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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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Latest Breaking News

Judge blocks DOJ from releasing Biden's conversations with biographer for 3 weeks

7 min ago - Updated on: June 19, 2026 / 6:15 PM EDT / CBS News Washington — A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the Justice Department from giving a conservative think tank a redacted transcript and recordings of former President Joe Biden's decad ... (CBS News)

Trump tells Axios he no longer views Anthropic as national security threat

26 min ago - June 19, 2026 3:55 PM EDT Updated 3 hours ago June 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he might have viewed artificial intelligence company Anthropic as a national security threat last week, but he no longer does, according to an & ... (Reuters)

NATO chief, Trump to meet at White House amid tensions

52 min ago - 06/19/26 2:07 PM ET NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is set to travel next week to Washington to meet with President Trump amid tensions over the U.S. cutting the number of troops and equipment it would provide to its European allies should they be ... (The Hill)

Missouri Judge Rules State Abortion Laws Violate Voter-Approved Constitutional Amendment

1 hr ago - Jun 19, 2026, 04:27 PM EDT A Missouri judge this week struck down a series of restrictions on abortion, finding they violated a constitutional amendment that voters approved in 2024. Many of the provisions were already on hold because of an earlier, ... (Huff Post/AP)

Trump forgot to bring Iran deal to signing -- leaving Rubio scrambling for printer: report

1 hr ago - June 19, 2026 1:10PM ET Secretary of State Marco Rubio scrambled for a printer inside the Palace of Versailles after President Donald Trump went to the sign his Iran deal — without bringing a copy with him. A new report sheds light on the chaot ... (Raw Story)

Pentagon seeks $80 billion as Iran conflict costs continue to climb

2 hrs ago - Friday 19 June 2026 05:32 EDT The U.S. Department of Defense requires $80 billion to cover costs from the Iran conflict and other non-war-related bills, Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg informed lawmakers this week, the Wall Street Journal r ... (The Independent)

Trump unveils new Air Force One, a $400 million plane gifted by Qatar

2 hrs ago - Updated on: June 19, 2026 / 4:45 PM EDT / CBS News Washington — President Trump on Friday unveiled the Boeing 747-8 that will serve as the new Air Force One, providing the first look at the $400 million luxury plane that the U.S. accepted as a g ... (CBS News)

James Burrows, director of classic TV comedies including 'Cheers' and 'Friends,' dies at 85

2 hrs ago - By BETH HARRIS Updated 3:28 PM CDT, June 19, 2026 LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Burrows, who helped create volumes of laughter as director of more than a thousand episodes of such classic television comedies as “Cheers,” “Taxi,” & ... (AP)

White House delays release of US voting machine study as midterms near

3 hrs ago - June 19, 2026 6:04 AM EDT Updated 9 hours ago WASHINGTON, June 19 (Reuters) - White House officials have for months delayed the release of a U.S. government report that outlines what it describes as significant vulnerabilities in the nation's ... (Reuters)

Judge denies Biden's bid to block release of transcripts linked to special counsel inquiry

3 hrs ago - Updated 3:09 PM EDT, June 19, 2026 A federal judge on Friday rejected former President Joe Biden’s attempt to block the Trump administration from releasing to a conservative group the recordings that Biden made with a ghostwriter. U.S. District ... (AP)

47 people killed, and 97 wounded, by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon on Friday The Israeli military kille

3 hrs ago - 4h ago12.08 EDT The Israeli military killed at least 47 people on Friday, and wounded 97 others, across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa valley, according to the Lebanese health ministry. ................ The airstrikes took place from midnight until t ... (the guardian)

DOJ refuses to issue signed declaration verifying 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' is dead

3 hrs ago - June 19, 2026, 3:03 PM The Justice Department on Friday refused to issue a signed declaration from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche verifying that it no longer intends to pursue President Donald Trump's "Anti-Weaponization Fund.". The DOJ's refus ... (ABC News)

U.S. intelligence warns Israel is likely to undermine Iran peace deal, officials say

4 hrs ago - June 19, 2026 at 11:50 a.m. EDT U.S. intelligence agencies have warned the Trump administration that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to take steps that will undermine President Donald Trump's effort to reach a lasting peace deal w ... (Washington Post)

Hotel workers strike outside Lumen Field hours before USMNT face Australia in World Cup

4 hrs ago - Sahil Kurup Fri, June 19, 2026 at 12:55 PM CDT Striking hotel workers brought their demonstration right to the entrance of Seattle Stadium on Friday, with unionized Hilton staff picketing outside the facility just hours before the U.S. Men's National ... (Yahoo News)

Maryland Senate president faces primary after snubbing Democratic redistricting effort

4 hrs ago - June 19, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT BALTIMORE — Front stoops in Baltimore’s historic south and southeast neighborhoods are usually decorated for spring with seasonal flowers, string lights and banners supporting the Baltimore Orioles. But in the las ... (NBC News)

Revolt in small Georgia town appears to ward off ICE detention center

5 hrs ago - Fri 19 Jun 2026 13.32 EDT Last modified on Fri 19 Jun 2026 13.33 EDT The small town of Social Circle in rural Georgia has announced that the Department of Homeland Security has cancelled plans to turn a warehouse into what would have been one of the ... (The Guardian)

Israeli official spurns call for truce: 'All of Lebanon must burn'

5 hrs ago - A far-right member of Israel’s governing coalition on Friday said that “all of Lebanon must burn,” as fighting broke out between Israel and the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah despite a ceasefire imposed by the U.S. and Iran. Itamar ... (The Hill)

Trump to spend weekend at Camp David with Iran negotiations on hold

5 hrs ago - Updated June 19, 2026, 11:52 a.m. ET WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is set to depart Washington on Friday afternoon for the Camp David presidential retreat, where he's scheduled to spend the weekend as the U.S. tries to jump-start negotiati ... (USA Today)

Federal judge limits challenges to Trump mail-in voting order

6 hrs ago - A federal judge on Thursday said she’ll only consider parts of challenges to President Trump’s executive order that seeks to restrict mail-in voting, ruling the plaintiffs need to wait before raising concerns about elections beyond this yea ... (The Hill)

The Onion isn't waiting for a judge's order and plans to launch new InfoWars site to help support Sandy Hook families

6 hrs ago - Friday 19 June 2026 10:11 EDT Satirical news outlet The Onion isn’t going to wait for a judge’s order to launch the new InfoWars site it has been trying to acquire to support the families of children and teachers killed at the Sandy Hook El ... (The Independent)