The acting AG heads to Capitol Hill as critics latch onto the president’s newest deal
Todd Blanche, acting US attorney general, during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, May 4, 2026. The US Justice Department confirmed it was investigating potential antitrust violations in the meatpacking industry amid soaring domestic beef prices and a shrinking cattle herd. Photographer: Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg
The president’s emphasis on intraparty retribution opens new potential roadblocks
FRANKLINTON, LOUISIANA - MAY 06: A detailed view of a hat that reads, Make Louisiana Great Again is seen at a campaign event for U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA), at Bourne's Restaurant on May 06, 2026 in Franklinton, Louisiana. Letlow is running against incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Republican state Treasurer John Fleming, who was formerly White House deputy chief of staff under Trump. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images) Photographer: Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images North America
Xi’s warning of potential conflict thrusts another pressure point to the front
China's President Xi Jinping (R) and US President Donald Trump visit the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on May 14, 2026. Xi warned Trump that the issue of Taiwan could push their two countries into "conflict" if mishandled, a stark opening salvo as a superpower summit set to tackle numerous thorny issues began in Beijing on May 14. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Speaker Mike Johnson called suspending the federal gas tax “an intriguing idea” but didn’t commit to a timeline as momentum builds in both chambers to take action.
Speaker Mike Johnson called suspending the federal gas tax “an intriguing idea” but didn’t commit to a timeline as momentum builds in both chambers to take action.
A driver pays at a fuel pump at a gas station in Columbus, Ohio.
GOP lawmakers are grappling with a potentially tough vote on Trump’s ballroom
US President Donald Trump looks out at the White House Ballroom construction while arriving for a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. Major US oil executives expressed caution to Donald Trump about reentering Venezuela, even as the president pressured their companies to spend at least $100 billion to revive the country's production following the brazen capture of leader Nicolás Maduro. Photographer: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg
The president prepares for his Xi summit amid swirling conflicts and ceasefires tied to Beijing’s allies
US President Donald Trump arrives for a Mother's Day luncheon in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, May 8, 2026. Trump is hosting Angel moms and Gold Star mothers at the White House for a Mother's Day luncheon. Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg
The federal government’s mixed approach illustrates the tug of war between innovation and security
US President Donald Trump, left, and Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff, during a meeting with trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, March 16, 2026. The board is expected to vote on plans to close the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for about two years to carry out renovations. Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/UPI/Bloomberg
The issue that plagued Biden is now threatening to drag down Trump and the GOP
A driver refuels a vehicle with regular gasoline at a Chevron gas station in Los Angeles, California, US, on Thursday, April 30, 2026. After weeks of fuel inflation across Asia and Europe, higher pump prices are now starting to intensify in the US as war-driven energy shocks show little sign of abating. Photographer: David Swanson/Bloomberg
The secretary of State travels to Italy seeking to ease tensions with Europe and the pope
Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, arrives for a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. Rubio emphasized that the move to give military support to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz near Iran is a "defensive operation," saying the US will only fire if fired upon. Photographer: Tom Brenner/The Washington Post/Bloomberg
Elections this month will test the president’s power within the GOP in his second term
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: U.S. President Donald Trump waves to the media after walking off of Air Force One at Miami International Airport on April 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida. President Trump came to town to attend a UFC Fight. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images) Photographer: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America
These issues facing both parties are likely to decide who wins in November
A demonstrator holds a gas prices sign outside an event with US President Donald Trump, not pictured, at The Villages Charter School in Sumterville, Florida, US, on Friday, May 1, 2026. Trump is taking his economic pitch on the road, as the White House grapples with an increasingly unpopular war with Iran ahead of the November midterm elections. Photographer: Thomas Simonetti/Bloomberg
Trump is looking to buy more time to reach a deal, and most Republicans are glad to give it.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, left, and Senator John Barrasso, a Republican from Wyoming, during a news conference following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. President Donald Trump’s attempts to strong-arm Republicans into gutting Senate rules to pass voter ID legislation will spill out onto the Senate floor this week, focusing political time and attention on a MAGA priority that appears certain to fail. Photographer: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg
Unusual bets and outright cheating are drawing scrutiny from firms and regulators
A Kalshi advertisement at a bus stop in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 19, 2026. The rapid expansion of prediction markets is facing increasingly aggressive pushback from state officials pursuing a sprawling patchwork of lawsuits and cease-and-desist orders. Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg
Hearing will be first public questioning by Congress
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - APRIL 08: U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon on April 08, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. It was announced that a temporary ceasefire has been reached between the U.S., Iran, and Israel, pausing attacks for about two weeks while Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz and negotiations continue toward a longer-term agreement. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) Photographer: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images North America
In response to Saturday’s attack, more funding is the solution
Construction work continues on President Trump's White House Ballroom on the site of the former East Wing of the White House, seen from the Washington Monument on March 8, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images
Secret service agents respond during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner) Photographer: Tom Brenner/FR117851 AP
Members of the People's Armed Police walk through Tiananmen Square after the closing session of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. China adopted a law cementing President Xi Jinping's push to assimilate the country's ethnic minorities, another shift away from Beijing's long-held policy of giving such groups at least symbolic autonomy. Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
A 3 a.m. vote is a small sign of progress in Congress
United States Capitol building, in Washington, DC. Taken at night, the building is lit. Black and white image. Photographer: Trevor Carpenter/Moment RF