Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken arrived in the Middle East on Monday in the hopes of preventing escalating tit-for-tat attacks with Iran-backed militias from spiraling into a broader regional war‚ and to rally allies around a proposed cease-fire agreement for Gaza. Mr. Blinken began his fifth trip to the region since the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel by meeting in Saudi Arabia with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman‚ discussing how to achieve “an enduring end to the crisis in Gaza‚” as well as...

Allies of former President Trump are trying to maximize public opposition to the border deal "to make Senate leadership sweat‚" according to a source familiar with the effort. Why it matters: Trump is once again flexing his dominance within the GOP to test whether his endorsers will break with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.). Trump's team needs 41 senators to publicly oppose the bill to successfully tank it in the Senate — and they...

The U.S. national debt topped $34 trillion for the first time ever in early January‚ just over three months after surpassing the $33 trillion mark‚ according to data released by the U.S. Treasury. Congress has punted on spending deadlines three times since the end of September as it grapples with how to fund the government amid tensions over the ballooning national debt. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said in a “60 Minutes” interview with Scott Pelley that the country’...

Social media giant Snap‚ which operates Snapchat‚ has announced plans to cut "approximately" 10% of its staff. The firm said in November 2023 it had 5‚000 employees‚ suggesting around 500 people are facing redundancy. It comes a day before Snap reports its fourth-quarter results - having reported a net loss of $368m (£294m) in the previous quarter in October 2023. Snapchat said the move would "reduce hierarchy and promote in-person collaboration". "We are focused on supporting our...

Donald Trump continues to lead President Joe Biden in three of the last five national polls as the clock ticks down to just nine months until the November presidential election. In a classic head-to-head‚ the former president is ahead in a McLaughlin and Associates poll of likely voters by four points at 47 percent support‚ with about 10 percent undecided. A CNN poll conducted by SSRS and released on February 1 also has Trump with a four-point lead‚ while YouGov recorded Trump ahead by one...

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ father was arrested Saturday night. Pat Mahomes Sr.‚ 53‚ was arrested for driving while intoxicated in Texas‚ TMZ Sports reported. He was released on $10‚000 bail the next day. Mahomes Sr.‚ a former professional baseball pitcher‚ was also arrested for a DWI in 2019 and spent 40 days in jail for the offense‚ which he served on weekends. He had been arrested for a DWI prior to that as well‚ KFAN reported. Mahomes Sr.’s arrest comes just one...

CNN has shaken up its struggling lineup once again‚ with Jim Acosta moving to weekdays and the New York-based morning production team being disbanded.  The long-troubled "CNN This Morning‚" which was the brainchild of since-fired CEO Chris Licht‚ will now be hosted by Kasie Hunt at 5-7 a.m. ET‚ with current anchors Poppy Harlow and Phil Mattingly being pushed aside. CNN says Harlow and Mattingly are being considered for other roles at the network that "showcase their talents and work...

Iran-backed militant groups have attacked U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria three times since the U.S. launched massive retaliatory strikes on Friday‚ killing six partner troops at one of the bases‚ according to reports. The U.S. struck 85 targets connected to Iran-backed militants in Iraq and Syria and the Iranian military command that oversees Tehran’s proxy operations on Friday in response to a Jan. 28 suicide drone attack that caused the first U.S. fatalities since the escalation of attacks...