Oil executives warn White House that gas prices will get worse  —  Grim predictions add to the problems of a president already facing a sharp rise in inflation.  —  Summary  —  Oil and gas executives have warned the White House that gasoline prices could surge in coming months …

Trump Isn't Giving Up on His Slush Fund  —  When Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appeared before Congress last Tuesday, senior administration officials hoped that his testimony would be enough to quell the uproar over a $1.776 billion payout scheme for Trump loyalists, including January 6 rioters.

‘Knives are out’ inside the White House  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner  —  Good Thursday morning, it's Dasha, taking the lead to take you inside the mood at the White House amid a string of setbacks for the president.  Get in touch.  —  In today's Playbook ...

How Senate Democrats are planning to push back on potential election interference … “Trump has talked about stealing the election, violating the election, perverting the election, over and over again.  And woe be us, and woe be anyone who believes in free elections, who doesn't take that seriously …

Trump boils over after Tehran kept him waiting  —  The trigger for President Trump's strikes on Iran was the downing of a U.S. helicopter, but behind the scenes Trump had been growing more and more frustrated over nearly two weeks of waiting for an Iranian response to his latest offer that still has not arrived.

Women Who Fled Iran Are to Be Deported to Central African Republic, Lawyers Say  —  The women are among nearly two dozen people slated to be sent to a country where the U.S. government has advised “Do not travel for any reason.”  —  The Trump administration is preparing to deport nearly …

Trump sees 22 medical specialists, appearing to set new bar for presidents  —  Trump saw about a dozen specialists for prior checkups, per past statements.  The White House has declined to identify which physicians assessed him.  —  Summary  —  For George H.W. Bush's first medical checkup …

At Least Six States Have RSVP'd ‘No’ to Trump's State Fair  —  Some states say the Freedom 250 birthday bash is too expensive, too rushed and too politicized.  — Copy  —  President Donald Trump's big birthday bash for America is hitting more speedbumps, as at least six states plan to sit out the Great American State Fair.

India Says U.S. Strike on Tanker in Iran Blockade Killed Three Nationals  —  The deaths are the first known to have occurred from U.S. action to enforce its blockade  —  Three Indian sailors were killed in a U.S. operation to enforce its blockade of Iran, an Indian official said Thursday …

Scoop: Pulte sought Gabbard's early removal as intel czar … - Gabbard was surprised. … - “I need to hear it from the president or the White House,” Gabbard told Pulte, two officials briefed on the discussion told Axios. … - After the conversation with Pulte, Gabbard got ahold of Trump …

Analysis of Satellite Image and Videos Suggest Precision U.S. Strikes on Iranian Water Facility  —  It is unclear if the U.S. intentionally struck the facility or knew what it was.  Deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime.

Administration plans intensive, year-round construction schedule for Trump's triumphal arch  —  Construction of the 250-foot-high triumphal arch that President Donald Trump wants built near the Lincoln Memorial could occur 20 hours per day, year-round, as officials push to complete …

Knicks fans burning sage outside MSG ahead of Game 4 to purge the bad luck left behind from Trump's attendance  —  ‘It felt so dark yesterday, I was like, this is not the Garden that I know,’ the fan said  —  The NBA Finals have New Yorkers desperate for a Knicks victory trying everything in their powers to help the team.

The Curious Disappearance of Daniel Dale … In late February, Daniel Dale appeared on CNN to dismantle the more than 20 false or misleading claims that he identified during Donald Trump's State of the Union address.  “There was just a lot of lying tonight,” Dale, the network's fact-checker …

Trump demands $350B Pentagon infusion, elections overhaul in next party-line GOP bill  —  President Donald Trump laid out twin demands for new party-line Republican legislation Wednesday night, directing lawmakers to deliver a massive Pentagon cash infusion and to push through an election overhaul …

Why Is Trump Tanking in MAGA Country?  These Dems Found a Good Answer.  —  We learned this week that the Democratic-aligned group American Bridge plans to spend $50 million to help the party's congressional candidates in this fall's elections.  It's a whopping sum and a big gamble.

Trump promises another round of strikes against Iran and operation on Kharg Island  —  President Donald Trump promised to strike Iran again on Thursday night, and escalated his threat to say the United States would seize Kharg Island in the near future.  —  “The United States will be hitting Iran …

The murder of expertise  —  This edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🧬 Subscribe to PN 🧬  —  The Trump administration has spent the last 18 months gutting funding for scientific research, forcing out nonpartisan experts …

A new wave of anti-immigrant violence hits U.K. as riots convulse Belfast  —  Attackers torched neighborhoods across Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, after a Sudanese asylum seeker was arrested and accused of stabbing a man.  —  Summary  —  BELFAST — Masked men set houses …

$60M and 7 federal agencies required to stage Trump's UFC fight at White House  —  President Donald Trump's planned UFC fight on the White House's South Lawn has required a monumental effort from more than seven federal agencies, hundreds of staff working onsite daily and at least $60 million …

Absent House Republicans Leave Majority Up For Grabs  —  AWOL members face scrutiny from colleagues who complain they aren't doing their jobs.  — Copy  —  House Republicans have reached a boiling point over their colleagues who have skipped votes in recent months …

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh takes on a starring role in Maine's Senate race  —  Sen. Susan Collins' 2018 vote to confirm Kavanaugh is a fresh source of anger for Democrats, who point to his key vote to overturn Roe v. Wade — even though she indicated he wouldn't.

House GOP eyes fraud crackdown to cover some war costs  —  House Republicans are looking at paying for Iran war costs with savings from the ongoing crackdown on fraud in federal health programs as they begin the process of assembling another party-line budget bill.

A Youthful Crop of Politicians Run on Housing, and Their Own Rent … David Morales, 27, a candidate for mayor of Providence, R.I., has made housing central to his pitch for “a city all our neighbors can afford.”  Sophie Park for The New York Times  —  Besides his suit and tie …

Top Jon Husted Senate Aide Kept Working for Ohio Lobbying Firm  —  Sean Dunn earned more than $22,000 in private consulting fees last year, according to government records.  — Copy  —  A top aide to Republican Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio maintained a paid consulting relationship …

Farmers Were Already Hurting.  The Iran War Made It Worse.  —  Agricultural producers are facing many problems squeezing their profit margins, including pressure from policies coming out of Washington.  — Copy  —  Farmers are struggling.  And while the Trump administration …

China Is Propping Up the World Economy by Importing a Lot Less Oil  —  Beijing plugs a three-million-barrel hole with little visible disruption, but analysts aren't sure how long it can keep going  —  A sharp fall in China's crude oil imports during the Iran war has been instrumental …