Live updates: DOJ opens criminal probe related to E. Jean Carroll’s case against Trump
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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said she doesn’t plan to run for president in 2028. She later walked back her remarks.
What to know today
- DOJ PROBE: The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation related to writer E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuits against President Donald Trump, two sources familiar with the matter said. The probe is focused on a trust founded by billionaire Democratic donor Reid Hoffman, whose nonprofit organization helped pay some of Carroll’s legal costs, two sources said.
- WHITMER ON 2028: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she doesn't plan to run for president in 2028, rebuffing assumptions that she would join what’s expected to be a crowded Democratic primary race. She later walked back those comments.
- MAIL-IN VOTING LAWSUIT: A federal judge declined to block Trump’s executive order aimed at tightening rules for mail-in voting in a loss for the Democratic Party, saying the lawsuit was premature.
- VANCE ADDRESSES CADETS: Vice President JD Vance delivered the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s graduation ceremony in Colorado, where he warned graduates about the "new era of warfare."
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Indicted terrorist commander allegedly spoke of wanting to target Ivanka Trump
The commander of a terrorist organization is alleged to have discussed wanting to target Ivanka Trump, the president’s oldest daughter, as part of a series of attacks, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
The commander, Mohammad Al-Saadi, was indicted today on eight counts over allegations that he helped carry out nearly 20 attacks — and attempted attacks — across Europe, Canada and the U.S.
Al-Saadi, an Iraqi national, was extradited to New York this month to face trial, including over allegations of a plot to target a New York City synagogue. He was also charged with ordering attacks on U.S. bank branches, as well as against Jewish people in several cities across Europe.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she won’t run for president in 2028 — and then walks it back
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said today she does not plan to run for president in 2028, rebuffing assumptions that she would join what’s expected to be a crowded Democratic primary race.
“There will be a robust group of people running for president,” Whitmer told WJBK-TV of Detroit in an interview, adding, “I will not be one of them in 2028, I can tell you that.”
But just hours later, Whitmer softened her stance.
Speaking at a policy conference on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, Whitmer said she needed to “correct the record” and clarified her earlier remarks.
“I never thought I would run for governor,” she said. “So I guess I should know better to never say never.”
Mamdani endorses Darializa Avila Chevalier over incumbent Adriano Espaillat in House primary
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier in the Democratic primary for New York’s 13th Congressional District, picking her over incumbent Adriano Espaillat.
“I am so excited to be sitting here with Darializa, and I’m so excited to be endorsing her in her run for Congress,” Mamdani said tonight on MS Now, sitting alongside Avila Chevalier.
“She is the daughter of a single mom caseworker, and she grew up with a commitment to the very people that politics have left behind, and what I see in her is that commitment fulfilled,” he said.
Sen. Patty Murray says she broke her ankle, will be back in Congress next week
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., posted a photo of herself with crutches today, saying she broke her ankle this week while she was “running down the stairs in a rush.”
“Next week, I’ll be back at the Capitol for votes and hearings and doing everything else I can to be a voice for Washington state in the Senate—I’ll just be swapping one of my tennis shoes for an ankle brace for a bit,” Murray, 75, said on X.
Murray joked she would still be one of the fastest senators “whether on foot, crutches, or wheels,” adding, “I hope to be speed walking through the halls of Congress again very soon.”
Congress is out of session this week for the Memorial Day recess.
How JD and Usha Vance ‘embrace the chaos’ of a growing family
Vance is unlikely to take any “formal” parental leave when his fourth child arrives this summer, but he said this week that he will spend more time at home as his family navigates the transition and demands of the office.
Nancy Pelosi weighs in on the race to succeed her as she fights to keep women ‘at the table’
Nancy Pelosi did not plan to endorse anyone in the race to succeed her in Congress. But after she noted how many women who used to represent California have been replaced by men, Pelosi, the former House speaker, felt she had to step in for a female candidate, she told NBC News in an exclusive interview.
Spencer Pratt says he doesn’t care about national politics after Trump backed his bid for L.A. mayor
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, the former reality TV star, rebuffed a potential endorsement from Trump, telling NBC News today: “I don’t need anyone’s endorsement but mothers’. That’s who’s getting me elected.”
Pratt, who has focused his insurgent campaign against Mayor Karen Bass on calling for better wildfire management and combating homelessness, added that he has chosen not to comment on Trump or national politics on principle throughout his campaign.
“My race is a local race. I don’t care what’s going on in the, in the national politics, in other states. I am running for a local position,” Pratt, 42, who gained political prominence last year by criticizing city and state leaders online after his house burned in the destructive Los Angeles wildfires, told “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas.
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s home targeted in apparent ‘swatting’ incident
An apparent “swatting” incident targeted the residence of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett last night, police confirmed to NBC News.
Police in Fairfax County, Virginia, said today that the call was received through the police department’s nonemergency line just after 9 p.m. ET.
“Officers immediately coordinated with Supreme Court Police personnel assigned to the residence and quickly determined that the report was fictitious,” Fairfax County police said in a statement. “No additional police resources were utilized.”
The Supreme Court’s public information office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bessent responds to Gavin Newsom's 'anti-weaponization' fund threat: ‘There’s no cure for stupid’
At a White House briefing today, Bessent criticized California Gov. Gavin Newsom for his statement that California would tax residents who receive payments from the Justice Department’s new “anti-weaponization” fund at a 100% state income tax rate.
“There’s no cure for stupid,” Bessent said.
Alex Bores, a New York state lawmaker running for Congress in Manhattan, has said he will introduce a bill to require anyone who receives payments from the fund to be taxed at a 100% rate.
Bessent says there's nothing 'untoward' about having Trump's face on $250 bills
Bessent said he thought there was nothing “untoward” about having Trump’s face on a $250 bill, despite Americans' struggles to afford gas and groceries amid the war in Iran, comparing the move to this year’s festivities for America’s 250th anniversary.
“I think it’s bifurcated,” Bessent said when he was asked whether it was politically a good move to have Trump on paper currency amid the affordability crisis.
“Do you think we should have a 250th celebration?” Bessent added, saying that would be happening “because it’s being funded by private citizens, by the federal government, by state governments, by municipal governments to celebrate our country.”
“I don’t think that there’s anything untoward about having the president of the United States — the person who was president of the United States — on the 250th-anniversary bill,” Bessent said.
Bessent teases $250 bill with Trump's image if Congress gives green light
Bessent says the Treasury has prepared for legislation that would allow Trump’s face to be portrayed on a $250 bill.
By law, no living person can be portrayed on U.S. currency, and bills must say “In God we trust,” Bessent said.
“Right now, there is proposed legislation from the House, in front of the Senate, to change the first requirement, so that a living person, Donald J. Trump, could be on a $250 bill, so it’s all in the hands of — it’s all up on Capitol Hill,” Bessent said.
“At Treasury, we prepare things in advance, so we have prepared in advance ... if the legislation is passed, but we will stick to the law,” he added.
Trump's signature is already set to appear on dollar bills, the Treasury said in March in a first for a sitting president.
Asked by a reporter later whether he thinks it's a good idea for Trump to put his face on currency, Bessent said: "The president doesn’t do it. The House and the Senate have to do it."
Bessent leads today's White House briefing
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is leading today's White House briefing, which has just begun.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance have led the briefings in past weeks as press secretary Karoline Leavitt is on maternity leave.
Artists bail on D.C. bash for America’s 250th birthday after being listed in the lineup
Two musical artists listed as performers at an event on the National Mall in Washington to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary say they won’t attend despite being listed in the lineup.
Freedom 250, a public-private partnership backed by Trump, announced a list of performers yesterday, but shortly afterward, Morris Day and The Time and Young MC announced that they would not appear.
“Contrary To Rumor, Morris Day & The Time Will Not Be Performing At The ‘GREAT AMERICAN STATE FAIR,’” said a graphic Day posted on social media.
“It’s A No For Me,” the post added.
Young MC also on social media that he told his agents he would not perform at the event.
“The artists were never told about any political involvement with the event,” he wrote.
Buffalo named ‘Donald Trump’ is spared Eid sacrifice after viral fame in Bangladesh
There’s the distinctive blond tuft, combed over. A viral presence on social media. And now, thanks to its perceived resemblance to a certain U.S. president, a rare albino buffalo named “Donald Trump” has been given a new lease on life.
The buffalo was slated for ritual sacrifice in Bangladesh this week for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, but authorities stepped in after it went viral in the Muslim-majority South Asian nation.
Vance warns Air Force graduates about 'new era of warfare'
In a commencement speech to over 900 cadets graduating from the Air Force Academy, Vance spoke about the graduates' preparation for a "new era of warfare," referring to advancements in artificial intelligence and cybertechnology.
"We ask you to apply that same adaptability, that same innovation that you learned at this academy, to an entirely new era of warfare, one shaped by autonomous systems, AI and cyberoperations technologies evolving far faster than military institutions have historically been accustomed to," Vance said.
He told the graduates: "Some of you will operate in the air, some in cyber and some in space. Many of you will hold jobs that would have sounded like science fiction to graduates of this academy even 20 years ago, but the roles you're about to take are dead serious, and they are not science fiction."
Vance also warned: "Our adversaries are studying this country every day. They're studying our military doctrine, they're studying our industrial capacity, they're studying our political divisions, our attention span, and, new graduates, they are studying you."
James Talarico raises $3 million in 24 hours after Paxton runoff win
Democratic Texas state Rep. James Talarico's campaign announced today that it hauled in more than $3 million in the 24 hours after state Attorney General Ken Paxton was declared the winner of the GOP Senate primary runoff.
“In just 24 hours, working people from every corner of Texas have come together to shatter grassroots fundraising records and send a message that Texas deserves better than corrupt Ken Paxton," Talarico said in a statement. "Together, we’re going to unrig our economy, raise our pay, and drive down the cost of gas, groceries, housing, and healthcare.”
The 24-hour haul was almost double the nearly $1.7 million Paxton's campaign raised during the first three months of the year.
Supreme Court sides with Mississippi death row inmate who alleged racial bias in jury selection
The Supreme Court today ruled in favor of a Black man on death row in Mississippi who objected when a prosecutor sought to exclude potential jury members who were Black, paving the way for his conviction to be thrown out.
The 5-4 ruling is a victory for Terry Pitchford, who was 18 at the time of the crime. He was convicted in the killing of grocery store owner Reuben Britt during a robbery in 2004.
Another defendant, Eric Bullin, fired the fatal shots but was not eligible for the death penalty because he was under 18. Bullin later pleaded guilty to manslaughter for his role in the murder.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she won’t run for president in 2028
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said today that she does not plan to run for president in 2028, rebuffing assumptions that she would join what’s expected to be a crowded Democratic primary race.
“There will be a robust group of people running for president,” Whitmer told Fox 2 Detroit in an interview today, adding, “I will not be one of them in 2028, I can tell you that.”
The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for further comment from NBC News.
Whitmer’s remarks come as she nears the end of her second term, which will wrap up at the end of this year. Because of term limits, she cannot run for a third term as governor.
The governor — and more than a dozen other high-profile Democrats — has been widely discussed as a potential 2028 contender.
Lawmakers to hold town halls and rally tonight
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., will hold town halls this evening to share updates with constituents about their work in Congress.
Omar's town hall will be in the southwest Minneapolis area, and Kim's will be in Logan Township.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., meanwhile, will participate in a rally in Missoula, Montana, for Sam Forstag, a Democratic candidate for the state's 1st Congressional District.
Montana's primary election will be held Tuesday.
Farmers in Iowa are struggling in Trump’s economy, but many say they still support him
Two days after Trump ordered an attack on Iran, Iowa farmer Mark Mueller got a worrying message from a supplier: The price of his fertilizer had jumped from $795 per ton to $850.
The war had shut down the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting shipments of the fertilizer, which is the biggest expense on Mueller’s corn and soybean farm in northeast Iowa. He hopes one day to pass the asset to his two adult daughters so they will have some “security in their old age.” On March 6, the supplier called again: Now the price was $950 a ton. Two weeks later, the price jumped to $1,050, nearly one-third higher than when the conflict began.
Farmers like these have long been a pillar of Trump’s electoral base. When he won re-election in 2024, he carried the rural vote by 40 percentage points, surpassing his margin in his previous two elections. Trump isn’t on the ballot, but he has a lot to lose if his party falters in the midterm congressional elections in November. Democrats must net four seats to retake control of the Senate, and Iowa has become a battleground. Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is retiring, giving Democrats a shot at a pickup.
Justice Department opens criminal probe involving E. Jean Carroll testimony in Trump sexual abuse lawsuit
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation involving E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuits over her sexual abuse allegations against President Donald Trump, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The probe is focused on the Reid Hoffman Trust, which helped pay some of Carroll’s legal costs, two sources said. Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, is a major Democratic donor and an outspoken critic of Trump.
U.S. dismisses claim its diplomats have fled Kyiv as Zelenskyy pens Trump letter asking for air defense
The United States today reiterated that its diplomats remained in Kyiv despite Russia’s escalating threats, dismissing a suggestion from the European Union’s top diplomat that Washington had evacuated the Ukrainian capital.
The restated American commitment to the city came as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote a rare letter, appealing to Trump and Congress for more air defenses.
Trump says he feels no political pressure to end war with Iran
As strikes strain the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, at home, Trump held a Cabinet meeting where he defended the war and insisted he’s not concerned with the war’s political consequences heading into the critical midterm elections. It comes as the president is threatening to "blow up" ally Oman in response to a deal in which Iran and Oman would share control of the Strait of Hormuz. NBC News’ Garrett Haake reports for "TODAY."
Iran and U.S. trade new strikes, after Trump dismisses pressure to end war
Iran said it targeted an American air base today, a response to new U.S. attacks that it called a “blatant violation” of both the shaky ceasefire between the two countries and international law.
The latest military exchange, which appeared to draw in the United States’ ally of Kuwait, raised further doubts about diplomatic efforts to end the war and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
Hours earlier, Trump signaled that an agreement between the two sides wasn’t close and that he would not be rushed by international economic pressure or the political pressure of upcoming midterm elections.
Judge declines to block Trump's mail-in voting executive order
A federal judge today declined to block Trump's executive order tightening rules on mail-in voting in a loss for the Democratic Party, whose lawyers argued that it could disenfranchise millions of voters.
The executive order signed by Trump on March 31 directed his administration to compile a list of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote in each state and to use federal data to help state election officials verify who is eligible to vote.
It also required the U.S. Postal Service to only deliver ballots to voters on each state’s approved mail-in ballot list, and required states to preserve election-related records for five years.
Vance to deliver Air Force Academy commencement address
Vance is set to deliver the commencement address at the United States Air Force Academy's 68th graduation ceremony in Colorado this morning.
The vice president, who is a Marine Corps veteran, addressed Naval Academy cadets at their commencement last year. In those remarks, he touted a "generational shift" in U.S. foreign policy, saying that under the Trump administration, the U.S. was moving away from "nation-building and meddling in foreign countries' affairs."
Vance also criticized past efforts to build democracies in the Middle East rather than focusing on rising rival powers like China.
“Our government took its eye off the ball of great power competition and preparing to take on a peer adversary, and instead, we devoted ourselves to sprawling amorphous tasks like searching for new terrorists to take out while building up far-away regimes,” Vance said. “Now I want to be clear, the Trump administration has reversed course — no more undefined missions, no more open-ended conflicts. We’re returning to a strategy grounded in realism and protecting our core national interests.”
While Trump has touted his efforts to end several conflicts, he also joined Israel in the war against Iran, which he has said is aimed at preventing that country from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
