Chris Donovan
Chris Donovan covers the domestic side of US foreign policy — Congress, the White House, the Federal Reserve, and how war and oil shocks land at home — for America Strikes.
Recent reporting
Ukraine's Ousted Defense Chief Calls for Wartime Elections
Former defense minister Fedorov urged Ukraine to hold elections during the war, and a recent poll indicates he would comfortably defeat Zelensky in a hypothetical runoff.
Russian Court Sentences Anti-War Critic to 11 Years in Prison
A Russian court has jailed a Kremlin critic for 11 years for opposing the Ukraine war, the latest in Moscow's sustained legal campaign to silence domestic dissent.
Trump Said Ukraine Had No Cards. Kyiv Struck Russia Anyway.
Despite White House signals that Ukraine lacked diplomatic leverage, Kyiv launched operations on Russian territory, challenging the administration's framing of the war.
Laura Loomer Explains Ukraine War Shift From Kyiv Bomb Shelter
Far-right commentator Laura Loomer outlined a shift in her position on Russia's war against Ukraine in a PBS interview filed from inside a Kyiv bomb shelter.
Putin and Zelenskyy Both Navigate Home-Front Tests in Ukraine War
Both leaders face mounting domestic pressures as Russian casualties reach 1.4 million, Ukrainian drones strike Belgorod, and North Korean troop deployments loom.
Laura Loomer Meets Zelenskyy in Ukraine After Reversing on Russia War
MAGA media figure Laura Loomer traveled to Kyiv for a face-to-face meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reversing her earlier skepticism toward U.S. support for Ukraine.
Ukraine Defense Chief Rejects Zelensky's Offer, Demands Reinstatement
Fedorov, Ukraine's ousted defense minister, rejected President Zelensky's offer of a different government role and says he will return only as defense minister.
Zelenskyy Moves to Oust Defense Minister as Kyiv Protesters Rally
Ukraine's president is pushing to remove his top defense official as demonstrators fill Kyiv's streets and Russian ballistic missiles kill two people in the capital.
Ukraine Strikes 15 Russian Ships; Kremlin Targets Paris 'Warmongers'
Ukraine reported strikes against 15 Russian ships as Zelenskyy heads to Paris for European air-defense talks and Russia retaliates against Chornomorsk port.
Kyiv Hits Russian Ships Near Crimea as IEA Cuts Oil Output Forecast
Ukraine struck Russian ships near Crimea and the IEA slashed its Russian oil output forecast, as Kyiv's deep-strike campaign targets fuel infrastructure across Siberia.
Kostyuk Advances at Wimbledon as Kyiv Burns, Blasts IOC on Russia
Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk extended her Wimbledon run Wednesday as attacks hit Kyiv and renewed her public condemnation of IOC policy permitting Russian athletes to compete internationally.
America's 250th Opens With Trump's Iran Line at Rushmore
Trump's July 3 Mount Rushmore speech doubled as the semiquincentennial kickoff and an Iran update, timed to a funeral Tehran chose to hold on July 4 itself.
Congressional Briefings Begin as the Halt Stays Unverified at Hour 42
Senate and House committees move toward classified briefings as the halt enters hour 42 with no Iranian confirmation, no tanker transit, and no Oman working group statement.
Congress Has the War Powers Filing: What the 60-Day Clock Means
The administration's notification triggers a 60-day authorization window running to August 25 — giving Congress three options and a deadline it has never successfully enforced.
War Powers Clock Expires: Administration Filing Due as Sunday Closes
The 48-hour War Powers deadline for CENTCOM's first Iran strike expires Sunday at 21:35 UTC — the filing will put the administration's legal theory on the record.
War Powers Deadline Tonight: Two Strikes, Possible Third on the Table
The administration's 48-hour War Powers notification is due Sunday night. It now covers two CENTCOM strike packages and a presidential signal that a third may follow.
CENTCOM Struck Iran. The War Powers Clock Is Running.
The War Powers Resolution requires 48-hour congressional notification after US forces enter hostilities. CENTCOM struck Iran at 21:35 UTC Friday. The deadline is Sunday night.
Hormuz Strike Reshuffles Congress's $87 Billion Iran Fight
The cargo ship incident arrives hours after Trump's emergency supplemental reached Capitol Hill, stripping supplemental skeptics of their strongest argument — for now.
Trump Asks Congress for $87 Billion to Cover Iran War Costs
The president's emergency supplemental request arrives a day after lawmakers rebuked his military action, setting up a difficult fight on Capitol Hill.
Geneva MOU Routes Around the Senate, Not Through It
Friday's Geneva memorandum will be signed by Vice President J.D. Vance, not ratified by the Senate. The executive-only architecture decides who can enforce it.
House Passes War Powers Resolution on Iran, 215-208
The House voted 215-208 to invoke the 1973 War Powers Act, directing Trump to withdraw US forces from Iran operations within 30 days unless Congress authorizes the conflict.
House Votes to Halt Iran War in Rebuke of Trump
The House invoked war powers to order a withdrawal from Iran, delivering a politically significant rebuke as Republican defections handed the president his sharpest congressional defeat on the conflict.
Congress Prepares for a Consequential Iran Vote
The House and Senate are closer than ever to passing war powers resolutions ordering a withdrawal from Iran, as Rubio concedes Tehran retains asymmetric military capabilities.
Bipartisan Senate Pushback Hardens Against Trump Iran Deal Framework
Senate Democrats call the leaked terms 'worse than before' the JCPOA while a bloc of pro-Israel Republicans warns of a 'disastrous mistake' ahead of Sunday's announcement.
House GOP Pulls Iran War Powers Vote a Second Day as Defections Threaten Trump's Authority
Johnson held the Iran war powers resolution off the floor a second straight day as a Massie-Davidson-Fitzpatrick-Barrett bloc plus a Golden flip threatened to force U.S. forces out.
House GOP yanks Iran war powers vote as Democrats close in
Republican leaders pulled the Iran war powers resolution from the House floor Thursday after a procedural vote signaled defeat, punting the measure to June.
GOP fissures widen on Iran war as Massie ouster steels Trump
House and Senate war-powers votes this week could deliver Trump a public rebuke from his own party as the Iran war hits day 82 — even as the Massie defeat shows the cost of dissent.
Pentagon Weighs Renaming Iran War 'Sledgehammer' to Reset Clock
NBC News reports Pentagon planners are preparing to rebrand the Iran campaign as "Operation Sledgehammer" if the ceasefire collapses, a move that would restart the 60-day War Powers clock.
Collins Joins Paul as Only GOP Votes for Iran War Powers Resolution
Sen. Susan Collins broke with her party April 30 to vote for the Iran War Powers Resolution, citing the 60-day constitutional deadline that lapsed the next day.
Hegseth tells Senate Trump needs no Iran war vote on day 60
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee the April 8 ceasefire paused the War Powers clock, drawing pushback from GOP senators a day before the 60-day cliff.
Hegseth: Iran War Has Cost $25 Billion in First Hill Hearing
Defense Secretary Hegseth and Gen. Caine faced Congress for the first time since Operation Epic Fury began, as the acting comptroller put the war tab at $25 billion.
Iran war hits 60-day mark as Trump faces May 1 War Powers cutoff
Day 60 of U.S. operations against Iran lands April 29 with a fourth war-powers resolution defeated, Murkowski drafting an AUMF, and a May 1 deadline looming.
What an Iran flare-up actually does to gas prices, the wallet, and the polling booth
Crude oil moves 10% on the headline. The pump moves 4%. Why the spread, why it lags, and how voters respond to gas-price spikes during a foreign-policy crisis. The honest answer is messier than either party suggests.
Should you worry about an EMP attack? An honest assessment
Electromagnetic pulse scenarios show up in every defense-cycle conversation. The honest answer about risk, what an EMP would actually do, and what household preparedness — if any — is rational.
How likely is World War 3? A rational assessment
Search volume on 'is WW3 happening' spikes every cycle. The honest answer is more reassuring than cable news, more sobering than the 'won't happen' takes. Here's what historical conflict research actually says.
Why prepping is rational (and why it's also irrational)
Most preparedness writing skews either dismissive ('you don't need anything') or apocalyptic ('the end is nigh'). The honest answer sits in between. Here's how to think about household preparedness as risk management, not identity.
The 72-hour emergency kit, ranked by what you actually need
Most pre-built emergency kits are mostly filler. Here's what actually goes in a 3-day kit that handles realistic disruptions — based on FEMA recommendations and the kits emergency-management professionals actually use.
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