President Trump visited a toss-up congressional district in New York to test his midterm message on the economy, even as voters largely disapprove of his stewardship of it.
The focus of the event was to promote the tax law Trump signed last year. But the president quickly veered off-topic, discussing voter ID, crime, and transgender women in sports. He complained that toiletries are locked up in pharmacies, making them harder to buy, and polled the audience on what he should call his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.
Follow along live.
pinned
Here’s what we’re following:
- Tulsi Gabbard is resigning as Trump’s director of national intelligence, saying she needed to step away as her husband battles cancer. She is the fourth Cabinet official to depart during Trump’s second term.
- Trump won’t attend the wedding of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and will instead remain in Washington, D.C., this weekend, citing “this important period of time.”
- Earlier, Kevin Warsh was sworn in as the new chair of the Federal Reserve. Trump, who hosted the ceremony at the White House, said he wants Warsh to be“totally independent.”
Trump rule change to force immigrants in US to apply for a green card abroad — 5:17 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Immigrants in the U.S. who want a green card will need to leave and apply in their home country, the Trump administration announced Friday.
For over half a century, foreign nationals with legal status have been able to apply for and complete the entire process for permanent residence in the United States — including individuals married to U.S. citizens, holders of work and student visas, and refugees and political asylum seekers, among others.
The announcement from USCIS is the latest step by the Trump administration making legal immigration more difficult for foreigners already in the U.S. and for those hoping to come here.
Trump says he is posthumously awarding Presidential Medal of Freedom to man who helped rescue people on 9/11 — 5:03 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president, during the rally, announced he would be recognizing Welles Crowther of Rockland County, who lost his life on Sept. 11, 2001. Crowther died as he helped people escape the World Trade Center’s South Tower after it was hit by a hijacked airplane.
Crowther wore a red bandana on his face, which is on display at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
Trump called Crowther’s mother to the stage after announcing the award, America’s highest civilian honor.
US says Congolese World Cup team cannot return home before traveling to tournament — 4:47 p.m.
By the Associated Press
A U.S. official said members of Congo’s World Cup team, who have trained for weeks in Europe, far from the Ebola outbreak, will be exempt from the U.S. travel ban on non-Americans recently in affected countries — provided they do not return home before the tournament.
The official said U.S. authorities advised the athletes, coaches and staff currently in Europe that they will be subject to the entry ban and any quarantine restrictions should they return to the Congo or the broader affected region before traveling to the U.S. The impacted area includes Uganda and South Sudan. The team is not prevented from traveling elsewhere to compete in pre-World Cup matches.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversations between the U.S. and the team, said the Trump administration “will continue to uphold the highest safety and health standards for the United States and all World Cup participants.”]
US military hasn’t found or destroyed any explosive mines in the Strait of Hormuz, AP source says — 4:43 p.m.
By the Associated Press
A U.S. official says the search for mines in the vital oil shipping corridor is ongoing, though none have been found.
No ships have been struck or damaged by mines in the strait, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations. That’s even as some commercial traffic has flowed through the waterway where Iran has a chokehold, though at much lower volumes than before the war began.
Trump said last month that he ordered the military to begin mine-clearing efforts as part of a broader push to get commercial ships to traverse the strait again, following several attacks by Iranian forces.
No evidence of mine-laying by the Iranians has emerged since the start of the conflict, and U.S. officials have repeatedly said that they targeted and destroyed that capability as part of the airstrikes across the country.
Trump eers off-topic during speech in New York — 4:32 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump, from a toss-up congressional district in New York on Friday, began testing his midterm-year message that was ostensibly on the economy.
But he veered off-topic right from the start, going off on tangents about voter identification, crime in cities, transgender women in sports and “Dumocrats,” his new chosen moniker for the opposition party. He complained that toiletries are locked up in pharmacies, making them harder to buy, and polled the audience on what he should call his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.
Eventually, he landed on the topic of the speech, telling the crowd that he and his party worked to slash taxes and increase take-home pay, while Democrats opposed the effort at every turn.
“I cut your taxes, cut the taxes on workers, families, small business, who are the soul of this state,” Trump said to the audience at Rockland Community College. Listing off the various provisions of the tax law, the president said, “These are all Republican tax cuts. The Democrats voted against every one of these tax cuts.”
Trump calls Lawler ‘Mr. Salt’ as he praises him in New York — 4:06 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president opened his rally with Republican Rep. Mike Lawler by touting the congressman’s fight for SALT, the acronym for the state and local tax deduction he fought to include in Trump’s sweeping tax cuts law last year.
“He wouldn’t stop. He was driving us crazy,” Trump said.
Trump also gave a shout-out to Nassau County’s Republican Bruce Blakeman, who is running for governor.
“You better watch yourself, Kathy,” Trump said, referring to New York’s incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is running for reelection.
“You got a race,” Trump added.
Judge dismisses human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia — 3:29 p.m.
By the Associated Press
A human smuggling case against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation helped galvanize opposition to President Trump’s immigration policies, was thrown out on Friday.
Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador last year became an embarrassment for Trump officials when they were ordered to return him to the US. Abrego Garcia claimed that both the timing of the criminal charges and inflammatory statements about him by top Trump officials demonstrated that the prosecution was vindictive.
US District Judge Waverly Crenshaw, ruling from Nashville, granted Abrego Garcia’s motion to dismiss for “selective or vindictive prosecution.”
Without Abrego Garcia’s “successful lawsuit challenging his removal to El Salvador, the government would not have brought this prosecution,” said Crenshaw, dismissing claims of “new evidence” against him.
In earlier court filings, Crenshaw wrote he had found some evidence that the prosecution against Abrego Garcia “may be vindictive.” The judge said many statements by Trump administration officials “raise cause for concern.” He cited a statement by then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that seemed to suggest the Justice Department charged Abrego Garcia because he won his wrongful-deportation case.
Trump says he’s working ‘very hard’ to make daylight saving time permanent — 3:21 p.m.
By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff
President Trump on Thursday praised a House committee for advancing a bill to make daylight saving time permanent, a rare moment of bipartisan accord between the Republican and Senator Ed Markey, a Democrat who has long supported the idea.
“Big Vote today (48-1!) in the [House] Energy and Commerce Committee on a Bill including The Sunshine Protection Act, which will be making Daylight Saving Time Permanent!” Trump posted on Truth Social Thursday night.
“This is so important in that Hundreds of Millions of Dollars are spent every year by people, Cities, and States, being forced to change their Clocks,” the post continued.
Trump said the “House will be attaching The Sunshine Protection Act to ‘The Highway Bill.’ ... I am going to work very hard to see The Sunshine Protection Act signed into Law. It’s time that people can stop worrying about the ‘Clock,’ not to mention all of the work and money that is spent on this ridiculous, twice yearly production.”
An all-women Senate delegation is heading to the Arctic to reassure US allies — 3:16 p.m.
By the Associated Press
A bipartisan group of senators is departing for a tour of Arctic nations to reassure U.S allies. And this time they’re leaving the men behind.
From the eight senators to their staff and military liaison officers, the group will be entirely women. They are paying diplomatic visits to government officials in four Arctic nations, witnessing the challenges for militaries operating in the region and visiting a Norwegian archipelago so remote they will need escorts to avoid run-ins with polar bears.
The trip comes at a time when Trump has taken an aggressive, go-it-alone stance in the region.
“We will reassure our allies that we recognize and appreciate the importance of our allies and partners in the Arctic as in so many other areas,” Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told The Associated Press. She leads this trip alongside Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Trump confirms he’s skipping son Donald Jr.’s wedding — 2:24 p.m.
By Kaitlin Lewis, Globe Staff
After some speculation, President Trump confirmed Friday that he will not attend the wedding of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., saying he will instead remain in Washington, D.C., over the Memorial Day weekend.
The president posted to Truth Social that while he “very much wanted to be with my son,” he feels “it is important for me to remain ... at the White House during this important period of time.”
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday that he was “going to try” to attend Donald Jr.’s wedding to Bettina Anderson, but that it was “not good timing for me.” According to news reports, the couple is having a small ceremony on a private island in the Bahamas.
Senate Democrat says Gabbard replacement needs to restore trust in top intelligence post — 2:21 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate’s Intelligence committee, said that with Gabbard’s departure, her successor should help restore the reputation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Warner said that “at a time when the boundaries between verified intelligence and politically convenient claims have too often been blurred...the next DNI must be committed to restoring trust in the office, protecting the integrity of our intelligence, and ensuring our nation’s intelligence professionals can speak truth to power, without fear or interference” in a statement released shortly after Gabbard’s resignation became public.
Last summer, Gabbard revoked the security clearances of dozens of U.S. officials who she said had engaged in the “politicization or weaponization of intelligence” to advance personal or partisan goals, failing to safeguard classified information, failing to “adhere to professional analytic tradecraft standards” and other unspecified “detrimental” conduct in a memo released at the time.
Trump says Gabbard did ‘a great job’ in the post she’s leaving — 1:55 p.m.
By the Associated Press
In a social media post, the president wrote that Gabbard was “unfortunately” leaving his administration at the end of June.
“Her wonderful husband, Abraham, has been recently diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, and she, rightfully, wants to be with him,” Trump wrote.
He added, “Tulsi has done an incredible job, and we will miss her,” and that Gabbard’s “highly respected Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, Aaron Lukas, will serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence.”
Tulsi Gabbard resigns as Trump’s national intelligence director — 1:40 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Tulsi Gabbard resigned as President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence on Friday, saying she needed to step away as her husband battles cancer.
“Unfortunately, I must submit my resignation, effective June 30, 2026,” Gabbard wrote in her resignation letter, which she posted on X. “My husband, Abraham, has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer.”
There had been rumblings that Gabbard would split with Trump after the president’s decision to strike Iran, which caused some division within his administration. Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation in March, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the war.
Senate Republican chairman urges Trump to resume Iran war — 1:06 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Senator Roger Wicker, the GOP chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is telling Trump not to settle for a peace deal with Iran.
In a statement, Wicker says the president “is being ill advised to pursue a deal that would not be worth the paper it is written on.”
“Our commander-in-chief needs to allow America’s skilled armed forces to finish the destruction of Iran’s conventional military capabilities and reopen the strait,” he added.
Wicker’s statement stands in contrast to the position of a small but crucial number of Republicans who are calling on Trump to end a war that he started without congressional approval.
GOP leaders in both chambers have struggled this week to find the votes necessary to defeat war powers resolutions brought by Democrats that would compel Trump to end the war. A handful of Republicans have switched their votes to try to end the war.
Warsh briefly nods to the issue of independence — 12:35 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Warsh, in his remarks, said he saw former Fed chair Alan Greenspan as a model for the role, explaining that the Fed can help with the nation’s prosperity.
“Our mandate at the Fed is to promote price stability and maximum employment. When we pursue those aims with wisdom and clarity, independence and resolve — inflation can be lower; growth, stronger; real take-home pay, higher,” Warsh said.
America’s central bank has a new chairman — 12:20 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Kevin Warsh has been sworn in as Fed chair by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Warsh said it was an honor to be sworn in by his “esteemed friend,” Thomas. He explained Kavanaugh’s presence by telling the audience the two of them had worked at the White House earlier in their careers.
He’s also talking about former Fed chair Alan Greenspan, calling him an idol.
Greenspan was sworn in at the White House by President Ronald Reagan.
Warsh said that, like Greenspan, he intends to fill the role of Fed chair “with energy and purpose.”
Trump says he wants new Fed chair to be ‘totally independent’ — 12:04 p.m.
By the Associated Press
“I really mean this. This is not said in any other way,” Trump said. “I want Kevin to be totally independent. I want him to be independent and just do a great job.”
“Don’t look at me, don’t look at anybody. Just do your own thing and do a great job, okay?” he added.
The pressure Trump placed on outgoing Fed chair Jay Powell to lower interest rates raised questions about the independence of the Federal Reserve.
Trump hosts swearing-in ceremony for Kevin Warsh as new Fed chair — 11:56 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The East Room was packed for the ceremony, which usually is held at the Federal Reserve Building.
Among those attending are Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council and at one point a top contender to succeed Jay Powell as Fed chair, until Trump decided he wanted to keep Hassett at the White House.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence will deliver the oath. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was also present, as were members of Trump’s Cabinet, other top Trump administration officials, and current and former members of Congress.
Trump opened with praise for Warsh, predicting that he “will go down as one of the truly great chairmen of the Federal Reserve.”
“I think he’s got abilities that very few people have,” Trump said.
Blanche thrown into Republican firestorm over $1.8 billion fund — 11:51 a.m.
By the Associated Press
When Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed off on a nearly $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate Trump’s allies for alleged political prosecution, he may have pleased his boss. But the eyebrow-raising move — has agitated the same Republican lawmakers he would need to secure the permanent job.
Blanche insists he’s not auditioning for the job of attorney general. But a succession of splashy steps taken under his watch at the Justice Department, including an indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, have left no doubt that he’s trying to prove his loyalty to the president.
The fund in particular has put Blanche at the center of a Republican firestorm just when he aims to establish himself as the perfect person for the job for the remainder of Trump’s term.
Judges in Maine and Wisconsin reject DOJ efforts to obtain voter rolls — 11:25 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Democrats are cheering rules by federal judges in Maine and Wisconsin that dismissed Justice Department demands for detailed voter registration information.
The DOJ has sued at least 30 states and the District of Columbia seeking to force the release of voter information including dates of birth, addresses, driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. Thursday’s defeats follow similar rulings in Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon and Rhode Island, In Georgia, a judge dismissed a DOJ lawsuit filed in the wrong city, prompting the Trump administration to refile elsewhere.
Bianca Shaw, state director of Common Cause Wisconsin, said the decision protects voters “from an unauthorized national database that would have been a goldmine for hackers and a tool for intimidation.”
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat and Trump opponent who is running for governor, said the ruling affirms that states run elections.
Trump immunity from IRS audit shocks experts, who warn it could undermine trust in tax system — 10:57 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump has a reputation for slashing his taxes using techniques that some experts find aggressive. Now the Justice Department has told the president he doesn’t have to worry about being called out on it.
In an extraordinary decision this week, the IRS is suspending probes into his past returns to settle a lawsuit that Trump brought against the agency he ultimately runs. Trump says tax authorities targeted him politically — a claim for which he has given no proof — and that he was right to seek a remedy.
Law experts say the move is unprecedented and unfair.
“This is giving the president and his affiliates completely different set of rules than everyday taxpayers,” said Brandon DeBot, policy director at New York University’s Tax Law Center.
Rubio says an Iranian tolling system can’t happen. Iran says it already has. — 10:55 a.m.
By the Associated Press
“Iran is trying to create a tolling system,” Rubio said. “That’s just not acceptable. It can’t happen. If that were to happen in the Straits of Hormuz, it will happen in five other places around the world.”
Iran’s official Mizan news agency reported that 35 vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy in the previous 24 hours.
Without specifying the nationalities of the vessels, Mizan quoted the Revolutionary Guard navy as saying that the oil tankers, container ships and other commercial ships transited the strait after obtaining permission and in coordination with, and under the protection of, the Revolutionary Guard navy.
Iran has demanded the right to collect the tolls as a precondition for reopening the waterway vital to world oil supplies.
Rubio says US remains ready to resume Russia-Ukraine peace efforts — 10:21 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The Trump administration remains ready to resume mediation efforts that have been stalled for some time, Rubio said.
With concerns high in Europe, particularly in the Baltic states, that the administration’s interest in ending the conflict is waning, Rubio told reporters that the U.S. still believes the “the war can only end with a negotiated settlement. It will not end with a military victory by one side or the other.”
Previous rounds of talks were unfortunately “not fruitful,” Rubio said, but “if we see an opportunity to pull together talks that are productive, not counterproductive, and that have the chance to be fruitful, we’re prepared to play that role.”
Rubio: ‘Someone’s going to have to do something about’ Hormuz if Iran doesn’t reopen shipping — 10:20 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The secretary of state said he and other foreign ministers discussed the issue of reopening the critical waterway, and that he reiterated the need for a “Plan B” if a deal isn’t reached between Washington and Tehran.
“Someone’s going to have to do something about it, okay?” Rubio said. “They’re not just going to voluntarily reopen the straits in that scenario.”
Rubio said he received lots of “nods” from European allies when he brought it up Friday. In the same breath, Rubio confirmed what Iranian officials had been saying, that progress is being made in the negotiations.
“I wouldn’t exaggerate it and I wouldn’t diminish it,” he said. “But there’s more work to be done.”
Rubio says US force posture in Europe will eventually be reduced — 9:57 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Rubio says America’s NATO allies understand that eventually there will be a reduction in the US troop presence in Europe as the Trump administration evaluates its force posture globally.
“I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less U.S. troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” Rubio told reporters.
NATO allies have been confused by contradictory statements coming from Trump and his top aides, including an announcement last week that troop levels would be reduced in Poland that Trump appeared to reverse on Thursday. A previously announced troop reduction in Germany appears to be going ahead but Rubio noted that the Germans “didn’t freak out about it” because it brought the numbers back to where they were three years ago.
Trump and the Republican party are now exposed in new ways — 9:37 a.m.
By the Associated Press
While the president’s handpicked candidates are winning GOP primaries, many are untested heading into general elections this fall. Trump’s own approval rating sits at a low point, and he’s spending his political capital, alienating would-be allies and threatening to detail GOP priorities.
Trump’s announcement of nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for people he believes were wrongly prosecuted blindsided senators already fuming over his push for $1 billion to provide security for his new White House ballroom. The audacity of the arrangement proved too toxic for the Senate to bear.
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina called it “stupid on stilts” and a “payout for punks.”
“So the nation’s top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops? Utterly stupid, morally wrong — Take your pick,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former majority leader.
The GOP’s top priority is now in shambles — 9:36 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Voting on a roughly $70 billion budget package that would fuel Trump’s immigration and deportation operations for the remainder of his presidential term, into 2029, was postponed until Congress resumes next month. That blows Trump’s June 1 deadline to have it on his desk.
Trump shrugged when asked during an Oval Office event if he was losing control of the Senate.
“I really don’t know,” the president said.
And it wasn’t just the Senate. For the first time this year, enough Republican House members broke ranks to signal support for a war powers resolution from Democrats that’s designed to halt Trump’s military action in Iran. House Speaker Mike Johnson postponed the voting to avoid confronting the president.
The day has arrived. The Senate said No. — 9:25 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump’s political revenge tour met its potential match this week as angry Republican senators, pushed to a breaking point by his seemingly insatiable and outlandish demands — particularly a $1.776 billion fund for Jan. 6 rioters and others he believes were wrongly prosecuted — did the unthinkable.
They simply refused, closed up shop, and went home.
The moment was as rare as it was daring, a sudden flex from the Congress that has become a shell of its former self as a coequal branch, the Republican majority almost always more willing to accommodate the Republican president than to confront him.
A festive crowd taunts Trump in Havana — 9:16 a.m.
By the Associated Press
“Who do they think they are to judge Raúl?” Gerardo Hernández asked as the crowd cheered. He’s one of five Cubans accused of being a spy who was imprisoned and later released by the US in 2014.
“For the United States, the law is a tailor-made suit,” he said before punching the air with this fist, to a shout of “Viva Raúl!”
The crowd responded to his call: “Homeland or death, we will vanquish!”
Thousands of people have crowded along Havana’s famed seawall to decry the U.S. indictment. Attendees include daughter, Mariela Castro, and his grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro. Salsa songs with biting anti-Trump lyrics are booming across the old city.
Cubans protest US indictment of Castro in front of US embassy — 8:43 a.m.
By the Associated Press
A huge crowd of Cubans rallied Friday outside the US Embassy in Havana to honor former President Raúl Castro and to protest the Trump administration’s criminal indictment.
“The Cuban people reaffirm that neither threats, nor blockade, nor energy embargo, nor false accusations will be able to break the will of an entire people in defense of their Revolution,” read a statement published by state media.
Raúl Castro has rarely appeared in public since stepping down and handing over to President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who was joined by military leaders at the rally.
Castro was last seen surrounded by tens of thousands of people at a state-organized rally on May 1.
Republicans call off vote on Iran war resolution that was on the verge of passing — 8:03 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Republicans struggled Thursday to find the votes to dismiss legislation that would compel President Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran, delaying planned votes on the matter into June.
The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, brought by Democrats, that would rein in Trump’s military campaign. But as it became clear that Republicans would not have the numbers to defeat the bill, GOP leaders declined to hold a vote on it. It was the latest sign of the slipping support in Congress for a war that Trump launched more than two months ago without congressional approval.
Republicans in the Senate are also working to ensure they have the votes to dismiss another war powers resolution that advanced to a final vote earlier this week, when four GOP senators supported the resolution and three others were absent from the vote.
The actions by congressional leaders showed Republicans are struggling to maintain political backing for Trump’s handling of the war.
Trump says he’s sending 5,000 more troops to Poland, stirring confusion about US presence in Europe — 7:17 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump on Thursday said the US will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, stirring confusion following weeks of changing statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the American military footprint in Europe.
The Trump administration has said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were no longer deploying to Poland. Trump’s social media announcement raises more uncertainty for European allies that have been blindsided by the changes, as the administration has complained about NATO members not shouldering enough of the burden of their own defense and failing to do more to support the Iran war.
Trump and the Pentagon have said in recent weeks that they were drawing down at least 5,000 troops in Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in the war.
Trump immunity from IRS audit shocks experts, who warn it could undermine trust in tax system — 7:02 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Remember Donald Trump’s response in the 2016 presidential debate, when Hillary Clinton blasted him for paying virtually no federal taxes?
“That makes me smart,” Trump said.
By that logic, Trump is looking smarter than ever now.
On Tuesday, the Internal Revenue Service agreed to drop all pending probes of Trump over whether he’s paid his fair share of taxes, to settle a lawsuit brought by the president over a leak of his tax returns. That could include, assuming it was ongoing, a long-standing audit into a technique Trump reportedly used to avoid paying taxes years ago that could have hit him with an estimated $100 million bill if the IRS found wrongdoing.