Week two: The U.S.-Israel attacks killed the supreme leader and hurt Iranian forces, but a prolonged military engagement and a regional conflict threaten fallout beyond Donald Trump’s control. His struggle to articulate a detailed set of goals or a clear endgame and the risk of American casualties and economic costs could shake his influence on MAGA supporters. Then again, maybe the White House's use of SpongeBob SquarePants, Iron Man and Call of Duty memes will do the trick.
16 killed: Lebanon is plunging deeper into the Middle East conflict now that Hezbollah has launched rockets and drones into Israel. The group has been rearming for months, sources say. The St. Joseph Tabaris Parish in Beirut is sheltering some of the 300,000 people displaced across Lebanon this week.
Proxies: Iran has spent years cultivating fighters in Iraq for just such a moment as what we’re seeing in the Middle East. It hasn’t worked out remotely as they hoped.
Money laundering: Hungary said the bank employees were carrying $82 million in cash and gold, while Kyiv accused its neighbor of taking them hostage as a fight between the countries over oil shipments deepens. Volodymyr Zelenskiy taunted his counterpart Viktor Orbán over Hungary’s blocking of 90 billion euros in aid to Ukraine.
Ukraine latest: Russian drone and missile strikes killed at least seven people in Kharkiv, including two children. Zelenskiy said Ukraine will help the U.S. following its request for help in dealing with Iranian drones.
Check back in 45 days: The U.S. customs agency says it’s preparing a system within the next six weeks or so to process refunds on Trump’s tariffs after the Supreme Court ruled them illegal. For some small businesses, getting a refund isn’t worth the pain of pursuing them. And for those that do, there’s a little-known U.S. court that has experience in this area.
‘Stephen is a survivor’: Kristi Noem might have tanked her tenure at Homeland Security over heavy-handed tactics, a $220 million ad campaign and turmoil within the department, but Stephen Miller retains control of the issue. ICE arrested a reporter working for a Nashville news outlet without a warrant.
Troublesome judges: Trump and his allies have derided federal judges as rogues, crooks and lunatics, casting their actions as not just incorrect, but illegitimate. Our analysis reveals a systematic effort by the administration to use the Supreme Court to diminish the power of the judiciary at large.
The Justice Dept. released FBI records that summarize interviews from an unidentified woman in which she said Trump tried to force her to perform oral sex after Jeffrey Epstein introduced them when she was a child.
Federal police say an embattled banker likely bribed two senior regulators at Brazil’s central bank for tips and advice and plotted to attack people he perceived as acting against his interests.
Football is costing colleges too much money, harming school sports in general, Trump said. He proposed legislation or an executive order to do something about it.
