President Trump’s war with Iran is heading into its second week, and most Americans are not on board.
An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds a majority oppose the military action, disapprove of the job President Trump is doing handling the war and don’t see Iran as a major threat to the United States.
Inside the polling numbers is a similar story that has been seen for the better part of the decade Trump has been on the political scene: The overwhelming majority of Republicans will stand by Trump no matter how controversial his actions are, but majorities of everyone else are against it.
Politically, the economy remains the top concern for voters, and polling has shown that people don’t think the Trump administration is as focused on it as it should be.
That’s a big problem with a war raging and the latest report from the government showing jobs losses. For as much as Trump talks up the strength of the economy, and there are some positive signs, there are other warning signs. That includes prices that are higher than people want to see on groceries, housing and health care — and now a potentially softening labor market.
In fact, there have been five months during the Trump presidency showing negative jobs reports when for four years before that, there were only job increases.
This week saw the first primary elections in this crucial midterm election year — in a couple of right-leaning and potentially consequential states this November in Texas and North Carolina.
As much as the war in Iran is dominating the news now, it’s still the economy that’s likely going to set the backdrop for the election — and determine how big a potential wave there could be when midterm elections historically are not good for the party in power in the first place.
Noem out, Mullin in: President Trump on Thursday fired Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem, who had faced bipartisan criticism over her leadership of the immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis where two U.S. citizens were killed. The ouster came the same week lawmakers had grilled Noem about the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, her comments labeling them “domestic terrorists,” and questions over a $220 million ad campaign. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a close Trump ally and vocal defender of the president’s immigration agenda, will replace Noem at DHS.
Additional Epstein files published: The Justice Department has published additional Epstein files related to allegations that President Trump sexually abused a minor after an NPR investigation found dozens of pages were withheld. They include 16 new pages that cover three additional FBI interview summaries with a woman who accused Trump of sexual abuse decades ago when she was a minor. Also included are two pages of an intake form documenting the initial call to the FBI from a friend who relayed the claims.
There is no indication of how credible investigators found the accuser's account and Trump’s appearance in the files is not necessarily an indication of wrongdoing. The administration has repeatedly denied all allegations of misconduct by the president.
Lawmakers reject War Powers measure: The House and Senate both voted down a measure to rein in President Trump’s military authority in Iran this week, largely along party lines. The resolution would have required Trump to seek congressional approval for any further action in Iran under the 1973 War Powers Act. Democrats argue that the president does not have the power to wage war unilaterally, with some calling the strikes in Iran dangerous and illegal. Republicans are largely united behind the campaign but that could change if the conflict drags on or U.S. ground troops are deployed.
Should marijuana users be allowed to own guns? That’s a question currently before the Supreme Court. The case has some strange bedfellows aligned in support of gun owners, from conservative gun rights groups to liberal civil liberties groups.
Congressional retirement tracker: One in eight members of Congress now say they plan to leave their current seats after this election cycle, the second-highest total in the last century, NPR's Stephen Fowler reports.
@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social/Screenshot by NPR
Now in its second week, the war with Iran has engulfed the Middle East and divided Americans. NPR reporters at home and abroad are working to answer your questions
A big road race with national team implications usually ends in jubilation and relief. But the end of the women’s Atlanta Half Marathon instead brought sadness and frustration after the leading group of women was misdirected off course by an official race vehicle with about a mile to go in the race.
The Atlanta Track Club says it will give prize money to three misdirected runners, but rectifying the error promises to be more complicated than writing a check: The race's top three finishers were expected to be virtual locks to represent the U.S. at the 2026 World Road Running Championships in Denmark this September.
The runners filed a protest and appealed the Atlanta outcome. But USA Track & Field says that while it agrees the course wasn't properly marked, the official results must stand, because there is "no recourse within the USATF rulebook to alter the results order of finish."
