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
Election today and special session next week mark end of back-and-forth
An election official checks in a voter on the last day of early voting at a polling location inside Burke Centre Library in Burke, Virginia, US, on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Virginia lawmakers are looking to redraw the state's congressional maps, the latest push by Democrats as the party seeks to counter similar moves by Republicans in the race to win a House majority in the 2026 midterms. Photographer: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg
US President Donald Trump speaks during a "No Tax on Tips" roundtable in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Trump sought to assuage voters’ fears about the cost of living despite higher energy prices stemming from his war in Iran at a rally to build support for his economic record ahead of November’s midterm elections. Photographer: Ian Maule/Bloomberg
Few briefings on the war have some in Congress agitated
Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), during a House Budget Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. Vought will argue on Capitol Hill Wednesday that a "sizable increase" in Defense Department spending is needed to make massive investments in weapons to allow the US military to remain dominant. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg
Even by Donald Trump’s own standards, the past few days have been something else
US President Donald Trump receives a McDonald's food order from Sharon Simmons, a DoorDash worker, outside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, April 13, 2026. Trump is highlighting the "No Tax on Tips" policy, which allows eligible workers to deduct qualified tips from their federal income taxes as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Photographer: Salwan Georges/Bloomberg
Spending bills with longer timelines offer tempting ways around blockages, but also put changes out of reach
The US Capitol behind a cyclist in a bike lane in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, newly minted as the nation's top law enforcement officer, said he doesn't feel pressure to carry out retribution against Donald Trump's political enemies even as he pledged fidelity to the president's agenda. Photographer: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg