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Good morning. The Washington funeral service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham will likely be a star-studded affair at the National Cathedral on Tuesday.
President Trump is expected to speak. Many lawmakers and world leaders are likely to attend, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
But what about Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu?
Graham and Netanyahu were close, and both played a key role in advising Trump in the run up to the Iran war. When Graham died earlier this month, Netanyahu hailed the South Carolina senator as a “great patriot.”
Netanyahu’s standing in American politics, however, is less clear. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently called Netanyahu a “war criminal.” Trump, meanwhile, has berated Netanyahu in recent months amid frustrations about Israel’s actions in Lebanon, among other things.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are heating up markedly this week, and a lot could change between now and Tuesday. It’s possible Trump and Netanyahu resolve their differences and unite against Iran by next week. Quite frankly, it’s hard to imagine Netanyahu would miss the funeral. But the Times of Israel reported earlier this week that Netanyahu’s planned trip to the U.S. is on hold amid hesitancy from the White House.
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People and Policies I’m Watching
R. James Woolsey: The embattled CIA director in the Clinton administration has died. He was 84.
Trump’s Thursday: Trump is expected to make an announcement at 2:30 p.m. ET on the Ratepayer Protection Pledge at the Environmental Protection Agency. At 4:30 p.m., he will host the Los Angeles Dodgers, the 2025 World Series Champions, in the Rose Garden. Later, the president will hold a policy meeting in the Oval Office.
What I’m Following
The U.S. increases forces to the Middle East, handing Trump more Iran options. Extra forces, including medics and weaponry, have arrived in the Middle East, giving Trump more military options as he weighs whether to expand the scope of the war with Iran. Special-operations forces have deployed to the region from their U.S. bases in the past week, while squadrons of jet fighters have been staged in the Middle East as bombers in the U.K. and U.S. have been placed on high alert to ramp up operations, according to one of the officials.
A federal judge in New York sets June 2027 start date for Nicolás Maduro’s criminal trial. Prosecutors say Maduro partnered with drug traffickers and narcoterrorists to distribute tons of cocaine to the U.S. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, ordered kidnappings and murders of people who undermined the drug-trafficking operation, according to the federal indictment. The couple was captured by U.S. Special Forces in January.
Wall Street’s bots are cashing in on Trump’s Truth Social posts. Lots of ordinary investors try to trade on Trump’s Truth posts, and there are even apps and Reddit threads dedicated to the subject. Now Truth Social is selling real-time data to Wall Street, giving professional investors a way to do much more sophisticated trades based on top accounts, giving a big of advantage to the pros over the ordinary Joes.
What Else Is Happening
Two Democratic lawmakers want to put limits on multimillion-dollar retirement accounts.Trump attended the dignified transfer of fallen U.S. servicemembers in Dover, Del.The key takeaways on the U.S. and Saudi Arabia deal to provide the kingdom with a civilian nuclear program.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has repeatedly made concessions to Trump, with very little to show for it.Next week’s Federal Reserve meeting is shaping up as one of the least predictable in years.
What I’m Reading
Friends Remember Fallen Carrollton Soldier Isabella Gonzales (Dallas Morning News)Old-Guard WA Democrats Stage an Intervention as Party Tacks Left (Seattle Times)The Men Behind Trump’s $3.47 Gas (Philadelphia Inquirer)
About Me
I’m Damian Paletta, The Wall Street Journal’s Washington coverage chief. I’ve covered Washington for 22 years as a reporter and editor. I’ve covered the White House, Congress, national security, the federal budget, economics and multiple market meltdowns.WSJ Politics brings you an expert guide to what’s driving D.C., every weekday morning. Send your feedback to [email protected] (if you’re reading this in your inbox, you can just hit reply). This edition was curated and edited in collaboration with Alistair Dawber and Yolanda McBride. Got a tip for us? Here’s how to submit.
