After a divided Supreme Court on Friday ruled that individual judges lack the authority to grant nationwide injunctions, President Donald Trump told reporters he鈥檇 鈥減romptly file鈥 to advance policies blocked by judges, including birthright citizenship restrictions.
lack the authority to grant nationwide injunctions. The outcome was a victory for Trump, who has complained about individual judges throwing up obstacles to his agenda, but the court left open the possibility that the birthright citizenship limitations could remain blocked nationwide.
Here's the latest:
Sympathetic camera operator bellows 鈥楾rump 2028!鈥 during president鈥檚 White House press conference
Girish Gaur of Lindell TV shouted his support for a third presidential term for Trump and cheered during a break in questions that the president took for nearly an hour Friday in the White House briefing room.
Gaur was standing just off stage, slightly behind the podium where Trump stood, but otherwise closer to the president than reporters in their assigned seats.
鈥淲ho said that? I like him,鈥 Trump responded, before taking more questions.
Lindell TV was founded by Mike Lindell, the founder of My Pillow, and a fierce Trump supporter.
Trump is constitutionally barred from seeking a third presidential term, but has refused to rule the idea out.
Congo invokes war鈥檚 victims in signing peace deal with Rwanda
Congo鈥檚 foreign minister invoked the millions of victims of the decades of conflict in signing the peace deal with Rwanda.
鈥淪ome wounds will heal, but they will never fully disappear,鈥 Therese Kayikwamba Wagner said of the generations scarred by the resource-fueled fighting in east Congo.
鈥淭hose who have suffered the most are watching. They are expecting this agreement to be respected and we cannot fail them.鈥
Trump says he saved Khamenei from 鈥榰gly and ignominious death鈥
The president in a statement on his social media platform shortly after his news conference laid into Iran鈥檚 supreme leader for claiming victory in the 12-day Israel-Iran war.
鈥淎s a man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie. His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life,鈥 Trump added.
The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda sign peace deal facilitated by the US
The deal will help end the decadeslong deadly fighting in eastern Congo. The agreement signed Friday has been lauded by Trump as 鈥渁 big day for the world.鈥
The deal will also help the U.S. government and American companies gain access to critical minerals needed for much of the world鈥檚 technology at a time when the United States and China are actively competing for influence in Africa.
鈥淭his is an important moment after 30 years of war,鈥 U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a signing ceremony before a White House event that will bring the ministers together with Trump.
Analysts see the deal as a major turning point but don鈥檛 believe it will quickly end the fighting in the region that has killed millions of people since the 1990s
Trump to Ayatollah: You got beat to hell
The president scoffed at Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei鈥檚 assertion delivered on Thursday that Iran delivered a 鈥渟lap to America鈥檚 face鈥 by striking a U.S. air base in Qatar and warned against further in his first public comments since a ceasefire agreement with Israel.
鈥淭he place was bombed to hell,鈥 Trump said.
The president said he plans to soon deliver a formal response to the supreme leader that will say in part: 鈥淟ook you鈥檙e a man of great faith. A man who鈥檚 highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell.鈥
Trump says Fed Chair Jerome Powell is costing taxpayers hundreds of billions
The president repeated his claim that the chair of the Federal Reserve could save taxpayers as much as $900 billion a year in interest payments on the national debt if Powell would cut the short-term rate that the Fed controls.
鈥淲e have a man who鈥檚 not a smart man and he probably has Trump derangement syndrome,鈥 Trump said, referring to Powell, whom he appointed in his first term.
It鈥檚 true that the federal government鈥檚 interest payments have spiked since the Fed first boosted its rate in 2022 to fight inflation. The Fed鈥檚 hikes over time contributed to higher interest rates on the Treasury securities that the government sells to fund the debt.
But for longer-term rates, such as those paid on five-year and 10-year Treasury notes and 30-year bonds, the Fed has less influence. Instead, market forces play a bigger role. In fact, when the Fed cut its key rate three times last year, from about 5.3% to 4.3%, the yield on the 10-year Treasury 鈥 and therefore the amount of interest paid by taxpayers 鈥 actually rose.
It鈥檚 still higher than it was then 鈥 4.25% now, up from 3.66% then.
Trump wraps up nearly hourlong news conference
鈥淲e鈥檝e had a big week. We鈥檝e had a lot of victories this week,鈥 the president said. He recapped the U.S. strikes on Iran and the subsequent ceasefire, plus increased defense spending at the NATO summit.
He thanked U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi for her work on the Supreme Court case that limited the power of individual judges to block his agenda, saying 鈥渟he鈥檚 going to go down as a great attorney general.鈥
鈥淲e鈥檝e had tremendous wins,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut this was a tremendous win today.鈥
Trump says he鈥檚 鈥榥ot really鈥 concerned about the possibility of any secret nuclear sites in Iran
鈥淐an I tell you, they鈥檙e exhausted. And Israel鈥檚 exhausted too,鈥 Trump said of Iran.
Talking about Iran, Trump said 鈥渢he last thing they鈥檙e thinking right now is nuclear.鈥
鈥淣o, I鈥檓 not worried about it at all,鈥 he said of secret nuclear sites.
The president said he plans to issue a statement later responding to a statement Thursday from Iran鈥檚 Supreme Leader Ayatollah in which he said his country had delivered a 鈥渟lap to America鈥檚 face.
Trump jokes that 鈥業鈥檓 a little out of my league鈥 on African diplomacy
The White House will host leaders from Congo and Rwanda to end years of fighting.
Trump said 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know too much about it鈥 but expressed satisfaction that the U.S. was able to help bring both sides together.
He mentioned that the U.S. would also get access to critical minerals in the region.
Trump says his job is a 鈥榙angerous business鈥
The president was speaking about threats to his life, including proxy groups from Iran that may issue threats, and he referenced the bullet that struck his ear last summer in an attempted assassination.
Though intelligence officials said there were threats last year to Trump鈥檚 life from Iran, law enforcement found no evidence that the two assassination attempts he faced were connected to Iran.
Trump said he gets 鈥渢hat throbbing feeling every once in a while,鈥 about his ear.
鈥淲hat I do is a dangerous business,鈥 he said.
Trump says Iran must open itself to inspection to verify it doesn鈥檛 restart its nuclear program
Asked during a White House news conference if he would demand during expected talks with Iran that the International Atomic Energy Agency or some other organization be authorized to conduct inspections, Trump responded the Islamic republic would have to cooperate with the group 鈥渙r somebody that we respect, including ourselves.鈥
Trump says 鈥榟ope so鈥 on Justice Department probe of judges who ruled on his cases
The president was asked a question by a reporter from LindellTV, a news organization founded by Mike Lindell, a conspiracy theorist and founder of MyPillow, about whether he would like to see a Justice Department probe of the judges whose rulings allowed criminal cases and other court cases to proceed against him while he was out of office.
鈥淚 love you,鈥 Trump said in response to the question. He then went on and added, 鈥淚 hope so.鈥
Trump opens door to extending legislative deadline
The president previously said he wanted his tax-and-spending agenda approved by Congress before July 4.
But he sounded more flexible Friday.
鈥淚t can go longer,鈥 he said.
Trump says Senate parliamentarian 鈥榟as been a little difficult鈥
The parliamentarian said procedural legislative rules mean Republicans part of the president鈥檚 legislative agenda.
鈥淚 disagree with the parliamentarian on some things. On other ways, he鈥檚 been fine,鈥 Trump said.
The position is actually held by a woman, Elizabeth McDonough. Some Republicans have called for .
Treasury secretary to meet with Republican senators Friday
As Republicans are scrambling to pass President Trump鈥檚 sprawling tax package by his July 4th deadline, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says he鈥檚 planning to head back to the Senate today to speak with lawmakers.
Bessent made the remarks at the Faith and Freedom Conference in Washington on Friday morning,
Bessent also said had been up until 10 p.m. the night before speaking with lawmakers about SALT provisions relating to the deduction of state and local taxes.
鈥淧erfect cannot be the enemy of good,鈥 Bessent said. 鈥淕etting this passed is the single most important thing we can do this year.鈥
Trump praises Sen. John Fetterman as 鈥榯he most sensible鈥 of the Democrats
The president made the comment about the Pennsylvania senator when musing about whether he could win any Democratic votes for his legislative agenda.
鈥淢aybe Fetterman,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ecause he seems to be the most sensible one lately.鈥
Trump says Iran wants to meet
The president didn鈥檛 directly address what type of meeting he would like to see with the Iranians. But reflecting on the past days that included U.S. strikes on Iran and his trip to a NATO summit in Europe, he said, 鈥淏een a hell of a week, hasn鈥檛 it?鈥
Trump says he鈥檒l notify some countries on tariff rates soon
The president, in response to a question about the looming deadline of his tariff rates, said the administration will send out a letter to countries over the next week or so telling them what they鈥檒l have to pay.
鈥淪ome will be disappointed because they鈥檙e going to have to pay tariffs,鈥 he said without offering more details.
Trump said he will 鈥榩romptly file鈥 to push policies after Supreme Court decision
鈥淲e can now promptly file to proceed with these numerous policies,鈥 he said.
Speaking from the White House, Trump said he would try to advance restrictions on birthright citizenship and other policies that had been blocked by district courts.
Treasury Secretary: Negotiations with trading partners could continue past Trump鈥檚 July 8 deadline
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking Friday on Fox Business Network鈥檚 鈥淢ornings with Maria,鈥 said the talks could be 鈥渨rapped up by Labor Day.鈥欌
On April 2, Trump announced so-called reciprocal tariffs, import taxes ranging from 11% to 50% on dozens of countries with which the United States runs trade deficits. But after financial markets sank on fears of massive disruption to world trade, Trump suspended the levies for 90 days to give countries a chance to negotiate reductions in their barriers to U.S. exports. That pause lasts until July 8.
鈥淚f you can鈥檛 get to a deal,鈥欌 Bessent said, Trump is 鈥渉appy to go back鈥欌 to the high April 2 tariffs.
Bessent said the U.S. hopes to reach deals with 10 or 12 of the most important trading partners by the Sept. 1 Labor Day holiday.
Lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia ask judge to keep him in jail over deportation concerns
The attorneys asked a federal judge in Tennessee on Friday to delay his release from jail because of 鈥渃ontradictory statements鈥 by President Trump鈥檚 administration over whether or not he鈥檒l be deported upon release.
A federal judge in Nashville has been preparing to release Abrego Garcia to await trial on human smuggling charges. But she鈥檚 been holding off over concerns U.S. immigration officials would swiftly detain him and try to deport him again.
Abrego Garcia鈥檚 attorneys are now asking the judge to continue to detain him following statements by Trump administration officials 鈥渂ecause we cannot put any faith in any representation made on this issue by鈥 the Justice Department.
鈥淭he irony of this request is not lost on anyone,鈥 the attorneys wrote.
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Pentagon renames Navy ship after World War II sailor
announced Friday that the USNS Harvey Milk replenishment oiler will be renamed after a World War II sailor who received the Medal of Honor, who served during the Korean War.
In a video, Hegseth said he was 鈥渢aking the politics out of ship naming.鈥 Instead, the ship鈥檚 new name will honor Navy Chief Petty Officer Oscar V. Peterson, who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions during the Battle of the Coral Sea.
The decision is the latest move by Hegseth to wipe away names of ships and military bases that were given by the Biden administration, which in many cases chose monikers honoring service members who were women, minorities or other leaders. It follows earlier actions by Hegseth and President Trump to of references to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Speaker Johnson says 鈥榞ood-faith talks鈥 with Iran needed after briefings
After classified briefings with top White House officials on the recent strikes in Iran, House Speaker Mike Johnson said it was clear 鈥渁 major setback鈥 had been struck to Iran鈥檚 nuclear program and called for direct diplomacy to follow.
鈥淲e now need Iran to engage with us in direct, good-faith talks, negotiations,鈥 said Johnson. 鈥淭hey need to sit down at the table with us and ensure that peace is truly lasting.鈥
Lawmakers remained divided on the effectiveness of the strikes. The briefings, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left some unconvinced the operation had achieved its goals.
California Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat, said it鈥檚 unclear 鈥渉ow far they鈥檝e actually set back鈥 Iran鈥檚 program. Khanna and others criticized Trump for not consulting Congress beforehand.
鈥淚 have not been happy for a long time that I鈥檝e learned about this strike sitting on my sofa with a cold beer looking at Twitter. That鈥檚 not the way this is supposed to work鈥 said Rep. Jim Hines, the Democrat鈥檚 top member on the House intelligence committee.
Vice President JD Vance hails 鈥榟uge鈥 Supreme Court decision
Vance said the justices were 鈥渟macking down the ridiculous process of nationwide injunctions.鈥
He also shared a post from conservative commentator Sean Davis, who said the court was 鈥渘uking universal injunctions,鈥 which liberals have sought from district judges to slow down Trump鈥檚 agenda.
State Department scaling down its evacuation flights for American citizens from Israel
That鈥檚 due to a sharp decline in demand as an Israeli-Iranian ceasefire appears to be holding and commercial airlines are resuming service.
In an internal notice obtained by The Associated Press, the department said the US embassy in Jerusalem had canceled two government flights from Tel Aviv to Athens, Greece, that had been scheduled for Friday 鈥渄ue to a lack of passengers.鈥 It added that only five U.S. citizens had departed on a final charter flight to Rome on Friday and that there had been a significant reduction 鈥 by at least one-third, to 89 鈥 in the number of Americans seeking information about departure options since Wednesday.
Since the embassy started evacuation flights last Saturday, roughly 650 Americans left Israel on government flights, although more than 14,650 had contacted the State Department to seek information about departing or to report their departure by either plane, ship or overland travel to Jordan or Egypt, the notice said.
Tentative SALT deal is, in fact, tentative
The White House and House Republicans have narrowed on a plan for one outstanding issue in Trump鈥檚 big bill 鈥 the state and local tax deduction, known as SALT.
As it stands, they鈥檝e tentatively agreed to the House-passed terms of a $40,000 cap on deductions 鈥 but for five years, instead of 10.
The SALT deduction has been a key holdup as lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states negotiate. They want to quadruple what鈥檚 now a $10,000 cap. Senate Republicans argued that鈥檚 too generous.
One GOP holdout, Rep. Nick LaLota of New York, says he can鈥檛 support the compromise.
House Speaker Mike Johnson says 鈥榲ery close鈥 to finishing Trump鈥檚 big bill
鈥淲e would still like to meet that July 4th, self-imposed deadline,鈥 Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said at the Capitol.
鈥淭he president likes that idea. I certainly like that idea鈥 and so does Senate Majority Leader John Thune,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e are very, very close.鈥
Trump plans a news conference to celebrate ruling at the Supreme Court
The president posted on his Truth Social media network that it was a 鈥淕IANT WIN.鈥
鈥淓ven the Birthright Citizenship Hoax has been, indirectly, hit hard. It had to do with the babies of slaves (same year!), not the SCAMMING of our Immigration process,鈥 Trump said in the post.
He announced he plans to have a news conference at 11:30 a.m. at the White House.
Food stamp cuts are back in Trump鈥檚 big bill
The Republican proposal to shift the costs of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, has been accepted by the Senate parliamentarian.
Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Nutrition, and Forestry Committee that handles food aid, said plans to make certain immigrants ineligible for food aid were also accepted.
鈥淭his paves the way for important reforms that improve efficiency and management of SNAP,鈥 he said.
But the panel鈥檚 top Democrat, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, said her party will 鈥渒eep fighting these proposals that raise grocery costs and take food away from millions of people, including seniors, children, and veterans.鈥
Supreme Court preserves key part of Obamacare preventive health care coverage requirements
The Friday ruling rejected a challenge from Christian employers to the provision that affects some 150 million Americans.
The 6-3 ruling comes in a lawsuit over how the government decides which health care medications and services must be fully covered by private insurance under former President Barack Obama鈥檚 signature Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare.
The plaintiffs said the process is unconstitutional because a volunteer board of medical experts tasked with recommending which services are covered isn鈥檛 Senate approved.
President Trump鈥檚 administration defended the mandate before the court, though the Republican president has been a critic of his Democratic predecessor鈥檚 law. The Justice Department said board members don鈥檛 need Senate approval because they can be removed by the health and human services secretary.
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Trump鈥檚 big bill back on track in the Senate
A flurry of overnight actions appear to be putting the sprawling package of tax breaks and spending cuts in place as senators race for weekend votes.
The Senate parliamentarian accepted a number of revisions to Republican plans that had stalled progress this week.
Senators hope to begin voting this weekend, in time for Trump鈥檚 Fourth of July deadline.
Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions, but fate of Trump birthright citizenship order unclear
A divided on Friday ruled individual judges lack the authority to grant nationwide injunctions, but the decision left unclear the fate of President Trump鈥檚 restrictions on .
The outcome was a victory for Trump, who has complained about individual judges throwing up obstacles to his agenda.
But a conservative majority left open the possibility that the birthright citizenship changes could remain blocked nationwide. Trump鈥檚 order would deny citizenship to U.S.-born children of people who are in the country illegally.
Birthright citizenship automatically makes an American citizen, including children born to mothers in the country illegally. The right was enshrined soon after the Civil War in .
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Tax breaks for gun silencers and school vouchers violate rule, Senate parliamentarian says
But steep cuts to and the have been revised by Republicans and are now accepted by as complying with the procedures for Trump鈥檚 big bill.
The package is getting back on track after several setbacks as senators race toward a weekend session for votes to deliver by Trump鈥檚 Fourth of July deadline.
Trump says US has signed a deal with China on trade, without giving details
And Trump said he expects to soon have a deal with India.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Bloomberg TV the deal was signed earlier this week. Neither Lutnick nor Trump provided any details about the agreement.
鈥淲e just signed with China the other day,鈥 Trump said late Thursday.
Lutnick said the deal was 鈥渟igned and sealed鈥 two days earlier.
It was unclear if the latest agreement was different from the one announced that he said would make it easier for American industries to obtain much-needed needed magnets and . That pact cleared the way for the trade talks to continue, while the U.S. agreed to stop trying to revoke visas of .
China鈥檚 Commerce Ministry said Friday the two sides had 鈥渇urther confirmed the details of the framework.鈥 But its statement didn鈥檛 explicitly mention U.S. access to rare earths.
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A key inflation move higher in May while Americans cut back on their spending
It鈥檚 the latest sign that prices remain stubbornly elevated.
Prices rose 2.3% in May compared with a year ago, up from just 2.1% in April, the Commerce Department said Friday. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.7% from a year earlier, an increase from 2.5% the previous month. Both figures are modestly above the Federal Reserve鈥檚 2% target.
At the same time, Americans cut back on spending for the first time since January, as overall spending fell 0.1%.
The inflation figures suggest President Trump鈥檚 on prices. The costs of some goods, such as toys and sporting goods, have risen, but those increases have been partly offset by falling prices for new cars, airline fares, and apartment rentals, among other items.
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Pardon applications are being crafted with one man in mind: Donald Trump
The White House and the Justice Department have received a wave of clemency requests 鈥 all carefully crafted to capture the attention and fancy of Trump or those who know his inclinations.
The flurry, legal experts said, has been sparked by Trump鈥檚 frequent and eyebrow-raising grants of clemency since retaking office in January. The Republican president has pardoned and commuted the sentences of more than 1,600 people, including many political allies, former GOP officeholders and hundreds . He even who were serving time for bank fraud and tax evasion.
In doing so, Trump has largely cast aside a process that historically has been overseen by nonpolitical personnel at the Justice Department who spent their days poring over clemency applications.
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Trump鈥檚 schedule, according to the White House
11 a.m. 鈥 Trump receives an intelligence briefing in the Oval Office
3 p.m. 鈥 Trump will meet with foreign ministers from Congo and Rwanda in the Oval Office
