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REPUBLICANS NEED TO TALK By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews Correspondent
To my right is the Georgia coastline. To my left, the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.
From 30,000 feet in the air, this seems an easy metaphor for my trip to check in with House Republicans at their retreat in Florida. They have a hazy shore on one side — their hopes for keeping control of the chamber. And on the other, a sweeping tract of empty skies — their with-good-reason fears that they will lose the majority.
The view from my airplane, on my way to the GOP retreat in Miami.
Their retreat is, like all things GOP 2026, Trump-dominated and literally Trump-branded. The president spoke to members yesterday and later held a news conference at the congressional retreat. The entire event is physically at his Miami-area resort.
I'm taking you with me, but before we touch ground and get in an Uber, let's lay out three things House Republicans are talking about and need to sort out quickly.
Iran and Homeland Security
Watch the segment in the player above.
Two intertwined issues hover over our lawmakers: the United States' war with Iran and the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
While Republicans publicly and privately support the president's action in Iran, a growing number have told me they want it to end in "weeks." Ideally, two. They'll discuss what they know and want for a timeline for the war.
At the same time, the DHS shutdown is in its third week. Next week, large numbers of workers, including Transportation Security Administration employees, will miss a full paycheck.
Republicans need to discuss if they are open to any off-ramps to the shutdown, including any concessions to Democrats who want reforms of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (The answer so far is no.)
Another "big, beautiful" bill?
Speaker Mike Johnson has a clear "tell me I can't do it" attitude; when faced with the idea that he cannot pass bills with his historically narrow margin, he leans in. But this is a lean like I have never seen before.
Johnson and Republicans are considering passing another large reconciliation bill, one that can get through the Senate with just 50 (Republican) votes. The last one — the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," with tax cuts and spending cuts — was a high-water mark for the House speaker legislatively. Its ultimate popularity with voters, especially with spending cuts still to go into effect, is yet to be seen.
In the face of rising gas prices and continued dissatisfaction from voters, Republicans will talk about another mega-bill. Beginning something like this in a vulnerable midterm year is highly unusual and fraught with political risk. What would go in this bill? How much would it cost? What would they cut to pay for it? And what if this fails? All of these things are up for discussion.
At this time, none of these ideas can pass the Senate. For House Republicans in particular, the Save America Act, which among other provisions would require photo identification to vote and proof of citizenship to register, is a critical element with their base. (See Josh's piece about it here.)
What they need to discuss is how hard to go after the Senate here, or how hard to try to force votes in that chamber. Many House Republicans believe the filibuster should be disappeared. Senate Leader John Thune is adamant: They don't have the votes for that.
But if there is no action on the Save America Act after so much loud discussion, it is a political risk: It could anger the base against Democrats, sure. But it also could lead to a loss of faith in Republicans.
One Big Question: How are Republicans feeling about the midterms? NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter discuss.
A Closer Look: What to expect in Georgia's special election to fill Marjorie Taylor Greene's former seat, courtesy of Associated Press.
Perspectives: Oil expert warns of the "nightmare scenario" the Iran war could spark.
HOW AMERICANS FEEL ABOUT THE U.S. STRIKES AGAINST IRAN
Photo by Jill Connelly/Reuters
By Matt Loffman Senior Elections Producer
A majority of Americans disapprove of how President Donald Trump is managing the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and oppose the military action outright, according to the latest PBS News/NPR/Marist poll.
As Operation Epic Fury neared the end of its first week, the new survey found 56% of Americans oppose U.S. military action in Iran, while 44% support it. Support for U.S. action has remained relatively steady since January, before the attacks began. The poll was conducted in the days after an Iranian drone strike on a command center in Kuwait killed six U.S. soldiers.
U.S. and Israel have targeted Iranian military and government sites, killing Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. More than 1,000 civilians have also been killed in the conflict, including an estimated 175 students and staff at a girl's school, which a preliminary U.S. military investigation suggests was caused by an American air strike, according to Reuters.
Image by Steff Staples/PBS News
Trump's approval for his handling of Iran stands at 36%, down 6 percentage points from January 2020, when tensions with Tehran spiked following a targeted U.S. drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, a division of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Opinion of the current action is sharply divided along partisan lines.
Strong majorities of Republicans back both the president's approach and the strikes themselves – 79% and 84%, respectively – while 86% of Democrats are opposed to both.
Among independents, roughly 6 in 10 disapprove of Trump's handling of the situation and oppose military action.
The picture is more complicated when it comes to how Americans view the underlying threat posed by Iran.
A plurality of Americans – 44% – say Iran is a major threat to U.S. security. That is down from 48% last July, shortly after the U.S. targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities with bunker-buster bombs. The slight decline could suggest that some Americans see Iran as a less immediate danger as its military capabilities have been weakened.
Another 40% of Americans consider Iran a minor threat.
Three years after Congress' self-imposed deadline to install it, a plaque honoring the U.S. Capitol Police and their actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection is now up – in a temporary spot.
The bronze plaque, which honors all the law enforcement agencies who responded to the Capitol attack by President Donald Trump's supporters, was bolted onto a wall in the Senate side of the building. The work was done in the wee hours of Saturday morning, with little fanfare over its installation, as first reported by the Washington Post.
"Their heroism will never be forgotten," the inscription on the plaque, in part, reads.
After House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to put up the plaque, senators passed a resolution in January to temporarily display it in a public space until it's placed in its permanent location on the western side of the Capitol, as required by a 2022 law. Trump and his Republican allies have sought to downplay the violence of that day.
Daniel Hodges, a D.C. metropolitan police officer who defended the Capitol building, is part of a lawsuit to force congressional leadership to put up the plaque. In a statement to NBC News, he called its installation "a fine stopgap," but not in full compliance with the law.
Our question: Which federal agency put up the plaque? (Hint: It is also responsible for the upkeep and operation of the U.S. Capitol building, its grounds and other nearby landmarks.)
Send your answers to NewsHourPolitics@newshour.org or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.
Last week, we asked: Who was the only person to serve as governor of two different U.S. states — and what other state besides Texas did he represent?
The answer: Sam Houston. Before serving as the first president of the Republic of Texas and later governor of Texas, Houston served as governor of Tennessee.
Congratulations to our winners: Bob Koczera and Brenda Radford!
Thank you all for reading and watching. We'll drop into your inbox next week.
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