Trump eyes cost shifts to states to cover military bills

Key Points:

• President Trump declared the Iran war “nearing completion” in a prime-time speech but gave no specific timeline, warning U.S. forces would strike Iran hard in the next two to three weeks, causing oil prices to rise and markets to fall.
• In a private Easter prayer service speech, Trump repeated derogatory remarks about Minnesota’s Somali community and Rep. Ilhan Omar, and proposed shifting responsibility for programs like daycare, Medicaid, and Medicare to state governments to manage costs amid the expensive Iran conflict.
• The White House plans to request $200 billion from Congress to fund the Iran war, facing opposition from Democrats and some Republicans who demand offsets or oppose the war altogether.
• Trump fired U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi over dissatisfaction with her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and political prosecutions, appointing her deputy Todd Blanche as acting Attorney General; Bondi is also subpoenaed to testify before Congress.
• Democratic officials criticized Trump’s global tariff policies, marking their one-year anniversary, for harming Minnesota farmers and consumers, calling for reparations and highlighting ongoing economic challenges exacerbated by the Iran war and related shipping disruptions.