NYT > U.S. > Politics
Rubio to Testify Before Senate, Arguing for Budget Amid Iran War and Pressure on Cuba
The secretary of state has played a key role in the Iran deliberations, as well as in U.S. policy toward Cuba.
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NewsNation
Trump says Iran talks continue despite shaky Lebanon ceasefire
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Trump says negotiations are continuing at a "rapid pace."
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Raw Story
Kellyanne Conway faces blowback over KKK leader 'confession': 'What a weird thing to say'
Kellyanne Conway got dragged online for comparing a controversial Democratic candidate to a notorious Republican white supremacist.The former adviser to Donald Trump appeared Monday night on Fox News, where she demanded that Democrats disavow Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, who reportedly sent sexually explicit messages to other women while married and has faced blowback for a Nazi tattoo he got while serving in the military, and she compared him to former Ku Klux Klan leader and Republican legislator David Duke."They're not uncomfortable enough," Conway told host Sean Hannity. "Remember, everybody who's a Republican anywhere had to disclaim David Duke, even if we never met him, had a meal with him, agreed with anything he said. I want every single Democrat who's running as a United States Senate candidate this year to step away from this guy, to tell him to get off the ticket.""This guy needs to go and take care of his family," she added. "They've been married for two short years and he's bored already. Please don't stop with the Nazi tattoo, please cover it all up. I'm so tired of seeing your naked body and hearing about your family drama."Trump faced criticism during his first presidential campaign for sidestepping calls to disavow an endorsement from Duke, who had served in the Louisiana state legislature and ran GOP campaigns for governor and U.S. Senate, and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) has long been dogged by his links to an organization once led by Duke.Conway's comments kicked up fresh controversy over the disreputable fringe figure."Are they mad they had to disown David Duke now?" wondered former GOP congressman Adam Kinzinger."Fun fact: David Duke was a former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan," pointed out former GOP candidate Robert Jon Anderson."Ken Paxton? Randy Fine? Andy Ogles?" suggested Democratic strategist Leslie Marshall, referring to three politically toxic Republicans."Years later, a confession: Trump disclaimed Klansman because 'they made us,'" noted journalist John Harwood."Girl, if they had to MAKE you disclaim David Duke," marveled journalist Jay Bookman."Not even in the same galaxy," opined popular X user Mz. Cabibi. "What a weird thing to say."
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Raw Story
Trump endorses mysteriously absent ‘ghost’ congressman: ‘Never seen anything like this’
Republican House Rep. Tom Kean of New Jersey thanked President Donald Trump on Monday for his endorsement ahead of the GOP primary election on Tuesday, but critics – including his Democratic opponent – were quick to remind the lawmaker that he’s not been seen on the House floor for nearly 90 days.“Kean hasn’t voted in the House or appeared in public in months, yet he’s being endorsed for re-election by Trump,” wrote John Bresnahan, co-founder of Punchbowl News, in a social media post on X Monday night.Kean’s most recent appearance on the House floor was on March 5, and in the months since, his extended absence has become a growing “concern” for GOP leaders given the competitiveness of the district he represents. Kean has said his absence was due to a “personal medical issue” without providing further detail, with Time labeling Kean as a “ghost” in its report last week.Trump’s endorsement of Kean was issued on Monday via a statement on social media, in which the president claimed Kean was “working tirelessly” to support his agenda. Rebecca Bennett, Kean’s Democratic opponent in the race, flagged Trump’s endorsement of a lawmaker who’s been absent for nearly three months in her pitch to voters ahead of Tuesday's primary election.“Here’s the difference between us: I swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Kean swore an oath of loyalty to Trump and his MAGA allies in DC,” Bennett wrote in a social media post on X. “This November, we’ll send him packing and start holding the Trump Administration accountable.”Paul Kane, a longtime Capitol Hill reporter, said he’d “never seen anything like this,” particularly given Kean’s district being among the most competitive districts this election cycle.“Kean was last seen March 5. Today was the 88th [day] since his disappearance,” Kane wrote in a social media post on X. “He’s in a critical swing seat that [Republicans] desperately need to hold. Never seen anything like this.”So @KeanForCongress was last seen March 5. Today was the 88th since day his disappearance. He’s in a critical swing seat that Rs desperately need to hold. Never seen anything like this. https://t.co/RPVxP1DcTT— Paul Kane (@pkcapitol) June 2, 2026
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Raw Story
Mysteriously absent GOP congressman filing legislation — despite not being back at work
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) has been mystifying Capitol Hill for months with his protracted absence due to an unspecified medical issue. Now he's introducing legislation — even though he hasn't actually returned to work yet.According to NOTUS, Kean "became the lead sponsor of H.R.9061" on Friday — a bill that would require clear guidance from the federal government to states on whether to cover early screenings for preeclampsia, a life-threatening pregnancy complication, in Medicaid and CHIP.This comes even though he is still out of work and nobody knows where he is.Republican lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned, as his absence has now extended past 75 days, and his office has not given any clarification on what his medical condition is or when he will be able to return to work. His aides are simply assuring the public that he will be back to work "soon."Filing legislation is not the only standard congressional activity Kean is carrying on with, despite not actually showing up to the Capitol. His office is also sending out his newsletter, with no indication that anything is amiss.Kean represents a New Jersey House district that will likely see a competitive race in November, where Democrats are strategizing how to capitalize on a wave of public anger at President Donald Trump and reclaim the House majority after having lost it in 2022.
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Raw Story
Trump attacks 'corrupt and irrelevant' foes in raving late-night posting spree
President Donald Trump attacked several of his political foes, whom he called "corrupt and irrelevant," in a raving late-night posting spree on Truth Social. Trump is routinely up late at night posting images of himself or firing off long-winded attacks against his political enemies. In the past, he's posted an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ healing a sick man in bed, threatened to wipe out the Iranian civilization, and reposted multiple conspiracy theories about how the 2020 general election was allegedly stolen from him, even though his lawyers couldn't prove that point in more than 60 cases. The president continued that streak on Monday night, posting more than two dozen times on Truth Social. Some of the posts were standard endorsements of MAGA candidates while others seemed to come from a darker place in Trump's mind. In one post, Trump lashed out at the way the media has covered his war in Iran. "If Iran surrenders ... the Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN, and all other members of the Fake News Media, will headline that Iran had a Masterful and Brilliant Victory over The United States of America, it wasn’t even close. The Dumacrats and Media have totally lost their way. They have gone absolutely CRAZY!!!" Trump wrote. He also attacked several Republican congressmen who lost their primary races to people who are more closely aligned with Trump. "In the last two weeks I've taken out many bad Political 'Leaders' and Pundits including Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lightweight 'Congressman' Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brad Raffensperger of Georgia, REALLY DUMB Stephen Colbert of CBS, and others," Trump wrote in one post. "My score, for two weeks, is 38-0, with three more limping Late Night Talk Show Hosts, including Low Ratings Bill Maher and his Fake "Laughing Machine," to go. It is my Honor to be working so hard for our Country!"Trump also attacked New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who successfully prosecuted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide a hush-money payment he gave to adult actress Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an affair he had with her before the 2016 general election. "Alvin Bragg created a new crime just for 'Donald Trump.' He took misdemeanors that didn’t exist, and turned them into felonies that never existed," Trump wrote. "They have a “charge” for Donald Trump that nobody has ever been charged with in the History of Manhattan, and they didn’t charge Hillary Clinton’s lawyer who became the Chief Prosecutor, Mark Pomerantz, and the Judge’s Daughter was the Chief Fundraiser for Kamala Harris and Sleepy Joe Biden. Dirty Cops and Crooked Politicians!"If all of that wasn't enough, Trump also called for Canada to become the 51st U.S. state in a post where he shared an article about the country falling into a recession.
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Bloomberg Politics
Trump Tries to Stop Israel’s Lebanon Push Derailing an Iran Deal
President Donald Trump is still optimistic the US can reach an interim peace deal with Iran soon, after the Islamic Republic threatened to suspend talks because of Israel’s escalating attacks in Lebanon.
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Bloomberg Politics
Rubio Goes to Capitol Hill, Where Questions on Iran and Ebola Await
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to begin lengthy testimony before Congress as the war in Iran and the latest Ebola outbreak have been thrust to the forefront of American foreign policy concerns.
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NBC News Politics
Israel and Hezbollah trade new attacks despite Trump promise of de-escalatoion
The Israeli military launched deadly new strikes in Lebanon on Tuesday after reporting attacks from Hezbollah overnight, despite President Donald Trump saying both sides had agreed to de-escalate after Iran threatened to pull out of peace talks
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