President Donald Trump has instructed Bill Pulte, the controversial new acting head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), to execute sweeping personnel cuts across the nation's 18 federal intelligence agencies and units before a permanent successor is confirmed.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump revealed his explicit mandate to Pulte, who lacks the necessary security clearances, to dramatically reduce the size of an agency he views as "unnecessary and/or too big."

"I'd like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn't be there," Trump admitted to The Journal, specifically targeting career officials from the Biden and Obama administrations. When asked directly if he was ordering firings, Trump confirmed the instruction. "I want him to 'start the process,'" Trump said, adding that his eventual permanent nominee should continue the purge once confirmed.

Trump bluntly framed Pulte's temporary status as an operational advantage rather than a limitation. "You're less shackled," Trump said of the acting designation. "It sort of gives you more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of time."

The president outlined a calculated strategy to complete major structural changes before his permanent appointee takes office, allowing the future ODNI to inherit a smaller, ideologically aligned agency rather than managing the cuts themselves.

"Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come," Trump explained. "Because, if he [Pulte] reduced the size, in conjunction with me…and in conjunction with possibly the person coming in…he can do a lot of the hard work and we wouldn't have to saddle somebody that goes in."

The approach reflects Trump's broader effort to reshape the intelligence community according to his preferences, The Journal reported. Pulte, who has no prior intelligence experience and has been highly critical of the FBI and other agencies, is widely viewed as unlikely to survive Senate confirmation despite his acting appointment.

Pulte and ODNI representatives declined to comment to The Journal on the directives.

A Justice Department lawyer told a federal appeals court Friday that the Trump administration could demolish the Statue of Liberty before anyone could sue to stop him — and that would simply be the end of it.

The stunning exchange came during oral arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit over President Donald Trump's controversial $400 million White House ballroom project, built on the site of the demolished East Wing.

Judge Patricia Millett pressed the government's lawyer directly. "If the govt decides very quickly to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty, the people whose ancestors — that was the first thing they saw coming to this country, but the govt moved too fast — nothing can be done?" she asked, according to Politico's Kyle Cheney, who was in the courtroom.

The DOJ lawyer's response: "I think that's right, yes."

The administration has argued throughout the ballroom litigation that no one has legal standing to challenge the project once demolition is complete. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled in March that "no statute comes close to giving the President" the authority to build the ballroom without congressional approval. The appellate panel — Millett alongside Trump-appointee Neomi Rao and Biden-appointee Brad Garcia — is now weighing whether to reinstate his injunction.

The ballroom fight is far from Trump's only unilateral remaking of American landmarks. Federal judges have also been asked to weigh in on his effort to paint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool "American flag" blue — the subject of a lawsuit accusing the administration of bypassing required congressional notice. A separate judge blocked Trump's move to rename the Kennedy Center in his honor. And the administration has drawn up plans for a 250-foot triumphal arch at Memorial Circle near Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac from the Lincoln Memorial.

Trump has defended the ballroom as a national security necessity, posting AI-generated renderings of a "DronePort" on the roof and warning that Judge Leon would be held responsible for any attack on the president.

The appellate panel has allowed construction to continue during the legal fight. Trump has said the ballroom is scheduled to open around September 2028.

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade couldn't hide his disgust Thursday morning when his own network flashed an "Iran Deal Soon?" graphic on screen — audibly groaning and declaring the talks a "dead end" just seconds after reading the optimistic chyron off a teleprompter.

"Ugh!" Kilmeade blurted before pivoting sharply from the network's framing. "The problem is there are no talks. Hezbollah's backed out of it. I see that as a dead end."

The @BadFoxGraphics account, which tracks Fox News graphics and on-air moments, captured the clip and said Kilmeade had thrown "cold water on producers' efforts to again predict an imminent Iran deal."

President Donald Trump claimed back in 2020 he'd have a deal with Iran "within four weeks" of being re-elected. It never happened. After returning to office, he gave Iran 15 days to reach an agreement in February 2026 — then launched airstrikes on the country. By late May, he was declaring on Truth Social that a deal had "been largely negotiated" — only for officials to walk that back within 24 hours, NPR reported. A Situation Room meeting last weekend ended with no announcement.

Now Trump is hinting the war could wrap up "as soon as this weekend" — a claim Kilmeade, reading from his own network's script, couldn't stomach.

President Donald Trump has pitted two of his cabinet members against each other in the battle over who will succeed him and run for president in 2028, and so far, there is a clear loser in this fight, an analyst revealed on Thursday.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has appeared to win Trump over so far, as Vice President JD Vance has lost favor after failed negotiations with Iran, wrote Jonathan V. Last, editor at The Bulwark.

And Last argued that it comes down to what Harry Potter character Albus Dumbledore says: “People find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right.”

"Point is that Rubio has been wrong about the Iran war from the jump. And that’s why Trump has begun elevating him above JD Vance in the Favorite Adopted Son sweepstakes," Last wrote.

"It’s clear that Trump is displeased with JD Vance," Last explained. "Early on, when Trump thought he was winning in Iran, there were leaks about Vance not being on board with the war. Daddy Trump sent Vance to negotiate with the Iranians when they clearly had all the cards, setting him up for failure—and at the same time took Rubio with him on vacation to fight night. There was a huge dump of leaks designed to show that Trump doesn’t think Vance has the juice."

Rubio didn't play the same game as Vance. And Rubio has benefited.

"Vance’s mistake was trying to influence the party line, rather than adapting to whatever the Leader said the party line happened to be. Any of Stalin’s henchmen could have told him that was a mistake," Last wrote.

"The worse Iran gets, the worse it will be for Vance," Last added. "Trump will become even more resentful—even if Vance never says, told you so. Trump will remember that Vance was the one who told him not to do it."

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent snapped "Don't be absurd!" at a Democratic lawmaker Thursday after getting cornered on the administration's rosy claims about the Iran conflict — a tense exchange that exposed the widening gap between White House spin and reality on the ground.

During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on the Treasury Department's budget priorities, Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) pressed Bessent on an offhand remark the secretary had made suggesting the conflict with Iran was over.

"Do you truly believe that we are no longer in conflict with Iran and that they are no longer a threat to Israel or allies in the Gulf, that their nuclear program has been destroyed, that they no longer have a ballistic missile program and drone program threatening its neighbors in the region?" Schneider demanded.

Bessent walked it back fast. "The conflict is on pause," he said.

"So everything's good with Iran now?" Schneider pushed.

"No. Don't be absurd."

The back-and-forth cut to the heart of the administration's credibility problem on Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that President Donald Trump has told aides privately he would only consider ending the ceasefire if Tehran kills American troops — a far cry from the decisive victory the White House has been claiming. The U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28 in strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, but a ceasefire has been in effect since April 8.

Bessent cited Trump's statement, telling Schneider that unless an American life is lost, the president does not believe he will have to restart "kinetic action."

The exchange grew heated again when Schneider pivoted to the cost of living, rattling off rising prices for beef, coffee, housing, and health insurance. Bessent interrupted repeatedly, at one point shouting "Sir! Sir!" as Schneider reclaimed his time.

"I think you're just out of touch with what American families are facing," Schneider told him.

Bessent fired back with a broadside at Schneider's home state: "No wonder so many people are leaving Illinois. Why don't you come see me in South Carolina?"

The two did find rare agreement on one point — that no president, Republican or Democrat, should be shielded from IRS audits — before Schneider circled back to the administration's controversial IRS settlement, which Democrats have called an illegal act of self-dealing.

A Republican lawmaker clashed with an anchor during a live CNN broadcast on Thursday over the Iran war after four GOP House leaders broke from President Donald Trump and voted to rebuke the president over the military operation.

Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) and CNN's Brianna Keilar got into a heated exchange over what the Trump administration has planned to do next in the ongoing war, as gas prices skyrocket for Americans and the Senate now considers Trump's war powers in Iran. Haridopolos stated that he firmly stands behind Trump and his administration.

"The person I trust in this is President Trump," Haridopolos said. "And I trust Marco Rubio, he's been a 25-year friend of mine. He knows all the intricate details of what we're doing right now. The recommendation from the White House is to know all the details. They want to continue to keep the pressure on Iran as long as possible, because I know, look, we're all hurting with gas prices. We all recognize this, but what we have to do is finally eliminate this threat in Iran."

Keilar asked the Republican if he thought the administration was entering "quagmire territory."

"This is a real winnable situation — for the first time since 1979, to finally take out these crazy people in Iran," Haridopolos said. "And what we're trying to do is win the conflict. And I'm challenged, like you are, that no one likes the higher prices. But this is something we, the president, is willing to do."

Keilar pushed back and asked Haridopolos if the war was a "winnable situation."

He argued that Trump knew it would be a risk and unpopular, but that the president "believed the risk" was worth it.

The conversation heated up when Haridopolos said, "if we go with your plan" — and Keilar interjected.

"Your plan? It's not my plan," she said.

"You're pushing for it. So that's being said," Haridopolos responded.

"I'm telling you what Americans are saying," Keilar said, pushing back.

"This is unpopular. You have now Republicans who have experience in wars that have lasted a very long time," she added.

Haridopolos appeared frustrated with the anchor and said, "You want me to answer?"

The two bristled and spoke over each other.

"You can, but you just told me what I was saying. And I'm telling you, please don't put words in my mouth. But please continue on with what you wanted to say," Keilar said.

King Charles was reportedly nervous about hosting President Donald Trump for a state visit to the UK, according to a report from The i Paper on Thursday.

Leaked emails and messages have revealed that the King was concerned for one main reason: the president's contentious meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House in February 2025, where Trump and Vice President JD Vance ridiculed the Ukrainian leader for not showing enough gratitude for support from America.

"The monarch’s private reservations over the visit left officials scrambling, fearful that a royal snub of President Trump could detonate into a full-blown diplomatic crisis," according to The i Paper.

"Multiple senior Whitehall sources have told this newspaper that the King was reticent about hosting Trump at this time because of his treatment of Zelensky," The i Paper reported.

A source told the outlet that the King was "jittery" about Trump's appearance. Another source said he "did not want to do it."

"A flurry of emails and texts exchanged between Peter Mandelson, then US ambassador, and officials in March 2025 reveal a behind-the-scenes diplomatic scramble to alleviate Charles’s concerns over the visit," according to The i Paper. "In one message, the peer thanks the most senior civil servant in Foreign Office for his 'cool handling of the last 48 hours on the SV [State Visit],' and in another exchange five days later Mandelson discusses how he is awaiting an update following the weekly audience between the King and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer."

The incident has exposed the tough diplomatic situation over Ukraine and the fears that the United States could halt its support of Ukraine amid the ongoing war. The King's private worries over the visit were included in the Mandelson files, which contained redacted documents, hundreds of private WhatsApp messages and emails exchanged between current and former UK Cabinet ministers, senior civil servants and advisers, The i Paper reported.

"The messages which have been published indicate that officials and diplomats were working intensively behind the scenes to allay the King’s concerns, and suggest that Starmer was due to discuss them with Charles at their weekly audience," according to The i Paper. "The key email and text exchanges took place between March 14 and 19, 2025 – a period of intense diplomacy over the war in Ukraine and just weeks after Trump had an explosive row with the Ukrainian President on 28 February."

During a “Morning Joe” discussion on Donald Trump’s constantly evolving statements about bringing the Iran war to a close, MS NOW contributor Katty Kay suggested the president’s deep-seated obsession with former President Barack Obama could be the biggest roadblock.

Speaking with co-host Willie Geist, Kay humorously claimed the president lives in fear of the “O word.”

“The question is, are we any closer to getting some kind of a deal after all the fits and starts that we've had out of the White House?” she began. “It seems the two big issues that remain are whether the Iranians will have any kind of control of the Strait of Hormuz. And the even bigger issue is what's to be done about Iran's nuclear program.”

“I mean, Willie, it still looks like we're at the status quo ante where before the shooting started, on February 28th, Iran had a nuclear program, and it didn't control the Strait of Hormuz,” she pointed out before adding, “And I think at the moment, that's the best that the administration can hope for.”

“Donald Trump seems to be terrified of the ‘O word,’ the Obama word, anything being compared that he does to the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], which may be why there's a holdup,” she stated. “It looks like they had got fairly close, but then he got spooked by being criticized for being weak and that this looked too much like the Iran deal [from the Obama administration.”

- YouTubeyoutu.be

Conservative podcaster Candace Owens is facing a firestorm from within her own movement after speaking at a Kremlin-backed forum in St. Petersburg alongside sanctioned Russian officials — and the backlash from the right has been savage.

Radio host Mark Levin fired the opening shot Wednesday, calling Owens a "Woke Reich traitor" on X. Far-right activist Laura Loomer went further, demanding a federal investigation into whether Owens violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act — and suggesting she may be "auditioning to be the female Edward Snowden so she can avoid all accountability…" Loomer also took personal shots at Owens, appearing to mock a possible pregnancy and making an unverified allegation about her husband, George Farmer, and drunk driving.

When Russian state media outlet RT responded by posting a video about Loomer herself, Loomer accused Owens of having Russian state media "do her bidding" — calling it "not normal."

Conservative podcast duo Chicks on the Right piled on, with host Miriam Weaver calling Owens "the quintessential useful idiot to the Russian regime." Co-host Amy Jo Clark questioned whether Owens' trip was truly self-funded. "It's not like you really think they're using their own money to just go on vacation to Russia?" Clark said. "Come on."

The criticism extended to Tucker Carlson's brother, Buckley Carlson, who drew condemnation after posting that Americans should "embrace Russia as America's ally and reject the anti-Christian globo-homo agenda our government and the State Department have been pushing for more than a generation." Weaver called him "a piece of s--."

Owens had initially framed the trip as a family sightseeing vacation, but Raw Story reported she appeared on a panel at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum alongside Alexander Zharov — a Putin appointee under U.S. sanctions — and Anna Kuznetsova, a Russian parliamentarian sanctioned by the U.S. and European Union for her role in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children from occupied territories.

Russian state media promoted the appearance. RT posted a slideshow of Owens' photos. Alexander Dugin, the Kremlin-aligned philosopher, retweeted her on X.

The Free Press reported that Owens told them: "Grow up. No one is buying the propaganda against Moscow anymore." A spokesperson added she has never taken money or in-kind services from anyone working on behalf of Russia.

Hannah Gais, a senior researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center, told Raw Story the appearance serves Kremlin interests regardless. "Candace Owens is following in a long line of right-wingers who have gone to Russia and see it as an ally in a conflict that they see as civilizational and existential in the West against liberalism," Gais said.

Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) said he thinks progressive influencer Hasan Piker should be banned from the United States after the United Kingdom blocked his visit with fellow commentator and his uncle, Cenk Uygur, TMZ reported on Wednesday.

The MAGA lawmaker was walking on Capitol Hill when a TMZ reporter asked Fine to comment on Piker's entry to the country being revoked over the weekend. The two were scheduled to speak at the SXSW London Festival but were turned away "because of their criticism of Israel," The BBC reported.

"Well I don't think he should be allowed into America, so I think that's a good start," Fine said.

The TMZ reporter responded and asked Fine, "What about freedom of speech?"

"People have freedom of speech but I think when you're a terrorist you should be held responsible for that," Fine said. "And I think he's clearly a supporter of terror. He's a walking billboard for the problem of birth tourism. He was brought here by his Turkish family, they had him, then they took him home, made him hate America, then sent him in to torment us. The guy's a horrible human being and I wouldn't let him into my country if it was up to me, so I don't blame them."

Piker, who is an American citizen, has condemned Islamophobia and been an outspoken critic of MAGA and the Trump administration. He has a large social media following, primarily through streaming on Twitch and weighing in on political topics. He frequently discusses social issues and engages in debates with commentators across the political spectrum.

The reporter pushed back again and suggested that "banning him from a country is [a] pretty crazy step for someone who is expressing his opinion."

"And by the way, they're allowed to do that," Fine said.

When the reporter pressed the Republican again on freedom of speech, he repeated his talking point.

"He promotes Muslim terror, so I think they're making the right decision," said Fine, making the unsubstantiated claim. "I'm surprised they did it but I think they did the right thing."

Actor Richard Gere described how America was facing a dark time in history and called President Donald Trump a "maniac," according to reports on Wednesday.

Gere was speaking at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway with Thor Halvorssen, a Venezuelan-Norwegian human rights activist, and discussed politics, history and freedom, The Daily Beast reported. The actor, who has criticized Trump in the past, revealed a dark parallel between the current United States and the past.

"We’re living in the darkest moment that I’ve experienced on this planet," Gere told the audience.

“How is this even possible? Because we went to sleep. We didn’t care. We didn’t vote. We didn’t really listen,” Gere said.

He believes he also "didn’t do enough work to skillfully convince people around me, close to me, not close to me, that this was insane to elect this person as president of the United States."

And in his comments, Gere described how on the "first day, this guy dismantled almost everything that was good about the U.S. government and the U.S. people."

He warned that people must act — before it's too late.

“We have to see the cues, this dictatorship of the monsters, how quickly it happens," Gere said. "We have to be vigilant."

He referenced a trip to Dachau, a Nazi concentration camp in Germany, and what he walked away thinking about after the visit and seeing an exhibit that showed "the transformation of German society and German government and how quickly it happened there."

"Good people turned into monsters," said the Golden Globe-winning performer.

"But you see how quickly our world can be taken from us if we fall asleep. And we have to see the cues," he added, saying that people must be aware of how fast "this dictatorship of the monsters" can happen.

"We can’t sit back and go, ‘Ah, life is good. I’m fine. You know, I’ve got food. I got money. Blah blah blah. I got my house. I got another car. I’m thinking about this. I’m OK. I know he’s a bad guy, but it’s OK,'" Gere explained.

"But it’s not OK. It’s not OK. It’s never OK," he said.

Conservative podcaster Candace Owens is scheduled to appear at a panel alongside Russian media figures and politicians under U.S. and European Union sanctions for supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine at a major event in St. Petersburg on Thursday.

The right-wing conspiracy theorist, who has seen her popularity rise as she’s openly feuded with other conservative luminaries such as Erika Kirk and Laura Loomer, has lavished praise on Russia in X posts over the past week for its “Christian heritage and expression” and “family-friendly” amenities.

Owens is scheduled to appear on a panel at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum entitled, “A Big Family, A Big Reach: New Demographics and Narratives for Media Leaders.”

The appearance puts her on the same stage as Alexander Zharov, who was directly appointed by President Vladimir Putin to lead the Russian state’s mass media arm and is currently under U.S. sanctions as an official of the Russian government, and Anna Kuznetsova, a deputy chair of the Duma, a house of the Russian parliament, who is also on the State Department’s sanctions list.

“By speaking at this forum, she’s actively aligning herself with an event that exists to push the interests of the Russian state,” said Hannah Gais, a senior researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center who monitors Russia and the far right.

The panel, which features “influential figures with large families” who produce “content that focuses on family values,” highlights a longstanding obsession in Russia with population collapse, Gais said, noting that the theme has long attracted far-right actors from the United States and Europe.

Gais told Raw Story that Owens’ presence helps the Russian state show that it can build bridges with the U.S far right.

“An aspect of any kind of soft-power effort, so to speak, would be to push your own messaging, whether it be Russia as a partner in the ‘war on wokeness,’ which is one framing that certain reactionaries or partners in protecting Christian civilization like to emphasize — those are talking points that would serve the interests of the Kremlin,” Gais said.

Russian state media reported Owens' participation in the panel at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, but she has not publicly announced it. Requests for comment submitted by Raw Story through the contact form on Owens' website were not returned.

Meanwhile, the British-American manosphere influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, sparking speculation that they too will attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which begins Wednesday.

Owens’ social media posts have largely presented her visit to Russia as a family sight-seeing trip, but on Sunday Vladimir R. Legoyda, a spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church, posted photos on his Instagram account of a media interview with Owens for Spas TV. The outlet is currently under sanction by the European Union for “spreading disinformation and propaganda in support of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.”

The interview has not yet been broadcast, but Owens confirmed her participation in a reply to a detractor on X, writing, “Please share a link when it drops in case I miss it! Was a great discussion.”

Owens has vocally criticized Israel’s attacks on Gaza and ongoing bombardment of Lebanon — including resharing a post as recently as May 30 showing Israeli aerial attacks in Lebanon — but has remained largely silent on Russia’s war in Ukraine and targeted attacks on civilians.

Other Russian panelists scheduled to share the stage with her who are under sanctions for spreading disinformation about the war in Ukraine and praising Putin include Yuliya Baranovska, a television presenter, who was sanctioned by the European Union for, among other things, “publicly promoting Russian war crimes such as the forced deportation of Ukrainian children.”

Kuznetsova, the deputy at the Duma, is similarly under sanction by the European Union, along with the U.S. Treasury Department, while a 2024 Voice of America report flagged her playing an instrumental role in a propaganda campaign to falsely accuse Ukrainian medical teams of harvesting organs from children. The conspiracy theory has been used by Russia to deflect from its responsibility for relocating at least 20,000 children in what the U.S. State Department under former President Joe Biden described as “systematic efforts to suppress Ukraine’s identity, history and culture.”

The Russian intelligence service, known by its acronym FSB, has long courted foreign media figures in an effort to generate positive news stories, often using the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum as an arena for cultivating potential assets.

Nomma Zarubina, a 35-year-old woman who pleaded guilty in February to lying to the FBI about her role as a Russian spy, worked with an FSB handler who encouraged her to cultivate contacts with American journalists, according to a federal court documents. Zarubina’s handler instructed her to attend the 2021 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, “and asked her to find journalists who would be willing to publish positive stories about the event and Russia.”

A screenshot retrieved from her phone by the FBI revealed the results of her efforts: contact information for a German public broadcasting journalist.

Owens has thumbed her nose at critics, such as her former boss, Ben Shapiro who accused her in a piece at the Daily Wire of going to Russia “to visit her friends, ideological handlers, and sponsors.”

Whether Russian intelligence services directly engage Owens or not, her pro-Russia messaging already appears to align with Kremlin interests. Posting about a cat she ostensibly planned to adopt, Owens wrote: “Deep down I know she will never be loyal to me and she will always report back to the Kremlin, but I will love her nonetheless.”

Whether there’s an espionage connection or not, Gais said Owens represents a segment of the U.S. far right that already shares overlapping interests with the Kremlin.

“This has been an ongoing trend on the far right, from Tucker Carlson to the alt-right,” Gais said. “Candace Owens is following in a long line of right-wingers who have gone to Russia and see it as an ally in a conflict that they see as civilizational and existential in the West against liberalism.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio got in a heated exchange with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday.

Rubio was testifying for the first time since the United States launched the Iran war and Booker raised questions about the Ebola crisis and the military operation. Booker told Rubio he was concerned the U.S. had rolled back its investment in eradicating diseases in Africa, and expressed doubt that the Iran war was over, despite the Trump administration's claims that it was.

"With the crisis of Ebola, we see the challenges have been brought about as a result of our surveillance, early detection, and the like. I'm concerned about what the administration's strategy is," Booker said. "We are clearly seeing that what goes on on the continent of Africa directly affects our public health as well."

But Rubio did not see eye to eye with Booker.

"I don't agree with the assessment," Rubio said. "It's not about cutting back. The response is that how much money you spent it's the results you will get. Ebola, the outbreak was in a war-torn, isolated, rural area in the DRC. Since then, our response has been very rapid."

Booker pushed back.

"You did not cut early detection?" Booker asked.

"That's not the reason there was Ebola," Rubio said.

Booker cut him off as the conversation intensified.

"I'm not trying to get in an argument. I would like to have my questions answered," Booker said. "We cut early detection when it comes to infectious diseases on the continent, factually. This is not an opinion. We cut early warning systems on the continent."

Rubio continued to argue with Booker and interjected the senator, saying "It had nothing to do with the Ebola outbreak."

"I don't need to tell you, we are living in a place where an infectious disease crisis anywhere is a threat everywhere," Booker said, adding that he worried further budget cuts would complicate future outbreaks. "The United States made major reductions in these areas putting us more at risk. If you're talking about the Ebola crisis, other cuts we have made, you see it factually. Even our own State Department personnel I've talked to are saying we are less prepared for a global outbreak than we were before."

Rubio denied Booker's comments.

"I don't agree with that assessment," Rubio said. "I don't know who told you that at the State Department."

"You can't even agree on the facts. It is not accurate that we cut early detection?" Booker asked, pressing Rubio to respond.

"Those have been repurposed," Rubio said. "The different arrangements with the countries are an example."

But Booker wasn't convinced.

"If you're telling me that we are as or more prepared before the Trump administration came in, I would like to see the facts," Booker said.

"I think when the reforms are finalized we will be better prepared. We are responding faster not just humanitarian crises but faster than before," Rubio said.

Booker then moved on to discuss the Strait of Hormuz blockade.

"The conclusion I have is the Strait of Hormuz was opened before this unjustified war," Booker said. "We are now scrambling to find a way to get it back open again."

Booker argued the U.S. was now in a "worse situation, an adversary and our enemy is causing havoc in the region, funding proxies and terrorists, has discovered, thanks to you all, the power of shutting down the Strait of Hormuz." He said Iran was now in a better position, while America was worse off.

"It made our adversary have a stronger negotiating position," Booker said. "We are the strongest on earth and we are in a stalemate with Iran. We are begging to get back into a deal that you trashed in the first place."

"There is no one begging," Rubio maintained.

Rubio argued that the war was over — and Booker pushed back, saying that although Trump says it has ended, it hasn't.

"You keep saying how we are winning the war," Booker said.

"The war is over now," Rubio said.

"The war is not over. The American people see how we are losing at the pump and with costs. Yet this thing has not been resolved," Booker said.

President Donald Trump has stayed out of the public eye for the second day after negotiations with Iran were suspended, according to reports on Tuesday.

Trump was reportedly furious during a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel's escalating military campaign in Lebanon, a condition that Iran cited as a reason to halt talks over a ceasefire with the United States. And after the derailed negotiations on Monday, Trump has stayed "out of sight," David Gardner, The Daily Beast's D.C. Bureau Chief, wrote in a post for The Swamp, The Daily Beast's Substack.

"The episode is called ‘Don’t Mention the War,’ and The Swamp suspects that is the very sentiment at the White House today after the president’s comically contradictory comments about his Iran War on Monday," Gardner wrote.

"One moment he was promising a solution and insisting all would be well, then he was saying he didn’t really care, and the Iranians made all his remarks moot by pulling out of the peace talks, anyway, which confirmed the one thing we did understand about the impasse—it’s a bloody mess," Gardner wrote.

There could be a reason Trump hasn't had a public engagement the last two days, Gardner explained.

"No wonder Donald Trump is keeping his head down for the second day running at the White House today … presumably so nobody can ask him about the war," Gardner wrote.

As developments with Iran have stalled, Trump has shifted his attention to his administration.

"In the meantime, Trump has clearly been trying to amuse himself by mixing and matching the most ridiculous jobs. On Tuesday, he made his attack dog housing guy, Bill Pulte, the acting Director of National Intelligence," Gardner added.

Some of Donald Trump's most loyal online supporters are pushing back against retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Trump's first national security adviser, after a report revealed he has registered as a foreign agent for a Bosnian Serb entity led by one of Vladimir Putin's closest European allies.

Scott McMahan, a conservative journalist who writes under the handle BiggerTruth and first reported the story roughly a month ago, confirmed Monday that Flynn has filed paperwork with the Justice Department's Foreign Agent Registration Act database on behalf of the Republic of Srpska, the Serb-dominated entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina. The entity is led by Milorad Dodik, a Bosnian Serb politician widely described as Putin's most vocal ally in the Balkans. According to McMahan's reporting, Flynn is being paid $100,000 per month.

Catturd, the anonymous conservative social media personality with millions of followers and one of the MAGA movement's most recognizable voices, reacted with two words: "$100,000 per month?"

Sebastian Gorka, the Hungarian-American who serves as Trump's Senior Director for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council, took a more pointed approach. "When I joined the first Trump Administration, I was asked to sign two documents," he wrote. "In one I promised to not work as a lobbyist for a decade. In the second, I promised to never work for another government. I was happy to sign both. I presume GEN Flynn also signed similar documents."

Brenden Dilley, a conservative media personality and MAGA influencer, said he needed independent confirmation and tagged far-right commentator Laura Loomer directly. "Wait wtf is this? Can you confirm this for me?" he wrote to Loomer.

The story grew more complicated when Ryan Mauro, a national security analyst and investigative journalist, reported that Glenn Diesen, a Norwegian political scientist described as a close associate of Alexander Dugin, the Russian ultranationalist philosopher sometimes called "Putin's brain," spoke at an event led by Flynn last week. Conservative commentator and former CBS journalist Lara Logan also participated in the event, Mauro reported.

Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials before being pardoned by Trump, has not publicly responded to the FARA filing or the criticism from within MAGA world.

$100,000 per month? https://t.co/JBrAVqZzqh
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) June 1, 2026

Jared Kushner's luxury coastal resort project in Albania was under investigation by the country's anti-corruption prosecutors amid growing protests against the development, Politico reported on Monday.

President Donald Trump's son-in-law is the head of Affinity Partners, a private equity firm behind a project slated to include 10,000 hotel rooms located "on the uninhabited Adriatic island of Sazan and several hundred hectares of the Vjosa-Narta protected landscape, a sensitive coastal wetland area home to flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites," according to Politico.

Albania's special anti-corruption prosecution office, SPAK, said it had launched a probe into the change in land ownership in 2024, as questions have been raised about the land's protected status.

Kushner is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and has a multi-billion dollar real estate portfolio. He has been serving as the president's special envoy for peace and has been involved in negotiations involving Iran, Gaza and the war in Ukraine, which has raised eyebrows among critics over potential conflicts of interest.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has confirmed to Politico that the negotiations around the project were ongoing. He has "denied that the project encroaches on a protected wildlife reserve and said that the final proposal has yet to be submitted and the environmental study is not complete."

Protests have broken out in the country over the project since May, with people calling for the project to be halted and to protect the area. Activists have also called for the prime minister to resign.

Some of the demonstrations have become violent.

"Footage emerged — after protests Saturday — of private security guards appearing to assault and then drag a protester along a cliff, while threatening other demonstrators who attempted to remove fences and halt construction," Politico reported.

A GOP lawmaker argued on Monday that Americans who are unhappy with President Donald Trump's Iran war should leave the United States — prompting people to mock the remarks online.

Rep. Sheri Biggs (R-SC) was speaking to Newsmax during a live broadcast following reports that Iran had suspended talks with the U.S. after Israeli strikes and an increased military offensive in Lebanon, which Iran had set as a condition for any ceasefire.

Biggs claimed that Americans need to trust the president on what comes next with the ongoing conflict.

"I think we have to trust him. The American people elected President Trump for a reason, and it's because he has the backbone, the intelligence to get things done," she said.

"We have to put America first, and as I've said before, if you don't love this country, get out," Biggs said.

People online had plenty of things to say in response to Biggs' comments.

"Republican Rep. says if you don't support Trump's Iran War you should leave America," Ron Filipkowski, editor in chief of MeidasNews and former Marine who has more than 782,000 followers, wrote on X.

"The bleaker things get, the more outrageous their bootlicking becomes," Zach Halper, Senior Media Strategist at Momentum Communications Group, wrote on Bluesky.

"They can't stop drinking the Kool-Aid... and people will remember," True Blue, an account that self-describes as "blue dot in the red state of Utah" and frequent progressive commentator with more than 23,000 followers, wrote on Bluesky.

"Historians will recall how Rep. Sheri Biggs chose to ignore her oath of office to defend against all enemies both foreign and domestic is broken by this treasonous member of Congress. Being on the wrong side of history as a loyal MAGA Nazi sycophant is definitely your grand legacy, Sheri," Dwight Miller, Navy veteran and frequent political commentator, wrote on Bluesky.

Reactions were mounting Monday after Iran announced it was suspending talks with the United States following Israeli strikes and an increased military offensive in Lebanon, which Iran had set as a condition for any ceasefire.

The US had reportedly been in talks with Iran, which said it was now considering a full closure of the Strait of Hormuz just hours after President Donald Trump told critics to "sit back and relax" and let him handle the now cancelled negotiations.

Iranian state media Tasnim news agency reported Iran's negotiating team was halting "talks and exchanges of texts through mediators."

Media and political commentators shared their reactions on social media, questioning Trump's negotiations amid the ongoing war.

"$300 billion to Iran for war reparations. 30 billion would have funded healthcare subsidies here," AI expert and Fractional chief technology officer Jeff Nall, who has more than 10,000 followers on Bluesky, wrote in a post.

"Maybe if he hadn’t been telling us for 3 months that a surrender deal with Iran was imminent he wouldn’t have to post at 1:02 AM that he has no idea how to get out of this war while accomplishing anything meaningful," Ron Filipkowski, MeidasNews editor in chief and former Marine who has more than 782,000 followers, wrote on Bluesky.

"Another reason to just walk away. Does America benefit at all from playing referee between Israel & Lebanon? Prior to the war, Iran couldn’t dictate terms in Lebanon, but their control of the Strait of Hormuz gives them the ability to do so. Cut our losses & just leave," Joe Kent, ex-Trump administration insider and former director of the National Counterterrorism Center, wrote on X.

"America voted in 2024 to end foreign wars, not to go to war with Iran and to fund genocidal wars. Americans aren’t billionaires who can afford to sit back and relax paying over $4.50 for gas and nearly $6 for diesel. I’m not sorry for 'chirping' because it’s my 1st amendment right, I don’t belong to a cult where I owe blind faith and obedience, and I want America First and I thought that’s what we promised the American people. If Iran’s military is obliterated and if they’re [SIC] nuclear program is completely wiped out like President Trump has boldly claimed, then America should just pull out of the war and the Strait will reopen and we can call it a victory. Be done with this pointless nonsense before America’s 250 and put America FIRST and ONLY," former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), an ally of Trump now turned critic, wrote on X.

"It's been nearly two months straight of 'Don't worry guys, we're super close to a deal! Iran really wants to make a deal. This whole Iran war thing was absolutely genius.' Followed by the inevitable resumption and/or expansion of warfare. Rinse, repeat," Michael Tracey, a journalist with more than 346,000 followers, wrote on X.

Iran has reportedly suspended nuclear negotiations with the United States, citing Israel's ongoing military assault on Lebanon — a dramatic diplomatic rupture that arrived just hours after President Donald Trump told critics to "sit back and relax" and let him handle it.

Tehran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the suspension Monday, saying the Iranian negotiating team was halting "talks and exchanges of texts through mediators." The reason: Israel's continued strikes on Lebanon, which Iran had set as a precondition for any ceasefire deal.

"Until Iran's and the resistance's position on these matters is satisfied, there will be no negotiations," Tasnim reported, adding that Tehran and allied militant groups have placed the "complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz" back on the table.

The announcement landed hours after Trump posted on Truth Social in the early morning, complaining that "Dumocrats" and "seemingly unpatriotic Republicans" were undermining his ability to negotiate by "negatively 'chirping'" about his approach.

"Just sit back and relax," Trump wrote, "it will all work out well in the end."

The diplomatic collapse comes as Trump faces a widening Republican revolt over the emerging deal's terms. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) have warned that the agreement too closely resembles the Obama-era nuclear deal Trump once scrapped. Former national security adviser John Bolton called it a "big defeat for the United States."

A CNN analysis last week warned the proposed deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz while leaving Iran's nuclear program "largely unresolved" — and that gas prices have risen nearly $1.40 per gallon since late February, according to The Hill, darkening the political mood heading into midterms.

President Donald Trump revealed early Monday morning that his efforts to negotiate an end to his deeply unpopular war against Iran were being compromised by “chirping” critics, whom he pleaded with to stop, “sit back and relax.”

“Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A. and those that are with us,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

“The Dumocrats, and various seemingly unpatriotic Republicans, understand that it is MUCH tougher for me to properly do my job and negotiate, when political hacks keep negatively ‘chirping,’ at levels never seen before, over and over again, that I should move faster, or move slower, or go to war, or not go to war, or whatever.”

The Trump administration has struggled to broker a deal with Tehran to end the war, in large part due to the president’s inability to pressure Israel into halting its bombardment of Lebanon – a condition Iran has insisted must be part of any agreement. And, with the war causing economic turmoil across the globe, Trump has reportedly been looking for a way out of the conflict he initiated since at least early March, but to no success.

Critics across the political spectrum, Trump admitted, were apparently making negotiations “much tougher,” and to them, the president issued a plea.

“Just sit back and relax, it will all work out well in the end,” Trump wrote.

Business leaders and industry groups are waiting for clarity and follow-up from the Trump administration on promises it made during the China summit earlier this month, according to new reporting.

The White House assured that a "board of trade" would help relieve Chinese and American tariffs, but it's still "ironing" out the plan, "a signal the clarity industry is searching for is unlikely to come all at once," Politico reported.

Ed Brzytwa, an executive for the Consumer Technology Association, said industry groups don't know what kind of products will see reduced tariffs. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer "hasn't been clear about it, neither have the Chinese," he told Politico.

Trump has "three and a half months to get this thing up and running," Wendy Cutler, a former senior U.S. trade negotiator, told Politico. She was looking ahead to Chinese leader Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Washington in September.

"There will be pressure to show progress, given how few deliverables came out of this last summit meeting," Cutler said.

An anonymous White House official told Politico, "further details to come" on the plans that came out of the summit.

"The administration looks forward to engaging more with the business community on this historic policy that reflects our commitment to better manage trade between the U.S. and China," the official said, according to Politico.

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social over the weekend to attack Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson while Johnson was at the Vatican meeting with Pope Leo XIV, calling the Democratic mayor "useless" and urging someone to inform the pontiff of that fact.

"Someone should explain to the Pope that the Mayor of Chicago is useless, and that Iran cannot have a Nuclear Weapon!" Trump wrote, signing the post with his full name and title: "President DONALD J. TRUMP."

Johnson had shared photos of the meeting on X, describing it as "one of the most awe-inspiring and humbling experiences of my life." He called Pope Leo XIV "a magnificent human" and said he was honored to share time with him.

Trump's post drew attention not only for its attack on a sitting mayor's audience with the head of the Catholic Church, but also for the jarring pivot to Iran nuclear policy in the same sentence, a rhetorical non sequitur that nonetheless reflects two of the administration's persistent preoccupations.

The post comes as Trump has frequently used Truth Social to target Democratic mayors of major cities, framing urban governance failures as emblematic of broader Democratic dysfunction. Johnson, for his part, has been an outspoken critic of the administration's immigration policies and federal funding cuts to cities.

The Vatican meeting appeared to be part of a broader multi-faith prayer gathering, according to Johnson's office. Trump was not among those in attendance.

Trump's plan to send Ebola-exposed Americans to Kenya instead of bringing them home suffered a major blow, according to reporting by The Daily Beast.

A Kenyan court suspended Trump's plans the day they were supposed to begin, The Beast reported. United States officials planned to quarantine Americans at a Kenyan air force base, with the White House describing it as a "state-of-the-art facility," ABC News reported.

The epicenter of the current outbreak, which has led to more than 1,000 suspected cases and nearly 250 deaths, is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Although no Americans have been reported infected on U.S soil, a doctor was treated for the virus in Germany, and six Americans have reportedly been exposed, The New York Post reported.

House Republicans on the Armed Services Committee released their defense budget proposal this week for fiscal year 2027, which includes more than $1.1 trillion in spending, but buried within the 500-plus-page document is a provision that one foreign policy analyst warned Friday was “unprecedented,” and could reshape the U.S. military indefinitely.

That provision is titled the “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative,” and according to Ben Freeman, a foreign policy analyst at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, it would “provide a higher level of military-industrial integration [with Israel] than the U.S. has with any other country in the world.”

Writing in a report published by Responsible Statecraft, Freeman noted that the United States and Israel “already work together heavily” on military operations and intelligence sharing. He also acknowledged that the United States “has worked closely with its NATO partners” militarily. The provision buried within the defense spending proposal, however, was “a different beast entirely,” Freeman warned.

“It would fuse the U.S. and Israeli defense sectors in multiple areas vital to the battlefields of the future, like autonomous systems and cyber,” Freeman wrote. “It would also bring extraordinary Israeli influence to the U.S. beyond what it already has through the Israel lobby and its robust network of social media influencers.”

The expanded Israeli influence on U.S. politics that the budget provision may clear a path for, Freeman cautioned, could become irreversible.

“It would give the Israeli government the opportunity to greatly expand one of the most powerful levers of influence in U.S. politics: jobs in the U.S.,” Freeman wrote.

“By expanding or starting new co-production facilities like it already has in Mississippi and Arkansas, the Israeli government could boast of providing jobs on U.S. soil, thereby securing allies among members of Congress who represent the districts where those jobs lie.”

Freeman continued, “The result could well be a U.S. political system even more susceptible to the whims of an Israeli government that seemingly has no qualms about drawing the U.S. into military conflicts in the Middle East.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was criticized Friday after giving what was intended as a motivational speech to a group of Navy sailors.

Hegseth joined the military personnel for a workout drill on USS Boxer, which is docked in Singapore, when he stopped to give a pep talk about the ongoing Iran war.

“The president said 'Iran can either do it the right way, with a deal across the table, or they can deal with my guy on the left.' That happened to be me. But it's not me. It's you guys!” Hegseth said.

People online mocked Hegseth's message to the group.

"The cringe level is off the charts," journalist Aaron Rupar, who has 1.1 million followers, wrote on X.

"Hegseth is an actor playing a Secdef in a cheesy movie," former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), a frequent Trump administration critic and veteran, wrote on X.

"Pete Hegseth got how many of our fellow Americans killed and injured and how many bases destroyed all because he used GROK to plan a war with Iran and then got America's A-- handed to her?" Pastor Ben Dixon, a political commentator with more than 164,000 followers, wrote on X.

"This is so ... stupid!" Gwilym Eades, a lecturer in human and environmental geography at Royal Holloway University of London, wrote on Bluesky.

Three Epstein survivors confronted Rep. James Comer (R-KY) in a moment that made the GOP lawmaker visibly uncomfortable, just minutes before a closed-door interview with former Attorney General Pam Bondi was set to question her on Friday about deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

As Comer was taking questions from the press, he was forced to respond to the victims who were on Capitol Hill before the House Oversight Committee meeting. The closed-door interview was not videotaped but was expected to focus on the "sloppy rollout of the Epstein files," MS NOW anchor Ali Vitali reported.

"In a remarkable moment just a short time ago, a group of Epstein survivors peppered oversight committee Chair James Comer with their own questions ahead of Bondi's session," Vitali said.

"These people cannot be brought in under transcribed interviews. Can you ensure that they would please be brought in under oath?" Sharlene Rochard, an Epstein survivor, asked Comer.

The chairman of the committee seemed surprised by the line of questioning.

"If you lie to Congress, it's a felony," Comer said. "So it's, you know, we're bringing them in. We're bringing people in that have never been brought in before."

"Survivors' names over and over and over were exposed," Liz Stein, Epstein survivor, told Comer. "Yet we see time and time again, perpetrators names have been redacted when they shouldn't have been. Are we going to get some answers?"

Comer responded.

"I hope so, those are the questions we're going to ask," he said. "And you know, we're doing this. We want justice for the survivors."

Vitali commented on the moment.

"Stunning to see them confront Comer themselves," Vitali added.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was ridiculed on Thursday after he suggested that the Nobel Peace Prize be renamed the Trump Prize after President Donald Trump, according to reports.

Graham shared the idea on Fox News during a Wednesday night episode of "Hannity."

Trump hasn't been shy about his desire to win the famed international prize. He's never been awarded it, but he frequently has claimed he deserves it and has been critical of the selection process, particularly when the award was given to other recipients. In 2025, he said "I deserve it, but they will never give it to me," during an Oval Office press conference, according to The Independent.

In January, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado traveled to Washington, D.C. to present Trump with the Nobel Prize she won in 2025 for her work to spread democracy in Venezuela. Trump said he planned to keep the prize, although he had not won it.

The internet was quick to call Graham out for his comments.

"Girl, stop. You’re humiliating yourself," writer and producer Andy Ostroy, who has more than 90,000 followers, wrote on X.

"Further proof they're in a cult," writer and scholar Dr. Allison Wiltz, who has more than 71,000 followers, wrote on X.

"There’s really not much to say about Lindsey anymore. He is just a sad, pathetic little man," Veterans For Responsible Leadership, a pro-democracy veterans organization with nearly 30,000 followers, wrote on X.

In the midst of yet another faltering agreement with Iran to bring Donald Trump’s war to an end, the producers of MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” compiled embarrassing video footage of the president optimistically claiming “Iran wants to make a deal” — dating back multiple weeks.

Coming out of a commercial break, the president is seen telling Fox Business host Larry Kudlow, “I don't know. I mean, I don't know. I know one thing. They want to make a deal. They wouldn't talk to anybody else, but they're talking to me,” during a February 10 interview.

A week later, while traveling on Air Force One, he insisted, “I hope, I hope, they're going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal. I think they want to make a deal. I don't think they want the consequences of not making a deal. They want to make a deal.”

Sitting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegesth on March 26 — almost 30 days later — he claimed, “They want to make a deal. They are begging to make a deal — not me. They are begging to make a deal. And anybody that saw what was happening over there would understand why they want to make a deal.”

In the compilation, Trump repeats his “make a deal” claim again on March 31, April 16, and May 6th, the 20th, the 22nd and again on Wednesday of this week when he told reporters attending a Cabinet meeting, “Iran is very much intent — they want very much to make a deal. So far, they haven't gotten there. We're not satisfied with it, but we will be.”

As the clip concluded, host Jonathan Lemire dryly added, “That's President Trump's ‘Let's Make a Deal: Iran Version.’ And of course, no agreement yet.”

- YouTube youtu.be

President Donald Trump seems to be denying a key reality in the war in Iran, and it's costing him at the negotiating table, according to one columnist.

Bob Kagan, a columnist and neoconservative scholar, discussed the war in Iran on a new episode of "The Bulwark Podcast" with host Tim Miller on Wednesday. Kagan argued that Trump doesn't seem to accept the reality that the U.S. lost the war back in March, and that Iran is basically "shaking Trump down for money" at the negotiating table.

"We basically lost the war back in March, and Trump has been spending all these months trying to delay that reality," Kagan said. "And therefore, as a result, Iran has not made a single concession on any point. The Trump administration keeps saying that they're making concessions. They keep saying that there's a deal. They keep saying that they've agreed to do something with their uranium. The only people who've never said that are the Iranians."

Trump and Iran have been in a stalemate for several months as the two sides negotiate an end to the three-month-old conflict. Last week, Axios reported on a peace deal that Trump was allegedly "close to signing" that included reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global waterway that has been closed since the war began, in exchange for future talks about Iran's nuclear program.

Trump has previously said his primary objective in Iran is to ensure the country never gets a nuclear weapon.

Kagan said the negotiations paint a picture of Iran being "in the driver's seat" against the Trump administration.

"And since they're the ones who are completely in the driver's seat right now, I think their deal is the one that is the one that is going to emerge," he continued. "Mostly right now, what's happening is Iran is just shaking Trump down for money. And by the way, money for nothing."

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was in no rush to make a deal with Iran, claiming that despite the country's attempts to coerce him into securing negotiations ahead of elections "I don't care about the midterms" — something the internet disagreed with him about.

Trump was speaking to his cabinet during a meeting at the White House when he made the comment.

He mentioned that he thinks Tehran has tried "to put pressure on America by stretching out negotiations while Republicans are hurt politically from the negative economic impact of the war," according to The New York Times.

“They thought they’re going to out wait me,” Trump said.

"I don’t care about the midterms," he added.

On social media, people responded and mocked his remarks.

"A comforting remark from Trump for all Republicans seeking re-election in the midterms... DJT has repeatedly demonstrated that he doesn't give a s--- about the overwhelming majority of individuals, both in the U.S. and around the world..." political commentator and self-described business consultant DeSota, who has more than 11,000 followers, wrote on X.

"He doesn’t care bc he’s not on the ballot in 2028–the golden dome coupled with the ballroom/bunker will be a nice resting place after 1/20/29," Mason, a self-described fund manager and Iraq war veteran who frequently comments on politics, posted on X.

"Comparing the Republican primaries to the midterms is dumb af," Alex Cole, a progressive news commentator with more than 327,000 followers wrote on X.

"Trump: Elon will rig them, we’ll keep doing crimes, world keeps on spinning. Have we talked about the ballroom yet?" Chris Robinson, a political commentator, wrote on X.

"He may not, the GOP does," Chris Panza, co-author of "Ethics for Dummies," wrote on Bluesky.

Draft treaty claims sexual and reproductive health and rights are an existential threat to the African family

An African treaty that rejects longstanding international human rights obligations moved a step closer to becoming policy this week as governments across the continent met in Ghana.

The draft African charter on family, sovereignty and values, seen by the Guardian, asserts that African values and culture are under attack from “foreign ideologies” and urges states to withdraw from any agreements that do not align with the principles of the charter, including the 2003 Maputo protocol, which promotes gender equality and protects the reproductive and health rights of women and girls.

Plan departs from policy of bringing CDC staff back to US for treatment and offering support to all health workers

Former top US officials and other experts are urging the Trump administration to abandon plans for an Ebola quarantine and treatment centre in Kenya, as the union for workers with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls for Americans exposed to Ebola to be brought home for treatment.

Soon after the US revealed it was setting up a field hospital in Kenya for the Ebola quarantine and treatment of Americans, the Kenyan high court blocked the order – but the Kenyan and US governments moved forward anyway, with the first American responders reportedly landing at the Laikipia airbase on Saturday.

Violence flares before protests on Thursday over president’s decision to remain in office after his term expired

Fierce clashes have taken place between government troops and militias allied with the opposition in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, damaging property and forcing some civilians to flee.

In the runup to the fighting, which started on Wednesday afternoon, opposition leaders embedded with militias set up positions in their clan strongholds the city.

Islamic State-linked militia blamed for raids in North Kivu as governor says three patients with disease fled clinics

Rebel attacks around a town that is one of the centres of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have left more than 30 people dead over the past few days, complicating the response to the disease.

At least 10 people were massacred in raids on three villages around the city of Beni, in North Kivu, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the virus ‘had a big head start’ but that the response was catching up

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could have begun as early as January, the head of the World Health Organization said, giving the virus “a big head start”.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said the response was being hindered by blanket travel restrictions and highlighted high levels of community mistrust and low levels of contact tracing as key concerns.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio says anyone providing services to listed entities ‘is at risk of sanctions themselves’

The United States has announced fresh economic sanctions on Cuba’s president and some of his immediate family, alongside members of the Castro family, in Washington’s latest ramping up of pressure on its communist-led neighbour.

Among those targeted were the son and a grandson of former president Raúl Castro, who no longer holds an official position but remains a key figure on decisions about the future of the island.

Beluga whales, which Marineland threatened to euthanize in 2025, will be moved to sanctuaries in Spain or across US

Canada and an embattled marine park have reached a tentative deal on the future of 30 beluga whales, ending a saga that has captivated the public and angered animal rights groups.

The federal fisheries ministry announced this week that all of Marineland’s belugas would be shipped to either Spain or one of four locations in the US, ending whale captivity in Canada.

Country is shaken by the brutal murders of two girls, aged 14 and 17, whose bodies were discovered just days apart

Argentina has reacted with fury after the bodies of two murdered teenage girls were found just two days apart. The latest killings underscore the South American country’s enduring femicide crisis despite years of feminist campaigning, and have prompted alarm over the decision to cut support for victims of gender-based violence under the far-right administration of Javier Milei.

Police found the remains of Agostina Vega, 14, on Saturday, in a field on the outskirts of the city of Córdoba. She had been fatally strangled and her body had been dismembered, according to local media reports.

Andrew Wilson appears in court over killing of Latoya Bulgin at protest over a police shooting days earlier

Authorities in Jamaica have taken the rare step of charging a police officer with murder after he was accused of shooting a 45-year-old woman in a case that prompted violent protests.

According to the Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom), Constable Andrew Wilson appeared in court on Wednesday and was denied bail. Another hearing is scheduled for mid-June.

North Carolina judge said Levi Mendez-Maldonado failed to show up in court – even after being told he had died in 2024

An immigration judge in Charlotte, North Carolina, recently ordered the deportation of a young man who was killed in 2024, citing his failure to appear in court.

Judge Amy Lee ordered the removal of Levi Mendez-Maldonado in absentia on 21 May. Mendez-Maldonado, originally from Honduras, came to the United States as an unaccompanied minor at age 17 and was murdered in a shooting in November 2024.

More than 1 million people advised to evacuate homes amid 80mph winds and heavy rain

Typhoon Jangmi (also known as Typhoon No 6) moved northwards over the course of this week. From Okinawa to mainland Japan, prolonged and heavy rainfall led to landslide warnings and the flooding of rivers, with Japan issuing level 4 warnings for some rivers, signalling a risk of overflowing. This level is high enough for municipalities to issue evacuation orders. Three-hourly rainfall totals on Wednesday reached 105mm in Chiyoda, Tokyo, which was a record high for the month. Sustained wind speeds of 80mph (130kph) were recorded on Monday – making it a category 1 typhoon – bringing damage and disruption to businesses, transport, infrastructure and the environment.

By Wednesday, 23 people had been injured, 17 of whom were in Okinawa. The typhoon damaged 57 homes and led to 60,000 homes losing electricity. In addition to this, 1.52 million people were advised to evacuate by authorities. The typhoon damaged the exterior wall of Himeji Castle, a Unesco world heritage site in western Japan. The maximum recorded wind speed at Himeji was 56mph, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The typhoon has now weakened into a tropical depression and has moved eastwards, away from the islands.

Nauran government says its citizens are ‘friendly’ after MP spoke of serious threats allegedly made against former detainees

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The Nauruan government has issued a rare statement insisting it is a “friendly” and “welcoming” country after a whistleblower alleged “serious threats of physical violence” were made against a group of non-citizens removed there by the Albanese government.

The unexpected defence, sent shortly after midday on Thursday, was mounted hours after the independent MP Andrew Wilkie used his three-minute constituency statement to read claims from an anonymous whistleblower familiar with the arrangements of the secretive $2.5bn deal between Australia and Nauru.

Polish, Spanish and French populists focus on clips of teenager’s dying moments and accuse UK of descending ‘into depths of the earth’

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Polish far-right politicians have claimed that the murder of Henry Nowak symbolises “Britain’s descent into the depths of the earth” as populists from France, Spain and Japan focused on harrowing clips of his dying moments.

Despite pleas from Nowak’s family for people not to exploit the killing for political gain and to focus on cutting knife crime, their comments have focused on race and immigration.

The Middle East is Japan’s main source of crude oil, from which naphtha is extracted and used to make items including printing ink and plastics

Takeaways, supermarkets, and bakeries in Japan are running out of plastic bags, trays and food service gloves amid widening shortages of the key plastic ingredient, naphtha, due to the Middle East crisis.

The food sector accounts for nearly one-third of Japan’s annual plastic use of more than 8m tonnes, and price rises and shortages are hitting hard across the industry and beyond. Some outlets have begun offering perks to customers who bring their own bags, plates or containers.

Powerful winds and rain expected in parts of Japan and Australia, while temperatures in Spain could hit 40C

A powerful tropical storm is forecast to track near Okinawa, Japan, on Monday before moving towards the south-east of the country. Typhoon Jangmi (also known as Typhoon No 6) has formed within the monsoonal gyre over the Philippine Sea.

A monsoonal gyre is a large, slow-rotating weather system that spawns typhoons through smaller vortices formed within it. This flow can intensify storms. Such typhoons are typically characterised by broad areas of low pressure and extensive wind fields, often without a distinct eye.

Most economists believe the chronic undersupply of homes will eventually push prices higher once interest rates ease and the tax changes are priced in

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The government’s property tax changes have become one of the defining political issues of Labor’s second term, drawing fierce criticism from opponents who argue they represent an “assault on aspiration” that will destroy home values.

In the three weeks after the negative gearing and capital gains tax changes were revealed in the 12 May budget, housing data has begun to show how they may affect Australia’s property market. Here’s what the data shows, and what could happen next.

Hanson’s party is leading in the polls, but it has a long way to go before being recognised as a serious political outfit

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When sent out to do a cleanup job, it usually helps to not make the mess even worse.

It took One Nation six separate attempts over nearly 24 hours to clarify the basic details of their policy on foreign ownership of housing. Between Thursday night and Friday afternoon, the story turned from bizarre to farcical, with attempts to clarify the policy just making the situation murkier as Australians watched:

a Barnaby Joyce interview;

a quick do-over on Sky News on Thursday;

a Pauline Hanson social media update on Friday morning;

a Sean Bell interview, again on Sky, on Friday;

and then a 2GB spot;

before a written press release from Bell on Friday afternoon

This blog is now closed

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Jane Hume, the deputy opposition leader, accused the government of being “sneaky”, saying discussions around tax reforms in parliament were much too short to properly address so-called “generational” tax reforms.

“What the government has done is essentially prevented scrutiny of the changes that this legislation is going to inflict on the Australian economy,” Hume told RN Breakfast. She went on:

Apparently, these are generational reforms. If they’re generational reforms, well, surely they should have been taken to an election so that the Australian people could decide that.

Two days simply is not enough. There is no need to rush these changes through because they don’t kick in until 2028.

Victim-survivors and their loved ones will no longer be forced to sit in court and hear the person convicted of a heinous crime be described as an otherwise good person.

While I’m glad we’re finally here, it should not have taken so long for the Liberals and Nationals to listen to victim-survivors and their advocates and drop their opposition to these reforms.

This win belongs to every survivor in this country. … That is hard-won dignity.

But I’m not done. Every survivor in every corner of this country deserves the same protection, and I will fight until every jurisdiction reflects that. NSW was first. The rest will follow.

NSW seeking leave to appeal against successful class action including aggravated damages of $20,000 awarded to woman strip-searched at music festival

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The woman awarded $93,000 after an illegal strip-search by NSW police thought until “just before” the trial that she would be called a liar in the proceedings by the officers who conducted the search.

This was despite the officers submitting statements 12 months before her appearance that they had no recollection of the woman or the search, a court was told on Friday.

Lawyers acting for the woman, Raya Meredith, and 6,000 music festivalgoers appeared before the NSW court of appeal on Friday in the final day of a two-day hearing where NSW is seeking leave to appeal after losing a class action over unlawful strip-searches conducted at music festivals between 2018 and 2022.

Interim vice-chancellor tells senate estimates of ‘very significant’ effect on donor pipeline and enrolments

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A series of high profile scandals and governance failures has cost the Australian National University $100m in reputational damage, the interim vice-chancellor, Rebekah Brown, has told a parliamentary committee.

Fronting senate estimates on Friday – a day after a scathing audit report found the ANU approved a controversial $250m cost-cutting program without clear evidence – Brown acknowledged it had been a challenging time for the university.

Thousands have protested in the streets of the Albanian capital, Tirana, this week against a planned luxury resort backed by Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Groundwork has begun on the $1.6bn complex in an area long seen as one of the Mediterranean’s most environmentally sensitive, containing 200 species of birds including flamingos and Dalmatian pelicans.

After builders began erecting a concrete-based, barbed wire-topped fence around the site, alarm turned to public outrage at the environmental damage and lack of political transparency around the deal.

Lucy Hough speaks to US live news editor Chris Michael – watch on YouTube

Team now plans to see if they can use yeast strains harvested from Ötzi the Iceman to brew beer too

Scientists have baked a sourdough loaf of bread using yeast strains harvested from a 5,000-year-old mummy and now plan to see if they can use them to brew beer too.

The yeast came from Ötzi the Iceman, a famous corpse remarkably preserved by being frozen in Alpine ice near the Italy-Austria border until he was discovered in 1991. Ötzi has been the subject of intense study since he was found and has shed much light on pre-historic European people and their way of life.

Von der Leyen tells Balkans summit that bloc needs to make enlargement process ‘faster and more credible’

The EU must prove its willingness and ability to take in new members and speed up its enlargement process, leaders of the bloc have said, as they gathered with their counterparts from six western Balkan countries that hope to join soon.

“The European Union has to show that it is capable of enlarging and willing to enlarge, and we want to discuss that here,” Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, told reporters on Friday at the summit in Tivat, a coastal town in Montenegro.

Average tour earnings down 45%, with nearly three-fifths of musicians saying touring in Europe is no longer viable

More than a quarter of British musicians have lost all their work in the European Union since 2021, according to new research.

The report by European Movement UK, a cross-party campaign group advocating closer UK-EU relations, found that nearly half of British musicians had experienced a reduced amount of work in the EU since 2021, while more than a quarter had stopped working there altogether.

EU’s Maroš Šefčovič says summit will ‘probably’ be in July but sources say it could be put back as talks deadlocked

The EU has said Keir Starmer’s upcoming summit “resetting” the UK-Europe relationship may still happen in July, amid growing fears it could be postponed to the autumn as talks over youth mobility remain deadlocked.

“The summit is supposed to be mid-July but at the moment it could be put back to after the summer,” said one EU diplomat.

Thousands flee including from village hosting at least 2,500 displaced people, one day after Hezbollah rejects ceasefire

Thousands fled their homes after Israel issued forced evacuation orders for nine villages in southern Lebanon before strikes that killed six people on Friday, a day after the Hezbollah militant group rejected a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

Hundreds of families left Anqoun, a village hosting at least 2,500 displaced people, after the Israeli military said it would soon operate against what it said were Hezbollah targets there, ordering residents to leave. The roads leading to Sidon, the closest large city, were choked with cars as families sought shelter.

In today’s newsletter: ​Global powers​ are focused on oil markets and elections​ but those living through conflict in the Middle East feel abandoned

Good morning. It’s been another week of brinkmanship via Truth Social and ceasefires broken before they’ve been announced.

While US president Donald Trump claims an agreement with Iran could happen soon, for those living in the Middle East it does not feel like peace is anywhere near. People have seen more bombs dropped in Lebanon this week; and the death toll continues to rise, national economies falter, and displacement abounds.

UK politics | Andy Burnham has signalled he would begin transforming the broken social care system this year if he became prime minister, he has said in an interview with the Guardian, accusing Westminster of “flinching away” from tackling difficult policy problems.

Environment | Humanity can raise living standards, reduce inequality and keep global heating within a 2C rise, according to a sweeping vision for planetary survival.

Ukraine | The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has called for face-to-face negotiations in a public letter addressed directly to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

England news | The poorest and most nature-deprived communities in England will be further left behind in their access to green spaces if proposed changes to planning laws go ahead, a report finds.

UK news | Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor received private income from subletting three cottages on his Windsor Royal Lodge estate while paying a “peppercorn rent” to the crown estate, a report into royal property arrangements has revealed.

British Retail Consortium figures show footfall rose in May, with consumer confidence improving after spending squeeze

Greater numbers of consumers went shopping last month as spring sunshine brought welcome relief to retailers, which have faced a squeeze on spending since the US-Israel war on Iran.

Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and a separate survey by the accountancy firm BDO showed a bounce-back in footfall during May, reversing a sharp decline in April.

Announcement seeks to close a difficult chapter for the company after the Guardian revealed its platform was used in mass surveillance of Palestinians

Microsoft has said it will tighten human-rights controls when working with national security agencies after an inquiry into how the Israeli military used its cloud technology for the mass surveillance of Palestinians.

On Thursday, Microsoft announced the completion of the inquiry and a series of new measures that include changes to how the company oversees employees with security clearances issued by foreign governments.

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The commander of the Quds Force, the foreign arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), said Hezbollah is demanding Israel retreat to positions it held before the start of the war, according to a statement carried by Iranian media.

“Supporting the resistance in Lebanon is the duty of all of us, and removing Israel from the region is an attainable goal for Muslims,” Esmail Qaani was quoted as saying.

Staff Sergeant Milovan Jovanović, a member of the Serbian Armed Forces who was serving with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, died this morning as a result of injuries sustained after a projectile impacted the United Nations base where peacekeeping personnel, including a part of the Serbian contingent, are stationed. Following the incident, Sergeant Jovanović received immediate medical assistance at the base hospital and was later transported by helicopter to the University Medical Centre in Beirut, where he passed away at approximately 4.00 a.m. local time.