Trump Faces the Complicated Reality of a Costly, Unpopular War in Iran  —  President Trump's predictions of a relatively short-term conflict with minimal economic consequences appear to be crumbling.  —  Two months into the war in Iran, President Trump is confronting the complicated reality …

Trump disapproval reaches new high, Post-ABC-Ipsos poll finds  —  Democrats now hold a five-point advantage in support for Congress, up from two points in February.  —  Summary  —  Six months ahead of the November midterm elections, the Republican Party faces a deteriorating political climate …

It Just Got Harder to Get an Abortion for Every Woman in America  —  On Friday, the conservative U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit blocked a Food and Drug Administration rule that allows doctors to prescribe the abortion pill mifepristone via telemedicine.

US Department of Justice loses a quarter of its lawyers  —  Thousands have quit or been fired since Trump returned to office with an agenda focused on immigrants and enemies  —  The US Department of Justice has lost more than a quarter of its lawyers, with thousands quitting or being fired …

One Issue Uniting Democrats and Republicans?  Worries About A.I.  —  The growing unease over artificial intelligence is something elements of the left and the right can agree on in a polarized age.  —  In a polarized America divided on matters of war, immigration enforcement …

With Iran, the U.S. Stands to Lose Its Reputation, Its Friends or Its Soul  —  The American-Israeli attack on Iran was more than a bad idea; it has turned into a watershed in the decline of the American empire.  Some might prefer the word “hegemony” to describe the world order the United States leads …

Ohio Might Not Be Lost to Democrats After All  —  Can Ohio — a Midwestern state dominated by aging, working-class White voters, where Republicans have a supermajority stranglehold on the legislature — really become a political bellwether and battleground again?

Jay Powell Held the Line  —  On March 2, 2020, I was in a surgery center at Penn Medicine.  Gown on.  IV in my arm.  The anesthesia drip was about to start.  My phone rang.  —  It was Jay Powell.  —  The Federal Open Market Committee was about to make an emergency fifty-basis-point cut …

It's Only 5,000 Troops, but America Will Come to Regret Its Rash Withdrawal From Germany  —  President Trump is right to demand that Europe spend more on its own defense.  But the Trump administration's announcement on Friday that it would pull 5,000 U.S. troops out of Germany risks weakening …

Trump Shouldn't Expect Much From His China Trip  —  When I first moved to Shanghai from Virginia in 2008, China still looked up to America.  Much of what China did, how it saw itself, what it strove for and its place in the world was measured against “Meiguo” — the “beautiful country” — as America is known in Chinese.

Hegseth tightens control at Pentagon, defiant and more confident than ever  —  Trump's combative defense secretary has grown more self-assured of his job security despite his early missteps in the role, people familiar with the matter said.  —  Summary  —  In the days before his abrupt dismissal …

US's Rubio to visit Italy after Trump's spats with Meloni, Pope Leo  —  The May 7-8 trip comes hot on the heels of Trump's criticism of the pope and the Italian leader.  —  U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to visit Italy later this week, according to media reports …

A California Dream?  Some Democrats Fear Harris Picked the Wrong Race.  —  Some wish Kamala Harris had decided to run for governor in California, where Democrats are struggling to break through, rather than weigh another White House run.  —  The current political math in California goes like this …

In Mississippi, a Democrat Challenges the Senator Who Blocked His Judgeship  —  Scott Colom, a state prosecutor, is running against Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican who denied him a seat on the federal bench.  In a tough year for the G.O.P., Democrats see hope for his long-shot bid.

Behind Voting Rights Case, a Clash Over the Reality of Racism  —  The Supreme Court ruling said there must be proof that a racial group was “intentionally” disadvantaged.  The dissent called it “well-nigh impossible.”  —  In 1965, the year Congress passed the Voting Rights Act …

12 places Trump's name or image is being added by the federal government  —  The Trump administration has made an aggressive push to add the president's name to buildings, battleships, money and government websites.  —  The federal government is undergoing an unprecedented presidential branding makeover …

Trump administration is increasingly ignoring US courts, new analysis shows  —  Critics warn that respect for rule of law could break down as executive branch flouts judicial decisions  —  When a federal judge shot down a Trump administration policy of holding immigrants without bond last December …

Ohio Republicans fear former ICE official could cost them a battleground House seat … At the heart of the concern is Sheahan's role at ICE, where she helped lead the president's sweeping immigration raids across the country — a high profile role that could be popular with Trump-friendly primary voters …

New Jersey governor is down to join redistricting wars, following Supreme Court gutting of Voting Rights Act  —  New Jersey could join the crop of blue states currently considering new congressional maps in light of the US Supreme Court's ruling that effectively vanquishes protections for racial minority districts.

All Steak, No Sizzle: Samuel Alito Gets Down to Business  —  REVIEW: ‘Alito: The Justice Who Reshaped the Supreme Court and Restored the Constitution’ by Mollie Hemingway  —  Mollie Hemingway has written the rare Supreme Court book that's both useful and enjoyable.