PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT: Trump is signaling he wants the U.S. to get more involved in determining the future of Iran as the conflict expands.
The president told Axios in an interview published Thursday that he wants to be personally involved in selecting the next leader of Iran to succeed the deceased former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He said Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, appears most likely to succeed his father, but that choice is "unacceptable."
"We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran," Trump said.
"They are wasting their time. Khamenei's son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment," he added, comparing his vision to his backing of acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez after the raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
The Trump administration has given mixed messaging on its aims for the conflict with Iran. Although Trump initially called on the Iranian people to rise up to overthrow their government when the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes began, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday the U.S. is not trying to achieve regime change as it did in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"This is not a so-called regime change war … but the regime sure did change, and the world is better off for it," he said.
Trump's assertion would suggest greater U.S. involvement in Iran even as early polls show many Americans are skeptical of the military operations against the Middle Eastern country, as The Hill's Niall Stanage reports.
In another military development, U.S. forces struck an Iranian drone carrier ship and set it on fire Thursday.
The decision on how to proceed remains up to Trump, as Congress voted down efforts to rein in his authority.
House Republicans were able to defeat a war powers resolution Thursday, handing Trump a second straight legislative victory after a similar resolution failed in the Senate the day before.
▪ The Hill: Will other countries join the fight?
▪ The Hill: Spike in gas prices puts Trump on defense.
FBI INTERVIEWS RELEASED: The Department of Justice (DOJ) has released missing documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files detailing interviews with a woman who made claims about Trump.
Reports of the missing files had created a new round of backlash to the DOJ's handling of the Epstein files release.
The DOJ had been conducting a review into the missing documents following media reports that about 50 pages related to multiple interviews the woman had with the FBI were omitted. Officials said their omission was a mistake as they were wrongly declared duplicate files.
Reports of the documents came weeks after the DOJ released what it said would be the final tranche of files related to Epstein.
Scrutiny has continued to rise on the DOJ for its handling of the releases, and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee subpoenaed Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this week for testimony on the files.
CONDITIONS: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) laid out conditions that he said must be met for him to consider dropping out of his primary runoff against Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
Paxton said in a post on the social platform X that he would consider leaving the race if the Senate lifts the filibuster, which requires 60 votes for most measures to proceed, and passes the SAVE America Act. That legislation would require people to provide proof of citizenship before registering to vote and add certain identification requirements to cast a ballot.
"John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill. Now, Fake News reporters and the establishment are trying to destroy me with misinformation," Paxton said.
Paxton's comments come a day after Trump indicated he plans to endorse soon in the runoff between Cornyn and Paxton for the incumbent's Texas Senate seat. Trump said he wanted to avoid an ugly battle for the runoff, scheduled for May, and that whomever he doesn't endorse should drop out of the race.
Paxton initially said he would stay in the race regardless of Trump's decision, which the president say was "bad for him to say."
"So maybe, maybe that leads me to go the other direction," Trump told Politico.
Speculation has risen since Texas's primary Tuesday that Trump would endorse Cornyn, as national Republicans have raised concerns about Paxton's electability. Pressure has also risen on Trump to endorse after state Rep. James Talarico won the Democratic nomination.
Despite Paxton's demands, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) quickly poured cold water on them.
"You guys know where the votes are on the filibuster. That's not going to happen," Thune told reporters.
Cornyn has expressed support for the SAVE America Act and some openness to changing filibuster rules, but he has also expressed concern about Democrats being able to take advantage of that if they regain power.
▪ The Hill: Trump plays kingmaker in GOP primaries.
SUPPLY CHAIN RISK: The Pentagon officially informed Anthropic that its company and products are deemed a supply chain risk, restricting defense contractors' ability to use its products.
The decision follows a dispute over the terms of use for Anthropic's AI model, Claude. The company sought to ensure its model wouldn't be used for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons that don't require human involvement, while the Department of Defense insisted on language in their agreement allowing it to be used for "all lawful purposes."
"The military will not allow a vendor to insert itself into the chain of command by restricting the lawful use of a critical capability and put our warfighters at risk," a senior Pentagon official told The Hill.
While Anthropic has held its ground on its position, its CEO Dario Amodei apologized Thursday for the "tone" of a leaked internal memo criticizing the Trump administration.
"It does not reflect my careful or considered views," he said.
RELATIONS RESTORED: The U.S. and Venezuela have agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations in the aftermath of the raid removing Maduro from power.
The development is a major step years after Trump first cut off relations with the South American country during his first term. But Trump has signaled a new phase of the countries' relationship with Rodríguez, the acting president, in charge.
"This step will facilitate our joint efforts to promote stability, support economic recovery, and advance political reconciliation in Venezuela," the State Department said in a statement. "Our engagement is focused on helping the Venezuelan people move forward through a phased process that creates the conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government."
The U.S. has largely focused on improving access to Venezuela's large oil reserves since removing Maduro, though Rodríguez approved an amnesty bill last month that could lead to the release of many political prisoners.
Trump praised Rodríguez on Wednesday following reports that his administration was threatening to indict her if she didn't continue cooperating with the U.S.
MULLIN' A RUN: Oklahoma GOP Reps. Stephanie Bice and Kevin Hern are both eyeing possible bids to succeed Mullin in the state's Senate seat. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) will appoint a temporary replacement for Mullin if he is confirmed, but that person may not run in a pending special election to serve the rest of the term under state law.
'TRUMPIFICATION': A federal panel's scheduled vote to give final approval to the president's new White House ballroom has been delayed until next month after many individuals making public comments pushed back strongly on the project Thursday.
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