As President Donald Trump tells reporters Iran negotiations are “going very well,” Kuwait reported a drone and missile attack on its airport that killed one person and injured dozens. At home, the House passed a war powers resolution aimed at Iran, Trump moved
The drone hit before dawn, officials in Kuwait said Wednesday—then missiles followed, striking the country’s international airport and leaving at least one person dead and dozens injured.
Iran has denied responsibility. But the attack landed in the same window that President Donald Trump was publicly laying down a brighter timeline for diplomacy.
Trump told reporters Wednesday that the negotiations themselves were going “very well,” and suggested a deal could arrive “like over the weekend.” He also cautioned that it “might not happen,” adding, “Who knows? But if it happens, it could happen like over the weekend.”
Kuwait’s account of the attack stood in sharp contrast to that optimism. Iran’s foreign minister, meanwhile, said there has been “no tangible progress” in negotiations with the United States. And even as the diplomatic track continues to be tested, fighting was still ongoing in Lebanon.
The United Nations said a peacekeeper was killed and two others were wounded after shelling hit a U.N. base in southern Lebanon overnight. Israel and Hezbollah each accused the other of repeatedly violating a ceasefire agreement that established security zones inside Lebanon where Hezbollah forces are not supposed to operate.
On Capitol Hill, the strain between negotiations and pressure became more direct. For the first time since the war with Iran began, the House voted to push back on Trump’s military authority.
The House passed a war powers resolution Wednesday calling for an end to U.S. hostilities with Iran unless Congress authorizes the conflict. The vote was 215 to 208. with four Republicans crossing party lines: Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. Tom Barrett of Michigan. and Warren Davidson of North Carolina.
The measure had been delayed last month after House leadership grew concerned Republicans didn’t have the numbers to defeat it. This time, Democrats picked up enough GOP support to carry it through.
The resolution does not force an immediate end to the war, and it faces a harder path in the Senate. Still. it marked the first time either chamber of Congress has approved a war powers measure since the conflict began in late February—an increasingly visible signal of frustration as the Trump administration tries to negotiate with Tehran while maintaining military pressure.
While Congress debated the scope of presidential authority, Trump turned to the Justice Department’s leadership. He said he will nominate Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to serve as the next U.S. attorney general.
Blanche has been running the Justice Department for weeks. taking over in April after Trump fired Pam Bondi and promoted Blanche from deputy attorney general. Before joining the administration. Blanche served as one of Trump’s personal defense attorneys and represented him in several high-profile criminal cases.
Trump announced his plan at a private White House event, predicting a swift confirmation process. He told those involved in the “very complicated process” that Blanche would be made permanent “attorney general.” Trump also said that if confirmed. Blanche would take over the job after just over a month as acting attorney general.
The nomination arrived days after the Justice Department abandoned plans for a controversial $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund that had drawn criticism from both parties on Capitol Hill.
For Americans thinking about retirement, the stakes were different—but the warning had the same theme of time running out. A new analysis projected that Social Security checks could drop by about $500 a month, roughly a 24% reduction in benefits, if Congress doesn’t act.
The report says the Social Security retirement trust fund is on track to run out of money by the end of 2032. If that happens, benefits would not disappear, but they would be reduced.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated that the average retiree could lose about $500 per month. and warned no state would escape the impact. It cited some of the largest average cuts in places including Connecticut. New Jersey. New Hampshire. Delaware. Washington. and Minnesota. where retirees could lose more than $550 a month.
The warning comes ahead of the Social Security Administration’s annual trustees’ report expected later this month. For now, these cuts are not automatic, and Congress could step in with tax increases, benefit changes, or other measures to keep the program solvent—but the clock is ticking.
More than 60 million Americans currently receive Social Security retirement, survivor, or dependent benefits.
There were other updates in Washington and beyond Thursday, including the USDA’s warning about a flesh-eating parasite detected in American livestock.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said federal experts found New World screwworm larvae in a South Texas calf—described as the first confirmed U.S. case in decades. She said the screwworm was eradicated from the U.S. in the 1970s after causing major losses. and that officials have been warning for more than a year about the fly’s movement across Mexico toward the U.S.
To contain it. the USDA established a 12-mile quarantine zone around the detection site and restricted the movement of warm-blooded animals in the area unless inspected. Rollins said no other cases have been detected in the country. while federal and state officials intensify surveillance in South Texas.
And in the world of business with political fallout, SpaceX is preparing for what could be one of the largest stock market debuts in history.
SpaceX is expected to raise approximately $75 billion when it goes public later this month. It plans to sell more than 500 million shares at $135 per share, valuing the company at nearly $1.8 trillion. Elon Musk would retain more than 80% of the company’s voting power. and Forbes currently estimates his net worth at about $826 billion. If the IPO performs as expected, analysts say Musk could become the first person to reach the $1 trillion mark.
Back in politics, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer faced online backlash after a photo op featuring her with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman drew criticism in an agricultural town near the University of Michigan. in Saline Township. A political strategist told Straight Arrow that Whitmer walks a tight line with the move as disapproval spread across social media—garnering more than 1 million views and hundreds of comments.
The through-line across these stories—from Kuwait’s damaged airport to Washington’s fight over war powers. from the Justice Department’s leadership shakeup to projections that retirement checks could shrink—was timing. One event can undercut another narrative in a single day, and Thursday made that reality feel immediate.
United States politics Iran talks Kuwait airport attack war powers resolution Todd Blanche attorney general nomination Social Security cuts Brooke Rollins screwworm SpaceX IPO