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MSNBC's Jen Psaki criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Wednesday for banning press photographers from Pentagon briefing rooms over photos his staff deemed unflattering, according to a Washington Post report.

Psaki highlighted the irony of Hegseth's press fixation during the 12th day of the Iran war, when he should focus on military operations. She noted Hegseth has previously accidentally posted classified war plans in a chat with no accountability and overseen national security officials checking Twitter during active military operations.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN Thursday that President Donald Trump takes a long-term view and disregards short-term disruptions in global oil markets caused by the Iran war.

Wright stated Trump focuses on what's "best for the American people" and brings "safety to our troops" and "prosperity to the Middle East."

President Donald Trump claimed at a Kentucky rally that U.S. and Israeli military operations have "virtually destroyed Iran," and "we won," but CNN correspondent Nic Robertson's reporting from Kuwait contradicts the narrative.

Within hours of Trump's statements, Iran struck two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and attacked locations across the Middle East. Robertson documented residential buildings blown apart, injured civilians, and multiple overnight attacks on Kuwait, including strikes on Kuwait International Airport.

President Trump was mocked by critics on Wednesday after claiming at a Kentucky campaign event that terminating the Iran Nuclear Deal prevented Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and made the world safer.

Trump stated the deal "gave them the right to have a nuclear weapon as of three years ago," and credited his swift termination with averting catastrophe. Political analysts and social media users quickly challenged the assertion.

An armed suspect was killed by security guards after driving his vehicle through the doors of a Detroit-area synagogue in Oakland County, Michigan.

Sheriff Michael Bouchard reported the suspect, who carried a rifle, drove into a hallway before being fatally shot during a confrontation with multiple armed security personnel on site. One security guard was hospitalized after being struck by the vehicle but is expected to recover. No other injuries were reported.

Joseph Mazzara, a key aide to former Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem, was removed from his DHS position following an internal power struggle. The Daily Beast reported Mazzara "emptied his office," and was "walked out of the building," by employees.

Insiders attributed his removal to tension with current leadership, with one source stating "Mazzara was very much in the Noem camp, and Rodney Scott can't stand him."

President Trump renewed his assault on Rep. Thomas Massie Wednesday through multiple Truth Social posts ahead of campaign stops in Massie's Kentucky district and Ohio.

Trump called Massie "the Republican Party's worst congressman ever," and "a complete and total disaster," lumping him with GOP critics Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, and Marjorie Taylor Greene as "misfits and losers."

Rep. James Comer sparked controversy during a Fox News appearance Tuesday when he revealed that the federal government ordered an investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch in New Mexico to stop in 2019.

The 7,600-acre property was linked to multiple allegations against Epstein and associate Ghislaine Maxwell and was recently sold to Trump ally Don Huffines, a Texas Republican state representative. Comer told host Jesse Watters he supported renewed scrutiny of the ranch.

White House insiders revealed to Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Dawsey that President Trump is exploring an exit strategy from the Iran conflict despite lacking a formal plan.

Dawsey told CNN that Trump, facing rising oil prices, looming midterms, and public dissatisfaction, has no appetite for a prolonged war and seeks ways to message accomplishments before withdrawal. However, uncertainty remains about controlling events if Iran continues attacks after a U.S. departure.

A coalition of peace groups including Peace Action and RootsAction launched a national campaign Wednesday calling for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to resign from leadership roles, citing their inadequate opposition to the Donald Trump administration's Iran war.

The groups filed a petition arguing that Schumer and Jeffries delayed a vote on Iran until after military operations began and failed to clearly oppose the conflict before or after launch.

President Donald Trump administration officials entered panic mode Sunday when oil prices skyrocketed following military operations in Iran, with the president reportedly "flipping out" as barrel prices approached $120. Financial Times columnist Ed Luce revealed the presidential meltdown on MSNBC, confirmed by White House insiders to Politico.

The spike exposed a fundamental miscalculation: administration officials never anticipated Middle East military operations would trigger energy market turmoil. Despite the disruption, a former Trump official stated the administration requires a "consistent, multiweek read" of oil prices before reconsidering strategy, indicating short-term spikes won't alter military decisions.

President Donald Trump verbally attacked Rep. Thomas Massie Wednesday, ahead of campaign stops in Kentucky and Ohio. Trump posted that Massie would "go down as the WORST Republican Congressman," in congressional history, worse than Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.

The clash stems from Massie's role in forcing the Department of Justice to release Jeffrey Epstein files and his vote against Trump's legislative priorities. Trump has spent months recruiting a primary challenger, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, to unseat the seven-term lawmaker. Massie dismissed concerns about the intra-party feud, stating supporters back both Trump and his campaign promises.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright's accidental post about Navy tanker escorts triggered a dramatic oil market collapse Tuesday, erasing $84 million in market value within minutes. The tweet claimed the U.S. Navy was escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, causing crude futures to plunge 19% before the post was deleted.

The Department of Energy later acknowledged the video was incorrectly captioned. Benchmark crude fell 12% to $83.45 a barrel, the steepest one-day decline in four years, with an intraday low of $76.73 representing a 36% drop from Sunday's peak. Airlines also suffered, with Delta, American, and United each dropping over 2%. Oil market volatility reflects ongoing uncertainty surrounding Iranian conflict and administration signals, prompting Saudi Aramco's CEO to warn of "catastrophic consequences" if disruptions continue.