The relationship between President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans seems to be nearing a breaking point. Tensions flared this week on Capitol Hill as Trump upended Republicans efforts for a swift confirmation of his intelligence nominee and as he thwarted quick passage of a bill to renew a surveillance law. Republicans have been frustrated and openly critical of Trump's agreement with Iran. The public tensions are an almost complete reversal from a year ago. Back then, Republicans senators worked closely with Trump on a complicated effort to push through his massive package of spending and tax cuts.

Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are voicing strong reservations —- and some outright condemnation — of the Trump administration’s agreement to end the fighting in Iran. The lifting of economic sanctions on Iran’s sale of oil and the plan for a $300 billion fund to rebuild Iran were met with criticism from Republican leaders and conservative influencers, including some close supporters of President Donald Trump. The president called his critics “fools." The memorandum of understanding signed by Trump has started a 60-day negotiating clock to reach a final deal on the future of Iran’s nuclear program.

The Florida Supreme Court has allowed the use of a new U.S. House map drawn by Republicans in the midterm elections. The court on Wednesday declined a request to issue a temporary injunction against the map backed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Attorneys representing voters had argued that the new districts violate a state constitutional ban on political gerrymandering. Republicans currently hold 20 of the state’s 28 U.S. House seats. The new voting districts could improve the GOP’s chances to win four additional seats this year. President Donald Trump has urged Republican-led states to redraw voting districts to try to hold on to a slim House majority in November.

A federal judge is declining to halt President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to create a national list of eligible voters and limit mail voting. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington late Wednesday rejected arguments by Democrats and civil rights groups that the provision exceeds the Republican president's powers. The Constitution gives the power to set election rules to the states and Congress, not the president. No matter how rapidly Trump's administration acts, no voting changes are expected during primary elections, which continue into next month. Attention now shifts to Boston, where another challenge to the executive order is in federal court.

President Donald Trump is asserting that Iran is “negotiating on fumes” and insisting November’s midterm elections won't make him rush into a deal to end the nearly three-month-old conflict that’s spurred unease across the global economy. Speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Trump expressed confidence that an agreement is near. Over the weekend, he even declared that his administration and Tehran had “largely negotiated” a settlement, but the negotiations were still in flux. The president is looking for a settlement that will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and provide him a credible argument that Iran’s nuclear capability has been diminished enough to declare victory, winding down a conflict that’s been politically unpopular for Republicans.

The South Carolina Senate has rejected President Donald Trump’s push to redraw the state’s congressional districts in hopes Republicans could gain an extra seat. The proposal passed the South Carolina House on May 20 after two days of long debate. But senators rejected the effort Tuesday, as early in-person voting got underway for the state's June 9 primaries. Some senators said it was simply too late to make a change. Others worried the move could backfire and get an extra Democrat elected to the U.S. House. The proposal would have scheduled a special primary in August for the new congressional map.