Lawmakers from both parties bristled at the Pentagon’s reported request for an additional $200bn for the Iran war. Democrats objected to such a big outlay at a time when Donald Trump has slashed welfare spending. Moderate Republicans senators, such as Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, criticised a lack of engagement from the White House, which is reportedly reviewing the request before submitting it to Congress. Pete Hegseth, the war secretary, said the amount “could move”.
Pete Hegseth, the war secretary, said the amount “could move”. (AP)
The FBI opened an investigation into Joe Kent, the country’s top counterterrorism official who resigned this week over the Iran war. Media outlets reported that the investigation pertained to alleged leaks of classified information. Mr Kent said that Iran had posed “no imminent threat” to America and that Israel pressured the administration into war. Donald Trump said it was a “good thing” Mr Kent quit.
Federal prosecutors in Florida subpoenaed James Comey, the former director of the FBI , as part of an inquest into the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Last year a federal judge dismissed charges brought by prosecutors in Virginia that Mr Comey had lied to Congress, a significant blow to Mr Trump’s revenge agenda. Mr Comey has yet to comment on the latest subpoena but has insisted he is innocent throughout.
The Federal Communications Commission approved Nexstar’s bid to take over its rival local-media company, Tegna, in a deal worth $6.2bn. The agreement means that Nexstar will control more than 260 television stations across America. This week attorneys-general from eight Democratic states filed a lawsuit against the merger on the grounds that it would damage competition and raise cable-TV prices for consumers.
The Treasury Department said it would assume the management of student loans from the Department of Education. The Treasury will start by taking over loans in default, which account for around a quarter of the total $1.7trn portfolio, but said it would eventually oversee the rest too. The decision is a significant step in the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle the Department of Education.
Correspondent’s dispatch: The Economist meets Tucker Carlson
Jon Fasman, our senior culture correspondent, describes The Economist’s interview with the American media personality.
Beneath a bobcat stuffed mid-growl, Tucker Carlson waxed poetic about his love of hunting and fishing. This was right before he sat down with my boss, and editor-in-chief of The Economist, Zanny Minton Beddoes, to be interviewed for our flagship show, the Insider. She had been a frequent guest on his short-lived public-affairs show, “Tucker Carlson Unfiltered”, 20-odd years ago. He seemed happy to resume the acquaintance: he was relaxed, funny and polite. But then the cameras started rolling.He didn’t radically change his voice or persona. It was subtler than that—a sharpening of edges, a readiness to pounce. He was querulous, combative and punchy, a practised debater, keen to assume ulterior motives for any challenge to his argument. He made copious use of his banshee cackle and exceptionally mobile face. In other words, he became the Tucker you recognise from TV.In the interview, which I strongly encourage you to watch, he criticised the president for betraying his “America First” promises by launching a war in Iran. This at first seems surprising. In 2023 Fox sacked Mr Carlson, and his cheerleading for Mr Trump throughout 2024 helped restore him to stardom: he broadcast live from Mar-a-Lago on election night as a steady stream of Trumpworld luminaries came to him.But breaking with a second-term president mired in an unpopular war is in keeping with what Jason Zengerle’s entertaining biography considers Tucker’s chief journalistic gift: knowing how to stay relevant. America’s nationalist-right flank thought they had a champion in Mr Trump. Mr Carlson begs to differ.
Fire-retardant spray
America’s war in Iran is straining its armed forces, and the impact could last years. Our briefing explains how the conflict is devouring scarce munitions—especially high-end missiles—and burning through air-defence stocks. Replenishing them will take time. Meanwhile, the navy is overstretched, leaving America less prepared for a potential conflict in Asia.
A view from elsewhere
Mr Trump’s war on Iran risks following the same script as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, argues José Ignacio Torreblanca in El Mundo, a Spanish newspaper. What was meant to be a swift, decisive strike has instead become a grinding conflict. Like Vladimir Putin in 2022, Mr Trump underestimated his opponent and overestimated the effects of removing the leadership of the enemy. Each day Iran resists, he writes, is a setback for America.
Figure of the day
12,000, the number of Department of Homeland Security investigative officers reassigned to immigration enforcement under Mr Trump. Read our story on why America’s obsession with immigration is leaving it exposed to terrorism at home.
Daily quiz
From Monday to Thursday we’ll quiz you on all things American. The winner of this week’s quiz, on American presidents and Disney, is Hasit Raja in Nairobi, Kenya. The answers are:MondayQ: As a child Walt Disney, the studio’s founder, considered which president his favourite?A: Disney admired Abraham Lincoln the most while growing up. As an adult, he created an animatronic show about the president for the World’s Fair in New York in 1964. A year later “Great Moments with Mr Lincoln” moved to Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. TuesdayQ: Disney animators made a political cartoon to help which president’s election campaign? A: Animators from the studio created the cartoon “We’ll Take Ike” to support Dwight Eisenhower’s run for the Oval Office in 1952. WednesdayQ: Which president attended a special Inaugural Bands Parade at Disney World in Florida after cold weather cancelled their planned outdoor inauguration events in Washington? A: Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, attended a parade of some 4,000 high-school band members to celebrate his second inauguration in 1985. ThursdayQ: Which president appeared in Disney’s variety show, “Mickey Mouse Club”, before they took office? A: Donald Trump appeared in the show in 1989. He was interviewed by a child about his daily routine.
Heard in the Oval Office
“Who knows better about surprise than Japan, OK? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbour, OK?”
—The president jokes during a meeting with Japan’s prime minister, Takaichi Sanae. Mr Trump was responding to a question about why America did not inform allies before striking Iran.
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