What's More Unpopular Than Starting a War?  —  Don't look now, but Brent crude is suddenly pushing $100 a barrel again.  Happy Thursday.  —  Now's the time to try out a Bulwark+ membership.  Get access to members-only newsletters and podcasts, and join the community in the comments FREE for two weeks.

Trump Says Saudi Nuclear Deal Subject to Forming Israel Ties  —  US President Donald Trump said a civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia would be contingent on the kingdom normalizing ties with Israel, throwing cold water on a landmark deal his administration finalized just a day earlier.

U.S. deploys B-1 bomber as attacks on Iran intensify  —  The U.S. military used a B-1 long-range bomber on Tuesday to strike Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets in Iran, U.S. officials said. … - Using B-1 bombers, which can carry two dozen 2,000-lb. bombs or dozens of cruise missiles …

Jordan accuses Smith of lying to Congress in criminal referral to DOJ  —  House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) late Wednesday recommended criminal charges against former special counsel Jack Smith, pushing to tee up a prosecution of the man that led the criminal cases against President Trump.

'We're getting into an ugly phase': Trump's new tariffs are angering voters and U.S. allies alike … Tariffs are back — and they couldn't come at a worse time for the GOP.  —  Some Republicans fear the eye-popping new levies President Donald Trump threatened to slap on Canada …

Secret Service agent on Vance's detail suspected of leaking information is put on leave amid internal review  —  JD Vance Federal agencies Media US elections  —  A Secret Service agent on Vice President JD Vance's security detail is under internal review and has been put on administrative leave …

Trump Badly Screws Susan Collins as Maine ICE Death Takes Darker Turn  —  Not long after a federal agent killed a Colombian immigrant in Maine last week, Senator Susan Collins rushed to declare that she'd privately talked to Donald Trump's Homeland Security Secretary, Markwayne Mullin.

Vote on health emergency preparedness nominee delayed  —  The Senate Health Committee dropped plans to vote on Sean Kaufman's nomination to lead the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response on Thursday after a tense confirmation hearing last week that focused on vaccines.

Amish Shah Wins Democratic Primary in Swing Arizona House District  —  Dr. Amish Shah, who beat the choice of the party's House campaign arm, will face Jay Feely, a Republican, in a battleground district that covers parts of Phoenix.  —  Dr. Amish Shah, a moderate Democrat …

Stock Market Today: Oil Prices Jump After Houthis Claim Attacks on Red Sea Tankers  —  Brent crude tops $98 and bond yields hover near 2026 highs  —  Oil prices are racing back toward $100 this morning after Tehran-backed Houthi militants claimed attacks on two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea …

Senate feeling good about avoiding pre-election shutdown  —  Senators on both sides of the aisle are quietly hopeful about avoiding a third government shutdown this year. … - “People understand that it would be helpful to have a [continuing resolution] that extends beyond the election,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) told Axios.

OpenAI's models broke free and launched a cyberattack.  Congress wants new rules before it happens again.  —  An alarming cybersecurity incident involving OpenAI's newest and most advanced artificial intelligence technology has lawmakers hurrying to advance legislation that they say is needed …

Trump Media fast feed for president's posts sparks Wall Street backlash  —  New venture has raised questions as financial firms decipher risk of paying for advanced access to market-moving feed  —  A Wall Street backlash is mounting over a proposal by Donald Trump's social media company …

U.S. Surges Forces Toward Middle East, Giving Trump Options to Expand Iran War  —  The influx of troops, medics and weaponry follows the deaths of three American soldiers in Iranian attack at a base in Jordan  —  WASHINGTON—The U.S. is surging forces, medics and weaponry to the Middle East …

What a reporter learned covering the impact of USAID cuts on aid workers-turned-sex workers in Nepal  —  Associated Press reporter Kristen Gelineau, who has been covering the impact of U.S. foreign aid cuts, reported and wrote the story of how the cuts have prompted scores of unemployed aid workers …

I'm an Epstein survivor.  Todd Blanche isn't fit to be Trump's AG.  —  Acting AG Todd Blanche finally met with us after pressure by Sen. Thom Tillis, who will vote on his nomination.  In the meeting, there was no attempt to work with us.  It was another way to dismiss us.

Noncitizens voting in New Jersey could face criminal prosecution, DOJ official says  —  It"s up to Gov. Mikie Sherrill's administration to decide if the state will hand that list over  —  President Donald Trump's Department of Justice wants to know the identities of the approximately 6,600 noncitizens on New Jersey's voter rolls.

Secret Service threat cases soar 40%  —  Threats against people the U.S. Secret Service protects are up about 40% from a year ago, the agency says, as it prepares for Friday's rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner. … - “This is roughly 10,000 so far this year and we are a little over halfway through the year,” he says.

Scoop: Democrat Senate Super PAC targets 4 Republican seats  —  The Democrats' main Senate super PAC is booking another $54 million in TV ads for the midterm campaign's final stretch, targeting four Republican-held seats. … - Republicans' last major advertising reservation was aimed largely …

Inside the Democratic Socialist uprising  —  Candidates affiliated with (or sympathetic to) the Democratic Socialists of America (the DSA) have recently won several Democratic primaries.  Although this rise of the left takes a different form, it draws from prior social movements and Bernie Sanders' presidential candidacies.

US Sees Haiti in Turmoil Ahead of Potential Deportations of TPS Holders  —  Haiti remains mired in a lawless miasma even as the US is threatening to force hundreds of thousands of people who fled the Caribbean nation back home, after the Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump can terminate their special immigration status.

Hegseth's ‘Pentagon Purge’: 2 officers say they were forced out for questioning policies  —  MS NOW interviewed officers with deep experience who were pushed out in Hegseth's “Pentagon purge.”  —  Concerns are growing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is denying promotions and pushing …