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In a seismic admission of defeat, the Trump administration's Justice Department is abandoning its legal defense of an executive order that would have punished law firms that had represented clients against his prior policies or legal woes.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the DOJ is expected to "drop its appeals of four trial-court rulings that struck down President Trump’s actions against law firms Jenner & Block, WilmerHale, Perkins Coie, and Susman Godfrey."

Charlie Kirk Show hosts Blake Neff and Andrew Kolvet called for journalist Mehdi Hasan, a naturalized U.S. citizen, to be deported because he opposed the Department of Education hanging a banner of Kirk because he called college a "scam."

During a Charlie Kirk show broadcast on Monday, Neff and Kolvet appeared irate about Hasan's opposition to President Donald Trump's Education Department's decision to celebrate Kirk.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine's explanation of the Iran war's trajectory Monday, then attacked reporters for questioning the evolving timeline. After initially suggesting the conflict would last two weeks, the administration now indicates four weeks. Hegseth accused NBC of asking "gotcha" questions, insisting Trump has "all the latitude in the world" to adjust timelines as needed. He claimed Trump possesses abilities other presidents lack, including finding "opportunities and off ramps" while executing objectives on the U.S. timeline. Hegseth criticized former President Biden for not understanding military strategy. He dismissed reporters' questions about war duration as "games," praising Trump as "no better communicator" for expressing military intentions. The defense secretary's combative response reflected administration defensiveness over shifting war projections and escalating conflict duration estimates.

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's latest legal argument for blocking Democratic members of Congress from unscheduled inspections of immigration detention facilities just got rejected by a federal court.

In a new order released on Monday, U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb ruled in favor of 13 representatives who sued Immigration and Customs Enforcement after they were denied access to detention facilities.

On Monday, Donald Trump took time out during his first live address to the nation about the war he set in motion on Iran early Saturday to boast about the gold White House drapes he claims he personally selected.

Combining the presidential address with a presentation of awarding the Medal of Honor to three Army soldiers before a packed room, the president went off script, as is his custom, and pointed out that the drapes behind him concealed the area where his ballroom will be constructed.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the Iran attack at a Pentagon press conference, dismissing traditional U.S. allies as "pearl-clutching" while attacking the press for spreading "fake news." He boasted that Israel had "clear missions" and criticized allies for opposing military force. Most controversially, Hegseth promised "no stupid rules of engagement," triggering alarm among national security experts on social media. Former Chicago Tribune editor Mark Jacobs warned the statement means abandoning Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law. Democratization Policy Council founder Toby Vogel cautioned the approach is "a great way to go to jail for war crimes." Academic Lee Papa emphasized rules of engagement protect troops and civilians. National security analyst Stephanie Carvin called the position "nihilism." Journalist Will Harris noted many generals view Hegseth as incompetent.

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Donald Trump's constantly shifting justifications for the military assault on Iran have left Pentagon officials scrambling to determine whether they should be preparing for a prolonged occupation or a swift exit from hostilities.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump alternates between claiming the strikes target Iran's nuclear program and then later insisting the primary objective is regime change.

Journal reporters Michael R. Gordon and Alexander Ward document the chaos: "The whiplash-inducing statements over the past two days come as the U.S. and Israel have carried out an extensive air campaign in Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate against regional bases where American and European troops are present, as well as Gulf countries."

Trump acknowledged in a Sunday video that prolonged U.S. military presence increases the risk of casualties, stating: "That's the way it is, but we'll do everything possible where that won't be the case." Multiple analysts suggest the inconsistency reflects White House improvisation rather than a coherent strategy.

Justin Logan, defense and foreign-policy director at the libertarian Cato Institute, attributed the confusion directly to Trump's erratic leadership: "The administration—and the president—have hardly been the model of clarity on this war. It looks like they are making it up as they go along. The present policy looks more like incoherence."

If destroying Iran's missile factories and nuclear facilities represents the core objective, the military could potentially reduce force levels relatively quickly, even if Iran's political future remains uncertain. However, if facilitating regime change is a priority, the operation would likely become a far longer and more demanding undertaking.

There is also the possibility that Trump's military campaign fails to overthrow the regime and his diplomatic efforts similarly collapse. Former U.S. Middle East negotiator Aaron David Miller warned of that scenario, explaining, "Trump could find himself with no regime change, no deal and no capacity to honor the promises he's made to the Iranian people."

President Donald Trump and his administration lost an appeal that would have delayed a Supreme Court ruling striking down the authority to impose emergency tariffs.

In a ruling issued on Monday, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a Trump administration bid to delay the effective date of the Supreme Court's tariff ruling by 90 days.