The conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board delivered a scathing verdict on Donald Trump's handling of Iran, accusing the regime of manipulating the president into rescuing Hezbollah, even as it openly violates ceasefires and fires at American forces.In an editorial published Monday evening, the editorial board wrote that Iran is "throwing a wrench into negotiations with the U.S., and President Trump spent the rest of the day scrambling to satisfy Iran’s demand." That resulted in a fresh Lebanon ceasefire that handed Hezbollah a reprieve it didn't earn, the editors railed."Iran is winning its proxy a refuge," the board wrote, noting that Hezbollah had been firing an average of 125 rockets and 49 drones at Israel each day last week, yet Iran still halted U.S.-Israeli action by threatening to walk away from negotiations.The editorial accused Iran of simultaneously testing Trump on multiple fronts — downing a U.S. drone over international waters, firing ballistic missiles at U.S. forces in Kuwait, and attacking Gulf states — while Trump consistently chooses de-escalation over confrontation."The shamelessness is always striking," the board wrote, pointing out that Iran has repeatedly violated the April 7 ceasefire while Trump continues insisting it still holds.The board's harsh assessment lands as far-right Israeli officials openly defy Trump on the Lebanon front, creating pressure on both sides of the conflict."If he won’t send a different message, it will be difficult to get the regime to comply with a deal, no matter what it promises now," the WSJ board concluded.
The optimism that President Trump projected last week toward securing a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz has quickly faded, with Tehran on Monday suspending talks in protest of Israel’s punishing strikes on Lebanon. Trump sent varying messages as he scrambled Monday to secure a truce between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-linked…
As Democrats hurdle towards the November midterms with favorable polls, top Republicans are warning their first move in power will be to 'blow up' the Supreme Court.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin had few words Monday for his loudest MAGA critic: "He's irrelevant to me."Asked at a press conference about retired Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino and "the criticism he's been leveling at the department," Mullin didn't blink. "I never met the guy. He's irrelevant to me. I don't know who he is," the secretary said, then moved on.The dismissal came as Bovino has been on a very public tear against Mullin and other Trump insiders. The former commander — once the face of the administration's aggressive immigration crackdown in Chicago and Minneapolis — was ousted in January after federal agents under his command fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. He retired in the spring.Since then, Bovino has pulled no punches. Speaking last weekend at the far-right Remigration Summit in Porto, Portugal, he mocked Mullin's background in his family's plumbing business."Mullin's a great guy, great plumber, no doubt about that," Bovino said. "He could probably fix a leaky faucet. But a hundred million illegal aliens is not a leaky faucet."Bovino also called out White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and top Trump campaign aide Chris LaCivita by name, accusing them of "pushing to dial back" mass deportations and "steering the president toward caving to anarchists."On the ongoing clashes at the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, Bovino was equally blunt — arguing on X that Mullin was putting agents at risk by withholding tear gas. "I don't know who's holding these guys back, but basic riot control starts with gas," he wrote. "Hesitation isn't compassion — it's dangerous weakness."Mullin's office told NewsNation that ICE arrested six protesters Wednesday for allegedly assaulting federal officers but did not address Bovino's tear gas allegations directly.
With Trump's ceasefire on the verge of collapse, Tehran is threatening to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to punish the US and Israel , in a move that could send the global economy into a recession.
In a post on social media, President Trump said that talks between the United States and Iran have been continuing "at a rapid pace," not long after Iranian state media had said the high-stakes negotiations had been suspended. NBC News' Monica Alba and Richard Engel have details on the evolving situation.
On Monday, it was announced that President Donald Trump will drop his $1.8 billion slush fund, with sources saying, “It’s dead for now.” As some experts are pointing out, however, that “for now” could mean something, and Senate Republicans may still have to take action to prevent the administration from giving the fund another try. “They disagree with the ruling, but ‘will abide’ by it,” posted Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman over a retweet of the DOJ’s announcement. “I think Rs are still gonna want something in reconciliation to make sure that admin doesn't do this in the future.” Punchbowl’s senior congressional reporter shared his sentiments, posting, “Something tells me this is not going to be satisfactory to enough Senate Republicans.” “This won’t satisfy Senate R’s,” Reese Gorman of NOTUS agreed.“Boy do we have a bill for them!” replied Jacob Peters, Communications Director for Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ). Kelly has become a vocal opponent and frequent target of the administration ever since advocating that military service members refuse illegal orders. The announcement of the fund’s demise comes on the heels of news that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) had told Trump that he either had to shut down the fund or lose his budget reconciliation. “I made my views very clear on the issue,” Thune said. “I do think the best way to handle it is if the administration decides to shut it down themselves.”The fund had drawn bipartisan fury over the likelihood that it would benefit convicted January 6 rioters, with a major Florida editorial board calling it “the biggest heist in history.” In a rare moment of alignment, anger at the fund prompted vocal pushback from Republicans, “imaginative” plans to thwart it from Democrats, and even a legislative collaboration between the two parties. The final straw seems to have come when a number of Republican Senators threatened to block an immigration and border control budget reconciliation bill, a key GOP priority that has faced an uphill battle. Now the bill has been cleared of this impediment, but another remains. “This likely clears way for Senate GOP to pass the $70 billion immigration enforcement funding bill in the coming days,” noted Semafor congressional chief Burgess Everett, “assuming ballroom security stays out of bill.”This is a reference to what has proven to be another hindrance to the bill: $1 billion in funding for security at Trump’s White House ballroom. Americans oppose the project by an overwhelming margin of 2-to-1, and with the midterms looming, Congressional Republicans are desperate to diminish the already heavy headwinds caused by the war with Iran and skyrocketing prices. The elimination of the slush fund provides much-needed breathing room to their jam-packed, make-or-break legislative week ahead, and takes off some pressure with November approaching.But while many opponents of the fund are celebrating its demise, some experts point out that the delay may not be permanent. “That ruling is temporary order while litigation proceeds,” noted Ryan Goodman, Chaired Professor at NYU Law. “Reporting sounds broader than complying with temporary order, but instead responding to political concerns from Republicans on Hill etc to drop the fund.”As Politico senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney clarified, “Folks the court did NOT rule that the fund is dead. She only ruled that for a two-week period the fund would be on pause while the judge could sort through the legal issues. Abiding by the court order does not mean killing the fund.”
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