U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Iran for a drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, saying in a post on social media that it was a “foolish violation” of the ceasefire.
He did not identify the ship; however, the British military said Thursday that a vessel was hit by a projectile off Oman. This comes at a fragile time, as the U.S. and Iran are negotiating an interim peace deal.
“Nobody saw it coming,” Trump later told a gathering of Christian conservatives, adding, “You can’t do that stuff.”
Trump also threatened a 100% tariff on imports from any nation that taxes digital services from U.S. companies, specifically singling out Europe. His post on social media said those nations are considering “imminent” taxes, and that the tariff would override any previously negotiated trade agreements.
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Trump says Venezuelans are now ‘dancing in the streets’
The president celebrated the U.S. military mission he ordered to capture Venezuelan leaderNicolás Maduro.
He brought up the South American nation happily before interrupting himself to reference the back-to-back earthquakes that have devastated Caracas.
“By the way, we’re helping Venezuela” after the “tremendous” natural disaster, Trump said, before resuming his original thought on U.S. actions there.
“We’ve had a great relationship” since the mission to depose Maduro, he said. “Was a one-day war.”
He said oil processed since the action has “paid for the war many times over” and boosted Venezuela’s economy.
Trump said the earthquake “was terrible” but that, otherwise, “the people are happy; they’re dancing in the streets.”
Trump says ‘nobody saw’ drone that hit cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz
Describing the U.S. response to a drone strike that Trump blamed on Iran, the president said one got through unnoticed and struck a ship on Thursday.
“We knocked down three of them. One of them, I guess — we didn’t miss it. Nobody saw it coming,” Trump said on Friday.
He made the comment after remarking that Iran still has “some capability, not much.”
“You can’t do that stuff,” he added. Earlier on Friday he called the strike a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Iran and the United States.
Trump says Zohran Mamdani’s housing efforts will tank New York City
The New York City mayor “seems like a nice guy” but his push to make rent more affordable will backfire, the president insists.
“These buildings will soon turn into ghettos and slums,” Trump says, suggesting landlords won’t get enough revenue to take care of their properties. Trump argued, “It will be third world.”
Trump was referring to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board approving a citywide rent freeze for certain lease renewals beginning this fall. It affects nearly a million rent-stabilized apartments and helps fulfill one of Mamdani’s signature campaign promises to make housing more affordable.
Trump warns that the left’s election victories is a movement that ‘isn’t stopping with New York’
The president said the election results this week show that “the Democrat Party is in big trouble.”
He also described the winners as not “social democrats” but “hardcore, godless communists.”
Trump bashes Alaska Sen. Murkowski for opposing his bill to create stricter ID standards for voters
The president used his speech to the Faith & Freedom Coalition to attack a Republican lawmaker who has opposed his SAVE America Act.
“We have a few Republicans that are fighting it — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska,” Trump said. “You should call her and tell her to get on the ball. She’ll never win another election. I can tell you.”
The crowd, in support of Trump, booed the mention of Murkowski’s name.
Murkowski has said that the bill being championed by Trump could undermine state oversight of elections. She said the required proof of U.S. citizenship could deny legitimate voters the chance to cast their ballots or mandate states to change their driver’s licenses to conform to Trump’s interests.
Trump credits his presidencies with returning God to America
The president claimed that “religion is back in our country, bigger and stronger than it has been in many, many years.”
He referred generally to “all of these reports” he’s read suggesting religious practice is “going up.”
He ticked through steps his administration has taken, including establishing a White House Faith Office and ending what he described as persecution of Christians by the government. He also took credit for restoring Christmas.
And he insisted none of that would have happened if the 2016 and 2024 elections were won by Democrats. He described Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration as “so bad” and “so evil.”
Biden is a practicing Catholic who regular attended Mass while in office. Trump does not regularly attended services.
Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says
Secretary of State Marco Rubio along with ambassadors from Israel and Lebanon announced a framework agreement Friday that was described as a first step toward peace following months of conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
The officials did not share details on the agreement that was signed by Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, and Nada Hamadeh, ambassador of Lebanon to the United States.
Evangelical group founder touts Trump’s conservative record
In introducing Trump at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference, founder Ralph Reed sought to remind the audience of the president’s conservative track record.
“This is a man who, alone among all the leaders that we have had, gave us the most conservative Supreme Court in over a century,” Reed said.
He also noted Trump’s efforts to lower taxes and move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Evangelicals are a crucial part of Trump’s political coalition. Reed noted that the president has spoken to the group 10 times.
“I want to thank Ralph for the introduction,” Trump said as he took the stage. “Thank you to all of the true American patriots of Faith and Freedom Coalition. You’ve been with me from the beginning.”
Trump returns to hotel where correspondents’ dinner was held
The president on Friday appeared at an event at the Washington Hilton, where two months earlier he was rushed from the hotel when a gunman charged at the ballroom during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Trump was speaking on Friday to a gathering of Christian conservatives at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s annual conference, where he’s made previous appearances.
Security at the event was tighter than in the past, including officers in tactical gear stationed right outside the ballroom doors.
Trump says communism is ‘the most serious threat to our Country since its existence’ but says ‘I’d be the Greatest Communist in History’
The president wrote in a post on social media that his speech Friday afternoon to conservative Christians would include a warning about communism.
Trump and Republicans have been seizing on election wins by candidates endorsed by New York City’s democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“Communism is very easy to sell. I’d be the Greatest Communist in History. I’d give free rent, free houses, free food, everything is free,” Trump wrote in his lengthy post.
But, he said, after a few years, the country “would fail.”
Man is charged with obstruction of justice in connection with White House UFC attack plot
An eighth person has been arrested in connection with what authorities say was a planned attack on Trump’s UFC cage-fighting show at the White House earlier this month.
Law enforcement disrupted the plan a few days before the June 14 event, officials say.
Authorities say Alexander Iniguez Mercado of Chicago was an administrator of Signal messaging groups with members who are accused of plotting the attack. When an FBI agent called Mercado on June 13 and asked whether he planned to travel to Washington D.C. to help with an attack, Mercado denied it, the indictment says. He then deleted the Signal app from his phone, prosecutors allege.
Mercado, 20, is charged with obstruction of justice. It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf and phone numbers for relatives could not immediately be located.
Trump threatens a 100% tax on European imports if countries tax digital services
Trump took aim at European countries that he said are discussing “imminent” implementation of taxes on American companies.
“Please let this statement serve to represent that any Country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100% TARIFF on any and all Goods sent to the United States of America,” Trump wrote in a post Friday on social media.
He added that the new tax would supersede any previously negotiated trade deals. Trump said the penalty would apply to any country that moves forward with such a tax, but he singled out European nations in his post.
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Trump blames Iran for a drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz
The president called the alleged strike a “foolish violation” of the ceasefire agreement with the U.S.
Trump said one drone hit the upper deck of the ship and “damage was done,” but the ship was able to proceed. He added that the U.S. shot down three other drones.
His post on social media did not identify the ship or the time of the strike, but on Thursday the British military said a vessel was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman.
It comes during a fragile time for the U.S. and Iran as they work to negotiate a permanent end to the war.
Bolton also agreed to pay a fine of $2.25 million
He can withdraw his guilty plea if the judge imposes a longer prison sentence or a larger fine.
Bolton must pay half of the fine within five days of his plea and the balance within 90 days. He agreed to forfeit his retirement pay for his federal service. The plea deal also requires him to submit to a debriefing with federal intelligence officials and perform up to 100 hours of community service.
After a prosecutor read aloud a summary of his offenses, Bolton agreed it was accurate.
“I’m sorry for it,” he told the judge.
Defense attorney Abbe Lowell said Bolton “did what real leaders do” by pleading guilty.
Other Trump adversaries have been charged with federal crimes during his second term
While some of those cases have collapsed under judicial scrutiny and amid claims of political retribution, Bolton didn’t mount a vigorous defense against his charges before cutting a deal.
FBI agents searched Bolton’s Maryland home and Washington, D.C., office last August, but the investigation began before Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
Bolton was charged with 18 counts of either retaining or disseminating classified information
That included diary-like notes he shared with relatives as he wrote a memoir about his career in government.
Bolton served for more than a year in Trump’s first administration before getting pushed out in 2019. He later published a book called “The Room Where It Happened” that presented an unflattering portrait of Trump’s leadership.
The Trump administration fought unsuccessfully to block the book’s release, claiming it contained classified information that could jeopardize national security. Trump derided Bolton as a “crazy” warmonger who would have led the country into “World War Six.”
Bolton’s indictment focused on notes he shared with his wife and daughter rather than the contents of his book. After sending one document, Bolton wrote in a message to his relatives, “None of which we talk about!!!” In response, one of his relatives wrote, “Shhhhh,” prosecutors said.
Ex-national security adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to illegally retaining classified information
Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty Friday to illegally retaining classified information, sealing a deal with federal prosecutors that could allow him to avoid a prison term.
Bolton, who became an outspoken critic of Trump after serving in the Republican’s first administration, is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 28 by U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Bolton pleaded guilty to a single count of illegally retaining classified information. His plea agreement with the Justice Department may enable him to avoid time behind bars, but the judge ultimately will decide his punishment.
The plea agreement recommends capping any prison sentence at five years but the judge isn’t bound by that part of the deal.
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DNC plans weekend of events to focus on affordability concerns
The Democratic National Committee is organizing hundreds of community events across the country this weekend in hopes of harnessing the same concerns about affordability that Trump capitalized on to return to the White House.
The events include school supply giveaways, food bank drives, neighborhood door knockings and organizer trainings.
“Everything costs too damn much under Donald Trump and the Republicans,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.
Martin said party members planned “to reach, engage, register, and mobilize voters who will make the difference in races up and down the ballot.”
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Touring Trump’s Washington: How the president is putting his imprint on the nation’s capital
The United States is celebrating its 250th year. And what better way to mark that anniversary than with an American summer staple — a trip to the nation’s capital.
But visitors to Washington will find that the city is undergoing tremendous change, courtesy of Trump’s takeover makeover.
Since returning to office 17 months ago, Trump has demonstrated a continuing fixation with the District of Columbia. The Republican president has slapped his image and name on buildings, torn down storied structures, altered others, started massive construction projects and deployed armed military personnel.
The traditional tourist sights remain. But with slight detours, an open mind and a critical eye, the ambitious walker can see all the ways the president has pushed to remake the capital.
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988’s LGBTQ+ hotline to relaunch this year. But the group that helped start it might be excluded
The Trump administration is moving to restart the specialized LGBTQ+ option for youth who contact the 988 crisis intervention hotline, but the group that helped pioneer the idea is being shut out.
The Trevor Project, the leading nonprofit for suicide prevention in LGBTQ+ young people, may not be allowed to offer the service it had helped develop for the 988 Lifeline just a few years ago.
The 988 hotline, which has been dubbed the 911 for mental health emergencies, is credited with reducing teen and young adult suicide deaths. It offers specialized options for certain groups, such as veterans and Spanish speakers, but in July the Trump administration stopped offering the “press 3” option for LGBTQ+ youth with a month’s notice.
The administration said it ended the service because the funding ran out. It’s now working to bring it back by the end of the year because Congress directed officials to allocate $33 million toward LGBTQ+-specific interventions for youth.
However, The Trevor Project might not be allowed to offer the services it developed and specializes in.
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Supreme Court’s ruling to end protections for Haitian, Syrian immigrants could have broader impact
The reach of the Supreme Court’s decision allowing Trump’s administration to end temporary legal protections for Haitian and Syrian immigrants may extend to many other countries.
Thursday´s decision directly applies to about 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, but may be a sign of what´s in store for nearly 1.3 million people from 17 countries on Temporary Protected Status. Many have lived and worked in the United States for decades and have American children.
The decision exposes TPS holders from Haiti and Syria to potential detention and deportation. It could also pave the way for hundreds of thousands of other beneficiaries with pending asylum claims or other immigration relief to be forced to leave the country.
People of all nationalities whose TPS was ended by the Trump administration have filed dozens of lawsuits. Many of these cases are still ongoing, and judges will closely examine the Supreme Court’s decision.
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Reflecting Pool liner was cut with a sharp knife or razor, National Park Service says
A liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project, a top official at the National Park Service says.
The U.S. Park Police responded June 9 to a complaint by the park service, said Frank Lands, deputy director of operations for the park service. Lands made the statement in a court document filed late Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by a nonprofit organization to halt the Trump administration’s work on the project.
His statement does not say when exactly the damage occurred or whether it was a suspected case of vandalism and does not identify anyone who might have been involved.
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Vance, an admirer of Richard Nixon, says Watergate would be ‘a 12-hour news story’ today
Vice President JD Vance on Thursday said the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon would have been a blip in today’s news cycle, and he drew parallels between Nixon and President Donald Trump — arguing that both were targeted by “deep state” forces.
Vance described his admiration for Nixon during a conversation at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California. Widely expected to be a presidential contender in 2028, Vance spoke at the library while promoting his new book, “Communion.”
After talking about the book and his faith journey, Vance shifted to Nixon, saying the legacy of the 37th president is “enjoying a bit of a renaissance.”
“If Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be like a 12-hour news story. The idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy,” Vance said.
He went on: “If you look at the story of how the deep state took down Richard Nixon, it’s not all that different from what the same groups of people, the same institutions tried to do to Donald Trump in the first Trump administration.”
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Federal judge halts Trump’s election executive order seeking to create a federal voter list
A federal judge on Thursday halted President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to create a federal voter list and limit who can receive a mail ballot.
U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani sided with a coalition of nearly two dozen states that challenged the Republican president’s order in granting a summary judgment. Her ruling applies to this year’s midterm election cycle.
Plaintiffs argued in two lawsuits, both filed in federal court in Boston, that Trump’s order should be found unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the president, have the power to set election rules.
It was the second ruling in as many days against executive orders Trump has signed seeking oversight of the nation’s elections. A separate ruling Wednesday prohibited an executive order he had signed last year that would have required people to show documents proving their citizenship when registering to vote.
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