Republican governors in two southern states are calling state lawmakers back for special sessions next week to consider new congressional maps following a landmark Supreme Court decision that narrowed the scope of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). Alabama lawmakers are set to convene in Montgomery starting Monday to discuss potentially moving the state’s May 19...
The Defense Department has estimated that the U.S. naval blockade has cost Iran about $4.8 billion in oil revenue, a Pentagon official familiar with the assessment told The Hill late Friday. The blockade, which was instituted more than two weeks ago, is one of the actions President Trump has used to inflict pressure on Iran...
Pakistan has emerged as a key player in the U.S.-Iran peace talks, marking a remarkable turn of fortunes for its top general, who during President Trump's second term has transformed from a global pariah to a diplomatic heavyweight. Trump on Tuesday announced an extension of the ceasefire with Iran, saying it would be in place...
A giant banner hangs on the side of a building in Tehran’s central Enqelab Square declaring, “The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed; the entire Persian Gulf is our hunting ground.” It’s a blaring reminder of Iran’s key point of leverage in its war against the United States and Israel; and it's a signal of...
Former U.S. ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker warned European nations against criticizing President Trump’s military operations against Iran. “You might think that this is a huge folly and going to have terrible consequences, but you don't have to say it,” Volker said on the Friday episode of Politico’s "EU Confidential" podcast. “By saying it, you...
The U.S. military killed two “narco-terrorists” in a strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the Eastern Pacific on Friday, according to U.S. Southern Command (Southcom). The military unit announced the strike by posting a video of the boat exploding on the social platform X on Friday evening. Southcom commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan...
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) announced on Friday that he will call a special session to consider new voting maps after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a landmark redistricting case. Reeves said state legislators will return to Jackson, Miss., 21 days to redraw electoral maps after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on Louisiana v....
Iran said it will not meet directly with the U.S. in upcoming talks mediated by Pakistan, despite a contrary statement from the White House earlier Friday. “No meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the U.S. Iran's observations would be conveyed to Pakistan,” Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, said in...
Camp Mystic, where 27 people died during a flash flood last summer, submitted an inadequate emergency plan proposal, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) informed directors Thursday. The Texas summer camp is facing several legal challenges and investigations but said it intended to reopen in May. In a letter first reported by Quorum...
{beacon} Technology Technology The Big Story Soldier’s arrest in alleged prediction market bet spotlights risks for military The arrest of a U.S. soldier accused of using classified information to place a bet on Polymarket on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is stoking new fears over how betting markets could threaten national security in...
{beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Jones Act waiver extended in bid to lower fuel prices The Trump administration announced on Friday it was issuing a 90-day extension to its waiver of the Jones Act, which requires shipping between U.S. ports to be conducted by American ships, in an effort to...
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum shared an update Friday of the ongoing installation of an “American flag blue” floor in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. “Renovations are underway!” Burgum wrote in a post on the social platform X, alongside a picture of workers applying the new blue base to the pool. The secretary thanked President Trump...
Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) said Thursday that he was appalled by a report about the death of 31 sloths that died under the care of Sloth World, a tourist attraction in Orlando, Fla., that wasn’t yet opened to the public. The sloths were from South American rainforests and perished in storage warehouses between December 2024...
