Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is delaying an expected vote on renewing the government’s spy powers amid opposition from hard-line Republicans who want to see reforms to warrantless surveillance and the potential inclusion of voter integrity measures. Johnson initially announced he would hold a vote next week on a clean 18-month reauthorization of section 702 of […]
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani broke his Ramadan fast with prisoners at the controversial Rikers Island jail complex this week, describing the visit as a moment he will never forget. “People sharing what little they have: breaking bread, offering prayer, making space for one another’s dignity even in the hardest place,” the mayor posted […]
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz faced questioning from House Democrats on Friday about the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, after the Trump administration backed major changes to how vital supplies are distributed. Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL), the leading Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and […]
A new California poll is offering an awkward snapshot of the Democratic Party’s 2028 pecking order, with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) significantly outpacing former Vice President Kamala Harris among voters in their shared home state. Newsom leads the field with 28% support among California Democrats, well ahead of other national figures, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez […]
The Supreme Court unanimously allowed a Mississippi pastor to continue his lawsuit challenging a local law barring protests near a public amphitheater outside of designated zones, despite the pastor being previously punished for violating the law. Justice Elena Kagan penned the high court’s opinion in Olivier v. City of Brandon, finding the lawsuit brought by […]
American forces have been targeted by and are retaliating against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq in response to the war in Iran. Kataib Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias have fired rockets and drones at U.S. troops since the start of Operation Epic Fury, Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, told the Washington Examiner. […]
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) announced on Thursday that she will not support further funding for the United States’s war in Iran, marking an uphill battle for the Trump administration’s effort to secure additional financing from Congress. “I’ve already told leadership, ‘I am a no on any war supplementals,’” Boebert told CNN. “I am so tired […]
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg plans to visit battleground states and areas that are considered weak for the Democratic Party during the 2026 election cycle as speculation mounts about him launching a 2028 presidential campaign. The one-time presidential candidate has visited 10 states so far this year and is intent on hitting more stops as […]
The Trump administration sued Harvard University on Friday, accusing the Ivy League school of violating federal civil rights law by allowing antisemitism to fester on campus after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The 44-page complaint, filed by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in federal court in Massachusetts, alleges Harvard discriminated against Jewish […]
Welcome to Friday’s edition of Washington Secrets. It is our regular look at how Donald Trump’s week has gone, with two strategists running the rule over his ups and downs, including data from a new poll that shows that 48% of voters are “ashamed” that he is their president. This was another week defined by […]
