The news. The narrative. The timeline.
Bureau: Washington
Trump authorized Navy lethal force, Iran seized a third ship, and Mojtaba Khamenei spoke for an injured father in one day of institutional hardening.
Phelan's ouster is not a staffing footnote but a budget-doctrine decision about what kind of war machine Washington intends to fund in FY26.
The April 30 Section 702 expiration is now six days out, the floor calendar is empty, and the rebel caucus has not moved.
The impeachment vehicle is frozen, the Pentagon appealed the press-access ruling, and the Stars and Stripes ombudsman was evicted without notice.
Day Eight delivered more tour optics and no major legal interruption, keeping implementation pace ahead of organized resistance.
With district-court pressure intact, the Pentagon's practical next move is appellate timing as the filing window narrows.