President Trump and White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political, and Public Affairs James Blair at the White House in July. Photo: Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
The energy shock from the Iran war may drive long-lasting change in how the global multitrillion-dollar oil market operates — turning a relatively open and smoothly functioning system into something weaponized and fractured.
Why it matters: Such a reordering would mean, at a minimum, higher energy prices and inflation, and in the long term could even shake the foundations of the dollar-based global economy and with it, U.S. power.
AI CEOs' lofty pitches for AI governance may end up being pipe dreams in a town that routinely fumbles tech policy.
Why it matters: From OpenAI's Sam Altman to Anthropic's Dario Amodei, high-profile AI executives are eager to shape how their products are regulated and encouraged, rolling out sweeping policy ideas to manage the technology's impact.
President Trump briefs reporters at the White House on April 6. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Even Democrats who have called to impeach President Trump acknowledge there is little chance of it happening unless they retake control of at least one chamber of Congress.
Why it matters: Democratic lawmakers are stuck. They know impeachment won't succeed, but their base keeps demanding they up the ante with drastic acts of anti-Trump resistance.