A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, as Washington and Israel intensified their bombardment Wednesday of Iran's security forces and other symbols of power. A torpedo fired by a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, whose navy said Wednesday it recovered 87 bodies and rescued 32 people. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday the U.S. and Israel have “only just begun” their war with Iran but declared Tehran “is toast, and they know it.” Hegseth also signaled a possible longer time frame for the conflict than has previously been floated. Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has long been considered a contender to the post of the country's next paramount ruler — even before an Israeli strike killed his father at the start of the war last week and despite the fact he's has never been elected or appointed to a government position. “If anything, I might have forced Israel's hand,” he says. Trump adds US has ‘knocked out' some of Iran's forces and systems as he meets with Germany's Friedrich Merz. A man carries an Iranian flag to place on the rubble of a police facility struck during the U.S.–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. A shepherd boy walks away from an unexploded Iranian projectile that landed in an open field in the outskirts of Qamishli, eastern Syria, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Israeli tanks maneuver near the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburb, near Rafik Hariri International Airport, Lebanon, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean, as Washington and Israel intensified their bombardment Wednesday of Iran's security forces and other symbols of power. Iran launched more missiles and drones as it warned of the destruction of military and economic infrastructure across the Middle East. Millions attended the funeral of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989. But the exact aims and timelines have repeatedly shifted, signaling an open-ended conflict. Israel was also trading fire with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, while Iran fired on Bahrain, Kuwait and Israel. As the conflict spiraled, Turkey said NATO defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran before it entered Turkey's airspace. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a torpedo from a U.S. submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean Tuesday night. Sri Lankan authorities said 32 people were rescued from the ship, which they said had 180 people on board and sank outside Sri Lanka's territorial waters. Israel said it hit buildings associated with Iran's Basij, the all-volunteer force of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard that conducted a bloody crackdown on protesters in January. The Israeli military also said it hit buildings associated with Iran's internal security command. Israel and the U.S. have said they want to see Iranians overthrow the country's theocracy, and strikes against Iran's internal security forces may be aimed at hastening that. However, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said over the weekend that its forces have decentralized leadership, with units acting largely on their own according to general orders, which could blunt the effect of attacks on top command and control hubs. Strikes have also been reported in the Shiite seminary city of Qom targeting a building associated with a clerical panel set to pick Iran's next supreme leader. Iranian media said it was empty at the time. During his Pentagon briefing, Hegseth didn't give a definitive timeline for U.S. operations. Adm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East, said American forces have damaged Iran's air defenses and taken out ballistic missiles, launchers and drones. Gen. Effie Defrin said such damage has led to a decline in launches from Iran. Israel's military said Iran launched missiles toward the country. At least 1,045 people have been killed in Iran, the country's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs said Wednesday. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the offensive against Iran was originally planned for mid-2026, but “the need arose to bring everything forward to February.” He listed events inside Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump's positions “and the whole possibility of creating a combined operation here,” as reasons. The protests in Iran put unprecedented pressure on its leadership. The ship was hit by two missiles, sparking a fire, according to Malta's transport minister, Chris Bonett. Tanker traffic through the strait has fallen by around 90% compared to prewar levels, shipping tracker MarineTraffic.com said Wednesday. Oil prices have soared as Iranian attacks have disrupted traffic through the strait, and global stock markets have been hammered over worries the spike in oil prices may grind down the world economy. Iran's leaders are scrambling to replace Khamenei, who ruled the country for 37 years. Mojtaba Khamenei, Khamenei's son, has long been considered among them — despite the fact he's has never been elected or appointed to a government position. In a sign that Iran's leadership will only seek to consolidate its power as it faces its biggest crisis in decades, the head of the judiciary warned that “those who cooperate with the enemy in any way will be considered an enemy.” Israel's defense minister, meanwhile, threatened whoever Iran picks to be the country's next supreme leader. It's not clear how Washington will respond if a new leader in the mold of Khamenei is chosen. Trump said Tuesday that the “worst case would be do this, and then somebody takes over who's as bad as the previous person.”

Iranian intelligence has sent word to the United States it could be prepared to open talks on how to end the war, according to people familiar with the indirect messages, but US officials say there are no negotiations underway and that potential “off-ramps” are unlikely to materialize in the near term. But so far, it does not appear the channel has resulted in any serious discussions on how to bring the war to an end. Instead, American officials have described entering a new, more intensive phase of the joint operation with Israel to degrade Iran's missile program and ensure it not be able to obtain a nuclear weapon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a briefing Wednesday the US was “just getting started.” And lawmakers who were briefed by the administration Tuesday on Iran said they did not hear a distinct endgame, including potential efforts at diplomacy. Iranian leaders, for their part, haven't demonstrated public willingness to negotiate as their ranks grow slimmer as a result of Israeli attacks. Yet the messages, however preliminary, do suggest an eventual pathway exists to brokering an end to the war. CNN has reached out to the CIA for comment. American officials insist they have not been in talks — either directly or through a third party — with the Iranians since nuclear negotiations fell apart days before the war began. They have, however, received messages from other countries offering to help defuse the conflict. To date, that has not resulted in any robust exchange of messages between the United States and Iran. Steve Witkoff, the president's foreign envoy who led three rounds of negotiations with Iran before Trump ordered strikes, has not been in touch with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who in the past he exchanged text messages with. Witkoff has also not spoken with Iran's top national security official, Ali Larijani, the senior administration official said. “We're not using anyone as an interlocutor. This is a military action, and it's got to run its course,” the official said. And Iran's deputy foreign minister said Wednesday that no message is being sent to the US. “We have not conveyed any message to Americans because we are now defending ourselves,” Majid Takht-Ravanchi said on MS Now. So, no message is being sent and we haven't received any message by America or by anybody else.” Still, behind the scenes, many officials have wondered whether a potential agreement could eventually be struck that would stop the conflict while satisfying all of Trump's conditions: that Iran dismantle its nuclear and missile programs and end its support for military proxy groups in the Middle East. Who, exactly, would agree to that on Iran's part is unclear. “The people we had in mind are dead,” Trump acknowledged bluntly Tuesday about his vision for future Iranian leadership. They may be dead also, based on reports. So I guess you'll have a third wave coming in. Pretty soon, we're not going to know anybody.” While Iranian clerics gather to select a new supreme leader, Israel has vowed to assassinate anyone who replaces Khamenei. A day later, Trump posted that the Iranians “want to talk.

Financial information is displayed on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is rebounding Wednesday from two days of punishing swings after oil prices stopped spiking and reports gave encouraging updates on the economy. The S&P 500 rose 0.8% in midday trading and is on track to claw back most of its loss since the war with Iran began. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 301 points, or 0.6%, as of noon Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.3% higher. The strength followed a scary start to Wednesday, when South Korea's Kospi stock index plunged 12.1% for its worst day in history. Uncertainty about the war has sent prices in financial markets careening up and down hour by hour this week, with most taking their cues from what the price of oil is doing. Oil prices moderated as trading moved westward from Seoul and the rest of Asia to Europe and across the Atlantic. After briefly topping $84 per barrel, the price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, eased back to $80.88, a dip of 0.6%. Stocks also got a boost from increased hopes for the U.S. economy. Encouragingly for inflation, it also said prices for such businesses are increasing at a slower rate, at least before the war with Iran began. A second report suggested U.S. employers outside of the government picked up their hiring last month. In financial markets, worries are centered on how long the war with Iran could last, how high inflation will go because of more expensive oil and how much corporate profits will sink because of it. The U.S. stock market has a history of shaking off military conflicts in the Middle East relatively quickly, though that comes with a caveat that oil prices don't jump too high. That has some professional investors suggesting patience through the volatility, at least when it comes to financial markets. “I think the Iran situation is getting out of hand, and I think that U.S. President Donald Trump miscalculated enormously,” said Francis Lun, CEO of Venturesmart Asia. On Wall Street, a mix of companies helped drive Wednesday's rise. Stocks enmeshed in the crypto industry climbed as bitcoin's price rebounded back above $73,000. Coinbase Global jumped 15.3%, and Robinhood Markets rallied 7.8%. Retailers and travel companies strengthened with hopes that a solid economy and an easing for jumps in gasoline prices will mean their customers may have more to spend. Ross Stores climbed 7.4% after reporting better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected and saying it's entering 2026 with “solid momentum.” Expedia Group rose 3.6%. France's CAC 40 climbed 0.8%, and Germany's DAX rallied 1.7%. That came after losses of 2% for Hong Kong's Hang Seng and 3.6% for Japan's Nikkei 225, along with Seoul's historic plunge. In the bond market, Treasury yields were relatively steady after jumping early in the week with worries about worsening inflation. The Fed's job has become more difficult because of the jump in oil prices, which is pushing upward on already high inflation. But high interest rates would also keep borrowing costs more expensive for U.S. households and companies, grinding down on the economy. The central bank had earlier indicated it planned to resume its cuts to interest rates later this year, in hopes of giving a boost to the job market and economy. AP Writers Matt Ott, Kim Tong-hyung and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

The study says climate change's rising seas may threaten tens of millions more people than scientists and government planners originally thought because of mistaken research assumptions on how high coastal waters already are. Climate change's rising seas may threaten tens of millions more people than scientists and government planners originally thought because of mistaken research assumptions on how high coastal waters already are, a new study said. Researchers studied hundreds of scientific studies and hazard assessments, calculating that about 90% of them underestimated baseline coastal water heights by an average of 1 foot (30 centimeters), according to Wednesday's study in the journal Nature. And he attributed that to a “methodological blind spot” between the different ways those two things are measured. Each way measures their own areas properly, he said. But where sea meets land, there's a lot of factors that often don't get accounted for when satellites and land-based models are used. Studies that calculate sea level rise impact usually “do not look at the actual measured sea level so they used this zero-meter” figure as a starting point, said lead author Katharina Seeger of the University of Padua in Italy. Dilrukshan Kumara looks at the ocean as he stands by the remains of his family's home in Iranawila, Sri Lanka, June 15, 2023. One simple way to understand that is that many studies assume sea levels without waves or currents, when the reality at the water's edge is of oceans constantly roiled by wind, tides, currents, changing temperatures and things like El Niño, said Minderhoud and Seeger. Adjusting to a more accurate coastal height baseline means that if seas rise by a little more than 3 feet (1 meter) — as some studies suggest will happen by the end of the century — waters could inundate up to 37% more land and threaten 77 million to 132 million more people, the study said. That would trigger problems in planning and paying for the impacts of a warming world. “You have a lot of people here for whom the risk of extreme flooding is much higher than people thought,'' said Anders Levermann, a climate scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impacts Research in Germany, who wasn't part of the study. Minderhoud pointed to island nations in that region as an area where the reality of discrepancy hits home. Children play on an uprooted tree along a beach in Mele, Vanuatu, July 19, 2025, that was once lined with vegetation, now largely lost to storms, erosion and other environmental pressures. For 17-year-old climate activist Vepaiamele Trief, the projections aren't abstract. On her island home in the South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, the shoreline has visibly retreated within her short lifetime, with beaches eroded, coastal trees uprooted and some homes now barely 3 feet (about 1 meter) from the sea at high tide. On her grandmother's island of Ambae, a coastal road from the airport to her village has been rerouted inland because of encroaching water. Graves have been submerged and entire ways of life feel under threat. “These studies, they aren't just words on a paper. “Put yourself in the shoes of our coastal communities — their lives are going to be completely overturned because of sea level rise and climate change.” Calculations that may be correct for the seas overall or for the land aren't quite right at that key intersection point of water and land, Seeger and Minderhoud said. Gravestones sit submerged in water on Pele Island, Vanuatu, a country heavily affected by rising seas July 18, 2025. When in fact, it's not,” said sea level rise expert Ben Strauss, CEO of Climate Central. “It's just the baseline that you start from that people are getting wrong,” said Strauss, who wasn't part of the research. Other outside scientists said that Minderhoud and Seeger may be making too much of the problem. “I think they're exaggerating the implications for impact studies a bit — the problem is actually well understood, albeit addressed in a way that could probably be improved,” said Gonéri Le Cozannet, a scientist at the French geological survey. Most local planners know their coastal issues and plan accordingly, Rutgers University sea level expert Robert Kopp said. They have an accurate sense of elevation, he said. The findings come as a new UNESCO report warns of major gaps in understanding how much carbon the ocean absorbs. The coastline of Efate Island, Vanuatu is visible on July 19, 2025. Together, the studies suggest governments may be planning for coastal and climate risks with an incomplete picture of how the ocean is changing. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. It is no secret that Zion Williamson has had his struggles. Nearly three years ago, the NBA star admitted to dieting struggles, and in a recent interview with ESPN, he said the lowest point of his career was missing his third season with a broken foot and being criticized for his "weight" and "care for the game." ESPN star Stephen A. Smith has ripped Williamson on those critical issues in the past, and he did so again on Tuesday, going as far as to suggest that the New Orleans Pelicans actually "encouraged" him to attack Williamson. Left, Stephen A. Smith speaks onstage on day 2 of the 2025 HOPE Global Forum at Signia by Hilton Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia, on Dec. 2, 2025. Right, Zion Williamson (1) of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 31, 2026. It came from people even closer than that to Zion Williamson, I'm gonna leave it at that," Smith said on Tuesday's "First Take." "People that called up and encouraged us to get in his a-- because of some of the things that he was doing. "The joke was everybody in New Orleans that cooked, it could be everybody from a restaurant, a chef, to your grandmama. Everybody that cooked knew about Zion Williamson. Cause that brother ate a lot! You even have rumors, and literally, I'm here thinking it was a joke, and somebody told me to go on the air and point out how he got busted hiding food under his bed. This is the kind of stuff that was happening." Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on during the game against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 1, 2024 at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Smith's comments prompted the Pelicans' social media team to troll him and his athletic abilities, which is hardly a new phenomenon. "Stick to solitaire Stephen," the team posted with a montage of Smith's embarrassing athletic moments. See y'all tomorrow on First Take. Remember one thing: YOU ASKED FOR THiS!!!!" Host Stephen A. Smith in conversation with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) at a SiriusXM Town Hall event at SiriusXM Studio on Nov. 19, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for SiriusXM) Williamson transformed his body over the offseason, and it has resulted in him playing 46 games — his second-highest total since the 2020-21 season. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. BearingsArms editor Cam Edwards explains the mounting backlash against Trump administration officials following the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis Gorsuch questioned a Department of Justice lawyer on how gun restrictions for habitual drunkards in early American history compared to today's law restricting drug users from owning guns. "The American Temperance Society, back in the day, said eight shots of whiskey a day only made you an occasional drunkard," Gorsuch said. A habitual drunkard, Gorsuch said, had to "double that." Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch speaks at the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California, on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. The conservative justice pointed to the Founding Fathers' drinking habits to convey his skepticism about the DOJ's argument that a habitual drunkard was similar to a modern-day drug user and that both were worthy of being disarmed. "John Adams took a tankard of hard cider with his breakfast every day. James Madison reportedly drank a pint of whiskey every day. He only had three or four glasses of wine a night," Gorsuch said. "Are they habitual drunkards who would be properly disarmed for life under your theory?" The case, U.S. v. Hemani, centered on a Texas man who had been charged after the FBI discovered he possessed a handgun and smoked marijuana every other day. The law at issue, 922(g)(3), gained national attention after President Joe Biden's son Hunter was convicted under it for possessing a gun in 2018 while addicted to crack cocaine. Hunter Biden (C), son of President Joe Biden, arrives at the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building in Wilmington, Delaware, on October 3, 2023. "We don't even know the quantity of how much he uses every other day. What if he took one gummy bear with a medical prescription in Colorado?" "Let's say he had one to help him sleep every other day. Second Amendment advocates are closely watching the case. The National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America are supporting Hemani, while several Democratic states are backing the DOJ in the case, setting up strange alliances in a test of what exceptions to gun ownership are allowed by law. An attorney for Hemani argued to the Supreme Court that the DOJ could not adequately define what a habitual drug user was. The Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, D.C. (AP/Jon Elswick) "The only historical tradition it has offered is one of imposing restrictions on habitual drunkards," the lawyer said. "This restriction provides a modest, modern analogue of much harsher founding-era restrictions on habitual drunkards, and so it stands solidly within our Nation's history and tradition of regulation," DOJ lawyers wrote. "And habitual illegal drug users with firearms present unique dangers to society—especially because they pose a grave risk of armed, hostile encounters with police officers while impaired." Fox News' Bill Mears contributed to this report. Ashley Oliver is a reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business, covering the Justice Department and legal affairs. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News Flash top sports headlines are here. President Donald Trump will host a White House roundtable regarding college athletics reform later this week. The panel is expected to include prominent coaches, college sports and pro sports league commissioners, and other professional athletes, according to OutKick. The group will meet March 6 to examine solutions to key challenges, including NCAA authority; name, image and likeness issues (NIL); collective bargaining; and governance concerns. President Donald Trump holds a football presented to him during a ceremony to present the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy to the US Naval Academy football team, the Navy Midshipmen, in the East Room of the White House on April 15, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) The meeting Friday will include big names like Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Adam Silver and Tiger Woods. Trump has been adamant about "saving college sports," even signing an executive order setting new restrictions on payments to college athletes back in July. "The easiest thing, guys, is just to say this is ridiculous," Finebaum said to Greg McElroy and Cole Cubelic on WJOX. "And I read the other day, ‘Why is Nick Saban going?' If something doesn't happen very quickly, and I mean in the next short period of time, we're talking about weeks, not years, then this thing could blow up. "However it came about, I'm in favor of. U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with former Alabama Crimson Tide football coach Nick Saban as Trump takes the stage to address graduating students at Coleman Coliseum at the University of Alabama on May 01, 2025 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. However, the order did not impose any restrictions on NIL payments to college athletes by third-party sources. A House vote on the SCORE Act (Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements), which would regulate name, image, and likeness deals, was canceled shortly before it was set to be brought to the floor in December. President Donald Trump looks on before the college football game between the US Army and Navy at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, on Dec. 13, 2025. The SCORE Act would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in hopes of protecting the NCAA from potential lawsuits over eligibility rules and would prohibit athletes from becoming employees of their schools. It prohibits schools from using student fees to fund NIL payments. Fox News' Chantz Martin and Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

State Rep. James Talarico topped Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett in Texas' closely watched Democratic Senate primary. Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks at a primary election watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, greets supporters at a primary election watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. Supporters of Texas state Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, react as results come in during a primary election watch party Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in Austin, Texas. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — James Talarico did not mention Donald Trump when he greeted exuberant supporters at his primary night celebration. With his victory over U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, the state lawmaker from Austin will test whether a smiling message of unity and change is enough to answer voters' frustrations amid discord at home and now a war abroad. “We are not just trying to win an election,” Talarico told supporters in the Texas capital early Wednesday. “We are trying to fundamentally change our politics, and it's working.” Crockett conceded to Talarico on Wednesday morning, saying that “Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person.” Talarico will need all the help he can get in a Republican-dominated state where Democrats have gone three decades without winning a statewide race. He will face either U.S. Sen. John Cornyn or state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who advanced to a Republican runoff on Tuesday. Conventional political wisdom has it that Talarico was the stronger Democratic candidate for November, especially if Republicans nominate Paxton, a conservative firebrand who has weathered allegations of corruption and infidelity over the years. Talarico, 36, is a Presbyterian seminarian who quotes Scripture and rarely raises his voice. Crockett, 44, is an unapologetic political brawler who hammers Trump and other Republicans with acidic flourish. Both represent generational change for a party with aging leadership. But Talarico's broader argument is one that he could have made regardless of whether Trump was in the White House. Talarico's campaign, he said often, is about addressing a country whose fundamental divide is not partisan but “top vs. bottom.” He regularly assails the rise in Christian nationalism. A former teacher, he has advocated for public education –- and against Texas conservatives' policies to restrict curriculum and reshape how U.S. history is taught. “I can't tell you how many have come up to me, whispering that they're not a Democrat,” Talarico said as he campaigned in San Antonio in the closing days of the primary campaign. “I can't tell you how many young people have said it's the first time that they've ever voted, and that they are participating for the first time.” He later spoke to hundreds of people at the historic Stable Hall, a 130-year-old circular structure built for showing horses and now a converted event center. Inside, Lori Alvarez, a 39-year-old who works for a disaster relief nonprofit, said she supported Talarico because “he really listens to what we need.” Yet that was not what attracted so many voters to Crockett. Troy Burrow, a 61-year-old Navy retiree, called Crockett “rugged” and “the only one I see fighting for us.” He added: “I like how she doesn't back down from anybody.” But, he said, “We've got to get into the gutter with these folks, because that's where they are.” Unofficial primary returns showed Talarico with a dominating performance around his home base of Austin, including in mostly white areas. He outpaced Crockett across much of rural and small-town Texas, including in the Rio Grande Valley, where Trump made gains in his 2024 presidential victory among Hispanic voters. Crockett was strongest in metro Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, including areas with large concentrations of Black voters. With both parties holding competitive primaries Tuesday, Democratic primary voters outnumbered Republicans by more than 110,000 out of almost 4.4 million — with some ballots still being tallied. Associated Press writer Maya Sweedler in Washington contributed to this report. This story has corrected the last name of Texas voter Troy Burrow, from Burroughs.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. The Israel Defense Forces said several Iranian security command centers were hit in a recent wave of airstrikes, dealing a serious blow to the regime. LIV Golfers experienced travel difficulties over the last few days as conflict in the Middle East exploded when the U.S. and Israeli went on a joint offensive against Iran. The series is set to be in Hong Kong this weekend with a tournament in Singapore next week. Caleb Surratt gives a thumbs up to teammate Jon Rahm on the 15th green during the first round of the LIV Golf Dallas golf tournament at Maridoe Golf Club on June 27, 2025. Lee Westwood, Laurie Canter, Sam Horsfield, Adrian Meronk, Thomas Detry, Caleb Surratt, Tom McKibbin and Anirban Lahiri were among the golfers affected, according to Flushing It Golf. Surratt told the Golf Channel he traveled with his wife to Dubai to prepare for the upcoming Hong Kong tournament. "And then (the) world just came undone on Saturday," he said. It was bad Sunday and Monday here with missile interceptions, but all day today (Tuesday) was fine." McKibbin posted on his Instagram Stories that he was in Hong Kong. "Safely made it to Hong Kong, thank you everyone that helped to reach and thank you for your messages and concerns," Meronk wrote on X. The State Department on Monday urged Americans to depart immediately from more than a dozen countries across the Middle East, warning of "serious safety risks" as the Iran war intensifies. Smoke rises in Tehran following an explosion on March 2, 2026, amid ongoing U.S. and Israeli military strikes. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said U.S. citizens should leave from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Fox News' Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by

A U.S. submarine sunk an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka's coast in the Indian Ocean, War Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed during a Wednesday morning press conference. Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, clarified to reporters that it was the first time a warship was sunk by a U.S. submarine since 1945. “I want to remind everybody that this is an incredible demonstration of America's global reach,” he added. “To hunt, find, and kill an out-of-area deployer is something that only the United States can do at this type of scale.” The naval attack left at least 101 people missing, one dead, and 78 injured, Sri Lankan officials told Reuters before the Pentagon press conference. It also provided a landing spot for one helicopter. The U.S. started conducting “Operation Epic Fury” in coordination with Israel against Iran on Saturday, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of other senior Iranian officials in joint airstrikes. “When you add the Israeli Defense Forces, a devastatingly capable force, the combination is sheer destruction for our radical Islamist Iranian adversaries,” he said. Or at least soon enough, they will know it. President Donald Trump said he expects the military campaign to last up to four or five weeks, although it's likely the crackdown on Iran could last longer.

In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here. ABC chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl had what he felt was a big scoop at the onset of American and Israeli strikes against Iran. “I just heard back from Tucker Carlson,” Karl reported. But this is a momentous and potentially defining or maybe redefining move for President Trump. He was harshly critical of the war with Iraq. And now he finds himself starting what could be a major conflict with Iran.” Was there a MAGA divide over President Donald Trump‘s decision to strike Iran? Were GOP legislators revolting against the commander in chief? If Congress were to vote on a War Powers Resolution, would it not pass, given this alleged divide? Of course, Karl, who recently served as a White House Correspondents Association president, didn't reach out to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) or House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), instead opting for Tucker Carlson. One wonders: Did Karl reach out to liberal hosts such as Rachel Maddow when former President Barack Obama struck Libya? But that doesn't mean she had any true influence over him. The same goes for Carlson: If he has so much influence over Trump, why does the president keep defying him on foreign affairs? “The first week of a war with Iran could easily kill thousands of Americans,” Carlson wrote on X on June 4, 2025. “It could also collapse our economy, as surging oil prices trigger unmanageable inflation. It sells the overwhelming majority of its oil exports to China. … An attack on Iran could very easily become a world war. Shortly thereafter, Trump took the unprecedented step of launching Operation Midnight Hammer, a bold and daring mission to dismantle Iran's nuclear capabilities. It was, by all accounts, an unmitigated success, with zero U.S. lives lost and Iran's nuclear ambitions set back years, if not permanently. He spoke at the Republican National Convention, as well as at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally, held just days before the 2024 election. But what few people still cannot grasp about Trump is that he listens. But, ultimately, as we've seen on countless occasions, he follows his own instincts. But because Carlson, who has consistently taken an isolationist position, disagrees with Trump, that apparently is good enough to talk about a “MAGA divide” in the eyes of ABC's most senior correspondent. NPR: “Trump promised the MAGA base no new wars. Of course, there are others on the fringes who are also outspoken against Trump on this conflict, but let's just file them under the “usual suspects” category: Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). Let's start with Greene, who might as well be a co-host on The View due to her increasing appearances. She recently, and abruptly, retired from Congress to start her next career of being an anti-Trump Republican, which means liberal networks such as CNN and ABC cannot get enough of her. Massie is a classic example of a lawmaker who exists solely to oppose Trump, which works out quite well for his fundraising efforts. “Y'all sent $175,000 to my campaign in the last 36 hours!” a jubilant Massie wrote on X in 2024 after Trump called him a grandstander. “For the first time, my cash on hand is over $1,000,000! It's a great start, but I'm going to need more if POTUS makes good on his threat to retaliate for my vote. USA Today: “Thomas Massie calls Iran attack a ‘war of aggression' by the US” The Independent: “MAGA rebels Massie and MTG shred ‘America Last' Trump as vote on Iran strike looms” Per YouGov, only 9% of Republican voters “strongly disapprove” or “disapprove” of Trump's decision to take out Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, while 77% approve. Carlson thinks it's “absolutely disgusting and evil,” per his interview with Karl. Because when asked about Carlson's criticism of the conflict, Trump replied that he “can say whatever he wants, it has no impact on me.” The president's decision to engage in conflict moves forward, regardless. But rest assured, many in legacy media, along with Democrats and a few attention-seeking Republicans, will be more than happy to create the illusion.

At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can't do it on our own. We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today? One thing was clear before James Talarico's win over Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Texas Senate Democratic primary Tuesday night. This contest wouldn't be about policy or ideology; it would be a choice between two very different types of “fighters,” decided along racially polarized lines. Talarico, a state representative and seminarian, offered grit paired with Christian compassion — a welcoming message to frustrated moderates and disappointed Republicans that pinned the blame for the country's problems on The System. Crockett's coalition, meanwhile, counted on huge margins among Black voters to offset her weaker white and Latino support. This division leaves Talarico with a crucial task in the next eight months: building trust with Black voters, winning back more moderate Latino voters, and making inroads with conservative white voters, who still make up the lion's share of the Texas electorate. It also reveals tensions for Democrats nationally as they head into primary season: both the push and pull between more college-educated white voters in their coalition and more working-class Black voters, with the additional wild card of Latino voters . Early on, Crockett faced criticism for arguing that she didn't believe she had to win over Trump supporters in order to win a general election. It hasn't worked,” she argued even on the last day of campaigning. Her campaign's theory was to double down on Black voters, particularly through outreach at Black churches, and appeal to progressive or traditionally Democratic Latino voters. Talarico, meanwhile, was criticized for not being able to hold strong support among Black Texans, and relying on white Democrats as his base. Crockett accused Talarico of boosting ads that were “straight up racist,” and called out “dog whistles” from those questioning her electability. Meanwhile, allies like former Rep. Colin Allred, the 2024 Senate nominee, blasted Talarico for allegedly referring to him in private as a “mediocre Black man,” an accusation that Talarico strenuously denied. Ahead of Tuesday night, the few public polls released showed anything from a tied race to a double-digit lead for either candidate. But aggregates of polls did confirm these racial trends. Talarico enjoyed double-digit support from white Democrats — a more than 20-point margin per the Democratic strategist Adam Carlson's crosstab aggregator — and he seemed to gain with these voters as Election Day neared. That left a big open question about how Latino voters would swing. Those polls showed Talarico with a modest 8-point advantage, but didn't show a sharp break in favor of either candidate. On Election Day, both candidates' bases of support bore the polls out: Talarico had the highest margins around his home district of Austin, a wealthier, whiter, and more college-educated urban center. He also made big inroads with white college-educated voters in the Houston area. Crockett, meanwhile, was buoyed by voters in her home district in the Dallas area, and in Houston — the two parts of the state where, combined, more than half of Black Texans live. Complicating all of this was a familiar enemy: voter suppression. There was no Latino candidate — that would've changed things — and race was injected as a strategy,” longtime Latino vote strategist Mike Madrid told me. “It's undeniable that [the Crockett campaign and its surrogates] were saying we need minority voters to vote as a bloc here to get out of this primary.” Even after 2020 and 2024, and the rightward shift of Latino voters that came with it, “there's still this very dominant belief amongst national Democrats, certainly the elites and elected class, and certainly within Black power structures, that if you're not white, you're somehow going to vote as a bloc,” Madrid said. The Texas results, at least, suggest that “you can't understand what's happening if you look through a traditional model of minority voting behavior.” Talarico now faces the challenge of applying his theory of expanding the tent before the general election, where he is likely to face ultra-MAGA-loyalist and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who will head to a run-off against incumbent Texas Sen. John Cornyn. Now, national polls suggest this Latino support might be shifting away from Trump and Republicans again — creating a new proving ground for Talarico's campaign strategy. And if his model of voter outreach proves itself, Democrats might actually have a shot at the tantalizing dream of turning Texas blue. No lawyer has done more in the last decade to advance a distinctly MAGA approach to the Constitution than Ken Paxton. Four days in, Trump's Iran explanations aren't getting any clearer. Can Trump bomb his way to regime change in Iran?

Yet the war with Iran has sent gas prices up 20 cents a gallon, or 7% in just a few days. No matter how much crude the United States produces domestically, oil is traded in a global market – one that President Donald Trump just upended. Without all of the United States' substantial crude production, Americans could already be paying $4 or even $5 a gallon for gasoline. That's because the US produces a particular kind of crude that is good for making gasoline, but lousy for other petroleum products like diesel, kerosene and other fuel oils. So it needs to bring in those products or heavier crude from other locations. This week's events prove that prices at US gas pumps are controlled not only by domestic wells in Texas, New Mexico and across the United States – but by traders looking at supply and demand around the planet and placing bets on what's going to happen next. Unless this war ends quickly, Americans will probably pay a lot more for gasoline, no matter how much is being produced at home. The US oil boom has prevented bigger price increases, both this week and during other recent market upheavals, such as sanctions on Russian oil after it invaded Ukraine. “The emergence of the United States as an oil giant has definitely smoothed out geopolitical spikes,” said Robert Yawger, commodity specialist at Mizuho Securities. “It's fair to assume prices for gasoline would have been elevated exponentially from where they are now.” The US has been a major oil producer since the 19th century, but it wasn't until early in this century that an oil boom took off in this country. It was driven by the increased use of “fracking.” The process is used across America's oil patch, from Texas up to North Dakota, and from Wyoming east to Pennsylvania Fracking has been around for more than a century, but only become commercially viable over the past two decades, thanks to higher oil prices and geologists discovering how much oil was trapped in shale formations. By last year, production had increased 167% from 2008, according to federal data. That's the biggest growth period in US oil industry since production surged in World War II following the Great Depression. Gas and oil prices in the United States are still rising rapidly this week. That's because traders are waiting for signs that the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil passes, is reopening and that the damaged oil infrastructure of oil-rich US allies in the Middle East are quickly brought back online. If the Strait of Hormuz doesn't open “soon,” oil prices are likely heading to $100 a barrel and above, catapulting gasoline prices back above $4 a gallon nationally, according to Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group. “We still have a ways to go,” McNally, a former energy adviser to President George W. Bush, told CNN on Tuesday. The average retail price of gas at US stations jumped 9 cents a gallon on Tuesday, after gaining 11 cents on Monday – the biggest one-day increase in prices since Hurricane Katrina hit the US Gulf Coast in 2005. In the scheme of things, Iran is a fairly modest oil producer, producing about 3.5 million barrels per day in January, according to the International Energy Agency. Despite operating under sanctions, Iran's oil is getting into world markets, being purchased by countries like energy-hungry China. Cutting off the flow of Iranian oil is forcing its customers to go elsewhere, driving up global prices. Even when the Strait is reopened, if there's significant damage to facilities in those countries, it will take a while to resume normal production. It's filling up storage tanks in the region, forcing some countries to cut production – just when it's needed the most. “If you can't put oil in storage, what are you going to do with it?” said Andy Lipow, president of consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates. US market indices are shown in real time, except for the S&P 500 which is refreshed every two minutes. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. Market holidays and trading hours provided by Copp Clark Limited.

North Carolina runner Molly Born won the USA Track & Field (USATF) women's half marathon championship by a slim margin of just over four seconds on Sunday in Atlanta – but the result is only half the story. To say Born's win was mired in controversy would be an understatement. The trio that was set to make the podium ended up finishing in ninth, 12th and 13th place. They then appealed that decision to USATF. In a statement, the national track and field governing body determined that the course violated USATF rules and was not adequately marked, which contributed to the misdirection. Born said in an interview after the race, “I don't really feel like the US champion.” Jess McClain, who was in the lead before taking the wrong turn, said on Instagram, “I'm going try my hardest to walk away from this weekend remembering the joy I felt in those moments where I thought I was on my way to becoming a National Champion & finally make Team USA outright.” A statement released by the Atlanta Track Club on Tuesday shed some light on the bizarre chain of events that led to the contentious finish. Police officers who were working to direct traffic for the race received a call of an officer down about a block off the race course roughly 300 feet from the location of the misdirection. Race organizers say that a motorcycle officer working the race was struck by a vehicle around 8:05 a.m. The officer was treated at a local hospital and released later that day. Two minutes later, nearby officers working the race responded to the call of an officer down, leaving “a number of key race intersections, including the one where the wrong turn occurred, unattended,” according to Atlanta Track Club. Another police officer – who was not assigned to work the race and wasn't equipped to prevent the wrong turn, according to race organizers – arrived five minutes later at 8:15 a.m. to facilitate the flow of first responder vehicles through the intersection to reach the officer down. ET, the traffic cones had not been set to mark the race course, so they followed a police motorcycle off course, believing that the race had been rerouted. Motorcycle police eventually caught up to the misdirected athletes and turned them around. Meanwhile, additional race-assigned police officers arrived at the intersection at 8:22 a.m. and directed all subsequent runners along the correct route. Three athletes were in the lead in the USA Track and Field women's half marathon championship in Atlanta when an official lead vehicle veered them off course. “We regret that Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat were impacted by this incident and were unable to be recognized as the top three finishers reflective of their performance on the course,” Atlanta Track Club said in its Tuesday statement. “Atlanta Track Club has offered to match the prize money as follows: McClain to receive the equivalent of first-place prize money. Hurley and Kurgat will split the combined total of second- and- third-place prize money because they were shoulder-to-shoulder when they left the race course.” But there was more than just prize money at stake on Sunday. USATF says it will review the situation further before selecting the runners who will compete in Denmark. “That team is not officially selected until May,” the governing body said. “USATF will review the events from Atlanta carefully. While we understand athletes are eager to resolve this issue expeditiously, our process will ensure an ultimate decision is in the best interest of all the athletes involved.”

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) was defeated by state Rep. Steve Toth in the Republican primary for Texas' 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday — in a high profile contest in which President Donald Trump withheld his endorsement. “Congressional District 2 voters want a representative in D.C. who will stand firm in his convictions, fight for his constituents, and follow through on his promises,” Toth said in a statement declaring victory. Crenshaw also did not secure an endorsement from Trump, who typically weighs in on competitive Republican primaries in the state. A super PAC backing the incumbent poured nearly $2 million into television ads attacking Toth, signaling that Crenshaw's allies viewed the challenger as a legitimate threat despite Toth's comparatively modest campaign spending. From Jan. 1 through mid-February, Toth spent roughly $175,000, compared with about $616,000 by Crenshaw. A pro-Toth super PAC added roughly $362,000 to boost his candidacy. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) endorsed Toth and quickly recorded an ad for a pro-Toth super PAC. Cruz's move came hours after Crenshaw voted against the ROTOR Act, Cruz's aviation safety legislation, deepening an already strained relationship between the two Texas Republicans. “Steve Toth is the best candidate for that seat,” Cruz said. Crenshaw's relationship with the president has declined in recent years. He also had a public fallout last year with conservative TV personality Tucker Carlson, further straining ties with parts of the Make America Great Again movement. Skeptics note that the Freedom Caucus has backed losing candidates before, but Cruz's involvement carries particular weight in Texas GOP politics. Redistricting added another layer of volatility, placing Toth's home inside the district and forcing Crenshaw to navigate newly drawn political terrain. Toth, a longtime Texas state lawmaker and former megachurch pastor, cast himself as a more reliably conservative alternative, arguing the district needed stronger alignment with the party's grassroots base. But those contests were against underfunded opponents who nonetheless came close to unseating him, making this year's challenge one of the most serious tests of his political career.

At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can't do it on our own. We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today? No lawyer has done more in the last decade to advance a distinctly MAGA approach to the Constitution than Ken Paxton. Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn will face state Attorney General Ken Paxton in a May 26 runoff. Though Cornyn will likely receive more votes than the other two Republican candidates — as of this writing, Cornyn has 43 percent of the vote, compared to Paxton's 40 percent — Cornyn faces a tough road if he hopes to save his political career. Veteran senators (Cornyn was first elected in 2002) typically don't face serious challengers within their own party. And the bottom line is that most Texas Republican voters just voted to make someone other than Cornyn their senator. Paxton's strong performance, moreover, is a triumph for a far-right legal movement that seeks to reshape how the US Constitution is interpreted — one that rejects the liberal democratic theory of the Constitution that rose to prominence in the 1960s, and that approaches legal interpretation through a more partisan lens. Beginning in the Obama administration, the Texas Attorney General's office became a prolific source of federal lawsuits challenging Democratic policies, and this practice accelerated once Biden took office. Paxton claims that he sued the Biden administration 106 times as Texas's top legal officer, filing the final lawsuit just hours before Biden left office. The office began asserting itself as a Republican Party litigation shop under Paxton's predecessor, now-Gov. Greg Abbott, who, among other things, successfully sued the Obama administration to block a program that would have allowed millions of immigrants to work and remain in the United States. But Paxton, who succeeded Abbott in 2015, took over the state AG's office shortly before Donald Trump started transforming the Republican Party into a vehicle for anti-immigration policies and his own agenda. And, because the Texas AG's office so frequently advances Republican legal positions in court, that means that Paxton played an enormous role shaping the Trump-era GOP's legal strategies and arguments. Republican Party officials still sometimes split on important legal questions — just look at the Supreme Court's recent decision striking down many of Trump's tariffs. As leader of one of the Republican Party's most important sources of legal power, Paxton did as much as any other lawyer to move the party's legal arguments in Trump's direction and advance a distinctly MAGA approach to the law. It makes sense for the GOP to concentrate its litigation resources in Texas, regardless of which Republican controls the state AG's office. One is that Texas federal courts often permit plaintiffs to select the trial judge who will hear their case. Texas, in other words, is one of the few places where a plaintiff filing a federal lawsuit can expect their case to be heard by judges who are even more sympathetic to the Republican Party than the current Supreme Court. Paxton neither appointed these judges, nor did he set the rules allowing his office to often choose which trial judge would hear his lawsuits. But he's taken full advantage of the sympathetic judges who often hear his cases. And his office has long been an incubator for MAGA legal talent. Indeed, if Paxton prevails in the November general election, all three of Texas's top elected jobs will be held by Republicans who cut their teeth as part of the Texas AG's litigation machine. And Texas's other senator, Republican Ted Cruz, spent five years as Abbott's solicitor general. It's also fairly likely that Texas's distinctly MAGA approach to legal interpretation will gain a seat on the Supreme Court. Two Fifth Circuit judges, James Ho and Andrew Oldham, are alumni of the Texas attorney general's office, and are widely considered leading contenders for a Supreme Court appointment in Trump's second term. These courts enabled Paxton to shut down much of the Biden administration's immigration policies for months at a time. Because Paxton's office was generally charged with defending these bills, that meant that his office often argued for avulsive constitutional change. Before Roe v. Wade was overruled in 2022, for example, Texas enacted SB 8, which effectively banned most abortions by allowing private bounty hunters to collect large sums of money from abortion providers. Paxton's office was one of several teams of lawyers who persuaded the Supreme Court to immunize SB 8 from any meaningful judicial review. If taken seriously, the Court's reasoning in Jackson would allow any state to neutralize any constitutional right by deploying bounty hunters against anyone who tried to exercise that right — although, realistically, it's unlikely that the five Republican justices who signed onto Jackson would follow their own decision in a case that didn't involve abortion. Similarly, in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton (2025), Texas enacted an anti-pornography law that was virtually identical to a federal law the Supreme Court struck down in 2004. Yet, rather than apply their previous decision, Paxton's lawyers successfully convinced the Supreme Court to abandon that 2004 decision and uphold the state law. Texas v. Pennsylvania, Paxton's attempt to overturn the 2020 election, went nowhere. The Court also rejected a clearly unconstitutional Texas law in Moody v. Netchoice (2024), where the state's Republican legislature attempted to seize control of content moderation at major social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube. In other cases, Paxton's office secured temporary victories from the Supreme Court, before losing many months later. Although the Supreme Court eventually reversed Kacsmaryk, scolding him for imposing “a significant burden upon the Executive's ability to conduct diplomatic relations with Mexico,” it sat on the case for nearly an entire year — allowing Kacsmaryk to function as the United States' de facto border czar for that entire period. Similarly, in United States v. Texas (2023), Paxton's office selected a MAGA-aligned judge named Drew Tipton to block a Biden administration memo instructing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prioritize immigrants who “pose a threat to national security, public safety, and border security and thus threaten America's well-being.” Tipton's decision was illegal, because a federal law provides that the Secretary of Homeland Security, and not Tipton, “shall be responsible” for “establishing national immigration enforcement policies and priorities.” Once again, however, Paxton's office effectively convinced the Supreme Court to leave Tipton's order in place for 11 months, before the justices eventually reversed him. But they are indicative of the aggressive approach Paxton brought to federal litigation. It brought lawsuits that contradicted the explicit language of federal laws. And, with sympathetic judges on his side, Paxton won these cases surprisingly often. Four days in, Trump's Iran explanations aren't getting any clearer. Can Trump bomb his way to regime change in Iran?

A man was arrested outside of a Dallas election night event for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's Senate campaign on Tuesday evening. Dallas police took the suspect into custody after pulling him over at a traffic stop. Police found ammunition, bullets, and firearms in the car without any license plates, according to multiple reports. The Washington Examiner has reached out to Paxton's campaign for comment. Paxton, a conservative hard-liner who has faced some personal scandals, is facing off in a heated GOP primary against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX). Paxton and Hunt have hit four-term Cornyn as an establishment traditional Republican, saying it's time for Texas to choose someone new. President Donald Trump has refused to endorse any of the three Republicans, who have each vied for his sole blessing this election cycle. Trump instead has said he supports all three candidates. As of press time, polls have closed in the Lone Star State as voters await results.In Dallas, where Paxton's election night event is being held, voting was extended until 9 p.m. after voters experienced confusion over where their polling locations were. The county had agreed to a rule to have voters cast their ballots in their specific precincts instead of any countywide polling location, which Democrats railed against as “voter suppression.”