Trump to huddle with cabinet at Camp David as Iran conflict grinds on

President Donald Trump will hold a cabinet meeting at Camp David later today, only his third visit to the Maryland retreat in his second term. The session comes as the president faces mounting pressure over the ongoing U.S. campaign of tit-for-tat strikes against Iranian targets — a conflict he initially predicted would last a few weeks but has now continued for five months.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that the gathering would be the 13th cabinet meeting of Trump's second term and described it as a chance for the cabinet to experience something different together. According to Reuters, the agenda is expected to focus heavily on foreign policy.

The war has driven up gasoline prices and hit the president's standing with voters. A Reuters-Ipsos poll this week found that only about one in three Americans supports the conflict — the lowest level recorded by that survey since the war's early days. Trump is also said to be eager to lower fuel costs as Republicans approach the November midterm elections.

On Thursday night, Trump announced that the so-called "Board of Peace" had reached an agreement on the complete disarmament of Hamas militants and other armed groups in Gaza. Israel has not yet given an official response to the plan.

In other political developments, Trump said he might hold back the nomination of Todd Blanche for attorney general until senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis leave office, after Republicans demanded written assurances about the settlement of the president's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. Cornyn recently lost the GOP Senate primary in Texas, while Tillis is not seeking reelection.

The Senate narrowly rejected a largely symbolic war powers resolution that would have directed the president to end hostilities in Iran, failing by a 49-50 vote. The House Democratic Women's Caucus has called for an ethics committee investigation into Republican congressman Max Miller, a former Trump aide accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife and former girlfriend. New Fox News polling shows Texas Democrat James Talarico narrowly ahead of Trump-backed Republican attorney general Ken Paxton in the state's Senate race.

Separately, a survey of voters in 18 congressional battleground districts by the Working Families Party found that 80% of respondents believe elected officials care more about wealthy donors and powerful interests than ordinary people. When offered a choice between an experienced officeholder focused on "practical reforms" and funded by established groups, and a "political outsider" challenging the system, the outsider led by 14 percentage points, including among independents and moderates. The party's memo argued that candidates who challenge concentrated power and show independence from party leadership have a stronger path to victory.