Trump awards medals to Artemis II crew for moon flyby
NBC News Clone summarizes the latest on: Trump Congress 2026 Midterm Elections Iran Live Updates Rcna594827 - Politics and Government | NBC News Clone. This article is rewritten and presented in a simplified tone for a better reader experience.
The majority of Americans disapprove of the Iran war and President Donald Trump’s handling of the conflict, polling shows.
What to know today
- TRUMP HONORS ASTRONAUTS: President Donald Trump today awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the crewmembers of the Artemis II, who made history this year on their mission around the moon. During his remarks, the president announced the creation of the U.S. Space Academy.
- HEGSETH MULLS 2028: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told close friends and associates that he is considering a run for president in 2028, according to two people familiar with the conversations.
- IRAN WAR POLLING: Americans remain sour on the Iran war and Trump’s handling of the conflict after six months, and they continue to say they oppose the military action, according to an NBC News review of public polling.
- MARCH ON WASHINGTON: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and other Democratic lawmakers spoke alongside civil rights, faith and labor leaders at the March on Washington today.
White House teleprompter operator ordered to pay $172K for placing prediction market bets on Trump’s speeches
A teleprompter operator for President Donald Trump who made online prediction trades based on information from upcoming speeches has been ordered to pay $172,000, a federal agency said tonight.
Gabriel Perez used “material, nonpublic information” he obtained through his job to place “trades” on a prediction market, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said in a news release.
Perez was ordered to pay the money he made in profits, $107,539.02, as well as a civil penalty of $65,000.
John Moore / Getty Images file
Trump says he’ll visit Pentagon, rather than Ground Zero, for 9/11 ceremony
President Donald Trump will appear at the Pentagon to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, instead of visiting Ground Zero in New York City.
Asked about why he would not be commemorating the anniversary in his hometown, Trump told reporters today, “Because I’m going to the Pentagon.”
Vice President JD Vance is instead expected to attend the event in New York City, according to a senior administration official. Other officials will attend a ceremony in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on the day, the official added.
The New York Times first reported that Trump would travel to the Pentagon on 9/11, writing Thursday that the president had initially wanted to go to New York City but decided against it when organizers would not allow him to speak during the Ground Zero program, which traditionally does not permit speeches.
= Yuki Iwamura / AP
Leader of the Seneca Nation demands Trump reinstate Lake Ontario's name
The leader of the Seneca Nation today condemned Trump's executive order to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America," urging the president to reinstate its longstanding name with Indigenous roots.
Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca said in a statement today that Trump's order showed "blatant disrespect" to all Indigenous people, calling it "starkly un-presidential and demeaning to his office and his standing as the leader of the free world.”
"Long before the United States existed, and before settlers brought the English language to our lands, our Seneca and Haudenosaunee ancestors traveled Lake Ontario and surrounding waterways for many reasons, including diplomacy among our nations. Now, we are seeing the exact opposite of diplomacy," Seneca wrote in a statement.
Seneca said that in the nation's traditional Seneca language, the lake's name is sga:nyodai:yoh, meaning ‘beautiful lake.’
Seneca said the renaming goes against the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, an agreement signed by the Haudenosaunee and Seneca nations and President George Washington "promising to live in peace and friendship with one another."
"President Trump’s aggression toward our culture with his Executive Order violates that peace, friendship and commitments of the Canandaigua treaty," Seneca wrote. “The President cannot assert ownership over our culture or erase it through irresponsible political action."
He wrote that Seneca Nation is calling local, state and federal representatives to stand against Trump's order "regardless of political party."
U.S. has entered deal with Venezuela to take control of 65 billion barrels of oil reserves, Trump says
President Donald Trump announced today that the U.S. had entered into an agreement with Venezuela to take control of the country’s 65 billion barrels of oil reserves.
“BREAKING NEWS: The United States of America has just entered into an Agreement with the Country of Venezuela on, THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY! At my direction, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, working closely with Highly Respected Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, and, through a partnership with private business, have secured majority U.S. control of more than 65 BILLION BARRELS of proven Oil Reserves in Venezuela, at no cost to the American Taxpayer,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump added that the transaction “MORE THAN DOUBLES American Oil Reserves.”
A sculpture in front of the Caracas headquarters of Petroleos de Venezuela, the state-owned oil and natural gas company, in 2022. Miguel Zambrano / AFP via Getty Images file
Kentucky woman indicted on charges she damaged the World War II Memorial in Washington
A Kentucky woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that she intentionally damaged The World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Melissa Farris is scheduled to be arraigned next week on two felony counts. Grand jurors indicted her today on charges of destroying the veterans’ memorial and destroying government property.
An attorney for Farris didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Friday.
Farris, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, is suspected of spray painting the words “Clean hands dirty $” on the monument and filling a fountain with bubbles on Aug. 13. She was ordered released after her initial court appearance on Aug. 17.
Milo Yiannopoulos arrested by ICE
Milo Yiannopoulos, a self-described libertarian and professional internet troll who became known for his controversial right-wing political views, is in ICE custody.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told NBC News that ICE arrested Yiannopoulos, a United Kingdom national, today at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, Louisiana.
The DHS spokesperson said Yiannopoulos legally entered the U.S. on May 14, 2019, through New York City, but then “chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws.”
Yiannopoulos was taken into ICE custody Thursday after “failing to show up for his immigration hearing” on July 22, prompting an immigration judge to issue a final order of removal against him, according to the spokesperson. “He will remain in ICE custody pending removal,” the spokesperson added.
Pete Hegseth is talking about a possible run for president in 2028, sources say
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told close friends and associates that he is considering a run for president in 2028, according to two people familiar with the conversations.
Daniel Heuer / Bloomberg via Getty Images
ICE plans to buy robot ‘dogs’ for some immigration enforcement operations
Immigration Customs and Enforcement plans to spend as much as $2 million to purchase robot “dogs” that the agency would use in immigration enforcement operations, according to a government funding document reviewed by NBC News.
A senior Department of Homeland Security official confirmed ICE is planning to purchase the robots. They would be used in situations where it may be unsafe for an officer to go into a building or area, the official said.
Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
GOP Sen. Susan Collins asks Trump administration to restart trade talks with Canada
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who faces a difficult re-election battle this fall, is asking Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to restart trade negotiations with Canada.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
“For Mainers, commerce with Canada is a regular occurrence," Collins wrote in a letter today to the Trump administration officials. "Maine borders only one state, but shares a 611-mile border with Canada. The consequences of Canada’s retaliatory tariffs are severe for Maine businesses, including our heritage industries.”
Collins has objected to the tariffs, warning that they’ll harm Maine, a border state that trades heavily with Canada. In her letter, the senator estimated $170 million worth of Maine goods will be subject to Canada's tariffs, with 62% coming from forestry products. She also praised Canada's decision to drop its initially planned tariff on seafood and fish products, which she said would have resulted in $200 million in duties on Maine's lobster industry.
“Maine’s economy is uniquely intertwined with Canada, and the consequences of an escalating trade dispute will be felt by American families, businesses, workers, and communities across the state," Collins wrote. "Thousands of American jobs and businesses across a variety of sectors are at risk."
Trump administration appealing ruling involving mail-in ballots
The Trump administration has appealed a federal judge's order yesterday blocking a Postal Service regulation that would have required the USPS to deliver mail-in ballots only to people on an eligible voters list.
Logan Cyrus / AFP via Getty Images file
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani found the regulation is most likely unlawful because the president cannot insert the federal government into elections without the express authorization of Congress.
The recently finalized measure would implement a key provision of the president’s executive order directing the Postal Service to, among other things, track mail-in ballots and potentially reject those submitted by people not on a federal list of eligible voters.
“The court finds plaintiffs likely to succeed on the merits of their claims,” she said.
How much has the Iran war cost so far? Tracking the human and financial toll
Shortly after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February, Trump said he expected the war would wrap up in four to five weeks. The conflict has lasted much longer and taken a far greater toll than officials projected.
A dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base last month. Daniel Heuer / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Elon Musk’s super PAC begins pouring money into the midterms online
Billionaire Elon Musk’s super PAC launched digital ads in key Senate battlegrounds this month, the group’s first significant advertising spending since last year’s state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin.
The new digital ads are running in Maine, Michigan and New Hampshire target specific lists of people and urge viewers to register to vote, according to a review of Meta political ad data. Some ads are generic, featuring reminders that the Senate races in their states could decide control of the chamber.
Alex Brandon / AP file
Sen. Bernie Sanders says 'Dr. King's dream is under threat'
Speaking at an event in Washington marking the 63rd anniversary of the March on Washington, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Trump was threatening democracy and the right to vote.
Alex Wong / Getty Images
"Donald Trump is an authoritarian who is deliberately trying to destroy faith in American democracy, create confusion, sow mistrust in our elections and make it harder for Americans to vote. But Dr. King's dream is under threat in other ways as well," Sanders told attendees. "Dr. King understood that political freedom and economic freedom are inseparable, and that is why the March on Washington was not simply a march for voting rights, as enormously important as that was. It was the March on Washington for jobs and freedom."
He added, "it's not only voting rights that are under assault today. That part of Dr. King's dream-the dream of genuine economic freedom-is all. also under unprecedented attack. Today, we have more income and wealth inequality than at any moment in American history."
Judge denies latest Trump bid to move hush money case to federal court
A federal judge in New York has again blocked the president from trying to move the hush money case that saw him convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records to federal court.
“President Trump must show that 'he acted diligently and without undue delay to remove the case based on' new grounds, here, principally the issuance of the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. United States, in order to 'show good cause for the untimely filing at issue,'” U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein wrote, adding that the president had failed to do so.
Stormy Daniels; Michael Cohen AP file
The judge found Trump had waited too long after the high court's ruling on presidential immunity to try to move the case, and that he only attempted to do so after it became clear the state court was going to reject his immunity arguments.
Trump had pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges and is appealing his conviction.
Hellerstein, who'd rejected Trump's earlier attempts to move the case, also ripped the argument that the trial testimony of his former White House aides Hope Hicks and Madeleine Westerhout and former personal lawyer Michael Cohen infringed on presidential immunity.
“They do not,” Hellerstein wrote. “Paying hush money to an adult film star or engaging in a cover-up of an embarrassment are not subsumed in presidential immunity.”
“There is no way that discussions regarding hush money payments to cover up the President’s relations with Stormy Daniels could be an official act," Hellerstein ruled, referring to the adult film actor, who alleged an affair with Trump years earlier. "An affair, or a cover-up of an affair, is not within the ’outer perimeter’ of the President’s official responsibilities,” .
Trump has repeatedly denied the affair allegation.
The president's attorneys also argued in court that four of Trump’s online posts should be considered an official act.
But the judge wrote that the tweets “discussed Cohen’s role as the President’s personal attorney and stated that the matter with Stormy Daniels was 'a private contract' between Cohen and Daniels,” meaning that each was "an unofficial communication."
“Trump used his personal Twitter account, where he regularly communicated both official and unofficial statements," he wrote.
Hellerstein added the prosecution arose from private conduct, surrounding the reimbursement of hush money payments to the adult film star.
“That conduct, and the challenged evidence, bears no substantive relation to his position in federal office," he wrote. "To consider these facts to be ’relating to’ a federal office would give the words a definition that is 'so broad that it is meaningless.'"
Attorneys for the president filed a notice that he was appealing Hellerstein's order shortly after it was handed down.
Judge in birthright citizenship case skeptical of government's claims
A federal judge in Maryland is allowing Trump’s renewed effort to limit birthright citizenship to move forward, but likely only for the next few days.
At a hearing this morning, U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman pushed back against a Justice Department lawyer's assertion that no imminent action was being taken as a result of Trump's latest order targeting birthright citizenship.
The new order is focused on restricting automatic citizenship to children born to adults working for foreign embassies, as well as anyone who would fall under the definition of an ”alien enemy” of the United States.
She denied immigration group CASA’s request to block the order, but only because of what is really a technicality: The original complaint in the case focused on Trump’s 2025 birthright citizenship executive order, not the August 2026 order.
The judge called the latest EO “unprecedented” and said it contradicts the ruling handed down by the Supreme Court earlier this year on a prior executive order on the issue. It appears the president is “trying to rewrite the carveouts to birthright citizenship with the stroke of a pen," she said.
Boardman gave CASA the green light to file an amended complaint that addresses the new order by Monday.
Trump calls space station from Johnson Space Center
The president is speaking over the phone to American astronauts on the International Space Station from Houston.
"I just congratulate everybody. And be careful. Be safe. And we love you all," Trump told the astronauts.
He also joked at the beginning of the phone call that many Americans would love to go to the space station, adding, "I wouldn't do it."
The president welcomed the significant others of the astronauts to say hello to them as well and offered to welcome the astronauts in the White House when they return to Earth.
"We're going to see you when you get back. In fact, if you want, Oval Office time, right?" he said.
Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty Images
Trump presents congressional medals to Artemis II crew
The president participated in a ceremony at Johnson Space Center honoring the crew and staff of Artemis II, giving them each a Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
At the end of the ceremony, a member of NASA presented the president with his own NASA blue crew jacket.
Trump presents a Congressional Space Medal of Honor to NASA astronaut and commander Reid Wiseman. Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty Images
Trump announces creation of the U.S. Space Academy
During a speech at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, the president announced that he would sign an executive order to create the U.S. Space Academy.
Speaking about the future of space travel, Trump said, "It’s clear that we need to educate and train an entire generation of skilled service members, engineers, civil operators ... and that’s why in a few moments we’re going to get an executive order to begin the process of creating a new national academy. It’s called the U.S. Space Academy. "
He added, "You think of West Point, and you think of Annapolis, and you think of the Air Force Academy, and you think of the Coast Guard Academies. Great, they’re all great, but we’re going to have now the Space Force. We’re going to have an academy for what the people in this room love the most."
The most recently created federal military academy is the Air Force Academy, which was launched in 1954.
Trump arrives at the Johnson Space Center. Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty Images
Trump’s new Fed chair walks fine line on inflation in key speech
Trump’s new Federal Reserve chair said today that although measures of inflation are still elevated, it is not yet clear that the central bank must take urgent action to address rising prices.
The speech at the Fed’s yearly retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, had been eagerly anticipated after a rocky start to Kevin Warsh’s tenure. Market observers were concerned that he had downplayed the risk of rising prices.
There were also calls for an interest rate hike from economists, including some within the Fed. Trump has routinely called for lower rates that would spark the economy but risk even greater inflation.
Marine One has communication breakdown
We’re learning of a new communications incident involving Marine One while Trump was on board. And the FAA is now moving to fire some air traffic controllers at LaGuardia Airport after last March’s fatal plane crash there. NBC’s Tom Costello reports.
Norway’s King Harald V dies at 89 and his son becomes king
King Harald V of Norway, who went into exile in the United States as a child during the Nazi occupation of his homeland and refused a string of European noblewomen in order to marry his school sweetheart, has died. He was 89.
The royal palace said he died at the National Hospital in Oslo today at 6:35 a.m local time.
King Harald V of Norway in 2019. Francisco Seco / AP file
‘Big questions’ and few easy answers for Trump’s Fed chair at annual retreat
There is a lot riding on Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s speech here this morning at the Fed’s storied annual retreat in the Tetons.
Previous Fed chairs have used the annual Jackson Hole address to deliver major policy announcements, and Warsh said last month that he would use the occasion to “frame the big questions” facing the Fed.
But just three months into the job, Warsh faces a growing list of more immediate questions for the central bank he leads.
Judge hits DOJ lawyers with barrage of questions about Kennedy Center renovation and Trump renaming
The judge in a court battle over efforts to add Trump’s name to the front of the Kennedy Center peppered the administration’s lawyers with questions yesterday on their rush to put his name back on it.
The Trump-appointed board at the performance venue voted this month to add the words “renovated and restored by President Donald J. Trump” to the building and to rename the property “President Donald J. Trump Plaza” by Sept. 8.
Trump to phone International Space Station astronauts from NASA Mission Control
Trump will become the first sitting president to call astronauts aboard the International Space Station from Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston today.
It’s part of a trip Trump is making to Johnson to award the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to the crewmembers of the Artemis II, who made history this year on their mission around the moon.
It won’t be the first time a president has called the space station, though — just the first time one will have done it from the iconic Johnson Space Center, which has hosted mission control for every crewed NASA mission since 1965’s Gemini 4.
In 2011, President Barack Obama called the space station from the Oval Office, and Trump did the same in 2017, during his first term.
Trump in the past has proposed slashing funding for or privatizing the space station. In a 2018 budget proposal, the first Trump administration suggested ending the U.S.’ involvement in it. Last year, near the start of his second term, Trump in an executive order proposed building a replacement for it with commercial funding.
Americans doubted the Iran war from the start — and Trump’s numbers haven’t gotten better since
Americans remain sour on the Iran war and Trump’s handling of the conflict after six months, and they continue to say they oppose the military action, according to an NBC News review of public polling.
Judge blocks Trump’s Postal Service regulation on mail-in ballots
A federal judge blocked a Postal Service regulation yesterday that would exert control over mail-in ballots ahead of the midterm elections in the latest setback on the issue for Trump.
The recently finalized measure would implement a key provision of the president's executive order on mail-in ballots that would add a new level of bureaucracy to the elections process, which is typically administered by states.
