Today’s Deep Dive

Trump Accounts launch July 4 as White House kicks off 250th anniversary weekend

The government is about to wire $1,000 into an investment account for millions of American kids, and the president plans to unveil it during a very long speech in 107-degree heat. Supporters call it an ownership stake for every child. Critics say the math doesn’t come close to doing what the White House claims.

→ Read the full analysis

World Politics

China’s New Ethnic Unity Law Takes Effect, Claiming Reach Beyond Its Borders

Beijing calls it a path to unity and prosperity. Taiwan, the UN and rights groups call it forced assimilation, and they are especially alarmed by one clause that reaches beyond China’s borders. We lay out the case on all sides.

Read the full breakdown →

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. Forward this to a friend.

Subscribe →

Today’s Deep Dive

Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump Birthright Citizenship Order, But the Margin Was Closer Than Expected

Everyone expected the Supreme Court to strike down Trump’s birthright citizenship order. What nobody expected was how close the vote actually was, or the loophole conservatives are already eyeing in Congress. Inside: what the 6-3 (or is it 5-4?) split really means.

→ Read the full analysis

World Politics

Russia Launches Largest Aerial Assault on Kyiv, Killing at Least 13

Russia says it was retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on its refineries, which have Putin publicly admitting to fuel shortages. Ukraine says Moscow is targeting civilians and rejecting talks. What one overnight barrage tells us about the next phase of the war.

Read the full breakdown →

Economy & Money

Trump Declines to Renew USMCA on Existing Terms, Opening Year-by-Year Reviews

Trump signed USMCA in his first term and called it his signature deal. On Wednesday, he refused to renew it on its current terms, pointing to trade deficits and auto supply chains. What Washington is demanding from Canada and Mexico could reshape where your next car is built.

Read the full breakdown →

Tech & Power

Meta Wants to Sell Its Spare AI Computing Power. Wall Street Cheered.

Meta poured billions into chips and data centers. Now it reportedly wants to rent the spare capacity to rivals, and Wall Street sent the stock up nearly 10%. But chipmaker shares slid the same day, and some analysts read that as a warning.

Read the full breakdown →

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. Forward this to a friend.

Subscribe →

Today’s Deep Dive

Federal Judge Lets States’ Challenge to Trump Mail-Voting Order Proceed

An Obama-nominated judge in Boston ruled that 23 states can sue to block Trump’s order curbing mail-in voting before November. She stopped short of freezing the order, but signaled the clock matters. What happens next could decide how a third of Americans cast their ballots.

→ Read the full analysis

World Politics

US and Iran Sign Deal to End War, but the Hard Part Comes Next

The bombs stopped after more than 100 days, and both Washington and Tehran are calling the deal a victory. But National Review calls it lopsided, the Guardian asks if it’s “the art of the fail,” and the first round of talks already collapsed. Who actually came out ahead?

Read the full breakdown →

Economy & Money

Warsh Debuts as Fed Chair With a Market-Driven Approach and Rates on Hold

Kevin Warsh ran his first FOMC meeting on Wednesday and signaled a real break from the Powell era, telling reporters the Fed should take its cues from markets instead of trying to steer them. The dollar hit a one-year high within hours. Supporters call it overdue humility; critics call it outsourcing monetary policy to Wall Street.

Read the full breakdown →

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. Forward this to a friend.

Subscribe →

Today’s Deep Dive

Newsom Says Trump Directed DOJ to Investigate Him and His Wife; Sources Say Probes Originated in California

Gavin Newsom says Trump personally ordered the Justice Department to investigate him and his wife, and went straight to video to say so. But reporting in The Guardian and PBS NewsHour suggests at least one of the probes started somewhere very different, and predates the fight. Who actually opened the file?

→ Read the full analysis

World Politics

At G7 in France, Trump Pushes Russia Toward a Deal After Meeting Zelenskyy

Trump said he held a “very good” meeting with Zelenskyy at the G7 and urged Russia to “make a deal,” according to Reuters.

Read the full breakdown →

Economy & Money

Bank of Japan Raises Key Rate to 1%, Highest Since 1995

Tokyo lifted rates to a level not seen since 1995, even though headline inflation is still below target. The governor pointed to one specific number that the BOJ thinks tells the real story. Here’s what flipped the switch after two decades of near-zero money.

Read the full breakdown →

Tech & Power

White House Cites National Security to Halt Public Access to Anthropic’s New AI Model

The administration says Anthropic’s new AI model is a national security threat. Critics say it looks like payback for the company refusing to build surveillance and weapons tools. The government’s letter named no specifics, so which read is right?

Read the full breakdown →

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. Forward this to a friend.

Subscribe →

Today’s Deep Dive

Trump Links Surveillance Law Renewal to His Voter ID Bill

Trump says he won’t renew a key surveillance law unless Congress passes his voter ID bill, fusing two fights that have nothing to do with each other. Some Democrats already wanted Section 702 to lapse. So who actually has the leverage here?

→ Read the full analysis

World Politics

US and Iran Reach Framework Deal to Halt 15-Week War

Trump says the Strait of Hormuz reopens and the blockade lifts, and oil prices already dropped. But Israel was frozen out of the talks and says it isn’t leaving Lebanon, while Iran’s hardliners are furious. So what did this deal actually settle?

Read the full breakdown →

Economy & Money

Oil Falls to Three-Month Low as Trump Says Strait of Hormuz Will Reopen

Trump says the Iran deal is “now complete” and the Strait of Hormuz will reopen Friday, sending oil to a three-month low. But who guarantees safe passage, what happens to Iran’s nuclear program, and why is Israel already pushing back? The market is betting on a resolution that hasn’t actually been signed.

Read the full breakdown →

Tech & Power

Trump Administration Freezes Anthropic’s Top AI Model Exports, Sending the Company to D.C. in Damage-Control Mode

Anthropic flew senior staff to D.C. this week after the White House quietly blocked exports of its most advanced AI models. The company says it was blindsided. China hawks say it’s overdue, and one major outlet is calling the move “capricious and chaotic.” What’s actually in the order, and who wins if it sticks?

Read the full breakdown →

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. Forward this to a friend.

Subscribe →

Today’s Deep Dive

Trump Taps Jay Clayton for Intelligence Chief After Pulte Backlash

Trump’s new pick for intelligence chief has run the SEC and prosecuted Wall Street, but never worked inside a single spy agency. Supporters call him highly respected; critics point to old conflict-of-interest questions and a Deutsche Bank sanctions case. Why is this one drawing bipartisan interest when the last pick didn’t?

→ Read the full analysis

World Politics

Trump Says an Iran Deal Is Near. Tehran Says Nothing Is Settled.

Trump called off a third night of strikes, said a deal is done, and floated a signing ceremony in Europe. Iran’s foreign ministry says reports of an agreement are “speculative” and nothing has been finalised. So who’s right, and why did oil prices move before anyone signed anything?

Read the full breakdown →

Economy & Money

SpaceX Goes Public in Record IPO, Putting Musk on Paper Path to Trillionaire Status

SpaceX just pulled off the largest IPO in history, and shares jumped more than 35% before regular trading even opened. The listing pushed Elon Musk past $1 trillion on paper. But how much of that fortune rests on government contracts, and does record size at debut mean anything for what comes next?

Read the full breakdown →

Tech & Power

WhatsApp Expands Dual-Account Support on iPhones, Closing a Gap Android Users Have Had for Years

Meta is widening a feature on iOS that Android users have had since 2023, and it sounds like a small convenience win. But privacy researchers and EU regulators see something bigger happening under the hood. What the dual-account rollout actually changes.

Read the full breakdown →

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. Forward this to a friend.

Subscribe →

Today’s Deep Dive

Documents Tie Pro-Trump Nonprofit to 2024 Push to Question Election Certification

A nonprofit incorporated in Delaware in 2023 helped pay for ads that told swing-state officials they could refuse to certify the 2024 election. Its directors include a longtime Trump lawyer and a researcher who now works inside DHS. The documents are new. The implications are not small.

→ Read the full analysis

World Politics

US and Iran Trade Strikes for Second Day as April Ceasefire Frays

Centcom hit Iran’s south overnight. Iran answered with ballistic missiles at US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, and says the Strait of Hormuz is now closed. How close is the April truce to total collapse?

Read the full breakdown →

Economy & Money

Solar Outproduced Coal in the U.S. for the First Time in May

For the first time ever, solar generated more U.S. electricity than coal in a single month. It happened while the White House is actively trying to revive coal, and as AI data centers send power demand climbing. Is this a turning point or just a sunny May?

Read the full breakdown →

Tech & Power

Canada Moves to Bar Under-16s From Social Media, With a Catch for Tech Firms

Canada wants to keep kids under 16 off social media. But the bill quietly hands tech companies a way out, and it also targets AI chatbots. Who actually has to comply?

Read the full breakdown →

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. Forward this to a friend.

Subscribe →

Today’s Deep Dive

Graham Survives MAGA-Backed Primary Challenge in South Carolina

Sen. Lindsey Graham defeated an “America First” primary challenger in South Carolina and will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November, Politico reported.

→ Read the full analysis

World Politics

U.S. and Iran Trade Strikes After American Helicopter Downed Over the Gulf

An American helicopter went down over the Gulf. Hours later, U.S. jets hit Iranian radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz, and Tehran said it fired on 21 targets at U.S. bases. One detail buried in the BBC’s reporting could change how this escalates.

Read the full breakdown →

Tech & Power

Apple’s New Siri AI Arrives, and the Early Reviews Are Mixed

Apple’s long-delayed Siri overhaul is finally in testers’ hands, and the first reviewer to spend real time with it says, almost reluctantly, that it works. So why did Apple stock drop after the keynote, and what did Wall Street see that The Verge missed?

Read the full breakdown →

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. Forward this to a friend.

Subscribe →

Today’s Deep Dive

Trump Renews ‘Rigged Election’ Claims About California After Walking Out of NBC Interview

Trump called the California count rigged, Kristen Welker asked for evidence, and the interview ended with the microphone coming off. By Monday morning he was posting about Los Angeles mayoral ballots flipping overnight. Is California’s slow count a red flag, or just California law working as written?

→ Read the full analysis

World Politics

Trump Tells Netanyahu to Stand Down as Iran Halts Strikes on Israel

Iran’s military command halted strikes on Israel after President Trump publicly told both sides to “stop shooting,” Reuters reported.

Read the full breakdown →

Economy & Money

A Korean Stock Meltdown Pulls Global Markets Lower as AI Trade Unwinds

South Korean stocks cratered as investors bailed on crowded AI bets, dragging markets across Europe and Asia down with them. Foreign money had been fleeing Korean shares all year, even during the record rally. Healthy correction or the first crack in the AI boom?

Read the full breakdown →

Tech & Power

Apple’s AI Reset: Inside the 2025 Meeting That Reshaped Siri

One closed-door meeting in 2025 reportedly forced Apple to admit it had fallen behind on AI, and set Siri on a new path. But the person credited with the turnaround is said to be getting almost no recognition for it. Who actually fixed Apple’s assistant, and did it happen in time?

Read the full breakdown →

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. Forward this to a friend.

Subscribe →

Today’s Deep Dive

Senate Passes $70 Billion Immigration Enforcement Bill, Keeps Trump’s $1.8 Billion Settlement Fund Intact

Senate Republicans pushed through $70 billion for immigration enforcement overnight, but the real fight was over a $1.8 billion fund tied to January 6. Three vulnerable GOP senators crossed the aisle to kill it, and the amendment still failed by a single vote. Here’s who blinked, and why Schumer says this isn’t over.

→ Read the full analysis

World Politics

Zelensky Sends Open Letter Inviting Putin to Direct Peace Talks

Zelensky published an open letter inviting Putin to a face-to-face meeting and a ceasefire during talks, the BBC reported.

Read the full breakdown →

Tech & Power

Europe Reconsiders Palantir as UK Lawmakers Question £330 Million NHS Deal

A cross-party group of UK lawmakers just called Britain’s £330 million Palantir contract an “unacceptable weakness,” and they’re not the only Europeans pulling back. German courts have already restricted police use of the company’s software, and the Dutch and Norwegians are reconsidering too. What changed, and what happens to the NHS rollout now?

Read the full breakdown →

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. Forward this to a friend.

Subscribe →

Today’s Deep Dive

Senate Strips $1 Billion White House Ballroom Security Funding From Immigration Bill

Senate Republicans quietly pulled $1 billion meant to upgrade security around President Trump’s new White House ballroom, clearing the way for a $72 billion immigration bill to move. The decision didn’t come from Democrats. It came from a single Senate official whose ruling Republicans decided not to fight.

→ Read the full analysis

World Politics

Israel and Lebanon Agree to Renew Ceasefire, Carve Out “Pilot” Security Zones

Israel and Lebanon just agreed in Washington to renew their broken ceasefire and create new “pilot zones” in the south. The catch: Hezbollah wasn’t in the room, and is already saying no. Why the Trump team thinks this still works, and what it has to do with Iran.

Read the full breakdown →

Economy & Money

Trump Invokes Forced-Labor Law to Impose Tariffs on 60 Trading Partners

After the Supreme Court and the Court of International Trade struck down two earlier tariff frameworks, the White House is reaching for a new statute and a new justification: forced labor in 60 countries’ supply chains. Critics say it’s a pretext, supporters say it’s overdue. The legal fight starts now.

Read the full breakdown →

Tech & Power

Seattle Moves Toward Year-Long Ban on New Datacenters

Four companies wanted to build five datacenters in Seattle. Together they would have consumed roughly a third of the city’s daily electricity, in the backyard of Microsoft and Amazon. Why tech workers themselves showed up to kill the projects.

Read the full breakdown →

Quick Hits

- Senate Republicans stripped $1 billion in Secret Service funding tied to President Trump’s new White House ballroom from a $72 billion immigration enforcement bill, the BBC reported, after the chamber’s parliamentarian ruled the provision violated reconciliation rules. details →
- Israel and Lebanon agreed in Washington to renew their ceasefire and create “pilot” zones in southern Lebanon under Lebanese army control, with Hezbollah barred and not at the table, PBS NewsHour reported. details →
- The Trump administration unveiled 10% to 12.5% tariffs on goods from roughly 60 trading partners under a forced-labor rationale, Vox reported. details →
- Seattle’s city council committees unanimously advanced a one-year moratorium on new datacenters, with a full vote expected Tuesday, according to The Guardian. details →

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. Forward this to a friend.

Subscribe →

Good morning. Here’s what you need to know today.

World Politics: Iranian drones struck Kuwait International Airport overnight, killing at least one person and wounding more than 60. The strike came hours after a U.S. Hellfire missile hit a tanker near the Strait of Hormuz.

Economy & Money: The Trump administration proposed raising tariffs on 60 trading partners. The list includes some of America’s closest allies.

Tech & Power: UK lawmakers warned that Britain's reliance on Palantir for NHS, defense, and policing data is an "unacceptable point of weakness.”

Today’s Focus

A political newcomer just upset the GOP establishment in Iowa

A farmer with no political experience just beat a Trump-endorsed, four-term congressman in Iowa’s Republican governor primary. The margin was razor-thin.

The winner ran on a Make America Healthy Again platform, and the result is raising questions about what endorsements are actually worth in 2026.

Read the full analysis → A political newcomer just upset the GOP establishment in Iowa

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. If you found this useful, forward it to a friend.

Good morning. Here’s what you need to know today.

U.S. Politics: The Justice Department said Monday it will comply with a federal court order pausing payouts from President Trump’s roughly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund until June 12, even as DOJ said it disagrees with the ruling, according to the BBC.

World Politics: A Russian missile and drone barrage killed at least 10 people in Kyiv and Dnipro overnight and damaged residential buildings in eight Kyiv districts, according to the BBC.

Tech & Power: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a civil lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, accusing the company of hiding ChatGPT’s risks and endangering children, according to PBS NewsHour.

Today’s Focus

DOJ Pauses $1.8 Billion ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund After Court Order and GOP Pushback

The Justice Department said it will comply with a federal judge’s order temporarily blocking payouts from a fund that critics call a slush fund for Trump allies, as Senate Democrats moved to abolish it entirely.

The Justice Department said Monday it will comply with a federal court order temporarily halting disbursements from President Trump’s roughly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, a program designed to compensate people the administration says were politically targeted by past federal investigations.

A federal judge in Virginia ordered payments paused until June 12 while the court reviews legal challenges, according to PBS NewsHour. A second judge in Miami is reexamining the underlying IRS settlement that seeded the fund. DOJ said it “disagrees strongly” with the rulings but will abide by them, the BBC reported.

Hours earlier, Senate Democrats Mark Kelly, Adam Schiff and Elissa Slotkin introduced the Drain the Slush Fund Act, which would bar taxpayer payments to the president or others designated by the fund, according to The Hill.

Supporters, critics, and independent legal scholars: three views on whether this fund is lawful redress or a self-dealing slush fund.

Read the full analysis → DOJ Pauses $1.8 Billion ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund After Court Order and GOP Pushback

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. If you found this useful, forward it to a friend.

Good morning. Here’s what you need to know today.

U.S. Politics: U.S. Southern Command said a Saturday strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific killed three men it described as drug traffickers, the fourth such strike in a week and pushing the campaign’s total death toll to roughly 205, according to NPR.

World Politics: Israeli forces captured the medieval Beaufort castle in southern Lebanon and ordered new strikes on Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs, while France, Germany and the UK condemned the escalation and requested a UN Security Council meeting, according to The Guardian and the BBC.

Economy & Money: A Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas study published last week found tariff costs are now fully passing through to US consumers, the central bank’s clearest finding yet that households, not importers, are absorbing the trade war’s price increases, Fortune reported.

Tech & Power: The federal government’s new Center for AI Standards and Innovation signed agreements with Google DeepMind, Microsoft, and Elon Musk’s xAI to test their frontier AI models for safety and security risks before public release, Washington’s most substantive entry into pre-deployment AI oversight, CNBC reported.

Today’s Focus

U.S. military strike on alleged drug boat kills three in eastern Pacific, fourth in a week

The cumulative death toll from the Trump administration’s maritime counter-narcotics campaign has reached roughly 205, with human rights groups and legal scholars contesting the strikes’ legality.

The U.S. military said it carried out a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Saturday, killing three men it described as drug traffickers, according to U.S. Southern Command statements cited by The Guardian and NPR. It was the second strike in two days and the fourth in roughly a week.

NPR reported that the cumulative death toll from the Trump administration’s maritime counter-narcotics campaign now stands at about 205 since operations began late last year.

The administration says the United States is in an armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels and has not released public evidence tying individual vessels to drug shipments. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have described the strikes as “unlawful extrajudicial killings,” according to The Guardian, intensifying a legal and political debate in Washington.

What do supporters, critics, and independent legal scholars say about the legality of these strikes?

Read the full analysis → U.S. military strike on alleged drug boat kills three in eastern Pacific, fourth in a week

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. If you found this useful, forward it to a friend.

Good morning. Here’s what you need to know today.

U.S. Politics: The Justice Department sued Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington on Thursday for refusing to issue undercover license plates to ICE agents, arguing the policies unconstitutionally single out federal immigration officers, PBS NewsHour reported.

World Politics: Vice President JD Vance said US and Iranian negotiators are “very close” to a framework that would extend the April ceasefire by 60 days and open nuclear talks, but said enrichment language is still unresolved, according to the BBC.

Today’s Focus

Vance says US and Iran ‘very close’ to deal as enrichment dispute holds up agreement

The vice president said a framework would extend the April ceasefire by 60 days, but Tehran disputes that the text is final and the core question of uranium enrichment remains unresolved.

Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the United States and Iran are “very close” to a deal that would extend the current ceasefire and open formal talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, but that several sticking points remain. He told reporters in Washington that negotiators were working through language on uranium enrichment.

According to the BBC, US officials said earlier in the day that the two governments had reached a framework pending sign-off from President Trump and Iran’s leadership. The reported terms would extend the April 8 ceasefire by 60 days.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency disputed that the text was finalized, The Guardian reported. The Guardian also reported that Trump has circulated a draft of the agreement to allies, including Israel, as both sides work to keep ceasefire violations from collapsing the talks.

What supporters, critics, and arms-control experts say is actually at stake in the enrichment fight.

Read the full analysis → Vance says US and Iran ‘very close’ to deal as enrichment dispute holds up agreement

Thanks for reading Morning Politics. If you found this useful, forward it to a friend.