Hegseth faces further grilling over war costs as Iranian supreme leader releases fresh US threats - US politics live

Key Points:

• Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth faces a second day of questioning from Democrats on Capitol Hill regarding his handling of the US-Israel war on Iran, with scrutiny over the war’s financial costs, human lives lost, and depletion of critical weapons stockpiles.
• The US Supreme Court’s conservative majority struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, ruling that Louisiana’s creation of a second majority-Black congressional district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, a decision that could enable aggressive partisan redistricting nationwide.
• Global oil prices surged above $126 a barrel, the highest since 2022, following President Trump’s warning that the US blockade of Iranian ports may continue for months amid stalled peace talks and Iran’s near closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
• The US House approved a three-year reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), maintaining warrantless surveillance powers despite bipartisan concerns, while the Senate faces potential opposition due to attached unrelated legislation.
• King Charles and Queen Camilla are concluding their US state visit with a formal farewell at the White House and planned stops in Virginia, before Charles travels solo to Bermuda, marking his first visit as king to a British overseas territory.