NYTIMES (Olivia Diaz) - Iran War Weighs on Virginia Beach Voters in Key House Race
The conflict with Iran is uniquely salient to the Virginia Beach voters deciding which party will win a critical House contest.
YOUTUBE (The Hill) - Watch live: Vance honors military, touts America 250 in Virginia Beach
Vice President JD Vance is set to deliver remarks Wednesday from Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va. The visit is part of the Trump administration’s events commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary and is expected to focus on honoring the U.S. military and its service members. NAS Oceana is the Navy’s East Coast master jet base and one of the branch’s most significant aviation installations. Vance is also expected to meet with sailors and military families during the stop. The event is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. EDT.
AXIOS (Russell Contreras) - Violent crime rates plunge in America's big cities
Data: Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) ; Chart: Russell Contreras/Axios Violent crime fell sharply across the largest U.S. cities in early 2026, extending a nationwide decline that began after the pandemic-era crime spike. Why it matters: Data from 67 major U.S. law enforcement agencies show violent crime fell across major categories during the first quarter compared with the same period in 2025. - The declines show up across every major region, suggesting a systemic, nationwide trend. - The quarterly reports collected by the Major Cities Chiefs Association have been a good measure of trends that are reflected in the annual FBI crime data released in the fall. By the numbers: Homicides dropped 17.7%. - Robberies fell 20.4%. -…
AXIOS (Sami Sparber) - Where rents are falling (or rising) most
Data: Apartment List ; Map: Axios Visuals A building boom across the South and Mountain West has cooled rents — but that relief could fade as new construction slows. Why it matters: Housing is unaffordable for many. Although the median U.S. rent for new leases is down 1.5% from a year ago, it's still roughly 20% above pre-pandemic levels, at $1,400 a month, per Apartment List. - And a new Harvard report finds a record number of renters are "cost-burdened ," spending more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities. Zoom in: The median rent in Austin, Texas — a building hot spot — was down nearly 6% this February from a year earlier. - It fell roughly 5% in San Antonio, New Orleans and Denver, according to data from Apartment…