U.S. conducts fresh strikes on Iranian drone sites after ship attacked
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Billionaire investor Leon Black testified before the House Oversight Committee in its Jeffery Epstein probe. Chair James Comer said he issued two subpoenas to Black during the hearing.
What to know today
- IRAN TENSIONS: U.S. forces conducted strikes on Iranian drone and radar sites today after Iran hit a ship attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, U.S. Central Command said. A trickle of marine traffic was passing through the strait today as Iran repeated its warnings for ships to follow a Tehran-approved route, causing tensions as the Trump administration asserts that the strait is open.
- FAITH AND FREEDOM CONFERENCE: President Donald Trump delivered remarks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition policy conference. Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he plans on addressing "the recent Election of Communists in our Country."
- BOLTON ARRAIGNMENT: John Bolton, a former national security adviser to President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty this morning to one charge of retaining national security information as part of a deal with prosecutors. Bolton is one of several Trump critics to face criminal charges.
- EPSTEIN PROBE: Billionaire investor Leon Black testified before the House Oversight Committee about his business relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Chair James Comer said he issued two subpoenas to Black during the hearing for a deposition in July and information regarding non-disclosure agreements.
U.S. government gives Anthropic green light for limited re-release of Mythos 5
The U.S. government is allowing Anthropic to deploy its Mythos 5 model to a select group of customers and partners, according to a letter from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to Anthropic that was seen by NBC News.
In the letter, Lutnick wrote that the government was confident in the guardrails Anthropic had put in place to allow trusted users to access the powerful AI system. The Commerce Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment tonight.
Mythos 5 access will be restored to around 100 organizations that include government agencies and private companies, according to people familiar with the matter. The individuals said the restoration will help ensure the organizations can use the model for defensive cyber purposes. Semafor first reported the letter.
“Today, the government notified us that Mythos 5, our strongest cybersecurity model, can be redeployed to a set of US organizations that operate and defend critical infrastructure,” Anthropic wrote in a post on X tonight.
Trump previews new imagery on U.S. passport featuring his portrait
Trump posted an updated rendering today for a commemorative U.S. passport that showcases a portrait of himself.
"The U.S.A.’s New Passport, which says, 'Welcome, but be good!'" Trump captioned the photo in the Truth Social post. The White House also posted a visual of the new rendering on its official X account.
The photo of Trump appears to be the portrait that is currently hanging in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. The imagery differs from the rendering previously released by the State Department in April for a U.S. passport featuring Trump in celebration of America's 250th birthday.
The State Department has said that the special-edition passports would be released beginning July 6. They will only be issued at the Washington Passport Agency in Washington, D.C. A standard passport will be issued if an application is processed at other locations or online, according to the State Department's website.
Pete Buttigieg targeted by ‘false report’ to authorities involving his 4-year-old twins
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said today that he and his family in Michigan were targeted by a “false report” to state authorities claiming he was a danger to his 4-year-old twins.
Brad Vest for NBC News
Michigan State Police confirmed in a statement that they had received an anonymous report regarding Buttigieg. State police and Child Protective Services then responded and “determined the report was false,” the statement said.
Buttigieg, a Cabinet official in the Biden administration and a potential 2028 presidential candidate, wrote in a Substack post that a police officer and Child Protective Services worker appeared at his home “a few days ago” following an allegation that had been made against him involving his children.
He said his children were removed from the home he shares with his husband, Chasten, before the twins went through separate forensic interviews the next morning. Buttigieg said he was then interviewed as part of the investigation.
Vanilla Ice won't perform at the Great American State Fair tonight after early closure
The Great American State Fair, a 16-day event meant to celebrate America's 250th birthday, closed early this evening due to "inclement weather."
The event's early closure means that tonight's headliner, Vanilla Ice, will not take the stage this evening.
Vanilla Ice performing during an NFL halftime show in 2024. Todd Rosenberg / Getty Images
"Due to inclement weather in the area, the Freedom 250 Great American State Fair and FIFA World Cup 2026™ Fan Zone will be closed for the rest of the day — Friday, June 26, 2026," the X account for Freedom 250 wrote in a post shortly after 5 p.m. ET.
The post said the fair will reopen at its scheduled time of 10 a.m. ET tomorrow morning.
"The safety of our guests, staff, and partners remains our top priority. We are actively monitoring conditions and will provide updates as they become available," the post said.
The fair's lineup this evening included remarks from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.
The Force is with him: D.C. settles with man who protested National Guard using Darth Vader’s theme song
The District of Columbia has settled a lawsuit by a protester who said he was detained and handcuffed for following National Guard troops around the city while playing Darth Vader’s theme song from “Star Wars.”
The terms of the agreement were not immediately disclosed, but the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents demonstrator Sam O’Hara in the case, said in a press release that he was receiving compensation. The group did not immediately respond to a request for more details.
Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
The D.C. mayor’s office referred questions to the local police and the D.C. attorney general’s office. Representatives for the Metropolitan Police Department and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The incident happened in Sept. 2025, when O’Hara, a D.C. resident, was protesting against President Donald Trump’s decision to send National Guard troops to the city, and did so with music.
Former Fox News journalist appeals to Supreme Court over penalties for refusing to reveal sources
Former Fox News journalist Catherine Herridge has asked the Supreme Court to intervene in her long-running fight to avoid disclosing sources related to a story that suggested a Chinese-American woman was a security risk.
Chief Justice John Roberts quickly issued an administrative stay, which means the case is on hold while the court considers what next steps to take. The litigation arises from a lawsuit filed against the federal government by the subject of the news stories, Yanping Chen.
Earlier this week, an appeals court declined to block an $800-a-day penalty imposed by a federal judge until Herridge divulges the sources. A federal judge had found her to be in contempt of court for not complying.
U.S. launches new strikes against Iran
The U.S. military this afternoon said it conducted a strike in Iran in response to Iran firing drones at a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday.
"U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted strikes against Iran, June 26, as a powerful response to yesterday’s attack on a commercial ship that was transiting the Strait of Hormuz," U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
This is the first time the U.S. has struck inside Iran since before the memorandum of understanding between the two countries was signed earlier this month.
The MOU was signed digitally on June 15, but Iran continued firing drones at ships in the Strait of Hormuz, with the U.S. military shooting them down, until Trump signed it in person in Versailles on June 17. Since then, reports of any offensive Iranian drone activity have stopped.
In the MOU both sides agreed to immediately and permanently terminate military operations on all fronts. The U.S. military lifted the blockade on ships transiting to and from Iranian ports the next day, on June 18.
Trump doesn't rule out retaliating against Iran after claiming it violated the ceasefire agreement
Trump this afternoon teased potential retaliation against Iran while speaking to reporters at the White House, just hours after claiming that Iran had violated the ceasefire agreement signed last week.
Asked whether Iran would face any consequences after allegedly violating the ceasefire, Trump said, "You'll find out."
Aaron Schwartz / CNP / Bloomberg via Getty Images
"I don’t like the fact that they took a shot yesterday," the president said. "They shouldn’t be doing that. So, you’ll find out."
Trump wrote in a Truth Social post this morning that Iranian forces shot at least four drones at ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, hitting and damaging one "very expensive" cargo ship. The president said U.S. forces "knocked down three other Drones."
"Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement," Trump wrote in the post.
House Speaker Mike Johnson to transmit housing bill to White House on Monday
Speaker Mike Johnson will officially transmit the 21st Century ROAD to Housing bill to the White House on Monday, according to two people with direct knowledge of the process.
Johnson said last night, after meeting with Trump, that he would be “transmitting the housing bill to the White House” but did not specify when that would take place.
It is not clear whether this means Trump will sign the bill Monday. Once the bill is officially transmitted, it triggers a 10-day clock for the president to sign the legislation, or it becomes law at the end of that window.
Trump ends his remarks at Faith and Freedom Coalition event
Trump has wrapped his remarks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition event, which also included him touting the renovations of various parts of D.C., the Iran war and the effort to topple the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
Trump rails against democratic socialists who won primary elections in New York
Trump railed against the democratic socialist candidates who won their primary elections in New York this week.
Kyle Mazza / Anadolu via Getty Images
"I looked at some of the people that got elected the other night in New York. These are in many ways stupid people, in some ways, and intellectually probably pretty smart, but they're people that want to destroy our country," Trump said in his remarks at the Faith and Freedom Coalition event.
"They hate our country, they hate our people, they hate the Democrat party. The Democrat party is in big trouble, because this isn't stopping with New York," he added.
Trump says he plans to address recent election wins by democratic socialists in speech
Trump said that in his remarks today at the Faith and Freedom Coalition event, he plans to address the recent election victories of democratic socialist candidates, whom he called "Communists."
He said in a Truth Social post, "one of the Statements I will be making, perhaps the most important of them all, concerns the recent Election of Communists in our Country. Communism is very easy to sell."
He mocked the candidates, several of whom defeated incumbent lawmakers in New York's Democratic primary this week.
"I’d be the Greatest Communist in History. I’d give free rent, free houses, free food, everything is free. Unfortunately, after two or three years, the Country where this is taking place would fail. It always does, and then you’ll start living in squalor," Trump wrote.
“These are not social Dumocrats, these are hard core, godless Communists. This is the most serious threat to our Country since its existence 250 years ago," he added. "Isn’t it ironic, we’re celebrating a very important Birthday, and instead of speaking about Christ, Freedom, and Victories of all different kinds, we’re speaking about yet another threat to the Foundations of America.”
Oversight democrat says he looks forward to Black coming back to testify under oath
After Black left his Oversight Committee interview, ranking member Robert Garcia said he looks “forward to Leon Black coming back under oath and answering all of our questions.”
“This is why under oath depositions are so important, because these transcribed interviews provide these witnesses the opportunity to say that they were not under oath, they may not answer questions,” Garcia said.
Black appeared voluntarily today but was subpoenaed by Comer during his interview for a deposition July 16.
“This is also the first time I heard someone gush poetically about how smart and how great Jeffrey Epstein was,” Rep. Suhas Subramanyam said. “He did that during the interview today, and then right off the bat he said that he would not answer questions about his sex life or about his personal life or about any of the sexual assault or abuse allegations, except to say they didn’t happen.”
Black's lawyer describes subpoenas as 'a political stunt'
Black left Capitol Hill after about two hours at his closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee concerning his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Comer had said that he served Black with two subpoenas after he would not answer questions about nondisclosure agreements he had with women. “One for all the NDAs that he is party to, and second for a deposition on July 16,” Comer said.
After Black departed, his lawyer, Susan Estrich, called the subpoenas “nothing more than a political stunt.”
“They made a premeditated political decision to serve him with subpoenas after less than an hour of questioning, and before they even asked a single question about his legitimate payments to Epstein,” Estrich told reporters.
She said “never abused a woman, never was with an underage woman, he never engaged in sex trafficking, he never paid Epstein for access to women, he was never blackmailed by Epstein.”
Oversight chair says he issued two subpoenas to Leon Black
Oversight Chairman James Comer said he issued two subpoenas to Leon Black after the first hour of his closed-door interview: “One for all the NDAs that he is party to, and second for a deposition on July 16.”
Comer said Black is appearing voluntarily today but is “refusing to answer specific questions” about NDAs between him and women.
“We want to know, was Jeffrey Epstein involved in the NDAs? Was he involved in writing? Was he involved in awarding funds to the women for the NDAs? What was the reason for the NDAs? We want to know everything about the NDA, so that’s very important to our investigation. So, the subpoenas were issued. We expect to see him back here in a few weeks.”
Ranking member Robert Garcia said he supported Comer’s decision to issue the subpoenas, saying they were “absolutely the right moves and the right decision.”
Leon Black arrives for testimony in House Epstein probe
Leon Black arrived for his closed, transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee and did not respond to questions from reporters on his way in.
Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said ahead of Black's testimony that today’s interview “has the potential to be the most groundbreaking deposition in my opinion.”
“There’s a lot of concerning things in the documents,” Comer said.
Black, who had a business relationship with Epstein for decades, has denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein’s criminal conduct and has said he deeply regrets “having had any involvement with him.”
“With the benefit of hindsight, working with him was a horrible mistake on my part,” he said in a statement when he stepped down from Apollo Global Management.
Black’s attorney, Susan Estrich, said in a statement to NBC News that Black had called for an independent investigation into his relationship with Epstein.
Comer also reiterated his desire to hear from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “We hope Todd Blanche will come before the committee very soon,” Comer said. He added that it is “probably best that he comes in after the confirmation hearings” to be the permanent attorney general.
Asked if he would subpoena Blanche if he refused to be interviewed, Comer said, “I think he’ll come in.”
Committee ranking member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said if Blanche does not appear before the committee, Democrats “will force a subpoena.”
Supreme Court allows Trump administration to remove deportation protections from thousands
A major Supreme Court ruling today came down in favor of Trump’s immigration policies, paving the way for the administration to strip hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian refugees of deportation protections. NBC News’ Laura Jarrett reports.
Ex-Trump adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to retaining national security information
Former national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty in federal court today to one count of retaining national security information related to his tenure during the first Trump administration.
Bolton, who served as White House national security adviser during Trump’s first term and has since been a frequent critic of the president, appeared this morning for a re-arraignment in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Bolton faces a prison sentence of up to 60 months and has agreed to pay $2.25 million, prosecutors said.
The federal gas tax is on Trump’s hit list. Data shows how much would be saved without it.
As national gas price averages hover around $4.50 per gallon, multiple states have suspended their gas taxes, and now Trump and his Cabinet are talking about doing the same.
While a suspension would offer some relief, an NBC News analysis shows that gas prices would still average 35% more per gallon than they were at the start of the Iran war, even if all state and federal taxes were suspended. Average gas prices nationwide are up more than 50% since the U.S. and Israel launched the war at the end of February.
Trump told reporters Monday that he intended to suspend the 18 cents per gallon federal gas tax. Such a suspension would require an act of Congress. Democrats in the House and Senate proposed measures to suspend the gas tax in March.
“All measures that can be taken to lower the price at the pump and lower the prices for Americans, this administration is in support of,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
Iran launches new attack on ship passing through Hormuz
There are new concerns over the fragile deal between the United States and Iran after Iran’s armed forces attacked a cargo ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday. The attack paused traffic and is compromising efforts to restore shipping through the vital waterway. NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell reports for "TODAY."
What to expect during Leon Black's testimony today in the House Epstein probe
The House Oversight Committee will hold a closed transcribed interview today with billionaire investor Leon Black, the former head of Apollo Global Management, as part of its Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
The phrase “Please call Leon Black” appears more than 300 times in the Epstein investigative files released by the Justice Department. Black’s attorney, Susan Estrich, said in a statement to NBC News that Black had called for an independent investigation into his relationship with Epstein.
During the interview today, Republicans and Democrats will alternate back and forth with one-hour rounds of questions. Republicans get the first hour and then Democrats.
The committee is expected to release the transcript, and the interview will not be filmed.
Leon Black arrives at the Capitol today. Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images
Senate Dems demand the Trump administration not 'interfere in free and fair elections'
As part of their campaign to protect election integrity ahead of the midterms, Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., are demanding that the Trump administration “comply with all preservation laws and agency policies” as Trump “has escalated his attempts to illegally undermine the midterm elections.”
In a new letter to Trump’s Cabinet, the Democrats called on the administration to “preserve all existing and future records and materials on election-related activities and efforts, including any records regarding potential election-related misconduct, impropriety, irregularity, or interference.”
“As Trump continues to spread unsupported claims about election fraud and has repeatedly threatened an illegal federal takeover of our elections, nonpartisan experts have warned about this administration’s growing efforts to subvert the 2026 midterms, and Senate Democrats are taking formal action to preserve a paper trail from every department concerning all election-related matters,” the Democrats wrote in a statement shared with NBC News.
In April, Senate Democrats unveiled their ‘Election Protection Task Force,’ which will work with election experts to “identify and mitigate threats” and ensure fair access to voting.
Hormuz traffic flows despite ship attack as Iran fights to keep its grip on key trade route
A trickle of marine traffic was passing through the Strait of Hormuz today despite an attack on a ship in the vital waterway a day earlier, as Iran reiterated its warnings for ships to follow a Tehran-approved route.
A flow of vessels transiting via an alternative route close to Oman in recent days has drawn Iran’s ire, as it works to maintain its grip on the key trade route despite the United States’ assertion that the strait is open.
Lawmakers expected to press billionaire Leon Black about Epstein ties
“Please call Leon Black.”
That phrase appears more than 300 times in the Jeffrey Epstein investigative files released by the Justice Department, some sent in emails to Epstein by his personal assistant. Black, for years a powerful billionaire Wall Street player, and Epstein had a business relationship stretching back decades.
“Leon, as you are well aware, there is little I won’t do for you or at least try to do as a friend,” Epstein wrote in one email to Black in 2014. “And a great deal that I have already done (both known and some things that will need to remain unknown.)”
Lawmakers are expected to press Black today when he testifies before the House Oversight Committee investigating the federal government’s handling of the Epstein case. They are hoping to uncover more about the financial web Epstein wove that funded his sex trafficking operations and have said they believe Black may have played a role.
Ex-Trump adviser John Bolton expected to plead guilty to retaining national security information
Former national security adviser John Bolton is expected to plead guilty in federal court on Friday to one count of retaining national security information.
Bolton, who served as White House national security adviser during President Donald Trump’s first term and has since been a frequent critic of the president, will appear Friday morning for a re-arraignment in Greenbelt, Maryland.
NBC News reported in early June that Bolton planned to plead guilty in the case. Two sources familiar with the matter said at the time that Bolton faces a potential sentence of probation to 60 months in prison, and according to one of the sources, he also agreed to pay $2.25 million in restitution. CNN was first to report the plea deal.
