Key Events (10)
The Trump administration's military campaign against Iran has entered its second week with escalating rhetoric and military action. President Trump said the US may strike Iran's Kharg Island oil export hub "just for fun" and called on allies including the UK, China, France, and Japan to deploy warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open after US strikes on Iranian oil facilities.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attacked media coverage of the Iran war, offering reporters alternative television headlines that would more favorably reflect the US military campaign. The FCC chair separately threatened to throttle news broadcasts, posting that he may cancel spectrum permits of mainstream news outlets for "misleading" coverage of the conflict.
A New York lawyer named Joshua Nass was charged with attempting to extort $600,000 from a client who had received a Trump pardon. Nass had played a role in securing the pardon for Joseph Schwartz, a former nursing home executive convicted of failing to pay $40 million in taxes.
The Trump administration reportedly is set to receive $10 billion in fees from investors who took control of US TikTok operations from its Chinese parent company. The arrangement represents an exceptionally rare fee paid to the administration in connection with a major corporate deal.
The Trump administration is set to expand migrant family detention at an Alexandria, Louisiana airport facility, which would hold migrant families and children in converted barracks before deportation. The expansion comes as immigrant parents nationwide report taking precautions such as preparing wills and guardianship papers in case of detention.
Americans are struggling with rising costs of basic necessities despite Trump's claims that "the economy is roaring back." The ongoing Iran war and associated spike in oil prices are expected to contribute to long-term high prices affecting US consumers across multiple sectors.
The Trump administration issued executive orders to tackle housing supply and demand, which critics argue could undermine bipartisan housing legislation the Senate passed earlier in the week—the most significant housing package in decades.
The Trump administration approved a $5 billion ultra-deepwater oil drilling project in the Gulf of Mexico operated by BP, expected to produce up to 10 billion barrels of oil by the end of the decade. Critics warned the project could endanger people and marine life.
The Justice Department dropped charges against Jan "Jay" Carey, a veteran who burned a US flag in protest against Trump's executive order banning flag burning.
A Democratic candidate holds a lead in the Georgia special election to fill Marjorie Taylor Greene's seat, signaling potential shifts in the party's fortunes heading into midterms with issues like the Iran war and immigration on voters' minds. The race provides an early indication of electoral momentum as voters assess the Trump administration's policies.
Executive Orders (1)
Executive orders issued to tackle housing supply and demand, which critics argue could undermine bipartisan housing legislation passed by the Senate earlier in the week.