FISA 702 lapse plunges US into unknown territory

By Rebecca Beitsch

The unprecedented expiration of the nation’s warrantless spy powers has plunged the country into legal uncertainty over the extent to which it can surveil foreigners located abroad. 

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GOP divided on pursuing third reconciliation amid election tensions

By Sudiksha Kochi

Republicans are divided over whether to pursue a third party-line spending package, with some lawmakers expressing skepticism that such an ambitious effort can clear Congress in a high-stakes election year.

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Screwworm spread tests US readiness after Trump staffing cuts

By Nathaniel Weixel

The U.S. spent decades driving the New World screwworm far into South America. But now the parasite has reemerged, and officials are working to beat it back yet again using many of the same tried-and-true methods as the government did in the 1950s. 

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Trump says US military killed Venezuelan gang leader

By Elliott Davis and Sophie Brams

President Trump announced late Friday that U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) launched a strike that killed the leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

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Marjorie Taylor Greene: UFC fights don’t belong on White House lawn

By Sophie Brams

President Trump’s plan to celebrate his 80th birthday with a UFC viewing on the White House lawn is drawing skepticism from former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who says the location is inappropriate.

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Appeals panel denies last-ditch effort to keep Trump’s name on Kennedy Center

By Zach Schonfeld

A federal appeals court panel denied the Trump administration’s last-ditch effort to halt an end-of-day deadline to remove the president’s name from the exterior of the Kennedy Center. 

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Trillionaire Elon Musk makes history with SpaceX IPO: 5 takeaways

By Julia Shapero

Elon Musk’s SpaceX went public Friday, setting a new record with its stock market debut and turning the tech mogul into the world’s first trillionaire.

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Justice Department approves Paramount bid to acquire Warner Bros.

By Sophie Brams

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has approved Paramount’s $110 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, according to the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for the merger between the two global entertainment giants.

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Judge orders restoration of National Parks displays removed under Trump executive order

By Sophie Brams

A federal judge in Massachusetts has ordered the Trump administration to reinstall displays it removed from National Parks sites over the past year as part of a crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) content and climate change information.

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Out of bounds: Trump’s immigration games are spoiling the 2026 World Cup

By Siyad Madey, opinion contributor

OPINION | The 2026 FIFA World Cup has just begun, but it has already produced its defining image — not a goal, not a save, but a referee turned away at Miami International Airport and sent back to Istanbul.

Omar Artan, Africa’s top referee in 2025 — FIFA-accredited, visa in hand — was barred from entering the U.S. because he carries a Somali passport. No specific reason was given. None was needed. Somalia is on President Trump’s travel ban list, and that was enough. 

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Putin wanted an empire — instead, he became China’s vassal

By David Kirichenko, opinion contributor

OPINION | Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in order to restore Russia’s imperial greatness. Instead, he may go down in history as the man who transformed Russia into China’s junior partner, thereby demoting it to the ranks of middle powers — or, worse, transforming it into a Third World country with nuclear weapons.

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The New York Times: With a deal seemingly close, the US faces an Iran more willing to withstand pressure

By Steven Erlanger

The United States and Israel went to war in Iran seeking regime change. Nearly four months later, there has been regime change, but not the kind they wanted. The Islamic Republic 3.0, as some call it, is now less a theocracy and more a military junta dominated by the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

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The Wall Street Journal: Anthropic halts access to top AI models after US ban on foreign use

By Amrith Ramkumar

The Trump administration is banning foreign governments, companies and individuals from using Anthropic’s most powerful artificial-intelligence tools, prompting the company to shut off access to everyone to comply with the new rule.

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Associated Press: Roaring crowds in stars and stripes show up for the US team, and soccer’s moment in their country

By Amy Taxin and Jaimie Ding

It was a stadium like any other, packed with American sports fans wearing their favorite team’s jerseys and red-white-and-blue face paint, roaring as players took the field.

Only this time, the sport was soccer.

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The Washington Post: Trump trades NBA boos for UFC cheers as sports become dividing line

By Dan Diamond

President Trump began his week by attending the NBA Finals, booed lustily by the New York crowd. He’s set to end it Sunday night being cheered at a UFC cage match outside the White House on his birthday.

No prior president has attended the NBA Finals nor hosted a UFC fight — let alone in the same seven-day span.

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