Capitol agenda: Democrats get their Texas dream scenario  —  Maybe, just maybe, this is the year Texas really matters.  While the outcome wasn't shocking, the confirmation of a May 26 runoff between Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and state Attorney General Ken Paxton confirmed the fears …

CIA working to arm Kurdish forces to spark uprising in Iran, sources say  —  The Middle East Donald Trump Federal agencies National security  —  The CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran, multiple people familiar with the plan told CNN.

Americans Stranded in the Middle East Are Having a Hard Time Getting Help From the State Department  —  The Trump administration told Americans trying to evacuate the Middle East that they cannot “rely” on U.S. government assistance, despite urging Americans to “depart now” …

Lawmakers anticipate Trump will seek emergency funding for ‘open-ended’ Iran war … Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the Senate committee overseeing funding for the Department of Homeland Security, said after the briefing that the military operation “feels like a multitrillion-dollar …

U.S. Takes Military Action in Ecuador Against ‘Terrorist Organizations’  —  U.S. Special Forces soldiers were advising Ecuadorian commandos on raids against suspected drug shipment facilities and other drug-related sites.  —  As Trump Bashes Spain, the German Chancellor Looks On

Inspector General Says Kristi Noem's DHS Has ‘Systematically Obstructed’ Its Work  —  Letter outlines 11 instances of agency allegedly blocking information, including in criminal inquiry  —  The inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security said the agency's leaders had …

Hundreds of Voters in Dallas and Williamson Counties Affected by Polling Location Confusion  —  DALLAS/FORT WORTH - Today should be a celebration of democracy.  Instead, hundreds of Dallas and Williamson County voters are being turned away from the polls — and we know exactly why.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's Son Emerges as Leading Choice to Be His Successor  —  If Mojtaba Khamenei is chosen by Iran's senior clerics, it may signal a victory for hard-liners, an analyst said.  —  The senior clerics responsible for selecting Iran's next supreme leader met on Tuesday to deliberate …

There Are 47,635 Epstein Files Offline for Review, DOJ Says  —  Among the unreleased documents are a woman's unverified allegations against President Trump  —  The Justice Department has withheld thousands of documents from the Epstein files, including FBI documents that detailed …

Europe braces as Iran threatens to attack  —  LONDON — The Iranian regime is warning it will attack European cities in any country that joins Donald Trump's military operation and governments across the region are stepping up security in response.  —  So far, Iranian drones have already targeted Cyprus …

Kuwaiti Fighter Jet Mistakenly Shot Down American F-15s, Initial Reports Say  —  A Kuwaiti F/A-18 fighter jet was the cause of the accidental shootdown of three American F-15s on Sunday, according to three people familiar with initial reports of the incident.

Arkansas Democrats just flipped a Republican seat  —  Democrat Alex Holladay won a Republican-held seat in the Arkansas state House on Tuesday night, marking the ninth time Democrats have flipped a district from red to blue in a special election since the start of Donald Trump's second term.

Support for abolishing ICE reaches 50%  —  Support for abolishing ICE has hit a new high in this week's Economist / YouGov poll.  Half (50%) of Americans now somewhat or strongly support abolishing ICE.  Only 39% oppose abolishing the agency.  —  This marks the first time support has reached 50% in YouGov polling.

Exclusive: US turns up heat on Venezuela with threat to indict new leader Delcy Rodriguez  —  The Trump administration is quietly building a legal case against Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodriguez including readying a draft criminal indictment, one of several tools it is using …