A judge on Friday ordered the immediate removal of a series of depositions of members of DOGE, but not before clips of the depositions, including one in which a member was largely unable to define DEI …

Senate Republicans worry they're losing ground in the midterms … Some GOP senators are now openly predicting a tough battle to hold onto control as their party struggles to keep the focus on affordability policies that lawmakers want to make the centerpiece of their midterm campaign.

How Jeff Bezos Upended The Washington Post … Jeff Bezos called Matt Murray, the executive editor of The Washington Post, in late November to send an urgent message: Please do not quit.  —  Mr. Murray had known for months that Mr. Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon and owner of The Post …

Everyone Now Has Trump's Phone Number  —  Washington's hottest commodity is a 10-digit number that can swing financial markets, drive the news, and shift policy—but only if the timing is right.  —  The White House has received reports in recent weeks that President Trump's personal phone number …

2028 Dem veteran?  Uncle Sam wants you. … Gallego isn't alone.  Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a Navy captain who flew combat missions during Operation Desert Storm in 1990, has also racked up a run of high-profile media appearances, as has former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg …

Entire families wiped out and towns emptied as Israel's war on Lebanon intensifies  —  Communities displaced and destroyed while death toll rises faster than during any previous war in Lebanon  —  For Batoul Hamdan and her two children, seven-month-old Fatima and Jihad, three, Monday's iftar …

It's not just oil.  Here comes Hormuz inflation. … The expected price increases come as the Trump administration attempts to assuage voters' concerns over cost-of-living, and Republicans worry that the war's ripple effects will hamstring their prospects in November.

Wanted fugitive killed by Dallas SWAT officers worked security for Rep. Jasmine Crockett, sources say  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  A man shot and killed by Dallas police earlier this week was a familiar figure in North Texas law enforcement - and part of the security detail for U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett …

Trump fundraising email uses photo from soldiers' dignified transfer and promises ‘private national security briefings’  —  Donald Trump National security The Middle East  —  A fundraising email from President Donald Trump's political action committee has a provocative pitch …

Protesters in Cuba set fire to Communist Party building; one person shot  —  A week after uninterrupted nightly blackouts, Cubans in Morón, a city in central Cuba, took to the streets banging pots and pans Friday night chanting “Down with communism” as some of the protesters broke …

WADA to weigh barring Trump, US officials from LA Olympics and possibly World Cup over unpaid dues  —  The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering rewriting its rules to try barring President Donald Trump and all U.S. government officials from attending the LA Olympics in 2028 in a move …

Suspended U.S. Sanctions Add a Political Win to Russia's Economic Gains  —  Kremlin officials said the American move, which Europe opposes, showed that Moscow could not be dislodged from the center of global energy markets.  —  The U.S. decision to temporarily lift some restrictions …

Trump faces a ‘personal Vietnam’ in Iran  —  He is stuck in a quagmire.  His goals are elusive.  His bombing does not force a surrender.  He has no exit strategy.  Good morning, Vietnam  —  Donald Trump is lost in his fog of war.  He compounds confusion with improvised fabrications …

Minneapolis grapples with lingering trauma, economic damage after ICE surge  —  Few federal agents are seen on the streets of Minneapolis these days.  —  While many of the city's residents still wear red whistles around their necks, used to sound an alert if they spot U.S. immigration agents …