Live updates: Trump reverses plan to toll ships in Strait of Hormuz; Maine Senate candidates speak out against ICE shooting
Catch up with NBC News Clone on today's hot topic: Trump Iran Congress Kagan Barrett Darline Graham Ice Doj Live Updates Rcna587383 - Politics and Government | NBC News Clone. Our editorial team reformatted this story for clarity and speed.
The shooting puts a new spotlight on Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who is seeking re-election.
What to know today
- STRAIT OF HORMUZ: President Donald Trump said he has decided not to toll non-Iranian ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz as a way to reimburse the United States for providing security in the waterway.
- ICE HALTS VEHICLE PURSUITS: Immigration and Customs Enforcement has ordered officers nationwide to stop vehicle pursuits after an ICE officer fatally shot a man in Maine yesterday, according to one current and two former senior Department of Homeland Security officials. The shooting puts a new spotlight on Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who is facing re-election.
- SENATE SWEARING-IN: Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., was sworn in this afternoon to serve the remainder of his term. She is South Carolina's first female senator.
Maine congressional delegation demands expedited probe from DHS watchdog on fatal ICE shooting
Members of Maine's congressional delegation are calling on the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general to conduct an expedited investigation into the deadly shooting by an ICE officer in their state.
In a letter today to Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, the lawmakers, including GOP Sen. Susan Collins, asked that he include in his probe information about the sequence of events, operational protocols and recording and documentation connected to the incident in Biddeford.
The lawmakers specifically asked for a detailed timeline of the encounter, “including the specific actions taken by both the ICE agents and the individual involved prior to the discharge of a firearm” as well as an evaluation of the tactics used by the agents.
The victim was identified as 26-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero of Colombia. Immigration groups said he had a work permit and a Social Security number, but more details about his status were not immediately available.
"Given the gravity of the situation and the understandable anxiety within the Biddeford community, we urge you to prioritize this investigation," the lawmakers wrote. "Timely and factual answers will be critical to providing closure for the grieving community and ensuring that federal law enforcement operations are conducted safely, lawfully, and in a manner that respects public safety."
The letter was also signed by independent Sen. Angus King, who caucuses with Democrats, and Democratic Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden.
The inspector general's office at DHS told NBC News in an email that it had received the letter and that it "routinely reviews allegations involving DHS employees or contractors who, while acting under color of their official authority, are alleged to have deprived an individual of any Constitutional right or liberty. These include allegations of use of force incidents resulting in death."
"However, to preserve our independence and protect the integrity of our work, we do not discuss specific investigative matters, and we do not confirm or deny the existence of any investigation," the inspector general's office added.
ICE paused most vehicle stops nationwide today.
Elena Kagan warns against ‘political figures’ who try to ‘intimidate judges and justices’
Justice Elena Kagan said the backlash the Supreme Court received from Trump after its tariffs ruling in February was “dangerous in terms of individual justices’ security” and “not appropriate.”
Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. Win McNamee / Getty Images
Kagan, who was testifying before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on the high court's budget for 2027, said that while criticism of the court’s decisions is “fair game...intimidation is a different thing entirely.”
“And when political figures of any stripe are trying to intimidate judges and justices to do things that they like rather than the things that they don’t, that that’s where we really have crossed a line,” Kagan said, without mentioning Trump's name directly.
During the hearing, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., brought up Trump’s comments on the justices who ruled against the president's executive orders on increasing tariffs on goods from multiple countries. Reed mentioned how Trump criticized several justices in a Truth Social post shortly after the decision was announced Feb. 20.
Trump has appointed three Supreme Court justices, including Amy Coney Barrett, who received Trump’s harsh rebukes for her vote against his sweeping tariffs.
Barrett and Kagan both testified today on the Supreme Court’s budget to request more funding for their security personnel and other safety-related needs. It was the first time a Supreme Court justice had testified at a Senate hearing since 2011.
ICE shooting in Maine sparks uproar and puts a spotlight on GOP Sen. Susan Collins
The fatal shooting by an ICE officer in Biddeford, Maine, has inflamed the expedited Democratic primary for Senate, with some candidates partly blaming Republican incumbent Susan Collins for voting last month to fund the agency without policy changes.
With Graham’s death, Israel loses a staunch ally for its increasingly unpopular cause
TEL AVIV — For Israel, Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sudden death represents more than just the loss of a powerful and reliable ally in Washington. It also precipitates a changing of the guard in the U.S.’s foreign policy establishment that leaves the Jewish state more isolated than ever.
Senator Lindsey Graham meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem in April 2023. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images file
Graham’s passing cut short his life’s work in Middle East affairs just as it approached its climax: He was in the midst of full-throated advocacy for the U.S and Israeli war against Iran even as he aggressively lobbied for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia — one of his primary priorities in the last years of his life.
Senate swears in Darline Graham to take her late brother's seat
Darline Graham was just sworn in to fill the Senate seat left open by her brother.
According to records, it is the first instance of a sibling being appointed to replace a deceased senator.
Sen. Darline Graham Nordone, R-S.C., participates in a a ceremonial swearing-in with Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, as her husband Larry Nordone looks on at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. Finn Gomez / Getty Images
E. Jean Carroll collects more than $5 million from Trump 3 years after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation
E. Jean Carroll has collected her $5 million judgment against Trump, more than three years after a jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming her, court records show.
The money, which was being held in a court escrow account, has been “disbursed” to Carroll’s attorneys, the court filing shows. The amount totaled $5,625,005.48 with interest.
Susan Collins criticizes people calling to abolish ICE
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, spoke to reporters outside her office in Washington, D.C., saying she has spoken to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin three times since the ICE shooting in Maine.
Collins said she encouraged Mullin to get body cameras deployed, encouraged a state investigation as well, and criticized those calling for ICE to be abolished.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images file
"There’s no doubt that ICE needs to improve its performance, but those who are calling for ICE to be abolished altogether are ignoring absolutely vital safety work that ICE does," she said. "ICE investigates human trafficking, drug smuggling, international financial crimes, and child exploitation."
Asked about reports that ICE agents felt pressure to increase the number of arrests, Collins said, "I would be concerned if I knew that to be true, but I have not heard that at all."
Maine Senate candidates criticize Sen. Susan Collins after latest ICE shooting
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is facing criticism from some of her opponents over yesterday's fatal ICE shooting.
After Collins said in a statement that she asked Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin "to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops," Nirav Shah, who previously led Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said on X that a "single late night phone call isn’t going to cut it."
Collins heads the Senate Appropriations Committee and pushed for funding ICE and Border Patrol during the funding fight with Democrats this year.
Troy Jackson, the former Maine state Senate president, said on X that Collins "must be held accountable for funding this terror."
Jordan Wood, a former congressional staffer, said on X that "Susan Collins wants an investigation. This administration investigating itself is not accountability. Name the agents. Release everything. Prosecute. Abolish ICE. Anything less is theater."
Trump says his primetime speech to the nation Thursday will focus on election integrity
Trump confirmed to reporters at the White House that his primetime address to the nation on Thursday night will focus on election integrity.
"It will concern that subject, and we'll have a couple of other things to say also, but I'd rather save it," Trump said when asked for a sneak peek on what he planned to say in the speech, set for 9 p.m. ET.
"But it's really big news. It's really, really big news, and our country has to shape up," the president added. "But that's what we're going to be talking about Thursday. ... It doesn't get bigger because without free and fair elections, you don't have a country. We'll be discussing other things, too, but it's going to be a very big announcement."
Trump has falsely claimed for years that he won the 2020 presidential election and that the process was "rigged." He was impeached in 2021 after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol for "incitement of insurrection" after trying to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory. The Senate later acquitted him. Under the Biden administration, Trump was indicted over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, but the case was dismissed after Trump was elected to his second term.
House to vote on permanent daylight saving time bill at 4:30 p.m.
Artur Debat / Getty Images file
The House is scheduled to consider a bill today that would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide. The Sunshine Protection Act, from Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., was approved by the Energy and Commerce Committee in May.
If the House approves the procedural rule at 1:30 p.m., then the chamber would vote on the permanent daylight saving legislation in its 4:30 p.m. vote series. The bill would need a majority to pass.
If the measure passes the House, it would go next to the Senate. Last October, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., objected to passing the Senate’s version of the legislation by unanimous consent.
Angus King says he doesn't have confidence in the Trump administration's investigation into Maine ICE shooting
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, told NBC News that there's "no excuse" for the ICE agent involved in yesterday's fatal shooting not wearing a body camera and that he's not confident in the administration's investigation into the incident.
“There’s no excuse for it. We’ve known for months that this was something that was necessary,” he said.
King said the pressure on ICE agents to meet a quota of arrests has “of course” contributed to shootings like the one in Maine. “There’s pressure to go after anybody that they can find that has any semblance of a reason for an arrest and detention,” he said.
He added that ICE suspending vehicle stops is “an admission that this activity is dangerous” and “it cost a life in Maine,” but acknowledged the reform is “a positive step.”
Asked if he has confidence in the investigation into the shooting, King said: “No. I wish I could answer that question yes, but right now, based upon what I’ve seen from Minnesota and other parts of the country, I don’t have that confidence. That’s why I think the investigation has to involve outside, independent people rather than the folks who perpetrated the crime investigating themselves.”
King said he has spoken to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin several times in the last 24 hours about how to move forward with the investigation.
Trump says the FBI is 'wasting their time' investigating Graham's death
Trump said that the FBI is "wasting their time" investigating the death on Saturday of Sen. Lindsey Graham.
"I know there’s all sorts of conspiracy theories going along, and I don’t think the FBI — I think the FBI is wasting their time if they’re doing it," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the bureau's looking into Graham's death.
The comments echo remarks Trump made in an interview with Newsmax last night, in which he said he did not think foul play was involved.
Nearly 20 agents from the FBI and other federal agencies were with U.S. Capitol Police officers at Graham’s Washington, D.C., residence yesterday. Federal agents were continuing to investigate his death out of an abundance of caution, two law enforcement sources familiar with the scene said.
Trump, who was taking questions from reporters with the Iraqi prime minister, said he was briefed by doctors at the White House on Graham's death.
"This is something that is very almost undetectable," he said. "And if it happens, there's not much you can do about it. Sounds unfortunate, but there's not much you can do about it."
Doctors said the preliminary cause of Graham's death at age 71 was an aortic rupture, according to the late senator's office.
Sen. Susan Collins says she asked DHS to 'cease all non-urgent vehicle stops' after latest ICE shooting
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a statement that she asked Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin yesterday to stop "non-urgent vehicle stops" after an ICE officer shot and killed a man in Maine.
"While the investigation of the Biddeford shooting is not yet complete, it raises sufficient critical questions that I spoke with DHS Secretary Mullin last night and urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops," she said in a statement.
NBC News reported today that ICE issued a nationwide order for all officers to stop pursuing people in vehicles.
Collins, who is up for re-election this year, serves as the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and she was a proponent of pushing for ICE and Border Patrol funding during the funding fight with Democrats earlier this year.
ICE told to stop pursuing people in cars as pressure to arrest blamed for fatal shootings
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued a nationwide order to all officers to stop pursuing people in vehicles, according to a current senior DHS official and two former senior DHS officials. The move comes after ICE officers fatally shot two men in less than a week in Maine and Texas.
The ICE officers in both cases were making vehicle stops when they ended up killing men who were not their original targets for arrest, local officials said.
Trump backs off plan to toll cargo in Strait of Hormuz a day after announcing it
Trump is backing off the 20% toll he said would be imposed on cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, saying he will replace the policy announced yesterday with investment deals.
"Oil is flowing like never before, thanks to the awesome Power of the United States Military," Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post, adding that "the Strait of Hormuz is open to ALL Ship traffic except for Iran — and that is because of their lying, violent, malicious leadership, which is taking them down the path of TOTAL DESTRUCTION."
Trump repeated that the U.S. will reinstate a naval blockade on Iranian ships or cargo before announcing he was backing away from tolling other vessels.
"Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States. Those Investments will be MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future," he said.
Trump didn't provide details on the trade and investment deals, saying only that they will be "MASSIVE" and "we will see Factories, Plants, and Equipment pour into the United States at Historic levels, which will create additional millions of High Paying AMERICAN Jobs!"
House hearing featuring Supreme Court justices wraps
The House hearing featuring testimony from Kagan and Barrett has concluded after about an hour and a half.
Much of their testimony centered on the Supreme Court's budget request related to security. The two justices will appear before a Senate subcommittee later today to continue their budget testimony.
Duckworth won’t OK defense budget unless Iran spending is halted
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said she will not vote to approve the Defense Department’s 2027 $1.4 trillion budget unless it includes a provision that halts Iran-related spending until Congress officially authorizes the war.
Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran, has been an outspoken critic of Trump’s decision to attack Iran. She proposed an amendment to freeze funding for the Iran conflict until Congress authorizes the war, but Republicans blocked it.
The 1973 War Powers Resolution directs the president to seek authorization for war from Congress after an ongoing military conflict hits the 60-day mark. The conflict has been ongoing since Feb. 28, but Trump has said he doesn’t need congressional authorization because a ceasefire was in place at roughly the 60-day mark.
But the ceasefire has effectively collapsed in recent days, with the U.S. launching a new wave of attacks overnight and Tehran again retaliating with strikes across the Middle East.
“Simply throwing more money at an out-of-control military operation is not strategy. It’s a recipe for a forever war,” Duckworth said in a statement.
The Pentagon has also asked for more than $67 billion in supplemental funding to ease funding shortfalls over the cost of the war with Iran. Congress hasn’t approved that funding yet.
Kagan defends court's recent handling of emergency docket transparency
Asked by Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., whether the "shadow" docket negatively affects the public's knowledge about court orders, Kagan explained why she refers to the docket as the "emergency docket" instead.
"The reason I think it's probably not appropriate, at least not now, to call it the shadow docket is because we have done, I think, a better job in the recent past of, where appropriate — and it's not always appropriate, but where appropriate — explaining ourselves at least to a moderate degree," she said.
Kagan said that previously, she believed the court sometimes provided such limited explanation of its emergency docket orders that it made it harder for lower courts to determine whether the court's order was based on merit, standing or other concepts.
"I don't think that that's so much a problem anymore," she said. "I think that as we've gotten more experienced in these constant requests that are coming to us about requests for emergency relief, that we better recognize that at least sometimes there is a need for additional information, and we have issued opinions, and sometimes majority and dissenting opinions, accordingly."
Barrett details threats she has received and security precautions she has taken
At the start of the House budget hearing, Barrett detailed threats she has received while serving on the Supreme Court and described some of the security protocols she has had to follow in response.
"When threats to my life were particularly intense a few years ago, around the time of the Dobbs leak, my security detail sent me home with a bulletproof vest," she said, adding that her 12-year-old son asked what it was and why she had it.
She then recounted a swatting incident against her six weeks ago.
"One of my teenage sons opened the door to go out with friends and saw in our street it was full of police cars, who had responded to a false report of gunshots and raised voices in my home," she said. Barrett said she was grateful Supreme Court police were already outside her home and were able to resolve the situation.
Barrett also said that she and other justices have received "threatening anonymous deliveries designed to intimidate and harass us" and they are often sent in the name of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas' son, who authorities said was fatally shot by an anti-feminist activist and lawyer in 2020 when he answered the door to their New Jersey home to the man, who was posing as a delivery driver.
"I think the message on these deliveries being sent in his name is clear," Barrett said.
Kagan emphasizes need for larger security budget in opening remarks to lawmakers
Kagan said in her opening remarks that the Supreme Court police department's "growing needs are obvious, given current conditions."
Supreme Court police saw a 38% increase in threats this year and a 25% increase in threats last year, she said.
"For some of us, those threats have come very close, and all of us live with the knowledge that they may again materialize," she said. "But, as the chief justice has said, all members of the court continue to do their jobs as they believe legally right, adjudicating cases without fear or favor."
Kagan added that she and Barrett could not comment on court decisions nor pending cases.
Kagan honors Graham in her opening remarks
In her opening remarks to lawmakers, Kagan honored Graham and warmly noted her personal interactions with him.
“I wish to express the entire court’s condolences to his sister, the rest of his family, his many friends and colleagues here in the House, in the Senate, and elsewhere, on behalf of the entire court,” she said.
Kagan continued, noting how Graham voted for her confirmation despite being a Republican, recalling their conversation ahead of her confirmation process. She also recounted an exchange with Graham during her confirmation hearing, when he asked Kagan, who is Jewish, where she had spent her Christmas.
“You know, like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant,” Kagan responded at the time, prompting laughter.
Kagan said that “many people said to me afterwards that exchange with Sen. Graham was the moment my confirmation was sealed.”
“So I want to express my gratitude towards him, not only for his support but for approaching the confirmation process with the kind of seriousness that he did and and the kind of respect he did,” she said. “And I never got to know Sen. Graham very well, but I can see why so many people will deeply miss him, and I just wanted to convey that on behalf of me, and again, express the condolences of the entire court to his family and friends.”
Hearing featuring Supreme Court justices begins
The House hearing featuring testimony from Kagan and Barrett has begun.
The justices are making a rare appearance before lawmakers to testify about the Supreme Court's budget request. They will testify before a Senate subcommittee this afternoon.
Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett testify today. Finn Gomez / Getty Images
GOP’s Dallas Woodhouse resigns from N.C. auditor's office after early voting influence campaign
Longtime Republican operative Dallas Woodhouse resigned from the North Carolina auditor’s office yesterday, just days after he was ordered to stop working on election matters.
U.N. maritime agency says there should be no tolls in Strait of Hormuz
The U.N. maritime agency said it opposes charging fees to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after Trump said he wanted to charge a 20% toll on ships in exchange for protecting them from Iranian attacks.
“The Council reaffirmed that passage through the Strait should remain free of any tolls and charges, in accordance with international law,” the International Maritime Organization said in a statement.
The agency condemned Iranian attacks on civilian commercial ships and called for a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East, where the U.S. and Iran are locked in a power struggle over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil trade route that ships have always passed through free of charge.
After the U.S. and Iran exchanged a series of attacks in recent days, Trump said he was reimposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports and that the U.S. should be reimbursed 20% of the value of the cargo that successfully transits the strait. Iran has also said that it wants to impose tolls on ships.
Trump’s threat to charge fees in the strait contradicts U.S. support for freedom of navigation that goes back to its earliest days as a country.
It is also not in line with comments from members of his administration such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said last month that, “No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway.” Also last month, Vice President JD Vance said that “we believe international waterways should be free of tolls.”
Inflation eased to 3.5% in June, just before energy prices spiked again
Inflation eased to 3.5% in June, primarily thanks to energy prices that briefly fell after the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding in a bid to end the ongoing war.
From May, consumer prices broadly fell 0.4%, more than economists had been expecting.
“This decline in the all items index was the largest 1-month decrease since April 2020,” the Bureau of Labor Statistics said. “The index for energy fell 5.7% in June,” the agency added.
But core inflation, which excludes food and energy costs, was unchanged in the month, a worrying sign of how sticky higher prices may be outside of energy prices themselves.
Oil hits $87 per barrel again after latest U.S. strikes on Iran and looming coastal blockade
The price of crude oil on global markets continued to surge today, with the international oil benchmark Brent rising for a second straight day to more than $87 per barrel, the first time since June it has traded at that price.
U.S. crude oil also moved higher, rising 4% from yesterday to more than $81 per barrel.
Since the start of trading Sunday night, Brent oil has risen more than 15% and U.S. crude oil has risen more than 12%.
The moves higher came just hours before the U.S. was set to reimpose a blockade on Iranian ports and ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and after U.S. Central Command completed five hours worth of fresh strikes on Iran overnight.
Trump to reimpose blockade as the U.S. and Iran battle for control of Hormuz
The United States was set to reimpose its naval blockade of Iran today, as Trump looks to find an edge in the spiraling clash for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Intensifying American strikes have done little to weaken Tehran’s resolve over the crucial waterway, weeks after its status was supposed to have been settled by the interim deal to end the war. Instead the ceasefire has effectively collapsed, with the U.S. launching a new wave of attacks overnight and Tehran again retaliating with strikes across the Middle East.Read the full story here.
Supreme Court justices to testify before Congress on increasing security funding in rare appearance
Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett will make a rare appearance before Congress today, weeks after the end of a historic term.
The justices are appearing before a House appropriations panel as the court seeks millions of dollars to beef up security amid a rise in threats to the judiciary.
Judges around the country have seen a rise in threats of violence and intimidation, including a fake swatting call to police about Barrett’s home in May.
The hearing comes two weeks after the conservative-majority court finished handing down a series of major opinions, including a decision that increased Trump’s power over federal regulatory agencies and another that rejected his wide-ranging tariffs, sparking harsh personal criticism.
It’s the first time justices have testified before Congress since 2019, and the two justices could face wide-ranging questions as they seek to keep focus on the budget.
The Supreme Court requested a total of $228 million for next fiscal year, a roughly 10% increase over the year before. Nearly $15 million of that would go to expanding personal protection for justices, with six more agents for each.
Another $2 million would fund an off-site residential security post aimed at making emergency responses faster, as well as increasing the number of Supreme Court police officers.
The U.S. Marshals Service, responsible for protecting judges, reported 564 threats in the government fiscal year that ended in September, an increase from the year before.
That total includes threats to the hundreds of federal judges around the country, though the nine-member Supreme Court has not been immune.
In May, Barrett’s security detail worked with police to quickly deal with the call determined to be swatting, or a fake 911 call designed to provoke a police response. Last year, her sister was the victim of a bomb threat in Charleston, South Carolina, police said. No bomb was found.
In 2022, shortly after the leak of a draft opinion overturning the Roe v. Wade abortion decision, a would-be assassin was arrested near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh with weapons and zip ties.
Chief Justice John Roberts has condemned the threats to all U.S. judges, saying during a speech in March that criticism of judicial opinions is understandable, but personally directed hostility is “dangerous, and it’s got to stop.”
Lindsey Graham’s sister to be sworn in as South Carolina's first female senator
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and his sister, Darline Graham Nordone, in 2015. Erik S. Lesser / EPA / Shutterstock file
Darline Graham Nordone, the sister of Sen. Lindsey Graham, will be sworn in today to serve the rest of the late Republican senator’s term, which ends in early January.
Graham Nordone was given the temporary appointment yesterday by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican. She will be the state's first female senator.
Trump rolls out the welcome mat for new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi
Trump is welcoming Iraq’s new prime minister to the White House today after strongly backing the political neophyte in his bid for office.
Ali al-Zaidi, a businessman with no political background, emerged as a consensus candidate in Iraq after months of deadlock over the premiership following last year’s parliamentary elections. When al-Zaidi was formally installed as prime minister-designate in April, Trump said in a social media post that it was the “beginning of a tremendous new chapter between our Nations — Prosperity, Stability, and Success like never seen before.”
But Trump’s interest and involvement in the next leadership in Iraq began long before that statement.
Iraq’s dominant parliamentary bloc, the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite parties allied with Iran, initially said it would back former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whom the Trump administration views as too close to Tehran. The Republican president publicly announced his opposition to al-Maliki and threatened to cut off aid to Iraq if he was appointed, adding that “if we are there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom.”
The issue of Iran is likely to loom large in the discussions Tuesday. Iraq has been under pressure to disarm a network of Iran-backed militias operating in the country, some of which launched attacks on U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities after the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran in February. Officially, the Iraqi government has given non-state armed groups until the end of September to disarm, but some of the most powerful militias have said they have no intention of doing so.
A Trump administration official said ahead of the Oval Office meeting that the U.S. will make “informed” decisions based on Iraq’s efforts to disarm Iranian-backed militias inside its borders. The official was granted anonymity to discuss the administration’s strategy ahead of al-Zaidi’s visit.
U.S. says it has completed latest round of Iran strikes
The U.S. completed its latest round of strikes on Iran at 10:15 p.m. ET, U.S. Central Command said.
During the five-hour mission, U.S. forces struck military targets across Iran, the command said on X, “to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping” in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil trade route that is the subject of a power struggle between the two countries.
The command said precision munitions were used to target Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites and maritime capabilities in places including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa and Bandar Abbas.
Iran has responded to the latest U.S. strikes with attacks on the Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain, as well as two tankers in the strait with links to the United Arab Emirates, killing one seafarer from India and wounding eight other people.
Battleground Democratic House candidate focuses on corruption in new ad
Paige Cognetti — the mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and the Democratic nominee in one of the most high-profile House races of the midterms — is spotlighting an anti-corruption message in her first cable news ad of the cycle.
The 60-second ad features testimony from residents of Cognetti’s district and accuses large corporations of taking advantage of local residents while politicians “line their pockets along the way.”
The spot then plays footage of news stories alleging corruption, including a headline detailing stock trades made in office by Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., Cognetti’s opponent.
“I’ll take on the villains of our time,” Cognetti said. “The private equity firms that strip our towns for parts. The tech companies that take away our jobs and hurt our kids. And the politicians that serve the powerful, not us.”
Bresnahan has said financial advisers manage his portfolio and that he gave them no trading instructions, adding in a May interview that Democrats “can’t assault me on my actual voting record, so they’ve resorted to character assassination.”
Democrats across the midterm map are running on anti-corruption messaging — especially in Pennsylvania, where Cognetti and others, including Gov. Josh Shapiro, have been particularly focused on it.
