🚨 What Joe Kent’s Resignation Means

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

💉 COVID vaccines caused heart problems only in vaccinated kids. A peer-reviewed Oxford study of over 550,000 children found myocarditis and pericarditis occurred exclusively in vaccinated groups, with rates of 27 and 10 cases per million after first and second doses, respectively. Zero cases appeared in unvaccinated children. For younger kids ages 5-11, the reduction in COVID hospitalization risk was actually lower than the increase in pericarditis risk from vaccination.

💰 Pentagon requested $200 billion for the Iran conflict. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed the War Department is seeking supplemental funding for Operation Epic Fury, though he noted, "That number could move." Hegseth blamed depleted stockpiles on the Biden administration's Ukraine policy, saying munitions are now "better spent in our own interests."

🤖 Anthropic met with House Homeland Security behind closed doors. Jack Clark, co-founder of Anthropic, met with bipartisan lawmakers on Wednesday to discuss AI and national security issues. The private session comes as Anthropic is suing the federal government over its designation as a supply chain risk — though sources say the Pentagon dispute was barely mentioned.

🇯🇵 Japan pledged $73 billion in US energy investments. Following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's White House meeting with President Trump, Japan announced funding for small modular reactors in Tennessee and Alabama, plus natural gas facilities in Pennsylvania and Texas. The investment marks the second phase of a $550 billion spending commitment Trump secured last summer through tariff threats.

COVERED BEHIND THE PAYWALL

Trump comments on putting troops in Iran
A viral clip supposedly shows Bibi Netanyahu mocking Jesus
Airports could shut down over TSA funding lapse
Arkansas' governor kicked out of a restaurant
Our main story on Joe Kent's resignation and what that means for Trump and Vance
And Brandon and Ariel's recommended reading