Tulsi Gabbard accused the media of trying to divide her and President Trump after he appeared to contradict her assessment of Iran's nuclear capabilities.
“President Trump was saying the same thing that I said," Gabbard, who is Trump's intelligence director, said. "We are on the same page."
While speaking with reporters on Air Force One, Trump was asked by CNN's Kaitlan Collins to comment on Gabbard's March testimony that Iran is not actively building a nuclear weapon.
Trump's response created waves. “I don’t care what she said,” Trump replied. “I think they were very close to having one.”
The White House says Gabbard was taken out of context in her testimony, which noted that Iran's enriched uranium stockpile is "unprecedented" for a country that has no nukes.
“In the past year, we’ve seen an erosion of a decades-long taboo in Iran on discussing nuclear weapons in public, likely emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran’s decision-making apparatus. Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons," Gabbard said.
While Gabbard's comments may have been twisted, a divide has become apparent between non-interventionists in the MAGA movement, such as Tucker Carlson, and hawks who want the U.S. to support Israel in its conflict with Iran.
The war erupted last week when Israel carried out what it described as pre-emptive strikes to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. Trump has faced criticism from some on the right for warming up to an intervention, but Trump has pointed out that he has always opposed letting Iran develop a nuclear weapon.
Gabbard, an Iraq War vet, is one of the most prominent non-interventionist voices in the Trump White House. She has frequently cited the notoriously misleading intelligence about weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Iraq as a cautionary tale about foreign intervention.
Days before Israel's attack on Iran, Gabbard shared an ominous video about "warmongers" leading the U.S. toward nuclear apocalypse.
"We are closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before," she said in the clip.
Members of the Trump administration, including Vice President J.D. Vance, have defended Gabbard, rejecting the notion of a rift between her and Trump.
"Tulsi Gabbard is a veteran, a patriot, a loyal supporter of President Trump, and a critical part of the coalition he built in 2024," Vance wrote.
"She's an essential member of our national security team, and we're grateful for her tireless work to keep America safe from foreign threats."
For the first time in 50 years, America's immigrant population is shrinking, thanks to President Trump's hardline policies.
It makes for a stunning reversal after a historic Biden-era influx that drove the foreign-born population to its highest level ever.
As reported by the Washington Post, the immigrant population is heading for a net loss for the first time in half a century, owing to a stark drop in border crossings and other pathways to entry being closed off.
Immigration advocates warn that a decline in the immigrant population could have economic downsides, with fewer foreign laborers paying taxes and performing low-skill jobs that Americans supposedly refuse to do. But to the millions of Americans who support Trump's deportation drive, this new trend is an encouraging sign that America is finally regaining control of its borders after years of uncontrolled mass immigration.
The Trump administration dismisses the gloomy predictions of economists, citing the "untapped potential" of Americans forced to the sidelined by an influx of cheap foreign labor.
"There is no shortage of American minds and hands to grow our labor force, and President Trump’s agenda to create jobs for American workers represents this Administration’s commitment to capitalizing on that untapped potential while delivering on our mandate to enforce our immigration laws," White House spokesman Kush Desai said.
Under Trump's predecessor, millions of aliens poured across America's borders, bringing the foreign-born share of the workforce to a record 19%. But after just five months of Trump's polices, the trend is reversing.
The prediction comes from a forthcoming policy paper authored by two Washington think tanks, the left-leaning Brookings Institution and conservative American Enterprise Institute.
“For the year as a whole, we think it’s likely [immigration] will be negative,” said Wendy Edelberg, of the Brookings Institution. "It certainly would be the first time in more than 50 years.”
Within weeks of entering the White House for the second time, Trump sealed the border, sending crossings dropping to historic lows. Trump also shut down so-called legal pathways that the Biden administration tapped to flood the country, like a "humanitarian parole" program that admitted 500,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has ramped up interior enforcement at worksites in order to reach Trump's ambitious deportation targets, with officials calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to make 3,000 arrests a day.
Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown sparked a violent backlash this month in majority-minority Los Angeles, as rioters attacked police with bricks and waved Mexican flags. Roughly a third of the population in the Democratic city is foreign-born.
In a reversal, Trump ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to resume enforcement in farming and hospitality, industries that disproportionately hire illegal aliens. The president had faced backlash from his own MAGA base after he backed away from targeting those locations, citing concerns about the economy.
"Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability," Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said. "These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation."
The White House dismissed the "No Kings" protests that swarmed American cities on Saturday as a "complete and utter failure."
"The so-called No Kings protests have been a complete and utter failure with minuscule attendance," communications director Steven Cheung said on X.
The protests were planned to coincide with the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary parade in Washington D.C. Trump's critics slammed the display, which fell on Trump's 79th birthday, as an authoritarian spectacle.
"It is sad Democrats and liberals would rather support criminals and illegals instead of celebrating the 250th anniversary of our great U.S. Army and Flag Day," Cheung wrote in an X post.
"But many more Americans are commemorating our brave military men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice and those who continue to serve our country."
Some of Saturday's anti-Trump protests became chaotic, with one person killed in Salt Lake City. Police found "No Kings" flyers in the vehicle of the man accused of carrying out a deadly assassination in Minnesota, which killed a state Democratic lawmaker and her husband.
While it's difficult to gauge their significance, the protests represent a resurgence in anti-Trump activism, which appeared to fizzle at the outset of Trump's second term.
Democratic leaders such as California governor Gavin Newsom, who has his eyes on the White House, have attempted to rally a new "resistance," with much of the energy focused on Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown.
The "No Kings" demonstrations came on the heels of violent anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles, where anti-Trump rioters attacked law enforcement with bricks and waved Mexican flags.
The "No Kings" protests sought to put a peaceful, patriotic face on the anti-Trump movement, casting the president, who was elected with a popular vote majority, as a tyrannical figure like King George III.
Thousands of people took to the streets on Saturday in Democratic power centers like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, although protesters avoided Washington D.C., where the Army parade was taking place.
Trump has dismissed the idea that he is a king, noting that he is involved in intricate negotiations with members of his own Republican party to pass his agenda through Congress. His priorities have also faced repeated pushback from federal judges, some of whom have shown an extraordinary willingness to step on the president's executive authority.
"I don't feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved," Trump said.
"A king would say 'I'm not going to get this ... he wouldn't have to call up [House Speaker] Mike Johnson and [Senate Majority Leader John] Thune and say, 'Fellas you've got to pull this off' and after years we get it done. No no, we're not a king, we're not a king at all."
California Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have thrown dramatic hissy fits regarding the financial cost of sending military troops to help quell the rowdy protests and riots in Los Angeles and across the state.
However, according to Fox News, the cost of President Donald Trump providing military assistance to the area is far less than the actual cost of housing, feeding, and providing medical care for illegal immigrants.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass echoed Newsom's attack on the Trump administration for spending the resources and money needed for the troop deployment, only to be shot down by actual receipts.
Many, including White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, pointed out the insane cost of taking care of illegal immigrants in the state, which far outweighs the $134 million it cost to deploy troops there.
Newsom and Bass both used their X accounts to blast the Trump administration for paying for sending in the troops.
Just an absolutely shameful use of taxpayer dollars that could be used to actually HELP people. Despicable, Bass wrote on her X account.
Newsom, on his account, wrote, "$134 million that should be going to LA’s fire recovery. Shameful."
Others were quick to point out that it was a small price to pay compared to what the Democrats spend on illegals in the state of California alone, which totals billions and billions of dollars.
$134 million that should be going to LA’s fire recovery.
Shameful. https://t.co/hHY3Fs3Lhn
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 10, 2025
"How many billions have you spent on illegals Gavin? It’s well into the hundreds of billions,"Conservative activist Robby Starbuck posted on X. "THAT money should have gone to your citizens and fire recovery but you gave it to illegals.
Social media was flooded with reactions to the posts by Bass and Newsom, with plenty of people pointing out how much they spend on illegals and how the state's money is largely mismanged.
"What about the $300B spent yearly on illegal immigrants? I'm fine with the National Guard removing them," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "That’s even worse than the time wildfires burned down your city, causing 200 billion in damage."
"Oh now you care about tax payers and their dollars," another X user pointed out.
The Democratic Party is still in shambles following the disaster they experienced in 2024, and it doesn't appear that anyone is coming to save them soon.
According to Fox News, a New York Times columnist said those in the Democratic Party hoping for the party to be rescued by former President Barack Obama will be sorely disappointed, as he's reportedly not coming.
Columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom went as far as calling those hoping for Obama to rescue them "weak," arguing that the party needs to work on saving itself and not count on outside forces.
Many were hoping for Michelle Obama to run for the presidency, which would have surely given the party an extreme advantage, but she has repeatedly stated that she's not interested in that at this piont in her life.
The columnist seemed to think that anti-ICE riots and other street-level antics would be the best way to "protect" the party.
"We must start asking how we can save ourselves. We are seeing the start of that in places like Los Angeles, San Antonio and Raleigh, N.C.," she wrote, referencing the anti-ICE protests taking place in L.A. and other cities. "Only direct, sustained protest will protect us."
The columnist, obviously stricken with Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS), accused the president of leading Americans into "dangerous territory" after he deployed National Guard members and U.S. military troops to help assist law enforcement with the riots.
Fox News noted:
Cottom diagnosed those who believe that Obama will come back to save the party with "Obama Derangement Syndrome" (ODS). She argued that even if Obama did make his return to the political arena, he would have a difficult time competing in the "outrage era" of social media algorithms and big tech monopolies.
"Anyone who has talked to a stranger about the news knows how our shared reality has deteriorated. It’s not just the uninformed. It’s the ill informed who believe A.I.-generated videos, share political memes about stolen elections and engage in the most unhinged political infotainment imaginable," the columnist wrote. "That’s the bell that those with O.D.S. imagine Obama can unring."
The columnist stated that there are potential party heads in the wings, including "Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Some on the left have called for their own version of Joe Rogan, while others want the left's equivalent to Trump -- someone who can sell the party's message to the masses.
So far, there's nobody that matches either of those ideal scenarios for Democrats.
The party is struggling to overcome what happened to it last year, that's for sure.
Only time will tell if someone comes out of the woodwork and helps revive it, but it'll be a difficult job, to say the least.
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is calling for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign as Democrats widen their attacks on the Trump administration's immigration agenda.
Noem was in Los Angeles to address the anti-ICE riots there when Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) disrupted her. He was detained and forcibly removed from the press conference.
The Trump administration says Padilla did not identify himself before he stormed in and "lunged" towards Noem, causing a scene. But Democrats dispute this, calling his expulsion an affront to democracy.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that Secret Service agents thought Padilla posed a threat after he ignored "repeated commands" to back away.
Noem later met with Padilla in private to discuss his concerns.
"I wish he would've acted that way in the beginning rather than creating a scene," she said in a social media post.
Still, Democrats have raised an outcry over Padilla's treatment as they ramp up attacks on Trump's immigration agenda.
Democrats have blasted Trump's response to the riots in Los Angeles as an "authoritarian" overreach, with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) suing Trump over his deployment of the National Guard.
In a similar vein, Democrats are invoking democracy as they claim Padilla was targeted to silence dissent against the administration.
Schiff, a notorious Trump critic, says he is "disgusted" by the video of Padilla being detained, and that Noem should step aside.
"Kristi Noem should never have been appointed to that office," Schiff told reporters on Capitol Hill. "She should resign from that office. There ought to be an investigation of the conduct of those officers."
Padilla had "every right to go into that room and demand answers," Schiff added. "That is what a senator does, and for him to get that kind of abusive treatment, every senator who works in this Capitol should be offended by this and outraged by this."
While Democrats focus on the Trump administration's purported misdeeds, the White House says Schiff's anger is misplaced.
"Padilla stormed a press conference, without wearing his Senate pin or previously identifying himself to security, yelled, and lunged toward Secretary Noem," White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said.
"Padilla didn’t want answers; he wanted attention. Padilla embarrassed himself and his constituents with this immature, theater-kid stunt -- but it’s telling that Democrats are more riled up about Padilla than they are about the violent riots and assaults on law enforcement in LA," she added.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (R) accused President Trump of revoking his invite to the White House' annual picnic, calling the move "petty" and vindictive - although Paul was in fact included.
Paul has been a thorn in Trump's side lately, targeting the "Big, Beautiful Bill" over concerns with deficit spending. The Kentucky senator has called for the funding on immigration enforcement - Trump's signature agenda item - to be slashed by $75 billion.
The libertarian senator, known for his contrarian streak, said he "lost respect" for Trump and accused him of being "petty."
“I like Donald Trump, but when they want to act this way, it’s where they begin to lose a lot of America who just wonders, ‘Why does everything have to descend to this level?’” Paul added.
The exchange marks a new low in the relationship between Trump and Paul, who notably opposed Trump's emergency declaration for his border wall in his first term, with Paul citing small government principles.
“The level of immaturity is beyond words,” Paul told CNN. “It’s just incredibly petty... I’m arguing from a true belief and worry that our country is mired in debt and getting worse. And they choose to react by uninviting my grandson to the picnic. I don’t know. I just think it really makes me lose a lot of respect I once had for Donald Trump.”
The senator suggested the invite might have been revoked without Trump's knowledge, pointing to a "paid influencer campaign" involving immigration hawk Stephen Miller, who has been one of the most vocal defenders of Trump's bill, principally because of its massive hike in immigration spending. Paul's main objection to the bill is its increase in the debt ceiling, although he has raised broader criticisms.
"We can cut the proposed border funding in half, from $150 billion to $75 billion, and still secure our border and protect the American people," he wrote on X this week.
Trump can only afford a few defections on the Big, Beautiful Bill, which narrowly passed the House in May and is expected to face more changes in the Senate.
The president has slammed Paul's opposition to the bill, calling the senator "crazy" and an obstructionist who "never has any practical or constructive ideas."
In a Truth Social post, Trump denied that Paul was uninvited, saying "of course" Paul and his "beautiful wife" were included. Trump said it would not make sense to exclude Paul, since Trump is still trying to win his vote.
“He’s the toughest vote in the history of the U.S. Senate, but why wouldn’t he be? Besides, it gives me more time to get his Vote on the Great, Big, Beautiful Bill, one of the greatest and most important pieces of legislation ever put before our Senators & Congressmen/women,” Trump said.
Another Republican critic of Trump, Rep. Thomas Massie (KY) - who Trump has called a "grandstander" - also said he was not invited to the lunch.
New Jersey Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted by a federal grand jury for her role in a violent scuffle outside an ICE facility last month.
The lawmaker is facing 17 years in prison if convicted on the charges of "forcibly impeding and interfering" with ICE agents.
The Democrat has denied all wrongdoing. She claims she was conducting legitimate oversight, and her party has claimed the charges are politically motivated.
McIver was one in a group of three House Democrats who were present during a chaotic confrontation at Delaney Hall in Newark on May 9.
The indictment says McIver and Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) were performing congressional oversight that coincided with an immigration protest.
The charges against McIver revolve around her alleged efforts to forcefully block the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D), who was told to leave the facility but refused, and who later had trespassing charges dropped. McIver made two separate attempts to block the mayor's arrest, the indictment says.
"After the Mayor was escorted outside the secured area, law enforcement officers made a second attempt to arrest him. At this time, someone in the crowd yelled 'circle the mayor.' McIver then faced the Mayor and placed her arms around him in an effort to prevent HSI from completing the arrest," the DOJ said.
"During her continued attempts to thwart the arrest, McIver slammed her forearm into the body of one law enforcement officer and also reached out and tried to restrain that officer by forcibly grabbing him. McIver also used each of her forearms to forcibly strike a second officer."
The interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba, issued a statement on the charges.
"As I have stated in the past, it is my Constitutional obligation as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer for New Jersey to ensure that our federal partners are protected when executing their duties,” Habba said in a statement.
“While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve,” Habba said.
McIver has insisted she did nothing wrong, casting blame on ICE for instigating the confrontation. She dismissed the case as "an effort by Trump's administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused".
"The facts will prove I was simply doing my job", she added.
House Representative Mark Green (R-TN) is quitting Congress to join the private sector, further shrinking Republicans' narrow majority.
Green, who represents Tennessee's 7th District, said he will resign after the House votes again on President Trump's reconciliation package, also known as the "Big, Beautiful Bill."
"It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from Congress. Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up. As a result, today I notified the Speaker and the House of Representatives that I will resign from Congress as soon as the House votes once again on the reconciliation package," Green said.
An Army vet, Green initially said he would retire in February of 2024, but President Trump dissuaded him from stepping aside.
Green's retirement from his reliably Republican seat is not expected to impact the balance of power, although it will temporarily cost Republicans a vote.
“Though I planned to retire at the end of the previous Congress, I stayed to ensure that President Trump’s border security measures and priorities make it through Congress,” the congressman said Monday.
“By overseeing the border security portion of the reconciliation package, I have done that. After that, I will retire, and there will be a special election to replace me.”
The retirement comes after Green filed for divorce from his wife, Camilla, who accused him of having an affair in a September group text to lawmakers.
“I have offered reconciliation, and he wants nothing of it and has insisted on a divorce,” she wrote. "Satan has rewritten our marriage in his mind."
A woman later told Politico that she was involved with Green, whose wife had wrongly identified a different woman as his lover.
As chair of the Homeland Security Committee, Green led the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the Biden border crisis.
Green also shaped House Republicans' marquee border bill during the Biden era, HR2, or the Secure the Border Act.
The House passed Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," which includes billions in new spending on immigration enforcement, by only one vote last month.
The bill, the product of delicate negotiations between different factions in the party, is expected to face further changes in the Senate.
The House will need to vote again if the Senate makes revisions. Trump wants the bill on his desk by July 4th.
Joe Biden's former press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, is ditching the Democrats, further dividing the party at a time when its approval is in the gutter.
As the chief propagandist for the White House during most of Biden's term, Jean-Pierre was at the center of an effort to cover-up Biden's cognitive decline. Now, she's looking to cash in as she attempts to redefine herself as a generic "independent."
“I think we need to stop thinking in boxes and think outside of our boxes and not be so partisan,” she said last week.
A teaser for her upcoming book promises "revelatory" insight on the "broken" two-party system, as well as an insider's account on the Democratic party's "betrayal" of Biden during a tumultuous three-week period last summer.
Joining the White House in 2022, Jean-Pierre became notorious for her clumsy, inept efforts to spin the news in favor of the administration. She vehemently insisted that Biden was fit to be president as questions mounted about his cognitive health, describing him as "sharp as ever" in the aftermath of his pivotal, career-ending debate performance last June.
Like CNN's Jake Tapper, a former Biden defender and co-author of a new book attacking the former president and his inner circle, Jean-Pierre is also facing criticism for her cynical shift in allegiances.
Her shocking defection from the Democratic party has emboldened former colleagues to trash her (anonymously) to the media, with critics calling Jean-Pierre an incompetent communicator who was coddled on the job, as well as a relentless self-promoter.
“The fact that she feels like she can distance herself from the Democratic brand is laughable,” a Democratic strategist told The Hill. “Democrats are trying to distance themselves from the Biden White House but here we have Karine trying to distance herself from a pissed off Democratic Party. She’s part of the problem. Does she not realize that?”
Jean-Pierre is the latest prominent figure to flee the historically unpopular Democrats, who continue to be seen as out of touch by most Americans. Recent polling from left-wing CNN shows that voters trust Republicans more than Democrats to deal with the economy, despite the turbulence of Trump's tariff agenda.
As Democrats flounder, the Biden family is scrambling to defend his tarnished legacy from newly emboldened Republicans and Democrats who want to blame their current woes on Biden and his disastrous re-election bid.
But some argue the Democrats are scapegoating Biden and his family to avoid confronting deeper problems with the party's brand. Indeed, the fact that someone as incompetent as Jean-Pierre rose to such a prominent position within the Biden administration is a sure sign that the party's rot runs much deeper than many Democrats want to acknowledge.
Months after President Trump's historic comeback, Democrats still do not agree on whether they are too "woke" or not woke enough, and no identifiable leader has emerged to rally them.
“Nobody, including President Biden’s minister of propaganda, wants to be a Democrat anymore. Their policies and brand are toxic,” Trump pollster Jim McLaughlin said.
Meanwhile, Biden's circle of defenders is shrinking as President Trump escalates an investigation into the last administration's use of an autopen.
"I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false,” Biden said in a statement last week.