The SPLC survived firebombs and death threats. Will it survive Trump 2.0?

19 minutes agoBrandon DrenonGetty ImagesRepublican Congressman Tom Kean Jr, who has not been seen in Washington or his New Jersey district for months, secured his party's nomination for re-election on Tuesday, after receiving a recent endorsement from President Donald Trump."Tom Kean has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election," Trump wrote on social media, adding, "HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!"Kean ran unopposed in the Republican primary and did not need to campaign for votes. But US media report he also has been absent from Congress, missing more than 100 votes.In November's midterm elections, Kean will face Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former US Navy helicopter pilot, who won her party's primary on Tuesday.Kean was last seen on 5 March. His staff said in April that he was dealing with a medical issue. But Kean's continued absence has become a national curiosity in the US.In his endorsement posted to Truth Social on Monday, Trump wrote that Kean was a "Tremendous Advocate of our America First Agenda" and "is working tirelessly".Shortly after his last vote in Congress in March, colleagues, Republican officials and news organisations reported concerns about his whereabouts. Text messages went unanswered, as did requests for interviews. An aide told The New York Times, "There's no cameras where Tom is."

In the statement released by his office on 27 April, he said he expected to be back soon. "My doctors continue to assure me that my recovery will be complete and that I will be back to the job I love very soon," Kean said in the statement, posted on X."I expect to return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent."Nearly a month later, Kean participated in a telephone interview with the New Jersey Globe and reiterated his intent to run for re-election and return to public life."I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents," he said. "I anticipate that in the next couple of weeks, I'll return to voting and to the campaign trail." As voters began casting ballots in the election on Tuesday, there still had been no reported sightings of Kean.The BBC has left a message with his office seeking comment. The district he represents is considered a swing district, meaning it has a high propensity to flip between Republicans and Democrats each election cycle.His will be a key district for Republicans to hold on to in November's midterm elections, which will determine the balance of power in Congress. Democrats are looking to unseat him and shift power their way and deliver Trump a loss.

Trump's endorsement of Kean given the stakes is unsurprising. The US president also has not shied away from endorsing candidates, even as they court controversy - or mystery.

Former US attorney general Pam Bondi defends her handling of Epstein files in congressional probe15 minutes agoNardine SaadGetty ImagesFormer US Attorney General Pam Bondi arrives to testify at a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill on 29 May, 2026Former US Attorney General Pam Bondi has defended her handling of the release of documents related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Bondi, who in April was removed from her post as America's top law enforcement officer by US President Donald Trump, testified behind closed doors on Friday in Washington DC."We demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to transparency in the Department's search for, collection, and review of the Epstein files, producing nearly 3 million pages of material," she said in opening remarks to the US House Oversight Committee.As attorney general, Bondi was tasked with implementing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, legislation signed into law by Trump that mandated the US Department of Justice publicly release unclassified records.But Bondi and the US Justice Department have been widely criticised, with accusations that documents were withheld and files were published that made victims of Epstein's crimes publicly identifiable."I am proud of the Department's record and commitment to transparency under my leadership," she said. "This was an enormously complicated and labor-intensive process. To the best of my knowledge, the Department produced everything required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act."The committee's Republican chairman, James Comer, wrote in a subpoena letter that they are investigating the "possible mismanagement" of the Epstein investigation and compliance with the act.Ahead of today's meeting, Comer told reporters that successive governments had failed Epstein's victims and that Bondi will be pressed about her handling of the release of the documents."We're going to try to determine whether or not there could be more documents legally turned over," Comer said. "I want every document. I don't want anything held back, and I think the majority of the committee's the same way."But three hours into the congressional interview, Democrats emerged accusing Bondi of being evasive in her answers and said government lawyers stepped in to prevent her from answering questions. "She said she would not speak or respond to any questions that had anything to do with President Trump," the committee's leading Democrat Robert Garcia said. Representative Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico also said there were no other Republicans at the interview besides the chairman and described the process as a cover-up."The United States Department of Justice is intervening on behalf of Pam Bondi to stop her from answering questions about what happened in the cover-up of this case and her conversations with Donald Trump," Stansbury said.Bondi's summons came weeks after Nancy Mace, a Republican lawmaker, accused the justice department of a "cover-up" in releasing the files and introduced a motion to subpoena Bondi - the former attorney general of Florida and who served on Trump's 2020 impeachment defence team.The Trump administration and Bondi have faced enormous bipartisan pressure to release all documents related to the probe of the sex-trafficking financier and faced criticism over its handling of the files, including its failure to redact the names of Epstein's victims. Epstein died in prison while awaiting trial in 2019.In February 2025, Bondi declared during a Fox News interview that she had a list of Epstein's high-profile clients "sitting on my desk right now", only to have the justice department walk back the statement that July when it said there was no "client list" and that Bondi had meant the overall case file was on her desk. While her tenure as the country's top law enforcement official was dogged by the Epstein files, Bondi also came under fire by Democrats for weaponising the justice department after Trump cal

US Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent shows a proposed $250 bill featuring President Donald Trump during a press briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC.

KENT NISHIMURA/AFP via Getty Images

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KENT NISHIMURA/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump's face could soon appear on a $250 bill as part of the Trump administration's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the country.

The law currently states no living president can appear on currency, but the administration is preparing for the possibility that Congress will pass legislation authorizing the special Trump bill.

"It's all in the hands of… Capitol Hill," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the White House briefing room Thursday. "We prepared things in advance… but we will stick to the law."

Bessent added that he didn't think there was anything "untoward" about having the president who was in office during the country's 250th anniversary appear on the bill.

Last year, GOP Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina proposed a bill that would require the treasury to print $250 notes with Trump's portrait on it but the legislation hasn't been taken up yet.

The Washington Post reported it was two Trump political appointees who began urging the drafts of the new $250 note be created, including mocking up the president's likeness. Bessent held up a draft of the Post's story while briefing White House reporters on Thursday.

If Congress changes the law, Trump would be the first living person to appear on currency since 1866.

The president has already made history when it comes to appearing on money. Earlier this year, the Treasury Department announced Trump's signature would appear on all new printed money - a departure from having signatures from the treasury secretary and the treasurer.

It's part of a larger trend of Trump putting his mark on government buildings and institutions and other materials, some in effort to commemorate America's 250th birthday.

There's the possibility of a new commemorative passport with Trump's face, for example. And the commemorative coin. And the National Parks pass.

In Washington, Trump's face looms on a banner over the Justice Department. His name was added onto the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S. Institute of Peace. His administration also named policy initiatives – such as the Trump Accounts – after the president, who was known in his business career for his prolific self-branding.

Son of former President Jair Bolsonaro is fighting to recover from a scandal that has rocked his presidential campaign.Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has shared a photo that appears to show him meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, as he seeks to bolster his image amid a scandal that threatens to derail his presidential campaign in Brazil.Bolsonaro shared a photo on Tuesday of him standing by Trump’s side in the Oval Office, with a caption showing the thumbs-up emoji.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Brazil’s Lula meets Trump amid efforts to avert new US trade tariffslist 2 of 3Brazil judge bars law that could reduce Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentencelist 3 of 3Poll shows Lula and Bolsonaro tied before Brazil’s presidential electionend of listFlavio is the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a right-wing Trump ally who is serving a 27-year prison sentence in connection with a coup attempt after his re-election loss in 2022 to current leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.The younger Bolsonaro has replaced his father as the standard-bearer of Brazil’s political right and is seen as the top contender challenging Lula in the South American country’s election in October.But his campaign has struggled to regain its balance following a report that he sought funds from a disgraced banker convicted of fraud to finance a film about his father. Bolsonaro has acknowledged requesting the money, but denied any impropriety or wrongdoing.Recent polls suggest that the scandal has set back his campaign, with Lula retaking the lead from the younger Bolsonaro after previous polls had shown them in a close race.Media reports in recent days stated that Bolsonaro had sought a meeting with Trump, who previously placed tariffs on Brazil in a bid to have the case against the elder Bolsonaro thrown out.Flavio then travelled to Washington without a guaranteed appointment in the hope of meeting with the US president. Trump has yet to share information about the meeting on his social media website.While tensions have remained between Trump and Lula, the two leaders have built a more cordial relationship in recent months, with the Brazilian leader visiting his US counterpart at the White House earlier this month.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has renewed its push to lift a court ruling barring progress on a new White House ballroom, once again citing gun violence as a reason for pursuing the construction.In a court filing submitted on Sunday, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche argued it was “urgent” that the ballroom be completed.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US Secret Service shoots gunman near White Houselist 2 of 3Senate bill review gives thumbs-down to federal funding for Trump ballroomlist 3 of 3Trump showcases new ‘drone-protected’ White House ballroomend of list“This is a terrible, tremendously harmful case to the United States of America, and all it stands for!” Blanche wrote, denouncing the lawsuit that has paused construction.As justification, Blanche pointed to the events of last Saturday, when a 21-year-old suspect named Nasire Best approached a White House security checkpoint in Washington, DC, pulled out a gun, and started shooting.One bystander was injured. The suspect was killed after an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents. The sound could be heard across the White House lawn, where reporters were seen running for safety.Blanche argued that the incident represented the second time in the span of a month that Trump’s life had been threatened.On April 25, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen had attempted to breach security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where Trump and his top officials were in attendance. After an exchange of gunfire with security, Allen was taken into custody.“This second attack on the President this month underscores the critical need for top level, state of the art security at the White House, including the Ballroom,” Blanche wrote in the filing.He added that the ballroom “is being constructed to ensure that the President can perform his constitutional duties in a safe and heavily secured facility”.The Department of Justice, under Blanche, advanced a similar argument after the incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.And Trump himself made a nearly identical statement on Saturday, using his Truth Social platform to link the recent shooting to the ballroom.“This event is one month removed from the White House Correspondent’Dinner shooting [sic], and goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C,” Trump wrote.“The National Security of our Country demands it!”Barriers to buildingBut Trump is facing an increasingly uphill battle as he pursues his ballroom project.On March 31, a federal judge, Richard Leon, issued a temporary injunction against further construction on the ballroom.While Leon did offer a carve-out for any work “necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House”, the judge did say that “bald assertions of ‘national security’” would not be accepted as a means of bypassing his decision or the law.He called on the Trump administration to petition Congress for approval for the project. Until then, Leon ruled, “construction has to stop”.In recent weeks, Trump has sought additional funding from Congress for the ballroom, though not approval for the construction itself.But even members of his party have baulked at the price tag. Trump demanded that $1bn for the ballroom project be added to a bill for immigration enforcement funding, but last week, Republicans in the Senate agreed to drop the provision.Some objected to the expense. Others pointed out that, with the $1bn in unrelated spending, the immigration-related funding bill would no longer qualify for a process called budget reconciliation, which allows bills to pass through the Senate with a simple majority.US President Donald Trump speaks to the media near the construction site of his proposed ballroom on May 19 [Kent Nishimura/AFP]Growing ballroom costsTrump had previously maintained that the ballroom would be funded entirely through private donations.But the

As new Iran deal faces sharp criticism, Trump seeks to widen Abraham Accords The Washington Post Trump links Abraham Accords to any Iran deal Reuters Trump says more countries should normalize ties with Israel in any Iran deal NPR Trump asked Muslim leaders to sign peace deal with Israel after Iran war ends Axios Trump says it should be ‘mandatory’ for more countries to join the Abraham Accords as part of Iran deal NBC News

9 minutes agoAna FaguyandSareen HabeshianGetty ImagesTulsi Gabbard will resign from her position as the US director of national intelligence in the Trump administration, citing her husband's recent bone cancer diagnosis. "His strength and love have sustained me through every challenge," she wrote in her resignation letter obtained by CBS News, the BBC's US partner. "I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position."President Donald Trump said in a social media post that Gabbard "has done an incredible job, and we will miss her".Her resignation is effective 30 June. Aaron Lukas, the principal deputy director, will step in as acting director, Trump said.Gabbard, a loyal supporter of Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign, was confirmed as one of the most powerful figures in US intelligence-gathering weeks after he returned to the White House in 2025. But this year, she has largely been out of public view as the US has taken military action against Iran, put pressure on Cuba, and notably removed Venezuela's president.Gabbard is the fourth Cabinet member to depart the Trump administration after Lori Chavez-DeRemer left her position as labor secretary in April. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi both left the administration earlier this year.In her resignation letter, Gabbard said her husband, Abraham, "faces major challenges in the coming weeks and months."Trump posted on social media that Gabbard "rightfully, wants to be with him, bringing him back to good health as they currently fight a tough battle together. I have no doubt he will soon be better than ever."During her political career, she has positioned herself as an anti-interventionalist in

foreign wars, creating tension after Trump decided to enter a war with Iran. Following US-Israel strikes on Iran, she avoided endorsing the decision, carefully evading questions during a congressional hearing in March about whether the administration knew of the conflict's potential fallout.She also faced scrutiny during questioning over what Democrats perceived as

discrepancies between the White House's and intelligence community's claims about Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities.Last year, Trump appeared to dismiss Gabbard's declaration before Congress that Iran was not seeking to build a nuclear weapon."I don't care what she said," Trump told reporters at the time. "I think they were very close to having a weapon." He has repeatedly cited Iran's nuclear capability as a reason for the US war with Iran.Gabbard's departure comes two months after her top aide, former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, left the administration over the war in Iran, urging the president to "reverse course".Following Kent's resignation, Gabbard publicly backed Trump's decision in Iran, saying that as commander-in-chief, the president was responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat.A military veteran who served with a medical unit in Iraq, Gabbard has had a number of political firsts in her career.She was first elected to the Hawaii Legislature aged 21 in 2002, the youngest person ever elected in the state. She left after one term when her National Guard unit was deployed to Iraq.Gabbard went on to represent Hawaii in Congress as a Democrat from 2013 until 2021 - becoming the first Hindu to serve in the House.She ran an unsuccessful bid for president in 2020, positioning herself on an anti-interventionalist foreign policy platform.In 2022, she left the Democratic Party and initially registered as an independent - accusing her former party of being an "elitist cabal of warmongers" driven by "cowardly wokeness".As a contributor on Fox News, she was vocal on topics such as gender and freedom of speech, and became an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump before joining the Republican party.She endorsed Trump in 2024, campaigned with him and served as a member

Senate confirms Trump pick Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chair in 54-45 vote amid growing independence concerns.Kevin Warsh has been confirmed by the United States Senate to be the chair of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, succeeding Jerome Powell, whose term ends on Friday.On Wednesday, the Senate voted to confirm Warsh in a 54-45 vote with Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a Democrat, joining his Republican colleagues amid a contentious confirmation process.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Sam Altman says Elon Musk wanted 90 percent of OpenAI in high-stakes triallist 2 of 3China’s Xi expected to press Trump on Taiwan, tariffs during summitlist 3 of 3Messi remains highest paid player in MLS with base salary of $28mend of listOn Tuesday, Warsh, 56, US President Donald Trump’s pick to succeed Powell, was confirmed for a 14-year term by the Senate to join the central bank’s Board of Governors also 51–45 vote with Fetterman voting with Republicans.Warsh’s swearing-in to both positions awaits final White House signatures on paperwork sent by the Senate.Independence concernsWarsh’s confirmation comes amid a slew of concerns about independence at the US central bank and rising inflation.In his confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee late last month, he was accused of being a “sock puppet” for Trump by Senator Elizabeth Warren.Warsh, who previously served on the central bank’s Board of Governors from 2006 to 2011, was in favour of rate hikes in 2024 when Joe Biden was US president, but shifted his opinion when Trump came into office, advocating for rate cuts and mirroring Trump’s calls for more aggressive cuts.In the last year, the Trump administration has pushed for more control over the central bank. Trump tried to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook, a Biden appointee, amid allegations of mortgage fraud, and called for a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into Powell’s management of a building renovation project that a federal judge ruled was a pretext for pressuring Powell to cut rates or resign.The DOJ dropped the investigation after Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, said he would not vote to advance Trump’s nominee to lead the central bank until the investigation ended.Policy shiftsWarsh has pushed for “regime change” within the central bank. He wants a smaller balance sheet, which he argues should allow for a lower policy rate.The Fed’s next meeting, the first that Warsh will chair, is scheduled for June 16-17.CME FedWatch, which tracks the likelihood of certain monetary policy outcomes, says there is a 97 percent chance that rates will remain unchanged at the next policy meeting. It is expected that the central bank will maintain interest rates at 3.50 percent to 3.75 percent for the remainder of 2026.This comes amid surging oil prices and a consumer price index report released on Tuesday showing that consumer prices rose by 0.6 percent in April, after a 0.9 percent increase in March on a monthly basis. There was a more stark increase on an annual basis, and prices rose by 3.8 percent from this time last year.

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