GOP senators look to Blanche for signals on DOJ fund’s fate

“I think his statements are going to be very definitive,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

Speaker Johnson says anti-weaponization fund 'off the table,' citing difficult vote margins

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday that he told President Trump his proposed “anti-weaponization” settlement fund made it difficult for Republicans to push critical legislation through Congress, and that he believed the fund was now “off the table.” “I told him that it

Watch live: Blanche testifies before House after amid 'anti-weaponization' fund turmoil

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will testify before a House Appropriations Committee panel on Tuesday afternoon on oversight of the Justice Department. The hearing comes as the Trump administration has faced heavy scrutiny over its $1.776 billion compensation fund, which

Trump signs executive order to review AI models before they’re released

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday creating a "voluntary framework" for AI companies to share their frontier models with the federal government before they're released "to promote secure innovation and strengthen the cybersecurity of critical

Republican Senators Shocked by Trump’s New Director of National Intel

At least four Republican senators are not feeling Bill Pulte, President Trump’s pick to replace Tulsi Gabbard as acting director of national intelligence. “I see no evidence of any qualifications for that job,” GOP Senator John Cornyn, who recently lost his reelection campaign

Oz sidesteps questions on Pulte’s lack of intel background

Dr. Mehmet Oz sidestepped questions on Tuesday about President Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte, the homebuilder and director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), to serve as acting head of the nation’s intelligence services, saying he trusted the president's

Jon Ossoff bashes Trump in viral speech — Dem rockstar on the rise?

If you weren't paying attention to Sen. Jon Ossoff before, chances are you've seen him in your social media feed lately.

Appeals court tosses kids’ challenge to Trump energy orders

An appeals court threw out a lawsuit brought by 22 young people that challenged President Trump’s executive orders setting federal energy policy, ruling on Tuesday that federal judges have no power to grant their request. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit panel

House Republican vows to force vote on bill blocking 'anti-weaponization' fund despite DOJ statement

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) on Monday said he plans to force a House vote on his bill to block the Trump administration’s so-called anti-weaponization fund, despite the Department of Justice’s decision to back down from the proposal for now. The nearly $1.8 billion fund,

US ambassador to Canada shares Trump '51st State' post

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra on Monday morning shared a post from President Trump about Canada being the “51st State,” reupping his acquisition push for the U.S.’s northern neighbor. Hoekstra posted a screenshot of a Monday Trump Truth Social post in which the

Johnson on Pulte

Shame! UK censors Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur

The United Kingdom's interior ministry is prohibiting two progressive commentators, Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur, from visiting the country to participate in an ideas festival. This is abject censorship and ought to be condemned as such.

Watch live: Rubio testifies before House as US-Iran negotiations stall

Secretary of State Marco Rubio will testify before the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday afternoon on President Trump's fiscal 2027 budget request, as negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz appear at a standstill.

Oz addresses questions about Trump's frequent visits to doctor: It's 'a routine, regular exam'

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz on Tuesday sidestepped questions at the White House press briefing about why President Trump has had so many doctor visits during his second term, saying Trump’s most recent trip was standard. Oz said he

Why some taxpayers may receive refunds in June

Tax filing season has already come and gone, but some taxpayers may still be awaiting their federal refund. That could soon change.

Amazon Ring sued over facial recognition

Amazon was sued Monday by a Virginia man over allegations that facial recognition software in the company’s Ring doorbell cameras collected and stored images of his face without his consent. The plaintiff Charles Sigwalt filed the lawsuit in federal court in Seattle, claiming

It Was Never Just Vibes

The vibecession is back , or never really went away , or is now a “ permacession .” Or so we’re told. But here’s a novel thought: What if it’s not just vibes? For years, economists and commentators have been trying to explain why American consumer sentiment and confidence in

$1.776B 'anti-weaponization' fund 'loser of an idea': David Urban

Former Trump adviser David Urban on Monday called the Department of Justice's (DOJ) $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund a "loser of an idea." The administration recently scrapped the fund, which was designed to compensate those who claim they were wrongfully investigated

Trump’s Corrupt IRS Shakedown Backfires Badly as GOPers Turn on Him

Let’s acknowledge this up front: It’s good to see that Senate Republicans have—for the time being, anyway—forced Donald Trump to back off plans for a $1.8 billion slush fund for allies and insurrectionists. Trump suspended the idea after Republicans made it clear that they

Trump: Reports US, Iran stopped speaking 'false and erroneous'

President Trump on Tuesday denied reports that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to end the war have broken down. The president called reports that the two sides broke off contact recently “false and erroneous” on Truth Social. “The conversations between us have been

GOP senators balk at Trump’s pick of Pulte to head national intelligence

Republican senators are expressing bewilderment at President Trump’s choice of Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as the acting director of national intelligence, with some calling him “unqualified” because of his lack of national security

DOJ fund is ‘being set aside,’ Johnson says amid GOP confusion

The speaker said the Trump administration is also abandoning efforts to secure ballroom money in the pending party-line immigration bill.

Watch live: Mullin testifies before Senate on DHS budget amid GOP reconciliation battle

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin will testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee on President Trump's fiscal 2027 budget request as GOP lawmakers eye a reconciliation bill to fund DHS. Senate Republicans hit a roadblock on advancing the

Cruz on high gas prices: 'I don't think it's gonna impact the midterms'

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said Tuesday that he did not think recently high gas prices amid the Iran war will have an impact on November's midterms. “I don't think national security decisions should be done based on short-term political considerations," He told CNBC's "Squawk

Ken, Angela Paxton's divorce trial canceled

A divorce trial between Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton and his estranged wife will no longer proceed after a state district judge canceled the public proceedings on Tuesday. Collins County judge Lindsey Wynne canceled the trial following a tumultuous few months

Jill Biden says her husband 'would have' beaten Trump in 2024 election

Jill Biden says that had he stayed in the 2024 White House race, then-President Biden would've defeated President Trump. "I believe he would have beat Donald Trump in that election," the former first lady said of her husband during a Tuesday interview on MS Now's "Morning Joe."

Oversight Democrats push Comer to subpoena Blanche, Patel in Epstein files probe

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Democrats are pushing to subpoena acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel, noting that former Attorney General Pam Bondi repeatedly cited the involvement of both of them in decisionmaking about the Epstein

Kimmel: ‘I feel a bit defeated’ after Colbert cancellation

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is expressing concern about the future of late-night TV after CBS canceled “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” a move that fueled speculation about political pressure on outspoken hosts in the Trump era. In a profile published Monday by Vulture,

DC National Guard surge didn't reduce violent crime: Research

The nearly 10-month presence of National Guard troops in Washington has not helped reduce violent crime in the nation’s capital, according to a new study from the Niskanen Center, a Washington policy think tank. While the guard’s presence in Washington helped drive down some

Second White House correspondents' dinner announced for July 24

The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) announced it is planning a second dinner this summer after the annual event was canceled following an assassination attempt against President Trump, who was in attendance at the initial event in April. Weijia Jiang, CBS News's

Why Trump's DNI pick is controversial; Rubio on Capitol Hill

Plus: MAGA ‘slush fund’ plans fizzle, clearing GOP holdup {beacon} It’s Tuesday. I can’t believe how close my informal Diet Coke vs. Coke Zero poll is. It’s literally tied! I guess The Wall Street Journal is right about its reporting. Oh, and who else is excited about

Blue states sue to block Trump's deal to cancel wind lease in exchange for oil investments

Seven blue states have sued in an effort to block a Trump administration deal to pay a French company to invest in fossil fuels in exchange for the cancellation of its rights to build offshore wind farms. New York, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and

Make Russia pay for its illegal aggression and war crimes

Rep. Kevin Kiley of California has signed a discharge petition to force a House floor vote on the Ukraine Support Act, which would impose tougher sanctions on Russia, authorize up to $8 billion in Foreign Military Financing loans for Ukraine, and reaffirm U.S. support for both

Los Angeles officials warn against election interference after ballots burned, voter center vandalized

Los Angeles County election officials on Sunday warned against election interference after several mail-in ballots were burned and a voting center was vandalized, two days before voters cast their ballots in the California primary. A staffer with the Los Angeles County

Lindell picks former Navy intelligence officer as running mate in Minnesota governor race

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has chosen a former Navy intelligence officer as his running mate in his bid for governor of Minnesota. Lindell, during a Monday appearance on Steve Bannon’s War Room show, announced retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Phillip Parish as his lieutenant governor

Marco Rubio Snaps When Told Trump Iran Deal Is Just Obama’s but Worse

Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a major meltdown Tuesday after he was called out for America’s disastrous dealmaking with Iran. Speaking during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Senator Cory Booker pressed Rubio over allowing Iran to get rich off the flailing

Marco Rubio Throws RFK Jr. Under the Bus on Vaccine Policy

Even the Trump administration doesn’t trust Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to handle public health policy. State Secretary Marco Rubio hung the health secretary out to dry Tuesday, revealing to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he was planning to take the reins on vaccine

A museum for women shouldn’t be afraid to say what a woman is

Lawmakers who claim to champion women refused to support a bill that would have created the American Women's History Museum, which would have honored the biological women who achieved extraordinary things despite the obstacles they faced.

Trump goes after green cards

On the Friday before Memorial Day, on the eve of a long weekend, the Trump administration announced that it was further gutting legal immigration. The Department of Homeland Security didn't use this language. "This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law

‘Partisan thug’: Democrats erupt over Trump intel pick Bill Pulte

Democratic lawmakers are airing their frustration Tuesday, after President Trump appointed Bill Pulte to serve as acting head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Trump named Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency )FHFA), to replace

Republicans Demand Trump Explicitly Kill His Slush Fund Plans

Republican senators are still unconvinced that President Trump is dropping his $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” slush fund—and want assurance that Trump won’t use taxpayer funds to pay off his allies. Without it, their own immigration reconciliation bill may also be in

Trump signs scaled-back AI executive order

President Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order directing federal agencies to shore up their defenses against more advanced AI models and develop a voluntary testing framework. The new order appears to be a scaled-back version of the order Trump initially intended to sign

Judge halts Trump effort to target Colorado climate lab

A federal judge on Monday temporarily halted a Trump administration effort to target a climate and weather research lab in Colorado. Judge R. Brooke Jackson, an Obama appointee, blocked the administration from taking away a supercomputer from the National Center for Atmospheric

Democratic Mayor Threatens to Sue to Shut Down ICE Detention Center

The mayor of Newark, New Jersey, said Tuesday that if the Delaney Hall ICE detention center isn’t closed soon, the city may file a lawsuit. Ras Baraka pointed to reports of the center’s poor conditions, with detainees suffering from serious health conditions. He said that in

Taylor Swift University: The proliferation of pop culture college courses

These courses reflect how the university has lost sight of its purpose.

Watch live: Oz leads White House briefing after new Medicaid requirements unveiled

Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), will lead the White House press briefing on Tuesday afternoon. Oz's turn at the podium comes a day after the Trump administration issued a final rule requiring most Medicaid beneficiaries ages

New Mexico lawmakers issue first subpoenas in Epstein investigation

A bipartisan special committee of New Mexico lawmakers, which was created to probe the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch near Santa Fe, announced Monday that it will send out its first round of subpoenas. The New Mexico Truth Commission is slated to send

Axelrod on reported Trump outburst at Netanyahu: 'His analysis is not wrong'

Democratic strategist David Axelrod said Monday night that President Trump's reported outburst at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a phone call earlier in the day was justified. Trump reportedly slammed Netanyahu over the prime minister’s plan to attack Hezbollah

Prediction markets are out of control — Congress must act to ban insider trades now

Elected officials and their employees should be unequivocally clear, through binding legislation, that prediction markets cannot continue as they are and have no place in politics.

Thune on Pulte pick: ‘We don’t need a weaponized’ director of national intelligence

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters “we don’t need a weaponized” director of national intelligence when asked about President Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte, the homebuilder and director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), to serve as acting