Washington, DC

1. Iran back-up plan
2. Trump’s new mission
3. Gas prices surge
4. War hawks rising
5. House recess sprint
6. Redistricting wars
7. US-Canada oil pipeline
8. AI’s impact on creatives

PDB: Rubio to meet the Pope 

Giuliani in critical but stable condition in hospital … Palantir reports earnings … Milken Institute Global Conference begins

Republicans draft Iran war authorization

A small group of Senate Republicans are still working behind the scenes on an authorization of military force for Iran that they can move on if President Donald Trump reprises strikes, according to several people briefed on the matter. Republicans expect to receive a fresh notification if hostilities resume, after Trump said Friday that the first period of conflict was over. The War Powers Act allows “expedited” consideration of a military authorization if it is introduced during the first 30 days of the next 60-day period of hostilities, meaning the authorization would get a quick floor vote in the Senate. Aides are studying whether it would be subject to a 60-vote threshold at some point; some Republicans believe it might only require a simple majority on the Senate floor. The GOP authorization would likely limit ground troops and provide for a finite period of conflict.

— Burgess Everett

US begins guiding ships through strait

The US will begin helping guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz today, according to Trump, as he faces domestic pressure over the Iran war. US Central Command said it would support the “defensive mission,” which The Wall Street Journal called “an arm’s-length effort to unblock the vital supply route.” The administration keeps sending conflicting signals about talks to end the war, with Trump telling reporters yesterday things were “going very well” a day after indicating he was unsatisfied with Iran’s latest offer. Tehran said it was reviewing the US reply. The Trump administration insists that its pressure campaign is working. Iran’s economy is “on the precipice of extreme calamity,” Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CBS. But at home, Trump is the one hurting: Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of his handling of the situation, according to a Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll.

Summer of high gas prices looms

Get ready for a summer of high gas prices. In the last week, the average price of a gallon of gas surged by 35 cents per gallon, hitting $4.45 — the most dramatic increase since the war in Iran began. Markets are responding to fears of a prolonged conflict, and refinery disruptions in the Midwest have compounded the problem. Analysts say gas prices tend to rise faster than they fall, meaning the stage is set for elevated prices to continue. Trump has argued that the problem is temporary, calling the economic impacts of the war “fake inflation.” Democrats have seized on the issue: Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., sent a letter to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles (who has asked administration officials for ideas to solve the problem) inquiring about what she’s found.

— Laura McGann

The return of Fox News’ war hawks

Marc Thiessen, the George W. Bush speechwriter-turned-Washington Post and Fox News commentator, may deserve credit for one of the surprises of Trump’s second term: the president’s continued, if measured, support for Ukraine in the face of GOP hostility. “He is doing more to help Ukraine than Biden ever did,” Thiessen declared recently. Post opinion editor Adam O’Neal has told journalists that Thiessen’s calls with Trump regarding Ukraine were influential in persuading Trump to continue to take the country’s side, people familiar with the Post’s internal conversations told Semafor’s Max Tani — an assessment Thiessen shares. Thiessen’s rise reflects a broader shift in Trump’s orbit away from media figures like Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson, who celebrated Trump’s efforts to withdraw American forces from conflicts around the world, and toward advisers linked to the wars that defined the Bush years.

House members head home to campaign

The House is settling into a weeklong recess after a stumble to the finish last week. Some top Democrats will be devoting time to raising money for a very expensive fight for the House and shoring up relationships with key constituencies during this week. Democratic Whip Katherine Clark is headed to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix to fundraise, and will meet with labor groups with Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., in Arizona. Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar has earmarks-related events in his district and will tour an ICE facility in New York with Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y. And Republicans are looking to sell their legislative wins and tout the work of the Trump administration. GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain will honor small businesses in Clinton Township, Michigan, alongside SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler for National Small Business Week.

— Nicholas Wu

GOP South springs to draw new maps

Republican governors across the South are calling for new congressional maps that could eliminate half a dozen safe Democratic districts, pressing their advantage after the Supreme Court curtailed the Voting Rights Act. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee summoned legislators to Nashville to make the change for this year’s elections, while GOP leaders in Alabama and South Carolina endorsed debate on new maps to replace ones that created majority-Black seats under rules the court threw out. Each state is following Louisiana, which won the case against the VRA’s racial gerrymander provisions and then delayed its primaries to revise its current map. Democrats are gearing up to sue to stop or slow new gerrymanders, with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries saying that lines that disempower Black voters violate the 14th Amendment.

— David Weigel

What’s next for US-Canada oil pipeline

A proposed $2 billion Canada-to-Wyoming pipeline that would ship upward of half a million barrels of oil a day into the US is moving closer to reality. The Bridger pipeline expansion project got a border-crossing permit from Trump on Thursday, and initial comments for its environmental review closed Friday, with final permits expected next year before construction starts. The project is often likened to the now-scrapped Keystone XL pipeline, which became a political flashpoint before former President Joe Biden revoked its border permit; its Canadian partner is eyeing an already-built Keystone XL line to connect to its US route. But there are key differences: The new pipeline would take a distinct route that avoids the state of Nebraska, where opponents homed in on Keystone XL’s potential risks to water, and environmentalists — while critical — have not yet mobilized against the Bridger project with the same force.

— Elana Schor

AI isn’t replacing artists — yet

As Washington worries about the effects of artificial intelligence on the US economy, there’s at least some evidence that the technology is not fueling widespread job losses or disruptions in creative industries. A new analysis of Gallup data from the Journal of Cultural Economics found that even creative professionals like music directors and composers, whose skills have some overlap with what AI can do, didn’t see any major disruption in their earnings between 2017 and 2024, compared to artists in less-impacted fields. Still, these workers saw somewhat weaker employment growth in 2023 that could be attributed to AI. And more artists are using AI frequently for purposes like idea generation and creative exploration: The data shows about one in four reported using the technology often, compared to one in five workers across the entire US economy.

Blindspot: DeSantis and Ukraine

Stories that are being largely ignored by either left-leaning or right-leaning outlets, curated with help from our partners at Ground News.

What the Left isn’t reading: President Trump said he’d consider appointing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to a post in his Cabinet.

What the Right isn’t reading: Russia set a record for strikes on Ukraine last month, ABC News reported. 

He went from selling his own plasma to running a YouTube channel with over 7 million subscribers. Johnny Harris, YouTube creator and Newpress co-founder, joins this week’s Mixed Signals to talk about how he built a sustainable business around difficult topics without chasing the outrage that drives so much attention online, and why millions of people are obsessed with long-form video explainers.