Middle East War Escalates: US Evacuates Diplomats, Congress Debates War Powers

The U.S. has evacuated diplomats and closed several embassies, advising citizens to leave over a dozen countries, leading to hundreds of thousands of stranded travelers. Israeli warplanes are striking Tehran and Beirut, while Iranian drones have targeted the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia.

The conflict has resulted in at least six U.S. service member deaths and 555 Iranian casualties. President Trump anticipates the conflict lasting "four to five weeks," though Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu seeks regime change, a goal U.S. officials are walking back.

Domestically, Congress was briefed on the war and is set to vote on limiting presidential war powers, a move expected to be largely partisan despite public disapproval. Concurrently, North Carolina and Texas are holding crucial primary elections today, which will influence congressional control and the direction of both major parties.

The Department of Homeland Security remains shut down for a month, with Secretary Kristi Noem testifying on its impact. Separately, video of Bill and Hillary Clinton's depositions regarding the Epstein files has been released, where they denied prior knowledge of his crimes.

On a positive note, new data indicates electric vehicle batteries are lasting longer than initially expected, offering good news for the EV industry.