Traci Mumford

Vice President J.D.

Vance yesterday attempted to soothe the nerves of voters feeling the economic toll of the war.

It was not an easy environment for that, as many farmers in the state have also been affected by Trump's tariff policies.

But Iowa will be critical for Republicans in the midterms, with a few potentially competitive races.

Vance also had a recent stop in Oklahoma, and overall, this trip may be a blueprint for his next few months of trying to boost GOP candidates across the country who are facing the headwinds of high gas prices and an unpopular war in Iran.

Also, in Indiana, President Trump got payback last night against several Republican state lawmakers who had defied him.

The state senators had refused to go along with his push last year for Indiana to redraw its election maps, and Trump promised to primary them.

That made voting in the state yesterday something of a test of the president's sway over Republican voters.

And with the results now in, he pretty much got what he wanted.

At least five of the seven senators lost to GOP competitors that Trump backed instead.

And in Washington...

Senate Republicans have inserted $1 billion for Trump's ballroom project into a funding bill they're hoping to rush through Congress this month.

It was a surprise addition.

And the measure doesn't mention the ballroom.

It calls for funds to cover East Wing security enhancements.

Trump has cited security as a main reason for the ballroom.

While the president previously said the renovation would be funded through private donations, some congressional Republicans started pushing for federal funding after the recent attack at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

The $1 billion provision is tucked into an immigration enforcement funding bill, which the Republicans plan to push through in a way that will skirt any potential Democratic filibuster.

Yesterday, another tech company announced wide-scale layoffs, saying in part it's optimizing for AI.

Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange, said it's cutting 14% of its workforce.