MANAGING PRESSURE: The Trump administration is seeking to manage oil pressures, with consumers facing two weeks of higher prices at gas pumps amid the U.S. operation against Iran.
The Energy Department announced it would release 172 million barrels of oil from the U.S. reserve, part of an international effort to ease price pressures after Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping lane.
The Treasury Department is also temporarily easing oil-related sanctions on Russia in a push to blunt the impact on gas prices, which have been elevated since the U.S. launched strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
Trump, who has brushed off the higher oil prices as not too harmful to the country, has increasingly faced a push from the public to end the operations.
Polls have gradually shown the American people shifting away from supporting the operation in Iran, raising concerns among Republicans about a potential electoral backlash in the midterms if it doesn't end soon.
Most of Trump's base has generally stuck by him, but some high-profile conservative media allies have come out against the U.S.-Israeli strikes.
The president has seemed cognizant of the declining support in signaling the operations may end sooner than his initial four-to-five-week timeline. But the administration still hasn't laid out clear metrics for what constitutes success, and when it may be achieved.
The Hill's Filip Timotija reports time is on Iran's side as Trump faces domestic and international pressure to end the strikes.
House Republicans are promising a supplemental funding package designed to replenish U.S. weapons stockpiles and bolster defenses abroad, The Hill's Sudiksha Kochi and Mike Lillis report.
Newly selected Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei released his first off-camera statement since assuming the role Thursday, asserting Tehran will continue its attacks on its neighbors in the Persian Gulf region in retaliation for the strikes from the U.S. and Israel. He also vowed that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed while the conflict goes on.
REGIONAL MOVES: Several Gulf countries have been dragged into the conflict as they weather attacks from Iran. The Hill's Laura Kelly reports Gulf nations are pushing for an end to the war in a rare moment of unity.
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman rallied 135 nations at the United Nations to condemn Iran's retaliatory strikes, getting a resolution passed by the U.N. Security Council. The successful vote underscores Iran's isolation even from Qatar and Oman, two countries historically more friendly to Tehran, Kelly notes.
Israel also continues to expand the conflict, stepping up a bombing campaign in Lebanon to target Hezbollah, a militant proxy group for Iran. The Washington Post reported Lebanon appealed to the U.S. and European leaders to stop the strikes as the death toll rises and even offered to speak directly with Israel.
But Israel rejected the offer, with one person familiar with the conversations telling the outlet that Israel believes now is the time to wipe out Hezbollah entirely.
▪ The Hill: Why naval escorts through the Strait of Hormuz are risky.
▪ The Hill: Gas price hike hits Americans already struggling.
TRADE INVESTIGATION: The White House is launching investigations into the trade practices of more than a dozen countries as part of its contingency plan following the Supreme Court's ruling that struck down most of the president's tariffs.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters the administration is opening investigations into the practices of China, the European Union, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Japan and India, NewsNation reported.
The investigations are being launched under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to impose tariffs on countries with "discriminatory" trade practices.
The Supreme Court invalidated most of Trump's tariffs in a ruling last month, finding that he exceeded his authority in imposing them. Trump quickly imposed 10 percent tariffs through Section 122 of the Trade Act, which allows the president to address "large and serious" trade deficits.
But those tariffs are set to expire in July, leaving the investigations as the next best path for the administration to try to continue with its tariff policy. Greer said the administration wants to wrap up its investigation by the time the 10-percent tariffs expire.
▪ The New York Times: Administration says tariff refunds may take time.
HOUSING BILL HEADS TO HOUSE: The Senate easily approved a bipartisan bill Thursday to try to improve housing affordability, but whether it can pass in the House remains up in the air.
The upper chamber passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in an 89-10 vote, with most of the opposition coming from conservatives. The legislation would add incentives to build new homes, launch a program to allow abandoned buildings to become housing developments and approve new grants to overhaul homes, among other measures.
The Hill's Al Weaver reports the bill is expected to be one of the only major pieces of bipartisan legislation with a chance to reach the president's desk this year. If signed into law, it would also be the first major housing bill to be enacted in nearly three decades.
But House Republican leaders have expressed skepticism about the bill, alleging they were left out of the drafting process. Senators have rejected that claim, arguing the bill is made up of priorities for both chambers.
The White House has declared support for the bill, but Trump also hasn't given as much attention to the legislation as he has to the SAVE America Act, the GOP-back voter requirements bill.
▪ Politico: Trump's silence leaves housing bill in limbo.
HEGSETH'S REVIEW: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered a "ruthless, no-excuses" review of the military's legal offices, further remaking the Pentagon in his vision.
He said in a video posted Wednesday that he directed service secretaries, judge advocate generals and the staff judge advocate to the commandant to conduct the review.
"For too long, over 20 years, legal shops across the services have grown bloated, duplicative, they've muddied lines of authority and pulled critical judge advocates away from what matters most — advising commanders in the fight on operations in deployed environments where seconds and minutes count," Hegseth said.
The announcement comes a year after Hegseth fired the top lawyers for the Army, Navy and Air Force, alleging they were "roadblocks to orders" given by the president.
Critics have accused Hegseth of seeking to undermine legal oversight of the Pentagon, reduce accountability and target those accused of being disloyal to Trump.
Hegseth also announced Thursday the creation of a new task force to review U.S. war colleges. The task force is designed to ensure the colleges are "effective" and focused on core national security issues.
▪ The Hill: Senate Dem says Hegseth should resign over Iran school strike.
▪ The New York Times: How Hegseth sees moral purpose in war as weakness.
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