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Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said on Wednesday that he was willing to take President Trump’s explanation for a controversial post depicting the president as a Jesus-like figure at “face value,” arguing that he was more concerned with Trump’s comments toward Pope Leo XIV. “I worry less about the post,” Tillis said during an exclusive interview...

Senior Trump administration officials escalated criticism of the Vatican on Tuesday, with Vice President Vance warning Pope Leo XIV to “be careful” when speaking about theology and White House Border Czar Tom Homan telling him to “leave politics alone.” Vance, a Catholic, issued the warning while addressing the pope’s opposition to the conflict with Iran...

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Wednesday that he would support public congressional hearings with victims of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, less than a week after the chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee committed to holding them. “Of course,” Blanche responded when asked at the Semafor World Economy summit...

White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought on Wednesday sparred with Democrats on the House Budget Committee over spending cuts proposed or enacted by the Trump administration. The annual hearing followed the Trump administration's unveiling of its proposed budget for fiscal 2027, which included a 40 percent increase to defense spending...

Time is running out on a fragile ceasefire between the U.S., Israel and Iran, increasing pressure on mediators to get both Washington and Tehran back to the table for a second round of talks to end the nearly two-month war. Ahead of the scheduled ceasefire expiration on April 22, Pakistani officials are carrying out a...

Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) said during a hearing on Wednesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent ouster of Gen. Randy George, the U.S. Army’s former chief of staff, will have a “chilling effect” on the way the armed services operate.  Scott, who praised George as “well respected, well liked by many of us,” asked Gen. Christopher...

Welcome to The Hill's Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story GOP stops 4th attempt to curtail Trump’s Iran war powers Senate Republicans for the fourth time have blocked a resolution to limit President Trump’s war authority in Iran for as the conflict inches closer to a...

MS NOW co-host Joe Scarborough on Wednesday said U.S. allies are reacting with a “very positive” attitude to the American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.  The Trump administration effectively closed the strait this week, blocking Iran from choosing which ships are allowed to pass through the critical choke point. “There was a growing unease...

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz revealed on Monday that President Trump has an unusual defense for his diet soda habit, joking that the president often says the beverage “kills cancer cells.” “Your dad argues that diet soda is good for him because it kills grass. It's poured on grass,...

Presented by the Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare {beacon}  View Online Health Care Health Care PRESENTED BY The Big Story Kennedy set for Hill visits Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. kicks off a whirlwind of congressional hearings on Thursday, testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee in the morning and the House Appropriations health subcommittee in the...

John Eastman, a lawyer who spearheaded efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in President Trump's favor, has been formally disbarred in California The California Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to review his appeal of a lower court's recommendation to strip him of his law license, instead ordering his disbarment. "The court...

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor publicly apologized to Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Wednesday for her comments at a recent talk criticizing his opinion concerning the Trump administration’s immigration stops. “At a recent appearance at the University of Kansas School of Law, I referred to a disagreement with one of my colleagues in a prior case, but...

Republican House candidate Tyler Kistner announced Wednesday that he’s dropping out of the race for Rep. Angie Craig’s Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional seat due to a Middle East deployment.  Kistner ran unsuccessfully for Craig’s seat in both 2020 and 2022, coming within single-digits of an upset. He had mounted another 2026 bid as Craig vacates her...

An attorney representing former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) denied sexual assault and misconduct accusations against her client on Wednesday, alleging the claims were part of a “political hit job” designed to undermine his now-suspended bid for California governor. “If it's conspicuous, the timing of this, it's because it's just no coincidence that this is now...