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 …

'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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

Will Democrats pick Harris or a socialist?  Primary calendar may give early clue  —  A bombshell poll out of New Hampshire showed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in a tight fight with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a hypothetical 2028 Democratic presidential nomination contest …

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 …

‘Do the math’: GOP budget hits wary Senate  —  Presented by IN TODAY'S EDITION:  — Dems force Iran war powers votes  — AI cyberattack spurs bipartisan legislation  — CDC vote jams Cassidy into a quandary  —  With help from Jordain Carney  —  Speaker Mike Johnson successfully …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

Judge says Trump's attack on mail voting is ‘unconstitutional,’ legal challenge can continue  —  A federal judge in Massachusetts has refused to dismiss a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's executive order (EO) targeting mail voting, setting the stage for the challenge to proceed.

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.

The Smithsonian reeks of communist ideologies that our Founding Fathers would be ashamed of  —  If you wondered how communism has grabbed a foothold in the United States of America of all places, look no further than the Smithsonian Institution.  —  The world's largest and most influential museum …