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By Lindsey McPherson (The Washington Times) House Speaker Mike Johnson says he’s confident Republicans can keep and grow their majority as he paints the November midterm elections as a choice between “common sense and crazy.” Speaking at a campaign stop in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, Mr. Johnson said Democratic socialists are driving the opposite party’s agenda and voters do not want to go down the “dark, dangerous, deadly road to communism.” “In the next Congress, we will not be...

By Tom Howell Jr. (The Washington Times) President Trump on Monday said making the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory would be a “great idea,” repeating a proposal he floated in a speech a few days ago. Mr. Trump said he is basing the concept on America’s relative control of the Middle East waterway. “I just think it’s a great idea,” Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office. “I mean, we control it. We control it with the blockade.” “I like the idea of declaring it a territory,” he said.

Tensions between the United States and Iran remain high after a 60-day deadline for reaching a broader peace agreement expired without a breakthrough. CNN said in its August 18 live updates that President Donald Trump has questioned whether Tehran is willing to accept the kind of agreement Washington considers necessary. The CNN updates also highlighted growing tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran and Oman have been discussing arrangements for commercial shipping.

By Lindsey McPherson (The Washington Times) President Trump wants the Senate to take up a House-approved bill to make daylight saving time permanent and end the semi-annual clock changing ritual. “More sun later in the day is better (including for fighting crime!),” the president posted on Truth Social this weekend. “But, even more importantly, NO MORE RIDICULOUSLY CHANGING CLOCKS AND WATCHES TWICE YEARLY, with all of the disruption and chaos it causes.

By Lindsey McPherson (The Washington Times) Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday he will listen to President Trump’s advice on how to run the Department of Justice but will always act with “integrity.” Mr. Blanche was sworn in as the nation’s top law enforcement officer last week, a few days after the Senate confirmed him to the post. He had been serving as acting attorney general for months after Pam Bondi left the Justice Department in April.

President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to significantly reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, altering the scale of one of the key annual defense activities between the two countries.

President Donald Trump says he plans to declare the Strait of Hormuz U.S. territory after the conflict with Iran, adding a new point of tension to the months-long war. CNN’s live coverage highlighted the statement as Tehran continued to reject Washington’s claims of control over the strategic waterway. Iranian officials say the strait will remain closed unless their conditions are met. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran alone will decide when the route reopens.

The U.S. murder rate has fallen to a level not seen since the 1950s, marking another major decline in violent crime after the increases recorded during the pandemic. CNN highlighted newly released FBI crime data showing a sharp reduction in killings nationwide. The FBI reported that murder and non-negligent manslaughter fell 18.1% from 2024 to 2025, while violent crime overall dropped 9.3%. The homicide rate reached 4.1 per 100,000 people, matching levels last recorded in the mid-1950s.

George Caldwell (The Washington Times) House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who could become speaker if Democrats win the majority in November, is pushing a bold agenda to alter American institutions. At a convention for Black journalists in Atlanta on Thursday, the New York congressman called for changes to election laws and to the operations of the Supreme Court and Senate.

Stephen Dinan (The Washington Times) Diversity training had infected the State Department to the point that a full day of training for foreign service officers was dedicated to DEI, employees were told to mitigate their “unconscious bias,” and diplomats were urged to discuss DEI and “allyship” as part of their talks with foreign governments, the Trump administration revealed Thursday.