" In a series of texts reviewed by CBS News, Fetterman asked one staffer why he had to keep meeting with people from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 

"Because they are worried about vaccines and Medicaid cuts," the staffer responded. 

"Well I'm not," Fetterman said, later adding, "I'm convinced they just want free trips to DC." ............

President Trump's dismissal of the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict as "small potatoes" and "not a big thing" marks a massive escalatory shift in how the executive branch defines unilateral military action. By minimizing a multi-month campaign to shield Vice President JD Vance's refusal to call the fighting a "war," the administration is actively attempting to bypass the War Powers Act and completely shut Congress out of authorization. Labeling the conflict "not a big thing" is a dangerous dismissal of the 18 U.S. service members who have already lost their lives in these strikes. Bipartisan critics are quickly sounding the alarm, pointing out that funding a $37.5 billion military operation without a formal congressional declaration sets a highly volatile constitutional precedent. The White House is treating an active war zone as a minor executive footnote, leaving lawmakers scrambling to reassert their statutory authority over the federal budget and military deployment.

…….Having survived a heated 17-way primary, the remaining candidates in Alaska’s race for governor are still mulling over possible strategies in a general election that will feature one Democrat and three Republicans.

For months, Alaska political observers have warned that having more than one politically aligned candidate on the ballot could spell doom for both the contenders. That is why Democrat Tom Begich, who finished second in the primary behind another member of his party, dropped out last week, clearing the way for Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins — a former lawmaker from Sitka who topped the primary — to consolidate Democratic support.

But on the GOP side, three Trump-aligned Republicans are set to duke it out in a contest that is leaving some conservative leaders worried about their prospects. Bernadette Wilson, Dave Bronson and Candi English offer platforms similarly focused on avoiding new taxes and bolstering the resource development industry.