Trump Pressures NATO, Doubts Article 5 Commitment
By Seung Min Kim President Donald Trump on Wednesday is meeting with members of a NATO alliance that he has worked to bend to his will over the years and whose members are rattled by his latest comments casting doubt on the U.S. commitment to its mutual defense guarantees. Trump’s comments en route to the Netherlands that his fidelity to Article 5 “depends on your definition” are drawing attention at the NATO summit, as will the new and fragile Iran-Israel ceasefire that Trump helped broker after the U.S. unloaded airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. At the same time, the alliance
NYC Mayoral Race Heats Up as Cuomo Faces Ranked Vote Test
By Anthony Izaguirre Their chances of becoming the next mayor of New York City may have dimmed. Their mission now? Stopping former Gov. Andrew Cuomo from getting to City Hall. In the final day of campaigning before the city’s Democratic primary, candidates who are seen as longer shots to win the nomination urged voters to leave Cuomo off their ballots in the city’s ranked choice election in a last-ditch effort to block the former governor’s comeback from a sexual harassment scandal. “Let’s make sure Andrew Cuomo gets nowhere near City Hall,” candidate and city Comptroller Brad Lander said Monday on
Trump’s Iran Strikes Spark Legal, Global Debate
By Gary Grumbach and Carol E. Lee President Donald Trump’s decision to order strikes in Iran — among the most consequential he has made as commander in chief — is the latest example of a U.S. president’s taking military action without first seeking congressional approval. And experts say that, while his power over American armed forces isn’t absolute, there’s most likely little lawmakers will do. Trump is supposed to submit to Congress a legal justification for having bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities within 48 hours after the operation began. Unlike tangible consequences Trump has faced for other moves in which he tested the bounds of executive power
NATO Faces Tensions Over Defense Spending at 2025 Summit
By Lorne Cook U.S. President Donald Trump and his NATO counterparts are due to gather Tuesday for a summit that could unite the world’s biggest security organization around a new defense spending pledge or widen divisions among the 32 allies. Just a week ago, things had seemed rosy. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was optimistic the European members and Canada would commit to invest at least as much of their economic growth on defense as the United States does for the first time. Then Spain rejected the new NATO target for each country to spend 5% of its gross domestic product on defense needs, calling it “unreasonable.”
Trump Pauses Iran Strike Decision, Cites Talks Potential
Written By Lexx Thornton President Trump has bought more time to make a decision on U.S. military intervention in Iran, capping off a whirlwind week that saw his administration approach the brink of direct action before hitting pause. “Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiation that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go in the next two weeks,” Trump said in a statement Thursday read aloud by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Trump’s decision puts on hold any immediate move
Judge Blocks DOT Rule Tying Grants to Immigration Policy
By Vanessa Romo The Trump Administration cannot withhold billions of dollars in transportation grant funding from Democrat-led states refusing to cooperate with immigration enforcement, according to a ruling on Thursday. Chief U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence, R.I., granted a preliminary injunction in the case filed by 20 states, saying “large-scale irreparable harm would occur without the preliminary injunction.” The Department of Transportation was unavailable for comment on the ruling late Thursday evening. The ruling comes ahead of a June 20 grant application deadline for states. Prior to that deadline, Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy imposed conditions on that funding,
VA Rule Changes Spark Concerns Over Patient Discrimination
The Department of Veterans Affairs has imposed new guidelines on VA hospitals nationwide that remove language that explicitly prohibited doctors from discriminating against patients based on their political beliefs or marital status. The new rules, obtained by the Guardian, also apply to psychologists, dentists and a host of other occupations. They have already gone into effect in at least some VA medical centers. Under federal law, eligible veterans must be given hospital care and services, and the revised VA hospital rules still instruct medical staff that they cannot discriminate against veterans on the basis of race, color, religion and sex.
Minnesota Mourns Politician Killed in Political Attack
By Mike Wendling Jessie Ebertz held back tears as she stood in front of a makeshift memorial honouring Democratic politician Melissa Hortman and her husband who were killed last week. “Minnesota has felt a little bit like a safe haven,” said Ms Ebertz, a government employee who lives in the state capital,“because we have been able to keep our atmosphere of respecting one another here.” “This has blown that out of the water.” The death of Hortman and her husband, Mark, has sent a shockwave through the state. They were shot dead early on Saturday morning by a man disguised
Judge Reverses Trump-Era Ban on DEI, LGBTQ Health Grants
By Joseph Choi A federal judge on Monday ruled that the Trump administration’s canceling of federal health grants over their connections to “gender ideology” and “diversity, equity, and inclusion” was unlawful and void. U.S. District Court Judge William Young, a Reagan appointee, ruled on Monday that targeting research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) based on certain topics was unlawful and arbitrary. The federal government has been directed to immediately make the funds available to grant recipients again. In February, the NIH issued directives terminating grants relating to LGBTQ issues; gender identity; and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Trump Leaves G7 Early Amid Escalating Iran-Israel Crisis
By Danielle Kurtzleben President Trump left the G7 in Canada early to return to Washington to focus on the conflict in the Middle East, telling reporters, “I have to be back as soon as I can.” Trump departed at the end of the first day of the summit in the Canadian Rockies, where trade issues had been expected to be a major focus. But instead, the Iran-Israel strikes dominated the discussions, with leaders signing a joint statement on the conflict. “I have to be back. It’s very important,” Trump told reporters after posing for the traditional ‘family photo’ with the
