Iran War Live Updates: Drone Hits Kuwaiti Oil Refinery in New Attack on Gulf Energy Sites  —  The fate of the plane's crew was unclear, as American officials scrambled to mount a search and rescue operation before Iran could get to any survivors, officials said.  Iranian state media also said a jet had been downed.

Pam Bondi's portrait already taken down at Justice Department  —  It did not take long for the pictures to come off the wall.  —  Within hours of the news that President Donald Trump had fired Pam Bondi as attorney general, images began circulating of her framed portrait …

White House Seeks $1.5 Trillion for Defense in New Budget Request  —  The massive, proposed increase would be offset in part by steep cuts to domestic programs, some of which the administration describes as wasteful.  —  With the United States at war with Iran and embroiled in conflicts around the world …

Exclusive: Justice Samuel Alito was taken to a hospital last month in previously undisclosed incident  —  Supreme Court justices Supreme Court Donald Trump  —  Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was taken to a hospital after becoming ill last month at a Federalist Society dinner in Philadelphia …

Exclusive: US intelligence warns Iran unlikely to ease Hormuz Strait chokehold soon, sources say  —  Recent U.S. intelligence reports warn that Iran is unlikely to open the Strait of Hormuz any time soon because its grip on the world's most vital oil artery provides the only real leverage …

Hegseth Says U.S. Troops Are Fighting for Jesus.  The Pope Disagrees.  —  In sharp contrast to the Trump administration's calls for Christian prayers for the war effort, Pope Leo XIV says military domination is “entirely foreign to the way of Jesus Christ.”

Hegseth's ‘paranoia’ of being replaced explains purge of top general — as ally emerges for Army secretary's role  —  WASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's “paranoia” about Army Secretary Dan Driscoll taking his job fueled the firing of the Army's top general, current …

Trump seeks $152 million to reopen Alcatraz as active prison  —  The White House on Friday sought $152 million to return the former Alcatraz prison island to active duty, following up on President Donald Trump's call last year to transform the popular San Francisco Bay tourist destination.

Three Hundred Habeas Cases in Which the Government Has Defied Court Orders  —  A database of non-compliance with court orders around the country.  —  katherinepomps  —  katherinepomps.bsky.social  —  benjaminwittes.lawfaremedia.org  —  Meet The Authors

Trump's anti-voting order may backfire, damaging DOJ's voter roll campaign  —  President Donald Trump's executive order on mail voting is highly likely to be declared unconstitutional and blocked by courts.  But it might also screw up the Department of Justice's (DOJ) 30 ongoing lawsuits for state voter rolls.

Grandmother Faces Trial in Alabama for Wearing Penis Costume to No Kings Protest  —  In the body camera footage, a police officer parks his black SUV on the grass, a rosary swinging from the rearview mirror.  He exits his car, moves briskly past a pair of protesters, and points an accusatory finger …

Is It Legal to Bully the Supreme Court?  —  Emily Bazelon: Hi David.  I should start on a light and friendly note, I know, but I confess that the birthright citizenship case is making me feel trolled.  President Trump began his term with an executive order professing to end the right …

Judge bats down DOJ bid to revive subpoenas to Fed … “No matter whom the subpoenas were addressed to, then, it was clear whom they sought dirt on: Powell,” Boasberg wrote.  —  U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who is overseeing the investigation, has already promised to appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Trump admin moves Title X family planning program away from contraception, towards conception … The guidance instead promotes “natural family planning methods,” such as period tracking apps and other forms of fertility awareness that have higher failure rates than hormonal birth control.

Trump announces ‘fraud’ crackdown in Democratic states as arrests begin in California  —  US president makes baseless claims about fraud in blue states and says JD Vance will lead clampdown as ‘fraud czar’  —  Donald Trump announced a fresh crackdown on “fraud” in Democratic states and tapped JD Vance to lead the charge.

No One at Waffle House Remembers FEMA Official Who Says He Teleported In  —  Gregg Phillips, who is in charge of responding to fires and floods, says the hand of God suddenly and mysteriously moved him to a 24-hour breakfast spot in Rome, Ga.  —  Shastoni Burge has worked for a decade …

The six big events that have dragged down Donald Trump's approval rating  —  Note: This article is free to read, but it was not free to produce.  To help grow this newsletter business (doing so incurs costs like paying for polling data and modeling infrastructure, experimenting on biz dev …

A new CNN poll reveals how people mad at both parties see the midterms  —  Americans' views of both the Democratic and Republican parties remain deeply negative, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.  And in an election year that may turn on which party voters see as the lesser of two evils …

Six Senate Races to Watch as Democrats Grow More Bullish  —  It's still a tall task for the party to win back control.  Here's the latest.  —  Many of the most contested Senate races are heating up ahead of a gantlet of key primary contests in the coming months.