Summary
Closing summary
Our live coverage is ending now. In the meantime, you can find all of our live US politics coverage here. Here is a summary of the key developments from today:
Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had reached a ceasefire in a post published on his social media platform. Iran and Israel had not immediately verified the deal. The news came just hours after Iran launched a retaliatory strike on a US military base in Qatar.
CIA director John Ratcliffe and director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard will brief members of Congress tomorrow on US military action in Iran. Top Democrats began calling for a classified briefing after the United States launched military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend. Democratic members of “the Gang of Eight” say they have not been briefed on the situation yet, although Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson was briefed this morning.
The US supreme court has ruled that the Trump administration can continue deporting migrants to countries that are not their homeland and without giving them an opportunity to share the dangers they might face. The decision ended an injunction on such deportations issued by US District Judge Brian Murphy, who ordered the Department of Homeland Security to provide written notice to migrants explaining where they would be sent and stop deporting migrants to countries like South Sudan.
Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr met with major health insurers today, extracting pledges that they will take additional measures to simplify their requirements for prior approval on medicines and medical services. Kennedy, who is known for pushing anti-vaccine conspiracies, is set to speak this week at a fundraising event for Gavi, a public-private partnership which helps buy vaccines for the world’s poorest children.
Canada signed a defense pact with the European Union today – the latest sign of the North American country’s shift away reliance on the United States amid strained relations with Donald Trump. Trump is set to attend a two day Nato summit beginning tomorrow. The White House said that at the summit, Trump will push Nato members to increase defense spending.
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There’s still no confirmation from Israel or Iran on the ceasefire deal Donald Trump announced on social media.
According to the Associated Press, Iran’s mission to the United Nations declined to comment on Trump’s ceasefire post, and the Israeli mission said it had no immediate comment. Iranian state media has no confirmation yet either.
Agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins announced today that the Trump administration is working to rescind a rule that prevents logging on national forest lands.
The “roadless rule”, which went into effect in 2001, prohibited road building and logging on all national forest land without roads, accounting for about 30% of national forest land.
At the the annual meeting of the Western Governors Association in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Rollins said the rule impedes “responsible timber production” and that ending it “opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation’s forests”.
Strikes are still ongoing in both Israel and Iran as we await further details on the ceasefire Donald Trump announced on social media.
According to the Associated Press, the Israeli military has declined to comment on Trump’s statement. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. There was also no immediate comment from Iran.
In honor of the 53rd anniversary of Title IX – the civil rights legislation that prevents sex-based discrimination - being signed into law, members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus and Congressional Equality Caucus released a statement criticizing the Trump administration for rolling back “measures that help students who experience sexual harassment or assault and protect LGBTQI+ kids”.
“President Trump has not taken a single action that will strengthen Title IX or solve any of the real challenges that women, girls, and the LGBTQI+ community experience in schools, extracurriculars, and our communities,” the statement, which was signed by representatives Teresa Leger Fernández, Mark Takano and Julie Johnson, reads.
It continues: “On the contrary, despite his claims to prioritize ‘protecting women,’ he spearheaded countless attacks on women and the LGBTQI+ community, including taking away rights, health care, funding, and roles in our armed forces, and undermining legal protections. At a time when the LGBTQI+ community is under attack, Trump is ending the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQI+ Specialized Services.”
Since taking office, the Trump administration has announced several policies aimed at “protecting women” in the spirit of Title IX, by preventing transgender women from participating in sports or housing them in prisons that do not align with their gender identity.
Republican lawmakers are applauding Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran on social media, echoing the president’s “peace through strength” message and saying he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.
Democrats have not yet shared statements on the apparent agreement. Israel and Iran have also not yet confirmed the terms of the agreement, and the White House has not yet issued a formal statement.
JD Vance reacted to the news that Donald Trump had announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran during a Fox News appearance this evening, saying the agreement was still in the works when he left the White House to appear on the show.
“While we have obliterated the Iranian nuclear program, our hope and our expectation is that they’re not going to try to rebuild that program,” Vance said, adding that the United States’ next goal was to “build a longterm settlement here where we can have peace in the region”.
Trump: Israel-Iran ceasefire agreement reached
Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire, Donald Trump announced in a post on his social media platform. Under the terms of the agreement, Trump said, fighting will cease in 6 hours, or midnight ET.
“CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!” Trump wrote.
“Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World. During each CEASEFIRE, the other side will remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL. On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, ‘THE 12 DAY WAR.’ This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!”
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Canada signed a defense pact with the European Union today – the latest sign of the North American country’s shift away reliance on the United States amid strained relations with Donald Trump.
The Guardian’s Jennifer Rankin has more:
Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, on Monday joined European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and head of the European Council, António Costa, in Brussels, where they signed a security and defence partnership, pledged more support for Ukraine, as well as joint work on issues from the climate crisis to artificial intelligence.
At a cordial press conference, Carney described Canada as “the most European of the non-European countries” that “looks first to the European Union to build a better world”.
Costa spoke in kind: “The European Union and Canada are among the closest allies in the transatlantic space. We see the world through the same lens. We stand for the same values.”
Not mentioned was another leader in the transatlantic space: Donald Trump, whose disrespect for old allies appears to have galvanised what was an already healthy EU-Canada relationship.
House Speaker Mike Johnson says a war powers resolution is not necessary and dismissed efforts to advance such legislation, Reuters reports.
Last week, Republican representative Thomas Massie and Democratic representative Ro Khanna introduced a war powers resolution, which would prohibit US armed forces from taking direct action against Iran without explicit authorization from Congress or a declaration of war. Democratic senator Tim Kaine introduced a similar resolution in the Senate.
Massie and Khanna have both said the United States’ strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities this weekend require congressional authorization.
“I don’t think this is an appropriate time for a war powers resolution, and I don’t think it’s necessary,” Johnson told Reuters.
Florida has asked the Supreme Court to grant the state an emergency appeal to enforce a law making it illegal for undocumented immigrants to enter the state, Politico reports. The news comes as the New York Times reports Florida is also building a migrant detention facility nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz”.
US District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a stay on the state law in April. Although Florida attorney general James Uthmeier has appealed her ruling, he filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court to halt that stay while the case proceeds.
At the same time, Florida is constructing a tent facility on a remote airfield in the Everglades to aid the Trump administration in its proposed mass deportations. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told the New York Times that the facility will cost $450mn per year to operate, but that Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) funds could be directed to reduce those costs.
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US supreme court: Trump can resume deporting migrants to countries not theirs
The US supreme court has ruled that the Trump administration can continue deporting migrants to countries that are not their homeland and without giving them an opportunity to share the dangers they might face.
The decision ended an injunction on such deportations issued by US District Judge Brian Murphy, who ordered the Department of Homeland Security to provide written notice to migrants explaining where they would be sent and stop deporting migrants to countries like South Sudan where the state department warns of “crime, kidnapping and armed conflict”, Reuters reports.
The court’s three liberal justices – Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson – dissented.
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Top Democrats are calling for a classified briefing on Iran after the United States launched military strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities, the Washington Post reports. Democratic members of “the Gang of Eight” – eight congressmembers who the president must brief on classified intelligence – say they have not been briefed on the situation yet, although Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson was briefed this morning.
“I’ve asked the Trump administration to give me a classified briefing to lay out the full threat picture, the intelligence behind Iran’s retaliation, and the details, scope, and timeline of any U.S. response,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. “Most importantly, I’ve demanded they lay out exactly what measures they’re taking — right now — to keep our servicemembers safe.”
“I asked for a Gang of Eight briefing. It has yet to occur, and it’s not clear to me what the administration is hiding from the Congress and from the American people,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also said Monday.
All members of Congress will receive a classified briefing tomorrow.
Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared open to investigating threats against lawmakers, but also called Democrats incompetent during an appearance before the House Appropriations Committee today.
In the aftermath of shootings targeting two Minnesota state lawmakers, Bondi said she would be willing to provide more prosecutorial assistance to investigate similar threats against members of Congress, the New York Times reports.
Yet, when pressed on other Department of Justice policies, including proposed funding cuts and January 6 pardons, by Democrats, Bondi was confrontational, the Associated Press reports.
After Democratic congresswoman Madeleine Dean called the “three hallmarks” of the Trump administration “incompetence, corruption and cruelty”, Bondi responded: “You want to talk about in incompetence? You’re the one that said Joe Biden on PBS was competent. You had to retract those words. So don’t talk to me, don’t insult me publicly.”
Trump calls Iran's response 'very weak' and thanks Tehran for giving US notice before attack
Trump has publicly addressed Iran’s strike on the US military base in Qatar, calling the response “very weak” and saying that it was “very effectively countered.” The president also thanked Iran for giving the US notice ahead of time of the attack, which Trump says “made it possible for no lives to be lost.”
Trump wrote:
“Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered. There have been 14 missiles fired — 13 were knocked down, and 1 was “set free,” because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction. I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done. Most importantly, they’ve gotten it all out of their “system,” and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE. I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured. Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Trump added in another post that no Qataris were killed or wounded in addition to no Americans being harmed.
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CIA director John Ratcliffe and director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard will brief members of Congress tomorrow on US military action in Iran.
General Dan Caine, Christopher Landau and Steve Feinberg will also attend. Both the House and Senate will receive classified briefings.
The briefings will come as many lawmakers have demanded answers about the intelligence ahead of Trump’s decision over the weekend to strike Iranian sites.
Robert F Kennedy Jr, known for pushing anti-vaccine conspiracies, is set to speak this week at a fundraising event for Gavi, a public-private partnership which helps buy vaccines for the world’s poorest children, Reuters reports.
Trump reportedly asked the health secretary to represent the US at the conference in Brussels on Wednesday, where Gavi will secure funding for its operations for the next five years. The Trump administration has previously indicated that it planned to cut its funding for Gavi, representing around $300 million annually.
The source told Reuters that it was unlikely Kennedy would commit any new US funding contribution and would most likely discuss “the restructuring of foreign assistance.”
Trump has cut foreign aid programs by around 80% since taking office in January, as part of his “America First” policy agenda.
Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr met with major health insurers today, extracting pledges that they will take additional measures to simplify their requirements for prior approval on medicines and medical services.
Insurers including UnitedHealth Group Inc’s UnitedHealthcare, CVS Health Corp’s Aetna, Cigna Group, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Kaiser Permanente met with Kennedy along with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Mehmet Oz.
The insurers announced they plan to reduce the scope of health care claims subject to prior authorization, standardize parts of the process and expand responses done in real time.
“There shouldn’t be paper, there shouldn’t be faxes, there shouldn’t be letters being sent. They should all be done digitally and automatically, and 90-day continuity should exist for authorizations when patients switch insurers, so you never fall through the cracks again,” Oz said.
“If the insurance industry cannot address the needs of pre-authorization by themselves, there are government opportunities to get involved,” he added.
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Federal officials are increasingly concerned about the possibility of retaliation from Iran on American soil, the New York Times reports.
In an internal email, top officials at the FBI warned that Iran and its proxies have “historically targeted US interests in response to geopolitical events, and they are likely to increase their efforts in the near term”.
The email urged field offices to monitor their collection platforms and stay in close contact with the defense department, including the national guard, “who may be targeted for retaliation” while “specific attention should be paid to” US military facilities connected to the strikes in Iran.
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Johnson dismisses efforts to check Trump's military power against Iran
House speaker Mike Johnson dismissed efforts by lawmakers to advance a measure to check Trump’s use of military force against Iran, after Tehran said it carried out a missile attack on the al-Udeid US airbase in Qatar.
When asked whether he would allow the House of Representatives to vote on a bipartisan resolution, Johnson told reporters: “I don’t think this is an appropriate time for war powers resolution, and I don’t think it’s necessary.”
Republican representative Thomas Massie and Democratic representative Ro Khanna introduced their resolution days before Trump ordered US strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday and have since claimed that the president’s actions require congressional authorization.
Iran’s military said today that it carried out a missile attack on US forces in Qatar, where explosions were heard across the capital.
Democratic senator Tim Kaine has introduced a similar resolution in the Senate that he said lawmakers could vote on as early as this week.
“Our War Powers Resolution has 57 cosponsors. Whether you like it or not, Congress will be voting on U.S. hostilities in Iran,” Massie said in a post on social media earlier today.
Johnson and other Republicans insist that Trump had the authority to take unilateral action against Iran to eliminate a potential nuclear threat to the US and other countries.
“The President made an evaluation that the danger was imminent enough to take his authority as commander in chief and make that happen,” the speaker said.
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Canada and the US could agree to a new economic and defense relationship soon but nothing is assured, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said today.
“We’re working hard to get a deal, but we’ll only accept the right deal with the United States. The right deal is possible, but nothing’s assured,” he told a televised news conference in Brussels after talks with senior European Union officials.
Last Monday, Carney said he had agreed with Trump that their two nations should try to wrap up talks on a new deal within 30 days.
Macron: 'spiral of chaos' must end
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, called for a return to diplomacy to end what he called “the spiral of chaos” after Iran targeted a US military base in Qatar.
Macron wrote on X:
“I express France’s solidarity with Qatar, which has been struck by Iran on its soil.
I am in close contact with the country’s authorities and our partners in the region.
I call on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint, de-escalate, and return to the negotiating table. This spiral of chaos must end.”
Before Macron’s social media post, foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot told France 2 television that the missile strikes, which had not caused any casualties, were a “dangerous escalation” and he urged all sides to show restraint.
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Trump is attacking members of the media, several by name, on Truth Social. He appears angry over reports from several news outlets that the facilities struck in Iran may not have been completely destroyed by the US attacks.
Trump wrote:
“The sites that we hit in Iran were totally destroyed, and everyone knows it. Only the Fake News would say anything different in order to try and demean, as much as possible — And even they say they were “pretty well destroyed!” Working especially hard on this falsehood is Allison Cooper of Fake News CNN, Dumb Brian L. Roberts, Chairman of “Con”cast, Jonny Karl of ABC Fake News, and always, the Losers of, again, Concast’s NBC Fake News. It never ends with the sleazebags in the Media, and that’s why their Ratings are at an ALL TIME LOW — ZERO CREDIBILITY!”
Trump’s media company plans to buy back up to $400m of its stock, which is down 46% this year.
Trump Media and Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, says that the acquisition will improve its financial flexibility. Trump is the largest stakeholder in Trump Media, with about 114m shares.
The Florida-based company, which trades under the ticker DJT on both Nasdaq and NYSE Texas, saw shares rise just over 1%. But the shares appeared to peak about a month after the company went public in late March. Shares have been on a steady, downward trajectory since.
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Trump administration had advance notice of Iran attack on US military base - report
The Trump administration was reportedly aware in advance of Iran’s attack on the al-Udeid air base in Qatar, according to Axios.
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As we reported earlier, Trump and Republican representative Thomas Massie have been engaged in an online back-and-forth after Massie publicly opposed Trump’s decision to strike Iran.
Massie said on social media today that “Our War Powers Resolution has 57 cosponsors.”
He added that: “Whether you like it or not Congress will be voting on U.S. hostilities in Iran. Under the War Powers Act, the President is required to withdraw from hostilities in Iran within 60 days (+30 day ext.) unless he gets a vote of Congress.”
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Trump had visited the Qatari base Iran is attacking just last month. The president addressed US and Qatari troops there in May during a trip to the region.
Speaking to US troops at the base just weeks ago, Trump said “my priority is to end conflicts, not start them”.
He added: “But I will never hesitate to wield American power, if it’s necessary, to defend the United States of America or our partners. And this is one of our great partners right here,” referring to Qatar. “When we’re threatened, America’s military will answer our enemies without even thinking about it. We have overwhelming strength and devastating force.”
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Trump in situation room with Hegseth and Caine amid Iran attack on US bases – report
Joint Chiefs Chair General Dan Caine and Secretary Pete Hegseth are in the Situation Room right now monitoring potential Iranian retaliation, per a senior White House official. Trump is currently in the room with them, CNBC reports.
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An Axios reporter, citing an Israeli official, said that six missiles had been launched by Iran directed towards US airbases in Qatar.
Follow the Israel-Iran war live blog for more updates:
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A western diplomat told Reuters that there has been a credible Iranian threat against the US-run al Udeid airbase in Qatar since noon.
The airbase in Qatar is the Middle East’s largest US base that houses about 10,000 troops.
At the same time, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Iran is moving missile launchers into place for a potential attack on US forces in the Middle East, citing US officials.
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Macron says 'no framework of legality' for US strikes on Iran nuclear facilities
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said today that there was no “framework of legality” regarding the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, adding any regime change in the country should be a result of the will of the people, not of bombs.
“There is no framework of legality in these strikes, even if France shares the objective not to see Iran acquire nuclear weapons,” he told reporters during a press conference in Oslo alongside the Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre.
“I believe in the sovereignty of peoples and territorial integrity … so I don’t think we can take the place of a people to change its leaders,” Macron added.
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A group of 12 House Democratic military veterans are backing efforts to constrain Donald Trump’s military authority, announcing they will support a War Powers Act resolution in response to the US president’s go ahead for airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The veterans – some of whom served in Iraq and Afghanistan – were strongly critical of Trump’s decision to launch what they called “preventive air strikes” without US congressional approval, drawing explicit parallels to the run-up to some of America’s longest recent wars.
“Twenty years ago, in their rush to appear strong and tough, politicians – from both parties – failed to ask the hard questions before starting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” they wrote in a letter led by Representative Pat Ryan to Trump sent on Monday. “We refuse to make those same mistakes.”
Their intervention comes as multiple war powers resolutions are gaining momentum on Capitol Hill, with the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, pushing for a vote as early as this week to rein in the president’s military actions. The veterans did not specify which measure they would support, as competing versions are being drafted by different Democratic factions alongside a bipartisan effort.
The day so far
Trump is scheduled to meet with his national security team at 1pm ET in the Oval Office.
Trump responded to Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of Russia and an ally of Vladimir Putin, who said on social media that a “number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads”. In response, Trump said that “The ‘N word’ should not be treated so casually. I guess that’s why Putin’s ‘THE BOSS.’”
Trump issued a warning about oil prices after White House adviser says Iran strike won’t disrupt markets.
The US embassy in Qatar advised American citizens there to “shelter in place until further notice” and on Sunday night, the state department issued a “worldwide caution” security alert advising US citizens abroad to “exercise increased caution”.
Pakistan has condemned Trump for bombing Iran, less than 24 hours after saying he deserved a Nobel peace prize for defusing a recent crisis with India.
Trump is set to attend the two day Nato summit beginning on Tuesday. The White House said that at the summit, Trump will push Nato members to increase defense spending.
Trump insisted that “monumental damage” had been done by US strikes to Iran’s nuclear sites, but the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says no one in a position to fully assess damage to Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that the US position on Iran regime change has altered, despite Trump raising the prospect of regime change in Iran on Sunday.
Democratic senator John Fetterman called US strike on Iran “entirely appropriate” and criticized his Democratic colleagues who have condemned the strikes.
On Monday morning, Trump once again hit out at Republican representative Thomas Massie, who has publicly opposed Trump’s decision to strike Iran.
The LA county sheriff’s department deleted and then apologized for posting a message expressing sympathy for “the victims and families impacted” by US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
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Trump responds to Medvedev on countries readying to help Iran with nuclear weapons
Donald Trump has responded to Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of Russia and an ally of Vladimir Putin, who said on social media that a “number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads”.
In a post on Sunday, Medvedev also wrote that Trump, who he said was “once hailed as ‘president of peace” has “now pushed the US into another war”.
On Monday morning, Trump responded on Truth Social, writing in a lengthy post, “Did I hear Former President Medvedev, from Russia, casually throwing around the ‘N word’ (Nuclear!), and saying that he and other Countries would supply Nuclear Warheads to Iran?”.
He added: “The ‘N word’ should not be treated so casually. I guess that’s why Putin’s ‘THE BOSS.’”
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German chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that there was “no reason to criticize” the US over its strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran.
In a speech on Monday, Merz said:
There is no reason to criticize what America did at the weekend. Yes, it is not without risk. But leaving things as they were was not an option either.
Follow our coverage of the Israel-Iran conflict here:
Messaging app WhatsApp has been banned on devices used by staff in the US House of Representatives, per reports.
According to Reuters and Axios, the US House’s chief administrative officer (CAO) notified congressional staffers on Monday that WhatsApp is now prohibited from their government devices.
The email, obtained by Axios, reportedly stated that the “Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high-risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security risks involved with its use.”
It further specified, “House staff are NOT allowed to download or keep the WhatsApp application on any House device, including any mobile, desktop, or web browser versions of its products.”
Additionally, it mentioned that those who have the WhatsApp application on their House-managed devices will be contacted to remove it.
The email listed Microsoft Teams, Wickr, Signal, iMessage and FaceTime as acceptable alternatives to WhatsApp.
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Fetterman on US strike on Iran: 'I think it was entirely appropriate'
On Fox News this morning, Democratic senator John Fetterman, who has been a vocal supporter of Israel and has advocated for the US to join Israel’s attack of Iran, criticized members of his own party who have condemned Trump’s attack on Iran over the weekend.
“There’s going to be a lot of people in my party who are going to disagree with the strike in Iran,” Fetterman said. “And I actually support that. I’ve always been calling for that thing. I think it was entirely appropriate. And again, there might be votes on that. So for me, that’s not a war. That was a very limited military exercise.
“I’ve been always calling to destroy these nuclear facilities,” he continued. “Now let’s talk about the context in the middle of all that now, too. Now, our party has been often wrong, and they were pushing for a ceasefire last year, and now Israel pushed through that and has broken Hamas and Hezbollah as well now, too.
“And now here it is right now, Israel has air supremacy over Iraq right now,” he said. “And now, here’s where Iraq – I mean, excuse me, where Iran is right now. Their capabilities are severely limited, and now that was an entirely appropriate to finally take out those nuclear facilities.”
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The Los Angeles county sheriff’s department deleted and then apologized for posting a message expressing sympathy for “the victims and families impacted” by US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
In the original post, according to a screenshot by local news station KTLA, the Sheriff’s department said: “Our hearts go out to the victims and the families impacted by the recent bombings in Iran.”
A swift online backlash followed, and the department then issued an apology on Sunday that referred to its own original post as “offensive and inappropriate” and “unacceptable”.
The Department said that the post was “made in error” and “does not reflect the views of Sheriff Robert G Luna or the Department”.
“As a law enforcement agency, we do not comment on foreign policy or military matters” the statement on Sunday added. “Our mission remains solely focused on protecting public safety and serving our diverse communities.”
Read more about it here:
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In a post on Truth Social this morning, Donald Trump has once again hit out at Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who has publicly opposed Trump’s decision to strike Iran.
Last week, in a rare moment of cross party cooperation, Massie collaborated with Democratic California congressman Ro Khanna, to introduce a measure that would force Trump to get congressional approval to enter Israel’s conflict with Iran.
On Sunday, Trump took aim at Massie in a lengthy post on Truth Social, describing him as “a negative force”, “a simple minded ‘grandstander’”, “weak” and “ineffective”.
“Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is not MAGA, even though he likes to say he is,” Trump wrote on Sunday. “Actually, MAGA doesn’t want him, doesn’t know him, and doesn’t respect him.”
In response to Trump’s comments, Massie wrote on X: “@realDonaldTrump declared so much War on me today it should require an Act of Congress. #sassywithmassie” tagging Trump’s X account.
And now, on Monday morning, Trump added to his attacks on Massie, saying “GET THIS “BUM” OUT OF OFFICE, ASAP!!!”
Axios reported on Sunday that Trump’s political operation had launched an aggressive effort to unseat Massie.
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Trump warns about oil prices after White House adviser says Iran strike won't disrupt markets
In a post on Truth Social this morning, President Donald Trump issued a warning on oil pricing.
“EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I’M WATCHING! YOU’RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON’T DO IT!” Trump wrote on Monday morning.
In a second post, he added, “To The Department of Energy: DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!.”
Earlier this morning, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said that the US strikes on Iran over the weekend had “not really disrupted global oil markets”.
In an interview with CNBC, Hassett said, “if you look at the excess reserves that oil producing countries have around the world, it’s maybe about three times as big as total Iranian production”.
“There’s a lot of room to adjust, should we need to,” he said.
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared on Good Morning America this morning and said that the Trump administration was confident that the airstrikes the US carried out on Saturday in Iran “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“We are confident that Iran’s nuclear sites were completely and totally obliterated,” Leavitt said. “And we have a high degree of confidence that where those strikes took place is where Iran’s enriched uranium was stored.
“The president wouldn’t have launched the strikes if we weren’t confident in that” Leavitt added.
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Trump will push Nato members to increase defense spending when he goes to the Nato alliance summit on Tuesday, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt says.
In an interview with Fox News on Monday morning, Leavitt said that Trump would push Nato members to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.
“One of the main topics of discussion will be that 5% threshold that our Nato allies have to hit” Leavitt said. “The president has been calling on our Nato allies to do more for quite some time. He got them to step up and do more in his first term, and you’ll hear the president talk about that on this next historic trip to Europe.”
The US president and his Nato counterparts are scheduled to meet for the annual Nato summit, which will take place over two days in The Hague, Netherlands, on Tuesday.
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Trump press secretary denies US position on Iran regime change has altered
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked just now about Trump’s statements last night regarding regime change in Iran.
“The President’s posture and our military posture has not changed” Leavitt said. “The President was just simply raising a question that I think many people around the world are asking, if the Iranian regime refuses to give up their nuclear program or engage in talks … if they refuse to engage in diplomacy moving forward, why shouldn’t the Iranian people rise up against this brutal terrorist regime?”
“That’s a question the President raised last night,” she added. “But as far as our military posture, it hasn’t changed.”
Leavitt also said that there has been both “public and private messages sent to the Iranians” since Saturday night.
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Trump to meet with national security team after posting about regime change in Iran
President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with his national security team at 1pm ET today in the Oval Office, according to his schedule.
This comes as on Sunday evening, Trump hinted at the question of regime change in Iran, despite top officials in his administration, including Vice-President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have stressed over the last few days that the Trump administration was not interested in overthrowing Iran’s government.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” Trump posted on social media. “MIGA!!!”.
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The US embassy in Qatar has advised American citizens there to “shelter in place until further notice”.
This comes as on Sunday night, the state department issued a “worldwide caution” security alert advising US citizens abroad to “exercise increased caution”.
Updated
Trump insists ‘monumental damage’ done by US strikes in Iran but others are more cautious
Donald Trump has doubled down on claims “monumental damage” had been done to Iran’s nuclear sites, as the head of the UN’s nuclear agency said that while he anticipated “very significant damage” at the underground Fordow site, the agency had not been able to assess it.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, confirmed that Iran had told the agency it had planned to take “special measures” to protect equipment and nuclear materials on 13 June.
Trump, who has a reputation for hyperbole, again stated that the sites had been “obliterated” by this weekend’s US bombings, in contrast with the more cautious language from the Pentagon and Israeli officials.
“Monumental Damage was done to all Nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images,” he said in a social media post. “Obliteration is an accurate term!” Pentagon officials have characterised the damage to the sites – at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan – as “severe”.
Assessing the extent of the damage has been complicated by the fact that the US, Israel and the IAEA only have access to surface satellite imagery of the sites and reporting from Iran’s nuclear agency on any contamination.
Satellite imagery of Fordow taken in the days before the US attack showed an unusual volume of truck traffic. The images appeared to confirm that Iranian authorities had preemptively removed some material from the site, possibly including its uranium stockpile – or parts of it.
Thousands of Iranian nationals “have been documented entering the United States illegally” and pose a sleeper cell threat, The Hill has reported.
According to US Customs and BorderPprotection (CBP), the threat of sleeper cells in the US has “never been higher”.
However, there are no current specific threats, according to a memo sent on Saturday from CBP commissioner Rodney Scott.
“Though we have not received any specific credible threats to share with you all currently, the threat of sleeper cells or sympathizers acting on their own, or at the behest of Iran has never been higher,” Scott added.
The memo urged CBP personnel to remain “vigilant.”
Advocates are urging Senate Republicans to reject a proposal to cut billions from American healthcare to extend tax breaks that primarily benefit the wealthy and corporations.
The proposal would make historic cuts to Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income and disabled people that covers 71 million Americans, and is the Senate version of the “big beautiful bill” act, which contains most of Donald Trump’s legislative agenda.
“With the text released earlier this week, somehow the Senate made the House’s ‘big, bad budget bill’ worse in many ways,” said Anthony Wright, the executive director of Families USA, a consumer healthcare advocacy group, in a press call.
The Senate’s version makes deeper cuts to Medicaid and so-called Obamacare (Affordable Care Act) plans, “both by expanding paperwork requirements and making it harder for states to fund Medicaid coverage for their residents”, said Wright.
If passed, the House-passed bill would have already made the biggest cuts to Medicaid since the program’s enactment in 1965. With red tape and an expiration of additional healthcare subsidies to Obamacare, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the House version would leave 16 million people without health insurance by 2034.
A Tennessee judge on Sunday ordered the release of Kilmar Ábrego García, whose mistaken deportation has become a flashpoint in Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, while he awaits a federal trial on human smuggling charges. But he is not expected to be allowed to go free.
At his 13 June detention hearing, prosecutors said US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) would take Ábrego García into custody if he were released on the criminal charges, and he could be deported before he has a chance to stand trial.
US magistrate judge Barbara Holmes has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday to discuss the conditions of Ábrego García’s release. The US government has already filed a motion to appeal the judge’s release order.
Holmes acknowledged in her ruling on Sunday that determining whether Ábrego García should be released is “little more than an academic exercise” because Ice will probably detain him. But the judge wrote that everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence and “a full and fair determination of whether he must remain in federal custody pending trial”.
Holmes wrote that the government failed to prove that Ábrego García was a flight risk, that he posed a danger to the community or that he would interfere with proceedings if released.
The Ohio high school graduate and soccer standout who was recently deported from the US to Honduras despite having no arrest record has described being “handcuffed like we’re some big criminals” for the entirety of his deportation flight.
“To me, it was kind of more traumatizing because I haven’t been to my birth country in years,” Emerson Colindres, 19, who was brought from Honduras to the US by his family at age eight, said to the Cincinnati news station WCPO in an interview over the weekend.
He also told the outlet that his pre-deportation detention before leaving the US was “mentally draining”, mainly because he spent all but two hours daily sitting in a jail cell “doing nothing”.
Colindres’s remarks to WCPO were some of his first about an experience vividly contradicting claims that the immigration crackdown spearheaded by Donald Trump since he began his second presidency in January has prioritized targeting dangerous criminals.
He was a star soccer player at Gilbert A Dater high school, had no criminal record, and was attending a regularly scheduled appointment with Immigration and Customers Enforcement (Ice) in Cincinnati when he was detained on 4 June. It was mere days after his graduation from Dater.
Teachers and soccer teammates from Dater joined protests that gathered at the local jail where he was held until his transfer to an Ice facility in Louisiana. Then, on 18 June, the Trump administration deported Colindres to a country where he had not lived for about 11 years.
Speaking to WCPO from Honduras on a video phone call on Saturday, Colindres said he was relieved to no longer be jailed. “You were in there 22 hours in the cell doing nothing,” Colindres said of his confinement. “That’s crazy – like, that’s all … mentally draining.”
He argued that “a lot of people” on his ensuing deportation flights had no arrest records in the US, “like myself included”.
Nonetheless, “the whole flight I was handcuffed like we’re some big criminals,” Colindres added.
Pakistan condemned US president Donald Trump for bombing Iran, less than 24 hours after saying he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for defusing a recent crisis with India.
Relations between the two South Asian countries plummeted after a massacre of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April, AP reports.
The nuclear-armed rivals stepped closer to war in the weeks that followed, attacking each other until intense diplomatic efforts, led by the US, resulted in a truce for which Trump took credit.
It was this “decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership” that Pakistan praised in an effusive message Saturday night on the X platform when it announced its formal recommendation for him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Less than 24 hours later, however, it condemned the US for attacking Iran, saying the strikes “constituted a serious violation of international law” and the statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
JD Vance has said the US is “not at war” with Iran – but is with its nuclear weapons program, holding out a position that the White House hopes to maintain over the coming days as the Iranian regime considers a retributive response to Saturday’s US strike on three of its nuclear installations.
In an interview Sunday with NBC News’ Meet the Press, the US vice-president was asked if the US was now at war with Iran.
“We’re not at war with Iran,” Vance replied. “We’re at war with Iran’s nuclear program.”
But Vance declined to confirm with absolute certainty that Iran’s nuclear sites were completely destroyed, a position that Donald Trump set out in a Saturday night address when the president stated that the targeted Iranian facilities had been “completely and totally obliterated” in the US strikes.
Vance instead said that he believes the US has “substantially delayed” Iran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon.
“I’m not going to get into sensitive intelligence about what we’ve seen on the ground there in Iran, but we’ve seen a lot, and I feel very confident that we’ve substantially delayed their development of a nuclear weapon, and that was the goal of this attack,” Vance said.
He continued: “Severely damaged versus obliterated – I’m not exactly sure what the difference is.
President Donald Trump has called into question the future of Iran’s ruling theocracy, seemingly contradicting his administration’s earlier calls to resume negotiations and avoid an escalation in fighting.
“It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change???” Trump posted on social media. “MIGA!!!”
The posting on Truth Social marked something of a reversal from defence secretary Pete Hegseth’s Sunday morning news conference that detailed the aerial bombing on three of the country’s nuclear sites.
“This mission was not and has not been about regime change,” Hegseth said.
Trump’s military attack on Iran reveals split among Maga diehards
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. I am Tom Ambrose and I’ll be bringing you all the latest news lines over the next few hours.
We start with news that Saturday’s US strikes on Iran provoked conflicting reactions from isolationist Republicans who support Donald Trump’s “Make America great again” (Maga) movement, catching them – like many Democrats – between supporting efforts against nuclear proliferation and opposing American intervention in foreign conflicts.
The far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene – a loyalist to the president – reacted to the strikes by urging those in the US to pray that terrorists do not attack “our homeland” in retaliation.
“Let us join together and pray for the safety of our US troops and Americans in the Middle East,” Greene wrote on X.
But Greene had not been so supportive in a message posted 30 minutes before Trump announced news of the surprise strikes on Saturday evening.
In that message, Greene wrote: “Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war. There would not be bombs falling on the people of Israel if [its prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu had not dropped bombs on the people of Iran first. Israel is a nuclear armed nation. This is not our fight. Peace is the answer.”
The former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon, who has been an opponent of US military intervention in Iran, hit out at the president for thanking Netanyahu in a national address shortly after the strikes.
Speaking on his War Room web show, Bannon said, “It hasn’t been lost … that he thanked Bibi Netanyahu, who I would think right now – at least the War Room’s position is – [is] the last guy on Earth you should thank.”
Read the full report here:
In other developments:
JD Vance has said the US is “not at war” with Iran – but is with its nuclear weapons program, holding out a position that the White House hopes to maintain over the coming days as the Iranian regime considers a retributive response to Saturday’s US strike on three of its nuclear installations.
A Tennessee judge on Sunday ordered the release of Kilmar Ábrego García, whose mistaken deportation has become a flashpoint in Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, while he awaits a federal trial on human smuggling charges. But he is not expected to be allowed to go free.
Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian rights activist, freed from Ice detention on Friday, returned to Columbia University on Sunday to renew his commitment to the cause of Palestinian freedom and opposition to both the university and the Trump administration.
‘Ticking timebomb’: Ice detainee dies in transit as experts say more deaths likely.
Republican representative’s ectopic pregnancy clashes with Florida abortion law.
Gun-wielding attacker killed at church in suburban Detroit.
