Mike Waltz told lawmakers Tuesday at his confirmation hearing to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations that he plans to make the world body 鈥済reat again,鈥 echoing President Donald 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 message for revamping America.
Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Waltz faced lawmakers for the first time since he was for mistakenly adding a journalist to a private Signal chat used to . But it took more than an hour into the hearing for a lawmaker to bring it up.
Waltz has spent the last few months on the White House payroll despite being removed as national security adviser. The latest list of White House salaries, current as of July 1, includes Waltz earning an annual salary of $195,200.
Here鈥檚 the latest:
Education Department resumes layoffs
The Trump administration is moving ahead with at the Education Department.
After the Supreme Court in a Monday decision, the department began sending updated termination notices to hundreds of employees.
The notice tells workers they will formally be separated from the agency Aug. 1. It said the department thanks them for their service and 鈥渞ecognizes the difficulty of the moment.鈥
Education Secretary Linda McMahon in March said she was laying off about 1,400 employees as part of the president鈥檚 plan to wind down the agency. A lower court paused the layoffs, but the Supreme Court halted that order.
Democrats see an opening in Epstein backlash
A super PAC working to elect Democrats to the U.S. House in next year鈥檚 midterm elections is naming and shaming Republicans who once demanded to see records from Jeffrey Epstein鈥檚 sex trafficking investigation but on Monday voted against a Democratic effort to release them.
GOP Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Anna Paulina Luna and Cory Mills of Florida are 鈥渃omplicit鈥 with a Trump administration that鈥檚 trying to bury documents about the wealthy financier who abused underage girls, the Democratic-aligned House Majority PAC said in an emailed memo.
Democrats had tried to force the release of information about Epstein鈥檚 case by attaching an amendment to cryptocurrency legislation. Just one Republican on the House Rules Committee, Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, voted with them.
Democrats have been taking full advantage of fissures in the GOP over the federal government鈥檚 decision not to release the much-hyped records. Several left-wing lawmakers have taken to social media in recent days calling for the files to be made public.
Pew survey: Global views of China and Xi Jinping improve, US and Trump decline
Views of China and its President Xi Jinping have improved in many countries around the world, and those of the U.S. and President Donald Trump have deteriorated, resulting in closer-than-ever international views of the two superpowers and their leaders, according to the latest survey of about two dozen countries by Pew Research Center.
Across 24 countries, Pew found that the U.S. was viewed more favorably than China in eight countries, China was viewed more favorably in seven, and the two were viewed about equally in the remainder.
Pew surveyed more than 30,000 people across 25 countries in total -- including the U.S., which was excluded from the comparison -- from January 8 to April 26.
This year鈥檚 results are a drastic departure from when the U.S. and its leader 鈥 then President Joe Biden 鈥 enjoyed more favorable international views than China and its president.
Pew provides no certain answer to what caused the shifting views, but Laura Silver, associate director of research, said it鈥檚 possible that views of a country may change when those of another superpower shift.
Trump is on his way to a tech and energy conference in Pittsburgh
Trump will speak at the conference with dozens of top executives to promote his energy and technology agenda.
The event is organized by Republican U.S. Sen. David McCormick of Pennsylvania, a former hedge fund CEO who鈥檚 using it to showcase Pennsylvania and highlight tens of billions of dollars in energy and tech investments in the region.
At the conference at Carnegie Mellon University, Trump Cabinet officials spoke of the need to produce as much energy as possible 鈥 especially from coal and natural gas 鈥 to beat China in the artificial intelligence race for the sake of economic and national security.
Trump stands by waiting period on Russian sanctions
Trump pushed back on the idea that waiting 50 days to impose sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine is too long and suggested that an even more abbreviated timeframe would be sufficient.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think 50 days is very long and it could be shorter than that,鈥 he said.
Trump defends Bondi on handling of Epstein files
The president said the attorney general has 鈥渉andled it very well鈥 and said it鈥檚 up to Bondi whether to release any more records related to the sex traffic investigation of Epstein.
He said Bondi gave him 鈥渁 very quick briefing鈥 about the matter. When asked by a reporter if the attorney general told Trump whether his name appeared in any of the records, he said, 鈥淣o, no.鈥
Trump said of Bondi, 鈥渨hatever she thinks is credible, she should release.鈥
The president also said he likes FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who has reportedly clashed internally with Bondi over the issue. Trump didn鈥檛 say more about Bongino.
Education Department wind-down continues
The Education Department is handing off the administration of its workforce development programs to the Department of Labor, part of the Trump administrations plan to wind down the federal education agency.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced the interagency agreement on Tuesday, a day after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the administration to move ahead with its plan to dismantle the department.
The Associated Press that the department had recently struck a deal to outsource the management of several grant programs for workforce training and adult education to the Department of Labor.
The Education Department said the shift streamlines federal workforce programs, the majority of which are already administered by the Department of Labor.
The department on Tuesday called it a 鈥渕ajor step in shifting management of select ED programs to partner agencies.鈥
Trump said he thinks Cuomo can win NYC mayor鈥檚 race
The president told reporters at the White House that he thinks Andrew Cuomo should stay in the race, saying he 鈥渨ould have a good shot at winning.鈥
The Democratic former New York governor, who clashed with Trump while in office, re-launched his campaign for New York City mayor on Monday as an independent, aiming to offer a more middle-road choice than Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.
Mamdani is a democratic socialist state lawmaker whom Trump has harshly criticized, including on Tuesday when he called him 鈥渁 communist.鈥
Trump says he鈥檒l meet with UK prime minister in Scotland
Trump says he鈥檒l be meeting with Britain鈥檚 prime minister during an upcoming trip to Scotland.
The president told reporters at the White House 鈥渨e鈥檙e going to be meeting鈥 with Prime Minister Keir Starmer 鈥減robably in Aberdeen.鈥
He suggested they鈥檇 discuss refining a previously announced trade deal.
Trump said the meeting would take place at 鈥減robably one of my properties.鈥 His family business has a golf course near Aberdeen in northeast Scotland, while a second course is set to open in the area soon. There is also a Trump course near Turnberry in the country鈥檚 southwest.
US officials say they are still reviewing Ukraine鈥檚 weaponry wish list
U.S. officials say they are still sorting through Ukraine鈥檚 wish list of weaponry that it would like to receive from NATO members to determine what can be most quickly replaced after President Donald Trump announced an agreement for Europe to supply Ukraine with defensive munitions from existing stocks.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss arms transfers that have not yet been approved or completed, said Ukraine鈥檚 requests for materiel are roughly the same as they have been since the start of Russia鈥檚 invasion more than three years ago. Those include air defenses like Patriot missiles and Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems, long range missile known as ATACMS and short- to medium-range ground-to-air missiles known as NASAMs, and assorted artillery, according to the officials.
Under the terms of the very rough agreement sketched out by Trump and NATO chief Mark Rutte on Monday, NATO members would ship billions of dollars of these weapons to Ukraine and then purchase replacements for them from the United States.
One official said some of the larger items 鈥 such as Patriots鈥 could take up to five years to produce to deliver to the European donors, while smaller munitions like 155mm artillery shells can be produced on a much shorter timeline
Trump says he wants 5 new Republican congressional districts in Texas
The president said he wants Texas state lawmakers to create five new Republican congressional districts when they meet in a special session starting next week to discuss redistricting.
Asked as he departed the White House for Pittsburgh about the possibility of adding GOP-friendly districts around the country, Trump responded, 鈥淭exas will be the biggest one. And that鈥檒l be five.鈥
Texas, still reeling from deadly flooding, will hold a special legislative session starting July 21.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott had previously referenced a letter from the Department of Justice raising concerns about the legalities of four of Texas鈥 38 congressional districts.
But Trump now says he鈥檇 like to see five now made more GOP-friendly.
Trump downplays possibility of sending long-range weapons to Ukraine
鈥淲e鈥檙e not looking to do that,鈥 Trump told reporters ahead of departing the White House for an energy investment event in Pittsburgh.
Trump made the comments after he threatened Russia a day earlier with steep tariffs if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn鈥檛 soon end the three-year conflict and announced a rejuvenated pipeline for American weapons to reach Ukraine.
It鈥檚 the most substantive pressure he鈥檚 placed on Putin since returning to office nearly six months ago.
Trump, who has repeatedly said his only priority is quickly ending the war, deflected when asked by a reporter if he鈥檚 now on Ukraine鈥檚 side in the bloody conflict.
The president responded that he on the side of 鈥渉umanity.鈥
Trump says goods from Indonesia will be taxed at 19%
President Donald Trump said he plans to tariff imports from Indonesia at 19%, while American goods sent to the southeast Asian country will face no tariffs.
Trump spelled out some of the details of the agreement he announced Tuesday on Truth Social before boarding the presidential helicopter.
鈥淭hey are going to pay 19% and we are going to pay nothing,鈥 said Trump, implying that foreign countries pay the entirety of tariffs even though importers in the U.S. technically must pay the tax.
Trump said Indonesia is 鈥渧ery strong鈥 on copper. But it was unclear what role copper played in any agreement, as he has separately taxed the commodity at 50% starting on Aug. 1.
The U.S. president said on Truth Social he had reached an agreement after speaking with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
Senators say 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 50-day sanction plan against Russia is too long
A bipartisan pair of senators is speaking out to say Trump is giving Russia too much time by waiting 50 days to impose sanctions.
Sens. Thom Tillis, a Republican of North Carolina, and Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat of New Hampshire, both said that the 50-day waiting period would only give Russian President Vladimir Putin more time to gain an advantage in the war.
鈥淭he 50-day delay worries me,鈥 Tillis told reporters. 鈥淭hat Putin would try to use the 50 days to win the war, or to be better positioned to negotiate, a peace agreement after having murdered and potentially collected more ground.鈥
Tillis and Shaheen lead the Senate NATO Observer Group, which facilitates work between Congress and NATO, and were hosting NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
At a news conference alongside the senators, Rutte praised the American president and said 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 sanctions plan would immediately start putting pressure on Russia to strike a peace deal.
Sen. Jacky Rosen questions Waltz鈥檚 continued White House salary after departure as national security advisor
鈥淪urprisingly, you鈥檝e been on the White House payroll for the last few months,鈥 said Rosen. 鈥淭hroughout this year, you鈥檝e made (assertions) that, if confirmed, you would root out waste and unnecessary overhead at the UN. So can you confirm for us whether you鈥檝e been receiving a salary from the White House since being let go as the NSA?鈥
Waltz resented the claim that he was fired.
鈥淚 was not fired. The president never said that, nor did the vice president. I was kept on, as an advisor, transitioning a number of important, a number of important activities,鈥 said Waltz.
鈥淚t鈥檚 also been publicly reported that you鈥檝e been receiving almost $200,000 of the taxpayer money since you were dismissed from being the national security advisor,鈥 said Rosen.
Waltz was listed as a White House 鈥渁dvisor鈥 as of July 1, for which he receives an annual salary of $195,200. Rosen鈥檚 questions were the last round before the hearing was adjourned.
Waltz tells Senate hearing UN agency helping Palestinian refugees 鈥榤ust be dismantled鈥
Mike Waltz told his confirmation hearing to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations that staff members from the agency, known as UNRWA, were involved in Hamas鈥 Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in southern Israel, that its schools teach hatred of Jews.
鈥淚t simply not only needs to be defunded, which the president has put in place with his executive order, but it should be dismantled,鈥 Waltz said, stressing that UNRWA cannot again have a humanitarian role in Gaza.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed a British human rights activist on Tuesday to carry out a strategic review of UNRWA to assess its impact under the 鈥減resent political, financial, security and other constraints.鈥
Israel has banned UNRWA from operating in its territory. It alleged that 19 out of UNRWA鈥檚 approximately 13,000 staff in Gaza participated in the Oct. 7 attacks.
UNRWA said it fired nine staffers after an internal U.N. investigation. Israel later alleged that about 100 other Palestinians in Gaza were Hamas members, but never provided any evidence to the United Nations.
Waltz accuses UN of antisemitism and being a bloated bureaucracy that doesn鈥檛 get things done
Mike Waltz told his confirmation hearing to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations that the U.N. General Assembly and U.N. schools in Gaza have promoted 鈥渁ntisemitic hate.鈥
He said U.N. revenue 鈥渉as quadrupled in the last 20 years鈥 but hasn鈥檛 been commensurate with an increase in world peace, a key U.S. goal for the U.N. He called for reforms saying, 鈥淭he U.N. has ballooned over 80 agencies with overlapping missions and waste resources.鈥
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly decried the resurgence of antisemitism and the U.N. holds an annual commemoration of the Nazi Holocaust during World War II.
Like all his recent predecessors as U.N. chief, Guterres has sought to reform the United Nations which was born on the ashes of World War II and at age 80 is struggling to tackle 21st century challenges. Last September, the General Assembly adopted a 鈥淧act for the Future鈥 with a blueprint for reforms == but whether they will be implemented remains to be seen.
A quiet, stoic mood in the hearing room
Unlike past nomination hearings, attendees in the Senate chamber did not wear t-shirts, veteran attire, medical scrubs or other clothing outside of business attire.
Many seated attendees were family of the nominees and featured multiple generations. Most attendees faces were generally stone-faced throughout the hearing, with mild chuckles and grimaces during more tense moments of the proceedings.
The proceedings have not been interrupted by any protestors. Security was tight outside the doors onto the chamber.
Sen. Cory Booker: 鈥業 have no questions for you, sir. I have nothing but deep disappoint for you, sir鈥
鈥淚鈥檝e watched this hearing, and I鈥檝e been really disappointed,鈥 said the New Jersey Democrat. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 been troubling to me about your nomination from the beginning is your failure to just stand up and take accountability for mistakes that you made and that all Americans know that you鈥檝e made.鈥
Booker said that 鈥渆very one of us has made mistakes鈥 but that Americans expect from leaders 鈥渋s for people to stand up and just take responsibility, take accountability.鈥
鈥淚 just watched with great disappointment that even after weeks, if not months, of reflection, you couldn鈥檛 sit before this committee and take some responsibility, and talk constructively about what鈥檚 learned,鈥 said Booker.
鈥淚nstead, you do what seems to be yet another creative tool that people are doing, which is, 鈥楬ey, let me just blame Biden鈥.鈥
Waltz did not directly respond to Booker鈥檚 comments but in a comment in response to a question from Sen. Rick Scott, Waltz said: 鈥淚 appreciate the men and women that I鈥檝e had to lead in combat. And I think the last thing that would call me is a coward.鈥
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says US has energy to win AI race, China doesn鈥檛
Lutnick, speaking at an energy and tech summit in Pittsburgh, said the 鈥渘umber one investor in the environmental narrative is China鈥 and that the U.S. has the energy capacity to drive the artificial intelligence revolution, but China doesn鈥檛.
China is opening a coal plant every week and wants the U.S. to close theirs in an effort to hamstring the U.S.鈥 ability to win the AI race, Lutnick told the crowd during a panel discussion.
鈥淭he AI revloultion is upon us,鈥 Lutnick said. 鈥淭he Trump administration will not let us lose. We need to do clean beautiful coal. We need to do natural gas. We need to embrace nuclear, we need to embrace it all because we have the power to do it and if we don鈥檛 do it, we鈥檙e fools.鈥
Waltz denounces UN global reports that examined US domestic policy
Waltz stressed that the Trump administration鈥檚 diplomatic strategy would be focused on cutting costs to what he called 鈥渨aste, fraud and abuse that are endemic to the U.N. system.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 worth remembering, despite the cuts, the U.S. is by far the most generous nation in the world,鈥 said Waltz, responding to concerns that the administration鈥檚 cuts to global programs hurt U.S. influence.
Waltz added that some U.N.-funded research and projects were anti-American and received input from some U.N. members who the administration considers adversaries.
鈥淭he U.N.鈥榮 radical politicization, such reports as 鈥楽tolen Native American Land鈥 reports and investigations, called the 鈥楪eorge Floyd mechanism鈥, labeling American police and America systemically racist with input from countries like Cuba and Venezuela, is unacceptable,鈥 said Waltz.
Senate committee chair says US pays 22% of UN regular budget but doesn鈥檛 get its agenda adopted
Sen. Jim Risch was critical of the United States being the biggest provider to the U.N.鈥檚 $3.72 billion budget and the separate budget for its far-flung peacekeeping operations, yet according to him, Washington is not getting the commensurate support at the 193-nation world body.
Assessments paid by all U.N. member nations to the regular budget are based on their economies. The U.S., with the world鈥檚 biggest economy, is expected to pay 22% of the regular budget, while China, with the second-largest economy, recently had its share raised to 20%.
Last year, 152 of the U.N.鈥檚 193 member nations paid their dues in full, including China, but 41 countries did not, including the United States.
A top Democrat warns against US withdrawal from international organizations
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think that most Americans want to live in a world where the Chinese Communist Party is driving the agenda,鈥 said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.
鈥淚f we walk away from international bodies like the U.N., the result won鈥檛 be reforms that advance American interests,鈥 she added.
Shaheen said she hoped that, if confirmed, Waltz would work with the Senate 鈥渢o preserve America鈥檚 ability to lead.鈥
鈥淧ut simply, we cannot shape these organizations or even push for the reforms that we want unless we鈥檙e at the table,鈥 Shaheen said.
Senate committee鈥檚 top Republican says Waltz nomination comes at 鈥榗ritical time鈥 for geopolitics
Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho said Waltz will help 鈥渞eturn the U.N. to its core and founding mandate of maintaining international peace and security鈥 and restrain 鈥渕ission creep鈥 at the international body.
鈥淭he U.N. is always a challenge and desperately needs reform, which we鈥檝e been unable to accomplish so far,鈥 said Risch, adding, 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of anti-American sentiment at the U.N.鈥
Risch warned that 鈥淐hina is working with our adversaries to undermine America and our allies鈥 and said that Waltz鈥檚 time as U.N. ambassador comes at a 鈥渃ritical time鈥 for geopolitical tensions between countries like China and Russia.
Sen. Mike Lee introduces Waltz and issues a warning to the U.N.
The Republican from Utah, a friend of Waltz, called him 鈥渙ne of the most well-qualified U.S. ambassador nominees to the United Nations ever,鈥 before listing off his military service as a Green Beret in the Army and praising his work on national security issues during his time in Congress.
Lee lambasted the efficacy of the U.N. and said the Trump administration 鈥渉as some legitimate concerns鈥 about the international body, which Lee called 鈥渁 disaster and a detriment鈥 to U.S. interests.
鈥淲ith Waltz at the helm, the U.N. will have what I regard as what should be its last chance to demonstrate its actual value to the United States,鈥 Lee continued. 鈥淚nstead of progressive political virtue signaling, the Security Council has the chance to prove its value, and settling disputes and brokering deals.鈥
The stakes of Waltz鈥檚 UN hearing
If confirmed, Waltz would head to the U.N. at a moment of great change. The world body is reeling from 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 decision to slash foreign assistance 鈥 affecting its humanitarian aid agencies 鈥 and it anticipates U.S. funding cuts to the U.N. annual budget.
Under an 鈥淎merica First鈥 foreign policy realignment, the White House has asserted that 鈥渟ome of the U.N.鈥檚 agencies and bodies have drifted鈥 from their founding mission and 鈥渁ct contrary to the interests of the United States while attacking our allies and propagating anti-Semitism.鈥
Facing financial instability, the U.N. has spent months shedding jobs and consolidating projects while beginning to tackle long-delayed reforms. The U.N. is also facing growing frustration over what critics describe as a lack of efficiency and power in delivering on its mandate to end conflict and prevent wars.
Sen. Mike Lee introduces Waltz and issues a warning to the U.N.
The , a friend of Waltz, called him 鈥渙ne of the most well-qualified U.S. ambassador nominees to the United Nations ever,鈥 before listing off his military service as a Green Beret in the Army and praising his work on national security issues during his time in Congress.
Lee lambasted the efficacy of the U.N. and said the Trump administration 鈥渉as some legitimate concerns鈥 about the international body, which Lee called 鈥渁 disaster and a detriment鈥 to U.S. interests.
鈥淚nstead of progressive political virtue signaling, the Security Council has the chance to prove its value, and settling disputes and brokering deals,鈥 Lee continued.
Waltz enters Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing
罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 pick for U.N. ambassador entered the chamber alone and sat alongside the administration鈥檚 ambassadorial nominees to Portugal and Sweden. Senators from both parties are also coming in.
Members of Waltz鈥檚 family sat behind him alongside kin of the other nominees.
Trump responds to inflation report showing price pressures by calling for Fed rate cuts
The monthly inflation report showed signs that tariffs are pushing up prices, but Trump is declaring victory over inflation anyway.
鈥淐onsumer Prices LOW,鈥 Trump posted on Truth Social. 鈥淏ring down the Fed Rate, NOW!!!鈥
The consumer price index report for June showed a 2.7% annual inflation rate, meaningfully higher than the Fed鈥檚 2% inflation target based on a separate measure of prices.
However, Trump has brushed aside concerns about tariffs and pressured Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to instead cut the short-term interest rates, a move that could accelerate inflationary pressures.
Trump further posted that the 鈥淔ed should cut Rates by 3 Points. Very Low Inflation. One Trillion Dollars a year would be saved!!!鈥
It was unclear whether Trump wanted a 3-percentage point cut to the rate, which is effectively 4.33% right now. The Fed usually cuts rates in .25-percentage point increments.
Inflation rose last month to its highest level in 4 months
Worsening inflation poses a political challenge for Trump, who promised during last year鈥檚 presidential campaign to immediately lower costs. Higher inflation will also likely heighten the Federal Reserve鈥檚 reluctance to cut its short-term interest rate, as Trump is loudly demanding.
The Labor Department said Tuesday that consumer prices for things like gas, food and groceries rose 2.7% in June from a year earlier, up from an annual increase of 2.4% in May. On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.3% from May to June, after rising just 0.1% the previous month.
罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 are also pushing up the cost of a range of goods, including furniture, clothing, and large appliances.
Trump urged supporters to see conspiracies everywhere. With Epstein, that鈥檚 coming back to haunt him
As his supporters erupt over the Justice Department鈥檚 in Jeffrey Epstein鈥檚 sex trafficking investigation, President 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 strategy has been to downplay the issue.
His problem? That nothing-to-see-here approach doesn鈥檛 work for those who have learned from him that they must not give up until the government鈥檚 deepest, darkest secrets are exposed.
On Saturday, Trump used his Truth Social platform to again attempt to amid reports of infighting between Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino over the issue. He suggested the turmoil was undermining his administration, but that did little to mollify 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 supporters, who urged him to release the files or risk losing his base.
The political crisis is especially challenging for Trump because it鈥檚 one of his own making. The president has spent years stoking dark theories and that casts him as the only savior who can Now that he鈥檚 running the federal government, the community he helped build is . It鈥檚 demanding answers he either isn鈥檛 able to or does not want to provide.
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Trump sounds more positive about NATO
Trump hailed as 鈥渁mazing鈥 the news from the NATO summit last month that member countries will increase defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product.
鈥淣obody thought that that was possible,鈥 Trump told the BBC.
He has complained for a long time that the U.S. shoulders too much of the NATO burden and has demanded that countries devote more of their budgets to defense.
Reminded that he previously had called NATO 鈥渙bsolete,鈥 Trump said, 鈥淚 think NATO is now becoming the opposite of that. I do think it was past.鈥
Trump says he wants to have a 鈥榞ood time鈥 on his upcoming UK state visit
Speaking about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump noted in the BBC interview, 鈥淚 really like the prime minister, even though he鈥檚 a liberal.鈥
Trump and Starmer have met several times, including in the Oval Office, and the prime minister was a trade framework with the United States to avoid the steep tariffs Trump is imposing on other countries.
Trump is due to visit Britain in mid-September for . Asked about his goals for the trip, Trump said, 鈥淚 want to have a good time and respect King Charles, because he鈥檚 a great gentleman.鈥
Trump and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, are set to visit the U.K. between Sept. 17 and 19 and will be hosted by and at Windsor Castle.
No U.S. president has been invited for a second state visit. Trump previously enjoyed state visit pomp and pageantry in 2019 during his first term when he was hosted by Charles鈥 late mother, .
Trump says he鈥檚 鈥榙isappointed鈥 but not 鈥榙one鈥 with Putin, dodges on whether he trusts Russia鈥檚 leader
Asked about Putin in a telephone interview with the BBC that aired on Tuesday, Trump said, 鈥淚鈥檓 disappointed in him. But I鈥檓 not done with him, but I鈥檓 disappointed in him.鈥
Trump said he thought he and Putin had reached a deal several times to end Russia鈥檚 invasion of neighboring Ukraine, only to find out that Russia had just attacked Kyiv again.
The president dodged when asked if he trusts Putin. 鈥淚 trust almost nobody, to be honest with you,鈥 Trump said.
The Kremlin says more US weapons for Ukraine will extend the war
The Kremlin said Tuesday that new supplies of announced by President Trump will extend the conflict.
Asked about comments by Trump, who threatened Russia with steep tariffs if it fails to agree to a peace deal in 50 days and announced a rejuvenated pipeline for American weapons to reach Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that 鈥渟uch decisions made in Washington, in NATO members and in Brussels are perceived by the Ukrainian side as a signal for continuing the war, not a signal for peace.鈥
He reaffirmed that Russia is open to continuing the talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, but is still waiting for Kyiv to offer a date for their new round. 鈥淲e are ready to continue the dialogue,鈥 he said, adding that 鈥渨e haven鈥檛 yet received signals about the third round and it鈥檚 hard to say what鈥檚 the reason.鈥
Supreme Court allows Trump to lay off nearly 1,400 Education Department employees
The is allowing President Donald Trump to put his plan to dismantle the Education Department back on track and go through with laying off nearly 1,400 employees.
With the three liberal justices in dissent, the court on Monday paused an order from U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston, who issued a preliminary injunction reversing the layoffs and calling into question the broader plan.
The layoffs 鈥渨ill likely cripple the department,鈥 Joun wrote. A federal appeals court refused to put the order on hold while the administration appealed.
The high court action enables the administration to resume work on winding down the department, one of 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 biggest campaign promises.
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