Pentagon seeks more than $200 billion in budget request for Iran war  —  Some White House officials do not think the Pentagon's request has a realistic shot of being approved in Congress, one senior administration official said.  —  The Pentagon has asked the White House to approve …

FBI investigates intelligence aide who resigned over war  —  The Scoop  —  The FBI has opened a leak investigation into a top former intelligence official who resigned Tuesday in protest over the war in Iran.  —  The investigation into former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent …

Drones over base where Rubio, Hegseth live raise security concerns  —  Lockdowns at U.S. bases and a global security alert underscore concerns that Iranian retaliation could extend to officials on U.S. soil  —  U.S. officials detected unidentified drones above the Washington Army base …

Republicans are ramping up attacks on Muslims — and getting rewarded  —  Past GOP leaders, including George W. Bush, spoke out against Islamophobia.  Now it is going unchallenged.  —  Republicans in Congress have said that “Muslims don't belong in American society” and that …

Middle East war: why attacks on gasfields like South Pars are a major escalation  —  Strike was first time a fossil fuel energy production facility has been hit.  But why is it significant and who does it affect?  —  Prefer the Guardian on Google  —  Strikes by both sides …

‘He has to justify what he did’: Black leaders slam JB Pritzker after Illinois primary … Pritzker's money helped put Stratton on the path to becoming just the sixth Black senator in U.S. history.  But by boxing out Kelly, he frayed his relationship with the caucus, which holds significant sway …

Judge ends asylum claims for Liam Conejo Ramos and his family, orders family's removal  —  An immigration judge has ended the asylum claims of Liam Conejo Ramos and his family, according to their Minneapolis lawyer.  —  The 5-year-old boy from Columbia Heights received national attention …

Afroman Wins Verdict Rejecting Lawsuit Filed by Ohio Cops Over Mocking Music Videos  —  Police officers raided the “Because I Got High” rapper's Ohio home, then sued him after he ridiculed them on social media — but a jury just sided with Afroman. … Afroman won a jury verdict Wednesday …

Val Kilmer Resurrected by AI to Star in ‘As Deep as the Grave’ Movie — First Look (EXCLUSIVE)  —  Five years prior to his death in 2025, Val Kilmer was cast as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist, in “As Deep as the Grave.”  But Kilmer, who was battling throat cancer, was too sick to ever make it to set.

COVID probably killed 150,000 more people in its first two years than official U.S. tolls show  —  We have severely undercounted the number of COVID deaths, scientists say … COVID may have killed significantly more people in the U.S. in the first two years of the pandemic than official records indicate …

Some DHS contractors told White House officials they were asked to pay Corey Lewandowski  —  Some companies complained to the Trump administration that Lewandowski has stood to personally profit from the DHS contracting process.  Lewandowski denies the allegations.

Vance is in a bind, supporting a war that could cost him politically  —  People close to JD Vance concede that a long conflict will be a challenge for the next GOP nominee but say the vice president hasn't made up his mind about running.  —  Vice President JD Vance is projecting loyalty …

The national debt just crossed $39 trillion—almost doubling since Trump vowed to erase it  —  The United States national debt crossed $39 trillion for the first time Tuesday, arriving at the grim milestone less than five months after it first hit $38 trillion in late October …

One ‘freaking snake’ and no apologies: How the Mullin hearing went off the rails  —  The chairman opened the hearing with a provocative dare: Say it to my face.  Sen. Rand Paul, the Republican from Kentucky, has made clear he has little regard for President Donald Trump's nominee to lead …

HHS investigating 13 states for ‘coercing’ healthcare providers to provide abortions  —  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today that it is launching investigations into 13 states for violating a federal health refusal clause and “coercing” healthcare entities into providing or performing abortion services.

Trump's tariffs are illegal now.  Do I get a refund on this Argentine penguin?  —  I accepted the risk when I ordered a penguin from Argentina: Uncle Sam might tax it.  —  It wasn't one of the actual flightless birds; it was a green ceramic pitcher resembling a penguin with a curved handle …

Kennedy's vaccine agenda takes a major blow  —  A court ruling on Monday dealt a heavy blow to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s efforts to transform America's vaccine policy, just as the White House is reportedly losing interest in the project.

A Statement from Dolores Huerta  —  “I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for.  —  I have encouraged people to always use their voice.

The Most Gavin Newsom Thing Ever  —  I've been doing a lot of research on the explosive fraud in California, but with all the other news, I really haven't gotten around to writing about it.  Besides, Beege did a bang-up job with a piece yesterday, so I can take a breather until things settle down.

Republicans overwhelmingly back Trump over Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly on Iran war, poll finds  —  Reports of Republican fractures over President Trump's decision to go to war with Iran have been greatly exaggerated, according to a new poll shared exclusively with The Post Thursday.

Scoreboard on every street: Gas heads for $4 per gallon due to Iran war  —  Most Americans will likely soon be paying over $4 per gallon as the war in Iran drives one of the sharpest gas price surges in recent history. … - “President Trump has been clear that these are short-term disruptions.

‘Warrants or bust’: House hard-liners deliver ultimatum ahead of spy powers vote … “Warrants or bust,” Boebert said, adding that a clean bill “will not pass.”  —  Separately, Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is demanding the House attach partisan elections legislation, the SAVE America Act …

Kiley switches parties, loses committees  —  Rep. Kevin Kiley, the former Republican who recently registered as an Independent, said in an interview Wednesday he plans to caucus with the House GOP and will seek to regain his committee assignments.  The California lawmaker was formally removed …

Following Trump, Republicans in Congress Propose to Ban Most Voting by Mail  —  A restrictive voter I.D. bill under consideration in the Senate could severely limit mail-in voting.  Conservatives are pressing to end the practice outright, taking aim at an option that is widely used by voters.

Ozempic Is About to Go Generic for Billions of People  —  In India, China and several other nations, Novo Nordisk is on the verge of losing patent protection for its blockbuster weight loss drug, opening the door for cheaper competing versions.  —  Alex Travelli and Pragati K.B.

Under Trump, the government's watchdogs are losing their independence  —  Inspectors general are subject to growing partisan pressures as the White House and political figures seek greater influence over them than ever before.  —  Inspectors general have long touted their independence …