IS IT A WAR? A STALEMATE? A QUAQMIRE? The Wall Street Journal reports that President Donald Trump has “instructed aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran.” The president took that action, the Wall Street Journal said, after assessing that “other options—resume bombing or walk away from the conflict—carried more risk than maintaining the blockade.” […]

{beacon} Technology Technology   The Big Story Senators ban themselves from prediction markets The Senate unanimously agreed to a resolution Thursday barring its members from trading on prediction markets in the face of growing concerns about insider trading on the platforms. © Greg Nash The resolution, which was introduced by Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) last...

Conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly said Wednesday he was "absolutely wrong" with his past defense of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel in the wake of remarks the host made before the White House Correspondents' Association dinner shooting. O'Reilly told Chris Cuomo on NewsNation, The Hill's sister network, that "when Kimmel made the remark about MAGA being somewhat...

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez (D) slammed Meta on Thursday for threatening to shut down its social media platforms in the state following a jury's verdict against the company, calling it a “PR stunt.”  In a court filing shared with The Hill, Meta said the state of New Mexico’s demands for the company are...

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said Thursday that Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) deciding to move forward with the state's Senate primary election next month was “disappointing.” Landry signed an executive order earlier Thursday suspending the House primary elections in Louisiana, a day after the Supreme Court ruled that the state’s congressional map was unconstitutional. All...

President Trump signed a bill ending a record-setting 75-day DHS funding lapse, though ICE and Customs and Border Protection remain unfunded.

Mark Sanford abandons his run to reclaim his old South Carolina congressional seat, announcing plans to launch a nonprofit focused on reducing U.S. debt.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth denies insider trading allegations during a heated Senate exchange with Sen. Elizabeth Warren over Iran war oil trades.

Obama warns Supreme Court ruling guts Voting Rights Act protections, but critics note he backed Virginia redistricting favoring Democrats days earlier.