Get live update and the latest news as the DHS shutdown drags on after a failed Senate vote and Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick faces a House Ethics Committee hearing.

By Nathan Layne GRAPEVINE, Texas, March 26 (Reuters) - Republicans at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference largely rallied behind U.S. strikes on Iran on Thursday, backing President Donald Trump on an issue that has dented his wider approval ratings and could jeopardize the party's prospects in the November midterm elections.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he will delay a threatened strike on Iran’s energy infrastructure and extend his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz until April 6.

The US president has said for days that negotiations between the US and Iran are under way, but Tehran has denied they are taking place.

The plan is reminiscent of efforts by the White House to fund favored agencies during last fall’s government shutdown.

A judge has blocked the Trump administration from labeling Anthropic a supply chain risk and cutting off all federal work with the artificial intelligence firm, an early win for Anthropic in its bitter feud with the government.

Trump called on the mayors and governors of several blue cities and states to allow troops to 'come in and stop the crime,' and specifically called out Los Angeles and San Francisco.

A post by a former congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst warned of a “final humiliation” for President Donald Trump, predicting that Democrats would impeach and remove him as prediction markets show elevated chances of impeachment.