Emails show FBI Director Kash Patel's Hawaii trip included ‘VIP snorkel’ at a Pearl Harbor memorial  —  When Kash Patel visited Hawaii last summer, the FBI took pains to note the director was not on vacation, highlighting his walking tour of the bureau's Honolulu field office and meetings with local law enforcement.

Trump poised to drop IRS suit, launch $1.7B ‘weaponization’ fund for allies: Sources  —  The fund would compensate allies who claim they were targeted under Biden.  —  Katherine Faulders, Peter Charalambous, and Alexander Mallin  —  President Donald Trump gives remarks during …

Supreme Court preserves access to widely used abortion pill, while lawsuit plays out  —  The Supreme Court on Thursday preserved women's access to a drug used in the most common method of abortion, rejecting lower-court restrictions while a lawsuit continues.

CIA director visits Cuba for rare meeting as island runs out of fuel  —  CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cuba on Thursday to meet intelligence officials and Raulito Rodriguez Castro, the grandson of former leader Raúl Castro.  —  The big picture: Cuba is facing a crippling fuel shortage …

South Carolina governor calls for a special session on redistricting  —  Republicans hope to eliminate a majority-minority seat held by longtime Democratic Rep. James Clyburn before the midterms.  —  South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster called a special session Thursday for state lawmakers …

U.S. Set to Drop Charges Against Indian Billionaire Accused of Fraud  —  The decision came after a lawyer for the billionaire, Gautam Adani, repeated an offer to invest $10 billion in the American economy and create 15,000 jobs.  —  5 MIN READ  —  In a City of Big Dreams, Many Young Adults See a Cloudy Future

Chaos erupts behind the scenes of Trump's China trip — including trampled White House aide  —  BEIJING — President Trump's much-anticipated summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been marred by multiple physical altercations just offstage.  —  Among the incidents that took place Thursday:

‘No idea it was coming’: Pentagon officials stunned by Hegseth decision on troops in Poland … “We had no idea this was coming,” said one of the U.S. officials, adding that European and American officials have spent the last 24 hours on the phone trying to understand the decision and figure out if more surprises are coming.

Trump Was Flattering, Xi Was Resolute.  The Difference Spoke Volumes.  —  In contrast to his rhetoric about China at home, President Trump spoke in conciliatory terms with Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader.  —  For President Trump, the first day of his visit to Beijing was all about the …

The Right's Worst New Star Just Shot Someone  —  There's a truly villainous new livestreamer who's become a cause célèbre on the right—a guy so bad he makes Clavicular's videos about drug overdoses and the Israeli mafia look like an episode of Bluey.

Cuba Runs Out of Fuel, Plunging Country Into Darkness and Protests  —  Cuba said the country has completely run out of the diesel and fuel oil it needs to keep its power plants running, with civil unrest starting to break out amid a de facto US energy blockade of the communist-run nation.

Rep. Frederica Wilson eyes reelection despite Hill absence  —  Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) has told allies in her district that she plans to run for reelection despite her nearly month-long absence from the Hill, Axios has learned. … - But Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones …

Paul McCartney says one song has the power to unite Democrats and Republicans in Trump's America  —  The Beatles legend says the song stops political rivals from being 'at each other's throats'  —  Sir Paul McCartney has paid tribute to the ability of music to bring together warring factions …

Owner of Health Care Software Company Convicted of 1 Billion Dollar Medicare Fraud Conspiracy  —  For Immediate Release  —  A federal jury in the Southern District of Florida convicted the founder and owner of HealthSplash yesterday for his role in operating a platform that generated false doctors' orders …

US Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks abruptly resigns, Fox News learns  —  U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks told Fox News on Thursday he is resigning, effective immediately.  —  “It's just time,” Banks told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin.  —  “I feel like I got the ship back on course …

House Ethics panel investigating Chuck Edwards for sexual misconduct  —  The House Ethics Committee officially announced it is investigating allegations of sexual misconduct against Rep. Chuck Edwards.  The leaders of the bipartisan panel said Thursday they were probing whether the North Carolina Republican …

Nicki Minaj credits Gavin Newsom for tilting her toward Trump after gov. ‘completely ignored me’  —  Hip-hop star Nicki Minaj said Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed her toward publicly supporting President Trump after he “completely ignored” her pleas for help to protect her Beverly Hills mansion.

Vance Blames Democrats as U.S. Halts Some Medicaid Payments, Claiming Fraud  —  Vice President JD Vance traveled to Maine for a speech, making a midterm election pitch that only Republicans could root out fraud in public benefits.  —  Vice President JD Vance took his anti-fraud message to Maine on Thursday …

Scoop: Paramount in talks with Katie Miller for podcast deal as it eyes expansion  —  Paramount is evaluating a potential distribution deal with Katie Miller as it considers expanding its podcast business beyond creative and more into distribution and monetization, sources told Axios.

As Trump Meets Xi, Iran Lets Chinese Ships Through Strait of Hormuz  —  Iranian news agencies said some Chinese ships were being allowed through the strait, following diplomatic outreach to Iran from Beijing.  —  Iran has allowed some Chinese vessels to pass through the Strait …

Exclusive: Acting AG Todd Blanche was told last year to recuse from Justice Department matters involving Trump  —  Donald Trump Federal agencies Trump legal cases People in entertainment  —  It was less than two weeks after Todd Blanche took on his role of deputy attorney general in March 2025 …

Scoop: Trump allies want D.C.'s July 4 fireworks to set world record  —  Trump allies want to smash the Guinness World Record for the world's biggest fireworks show, planning over 30 minutes of pyrotechnics in D.C. this July 4. … - Breaking the world record — set in the Philippines in 2016 — will take more than 810,904 fireworks.

Green Card Holders Targeted for Deportation by New ‘Removal Apparatus’  —  The Department of Homeland Security recently formed a unit tasked with revetting thousands of immigrants with permanent residency.  —  The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to deport at least 50 green card holders through …

FBI went to home of Milwaukee election official as Trump targets 2020 results  —  A Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent visited the home of Milwaukee County's elections director earlier this week in an attempt to question her, the county clerk has said.

Mystery Grows Around Representative Thomas Kean Jr.'s Absence  —  Representative Thomas Kean Jr. last voted in Washington on March 5, citing a medical issue.  An appearance planned for late May has been canceled.  —  Where is Representative Thomas Kean Jr.?  —  Lately, curious political watchers have noted where Mr. Kean is not.

A year of Trump is backfiring on the religious right  —  This weekend, an array of Christian religious leaders and government officials are scheduled to gather at the National Mall in Washington, DC.  They'll convene to pray, yes, but this rally — organized as part of the White House-backed …

GOP Senator Gripes About Democrats Regularly Bringing Up Jan. 6 Insurrection  —  “Everything stops and starts with Jan. 6,” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) complained in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) complained Thursday that Democrats keep bringing …

VA secretary to testify after House threatens to penalize him  —  Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins will testify before House appropriators next week after lawmakers voted to withhold funding for the agency if he didn't, according to two people familiar with the hearing, which has yet to be officially announced.

Should Every Party Be Allowed to Vote in a Primary?  —  New research claims that bipartisan primaries have broad societal benefit, but opposition is growing, and Louisiana voters this weekend will participate in the state's first closed primary since 1978.  —  When Louisiana voters cast ballots …

NJ redistricting push hasn't really started  —  Good Thursday morning!  —  Senate President Nick Scutari sounded enthusiastic about redistricting ahead of the 2028 elections in his comments Tuesday.  —  Between that and Gov. Mikie Sherrill opening the door to it two weeks ago, it's hard not to see the effort as gaining momentum.