The cracks in US President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement became more apparent this week, when his counter-terrorism chief stepped down in opposition to the war with Iran.
Joe Kent, a vocal opponent of US foreign military intervention, is the first known government official to quit over the conflict. He said he could not “in good conscience” support it, as Iran "posed no imminent threat to our nation".
Mr Kent's resignation highlights an expanding fracture in Maga world over the Trump administration's decision to enter the war, with many pundits blaming Israel and/or neo-conservatives in the White House for convincing the President to launch the strikes on Tehran.
When State Department and other government employees began to resign in protest over the Biden administration's continued support of Israel during the Gaza war, it foretold the uphill battle Democrats would face to stay in power. This here could be Mr Trump's Gaza moment.
I can't help but feel that Mr Kent's resignation wasn't so much a moral stand as it was a line in the sand, as political operatives turn their gaze to the 2028 presidential election. Vice President JD Vance – assumed to be the natural successor to Mr Trump and himself a veteran of the Iraq conflict – has also long been publicly opposed to US involvement in foreign wars. But his association with an administration that entered office vowing to end wars, only to start one, may have hamstrung his own White House run before it even began.
Meanwhile Mr Kent, who had two unsuccessful congressional runs in liberal Washington state, presents an interesting alternative: a widower war hero with views that would endear him to any traditional conservative or libertarian, he is far-right enough for Maga - even the increasingly prominent anti-Semitic white nationalist folks from whom he tried to distance himself during his political runs - and his anti-war stance might be enough to bring over centrists repelled by Mr Trump.
Regardless of Mr Kent's ultimate intentions, his resignation marked a significant moment, and it'll be interesting to see who follows him out the door.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Mr Kent's former boss, is briefing Congress this week about the threats facing the US. She's taken fire from both sides over the Iran war, and has neatly passed the buck to Mr Trump when it comes to what, or who, determines an "imminent threat".
She has also been under scrutiny in recent weeks over claims she'd tried to dodge congressional review of a highly sensitive whistleblower complaint.
Eye on the White House
Coalition of the unwilling: Trump bemoans allies' lack of enthusiasm over securing Strait of Hormuz
Mr Trump has renewed calls for allies to help secure and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, saying some countries have been reluctant to take part.
Speaking during an event at the White House on Monday, he urged nations to help patrol the strategic waterway, which carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.
“Some are very enthusiastic about it and some aren’t,” Mr Trump said. “Some are countries that we’ve helped for many, many years. We’ve protected them from horrible outside sources and they weren’t that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm matters to me.”
What's Washington talking about?
Mulling Mullin Senator Markwayne Mullin took a grilling from fellow members of Congress this week as he tried to make his case for why he should be the next head of the Department of Homeland Security, after the ignominious departure of Kristi Noem. Rand Paul scolded Mr Mullin for publicly applauding a neighbour’s assault on him that put him in hospital, as well as for threatening to beat up a witness at another hearing. "If you're willing to set it aside, let me earn your respect," Mr Mullin said. "Let me earn the job. I won't fail you."
No pay for airport security Security screeners at the nation's airports this week called out of work at the highest rate since a partial government shutdown affecting the DHS began more than a month ago, with agents still going without pay. Rates were higher at larger airports like New York's JFK and Atlanta, and queues in many places were hours long. A Transport Security Administration official said if call-out rates go up, it could mean the closure of entire airports. Mr Trump has sought to blame Democrats for the disruptions, while Democrats say they’ve offered solutions that would fund parts of the DHS, including the TSA, while negotiations continue over funding for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Spotlight: Why the US-Lebanon push to disarm Hezbollah faces major obstacles
Lebanon has vowed to place all weapons under state control and dismantle Hezbollah’s military arsenal, but political divisions, Israeli strikes and fears of internal unrest are complicating the push as international pressure grows.
Lebanon’s UN ambassador Ahmad Arafa told the Security Council this week that Beirut “will not accept a return to the past”, referring to decades in which armed groups operated independently of the state.
“In our modern history, no Lebanese government has demonstrated this level of courage and determination to reclaim the state authority, to restrict weapons to legitimate state institutions and to extend the state's control exclusively through its own forces over all Lebanese territory,” Mr Arafa said.
Calls for the Lebanese army to assert authority over all weapons have intensified both domestically and internationally, as Israel’s war with Hezbollah continues to escalate and western governments press Beirut to re-establish state control over security.
Only in America
Utah woman who wrote book about grief convicted of murdering her husband
A woman who published a children's book about grief after the sudden death of her husband has been found guilty of his murder.
Kouri Richins, 35, a mother of three from Utah, was convicted of killing her husband, Eric, in March 2022 by poisoning him with a fentanyl-laced drink.
The court was told that Richins had amassed $4.5 million in debt, taken out life insurance policies on her husband and was having an affair. She believed that she would inherit her husband's estate on his death.
Shortly before her arrest in May 2023, Richins self-published the children’s book about coping with the death of a parent, and promoted it on local TV and radio.
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