U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham/ Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Senate Republicans largely lined up behind President Donald Trump’s handling of the conflict between Iran and Israel and said they trusted Trump’s judgment on whether the United States ought to involve itself.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a defense hawk who said he spoke to Trump last night, endorsed the use of force if diplomatic efforts fail.
“Either you want them to have a nuclear weapon, or you don’t,” Graham said. “And if you don’t, if diplomacy fails, you use force.”
Most Republicans said that they agreed with Trump that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
“I think this is something on which the entire world can agree: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, or the ability to deliver a nuclear warhead, period,” Sen. John Kennedy said.
“American foreign policy is always a balance between … between values and interests. The value here is obvious to everyone. Iran cannot have a bomb. It’s just unthinkable, and I support the president unconditionally on that,” Kennedy said.
Sen. Mike Rounds said there is evidence that Iran was getting closer to building a nuclear weapon.
“If Israel has a plan which is appropriate to take care of the problem, then we don’t need to be there, but we should never take or eliminate options that are available to the president in exercising his authority as the commander-in-chief,” Rounds said. Sen. Kevin Cramer said he would support Trump’s decision if he decided to enter the conflict, but would also support a decision to instead “assist Israel in getting the job done.”
“Iran’s made that really crystal clear. They pledged to wipe out the United States of America. I prefer not to let them get here,” Cramer said. “I prefer preemptive prevention of war rather than having to end one after it gets to our soil, right?”
Cramer said Trump has been handling the crisis “brilliantly”and applauded Trump’s suggestion that he may or may not get involved.
“I think that’s pretty honest, right? I may or I may not. I think that that the element of of surprise, if you will, is maintained by an answer that doesn’t tell you what he’s going to do,” he said. “It’d be crazy for the president to give a warning, if you will, of what he may do.”
Both Republicans and Democrats said they would like Congress to have a role in determining whether the U.S. gets involved in the conflict, but Republicans were much less forceful.
“I would love to see Congress have a role, but we certainly don’t have time in the midst of what we all see going on for Congress to sit and cogitate for six or eight months,” Kennedy said.
Democrats, on the other hand, said Trump should get Congress’ approval before taking any military action.
“At some point, the president must come to Congress if there is to be active, kinetic military involvement that constitutes war. That’s the Constitution, Sen. Richard Blumenthal said. “And I believe that the president has to face accountability at some point, for the use of military force in combat, in a war. And the question is, when that point is.”
Other Democrats said the U.S. should be trying to de-escalate the conflict rather than inflame it.
“We don’t need to escalate in Iran. That doesn’t make anyone in the Middle East safer, and it certainly doesn’t make the United States any safer right now, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said. “The role of the United States should be to help de-escalate, to push for negotiations, not to try to set more things afire.”
(WASHINGTON) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparred with some Democratic senators as he was grilled at a congressional hearing Wednesday about the Trump administration’s latest military actions.
The former Fox News host, who faced a contentious confirmation hearing, got into a heated exchange before the Senate Armed Services Committee with Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., who questioned him over the military’s authority to arrest and detain protesters.
“It’s sort of amusing the extent to which the speculation is out there,” Hegseth said.
“So what is the order? Then list it out for us. List it out for us. Be a man. Did you authorize them to detain or arrest?” Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who served in Iraq, said.
The senator questioned Hegseth about the possibility of an order given for the military to use lethal force against protesters.
“I’m just asking the question. Don’t laugh,” Slotkin said after Hegseth brushed off the question.
“What is that based on?” Hegseth responded. “What evidence do you have that that order has ever been given?”
Slotkin responded that his predecessor, Mark Esper, didn’t accept such an order during the first administration.
“He had more guts and balls than you because he said, I’m not going to send in a uniformed military to do something that I know in my gut isn’t right … You’re pooh-poohing this,” the senator said.
Hegseth testified that there was “zero indication that an order was given to shoot protesters and that has not happened.”
But when she asked whether troops could use force against unarmed civilians, Hegseth wouldn’t say.
“I’d be careful what you read in books and believing it. Except for the Bible,” he said.
Hegseth responded similarly when questioned by Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Ariz, earlier in the hearing.
Rosen asked about the firings of several top national security officials, including the director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy Haugh, that were allegedly done at the request of far-right social media influencer Laura Loomer.
“She’s been denounced even by Republicans, and the idea is that any leaders within our agency responsible for our nation’s security, somebody would be dismissed based on the advice of a social media influencer,” Rosen said.
“I don’t discuss who I talk about anything with, but ultimately, this is my decision and he serves at the pleasure of the president and that’s why he’s no longer there,” he said.
“Do you believe it’s appropriate for social media to influence personnel decisions in your department, yes or no?” Rosen asked. Time then expired. The chairman left a moment for Hegseth to answer the question, as witnesses often do after a lawmaker has asked their final question.
Hegseth took a beat, and said, “I believe your time is up.”
Rosen pushed back.
“Oh, it is not up to you to tell me when my time is up. I am going to say, Mr. Secretary, you’re either feckless or complicit. You’re not in control of your department,” she replied. “You [are] unserious. … I yield back and I don’t appreciate the smirk, sir. You are the secretary of defense.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday was not revealing what action he might take related to Iran after multiple sources said he’s been presented with a range of options by his national security team.
Asked by reporters on the South Lawn Wednesday morning, Trump said he wasn’t ruling out using U.S. military assets to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” he said.
Trump met with his advisers in the Situation Room on Tuesday afternoon after departing the Group of Seven summit in Canada early, citing tensions in the Middle East.
On Tuesday, Trump had demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” in a social media post. Asked on Wednesday to elaborate what that means, Trump said: “That means I’ve had it, okay. I’ve had it. I give up.”
“No more. Then we go blow up all the, you know, all the nuclear stuff that’s all over the place there,” Trump said.
The president said his patience has “already run out” with Iran, and that Iran wants to negotiate but be said it may be too late.
His message for the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei? “I say good luck,” Trump said.
The president also sought to push back on prominent MAGA voices who’ve been outspoken about the U.S. not getting involved in the war between Israel and Iran.
“My supporters are more in love with me today, and I’m in love with them more than they were even at election time,” Trump said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Tennessee law banning certain gender-affirming care treatment for minors.
The court ruled 6-3, with Chief Justice John Roberts authoring the opinion. The court’s three liberal justices dissented.
The decision in the case, U.S. v. Skrmetti, is one of the most significant LGBTQ rulings to come from the Supreme Court and marks the first time the justices have weighed in on an anti-trans state law.
“This case carries with it the weight of fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy, and propriety of medical treatments in an evolving field,” Roberts wrote. “The voices in these debates raise sincere concerns; the implications for all are profound.”
The chief justice wrote that the court’s majority found the Tennessee law did not violate the equal protection guarantee of the Fourteenth Amendment, and it was leaving “questions regarding its policy to the people, their elected representatives, and the democratic process.”
“The Equal Protection Clause does not resolve these disagreements. Nor does it afford us license to decide them as we see best. Our role is not “to judge the wisdom, fairness, or logic” of the law before us … but only to ensure that it does not violate the equal protection guarantee of the Fourteenth Amendment,” he wrote.
Tennessee is one of 24 states with laws in effect banning all gender-affirming care for transgender minors.
There are 1.6 million Americans over 13 who identify as transgender, including an estimated 300,000 ages 13-17. A third of those people live in states that ban gender-affirming care, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA.
Roberts rejected arguments by a group of transgender teenagers and their parents that denying the kids access to puberty blockers and hormone therapy amounts to sex discrimination.
He said the playing field is level for all under Tennessee’s law, SB1: “No minor may be administered puberty blockers or hormone therapy to treat gender dysphoria,” he wrote.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor read her dissent from the bench, sharply disagreeing with the majority’s ruling.
The decision “invites legislatures to engage in discrimination,” she wrote. It will “authorize untold harm to transgender children and parents and families who love them.”
“By retreating from meaningful judicial review exactly where it matters most, the Court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims. In sadness, I dissent,” she wrote.
ACLU attorney Chase Strangio was the first openly transgender person to argue a case before the Supreme Court in Skrmetti. He called the decision a “devastating loss.”
“Though this is a painful setback, it does not mean that transgender people and our allies are left with no options to defend our freedom, our health care, or our lives,” Strangio said. “The Court left undisturbed Supreme Court and lower court precedent that other examples of discrimination against transgender people are unlawful. We are as determined as ever to fight for the dignity and equality of every transgender person and we will continue to do so with defiant strength, a restless resolve, and a lasting commitment to our families, our communities, and the freedom we all deserve.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Jackie Talarico said she grew tired of being harmed by her home. Now, the Navy wife says she is taking her former landlords to court.
“Our houses are not our safe place,” said Talarico. “We were told there was no mold in our house. We were told there was no lead. We were told there is no asbestos, and they lied.”
Talarico used to live in privatized military housing while her husband, a U.S. Navy cryptologic technician, was stationed at Naval Air Station Key West in Florida.
Talarico documented issues from mold to water damage, and said the ceiling collapsed in her child’s bedroom. Once repaired, Talarico said it began to cave in again.
The Talaricos and nearly 200 current and former tenants in the Florida Keys are now suing Balfour Beatty, one of the largest privatized military housing providers in the United States. The lawsuit alleges Balfour Beatty “systematically failed to properly repair and remediate significant problems in the homes, including water damage, mold, structural defects, HVAC, plumbing issues, electrical problems and the presence of lead paint and asbestos.””We are aware of the lawsuit and intend to defend ourselves vigorously,” Balfour Beatty Communities said in a statement to ABC News.
A spokesperson for Balfour Beatty Communities said, “The health, safety, and well-being of our residents is our top priority. NAS Key West’s climate creates an environment that is more conducive to mold growth than other areas of the country.”
In 2021, Balfour Beatty pleaded guilty to fraud in a federal case, accused of falsifying maintenance records of military housing, having to pay more than $65 million after prosecutors said they “lied about the repairs to pocket millions of dollars in performance bonuses” from the military.
The current case from Key West involves one of the 14 current private-sector military housing providers across the U.S. According to the Military Housing Association, currently about 99% of military family housing in the United States is owned and operated by private companies.
“Our servicemembers give so much every day and put so much on the line for our country, one thing they should not have to sacrifice is their children and their families’ life, health and safety when they do that every day for the rest of America,” Talarico said.
Talarico joined other military wives on Capitol Hill in April to advocate for a Senate bill that would conduct studies on the health effects of mold growth in military installations.
“My number one fear throughout this has always been my husband’s career,” said Talarico. “Luckily his command has been nothing but supportive.”
When the Department of Defense decided to get out of the housing business in 1996, it received Congressional approval to engage private investors with expertise to renovate or replace old, inadequate housing, establishing the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI). The contracts were often decadeslong to incentivize the massive undertaking, according to congressional research. Since the implementation during the defense cuts of 1996, some housing conditions have seemingly deteriorated, sparking Senate hearings in 2019 for reforms.
The Department of Defense’s inspector general acknowledged in a 2024 report that mismanagement of living facilities, including reports of environmental hazards, such as mold, could impact the health and readiness of the military, including recruitment and retention, across all types of military housing.
The report cited GAO’s 2023 findings that the DoD has taken steps “to increase assistance to residents of privatized housing, ensure the DoD has adequate personnel to conduct oversight activities and improve the Dod’s oversight of the condition of private housing units. However, the GAO found a need for more detailed formal dispute resolution guidance, improved guidance on the role of the tenant advocate, and better oversight of the condition of private housing units.”
In Texas, the house where Lt. Col. Travis Allen previously lived is now unoccupied after mold overtook the property. He served in Iraq in 2007 and is now the chaplain at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph. He moved his family three years ago.
“This was supposed to be my best assignment,” Allen told ABC News. “This was supposed to be the crowning jewel of my career. To move from the tactical level to the operational level. But immediately, all that excitement about being here was derailed.”
Instead, he says he later found out there were leaking sewage pipes under the home that the housing company, Hunt Military Communities, said it had already repaired.
Allen’s wife, Stacey, and daughter, Sydney, were by his side to address health issues, including visits to specialists who couldn’t understand why they couldn’t control the inflammation and pressure in his eyes.
“So we had the house tested, and that’s when we found out that there was black mold coming through the air ducts,” said Allen. “Green mold in the house, too.”
Environmental consultant Joe Reiss, who tests species of molds though is not involved in any of these cases, told ABC News that this fungus thrives in damp environments and “will look for an opportunistic colony.”
Allen says he has incurred out-of-pocket expenses totaling thousands of dollars. He has now moved his family off base with only the essential clothes and furniture they could salvage from the mold.
Hunt Military Communities said it remains committed to providing affordable, well-maintained housing. “We have rigorous processes in place to thoroughly investigate and address maintenance-related concerns,” it said in a statement to ABC News.
These stories have been repeated with numerous lawsuits nationwide, dating back more than a decade. As a result of the Senate hearings on conditions of MHPI, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 established the Tenant Bill of Rights, which some critics say has not been enforced.
“It’s more like guidelines,” said attorney Ryan Reed, about the MHPI’s implementation of the Tenant Bill of Rights. “If the landlord doesn’t follow it, there’s no meaningful consequence. Many of the rights are written so vaguely that multiple interpretations could be had of what exactly that means.”
Reed said his firm has represented around 150 military families over the last six years in litigation involving their private military housing. He said the problems can be traced back to the Military Housing Privatization Initiative itself.
“At that point, the military was powerless to police their partner,” Reed told ABC News. “They were the minority partner. They were not the expert. And by and large, they just allowed the housing companies to do whatever the housing company said was right.”
Reed said the lack of consensus on how to fix the problem is a larger issue. One of the components in the Tenant Bill of Rights is the formal dispute resolution process.
“What we discover at the end of the day is that process really has no teeth,” said Reed.
The Department of Defense told ABC News it intends to complete reforms and hold private companies accountable for fixing these problems.
“I know firsthand that our warfighters cannot deliver if they are sidelined by problems at home, especially those that can negatively affect health and quality of life,” Assistant Secretary of Defense Dale Marks said in a statement to ABC News. “Secretary Hegseth and I are committed to rebuilding military readiness and appreciate the support from Congressional committees to make much-needed housing reforms.”
“Together, we will complete implementation of these reforms and hold private companies accountable to fixing these problems,” said Marks, who was confirmed in June and will serve as Hegseth’s chief housing official.
Talarico, formerly based at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, said she wants the failures to be addressed.
Balfour Beatty Communities, which oversees some privatized homes at NAS Key West, told ABC News that they are currently working to install new HVAC systems, among other improvements to vapor barriers and weather sealants to prevent deterioration.
“We understand that residents would like all the older homes at NAS Key West to be extensively renovated or rebuilt, but our joint venture with the Navy does not currently have the funding to undertake such a project,” said a spokesperson for Balfour Beatty Communities. “As funding becomes available, we are committed to working with the Navy to improve aging housing.”
Talarico, Allen and other military families hope additional reforms will provide safe, affordable and accessible housing.
“Housing, shelter, is a war fighter’s basic need,” Allen said. “And for some of us, that need is going unmet and we need help.”
(WASHINGTON) — As Israel and Iran continue to trade strikes in the Middle East, lawmakers are set to introduce bills and resolution aimed at preventing the United States from getting involved in Israel’s military campaign against Iran.
While the efforts are in their early stages, the legislation is unlikely to garner sufficient support to override the will of President Donald Trump and his supportive Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress.
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Monday introduced a resolution he says will “prevent war with Iran” as he expresses concern at the idea that the U.S may get involved in Israel’s campaign against Iran.
“It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States. I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict,” Kaine, D-Va., said. “The American people have no interest in sending service members to fight another forever war in the Middle East. This resolution will ensure that if we decide to place our nation’s men and women in uniform into harm’s way, we will have a debate and vote on it in Congress.”
Separately, Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders introduced the No War Against Iran Act on Monday to “prohibit the use of federal funds for any use of military force in or against Iran absent specific Congressional authorization.” Sanders has several co-sponsors including Democratic Sens. Peter Welch of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, and Tina Smith of Minnesota.
“[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s reckless and illegal attacks violate international law and risk igniting a regional war. Congress must make it clear that the United States will not be dragged into Netanyahu’s war of choice,” Sanders wrote in a statement. “Our Founding Fathers entrusted the power of war and peace exclusively to the people’s elected representatives in Congress, and it is imperative that we make clear that the President has no authority to embark on another costly war without explicit authorization by Congress.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune avoided saying whether he would put Kaine’s resolution on the Senate floor when asked on Tuesday. He said that any action on the matter would be “getting the cart ahead of the horse,” but that there could be a more “fulsome discussion” later on what the role of Congress should be amid the conflict.
“This is something that’s happened the last few days. I think the President is perfectly within his authority in the steps that he has taken. You know clearly, if this thing were to extend for some period of time, there could be a more fulsome discussion about what the role of Congress should be, and and and whether or not we need to take action,” Thune said.
A resolution is a statement or expression of a sentiment that, if passed, has no legal authority. An act has legal authority, but even if passed by the Republican-controlled Congress, it would have to be signed into law by Trump.
In the House, Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie joined California Democrat Ro Khanna to introduce a bipartisan War Powers resolution on Tuesday meant to ensure that Congress asserts its constitutional authority to declare war under 50 U.S. Code Ch. 33.
“This is not our war. But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution,” Massie said. “I’m introducing a bipartisan War Powers Resolution tomorrow to prohibit our involvement. I invite all members of Congress to cosponsor this resolution.”
Khanna, one of the bill’s initial cosponsors, quote tweeted Massie’s post, calling for “No war in Iran,” and equating the current situation in Iran to Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
“No war in Iran. It’s time for every member to go on record. Are you with the neocons who led us into Iraq or do you stand with the American people?” Khanna posted. “I am proud to co-lead this bipartisan War Powers Resolution with Rep. Massie that is privileged and must receive a vote,”
Shortly after Massie’s and Khanna’s posts, New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and fellow Squad member Rashida Tlaib of Michigan expressed their support for the effort.
Ocasio-Cortez, in a reply to Massie, said that she would be “signing on,” to the resolution.
In her post, Tlaib, said that the American people wouldn’t fall for “it” again, contrasting today’s debate on Iran’s nuclear capabilities to October of 2002, when Congress approved a bipartisan Authorization for the Use of Military Force ahead of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
“I look forward to supporting this War Powers Resolution. The American people aren’t falling for it again,” Tlaib said. “We were lied to about “weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq that killed millions (plus) forever changed lives. It’s (unconstitutional) for Trump to go to war without a vote in Congress.”
ABC News’ Isabella Murray and John Parkinson contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Republican Sen. Mike Lee deleted his controversial social media posts about the assassination of a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband after several people criticized the Utah Republican for his comments.
On Sunday night — a day after a masked gunman disguised as a police officer shot and killed Democratic State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark at their Minnesota home — Lee made posts referencing the attack and featuring images of Vance Boelter, the suspect in the shooting.
The first post was captioned “This is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way” and the second says “Nightmare on Waltz street,” seemingly blaming Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for the shootings — which the governor called an “act of targeted political violence.” The posts were deleted from his account Tuesday afternoon.
During a press conference at the Capitol Tuesday, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said she spoke with Lee — but didn’t explicitly say whether he removed the posts because she asked him to.
“Senator Lee and I had a good discussion, and I’m very glad he took it down,” Klobuchar said of the posts.
The Minnesota Democrat declined to provide specific details on her discussion with Lee.
“I told him what I’ve said publicly — that this isn’t one bit funny for my state. They spent the weekend, many of them, locked in their homes in certain areas, depending on where they thought that the murderer went,” Klobuchar said.
Lee, during a brief conversation with reporters on Tuesday, also acknowledged he had a “quick” conversation with Klobuchar.
Lee’s posts prompted immediate backlash from Democrats who condemned Lee for making them.
“To attempt to politicize this tragedy is absolutely unacceptable. This rhetoric from elected officials is beyond dangerous and incites even more violence,” Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin said on the Senate floor Monday. “It is reprehensible, and it must be called out — on both sides of the aisle — both sides of the aisle. Because in the land of the free and the home of the brave, everyone should feel safe expressing their political views — and we must never do so in a way that condones violence or intimidation.”
Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten criticized Lee’s posts during an interview on ABC News Live Tuesday: “Shame, shame on you, senator. You know better than that.”
“I also hope that my Republican colleagues in the House and the Senate will condemn these actions,” Scholten said, later adding, “We need to come together, regardless of party, when this type of violence raises its head and condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”
Former RNC Chair Michael Steele told Lee to “grow the hell up” in a post on X.
Leaving a meeting at the Capitol Monday night, Lee ignored questions from reporters about the posts.
ABC News has reached out to his office for comment.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump met with advisers in the Situation Room on Tuesday afternoon, a White House official confirmed, as Israel and Iran continue to trade strikes.
The meeting came some nine hours after Trump arrived back at the White House after abruptly leaving the G7 summit in Canada early, citing tensions in the Middle East and instructing his national security team on Monday night to be ready in the Situation Room upon his arrival. Pool reporters received word that the meeting was taking place just after 2:20 p.m. ET, though the exact start time was unclear.
A White House official confirmed that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the day.
But early on Tuesday, he denied having had contact with leaders in Iran, saying he hadn’t reached out about a potential ceasefire and that he was “not too much in the mood” to negotiate with Iran.
“I’ve been negotiating. I told them to do the deal,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “They should have done the deal. The cities have been blown to pieces, lost a lot of people. They should have done the deal. I told them do the deal, so I don’t know. I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate.”
He appeared to dismiss a recent assessment from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who had said in March that Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon. Trump said on Tuesday he thought Iran was “very close” to having such a weapon.
Trump in a post on his Truth Social network also said that he hadn’t reached out to Iran “in any way, shape or form,” calling reports that he had done so “fabricated.”
“If they want to talk, they know how to reach me,” Trump said in a social media post early on Tuesday. “They should have taken the deal that was on the table — Would have save a lot of lives!!!”
Israel on Friday began an attack on Iran, launching a series of aerial strikes that Israeli officials described as a preemptive strike. Israeli leaders and Trump have separately called for Tehran to put an end to efforts to create nuclear weapons.
Diplomats from the United States and Iran held a series of talks in Muscat, Oman, beginning in April, with the sixth round due to begin last Sunday. Those talks were cancelled as the conflict between Israel and Iran began.
Trump was asked on Tuesday about Gabbard’s testimony in March before the Senate Intelligence Committee, where she said Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.
When pressed about Gabbard’s comments, Trump dismissed them.
“I don’t care what she said, I think they were very close to having one,” Trump said.
Trump has not ruled out American participation in the conflict, although the U.S. has remained on the sidelines so far. Trump has issued, however, a stern warning to Iran on Tuesday over U.S. troops and assets in the region, instructing Tehran “not to touch our troops.”
“We’ll come down so hard if they do anything to our people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump’s meeting with advisers in the Situation Room was underway on Tuesday afternoon, a White House official confirmed, as Israel and Iran continue to trade strikes.
The meeting came hours after Trump arrived back in Washington after leaving the G7 summit in Canada early, citing tensions in the Middle East and instructing his national security team on Monday night to be ready in the Situation Room upon his arrival.
Trump early on Tuesday denied having had contact with leaders in Iran, saying he hadn’t reached out about a potential ceasefire and that he was “not too much in the mood” to negotiate with Iran.
“I’ve been negotiating. I told them to do the deal,” Trump said. “They should have done the deal. The cities have been blown to pieces, lost a lot of people. They should have done the deal. I told them do the deal, so I don’t know. I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate.”
He also seemed to dismiss a recent assessment from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who had said Iran wasn’t working on a nuclear weapon. Trump said on Tuesday he thought Iran was “very close” to having such a weapon.
Trump in a post on his Truth Social network also said that he hadn’t reached out to Iran “in any way, shape or form,” calling reports that he had done so “fabricated.”
“If they want to talk, they know how to reach me,” Trump said in a post early on Tuesday. “They should have taken the deal that was on the table — Would have save a lot of lives!!!”
Israel on Friday began an attack on Iran, launching a series of aerial strikes that Israeli officials described as a preemptive strike. Israeli leaders and Trump have separately called for Tehran to put an end to efforts to create nuclear weapons.
Diplomats from the United States and Iran held a series of talks in Muscat, Oman, beginning in April, with the sixth round due to begin last Sunday. Those talks were cancelled as the conflict between Israel and Iran began.
Trump was asked on Tuesday about Gabbard’s testimony in March in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, where she said Iran was not building a nuclear weapon.
When pressed about Gabbard’s comments, Trump dismissed them.
“I don’t care what she said, I think they were very close to having one,” Trump said.
Trump has not ruled out American participation in the conflict, although the U.S. has remained on the sidelines so far. Trump has issued, however, a stern warning to Iran on Tuesday over U.S. troops and assets in the region, instructing Tehran “not to touch our troops.”
“We’ll come down so hard if they do anything to our people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(NEW YORK) — Brad Lander, the New York City comptroller and a candidate for mayor, was arrested for allegedly assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer while at an immigration court on Tuesday, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Lander, a Democrat, was escorting a defendant out of immigration court in Manhattan on Tuesday when he was “taken by masked agents and detained” by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, his campaign spokesperson, Dora Pekec, said in a statement.
A DHS spokesperson said in a statement that “it is wrong that politicians seeking higher office undermine law enforcement safety to get a viral moment.”
“No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences,” the spokesperson added.
Lander’s wife, Meg Barnette, told reporters she was accompanying him to the courthouse on Tuesday to “stand witness to what was going on.” She said Lander and others had “linked arms” with a man and had repeatedly asked to see a judicial warrant containing evidence of the grounds for the man’s deportation when they were “swarmed” by masked agents.
“I am confident Brad’s going to be out soon and am very proud of him for standing up,” Barnette said during a press briefing. “It’s a really sobering and upsetting situation that I haven’t quite processed all the way yet.”
She said he is being held in the building and has retained an attorney.
Lander was elected comptroller in 2021. He is one of several candidates running in the Democratic mayoral primary slated for June 24.
His detainment has drawn swift condemnation from New York officials, including his fellow mayoral candidates.
Zohran Mamdani, a state assemblymember and Democratic mayoral candidate, called for Lander’s release.
“NYC Comptroller Brad Lander was just arrested by Trump’s ICE agents because he asked to see a judicial warrant,” Mamdani said in a statement on social media. “This is fascism and all New Yorkers must speak in one voice. Release him now.”
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is also running for NYC mayor, said the incident is the “latest example of the extreme thuggery of Trump’s ICE out of control.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James called Lander’s arrest “profoundly unacceptable.”
“Arresting Comptroller Lander for the simple act of standing up for immigrants and their civil rights is a shocking abuse of power,” she said in a statement. “No one should face fear and intimidation in a courthouse, and this is a grotesque escalation of tensions. The administration’s rampant targeting of New Yorkers only makes our communities less safe.”
