Pentagon prepares for massive “final blow” of Iran war  —  The Pentagon is developing military options for a “final blow” in Iran that could include the use of ground forces and a massive bombing campaign, according to two U.S. officials and two sources with knowledge.

DHS shutdown live updates as Senate holds test vote on funding bill  —  Add CBS News on Google  —  What to know about Day 41 of the DHS shutdown:  — The Senate is holding a test vote on advancing a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security as Democrats weigh …

Utah Republican petition to repeal redistricting law fails after signature removal campaign  —  The Republican-led effort to put Utah's redistricting law back on the ballot fell below the required threshold in one state Senate district on Wednesday after a signature removal campaign by supporters of Proposition 4.

Trump Eyes White House Treaty Room for Latest Renovation Project  —  President Trump is making new plans in one of the most significant renovations in the history of the White House.  —  President Trump has discussed turning the White House Treaty Room, historically a meeting place for diplomats …

Poll: Americans reject ICE at airports, want Trump to end the war in Iran  —  This article reports results from a special flash poll conducted by Strength In Numbers and Verasight from March 24-25, 2026, among 750 U.S. adults (margin of error +/- 3.6%).  You can read our previous poll releases here.

The Republican Collapse Has Begun — And Trump Is Leading It  —  From Mar-a-Lago to the polls, the evidence of Trump's political crisis is everywhere — and it's getting worse.  —  ∙ Paid  —  Donald Trump's stranglehold on American politics is coming to an end.

Meta and YouTube Found Negligent in Landmark Social Media Addiction Case  —  A jury found the companies harmed a young user with design features that were addictive and led to her mental health distress.  — 1.1k  —  The social media company Meta and the video streaming service YouTube harmed …

Maine 2026 Poll: Platner Leads Gov. Mills, Democrats Lead Sen. Collins in Maine  —  The first Emerson College Polling survey of the 2026 U.S. Senate election finds oyster farmer Graham Platner leading Governor Janet Mills in the Democratic Primary election, 55% to 28%.  Thirteen percent are undecided.

After Wooing Trump With Deals, Pakistan Gets a Seat at the Table … At President Trump's inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington last month, his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, unveiled a promising new partnership with Pakistan.  —  It was not a governmental decree against terrorism or war.

Brian Fitzpatrick delivers a warning on GOP reconciliation redo  —  As House Republicans start to dream big about another party-line bill, one key member who voted down the last GOP reconciliation bill is warning his colleagues not to count on his support.  Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) …

Using a VPN May Subject You to NSA Spying  —  US lawmakers are pressing Tulsi Gabbard to reveal whether using a VPN that connects to overseas servers can strip Americans of their constitutional protections against warrantless surveillance.  —  Six Democratic lawmakers are pressing …

Trump Administration Begins Investigations Into Three Medical Schools  —  The Justice Department's demands for admissions-related data from Stanford, Ohio State and the University of California, San Diego, represent a flex of federal power.  —  The Trump administration has opened investigations …

First Draft: The Thug of War  —  Pete Hegseth's colleagues at the Pentagon are calling him ‘Dumb McNamara,’ and Biden's secretary of state almost, sort of feels bad about enabling a genocide.  —  ∙ Paid … Hi, all.  It's Swin and Andrew, again.  Swin is heading to Minnesota …

Carney's Grand Ambition On Trade Does Not Include Trump … Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former secretary-general of NATO, has a soft spot for America.  —  “Since childhood, I have admired the U.S.,” he told me recently on a video call.  —  Yet when we spoke, Rasmussen had just finished …

Two-Thirds of Open Somali Cases Placed on “Somali Rocket Docket” Report on Fast-Tracked Somali Cases in Immigration Court  —  In January and February 2026, lawyers representing Somalis in immigration court began reporting that cases with no future hearing, or with one set for years away …

Democrats clamored for George Santos' ouster.  Soon they could face having to evict one of their own. … House Democratic leaders have so far taken a hands-off approach to the saga.  —  Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his office say that Cherfilus-McCormick is “entitled to her day in court …

Trump explains why he cast a mail ballot in Florida's election: 'Because I'm president'  —  Trump frequently criticizes mail-in voting, although he says there should be exceptions.  He said he “couldn't be there” to vote in Florida's recent special election because he's president.  — ADD NBC NEWS TO GOOGLE

Is a Ground War With Iran Imminent, or Inevitable?  —  The answer is an unqualified ‘No.’  —  If you watch or read the media, you would think that a “ground invasion” of Iran is “imminent” — either to land on Kharg Island, a five-mile speck that processes 90 percent of Iran's oil exports …

Iran's Attacks Force U.S. Troops to Work Remotely  —  Iran has severely damaged several American military bases in the Middle East, officials say.  —  Iran has bombed U.S. bases across the Middle East in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli war, forcing many American troops to relocate to hotels …

The Well-Timed Trades Made Moments Before Trump's Policy Surprises  —  The president's critics have raised concerns about the action in oil futures, S&P 500 ETF options and prediction markets  —  President Trump has moved markets with sudden shifts in policy, from tariff U-turns to military strikes.

Federal Reserve urges judge to deny bid to revive Jerome Powell probe subpoenas … The Federal Reserve's Board of Governors urged a judge to reject prosecutors' request that he reconsider his recent decision to block subpoenas issued in a criminal investigation of Chair Jerome Powell …

Lawmakers Press to Limit Prediction Bets by Policymakers  —  New bills aim to crack down on prediction-market bets by the president and members of Congress.  —  The day before President Trump began attacking Iran, more than 150 bettors correctly predicted that the United States would do so on Feb. 28.

Top Senate Dems blast proposed ACA rule promoting ‘junk coverage’ that would push estimated 2 million off enrollment  —  A trio of top Senate Democrats led their colleagues in condemning a proposed rule by the Trump administration that would lift restrictions on the number of nonstandardized plans …

Russ Vought to testify on Capitol Hill  —  Russ Vought will testify on Capitol Hill April 15, the White House budget director announced Thursday.  That testimony will be before the House Budget Committee, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss the plan.

US inflation will surge to 4.2% on energy shock, warns OECD  —  Middle East war to push American price growth to ‘highest in G7’  —  The Middle East crisis will fuel a surge in US inflation to 4.2 per cent this year, the highest in the G7, according to an OECD forecast that highlights the cost of the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Texas Republicans Are Moving From Demonizing Muslims to Stripping Away Their Rights  —  For American Muslims, the Republican Party has become a giant no-go zone, ringed with barbed wire and “Keep Out” signs.  From the president on down, Islamophobia is now a standard sentiment, expressed without inhibition.

Bigotry among young conservatives has Republicans on edge  —  Many Republicans dismiss such party members even as white supremacists like Nick Fuentes gain popularity, but there's growing unease at their presence in the rank and file.  —  PHOENIX — Twenty-three-year-old Alec Beaton …

U.S. intercepted Ukraine government messages discussing plot to route money to Biden re-election  —  Newly-unclassified documents show that in 2022 Ukrainian officials discussed diverting hundreds of millions of U.S. tax dollars — earmarked for clean energy — back to Biden's ill-fated 2024 campaign.