Americans are divided along party lines on U.S. military action against Iran, according to polls conducted since the war began, with most polls showing opposition is higher than support. Polls suggest that many Americans are worried the military action is making the U.S. "less safe," even as they see Iran as a threat to U.S. security. President Donald Trump gave conflicting messages on Monday about the war's timeline, suggesting it could be near its end while also threatening additional force against Iran if the country disrupted the global flow of oil. Fluctuating oil prices may already be alarming voters. A poll found about 7 in 10 registered voters are "very" or "somewhat" concerned that the war will cause oil and gasoline prices to rise.

President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown has contributed to a year-to-year drop in the U.S. growth rate as the nation's population hit nearly 342 million people in 2025. That's according to population estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The 0.5% growth rate for 2025 was a sharp drop from 2024's almost 1% growth rate, which was the highest since 2001 and was fueled by immigration. The 2024 estimates put the U.S. population at 340 million people. Immigration increased by 1.3 million people last year, compared with 2024's increase of 2.8 million people. Trump made a surge of migrants at the southern border a central issue in his winning 2024 Republican presidential campaign.

President Donald Trump insists Republicans have "so many good nuggets" to campaign on as they try to hold their slim House majority. On Tuesday, Trump spoke for nearly 90 minutes at a GOP policy forum. He spent much of the time defending past actions and joking about various topics. Trump emphasized the success of his 2024 presidential campaign and pondered why voters turn against the party in power during midterms. But he had little in the way of a fresh policy agenda or a cohesive new message to guide the year. And he warned that if Democrats regain control of Congress, "they'll find a way to impeach me."

Elon Musk's feud with President Donald Trump has reignited, with the tech billionaire threatening to launch a new political party and Trump suggesting Musk could be punished for his opposition. The dispute has laid bare not only the differences between the Republican president and one of his most vociferous one-time advocates, but also has reignited the possibility that the world's richest man will — along with his billions — reenter the political spending arena. Musk, Trump's former Department Of Government Efficiency chief, lashed out multiple times at Republicans for backing Trump's tax cuts bill, calling the GOP "the PORKY PIG PARTY!!" for including a provision that would raise the nation's debt limit by $5 trillion and calling the bill "political suicide" for Republicans.

House Republicans have missed another deadline to produce a massive budget package of tax cuts and slashed spending. Instead, Senate Republicans on Friday jumped ahead, unveiling a more tailored $340 billion blueprint focused on President Donald Trump's deportation agenda and bolstered U.S. defense spending. Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledges his own chamber's plan will slip into the weekend but insists it has just a few details to iron out. At stake is the Republican president's priority legislation that includes some $4 trillion in tax breaks, massive program cuts and a possible extension of the nation's debt limit. Republican senators are headed to Trump's private Florida club to discuss.