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Trump's new acting intel chief Bill Pulte arrives early, eyes firing hundreds

(CNN) President Donald Trump’s pick for acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, showed up at his new job a day early on Thursday after asking for a list of every employee in the office so he could assess whether to fire them, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The sources said Pulte is eyeing to cut hundreds of jobs at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

demmiblue

Italian Foreign Minister cancels US visit over reported Trump comments

(AFP) Italy's foreign minister on Friday cancelled a visit to the United States over reported comments by US President Donald Trump that appeared to mock Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. "The grave and offensive words of President Trump... offend the whole of Italy," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who had been due to visit the US on June 21 and 22, said on X. Meloni said she was "stunned" by Trump's comments to Italian channel La7 in which, according to a transcript provided by the network, he said Meloni "wanted a picture with me so badly" at the G7 summit and he agreed only because he "felt sorry for her".

demmiblue

Firm Tied to Trump Donor Got No-Bid Contract to Clean Reflecting Pool (Greenwater Services)

(NY Times) A business tied to a longtime supporter of President Trump was given a no-bid contract to install a water-purification system in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool earlier this spring. Now that work is coming under scrutiny after algae blooms have come back and turned the iconic pool in Washington a vibrant shade of green rather than the American-flag blue Mr. Trump says he chose.

struggle4progress

Owner of Greenwater Services Pleaded Guilty to Bribing Congressman

(Mediaite) The head of the company that owns the firm responsible for part of the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool pleaded guilty to bribing a congressman, The New York Times reported on Thursday night. The Times reported that the company is owned by the J.J. Cafaro Trust, helmed by John J. Cafaro, a Trump donor and one of the president’s Mar-a-Lago neighbors. Mr. Cafaro’s family business was in developing shopping centers, but he branched into other industries, including aerospace. He pleaded guilty in 2001 to conspiracy to bribe Representative James A. Traficant Jr.

KS Toronado

Friday's Condensed News Cartoons

Dulcinea

Trump approval on Iran low even as tentative deal to end fighting emerged, new AP-NORC poll finds

(AP) Most Americans continue to disapprove of how President Donald Trump is handling Iran, while his overall presidential approval holds steady, according to a new AP-NORC poll that was conducted as Trump suggested a deal with Iran had been reached. The poll points to just how unpopular the three-month war with Iran has been with Americans, even as Trump turned abruptly from threatening Iran to reopening negotiations.

BumRushDaShow

Top Senate Democrat calls on FAA to reject White House arch approval pressure

(The Hill) Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday to reject the White House’s plans to erect a triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial. The ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation called the arch President Trump’s “newest vanity project” in her letter to the federal agency and expressed concerns that it could pose a risk to commercial flights.

BumRushDaShow

White House Staff Reportedly Monitored Trump's Trash Because 'He Was Sometimes Throwing Out' High-End Silverware

(Mediaite) An excerpt from The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s upcoming book, published on Thursday by the Daily Mail, revealed that White House staff allegedly needed to monitor President Donald Trump’s trash after it was discovered that “he was sometimes throwing out” sterling silver utensils. The snippet came from Swan and Haberman’s new book on the first 14 months of Trump’s first term, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump.

RandySF

Colorado Governor Overruled His Own Clemency Board to Release Tina Peters

(NY Times) Months before Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado freed the felonious election denier Tina Peters from prison, his own clemency board voted unanimously — twice — to reject her bid for early release, according to two of the board’s members.

marmar

Trump's envy soars over Obama Center

(Salon) Years before he ran, the throughline that would define Donald Trump’s presidency was set: his racist, unhinged obsession with Barack Obama. Trump could have gone down in history with a minor but positive reputation, remembered vaguely but fondly by most Americans as the goofy New York character who hosted “The Apprentice.” Instead, he fell into a spiral of outrage that a Black man who was smarter, more handsome and more beloved than he could ever be had been elected president.

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Obama says U.S. may be 'worse off' now than before Iran war

30 min ago - June 19, 2026, 7:50 AM EDT Former President Barack Obama said it seems like the United States has either returned to the status quo or is “worse off” now than before President Donald Trump launched the war on Iran in February. “We’ ... (NBC News)

Iran's Revolutionary Guards set up covert Iraqi cells to attack Gulf neighbors, sources say

1 hr ago - June 19, 2026 2:03 AM EDT Updated 5 hours ago June 19 (Reuters) - Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has set up secretive new cells in Iraq to carry out attacks on Gulf countries that host American forces, bypassing established militia n ... (Reuters)

Italian FM cancels US visit over reported Trump comments

1 hr ago - Italy's foreign minister on Friday cancelled a visit to the United States over reported comments by US President Donald Trump that appeared to mock Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. "The grave and offensive words of President Trump... offend the whole o ... (Yahoo/AFP)

White House Staff Reportedly Monitored Trump's Trash Because 'He Was Sometimes Throwing Out' High-End Silverware

1 hr ago - Jun 18th, 2026, 10:04 pm An excerpt from The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s upcoming book, published on Thursday by the Daily Mail, revealed that White House staff allegedly needed to monitor President Donald Trump ... (MEDIAite)

Top Senate Democrat calls on FAA to reject White House arch approval pressure

2 hrs ago - 06/18/26 7:50 PM ET Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday to reject the White House’s plans to erect a triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial. The ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Scien ... (The Hill)

Trump administration to phase out HIV funding for South Africa

2 hrs ago - 06/18/2026 07:23 PM EDT The Trump administration has decided to start phasing out HIV funding for South Africa following the country’s “failure to make demonstrable progress on policy requests by the administration,” a State Department ... (Politico)

Missing lawmaker will return to DC soon, Tom Kean's staff says

3 hrs ago - June 18, 2026, 7:04 p.m. ET It seems that Rep. Tom Kean Jr. may soon return to public life after more than 100 days. The two-term Republican, who represents New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, has not been in Washington, DC, since early March. ... (USA Today)

Chisago County strike hits Day 49: One of Minnesota's longest public sector walkouts

3 hrs ago - By Corin Hoggard Published June 18, 2026 6:15 PM CDT CHISAGO COUNTY, Minn. (FOX 9) - Chisago County workers are marking 49 days on the picket line as contract talks with the county remain at a standstill. Picket lines replace vital services for resi ... (KMSP)

President of Wisconsin's largest mosque released from ICE custody

3 hrs ago - Thu 18 Jun 2026 18.20 EDT Last modified on Thu 18 Jun 2026 18.54 EDT A federal judge has ordered the release of the president of Wisconsin's largest mosque, after finding that immigration officials probably detained him in retaliation against his pub ... (The Guardian)

Trump administration sues Philadelphia over 'ICE Out' face mask ban for law enforcement

3 hrs ago - Updated June 18, 2026, 6:39 p.m. ET | Published June 18, 2026, 3:03 p.m. ET President Donald Trump’s administration sued Philadelphia and some of its top officials Thursday over a new ordinance that bars law enforcement officers from concealing ... (Philadelphia Inquirer)

States aren't required to provide community-based care for people with disabilities, new DOJ opinion claims

4 hrs ago - June 18, 2026 / 6:21 PM EDT The Justice Department released a new legal opinion Thursday that civil rights experts said represents a significant attack against people with mental, physical and intellectual disabilities who receive state-funded servic ... (CBS News)

JD Vance tells Israel 'you can't kill your way out' of security problems

4 hrs ago - United States Vice President JD Vance has been defending the memorandum of understanding to end the US-Israeli war with Iran, responding to criticism of the deal from members of the opposing Democratic Party and Republicans alike. But speaking during ... (Al Jazeera)

House subcommittee to examine airline competition

4 hrs ago - 06/18/26 6:13 PM ET A House Judiciary subcommittee overseeing antitrust matters will hold a hearing next week examining airline competition and industry regulation after Spirit Airlines shut down all operations last month. The hearing, titled “T ... (The Hill)

Swing-state MAGA official suffers blistering court loss for move to curtail voting rights

5 hrs ago - June 18, 2026 5:35PM ET Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap, the pro-Trump official in charge of election administration in one of America's largest swing-state counties, got a blistering loss in state court on Thursday, as a panel of appellate judg ... (Raw Story)

Sovereign wealth fund tax on AI companies unveiled by Sanders

5 hrs ago - Posted June 18, 2026 at 5:25pm Newly released text offers details on legislation from progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., for the federal government to take a 50 percent share in leading artificial intelligence companies. The text of the as-yet u ... (Roll Call)

Arizona prosecutors dismissing fake elector case but vow to seek new indictment

6 hrs ago - Updated 5:14 PM EDT, June 18, 2026 PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is dismissing a sprawling criminal case that alleged President Donald Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani ... (AP)

FDA votes in favor of benefit-risk profile for Moderna's flu vaccine

6 hrs ago - 10h A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted that the benefits of a seasonal flu vaccine from Moderna outweigh its risks, part of the agency’s review of a potential new treatment. Moderna said Thursday the FDA’s Vaccines and ... (msn/WSJ)

Report: Iran Delays U.S. Peace Talks Over Israeli Attacks in Lebanon

10 hrs ago - On Thursday, U.S. Central Command confirmed that it has officially lifted the American blockade on Iranian seaports, and is allowing all Iranian trade to pass freely in accordance with the new U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding. Simultaneously, Ir ... (Maritime Executive)

Andy Burnham wins Makerfield by-election, paving way for him to challenge Keir Starmer as Labour leader

11 hrs ago - Burnham says the result "made a loud cry for change". Addressing his own party, he says: "This is a final chance to change." "There will be no second chance," he says, adding there is an opportunity now to build a "new politics based on unity and hop ... (BBC)

Minor league baseball team cancels Pride Night game after players refuse to wear rainbows

11 hrs ago - The Revolution’s game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs was to have marked the team’s 11th annual Pride Night, but players refused to don special jerseys that had rainbow sleeves. “This decision was not reached lightly,” th ... (NBC News)