Trump schedules controversial drilling auction in Alaska wildlife refuge

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 5:18 pm

The Trump administration has officially scheduled an auction for the rights to drill in a controversial spot: a wildlife refuge in Alaska. The auction, in which companies will be able to bid for the right to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, is set for June 5. The Trump administration declined to immediately say...

FAA seeks flight cuts at Chicago airport to head off summer delays

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 5:13 pm

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will cut down on flights at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in anticipation of summer travel delays, the agency announced on Thursday. The FAA will limit the number of planes departing the airport on a daily basis this summer to 2,708. There are currently 3,080 planned flights on peak days...

The special relationship has a habit of survival — but no assurance of it 

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 5:00 pm

Despite recent tensions, the U.K. and U.S. have maintained a special relationship for over 80 years due to their strategic utility, but for the relationship to endure, the U.K. must become more powerful on its own terms with a stronger defense, diplomatic and development strategy.

Strait of Hormuz reopens, but Trump has a catch

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 4:52 pm

📉 Plus: Oil prices dramatically fall, stock market jumps {beacon} Happy Friday! The National Zoo’s new baby elephant made her big debut. She made a friend and I cannot handle how cute it is. Oh, and both the NHL playoffs and the NBA playoffs begin this weekend!   In today's issue: Iran says Strait of...

Duffy: Effort to recruit gamers as air traffic controllers 'wildly successful'

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 4:44 pm

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is targeting video gamers to serve in air traffic controller roles, an effort Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described as “wildly successful.”  “This has been wildly successful, and if you think just what these gamers are doing on screens, they're talking and there's a lot of things going on,” Duffy said...

GOP Sen. Katie Britt: House-passed bill to extend Haitian refugee status DOA in Senate

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 4:43 pm

Sen. Katie Britt (Ala.), the chair of the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee and a leading GOP voice on immigration issues, says a House-passed bill to extend legal protections for Haitian refugees is “dead on arrival” in the Senate. Britt offered a stinging rebuke to 10 moderate House Republicans who voted with Democrats Thursday to...

Starmer 'furious' as Mandelson vetting revelation spurs calls for resignation

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 4:38 pm

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday that he was “furious” that he did not know former Labour Party minister Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting before becoming the United Kingdom’s top diplomat in Washington. The Guardian reported a day earlier that Mandelson was initially denied clearance in early 2025 after undergoing a highly confidential...

Iran is exploiting our racial divisions online — and Americans are helping

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 4:30 pm

They are turning it into propaganda tools, weaponizing that history to turn Americans against each other and against the war.

Live updates: Iran says Strait of Hormuz open; RFK Jr. back in hot seat

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 4:10 pm

Iran announced Friday morning that the Strait of Hormuz is “completely” open amid the temporary ceasefire reached between Israel and Lebanon. President Trump reacted enthusiastically to Iran’s announcement but said the U.S. blockade remains in place. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday will testify once again before a House panel on the...

Good gerrymandering can’t cure bad gerrymandering

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 4:00 pm

Virginia voters will soon decide on a proposed amendment that would allow the state legislature to draw its own House districts, potentially leading to a partisan arms race and weakening the voices of voters.

Senate passes 10-day extension of nation's spy powers

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 3:45 pm

The Senate on Friday passed a 10-day extension of the nation’s warrantless spy powers, approving a House plan hatched on the floor after a chaotic rejection of a package negotiated with skeptics. The bill will now head to the president’s desk, but Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) will continue to dominate Congress in...

Judge rejects Trump lawsuit to block Hawaii from filing climate lawsuit 

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 3:40 pm

A federal judge this week rejected the Trump administration’s pre-emptive lawsuit from last year to block the state of Hawaii from suing fossil fuel companies over climate impact concerns. Hawaii Senior U.S. District Judge Helen Gillmor dismissed the administration’s lawsuit with prejudice in a Wednesday ruling. Federal officials filed the U.S. complaint on April 30,...

Fraud reform must target criminals, not cut off disability care

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 3:30 pm

The Trump administration is making rooting out fraud in social safety net programs a top priority, but it is essential to ensure that people with disabilities are not harmed in the process and that the government's response is precise and targeted.

Colbert releases Pope Leo diss track toward Trump inspired by Kendrick Lamar

By: The Hill

Published on: April 17, 2026, 3:22 pm

Stephen Colbert, the host of CBS’ “The Late Show,” released on Friday a Kendrick Lamar-inspired diss track against President Trump that included a depiction of Pope Leo XIV.  The diss track, called “They not pious” and set to Kendrick Lamar’s 2024 song of the year “They Not Like Us,” makes fun of Trump’s age, his...