Good evening. The House is out this week as Republicans gather for a three-day policy retreat at President Trump's Doral resort near Miami. Trump addressed lawmakers there this afternoon, repeating many of the same points he made during his State of the Union address last month while also defending his war with Iran and signaling that it may end quickly. "We took a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some evil. I think you'll see it's going to be a short-term excursion. Short term," Trump said. He later touted his accomplishments, telling lawmakers, "No other president could do some of the shit I'm doing."
In a telephone interview with CBS News, Trump also eased some fears of a protracted conflict. "I think the war is very complete, pretty much," he said, adding that Iran's military capabilities have been seriously degraded. "If you look, they have nothing left. There's nothing left in a military sense."
Here's what else is happening.
Trump's New Demand Puts Republicans in a Bind
The House Republicans descending on President Trump's Doral resort near Miami this week are looking to plan out a legislative agenda for the months leading up to November's midterm elections - a plan that could help blunt the political challenges they face due to economic concerns, Trump's tariffs, the Epstein files, the administration's immigration crackdown and now a war with Iran that is exacerbating affordability fears.
President Trump has his own ideas. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump said he will not sign any legislation until the Senate sends him the Save America Act, a House-passed Republican bill requiring people to present proof of citizenship when registering to vote and identification when voting in federal elections.
"It must be done immediately. It supersedes everything else," Trump wrote, adding, "I, as President, will not sign other Bills until this is passed, AND NOT THE WATERED DOWN VERSION."
Trump demanded that lawmakers also prohibit the use of mail-in ballots with limited exceptions, prevent biological males from playing in women's sports and ban gender reassignment surgeries for children.
Hardline conservatives have rallied behind the bill, calling for the Senate to require a "talking filibuster" as they aim to skirt the chamber's requirement for a 60-vote majority.
The talking filibuster would force Democrats to hold the Senate floor in person in order to block the GOP bill.
In his speech to House Republicans this afternoon, Trump again urged Republicans to prioritize the Save America Act and reiterated his threat to keep other items on hold. "I'm for not approving anything," Trump said today. "I don't think we should approve anything until this is approved."
He told Republicans that this was the best path to win in November. "It'll guarantee the midterms," he said.
Trump's demand to prioritize the GOP's election overhaul clouds the outlook for other key items, including a funding bill to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown that started more than three weeks ago, legislation to lower housing costs and a confirmation vote on the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin to lead DHS.
Among the big questions Republicans must confront is whether to try to pass another party-line budget reconciliation bill and, if so, what should be included in such a package. The GOP's slim majorities in the House and Senate would make that an extremely challenging exercise, though the Iran war and the resulting need for a supplemental defense spending bill, which Democrats would likely oppose, may push Republicans to try.
The bottom line: Despite pressure from MAGA Republicans, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has thrown cold water on the idea of using the "talking filibuster," warning that it is "much more complicated and risky than people are assuming at the moment." Thune said that the process could take months of Senate floor time. It could also allow Democrats to force votes on sensitive issues. That leaves the GOP agenda uncertain, but it's notable that Trump has not given much attention to the economic and affordability concerns that voters say are their top issues.
Number of the Day: $94.77
Benchmark U.S. oil futures closed 4.3% higher on the day, at $94.77 a barrel, after hours of wild swings. The price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil topped $119 per barrel before dropping back below $88 in after-hours trading on Monday after Trump told CBS News that "the war is very complete, pretty much."
Retail gasoline prices surged, as well, up 58 cents per gallon from a month ago to $3.48 per gallon today, according to AAA.
The runup in oil prices set records. According to the consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group, about 20% of the world's oil supply has been obstructed by the conflict, the most significant disruption ever recorded. By comparison, the Suez Crisis of 1956 disrupted about 10% of the world's oil supply, while the first Gulf War in 1990-1991 impinged upon 9% and the Arab oil embargo of 1974 affected 7%.
Judge Voids Firings at Voice of America, Says Kari Lake Acted Unlawfully
A federal judge ruled this weekend that Kari Lake acted unlawfully as she executed the Trump administration's plan to dismantle the Voice of America.
U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth said Saturday that all of Lake's official actions over the last year were null and void, including the firing of more than 1,000 employees of the Voice of America and the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA.
President Trump chose Lake to lead the agency, but she was never confirmed by the Senate. Citing previous cases, Lamberth said that confirmation is essential since the federal rules are intended to "guard against the appointment of unfit characters, . . . from family connection, from personal attachment, or from a view to popularity." Given the lack of confirmation, Lamberth ruled that Lake lacked the authority to act as the senior executive at the agency.
"Only the Appointments Clause or the Vacancies Act's exclusive structure may authorize service as a principal officer, and Lake satisfies the requirements of neither the statute nor the Constitution," Lamberth wrote in his ruling.
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by a group of journalists who had been laid off by Lake. "We feel vindicated and deeply grateful," the journalists said in a statement, adding that they hope the ruling is "a powerful step toward undoing the damage [Lake] has inflicted on this American institution."
In a message to NPR News, Lake accused Lamberth, who was appointed to the bench by President Reagan, of being an "activist judge." Lake said Lamberth's ruling violates Trump's "mandate to cut bloated bureaucracy, eliminate waste, and restore accountability to government."
Deficit Hits $1 Trillion in Current Fiscal Year: CBO
The federal budget deficit totaled $1 trillion in the first five months of the 2026 fiscal year, according to the monthly budget review released Monday by the Congressional Budget Office.
The total is $142 billion smaller than the deficit recorded in the first five months of the 2025 fiscal year.
Outlays were $64 billion or 2% higher, while revenues were $206 billion or 11% higher. The jump in revenues was driven by the collection of individual and payroll taxes, which accounted for about two-thirds of the increase. The collection of customs duties rose, as well, driven by President Trump's unilateral imposition of higher tariffs on foreign-made goods. Some of Trump's tariffs were overturned by the Supreme Court in late February, dampening those collections.
Corporate tax receipts fell by 23%, offsetting some of the increase in individual income taxes and customs duties.
Major outlays that saw significant increases relative to the previous year include Social Security (up 8%), Medicare (up 9%) and Medicaid (up 8%). Spending on interest for the national debt was up by 8%, as well, while defense spending rose by 4%.
Outlays dropped sharply at some federal departments. Spending at the Environmental Protection Agency plummeted by 74%, while outlays at the Department of Homeland Security were down by 23%, driven largely by a drop in disaster response expenditures.
Fiscal News Roundup
- Trump Says 'The War Is Very Complete,' and He's Considering Taking Over Strait of Hormuz – CBS News
- Trump Says Iran War Will Be Over 'Very Soon' – Wall Street Journal
- Iran Is Ready for a Long War With the US and Only Economic Pain Will End It, Senior Official Tells CNN – CNN
- Trump Calls Choice of Iran's Leader a 'Big Mistake' as War Roils Global Economy – CNN
- Prewar US Intel Assessment Found Intervention in Iran Wasn't Likely to Change Leadership – Associated Press
- Trump Says It's 'Too Soon' to Talk About Seizing Iran's Oil - but Doesn't Rule It Out – NBC News
- Trump Administration Starts to Panic Over Rapidly Rising Oil Costs – CNN
- Oil Prices Swing Wildly as Iran War Threatens Transport Routes and Production – Associated Press
- Gas Prices Surge as Oil Spikes Amid Iran War. Here's How Much Americans Are Paying – CBS News
- Noem's Ouster Could Pave Way to Reopen Shuttered Homeland Security Department – The Hill
- Airports See Hours-Long Delays Due to TSA Shortages as Homeland Security Shutdown Shows No Sign of Ending – CNN
- One Vote to Lose: Life Inside a Chaotic House GOP Majority – CNN
- When DOGE Unleashed ChatGPT on the Humanities – New York Times
- Long-Delayed Jan. 6 Plaque Honoring Police Installed in Capitol at 4 a.m. – Washington Post
Views and Analysis
- Why the Oil Shock Probably Won't Derail the Economy. And One Way It Might – Greg Ip, Wall Street Journal
- Fears of 1970s-Style Stagflation Arise With Oil Spike to $100. How Big a Threat Is It? – Jeff Cox, CNBC
- Iran War's Energy Price Shock Is Likely to Spiral Economy-Wide – Courtenay Brown, Axios
- Trump's War Becomes World's Latest Economic Hazard – Tony Romm, Colby Smith and Alan Rappeport, New York Times
- Is Inflation Cooling or Stubbornly High? Both Can Be True – Matt Grossman, Wall Street Journal
- The Long-Feared Persian Gulf Oil Squeeze Is Upon Us – Joe Wallace et al., Wall Street Journal
- This Is the Biggest Oil Disruption in History – David Goldman and Matt Egan, CNN
- 'The Old Game Is Back': Oil Is a Potent Geopolitical Tool Again – Rebecca F. Elliott, New York Times
- Trump's Iran War Will Compound His Affordability Woes – Ronald Brownstein, Bloomberg
- Trump Threatens to Crowd Out Republicans' Midterm Message – Michael Gold, New York Times
- House Republicans' Meager Majority Faces Big Problems Ahead of the Midterms – Meredith Lee Hill and Mia McCarthy, Politico
- The War on Fraud Is Really a War on the Poor – Sara Sternberg Greene, The Hill
- This Is the Moment Adam Smith Has Been Waiting For – Jason Furman, New York Times
- Trump Has More Tariffs up His Sleeve – Alan S. Blinder, Wall Street Journal