59 minutes ago
6
President Donald Trump convened his Cabinet connected Wednesday astatine a precarious infinitesimal for talks aimed astatine ending the warfare with Iran, conscionable days aft insisting that his medication and Tehran had “largely negotiated” a colony but with the negotiations inactive successful a authorities of flux. Closure to his warfare of prime whitethorn beryllium unsatisfactory, putting disconnected galore captious issues to beryllium resolved later. “Things are going precise well,” Trump said arsenic helium opened the meeting.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton easy defeated four-term Sen. John Cornyn successful the latest contention wherever Trump sought to oust an incumbent helium saw arsenic insufficiently loyal. The scandal-plagued Republican present faces Democratic authorities Rep. James Talarico successful November, with power of the Senate an unfastened question.
The 79-year-old president emerged from different aesculapian exam saying “Everything checked retired PERFECTLY” aft moving to disregard concerns astir his property and stamina. The White House said his much than 3 hours astatine Walter Reed National Military Medical Center were spent doing preventive aesculapian and dental checkups.
Here's the Latest:
Rubio says having ‘failed state’ Cuba truthful adjacent to the U.S. is simply a ‘national information threat’
The caput of authorities said “Cuba’s successful a batch of trouble” and being tally by “incompetent communists.”
He didn’t connection immoderate details connected U.S. actions related to the island, including a imaginable intervention, which Trump has hinted mightiness beryllium coming.
But Rubio said of Cuba: “Having a failed authorities 90 miles from our shores is simply a menace to the nationalist information of the United States.”
Rubio says ‘diplomacy is ever the archetypal option’ connected Iran
Asked to springiness an update connected negotiations, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said helium felt “there’s been immoderate progress” connected discussions with Iran and said the “next fewer hours and days” would output much information.
Seated astatine Trump’s close hand, the country’s main diplomat stressed that, portion the president has “other options” if talks don’t output the U.S.’ desired outcome, Rubio added, “We similar the negotiated, diplomatic route, and we’re going to springiness it each accidental to succeed.”
Trump said Rubio had been “all implicit the place” successful caller days. The caput of authorities returned to the U.S. past nighttime aft a five-day travel that included stops successful Sweden and India.
Zelenskyy asks Trump for much US aerial defence assistance against Russian rocket attacks, Kyiv says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has written to Trump and Congress asking for much American-made aerial defence ammunition to antagonistic intensifying Russian ballistic rocket attacks, Kyiv said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Russian lawmakers person backed a measure to draught slope employees to combat against Ukraine’s long-range drones that onslaught heavy wrong Russia — with trained slope unit shooting down the unmanned aircraft.
As aerial attacks by some sides escalate successful the much than four-year war, Anne Keast-Butler, caput of U.K.’s quality bureau GCHQ, asserted that Russian President Vladimir “Putin is going backwards connected the battlefield,” and caller information shows “almost fractional a cardinal Russian soldiers person present been killed since the struggle began.”
Zelenskyy’s letter, obtained by The Associated Press, says deliveries of Patriot PAC-3 missiles and different aerial defence systems are falling dangerously abbreviated arsenic the Iran warfare diverts U.S. stocks.
▶ Read more
Trump, looking to determination his Cabinet gathering along, suggests not each officials volition speak
The president said he’d bounds speaking roles successful the Cabinet gathering to Vance, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Kelly Loeffler, tiny concern administrator.
“And maybe, if you person immoderate questions, we’ll spell to others,” helium told reporters.
“But everybody astir present has got a batch to say,” Trump said. “But we did that once, and it lasted for similar 4 oregon 5 hours. It was a small much.”
Trump’s Cabinet meetings often diagnostic apical officials spending agelong periods of clip praising him. That’s led to marathon sessions, though not rather arsenic agelong arsenic helium suggested.
Last summer, 1 specified gathering exceeded 3 hours.
Trump says his fraud task unit volition prevention Social Security. The numbers accidental otherwise
The U.S. president said astatine his Cabinet gathering that Social Security payments volition beryllium rescued by the crackdown connected fraud by a task unit led by Vice President JD Vance — a assertion undermined by the numbers for the societal security program.
“I deliberation we person a accidental to prevention Social Security without doing thing to it,” Trump said. “We’re going to marque our Social Security truthful strong.”
The authorities said past twelvemonth that Social Security’s spot funds — which screen aged property and disablement recipients — volition beryllium incapable to wage afloat benefits opening successful 2034. That’s due to the fact that the outgo of the benefits for an aging colonisation are exceeding payroll taxation revenues.
There is nary motion that stopping improper payments would beryllium capable to adjacent the gap, arsenic the authorities estimated they were 3.8% of Social Security expenditures successful fiscal 2025.
Despite Social Security’s deteriorating finances nether his watch, Trump said it “would beryllium bankrupt” if Democrats were successful power.
Trump doubles down that midterms don’t impact his Iran strategy
The president suggested that Iranian leaders deliberation upcoming U.S. elections springiness them leverage implicit Trump due to the fact that of his lagging support ratings. If so, they’re level wrong, Trump said.
“They thought they were gonna out-wait me. You know, ’We’ll out-wait him. He’s got the midterms,” Trump said. “I don’t attraction astir the midterms.”
The president alluded to his preferred Texas GOP Senate nominee, Ken Paxton, trouncing Sen. John Cornyn.
“That was the prelude to the midterms,” the president insisted.
To beryllium clear, Trump’s clasp implicit the GOP is unquestioned astatine this point. But that doesn’t seamlessly construe to November victories – and adjacent galore Republicans are tense that Trump’s lasting and GOP nominees similar Paxton volition resistance the enactment down successful the autumn arsenic Democrats effort to flip power of Capitol Hill.
Trump mixes up U.S. subject operations, saying Venezuela erstwhile helium meant Iran
Early successful his Cabinet meeting, the president was trying to downplay the warfare successful Iran, saying, “I don’t telephone it a war. I telephone it a conflict.”
“Despite the struggle with Venezuela, who nary longer has a navy, nary longer has an aerial force, nary longer has a batch of radical that were starring the state into precise atrocious places,” Trump said, mixing up that South American state with Iran.
U.S. forces ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to look cause charges. earlier the U.S. and Israel began airstrikes connected Iran.
He aboriginal added of Iran and talks astir the ongoing ceasefire, “They’re negotiating connected fumes,” but besides renewed threats to renew large U.S. attacks, “Maybe we person to spell backmost and decorativeness it, possibly we don’t.”
Trump Cabinet gathering begins
It’s the archetypal gathering of the president’s Cabinet since Tulsi Gabbard announced that she would measurement down arsenic manager of nationalist intelligence, effectual June 30, owed to her husband’s health.
Gabbard is the 4th Cabinet subordinate to depart during Trump’s 2nd term, each of them women.
The gathering besides comes astatine a precarious infinitesimal for talks aimed astatine ending the warfare with Iran, conscionable days aft Trump insisted that his medication and Tehran had “largely negotiated” a colony but with the negotiations inactive successful a authorities of flux.
Alabama asks Supreme Court to let usage of legislature representation ruled racially biased
Alabama connected Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to let it to usage a legislature representation favoring Republicans successful this year’s elections, contempt a tribunal ruling that the redistricting program intentionally discriminates against Black people.
The state’s Republican enactment filed an exigency entreaty with the justices a time aft a three-judge tribunal refused to fto the authorities usage a representation it adopted 3 years agone that has a bulk Black colonisation successful conscionable 1 of its 7 legislature districts.
The judges alternatively required Alabama to proceed utilizing a court-ordered representation enactment successful spot for the 2024 elections that includes 2 districts wherever Black residents comprise a bulk oregon adjacent to it.
The entreaty is the latest improvement successful the fallout from past month’s Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority territory successful Louisiana and weakened the national Voting Rights Act. That ruling has led Republicans successful respective Southern states, including Alabama, to instrumentality steps to reshape voting districts with ample number populations that person elected Democrats.
▶ Read more
South Africa rejects Trump’s assertion that Afrikaners request US refuge
The South African authorities and advocacy groups for its Afrikaner achromatic number connected Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s presumption that there’s a humanitarian exigency affecting achromatic radical successful the country.
The statement served arsenic the administration’s rationale for raising the U.S. exile cap, but lone for achromatic Afrikaners. The Trump medication said Tuesday that it volition admit an further 10,000 achromatic South Africans into the U.S. arsenic refugees this year, portion blocking refugees from different countries.
Trump blamed the authorities for “recent increases successful the incitement of racially motivated violence,” without providing details that could beryllium fact-checked. AfriForum, a lobbying enactment for Afrikaners with much than 300,000 members, said it “does not person information” regarding the assertion of an exigency exile situation.
Advocates accidental Trump’s determination has stranded radical fleeing warfare and strife astir the world.
▶ Read more
Kenya says protecting its ain citizens from Ebola is ‘paramount’
Kenya’s wellness curate has confirmed discussions with the United States and different planetary partners amid increasing nationalist interest astir Ebola.
Aden Duale’s connection Wednesday did not confirm, however, that the talks impact the U.S. establishing Ebola attraction installation successful Nairobi.
“The Government of Kenya notes ongoing discussions with the US authorities and different planetary partners regarding planetary collaboration connected strengthening preparedness and effect mechanisms for Ebola Virus Disease and different emerging nationalist wellness threats,” Duale said.
“Any arrangements regarding planetary wellness practice volition beryllium guided by Kenya’s nationalist laws, nationalist wellness regulations, biosafety and biosecurity standards, and the government’s work to safeguard the wellness and payment of Kenyans,” said Duale. “Protection of Kenyan citizens, frontline wellness workers and communities remains paramount.”
▶ See AP Photos of Ebola’s interaction successful Congo and Uganda
Trump medication to nonstop Americans exposed to Ebola to Kenya
The caller installation is meant to assistance American patients who person been exposed to Ebola debar an hourslong aesculapian evacuation to the U.S., an medication authoritative said Wednesday.
The quarantine and attraction halfway being acceptable up by the Departments of Defense, State and Health and Human Services volition beryllium designed for Ebola patients who request to get retired of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and person attraction quickly, said the authoritative who requested anonymity to stock the administration’s plans.
It wasn’t instantly wide wherever successful Kenya the caller installation volition beryllium built, oregon whether the Kenyan authorities has signed disconnected connected the plan.
▶ Read much astir developments with the Ebola outbreak
Epidemiologist calls termination complaint successful ICE detention ‘profoundly wrong.’ Homeland Security calls them ‘extremely rare’
Nine of the 10 who killed themselves were Hispanic men. One was a Chinese citizen. The deaths person revealed holes successful attraction and oversight crossed the Immigration and Customs Enforcement system, wherever the detained colonisation has spiked by 50% to 60,000 during Trump’s 2nd term, AP found.
“Something is going profoundly incorrect from immoderate benignant of nationalist wellness oregon intelligence wellness perspective,” said Dr. Sanjay Basu, a University of California-San Francisco epidemiologist who co-wrote a survey documenting the summation successful mortality and termination rates among ICE detainees. “This is 1 of those alarming, abrupt increases.”
But Department of Homeland Security acting adjunct caput Lauren Bis said termination deaths successful ICE custody stay “extremely rare.”
Bis said detention unit travel protocols to support detainees who amusement signs of self-harming and that ICE requires yearly termination prevention training. She said detainees person broad healthcare, including intelligence wellness services.
ICE detainees are dying by termination astatine an ‘alarming’ rate, an AP probe finds
Detainees successful the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement are taking their ain lives astatine a gait unprecedented successful the agency’s two-decade history, highlighting what experts telephone failures successful attraction and oversight, according to an probe by The Associated Press.
At slightest 10 detainees person died by termination since President Donald Trump returned to bureau successful January 2025 and ordered ICE to summation arrests and deportations, the probe found. There person been 7 specified deaths since October, already the astir successful a fiscal year. ICE typically has recorded conscionable 1 oregon nary yearly suicides.
The accrued gait exceeds the maturation successful ICE’s detainee population, wherever suicides relationship for astir 20% of the 51 radical who person died successful ICE custody since January 2025.
▶ Read the AP investigation
US workers would request 200 years of labour to lucifer their CEO’s yearly compensation, AP survey finds
As Trump touts his economical stewardship, The Associated Press’ yearly CEO compensation survey shows emblematic CEO compensation roseate astir 6% successful 2025 to $17.7 million, arsenic institution boards rewarded apical executives for bigger profits and higher banal prices, and gave them incentives to instrumentality astir and marque adjacent much wealth for shareholders.
The median worker astatine companies successful the S&P 500, meanwhile, earned $89,744, reflecting a 4.7% summation twelvemonth implicit year. While that summation outpaced the complaint of ostentation successful 2025, galore workers were inactive feeling pinched by the accumulation of higher prices implicit the past fewer years and had to chopped corners to marque ends conscionable and tally up recognition paper indebtedness to wage for mundane necessities.
The survey uses information analyzed for The AP by Equilar.
▶ Read more
Trump’s caller greenish paper argumentation sparks confusion
Trump’s caller argumentation requiring greenish paper seekers to use from their location countries alternatively of successful the U.S. has near galore immigrants and attorneys confused and concerned.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the alteration Friday, affecting hundreds of thousands of applicants each year. But determination are evident exceptions. The bureau indicated to The Associated Press that radical who supply an “economic benefit” oregon “national interest” could apt stay successful the United States portion applying.
For much than fractional a century, overseas nationals with ineligible presumption — including radical joined to U.S. citizens, holders of enactment and pupil visas, and refugees and governmental asylum-seekers, among others — person been capable to stay with their families and astatine their jobs portion completing the process for imperishable residency. That has abruptly changed arsenic the Republican medication pivots to targeting ineligible pathways aft focusing mostly connected migrants successful the U.S. illegally.
▶ Read more
It could instrumentality astatine slightest 3 years to replenish cardinal US weapons utilized successful Iran war
An investigation of stockpiles of 3 cardinal weapons systems utilized heavy successful the Iran warfare is adding to concerns that American forces would person constricted firepower successful immoderate aboriginal struggle with China.
Tomahawk cruise missiles onslaught targets heavy wrong force territory. Patriot and THAAD interceptors support against incoming missiles and drones.
“The depleted inventories person created a model of vulnerability for a imaginable Western Pacific conflict,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies said successful its study released Wednesday, which factors successful Trump’s historical defence fund connection of $1.5 trillion for 2027. “The occupation contiguous isn’t money; it’s time.”
China has a stated extremity of being capable to instrumentality Taiwan by unit if indispensable by 2027, and Chinese President Xi Jinping warned this period that if Washington mishandles its relations with the self-governing island, it could provoke unfastened conflict.
▶ Read more
Congress could get a grounds fig of caller faces adjacent year
It’s starting to look similar an exodus.
Out of 535 voting members of Congress, 73 volition not instrumentality to their seats adjacent word — the astir astatine this constituent successful the calendar since President Barack Obama’s administration, according to an Associated Press investigation of legislature turnover going backmost to 2013.
Some are seeking different offices. Others are retiring aft decades of service. A fewer are departing alternatively of moving successful unfamiliar territory aft an antithetic flurry of redistricting. Around two-thirds of the outgoing members successful some houses are Republicans.
▶ Read more
A UFC warring cage rises connected the White House lawn
Yet different White House operation task is underway. Crews are erecting a impermanent octagon-shaped cage connected the South Lawn for adjacent month’s UFC bout, timed to people the nation’s 250th day — and President Donald Trump ’s 80th birthday.
Online renderings picture what the completed, wire-mesh-fence-ringed combat abstraction is expected to look similar up of the June 14 event, ringed by a red, achromatic and bluish signifier nether a towering arch featuring stars and stripes patterns and 2 ample screens carrying the enactment live. Thousands of impermanent seats volition situation the cage and stage, including ringside abstraction for a afloat marching band.
“I person ne'er seen anybody privation thing truthful overmuch arsenic radical privation those tickets,” Trump said recently. “That’s gonna beryllium something.”
▶ Read more
Trump congratulates Paxton connected Texas GOP Senate superior win
In a societal media post, Trump congratulated Paxton connected a “tremendous win” and promised that “I volition bash immoderate nice, big, beauteous rallies for Ken. Texas, this volition beryllium FUN!
Trump besides congratulated Cornyn “for having tally a beardown and almighty contention but, much importantly, having had a genuinely large career.”
In his endorsement of Paxton, Trump said Cornyn “was not supportive of maine erstwhile times were tough” and that “John was precise precocious successful backing me.”
But Trump said Wednesday that, “John volition stay my person for a agelong clip to come, arsenic we some ticker Ken go a fantastic, common-sense Senator.”
Biden sues Justice Department to halt merchandise of audio and transcripts tied to peculiar counsel probe
Joe Biden sued the Justice Department connected Tuesday successful an effort to artifact the merchandise of audio recordings and transcripts of the erstwhile president’s interrogation with a ghostwriter that were obtained by the peculiar counsel who investigated his handling of classified documents.
Biden’s lawyers said successful a suit filed successful Washington’s national tribunal that the Justice Department plans to merchandise the files to Congress and a blimpish group, the Heritage Foundation, aft the section had antecedently argued that they were exempt from disclosure nether the nationalist records law.
Biden’s lawyers argued that the disclosure would “constitute an unwarranted penetration of President Biden’s privacy.”
“Every American, including a sitting oregon erstwhile Vice President, has a close to privateness successful the idiosyncratic conversations helium has wrong his ain home,” his attorneys wrote. “And erstwhile the U.S. Department of Justice obtains that backstage accusation done a transgression investigation, the Department bears a peculiar work to support it from disclosure.”
▶ Read more
Trump medication proposes NDAs for national employees to halt media leaks
The Trump medication wants each existent and aboriginal national employees to motion nondisclosure agreements, portion of a continuing crackdown connected leaks to the media.
A projected notice, announced Tuesday connected the Office of Personnel Management website, is expected to beryllium officially published successful the Federal Register connected Wednesday, seeking remark connected a draught NDA to beryllium utilized by national agencies for “both caller and existing employees.”
“The signifier is intended to papers Federal employees’ acknowledgment of, and statement to comply with, existent ineligible obligations to safeguard nonpublic, confidential, oregon proprietary information, created oregon obtained done their authoritative duties, portion expressly preserving the close to marque disclosures authorized by law,” the announcement said.
The projected announcement seeks remark connected respective questions, including whether the NDA should screen lone unclassified accusation and what due actions, if any, agencies should see for caller oregon existent employees who take not to motion the agreement.
▶ Read more
Trump is getting the Republican Party that helium wants. But tin helium triumph successful the midterms?
Trump is connected a winning streak successful Republican primaries, but his tightening grip connected his enactment could marque it harder to triumph successful the November midterms, erstwhile Republicans look a broader electorate that has soured connected the president’s 2nd word and the economy.
The hazard is compounded, Republican operatives say, by however cavalier the billionaire president has been successful addressing Americans’ fiscal worries, which person been exacerbated by Trump’s commercialized roller coaster and his ongoing warfare against Iran.
Republican strategist David Urban, a Trump ally, acknowledged the president’s attack is making things harder for his party.
“It’s going to beryllium a pugnacious autumn unless things dramatically change,” Urban said.
He warned that Trump cannot spend a haphazard exit from the warfare with Iran to resoluteness a struggle that has created a chokehold connected planetary lipid supplies and driven state prices higher for Americans.
“I deliberation the president wants to help,” helium said, but “you bash not privation to springiness the Iranians a triumph conscionable due to the fact that of the midterms.”
▶ Read more
Paxton dominates Cornyn successful Texas US Senate runoff, the latest motion of Trump’s clasp connected GOP
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican information for U.S. Senate connected Tuesday, easy defeating four-term Sen. John Cornyn successful the latest contention wherever Trump sought to oust an incumbent helium saw arsenic insufficiently loyal.
Trump endorsed Paxton past week, calling him a “true MAGA warrior.” Paxton’s triumph successful Tuesday’s runoff makes Cornyn — who was archetypal elected to the Senate successful 2002 — the archetypal Republican legislator from Texas to suffer the party’s information for reelection.
Cheers rang done the ballroom astatine Paxton’s predetermination nighttime enactment erstwhile the contention was called, and helium took the signifier to supporters chanting his name. He rapidly gave recognition to Trump.
“When everyone successful Washington told him to wantonness maine and wantonness the radical of Texas, helium didn’t listen,” Paxton said. “President Trump is the person of our party, and his endorsement is the astir almighty unit successful politics.”
▶ Read more
Trump gathers Cabinet arsenic helium looks to seal woody to extremity warfare that immoderate backers interest volition embolden Iran
President Donald Trump volition conscionable with his Cabinet connected Wednesday astatine a precarious infinitesimal for talks aimed astatine ending the warfare with Iran, conscionable days aft insisting that his medication and Tehran had “largely negotiated” a colony but with the negotiations inactive successful a authorities of flux.
As helium prepares to huddle with his apical aides, Trump is projecting assurance that he’s closing successful connected a woody that volition reopen the Strait of Hormuz and supply him a credible statement that Iran’s atomic capableness has been diminished capable to state victory, winding down a struggle that’s been politically unpopular for Republicans.
But arsenic things stand, Trump besides risks uncovering closure to his warfare of prime comes with an unsatisfactory ending.
The emerging woody puts disconnected galore captious issues to beryllium resolved aboriginal and has already exposed the president to fierce disapproval — adjacent from immoderate of his ain supporters — that Iran’s hard-line leaders volition look from the struggle battered but emboldened.
▶ Read more
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.
English (US) ·