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.

Exclusive: Iran attack wipes out 17% of Qatar's LNG capacity for up to five years, QatarEnergy CEO says  —  Iranian attacks have knocked out 17% of Qatar's liquefied natural gas (LNG) export capacity, causing an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue and threatening supplies to Europe and Asia …

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 …

Someone Needs to Tell Trump the Truth About the War  —  The average price of a gallon of gasoline is now about $3.88, according to AAA.  In eight states, it's over $4/gallon.  Happy Thursday.  —  What Nobody's Telling Trump  —  by William Kristol  —  I doubt anyone on the inside …

Trump ribs Japanese PM on Pearl Harbor in Oval Office talk on Iran  —  President Trump ribbed the nation of Japan over its World War II bombing of Pearl Harbor in a Thursday Oval Office meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.  —  Taking questions from reporters, Trump said he would call on a “beautiful person from Japan.”

‘What is he doing?’:  New threats emerge for Trump's economy as war drags on … “Downside risks are rising, and this is an extremely fluid situation,” he said.  —  The data shows that the warning lights were flickering even before Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, choking global supply chains.

Joint statement from the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan on the Strait of Hormuz: 19 March 2026  —  Joint statement from the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan on the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump's DHS pick Mullin advances by one vote after Sen. Fetterman votes yes  —  Republican Sen. Rand Paul opposed Mullin, but Democratic Sen. John Fetterman crossed the aisle to rescue the nominee, who was approved by a one-vote margin.  —  WASHINGTON — A key Senate committee voted 8-7 …

I was intending to take tonight off, but there's big news—I mean, aside from all the other big news—that I want to make sure gets attention.  —  Back on February 23, Daniel Ruetenik, Pat Milton, and Cara Tabachnick of CBS News reported on a newly uncovered document in the Epstein files showing …

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 …

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 …

Trump's Hypocrisy on Religious Freedom  —  The Trump administration holds itself up as a defender of religious freedom.  It has created a Religious Liberty Commission, increased funding for faith-based schools and changed vaccine policies to allow more religious exemptions.

Congress must ‘adequately’ fund defense, Johnson says, amid talk of $200 billion war request  —  Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday Congress has to “adequately fund defense” amid the military campaign in Iran as he declined to rule out a possible $200 billion emergency Pentagon infusion.

Trump's face on a gold coin?  His hand-picked panel will decide.  —  The proposal has already been rejected by members of a separate federal coin committee — and panned by former member Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.  —  Just now  —  A federal arts commission will weigh whether to approve …

A U.S. Citizen Now Runs Mexico's Top Drug Cartel—and Targeting Him Is Complicated  —  The California-born stepson of the late kingpin ‘El Mencho’ enjoys constitutional protections other capos could only dream of  —  TAPALPA, Mexico—An American citizen now appears to be in charge of Mexico's …

States challenge “broadcast behemoth” mega-merger  —  Eight states sued to block the massive $6.2 billion merger of Nexstar and Tegna that could create the largest local broadcast company in the country by far. … - FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has already signaled he supports the transaction.

D.C.'s hottest ticket: Trump's UFC fight night  —  President Trump tells Axios it's the “hottest ticket that I've ever seen.”  — He's talking about UFC Freedom 250, the fight Trump is staging on the White House's South Lawn on June 14. … - But in a Trumpian twist of marketing …

Bernie Sanders to force disapproval votes over U.S. arms sales to Israel  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders is introducing joint resolutions of disapproval Thursday over several U.S. arms sales to Israel amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the Vermont independent's office tells POLITICO.

Epstein's lawyer tells House Oversight investigators he had ‘no knowledge’ of Epstein's crimes  —  Darren Indyke, Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer and a co-executor of his estate, told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that he had no knowledge of the convicted sex offender's crimes …

‘Like a bomb threat’: Election chiefs decry SAVE America Act, Trump's attacks on voting  —  Secretaries of state slammed President Donald Trump and Republicans' sweeping anti-voting bill, the SAVE America Act, warning Thursday that it would set off chaos if it became law before the upcoming 2026 midterms.

‘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 …