Talk of the Town
(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court, in an unsigned opinion out Monday, has formally granted the Trump administration’s request to move forward with construction of the White House East Wing ballroom project as litigation continues, all but guaranteeing the building will be substantially completed before any final judgments and appeals are resolved.
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(WASHINGTON) — Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has had phone conversations with several Republican leaders as he remains hospitalized, spokespeople for the lawmakers told ABC News on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for McConnell first confirmed the senator had been hospitalized on June 14 for an unknown condition. His office has not provided many updates, though they said McConnell is continuing his recovery in the hospital.
“Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital,” a McConnell spokesperson said in a statement first issued last week that ABC News was told continues to stand Tuesday. “The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso have both spoken to McConnell recently, according to their respective spokespeople.
Thune had a phone conversation with McConnell on Monday, his spokesperson confirmed.
“They had a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security,” a Thune spokesperson said.
Barrasso spokesperson Kate Noyes said the two discussed a number of topics, including recent sexual assault allegations against Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner (allegations Platner has denied) and national defense spending, during a 20-minute phone conversation on Tuesday afternoon.
“They caught up about the latest news impacting Senate races, the Graham Platner scandal, and the recent Supreme Court ruling on coordinated spending limits. They also discussed the Senate’s July work period, including the need to pass the NDAA and confirm President Trump’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence,” Noyes said. “Senator McConnell was fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate.”
A McConnell spokesperson also pointed ABC News to a statement from conservative political commentator Scott Jennings, who posted online that he had a nearly 20-minute conversation with McConnell on Tuesday morning on several matters.
“I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky. He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 20 minutes … about IRAN, UKRAINE, the unfolding situation in MAINE, my visit to the TR Presidential Library, and even a little bit of Senate history. I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible,” Jennings posted on X.
These conversations come almost three weeks after McConnell was first admitted to the hospital, according to his spokesperson.
McConnell’s team has not provided any information about his diagnosis, or a timeline for his return.
ABC News has reported that emergency medical personnel were dispatched to McConnell’s Washington home to attend to an unconscious person who appeared to be in cardiac arrest on June 14, the same day that McConnell was hospitalized.
ABC News independently reviewed the audio, which does not directly name McConnell. A spokesperson for McConnell declined to comment on the audio.
The day after McConnell was hospitalized, Thune and Barrasso told reporters at the Capitol that they had spoken with the former party leader. On June 22, a McConnell spokesperson said in a separate statement that he was “working closely with staff on Senate business and Kentucky matters as he continues his recovery” but that he would not be attending votes that week.
McConnell was last seen on Capitol Hill on June 11. The Senate recessed on June 24, and lawmakers won’t return to Washington until July 13.
This is the latest in a string of medical incidents that the seven-term senator and longtime Republican leader has faced in recent years. McConnell, 84, stepped down from leadership in 2024 and is set to retire at the end of his term in January.
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(WASHINGTON) — Wednesday’s confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton to be the next director of national intelligence has been postponed, according to Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Tom Cotton, after President Donald Trump pushed for it to be canceled.
“It’s regrettable that the president has directed Jay Clayton not to appear at his confirmation hearing today,” Cotton wrote on X. “Mr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly. While today’s hearing is now unfortunately postponed, I look forward to proceeding with his confirmation in the near future.”
Trump, in an early morning social media post, said the confirmation process for Clayton would not continue until his pick to replace Clayton as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, is confirmed.
“Regarding the approval of our Great Patriot, Jay Clayton, we are cancelling the Senate Hearing RE: DNI today, and will not be going forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be U.S. Attorney,” Trump wrote. “In the meantime, Bill Pulte will remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence.”
Cotton, a Republican, at first rebuked Trump’s push for a delay, saying the Senate panel would proceed unless Trump specifically directed Clayton not to show or withdrew his nomination altogether.
Trump announced last week he was nominating Clayton to permanently lead ODNI amid backlash from Democrats and Republicans to his appointment of Bill Pulte to be acting director.
Pulte is best known in the Trump administration for launching probes into several of the president’s perceived political enemies over allegations of mortgage fraud and possible misuse of authority. Targets of the investigations include Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell. They’ve all denied wrongdoing.
Pulte’s appointment stalled efforts to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — which allows the federal government to collect communications of foreigners abroad without a warrant. The program’s legal authorization lapsed over the weekend.
Trump on Wednesday said that he wanted both his SAVE America Act bill and an extension to FISA to now pass together.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the chamber’s top Democrat, slammed Trump’s latest moves.
“Trump is twisting himself up in knots and jumping through hoops to make it impossible to reauthorize FISA right now, and he is embarrassing his Republican colleagues in the process,” Schumer said. “Trump can blame Democrats all he wants, but no one is going to believe him.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, when asked Wednesday about the Senate’s path forward on FISA and Clayton’s nomination, said they’re taking a day-by-day approach.
“All I know is that Chairman Cotton is planning to proceed — because you all know with the hearing — and then from there on, we’ll have to take it a day at a time until we get more clarity on kind of what the White House position is on this,” Thune said.
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(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order changing the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” “effective immediately.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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