The interim June 17 MOU between the U.S. and Iran continues to face violent tests as Iran attacks commercial shipping and the U.S. responds with military strikes against IRGC sites. Both sides temporarily stood down and reconvened last week through Qatari mediators in Doha. The back-and-forth hostilities center around Article 5 of the memorandum—who controls […]

Facing disagreements within their conferences and with the White House, both House and Senate Republican leadership recessed earlier than originally planned for the Independence Day work period. Against that backdrop, Congress returns with ambitious goals, narrow margins, and an increasingly compressed legislative calendar. The Senate is scheduled to remain in session for four weeks before […]

There has been a flurry of activity at the Federal policymaking and regulatory level in recent weeks concerning artificial intelligence (AI) and technology in general, which seeks to keep up with the accelerating advancements and spending of industry and investors. Both the Legislative and Executive Branches are reacting to and seeking to address security in […]

The Iran war may finally be over but questions remain about elements of the MOU and whether the 60-day negotiating window can truly meet its goals. Ongoing hostilities in Lebanon led to a supposed reclosure of the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend and public criticism—particularly from Israel, the U.S. media, and national security hawks—have […]

The U.S.-Iran ceasefire and by proxy, the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, both faced their largest test over the weekend with escalating Israeli strikes on Beirut, Iranian and Houthi retaliation (with no intervention by the U.S.), and an Israeli attack inside Iran. While the escalation ladder nearly reached a tipping point, it was halted by both Israel and […]

Last week’s tentative memorandum of understanding (MOU) agreement between the U.S. and Iran has now stretched a full week without signatures from either side. A White House Situation Room meeting last Friday to review the MOU lasted over two hours but failed to produce a determination by the President. Meanwhile, the continued oil shock is […]

The Senate returns to session for a four-week stretch after leaving town 10 days ago without passing its Reconciliation 2.0 legislation, which would fund Border Protection and ICE for three years. The House returns tomorrow for two weeks. While quick passage of 2.0 once seemed nearly inevitable, progress stalled abruptly following the Administration’s announcement of a settlement in President Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS […]

The T+G note has been dominated by the war in Iran and resulting energy and supply chain shocks for the past three months. While that coverage continues again this week, we add in an expanded focus on the Donroe Doctrine, its impact on the U.S. economy, upcoming Latin elections, and most dramatically, the rising prospect […]

News broke on Sunday of a “totally unacceptable” Iranian counteroffer to last week’s U.S. proposal. Despite the conflict’s whipsaw narrative, the U.S. economy continues to show resilience on both the equities and jobs front. The S&P 500 closed on Friday at a record 7,399 and the Nasdaq at 26,247. Both have retreated slightly but are […]

Following a wild last week in the House that resulted in the GOP passing a multitude of major bills, Congress has been in recess this week. The Senate and House return Monday and Tuesday respectively for what will be a quick but impactful two-week work period prior to the Memorial Day recess. Both the Senate […]