Trump declassifies documents to fuel claims of China’s interference in 2020 election
This version of Rcrd117403 - Politics and Government | NBC News Clone was adapted by NBC News Clone to help readers digest key facts more efficiently.
The president talked about election security less than four months before the midterms, where Republicans are seeking to defend their slim majorities in Congress.
What to know today
- TRUMP SPEECH: President Donald Trump delivered a speech to the nation tonight from the White House with a focus on the 2020 election.
- 2020 ELECTION: The president declassifying documents that he says will show interference by China in the 2020 election. Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that there was widespread election fraud six years ago when he lost to President Joe Biden.
- SAVE AMERICA ACT: Trump again pushed for Congress to pass legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and voter ID at the polls. The bill faces long odds of passing Congress, where it lacks sufficient Republican support in the Senate and faces vehement opposition from Democrats.
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Trump delivers speech on White House declassification of election documents
Watch full coverage as President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the White House. Trump announced that the White House will declassify documents related to the 2020 election and alleged Chinese influence. NBC News' Hallie Jackson, Dan De Luce, and Kelly O'Donnell provide analysis of Trump’s remarks.
Fact check: Trump claims hundreds of thousands of noncitizens are on voter rolls
Statement
"Evidence of fraud has been buried. Hundreds of thousands of noncitizens and dead people are listed and active on the voter rolls, and yet we still have elections with no voter ID."
Verdict
This lacks evidence.
Analysis
The White House posted a document claiming that over 250,000 noncitizens are illegally registered to vote in four states — California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania — based on a review of public voter rolls.
The document does not detail how the Department of Homeland Security analyzed the voter rolls, particularly without the protected personal information like Social Security and driver’s license numbers that help election officials accurately verify a registrant’s identity. The one-page document does detail and promote the SAVE database, suggesting it might have been used to vet the voter rolls. The SAVE database was designed to verify citizenship for certain government benefits before being reworked for election officials.
The database, which has proven to be error-prone when used to evaluate voter rolls, often flags newly naturalized citizens as noncitizen voters. What’s more, DHS officials insist the database itself does not make a determination that an individual is a noncitizen; it checks other government databases where proof of citizenship might be stored and flags registrants for further evaluation.
The document also asserts that some 400,000 voters were flagged by the SAVE database as deceased out of 68 million voter registrations. That number is approximately a half a percent of the registrations reviewed. The flags then must be verified by election officials, typically through sending mailers to the voters to allow them to contradict the flags.
America’s voter rolls are designed for registration and not removal, which means there are indeed deceased voters on the rolls at any time. Election officials undergo routine list maintenance to update them, evaluating registrations against Social Security death records and even obituaries to remove dead voters at routine intervals. A deceased registrant who is not flagged through those methods would remain on the voter rolls until election officials removed them following a period of inactivity prescribed by federal law.
It's 'almost impossible' for China to undermine U.S. elections, analyst says
Trump’s allegations of Chinese election interference are “not credible” and it would be “almost impossible” for China to undermine a U.S. election, an analyst said.
“It’s too hard because elections are too federalized and too localized,” said Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Kurlantzick, author of the 2022 book “Beijing’s Global Media Offensive: China’s Uneven Campaign to Influence Asia and the World,” said China does spend significantly on U.S. disinformation and tries to cultivate state and local officials as Chinese agents in New York and elsewhere.
“China does a lot of bad things, and they do a lot of things that are really problematic for foreign influence in our country, but this is the one thing they don’t do,” he said, adding that the U.S. intelligence community has made the same conclusion “multiple times.”
Successfully infiltrating U.S. elections would be so difficult for China or any foreign actor that “it’s not worth trying,” Kurlantzick said.
“That’s why there’s no public evidence at all to corroborate anything [Trump] said,” he added.
New documents show the Biden campaign was targeted by China
One of the documents released tonight by the Trump administration refers to Chinese efforts to target President Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.
The document, published on July 1, 2020, says that the U.S. intelligence community “has detected Chinese state-sponsored cyber activity targeting the former Vice President’s presidential campaign, probably to gather intelligence that could enable future operations, the first instance this election cycle that we have seen them directly targeting a U.S. presidential campaign.”
The document also provides more context on voter registration data saying, “during the past year, Chinese cyber actors have collected US election-related information from US voter databases, a polling data company, political and nonprofit organizations, fundraisers, and advisory organizations for political campaigns, REDACTED”.
The view from inside the East Room during Trump's speech
There were about 55 people here in the White House's East Room for Trump's speech tonight.
Attendees in the first row included Vice President JD Vance, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
The second row included Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte, senior counselor Peter Navarro and FBI Director Kash Patel, who nodded along when Trump mentioned voter ID.
Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins were in attendance as well.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung was on the other side of the room, among guests, as was White House staff secretary Will Scharf. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was in the back, behind the non-administration guests.
The crowd broke into applause after the speech wrapped. The president joked with the crowd and spoke to the audience about election fraud and America 250 and other topics for about 20 minutes after it was over.
U.S.-China relationship may be impacted by Trump’s speech
The president's speech could potentially strain relations with China ahead of a planned visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the U.S. The trip is scheduled to take place this fall, according to a White House memo.
Fact check: Trump says China illicitly acquired U.S. voter files
Statement
“Over a period of years, starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People's Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history, resulting in China's illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files. That information includes names, addresses, phone numbers, political party preferences, and other sensitive data that would be needed to register to vote and engage in other nefarious activities.”
Verdict
This needs context.
Analysis
Voter roll information can be made public through public records requests, through purchase from a particular state, or through commercial means for a fee. In short, it’s publicly available to almost anyone — including people in China.
In his speech, Trump did not provide evidence to support claims that China acquired 220 million U.S. voter files illicitly and did not explain how the voter data was transferred to China.
NBC News is reviewing the files released by the Trump administration tonight.
Dan De Luce, Garrett Haake, Ryan Nobles, Kelly O'Donnell, Jane Timm and Tom Winter analyze both Trump's remarks and some of the documents declassified.
'Totally bogus': Democrats react to Trump’s speech
Top Democrats took to social media after President Trump’s speech to react to his remarks.
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who is up for re-election in November, called for Trump’s impeachment “for undermining and subverting our free and fair elections.”
In response to President Trump’s renewed call for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote “Not now. Not ever,” adding that the bill is “dead on arrival” in the Senate.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called the president “a feeble, unhinged conspiracy-peddling 80-year old failed President.”
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called Trump’s “shocking ‘bombshells" about China "totally bogus.”
“The fact is our intelligence agencies unanimously agreed that China did not even try to change a single vote in the 2020 election,” Warner wrote. “A single concurring opinion suggested China may have tried to sway voters’ opinions … but that’s been public knowledge since 2021.”
Retired intelligence officers worry their agencies are being politicized by Trump
Many retired intelligence officers are very worried about intelligence agencies being used for political purposes.
These people are quite nonpartisan, maybe even right-of-center a lot of the time. In this case, classified documents are being released and given highly political interpretations.
These officers see their craft as something very sober, clear-eyed and apolitical — giving the president the unvarnished truth. At least, that’s what they’re trying to do. And they are worried that this is tainting their profession in a way.
Trump's speech is unlikely to get the SAVE America Act the votes it needs to pass
Trump's speech tonight was controversial even before it began, with some of the president's critics suggesting he is trying to sow doubt about the legitimacy of American elections just months before the midterms. In his own party, there were questions about why he was making these remarks now.
I think there are many Republicans who would prefer a speech like this, with as big an audience as this, had been focused on things like affordability, the price of gas, kitchen table issues that affect millions of Americans and will largely drive what they are going to decide when they go to the ballot box.
Instead, he's pushing a ballot measure that largely is unpopular with both Republicans and Democrats in the SAVE America Act. It doesn't have the votes to pass. It probably still will not have the votes to pass after the speech, despite what the president tried to present here tonight.
Trump did not present any evidence that actual ballots were tampered with
Trump did not present evidence that actual ballots were tampered with or that China or another foreign actor altered our voting systems and changed the outcome of elections.
The president said during his speech tonight that the declassified documents "show that over a period of years, starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history, resulting in China’s illicit acquisition of 220 million U.S. voter files."
It is not new that our voting systems have been a target of foreign adversaries for years, as U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials have been saying now for some time. Voting database information is already commercially available.
Trump said tonight that China's access to voter files "presents an unprecedented election security nightmare."
Trump then said that there was evidence that the regime in Venezuela was manipulating its own election, tilting it somehow.
"Today, we are releasing documents that show the CIA obtained reporting of a specific plot to do a big number in favor of the corrupt Maduro regime in Venezuela, and that's exactly what happened," Trump said.
There was an intelligence community report about the 2020 election that read: "We have no information suggesting that the current or former Venezuelan regimes were involved in attempts to compromise U.S. election infrastructure."
So again, the running theme throughout all these intelligence reports and FBI reports and DHS reports is that our U.S. voting systems have not been disrupted or tampered with. With those reports, Trump did not share any new evidence tonight that they had been.
Some voter information is already purchasable and obtainable
It might be surprising to hear that China has voter data — but that is information that is purchasable and obtainable by anyone.
That kind of information discloses the name of a voter, and the address and precinct at which they are registered to vote.
Most U.S. jurisdictions use paper ballots, making digital manipulation unlikely
Most jurisdictions in the U.S. use and audit paper ballots. So Trump talking about the digital manipulation of ballot results, like in the case of Venezuela, would not apply here in the same way.
There are places that do have digital ballots, but there are other ways of checking those ballots.
All systems are vulnerable in some way, but if something like this was attempted, we would know, and we would be able to check it — that’s how our local system works.
The first thing that election officials told me following Trump’s speech was to wonder why Trump would gut the federal agency that helped election officials protect against foreign interference and was helping them protect election infrastructure if the president considers this a top concern.
Election officials respond to Trump's speech
Some current and former election officials quickly reacted to President Donald Trump's speech, disputing his claims about Chinese involvement in U.S. elections.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, said Trump was rehashing "debunked and baseless conspiracy theories about an election he lost almost six years ago." She said Michigan's elections are "safe and secure."
"Because in every election, over 1,600 bipartisan professional election administrators and thousands of trained poll workers ensure that the law is followed and that every valid vote counts. And after every election, we conduct dozens of professional audits at every level to reinforce this fact," she said.
Stephen Richer, a Republican who was recorder of Maricopa County in Arizona — responsible for voter registration and administration — wrote on X, "We. Use. Auditable. Paper. Ballots. Even if tabulation machines are vulnerable (a predicate I don't accept), and even if connected to the internet (not true), then any manipulation would still be revealed in post-election hand counts."
And Ann Jacobs, a Democrat who served as chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, also said on X, "Hi from Wisconsin Elections - the Chinese government did not steal any Wisconsin voter data. If they bought our voter data, that is public data and they are allowed to buy it. So can you! So can anyone! We also did not have any 'bamboo ballots'. That’s a myth."
U.S. intelligence said in 2021 that China did not try to sway election outcome
A U.S. intelligence assessment released in March 2021 said with “high confidence” that China considered but did not go through with an operation to sway the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
China did not view either a Trump or a Biden victory as “being advantageous enough for China to risk getting caught meddling,” the report said. Instead, the report said, China chose to emphasize stability in its relationship with the U.S., most likely using traditional “influence tools” such as economic measures and lobbying.
The report further said there was no indication that any foreign actor had tried to alter any technical aspect of the 2020 voting process, “including voter registration, casting ballots, vote tabulation, or reporting results.”
A dissenting opinion from the national intelligence officer for cyber at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence held that China took at least some steps to undermine Trump’s re-election campaign, primarily through social media and official public statements and media, in the hope that a “more predictable member of the establishment” would be elected instead.
It agreed that “we have no information suggesting China tried to interfere with election processes.”
The report was overseen by John Ratcliffe, who was Trump’s director of national intelligence in his first term and is now director of the CIA.
Fact check: Trump says he took office after the 'worst inflation in 48 years'
Statement
"Less than two years ago, we inherited an economic and social disaster after the worst inflation in 48 years."
Verdict
This needs context.
Analysis
When Trump took office in January 2025, inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index was 2.9%, which is generally considered low by economists. The Federal Reserve’s target for inflation is only slightly lower at 2%.
The worst inflation in 48 years occurred in June 2022, when it was 8.9%. At the time, President Joe Biden was in office and the reading took place in the midst of the global pandemic.
Inflation fell as low as 2.3% in April 2025, right before Trump unveiled his global tariffs. As of the latest reading, which was released on Tuesday, inflation is now 3.5%.
Trump’s speech has concluded
Trump’s 25-minute speech to the nation has wrapped.
Trump says DHS Secretary Mullin will hold briefing tomorrow
Trump said that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin will hold a briefing tomorrow, during which, according to Trump, Mullin will “outline his department’s recent work confirming cyber-vulnerabilities in our electronic voting systems.”
He did not provide details on any specific vulnerabilities.
What to know about the ‘SAVE America Act’ and Trump’s push for voting changes
Trump tonight again called on Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a bill he claims is needed to secure elections.
Despite pressure from the president as well as several House and Senate Republicans — and weeks spent debating the bill on the Senate floor — it lacks the necessary support to clear the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the upper chamber. Trump has called for eliminating the filibuster altogether to pass the legislation, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has said his caucus is “not even close” to having the votes to do that.
Trump says White House will declassify documents relating to China and U.S. elections
Trump said that the White House will declassify documents relating to the 2020 election and alleged influence by China.
The president said the documents have been gathered by the White House Government Transparency Task Force along with the staff of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board. Trump said the work was supported by top intelligence agency chiefs, who have all personally reviewed the findings.
White House releases website on 'election integrity'
As Trump speaks, the White House has published a new website titled “election integrity.”
The website discloses documents that the White House says address “key areas of election integrity.”
Trump's speech to the nation begins
Trump’s speech to the nation, which is expected to focus on the 2020 election, has begun.
Saul Loeb / Pool via AFP-Getty Images
Republican senator previews Trump's speech as 'most important' since JFK's Cuban Missile Crisis address
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, a top Trump ally, said in a post on X that he had been briefed by the White House on Trump’s speech tonight, and said he “would encourage every American to tune in.”
“This may be the most important Oval Office address since the Cuban Missile Crisis,” Moreno wrote, referencing President John F. Kennedy's 1962 address in which he ordered measures including a quarantine of Cuba and increased surveillance of the island.
“The time for complacency with China is over," Moreno added.
The Maine Senate debate ends as participants focus affordability, health care
The Maine Senate debate has come to a close after eight candidates participated in hopes of earning the Democratic nomination and battling Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in November.
Former Maryland environmental official David Costello, former state legislator Elizabeth Dickerson, businessman Dan Kleban and transgender activist Ashley Webb debated during the second hour of the debate, with all four candidates arguing in favor of taxing the wealthy, abolishing ICE and working to provide affordability to everyday Americans.
In the first hour, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah and former congressional aide Jordan Wood took the stage.
The candidates avoided taking aim at each other in both sections of the debate, yet all made jabs at the Trump administration and at Collins.
Second group of Maine Senate candidates focus on democracy, party unity in opening statements
The second group of candidates in tonight's Maine Senate debate kicked off the hour with their opening statements.
Former Maryland environmental official David Costello began with a pledge "to help in ending the Trump administration's reckless assault on our democracy, environment, and economy."
Robert F. Bukaty / AP
"To fix Washington, we need to nominate the candidate for the United States Senate, whose background, knowledge and experience most most sharply contrasts out with Senator Collins," Costello said. "Having grown up in a working-class family in Old Town and having served for more than 27 years in senior-level government positions, I believe that I'm that candidate."
Former state legislator Elizabeth Dickerson focused her statement on her commitment to fighting climate change, saying, "I did this because I'm very interested in climate, and President Trump has done about everything he can do to strip away any protections that we have on climate."
She also called for "food security for all, health care for all, housing for all, to abolish ICE, and to reverse climate change and end the war."
Dan Kleban, co-founder of the Maine Beer Co., said while he is not a career politician, he will "unify the party" as a "new generation of leadership."
"When I looked down at Washington D.C., Susan Collins is not doing what's right," Kleban said. "We need someone who's going to stand up for Mainers, and Graham Platner was right. The system's rigged, and Susan Collins has been a part of that system for 30 years."
Transgender activist Ashley Webb said "the biggest thing I'd like to get across is that we need unity."
Webb said the current immigration enforcement tactics are "not acceptable," and that transgender people in the U.S. "are being dehumanized."
Second slate of Democratic candidates take the stage in Maine Senate debate
The second half of the two-hour Maine Senate debate is underway.
Four candidates are participating: former Maryland environmental official David Costello, former state legislator Elizabeth Dickerson, businessman Dan Kleban and transgender activist Ashley Webb.
Robert F. Bukaty / AP
The first hour included the candidates who were on the ballot for the June primary and received more than 20% of the vote: Shenna Bellows, Troy Jackson, Nirav Shah and Jordan Wood.
The remaining four candidates either weren’t on the ballot or fell below the 20% threshold.
Democratic candidates focus their attacks on Susan Collins, not each other
The first hour of the Maine Senate debate has ended, featuring the four candidates who ran in other Democratic primary races in Maine last month and earned at least 20% of the vote.
Shenna Bellows, Troy Jackson, Nirav Shah and Jordan Wood kept their attacks aimed at GOP Sen. Susan Collins and the Trump administration, rather than at each other.
The four candidates spoke out about resisting aggressive tactics by ICE agents in the state, support for raising taxes against the wealthy and calling for an end to the war in Iran.
Shah says Hegseth needs to be 'booted': 'He's not thinking about war in a modern context'
Nirav Shah took aim at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticizing his announcement this week that the U.S. military will begin testing the testosterone levels of some U.S. service members.
"One of the things that I have been quite dismayed about is the performance of Secretary Pete Hegseth," Shah said.
Robert F. Bukaty / AP
He called Hegseth "rankly unqualified" for the position of Defense secretary, adding that Hegseth "is not thinking about war in a modern context."
"He's obsessed with testosterone levels of troops, and he's not thinking about the ways that AI and drone technology are going to put America at risk," Shah said. "So, among the many things we need to do is boot him from his role and actually get a sharp Secretary of Defense in place."
Jackson, Wood call for raising taxes for the wealthy to address the deficit
Asked about how they would address the country's deficit, Troy Jackson and Jordan Wood both called for raising taxes on wealthy Americans.
"If we want to balance the federal budget, the way to do that is to quit giving massive income tax cuts to people like Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and start taxing wealthy people," Jackson said.
Wood said in his own response that taxes need to be raised on corporations and the wealthy.
"When I talk about corruption, this is what I mean: is that we have a Supreme Court and a political system that gives all the power to the wealthy and corporations," Wood said. "And there's a reason that their tax rates have not have not gone up."
Wood said that the country needs "historic tax reform that makes the wealthiest pay their fair share."
Maine candidates embrace Platner's policies in debate
The four Democrats in the first section of tonight's debate each embraced pieces of Graham Platner's policy platform, responding to a question about whether there is anything from his agenda they would utilize in their campaigns.
Troy Jackson voiced support for "Medicare for All." Nirav Shah said it is time to abolish ICE. Jordan Wood said Platner taught him on the campaign trail about the importance of drawing "moral lines," calling Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza a genocide. And Bellows said Platner was right that democracy had been "corrupted" by those in power in Washington and billionaires.
Maine Senate candidates focus opening statements on Sen. Susan Collins and ICE
The four candidates kicking off the first hour of the Maine Senate debate each gave an opening statement, focusing their remarks on Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins and pledging to push back against ICE.
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows began by touting her record as Maine secretary of state and taking on the Trump administration when it attempted to take Maine's voter data. She also emphasized her work to combat ICE tactics in Maine, including to block the agency from using undercover license plates "because there are no secret police in a democracy."
Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson cited the fatal shooting by an ICE agent that killed 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in the state on Monday.
"Before I go any further, I want to say that my heart is with the family, the Garrett family in Biddeford for the senseless killing by ICE agents," Jackson said. "Something that should have never happened, and part of the reason why we should be running for this seat so that to have somebody that actually does right by people in this state."
Former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah spoke of the killing as well and criticized Collins' leadership.
"With a system this broken, we simply cannot stand by for six more years of Susan Collins's status quo," Shah said. "And I am the best equipped to prosecute the case against her."
In his opening statement, former congressional aide Jordan Wood said that Collins "helped build a political system that is failing us."
He was also the first to mention Graham Platner, who suspended his campaign after facing allegations of sexual assault.
"I am the only candidate on this stage who can separate themselves from Graham Platner, the candidate, from our progressive movement to change Washington," Wood said. "Last October, when I didn't believe Graham was telling us the truth about his past, I spoke out, and it cost me politically."
The Maine Senate debate has begun
The Maine Senate debate has started as of 7 p.m. ET, with nine candidates vying to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee.
For the first hour of the debate, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah and former congressional aide Jordan Wood are on stage.
Robert F. Bukaty / AP
Former Maryland environmental official David Costello, former Maine state Rep. Elizabeth Dickerson, businessman Dan Kleban and transgender activist Ashley Webb are expected to take the stage for a second round at 8 p.m. ET.
What to expect for the Maine Senate debate tonight
Nine candidates battling for the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Maine will take the stage for a debate at 7 p.m. ET tonight.
The debate, hosted by NBC News affiliate News Center Maine, will be split into two separate hours.
During the first hour, the four candidates who were on the ballot in the Democratic primary race last month — including for other races, like the gubernatorial race — and earned more than 20% of the vote will get to debate each other. That includes Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah and former congressional aide Jordan Wood.
The remaining five candidates will take the stage from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. These candidates either did not run during the June primaries or did not receive at least 20% of the vote.
Former Maryland environmental official David Costello, former Maine state Rep. Elizabeth Dickerson, businessman Dan Kleban and transgender activist Ashley Webb will be in the second group.
In each hour, candidates will have 60 seconds to give their opening statements. They will not give closing statements.
The candidates will each have 60 seconds to answer new questions from the moderators and will take turns on who gets to give the first response. Moderators will be in charge of determining when follow-ups and rebuttals are allowed.
Trump to focus on claims of foreign election interference in speech
Trump is expected to present declassified information he will say shows foreign interference in the 2020 election, according to a person familiar with the speech.
Trump is set to begin his speech at 9 p.m. ET.
Tonight's speech marks Trump's fourth address to the nation since returning to office
This is the fourth time that Trump has addressed the nation at night from the White House since returning to office in 2025.
Two of the addresses were focused on the war in Iran. The first was delivered on June 21, 2025 following the U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites. Trump spoke for about three and a half minutes.
Trump also focused on the war in an address on April 1, during which he said that his military objectives in Iran were “nearing completion.” That address lasted for 19 minutes.
In December 2025, Trump addressed the nation for about 18 minutes to tout the accomplishments of his first year back in office, highlighting his aggressive anti-immigration agenda and efforts on affordability.
Trump has posted videos of himself speaking from the White House on other occasions, including when he posted a video giving remarks on the assassination of Charlie Kirk in September.
Truth Social to sell Wall Street firms the ‘fastest’ access to Trump’s posts
Trump Media & Technology Group has unveiled a paid-for, licensed data feed that will give banks and trading firms “the fastest” access to posts from influential Truth Social accounts, such as President Donald Trump’s, whose posts often move global markets.
The product, called ‘Truth API’, will deliver posts from the 10 most influential accounts to customers at a significantly faster pace than a regular push notification on the Truth Social platform, a spokesperson said.
The feed is designed for organizations “most impacted by the cost of a delay in information”, such as algorithmic trading firms, the company said in a statement. “Until now... firms that prioritize tracking influential Truth posts have relied on manual monitoring. Truth API closes the gap.”
John Minchillo / AP file
More and more, Trump is talking about his mortality
At 78 years old, Trump became the oldest president ever to be inaugurated, and he turned 80 last month. After a gunman targeted him at a campaign rally two summers ago, he started to openly reflect on his own mortality, an apparent recognition that he could be assassinated while in office.
Beata Zawrzel / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to meet with Epstein survivors shortly
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is expected to meet with Epstein survivors at 4:30 p.m. ET, a source familiar with the meeting told NBC News.
The meeting comes after Blanche earlier today tried to meet with survivors on Capitol Hill but wasn't able to. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., pledged earlier today to only vote to confirm Blanche as attorney general if he meets with a group of Epstein survivors.
Sen. Ed Markey and other incumbents get outraised by challengers ahead of tough primaries
Seven House incumbents have already lost re-election so far this primary season, and new fundraising reports show that several others were outraised by their opponents during the last fundraising quarter as they prepare to fight for survival in late summer primaries.
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., in Boston in May. John Tlumacki / Boston Globe via Getty Images file
Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts raised just over $1 million between April and June, short of the $1.4 million raised by Rep. Seth Moulton in his campaign to unseat him. Markey is no stranger to fending off a primary challenge from a younger opponent, after defeating then-Rep. Joe Kennedy III in 2020. This time, though, Moulton has taken direct aim at Markey’s age at a moment when many Democrats are echoing calls for a new generation of leadership in the party.
Two other Democratic House incumbents fell short of intraparty rivals in fundraising last quarter: Rep. Ed Case of Hawaii and Rep. John Larson of Connecticut.
Schumer comments on Trump speech: 'He's scared to death that he will lose in 2026'
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters on Capitol Hill this afternoon that Trump's primetime speech tonight has more to do with the 2026 elections than the 2020 presidential election.
"He’s scared to death that he will lose in 2026, and so he’s trying to change the subject,” Schumer said outside the U.S. Capitol.
Trump is not on the ballot himself but his party is at risk of potentially losing the House and Senate in the November midterms.
“The bottom line is, if Trump wants to win the American people over, instead of the bullshit that he’s peddling about 2020, he ought to focus on lowering people’s costs, getting rid of the chaos in administration, getting rid of the corruption,” Schumer said.
The Senate minority leader said "no one has any faith that Trump is going to tell the truth." He accused the president of lying for the last six years, particularly about the 2020 election.
Reached for comment about Schumer's remarks, the White House pointed to press secretary Karoline Leavitt's briefing earlier in the afternoon.
She declined to provide details when asked about the president's speech tonight, only to say, “I think the American people will be relieved to hear what they are hearing from the president of the United States and his commitment to transparency and focus on the integrity of elections tonight.”
Blanche is working out timing to meet with Epstein survivors
Earlier this afternoon, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche left a room on Capitol Hill and told reporters that a meeting with Epstein survivors did not happen as planned.
Todd Blanche in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Jack Gruber / USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
“They did not want to meet with my staff. They wanted to meet with me. I rearranged my schedule to try to meet with them. I’ve been here waiting. It didn’t work out, so we’re going to see if there’s a way we can meet either later today or sometime soon,” he said.
Blanche said he was on the Hill to meet with senators, but his “understanding” was there were Epstein survivors in town who wanted to speak with him directly. He waited in the room for 25 minutes.
He added that the Justice Department will “never not talk to victims or not talk to their counsel or their representatives.”
“There’s nothing newsworthy about this fact because the Department of Justice will always meet with victims or their representatives,” he said. “I expect that there’ll be a time that works for, for their representatives, and we’ll go from there.”
Shortly after Blanche left Capitol Hill, a source familiar told NBC News that Epstein survivors are in discussions to try and meet with Blanche later today, though they caution the situation remains fluid.
Trump's teleprompter operator has been placed on administrative leave, Leavitt says
Trump's teleprompter operator is on unpaid administrative leave after allegedly making more than $90,000 by betting on Trump's remarks using the prediction market Kalshi.
Leavitt announced during the White House press briefing that the aide was on leave, saying that Trump was aware of the situation and found it to be "deeply unfortunate and frankly, a disgrace."
Leavitt said the teleprompter operator has been cooperating with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
"There will be a teleprompter operator tonight, of course, but it will not be the one, unfortunately, in that story," Leavitt said, referring to the president's speech this evening.
Later, responding to another question about the allegations against the aide, Leavitt said that the situation “played out exactly how it should,” noting that Kalshi had notified the CFTC.
"They investigated that, identified the individual, and he will now no longer be working at the White House," she said.
Todd Blanche arrives on Capitol Hill
Todd Blanche arrived on Capitol Hill moments ago and entered a meeting room in the Dirksen Senate office building. He ignored several questions about whether he was meeting with Epstein survivors.
Earlier today, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he wouldn't support Blanche's confirmation until he meets with survivors.
Trump to attend World Cup final on Sunday
Trump will attend the World Cup final match between Argentina and Spain in New Jersey on Sunday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced.
Leavitt touted this year's World Cup as the "most successful World Cup in American history."
"This is a fitting conclusion to a tournament that showcased America's ability to host the world on the grandest stage," she said.
Trump has attended several other sporting events during his second term, including the NBA finals and the Daytona 500.
Sen. Jon Ossoff issues stern warning to Trump ahead of speech to nation on elections tonight
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., panned Trump's planned speech on election integrity tonight to the nation in remarks to reporters on Capitol Hill.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. Adam Kuehl for NBC News
“The world’s most famous sore loser will deliver a prime-time presidential sour grapes address to pursue his six-year-old grievances about the 2020 election, while his war in the Middle East spirals out of control and the cost of living continues to rise for Americans across the country," Ossoff said.
Ossoff said he expected Trump to revive debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, which, he noted, Trump lost.
“And let me be very clear about this: If the president declares Georgia’s elections illegitimate, or if the president declares Georgia’s sitting United States senators illegitimate, he is declaring Georgia voters illegitimate," Ossoff said.
The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Trump administration worked to declassify intelligence records related to the 2020 election. Notably, Trump sought to overturn Joe Biden's victory in Georgia in the wake of the election, even calling then-Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger to "find 11,780 votes" for Trump.
Ossoff won his seat in a runoff election in early January 2021, declaring victory on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, just hours before the attack on the Capitol as Trump supporters sought to halt the certification of Biden as president.
The FBI raided a Fulton County, Georgia election hub in January, seizing 2020 election records, a search that then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present for. Her attendance has been widely criticized by Democratic lawmakers.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt holds first briefing since returning from maternity leave
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is holding her first press briefing with reporters right now since she went on maternity leave.
She gave birth to her second child in early May.
Maine Senate candidates sprint to build early edge in delegate race
Democrats running for Senate in Maine are in an all-out sprint to build an early advantage in their abbreviated race for the party nomination, and the first big tests are coming this weekend.
Troy Jackson, a former State Senator and Democratic gubernatorial candidate, during a Fighting Oligarchy event with Graham Platner in Portland, Maine in May. Sophie Park / Bloomberg via Getty Images file
White House teleprompter operator allegedly made more than $90,000 betting on Trump’s speeches
A longtime teleprompter operator for Trump allegedly made more than $90,000 on the prediction market Kalshi by betting on the president’s remarks.
The Kalshi app. Cheng Xin / Getty Images file
The trades were allegedly made by Gabriel Perez, a technical assistant to the president who has served as a teleprompter operator for Trump since 2016. Perez is in talks to settle with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Johnson says he'll put a short-term funding bill on House floor next week
Speaker Mike Johnson said he plans to put a bill on the floor next week that would extend government funding temporarily past the Sept. 30 deadline.
“That is the current plan,” he told reporters as he walked to the House floor this morning.
The legislation has not been released yet so it is not clear how long the short-term government funding patch would go. The House is set to leave town next week for its August recess, meaning the chamber will return in September with only four weeks of session before the deadline to fund the government.
The House has only passed three of the required 12 annual appropriations bills. The Senate has passed none.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis says 'I don't know' when asked if Warnock and Ossoff were duly elected and sworn in
Ahead of the president's primetime speech tonight, where he is expected to raise questions about potential interference in the 2020 elections, Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., told Fox News, "I don’t know," when asked whether Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia were duly elected and sworn in.
Georgia Sens. Raphael Warnock, left, and Jon Ossoff. Jessica McGowan / Getty Images file
In a Fox News report, Lummis did not offer an explanation for her uncertainty about the legitimacy of the senators, who were first elected in 2021 runoff elections following the 2020 elections.
Her office also did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment about her remarks.
Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 elections, calling them "rigged," without evidence. Former President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. Warnock won a special election runoff in early 2021 and won election to a full term in the 2022 midterm elections. Ossoff was elected to a full term in the 2021 runoff and is running for re-election this year.
Senate Democrats renew push to legalize marijuana at the federal level
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., is reviving Democrats’ efforts to end the federal ban on marijuana by reintroducing legislation today that would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, automatically expunge many federal nonviolent marijuana convictions and establish a federal framework for regulating the legal cannabis industry.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. Matthew Hoen / NurPhoto via Getty Images file
“For decades, generations have suffered unjustly under the failed War on Drugs and broken cannabis laws — hurting primarily people of color. It is long overdue that we stand up for them,” Booker said in a statement shared first with NBC News. “I am proud to reintroduce this commonsense legislation, which will dismantle the unjust and outdated federal marijuana prohibition.”
The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, introduced alongside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., would allow states to continue setting their own cannabis laws while shifting federal oversight from the Drug Enforcement Administration to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Treasury Department. It would also direct cannabis tax revenue toward communities disproportionately affected over the years by drug enforcement.
The effort comes months after the Trump administration moved to ease restrictions on FDA-approved marijuana products and state-licensed medical marijuana products while launching an expedited review of broader marijuana classifications. Booker’s proposal goes further by removing cannabis entirely from the Controlled Substances Act and ending the federal prohibition on it.
The legislation would also expand cannabis research, establish federal product standards and create pathways for people serving sentences for certain nonviolent federal marijuana offenses to seek relief.
Booker, Schumer and Wyden first introduced the legislation in 2021, but it never advanced in Congress. The proposal is expected to face long odds in the Republican-controlled Congress, where previous efforts to federally legalize marijuana have repeatedly stalled despite growing public support for legalization.
First on NBC News: CBC-aligned PAC attacks Will Lawrence in key Michigan House race
Rolling Sea Action Fund, a super PAC aligned with the Congressional Black Caucus, is rolling out a new ad attacking Democratic candidate Will Lawrence in the primary for Michigan's battleground 7th Congressional District, a key pickup opportunity for House Democrats this fall.
The ad goes after Lawrence's past remarks calling Black leaders a pillar of a Democratic establishment that "defangs the white left." A spokesperson for the group said the new ad is part of a six-figure buy spanning radio, streaming and digital to try and defeat Lawrence in the August 4 primary.
"Here's a reminder for William Lawrence. The same leaders, Black leaders, that have fought and bled for this country, and this party, are not a 'big problem.' Except now. Maybe for you," a narrator says. "Michigan deserves better."
Lawrence is facing Bridget Brink, a former ambassador to Ukraine, and Matt Maasdam, a retired Navy SEAL, in the primary. The winner will face Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., in a swing district that both parties see as key to a House majority. CBC has not endorsed a candidate.
Thom Tillis suggests his vote for Blanche will hinge on him meeting with Epstein survivors
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who is a key vote needed to move Blanche's nomination forward, suggested the acting attorney general needs to meet with Epstein survivors in the next two weeks in order to secure his backing.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. Win McNamee / Getty Images
Tillis reiterated that he has "a positive predisposition" to Blanche's nomination, but noted he hadn't made a final decision. The senator added that he expects the nominee to make good on statements yesterday that he would be willing to meet with survivors, who have long complained that he and the Justice Department have snubbed them.
"I expect that meeting to occur before I'm willing to vote out of this committee," Tillis said, noting that the vote would likely take place by the end of the month.
"I'm trying to get to yes, but this is a very important part of getting to yes," he said.
GOP senators encourage Trump not to talk about 2020 election fraud tonight
Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana are encouraging Trump to focus on affordability instead of election fraud in his speech tonight.
"He’s got the microphone tonight, and it’s up to him as to how he wants to use it. If he wants to inspire folks or if he wants to inflame folks, and we’ll see which direction he goes,” Murkowski said.
Murkowski warned that casting doubt on the results of the 2020 election would be looking “in the rearview mirror with suspicion and conspiracy theories” and said she wants to “make sure that people believe in the fairness and the integrity of their elections, and that they all participate.”
Cassidy said that Americans’ priority is affordability, not election fraud. The “more productive” conversation, he said, would be to focus on offering “an objective plan of how do we actually address your kitchen table issue? How do you pay your bills?”
“My gosh, cost of living has gone up, so I try to meet people where they are, and I think that’s where they are,” he said.
Murkowski also suggested the president focus on “good news” about the administration’s accomplishments or provide “a better view” on what the game plan is in Iran. “I think Americans are curious about that,” she said.
Asked if he has any doubt that Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were duly elected in 2020, Cassidy said unequivocally “no.”
“No. It’s been investigated,” Cassidy said.
“That’s obviously great speculation that would, that would certainly sow confusion and doubt and probably a lot of anger at this point in time,” Murkowski added.
Massie questions Trump focus on election fraud: 'We won all the damn elections'
Ahead of Trump's speech tonight, where the president is expected to raise questions about foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie questioned his party's focus on election fraud.
President Donald Trump; Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. Getty Images file
“I don’t think the problem is that our elections aren’t secure because we control the House, Senate, White House, and to some degree we control the Supreme Court," Massie told MSNOW. "So I ask my Republican colleagues, why are you complaining about election fraud? We won all the damn elections.”
Massie, a Kentucky Republican, is a frequent foe of the president and lost his primary reelection race earlier this year to Trump-backed Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein.
Josh Hawley ridicules pardon attorney under Biden about granting of clemency to death row inmates
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., chastised Elizabeth Oyer, a pardon attorney for the Justice Department under Biden, about the granting of clemency to several dozen death row inmates.
Asked if she recommended that Biden grant clemency to all 40 federal death row inmates, Oyer said, "Sir, as I told Chairman Grassley, I’m not free to discuss the recommendations."
Hawley said that she recommended that the president "grant clemency to murderers, rapists, and the most horrible offenders-all of them clear death row completely out."
The GOP senator referred to the cases of Dylann Roof, a Neo-Nazi who killed nine Black worshippers at a Bible study in Charleston in 2015 and Robert Bowsers, who shot 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018.
"You recommended clemency for this person who went in and killed these people just because they’re Jews ... The other guy killed people just because they’re Black. This guy killed people just because they’re Jews. A jury recommended that he be sentenced to death, and you substituted your judgment for theirs, and and now he’s going to live," Hawley said. "Are you proud of that?"
"What I am proud of is the fact that I took my job as pardon attorney extremely seriously," Oyer answered.
"Apparently, not seriously enough," Hawley said. "You certainly didn’t take the victims seriously. I hope every member on this side of the aisle will repudiate what you have done and what you stand for."
Sen. Dick Durbin says Blanche's nomination shouldn't be brought to Senate floor until he meets with survivors
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said that he did not believe Blanche's nomination should be brought to the floor until he meets with Epstein survivors.
Epstein survivors and family members stand behind former Attorney General John Ashcroft and Dani Bensky, Epstein survivor, as she speaks on Capitol Hill during the confirmation hearing for Todd Blanche as the U.S. Attorney General on Thursday. Win McNamee / Getty Images
"I'll just tell you point blank," Durbin said to Epstein survivor Dani Bensky. "I don't think his name should be called on the floor of the United States Senate until he meets with you."
"Yeah, I agree," Bensky responded.
"It's not too much to ask," Durbin said. "Set aside two hours, four hours, whatever it takes, so that there is clearly an effort by this government to get all the information and make a judgment as to what to do with it."
Blanche said yesterday during his testimony that the Justice Department would always talk with survivors, and that he or his staff would meet with them and their attorneys. He also encouraged survivors to meet with the FBI.
Bensky accused Blanche of having ignored survivors in her testimony today. She said yesterday marked the first time Blanche had expressed to survivors that his office would meet with survivors with their attorneys present.
Former pardons attorney says Blanche 'took extraordinary measures to silence me' after she was fired
Elizabeth Oyer, a former Justice Department pardon attorney, accused Blanche of making "provably false" claims about her firing, saying he "took extraordinary measures to silence me."
Oyer said she was fired after refusing to recommend to restore actor Mel Gibson's right to carry a gun. Gibson is a Trump supporter, and he lost his gun rights after a domestic violence misdemeanor conviction in 2011.
"Because this particular domestic abuser had a personal relationship with the president, Mr. Blanche's staff asked me to set aside my concerns," she said. "When I wouldn't, Mr. Blanche fired me within hours."
Oyer accused Blanche of telling "casual lies" about the circumstances surrounding her firing, even while testifying before the congressional committee. Without elaborating, Oyer also accused Blanche of "using law enforcement powers to pursue petty grudges harbored by the president."
"These pointless vendettas are wasting our scarce resources and destroying DOJ's credibility," she added.
Mother of woman whose death was allegedly covered up by undocumented immigrant delivers emotional testimony
The mother of a 37-year-old woman whose body was found in April 2025 and whose death was allegedly covered up by an undocumented immigrant delivered emotional testimony at Blanche's nomination hearing about the loss of her daughter.
"I couldn’t save my daughter, but Todd Blanche as attorney general, he might save yours, because next time it could be your child, it could be your family, it could be you," Jennifer Bos said, choking up and wiping tears away as she shared her story.
Bos said that her daughter, Megan, disappeared in February 2025, and for 51 days, her family searched for her as they "lived in the most unbearable agony."
"Instead of bringing Megan home, our search ended with the most unbearable truth a mother could ever be forced to face," she said. "We learned that Megan’s life had been cut short, and her body was concealed, stuffed upside down in a garbage can filled with bleach by an illegal alien that had no right to be here. Again, she was stuffed upside down in a garbage can for 51 days, soaking in bleach."
Bos said that she and her husband won't be retiring as they imagined because they have to now raise their granddaughter, who was 5 years old when Megan died.
"And this is because our laws that we already have aren’t enforced," she said, adding that they are now seeking justice for assurances that similar deaths won't be ignored. "I 100% believe Todd Blanche will be the one who can deliver that justice, saving lives of people who’ll never know it."
Epstein survivor slams DOJ for releasing personal information, calling it 'humiliating'
Dani Bensky, an Epstein survivor, detailed the toll of having her personal information accidentally released when the Justice Department made millions of pages of Epstein files public.
Survivors of Jeffery Epstein's crimes attend the confirmation hearing of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. Eric Lee / Getty Images
"Despite my lawyer repeatedly contacting the DOJ seeking protection, my information continued to be exposed," she said. "And it's not just my name. It's the identifying information."
"These documents contain disturbing yet incomplete accounts of my abuse. They were available not only for the entire world to see, but my child, my students, my friends, my employers, my colleagues, and my family. It was humiliating," she said, choking up.
"It's been absolutely devastating," Bensky said. "Outing survivors causes real and irrevocable harm."
Bensky said that Blanche's comments yesterday that his office would meet with survivors with their attorneys present marked the first time he conveyed the message to survivors.
"He simply ignored us for the last eight months," she said. "He has been radio silent, and the silence was deafening."
Second day of Senate Judiciary Committee testimony on Blanche's nomination for A.G. kicks off
The second day of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the nomination of Blanche to head the Justice Department is about to begin.
Witnesses will testify about Blanche's actions and character as senators consider whether to advance his nomination out of committee.
Lawmakers will hear from Jon Adler, president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation; Dani Bensky, an Epstein survivor; John Ashcroft, a former attorney general; Elizabeth Oyer, a former Justice Department pardon attorney; and Jennifer Bos, whose daughter's dead body was allegedly concealed by an undocumented immigrant.
Key takeaways from Day 1 of Blanche's confirmation hearing
Blanche faced intense bipartisan questioning from lawmakers on the first day of his confirmation hearing. Pressed on his close relationship with Trump, Blanche insisted he is not a “yes man” for the president. NBC’s Hallie Jackson reports for "Today."
New York Times files motion to quash subpoenas served on journalists over Air Force One cover
The New York Times filed a motion yesterday to quash subpoenas that the Justice Department served on journalists who reported on security concerns involving the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One, teeing up a significant court fight pitting press freedom against the government’s ability to force reporters to identify sources.
“As we set out in our motion, these subpoenas are brought in bad faith to punish The Times for its coverage. They violate the constitutional rights of The Times and its journalists. We are going to court to defend our journalists’ rights to report freely on the administration and to provide the public with stories that matter,” David McCraw, the newspaper’s senior vice president and deputy general counsel, said in a statement.
Judge awards Hunter Biden $1.7 million in defamation suit against former Overstock CEO
A federal judge awarded Hunter Biden $1.7 million yesterday in his defamation lawsuit against former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne over comments Byrne made in 2023.
Former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne; Hunter Biden. Getty Images
Hunter Biden sued Byrne, a staunch Trump ally who has repeatedly promoted Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election, over his claims that the younger Biden reached out to the Iranian government in 2021 offering to have his father “unfreeze” $8 billion in Iranian funds in exchange for a bribe.
Trump announces release of U.S. citizen held in Iran since 2024
A U.S. citizen who has been held in Iran since 2024 has been released, Trump and her lawyer separately announced last night.
“Iran has allowed an American Citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024 under the ‘presidency’ of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the Country. She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition. The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, without naming the person.
Epstein was a ‘masterful liar,’ former Obama counsel said during House Oversight Committee questioning
Former Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler denied seeing any criminal conduct by Jeffrey Epstein during a closed-door interview before the House Oversight Committee yesterday but was met with skepticism by some on the panel.
Ruemmler denied knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of women and girls and called him a “masterful liar” in her opening remarks to the committee, according to a copy of her statement seen by NBC News. She has not been accused of wrongdoing tied to Epstein.
State Department hosting international officials to talk left-wing terrorism
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is convening representatives from at least 65 countries today in an effort to focus the international community on the threat of far-left political terrorism, which the Trump administration argues is being overlooked.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
Senate Democrats want answers on the IRS’ settlement with Trump family
Senate Democrats are demanding answers from the IRS as they look to confirm whether or not it plans to shield Trump, his family and his businesses from tax audits.
Trump plans to raise allegations of 2020 election interference in tonight's speech
Trump is expected to use a speech tonight to renew his focus on election integrity and highlight findings that his administration says show foreign interference in the 2020 election, according to a person familiar with the planning.
Democratic candidates for Senate in Maine to square off in debate
The candidates for the Democratic Senate nomination in Maine following Graham Platner‘s withdrawal from the race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins will face off in a debate tonight at 7 p.m.
The candidates will include Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maryland environmental official David Costello, former Maine state Rep. Elizabeth Dickerson, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, businessman Dan Kleban, social worker Paige Loud, former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah, transgender activist Ashley Webb and former congressional aide Jordan Wood, according to NBC affiliate News Center Maine, which is hosting the debate.
The debate comes ahead of the state Democratic Party’s meetings this weekend to select delegates to the nominating convention later this month.
Senate committee to hold second hearing on Blanche's nomination for AG
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hear a second day of testimony on acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination to officially become the head of the Justice Department.
Witnesses will include former Attorney General John Ashcroft, Epstein survivor Dani Bensky, Jon Adler, the president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association Foundation, and others.
Blanche, who testified before the committee for several hours yesterday, is not scheduled to attend.
U.S. expands strikes into northern Iran and disables ship trying to run blockade
The United States intensified its strikes targeting Iran today, hitting targets further north as American forces also fired into a ship it accused of trying to break its naval blockade on the Islamic Republic.
Iran retaliated with missile and drone fire targeting Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait before dawn and warned its attacks may escalate.
