Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed

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? Trump fights to control Iran narrative

President Trump is going to extraordinary lengths to defend his claim that U.S. airstrikes "obliterated" Iran's nuclear program, determined to cement the operation as a defining victory of his presidency, Axios' Barak Ravid writes.

• Why it matters: Trump has staked his credibility — and major parts of his foreign policy legacy — on the success of Saturday's military intervention, which punctuated decades of U.S. debate over the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

Trump has treated the leak of an initial Pentagon battle damage assessment as an act of sabotage, and launched an aggressive campaign to discredit the report as preliminary, inaccurate and already outdated.

• Critics have accused Trump of politicizing intelligence and pressuring officials to make an assessment that may be premature — or at least more nuanced than the president claims.

What's happening: Trump announced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top Pentagon officials will hold a "major news conference" at 8 a.m. ET today to laud the "Great American Pilots" who carried out "a perfect mission."

• The administration has accused the media of unpatriotic behavior for reporting skeptically on the Iran strike, even while acknowledging the initial assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency was real.

? The FBI has launched an investigation into the breach, and the administration plans to limit sharing classified information with Congress to crack down on leakers, as Axios first reported.

• At Trump's NATO press conference in the Netherlands, he publicly reprimanded the analysts who prepared the report — claiming it "wasn't finished" and should have been withheld until they actually "knew the answer."

Keep reading.

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Classified info

The Trump administration plans to further limit its sharing of classified information with Congress after the leak of an early intelligence assessment that said its attack on Iran wasn’t as successful as President Donald Trump claimed. Although White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt originally blamed the leak on "an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community,” the administration now believes the report was leaked after being posted to a system used for sharing classified intelligence with Congress, a senior White House official said. The Senate will receive a briefing on Iran today; the House briefing will be held on Friday. This is not the first time the White House has kept Congressional leaders — particularly Democrats — in the dark about classified matters. Although Trump and his team reportedly contacted top Republicans before the US strikes, some key Democrats were not informed until after the attack.   Judges sued The Trump administration has become so frustrated with the federal judiciary blocking its efforts to deport immigrants without due process that it is trying a new tactic: suing all 15 federal judges in Maryland. Last month, Chief Judge George L. Russell III signed an order blocking the administration from immediately removing from the US any immigrants who filed paperwork with the Maryland district court seeking a review of their detention. The administration claims the order violates a Supreme Court ruling and impedes President Trump’s authority to enforce immigration laws. Now, the administration wants all of the Maryland judges to recuse themselves so a federal judge from another state can hear the case. James Sample, a constitutional law professor at Hofstra University, described the lawsuit as further erosion of legal norms by the administration.   Immigration A federal appeals court has ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of a Salvadoran man who was deported last month just 30 minutes after the same court ruled he shouldn’t be removed from the US. Jordin Melgar-Salmeron, 31, is at least the fourth individual to be wrongly removed from the US, despite court rulings or protected status. In court documents, the US government acknowledged that a “perfect storm of errors occurred to allow for Petitioner’s untimely, and inadvertent, removal, despite the Government’s assurance and the eventual stay order.”

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Lawrence O’Donnell Savages Trump’s ‘Warrior’ Brag With His Vietnam Record

The president said he and his allies “feel like warriors” after bombing Iran.

MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell mocked Donald Trump for saying he feels like a warrior by referencing the last-minute medical diagnosis that kept him out of the Vietnam War.

Speaking at a NATO summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday, Trump floated bringing back the title “Secretary of War”—a Cabinet position abolished in 1947—for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “for a couple of weeks” because “we feel like warriors.” He spoke in the same speech about his operation to bomb three nuclear facilities in Iran, insisting the targets had been “obliterated” after a leaked report from his own intelligence community suggesting the strikes had a more limited impact.

“Of course Donald Trump feels like a warrior,” O’Donnell said on The Last Word on Wednesday night. “Donald Trump, who evaded military service during the Vietnam War because he claimed his foot hurt—the same foot on which he spent the rest of his life playing endless miles of golf, and never limping.”

Trump had five deferments during the draft in the 1960s—four of which were for education, according to the New York Times. When he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in the spring of 1968, he became eligible for the draft. But he was ultimately exempted from military service for a fifth time in the fall on medical grounds after being diagnosed with bone spurs—a buildup of calcium on the bone—in his heels.

In 2018, the daughters of a podiatrist in Queens who rented his office from Trump’s father, Fred Trump, claimed their late dad had made the diagnosis as a “favor” to Trump Sr. Donald Trump had previously said a doctor gave him a “very strong letter” about the bone spurs, which he in turn gave to draft officials, but said he couldn’t remember the doctor’s name and failed to provide documentation to the Times relating to the exemption.

“There is no reason to believe that Donald Trump wasn’t perfectly healthy enough to serve in the military during the war of his youth,” O’Donnell said. “But like most men who were eligible to serve in the Vietnam War at that time, Donald Trump was terrified of being sent to the jungles of Vietnam and becoming another statistic in the American military body count that was far greater than all of the wars—the American wars of the 21st century—combined.”

“And so Donald Trump, who only had to choose which ridiculous hat to wear when he went to the Situation Room to be a spectator during his war in Iran, now feels like a warrior,” O’Donnell went on. “The war that Donald Trump experienced in that air-conditioned room, where he didn’t even have to loosen his necktie, makes Donald Trump feel like a warrior. The biggest crybaby in the history of American politics now feels like a warrior. The man who spent every single day of his political and presidential life complaining that he is being treated unfairly now feels like a warrior.”

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/lawrence-odonnell-savages-donald-trumps-warrior-brag-with-his-vietnam-record/?

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A New Trump Plan Gives DHS and the White House Greater Influence in the Fight Against Organized Crime

The Trump administration has launched a major reorganization of the U.S. fight against drug traffickers and other transnational criminal groups, setting out a strategy that would give new authority to the Department of Homeland Security and deepen the influence of the White House.

https://www.propublica.org/article/stephen-miller-trump-dhs-fbi-doj-war-on-drugs?

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Trump’s Global Gulag Search Expands to 53 Nations

The Trump administration is seeking deals with more and more nations to hold deportees — now with the blessing of the Supreme Court.

https://theintercept.com/2025/06/25/trump-immigrant-deportations-supreme-court/?

Trump Appointee Prosecuting LA Protesters Defended Jan. 6 Suspects

As an attorney, Bill Essayli represented two January 6 defendants, arguing that men accused of crimes outside the U.S. Capitol were merely expressing their First Amendment rights. Now that he’s representing the Trump administration as the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, he has a very different perspective on some of the protesters opposing mass deportation.

https://theintercept.com/2025/06/24/trump-bill-essayli-la-protests-ice/?

ps:Of course he does!!

Trump Says Iran’s Nuke Sites Are “Obliterated.” The Military Isn’t So Sure.

Defense officials say his claims are “overblown” — and the intelligence community said Iran wasn’t building a bomb.

https://theintercept.com/2025/06/23/trump-iran-nuclear-strikes/?

ps:Who to believe? That's a tough one! NOT!!!!! Actually only time will tell!!

Kennedy’s advisers endorse flu vaccines — except for a few targeted by antivaccine activists

The Trump administration’s new vaccine advisers on Thursday endorsed this fall’s flu vaccinations for just about every American but threw in a twist: Only use certain shots free of an ingredient antivaccine groups have falsely tied to autism. Read More.

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A Grim Parlor Question (Photo-illustration by The Atlantic. Credit: Jeenah Moon / Bloomberg / AP)

View in browser In March, President Donald Trump was preparing to invoke the Alien Enemies Act to deport noncitizens. This use of the law, which was passed in 1798 and previously used to intern Japanese Americans during World War II, was unprecedented, and Emil Bove III, a top Justice Department official, was concerned that it was illegal. To be clear, Bove wasn’t troubled that the administration might be breaking the law; rather, according to a new whistleblower complaint, he was concerned that the courts might try to block removals. In that case, “DOJ would need to consider telling the courts ‘!@#$ you’ and ignore any such court order,” Bove said, according to the document. The complaint was made by Erez Reuveni, a fired DOJ lawyer, and first reported by The New York Times this week. The administration says that his allegations are falsehoods from a disgruntled former employee, but this is difficult to credit. A career lawyer, he was promoted by the Trump DOJ but says he was fired after he acknowledged in court that the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia was an administrative error and refused to accuse him of being a terrorist. The complaint details Reuveni’s “attempts over the course of three weeks and affecting three separate cases to secure the government’s compliance with court orders, and his resistance to the internal efforts of DOJ and White House leadership to defy them.” It also suggests that Reuveni has emails and texts to back up many of his claims. A top Justice Department official allegedly conspiring to defy court orders would be very dangerous; what makes it darkly amusing, too, is that senators are this week considering Bove’s nomination to the federal bench that, according to Reuveni, he wanted to ignore. This led to a sharp exchange in a committee hearing yesterday between Bove and Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, two veteran federal prosecutors, in which Bove repeatedly insisted that he did not “recall” making the comments that Reuveni alleged. “Did you say anything of that kind in the meeting?” Schiff asked. “Senator, I have no recollection of saying anything of that kind,” Bove said. “Wouldn’t you recall, Mr. Bove, if you said or suggested during a meeting with Justice Department lawyers maybe they should consider telling the court, ‘Fuck you’?” Schiff replied. “It seems to me that would be something you’d remember—unless that’s the kind of thing you say frequently.” Because no Republicans have yet come out against Bove’s nomination to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, he’s likely to win confirmation. (By way of reminder, Bove got here by serving as one of Trump’s personal lawyers in some of his many criminal cases.) This presents the grim parlor question of whether it’s better to have Bove in a lifetime appointment on the bench, where his opinions can be appealed, or at the Justice Department, where he’s reportedly been a one-man wrecking crew. The allegations against Bove are what my former colleague James Fallows took to describing during the first Trump administration as shocking but not surprising. Trump himself has said repeatedly that he will abide by court orders, but his deputies have been less circumspect, especially Vice President J. D. Vance, who is a lawyer, and the former DOGE leader and current Trump frenemy Elon Musk. Outside observers, including me, have fretted over what will happen if the White House actually crosses the rubicon of defiance. This is arguably beside the point. Even though the Trump administration continues to deny that it has refused to obey court orders, the reality is that it has already done so. Judge James Boasberg said in April that he’d concluded that probable cause existed to find the administration in contempt of court for removing certain Venezuelan immigrants. (An appeals court has temporarily stayed proceedings on the contempt charge.) In another instance, last month, the administration deported a Salvadoran man despite a court order forbidding it, then blamed “a confluence of administrative errors.” (These errors seem to be a consistent issue for this presidency!) The administration also insisted in a court filing that Abrego Garcia simply could not be returned as ordered, because the United States “does not have authority to forcibly extract an alien from the domestic custody of a foreign sovereign nation.” The DOJ proved that false not long afterward, when it brought Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. to face charges. In a bizarre move this week, the administration sued every federal judge in Maryland—an attempt to evade an order that bans the government from immediately deporting migrants who are challenging their removal. The fights with courts are ironic, because although Trump has fared poorly in lower courts, the Supreme Court has been willing to let him expand his powers once cases reach it. As Reuters reported earlier this month, the justices, using what’s known as the “shadow docket,” have repeatedly granted emergency requests to proceed, pending full consideration. This week, the Court temporarily lifted an order preventing the executive branch from quickly deporting migrants to countries to which they have no ties. The White House has been seeking to send people—including Laotian, Vietnamese, and Filipino nationals—to extremely perilous countries such as Libya and South Sudan. This would be callous and morally abhorrent under any circumstances, but given the notable cases of the Trump administration deporting people who are legally protected, including Abrego Garcia, it is especially terrifying. The desperation to sidestep court restrictions on deportations is evidence of the shortcomings of the White House’s plans. Trump aims to remove 1 million people this year, but as my colleague Nick Miroff reported yesterday, ICE statistics show that the agency has carried out only about 125,000 deportations since Trump took office, with roughly half the year gone. But as Reuveni’s story suggests, in this administration, to be honest is to risk being fired. Attacking the courts is much easier than admitting that the president’s signature promise is unrealistic. Related: The self-deportation psyop Trump’s legal strategy has a name.

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Trump's Hispanic revolution

Data: Pew Research Center. Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals President Trump won a higher percentage of the Latino vote in 2024 than previously believed and came within striking distance of capturing a historic majority of those voters, Axios' Russell Contreras writes from a new Pew analysis. Why it matters: A rapidly growing — and once-solidly Democratic — voting bloc has taken a big swing toward Republicans. The big picture: Pew's analysis of election data shows that Trump won 48% of Latino voters — a group that had soundly rejected him in 2020 and 2016 — and that they were a crucial factor in his victory. Kamala Harris won 51%. The new data shows that Trump rode back into office with a more ethnically and racially diverse coalition than previously known. ? By the numbers: Trump's showing among Latinos was the best performance by a GOP presidential candidate in modern times, according to an Axios review of past elections dating back to 1960. Joe Biden took 61% of the Latino vote compared to Trump's 36% in 2020, a 25-point advantage. Hillary Clinton received 66% of the Latino vote to Trump's 28%, a 38-point advantage. "This is no longer a wake-up call" for Democrats. "This is a damn get-your-act-together call," said Sisto Abeyta, a New Mexico-based Democratic political consultant of the Nevada-based firm Tri-Strategies. Abeyta said Democrats have been bleeding support from Hispanic men for some time by focusing on abortion and environmental issues instead of the economy. ? Zoom out: A larger share of Asian Americans and Black Americans voted for Trump compared to his two previous presidential runs, making up a larger portion of his winning 2024 coalition. White American voters made up 78% of Trump's coalition, a decline from 88% in 2016, according to Pew. Pew's study also punctures the notion among some Democrats that higher voter turnout would have enabled Harris to defeat Trump. The analysis suggests that higher turnout likely would have increased Trump's margin of victory. Full Pew election analysis.

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? Trump tries to oust U.Va. prez

Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios

The Justice Department has privately demanded that the University of Virginia boot President James Ryan to help resolve an investigation into the school's DEI policies, The N.Y. Times reports. It's the first time the Trump administration has pushed a university to remove its leader — and shows President Trump's "bid to shift the ideological tilt of the higher education system ... is more far-reaching than previously understood," The Times adds. A source familiar with the administration's position tells Axios' Marc Caputo: "UVA decided to rebrand DEI and negotiated in bad faith. The temperature has risen." University spokesperson Brian Coy told Axios: "UVA is committed to complying with all federal laws and has been cooperating with the Department of Justice in the ongoing inquiries. The federal government's support of the University is essential to continue the core mission of research, education and clinical care." Read the article (gift link).

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Trump threatens CNN

A lawyer representing President Trump has sent letters to CNN and The New York Times threatening legal action over their reporting on the US attack on Iran. Attorney Alejandro Brito alleged that the stories published on June 24 describing an early US intelligence assessment of the strikes were false and defamatory. Both media outlets rejected that claim. Trump has insisted that Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites were “completely and totally obliterated,” but the preliminary assessment from the Pentagon’s intelligence arm suggested the bombings did not destroy the core components of Iran’s nuclear program. Administration officials confirmed the existence of the intel and Trump said that anyone who leaked it to the press “should be prosecuted.” The president also described both media outlets as “fake news” and called for one of the three CNN reporters who broke the story to be fired. CNN replied: “We stand 100% behind Natasha Bertrand’s journalism and specifically her and her colleagues’ reporting” about the assessment. ps:If he can sue for them reporting, than maybe they should sue him for calling them "fake news!!!!!!!" A lot less fact news than you get from Fox News!!!!!!!!!!

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Trump administration targets Florida foster kids, migrant youth for deportations

MIAMI — Federal agents on the lookout for undocumented immigrants to deport paid a visit recently to the offices of a state-funded children’s shelter in the Florida Keys.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/06/27/trump-administration-targets-florida-foster-kids-migrant-youth-for-deportations-2/?

ps:What a jerk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trump says he is ending Canada trade talks amid tech tax dispute

Donald Trump has announced he is ending trade talks with Canada, one of its largest trading partners, accusing it of imposing unfair taxes on US technology companies in a “direct and blatant attack on our country”.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/27/trump-canada-tariffs-trade-tax?

Canada will rescind a digital services tax to restart US trade talks

Canada will rescind a digital services tax – a way of taxing online companies – its government said on Sunday, in a bid to restart trade negotiations with the United States.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/29/economy/canada-rescind-digital-tax-us-trade-talks?

Trump ends trade talks with Canada over digital services tax.

President Donald Trump said yesterday he is halting trade talks with Canada in response to a new tax on companies making more than $15M off Canadian internet users. The tax, for which first payments will be collected Monday, is estimated to cost US companies up to $3B. Trump said he would inform Canada of the tariff levels he plans to impose within seven days; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has not responded at the time of this writing. 

ps:Oh this guy is just incredible!!

 

University of Virginia president resigns under Trump administration pressure on DEI, AP source says

The president of the University of Virginia is resigning his position under pressure from the Justice Department, which had pushed for his departure amid scrutiny of the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices, a person familiar with the matter said Friday. Read More.

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Too sick to work, some Americans worry Trump’s bill will strip their health insurance

Stephanie Ivory counts on Medicaid to get treated for gastrointestinal conditions and a bulging disc that makes standing or sitting for long periods painful. Her disabilities keep her from working, she said.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/06/28/too-sick-to-work-some-americans-worry-trumps-bill-will-strip-their-health-insurance/?

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Unprecedented new precedents

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios

Through silence or vocal support, House and Senate Republicans are backing an extraordinary set of new precedents for presidential power they may come to regret if and when Democrats seize those same powers. Why it matters: New precedents are exhilarating when you're in power — and excruciating when you're not, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a "Behind the Curtain" column. ? Here are 10 new precedents, all established with minimal GOP dissent, being set by President Trump + Congress + courts: Presidents can limit the classified information they share with lawmakers after bombing a foreign country without the approval of Congress. Presidents can usurp Congress's power to levy tariffs, provided they declare a national emergency. Presidents can unilaterally freeze spending approved by Congress, and dismantle or fire the heads of independent agencies established by law. Presidents can take control of a state's National Guard, even if the governor opposes it, and occupy the state for as long as said president wants. Presidents can accept gifts from foreign nations, as large as a $200 million plane, even if it's unclear whether said president gets to keep the plane at the end of the term. Presidents can actively profit from their time in office, including creating new currencies structured to allow foreign nationals to invest anonymously, benefiting said president. Presidents can try to browbeat the Federal Reserve into cutting interest rates, including by floating replacements for the Fed chair before their term is up. Presidents can direct the Justice Department to prosecute their political opponents and punish critics. These punishments can include stripping Secret Service protections, suing them and threatening imprisonment. Presidents can punish media companies, law firms and universities that don't share their viewpoints or values. Presidents can aggressively pardon supporters, including those who made large political donations as part of their bid for freedom. The strength of the case in said pardons is irrelevant. Today's headlines. Wall Street Journal: "Justices Curb Power of Courts." ? Between the lines: Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling limiting nationwide injunctions — a decision widely celebrated by Republicans — underscores the risks of partisan precedent-setting. Conservatives sped to the courts to block many of President Biden's signature policies — and succeeded. But taking those broad injunctions off the table now means they'll also be unavailable the next time a Democratic president pushes an aggressive agenda. That future president will be able to keep implementing even legally shaky policies — just as Trump now can. ? What to watch: Trump previewed some of those policies at a celebratory press conference yesterday, saying the Supreme Court's ruling cleared the way for executive actions that had been "wrongly enjoined on a nationwide basis." They include ending birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented immigrants, terminating funding for "sanctuary cities," suspending refugee resettlement, and blocking the use of federal funds for gender-affirming care. Axios Zachary Basu contributed reporting. ps:All things that trump said Obama would do at the end of his time in office! I said at that time he's looking in a mirror while saying this!! Well here we are about 10+ years later and guess who's doing those thing now??

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Pardon applications are being carefully crafted with one man in mind: Donald Trump

ASHLAND, Ky. (AP) — Pounding away on a prison typewriter, Chad Scott seemed worlds apart from President Donald Trump.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/06/27/pardon-applications-are-being-carefully-crafted-with-one-man-in-mind-donald-trump/?

?️ Trump's late-night win

At 11:06 p.m. ET, after 3½ hours of Saturday night drama, Senate Republicans voted 51-49 to move forward with President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" — clearing a key hurdle, Axios' Stef Kight and Stephen Neukam report from the Capitol.

• The big picture: After days of heated debate and complaints, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is barreling forward to get Trump's priorities on taxes, the debt ceiling, border security and military funding passed by July 4.

What's next: Democrats are forcing the entire 940-page bill to be read on the floor, a process that could take well over 10 hours.

• Hours of debate, followed by a series of unlimited amendment votes, known as a vote-a-rama, will happen before final passage can take place.

The intrigue: Trump ramped up pressure on Republicans on Saturday morning. "[F]ailure to pass this bill would be the ultimate betrayal," the White House told lawmakers in a statement of administration policy.

• Senators have been receiving phone calls, lunching and golfing with the president this weekend.

Ultimately, all Republicans but Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) voted yes to move the bill along.

• Keep reading ... Go deeper: Trump goes scorched earth on Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

Via X

A few hours before senators started voting, Elon Musk trashed the 940-page "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" as "insane and destructive."

• Why it matters: Musk "had been relatively quiet since his blowup with the president this month," the N.Y. Times notes.

Go deeper: What's in the latest version ... Last night, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) announced on X that he'd withdraw his plan to sell millions of acres of federal land.

ps:Lets just threaten people so we can keep up our agenda to help the rich get richer!!!!!

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⚖️ Trump puts thumb on scale for Bibi

President Trump is pressuring Israel to halt Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial, dangling an implicit threat to suspend military assistance if the "witch hunt" continues.

• Why it matters: U.S. presidents have long treated aid to Israel as a sacrosanct, bipartisan commitment. Trump's unprecedented intervention appeared to tie the security of 10 million Israelis to the criminal prosecution of one man, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

?️ "It is terrible what they are doing in Israel to Bibi Netanyahu," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "He is a War Hero, and a Prime Minister who did a fabulous job working with the United States to bring Great Success in getting rid of the dangerous Nuclear threat in Iran."

• Trump claimed Netanyahu is "in the process of negotiating a Deal with Hamas, which will include getting the Hostages back," and questioned how Israel could force its leader "to sit in a Courtroom all day long, over NOTHING."

He then warned: "The United States of America spends Billions of Dollar [sic] a year, far more than on any other Nation, protecting and supporting Israel. We are not going to stand for this."

• The extraordinary statement was widely interpreted as an effort to leverage U.S. military assistance to pressure Israel to cancel the trial.

Reality check: The negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain stalled — in part because Netanyahu refuses to commit to ending the war in Gaza.

• Iran, meanwhile, has yet to indicate it's ready for direct talks with the U.S. It's unclear how Netanyahu's trial would meaningfully interfere with either track.

? Catch up quick: Netanyahu is standing trial for charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases.

• He's accused of accepting more than $200,000 in gifts from wealthy businessmen, and of granting regulatory benefits worth hundreds of millions of dollars to a telecom tycoon in exchange for favorable news coverage.
• The trial has stretched on for four years, in part due to Netanyahu's repeated legal delay tactics. The former head of Israel's Shin Bet has accused the prime minister of trying to use executive powers to stall the case.

?️ Behind the scenes: A White House official told Axios that Trump's first post on Wednesday — written aboard Air Force One — was prompted by a news article he read on his way back to Washington from the NATO summit in The Hague.

• "The president read in the article that Bibi has to be in court on Monday and thought it's crazy," the official said. "He identified with what Bibi is going through and decided to write something about it."

Keep reading.

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GOP Senator Thom Tillis Savages ‘Misinformed’ Trump for ‘Betraying’ Voters

Thom Tillis said the president is being advised by “amateurs.”

Donald Trump’s latest GOP opponent tore into the president’s spending bill in a fiery floor speech Sunday night, hours after announcing his decision not to seek re-election.

Senator Thom Tillis has previously slammed proposed changes to Medicaid in the bill as “devastating” for his home state of North Carolina. He was one of just two Senate Republicans to vote against advancing the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” on Saturday, drawing threats from Trump to back a primary challenger. But Tillis defused that threat on Sunday afternoon, announcing he won’t run next year, giving him, he said, the “pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit” for the rest of his term.

He seemed to embrace that freedom hours later, as senators debated late into the night over the defining bill of Trump’s domestic agenda.

“It is inescapable that this bill, in its current form, will betray the very promise that Donald J. Trump made” not to slash Medicaid, Tillis said in an emphatic address.

“I’m telling the president that you have been misinformed. You supporting the Senate mark will hurt people who are eligible and qualified for Medicaid,” he added, criticizing Trump’s White House advisers as “amateurs.”

The White House insists “there will be no cuts to Medicaid” from the bill, and Trump had repeatedly vowed not to touch the program. But critics say the proposed changes to Medicaid will amount to billions in backdoor cuts.

“What do I tell 663,000 people in two years or three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding is not there anymore?” Tillis asked.

Trump’s aides “are not telling him that the effect of this bill is to break a promise,” Tillis added.

Tillis presented research he said he had done with the help of three independent sources—one Republican group, one Democratic, and a nonpartisan hospital association.

“What I found is the best case scenario is about a $26 billion cut,” he said.

The senator, who has served in Congress for a decade, said he supports other reforms in the bill, but implored his colleagues not to rush through deliberations in order to meet the “artificial deadline” of July 4 imposed by Trump.

“We can take the time to get this right, if we lay down the House mark of the Medicaid bill and fix it,” he said.

Trump on Saturday lashed out at Tillis, warning that he was making a “BIG MISTAKE” and calling him “a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER!” He celebrated the news of his retirement on Sunday night, but has not yet reacted publicly to the senator’s speech.

Speaking to reporters after leaving the Senate floor, Tillis said: “I respect President Trump, I support the majority of his agenda, but I don’t bow to anybody when the people of North Carolina are at risk, and this puts them at risk.”

He also shared a clip on X of his 11-minute remarks, writing, “The facts matter. The people matter.”

Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, in his own speech shortly afterwards, thanked Tillis for his comments.

“He’s shown extraordinary courage. The question is whether others will join him. Whether four Republican senators will step up and say, ‘enough. I heard enough, I’ve seen enough, I believe this is wrong,’” the senator said.

“I hope that what Senator Tillis said on the floor will inspire members of his own caucus to listen carefully, to know that he speaks the truth, and has taken great political risk to say it,” he added.

Senator Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat, shared a clip of Tillis’ remarks on X and commented, “this is a f---ing barn burner tbh.”

Following hours of debate, voting on amendments is expected to start on Monday morning. If passed by the Senate, the legislation would need final approval from the House before heading to Trump’s desk.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/departing-gop-senator-thom-tillis-goes-gloves-off-on-trumps-bill/?

ps:They actually still have Republicans that stand up for the truth!!

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Polls for Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Are ‘Terrible, Terrible, Terrible’

Numbers wizard Harry Enten says the American people think the president’s spending proposals are “awful,” “horrible,” and “terrible, terrible, terrible.”

CNN has broken down a slew of new polls on how the American people view President Donald Trump’s federal spending proposals and it’s not looking good for the White House.

“If we’re talking about adjectives, how about they think it’s ‘awful’, ‘horrible’ and, to quote our colleague Charles Barkley, ‘terrible, terrible, terrible’,” network data guru Harry Enten said Monday.

He then pulled up a screen showing the results of surveys on Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ from the Washington Post, Pew Research Centre, Fox News, Quinnipiac University and the Kaiser Family Foundation, showing disastrous net approval ratings of -19, -20, -21, -26, and -29 percent respectively.

Network numbers wizard Harry Enten says five polls show the net approval rating for Trump's spending proposals sits somewhere between -19 and -29 points. CNN /CNN

“You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to know that when the net favourable rating of your bill is somewhere between -19 and -29 points, that is not a positive bill as viewed by the American public,” Enten said.

Putting a finer point on it, the numbers wizard added: “The American public, at this particular point, hates, hates, HATES the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’.”

Enten added that public disapproval appear to have remained pretty much constant since the start of the month. CNN

Host Omar Jimenez quipped that he “always appreciates it when you hold back, Harry,” to which the data guru responded: “I know, I try.”

Enten went on to explain Trump’s dismal approval ratings on spending hadn’t emerged overnight either, with Quinnipiac University’s disastrous numbers holding at exactly the same level since the start of June.

“It’s the same, minus 26 points! The more they learn about this bill, they hate it just as much!” he said, adding that after extensive research, the “bottom line” is that he hasn’t been able to find records of any piece of U.S. legislation the American people appeared to despise quite as much.

“This one is in the history books, and for all of the wrong reasons,” Enten said.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/cnn-data-guru-harry-enten-reveals-unprecedented-hatred-for-president-donald-trumps-big-beautiful-bill/?

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Trump Warns Dem NYC Mayoral Candidate: Behave or Face Consequences

The president issued a warning to Zohran Mamdani on Sunday.

President Donald Trump issued an ominous warning to the democratic socialist who has emerged as one of the top contenders in the race to become New York City mayor.

Trump, a Queens native, went on a fresh rant against Zohran Mamdani on Sunday on the heels of the 33-year-old’s stunning win in the recently concluded Democratic mayoral primary.

“He’s a communist. I think it’s very bad for New York,” Trump told Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo. “But let’s say this: If he does get in, I’m going to be president, and he’s going to have to do the right thing, or they’re not getting any money.”

Mamdani pulled off a shocking upset against disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the closely watched primary last week. Mamdani ran on a platform of making New York City affordable for the working class, which won him 43.5 percent of the votes against Cuomo’s 36.4 percent.

Trump railed against the fast-rising Democratic star in a Truth Social post after polls closed.

“It’s finally happened, the Democrats have crossed the line,” he wrote. “We’ve had Radical Lefties before, but this is getting a little ridiculous. He looks TERRIBLE, his voice is grating, he’s not very smart… Yes, this is a big moment in the History of our Country!”

The president doubled down on those insults in his interview with Fox News, branding Mamdani a “radical left lunatic” — his moniker of choice for many of his perceived political enemies.

Mamdani pushed back in a separate Sunday interview on NBC’s Meet the Press, denying that he was a communist.

“I have already started to get used to the fact that the president will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I’m from, who I am—ultimately, because he wants to distract from what I’m fighting for,” he shot back.

“When we talk about my politics, I call myself a democratic socialist, in many ways, inspired by the words of Dr. King from decades ago, who said: ‘Call it democracy, or call it democratic socialism. There has to be a better distribution of wealth for all of God’s children in this country,’” Mamdani added.

Asked who he would support for New York City mayor, Trump kept it vague.

“I don’t want to say that because I have a lot of people, a lot of friends,” he said. “I don’t want to get into that. I can tell you this: Whoever’s mayor of New York is going to have to behave themselves, or the federal government is coming down very tough on them financially.”

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-warns-dem-nyc-mayoral-candidate-behave-or-face-consequences/?

ps:Is he going to threaten him with deportation?

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Netanyahu Snubs Trump’s Ceasefire Plea With Massive Gaza Bombardment

Hours after Trump called for a “DEAL” in Gaza, Israel intensified its bombing of the decimated Palestinian territory.

Israel amped up its bombing campaign against Gaza just hours after President Donald Trump urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire agreement.

The latest bombardment against the occupied Palestinian territory represents one of the worst nights of strikes in several weeks, and was followed Monday morning by new evacuation orders from the Israeli military for a number of areas in the north of the strip, raising the spectre of further ground assaults.

Only on Saturday, Trump had posted to his Truth Social platform calling on the Israelis to “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA” and “GET THE HOSTAGES BACK” after more than 20 months of near-constant conflict in the territory, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

His comments came ahead of Monday’s scheduled White House visit by Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and other officials to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as a stay of hostilities with Iran and other prospective diplomatic deals across the region.

The overnight strikes reportedly killed at least 25 people, including 10 fatalities in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City, where Israeli tanks are understood to have rolled in as aircrafts bombed at least four school buildings.

“Explosions never stopped; they bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes,” one Gaza City resident told Irish broadcaster RTE. “In the news we hear a ceasefire is near, on the ground we see death and we hear explosions.

Earlier on Friday, Israel’s military said its ground operations in the occupied territory were close to achieving their goals, with Netanyahu adding Sunday that progress had presented new openings for retrieving the estimated 20 hostages believed to still be alive after the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel carried out by Hamas.

Israel’s defiant continuation of its campaign against Gaza represents an embarrassing turn for Trump, who in the aftermath of joint strikes against Iran published a gushing Truth Social post only last week decrying corruption charges against Netanyahu as a “ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War Time Prime Minister.”

“Bibi and I just went through HELL together, fighting a very tough and brilliant longtime enemy of Israel, Iran, and Bibi could not have been better, sharper, or stronger in his LOVE for the incredible Holy Land,” the president said.

Only days before calling for hostilities to end, Trump praised Netanyahu's leadership. Truth Social

“Anybody else would have suffered losses, embarrassment, and chaos! Bibi Netanyahu is a WARRIOR, like perhaps no other Warrior in the History of Israel,” he added.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-snubs-president-donald-trumps-ceasefire-plea-with-massive-bombardment/?

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Trump Celebrates Civil War Win by Threatening Entire GOP

The president issued a brazen reminder to any who dare to defy him.

Donald Trump is once again reminding Republicans where disloyalty gets you.

The president celebrated on Sunday night shortly after GOP Senator Thom Tillis announced he would not seek re-election next year. A day earlier, the North Carolina Republican had voted against advancing Trump’s signature spending package—the so-called “big, beautiful bill”—incurring the president’s wrath. Trump quickly slammed Tillis in Truth Social posts and threatened to back a primary challenger.

“Great News! “Senator” Thom Tillis will not be seeking reelection," Trump wrote on Truth Social after Tillis bowed out.

In a follow-up post, Trump suggested that Republicans who oppose his legislative priorities could pay a political price.

“For all cost cutting Republicans, of which I am one, REMEMBER, you still have to get reelected,” he wrote.

Tillis, 64, responded on X with some politely delivered snark.

“Thanks for the retirement wishes, Mr. President, looking forward to working with you for a successful 2026,” he wrote.

“Word to the wise, let’s avoid minisoldr,” he added, sharing a September 2024 article about Trump’s support for then-North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson.

Robinson, the GOP nominee for governor, lost the race after a scandal involving comments he allegedly posted on a porn forum under the screen name “minisoldr.”

In Tillis’ earlier announcement, he said it had become “increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species.”

He said he was not eager to spend another six years “navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington,” and would prefer to spend more time with family.

He intends to continue serving North Carolina for the next 18 months “without the distraction of raising money or campaigning,” and with the “pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit,” he said.

Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law, is among the names being floated as a contender to replace him, a source close to the Trump family told NBC News.

Tillis is not the first GOP lawmaker Trump has threatened to primary in recent weeks. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky is being targeted by a new pro-Trump super PAC that seeks to unseat him next year, after he voted against the bill in the House and criticized Trump’s strikes on Iran.

The version of the spending bill that the Senate moved forward with on Saturday would add nearly $3.3 trillion to the national debt over a decade, according to an estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. That’s nearly $1 trillion more than the earlier iteration passed by the House.

The package includes sweeping tax cuts, increased spending on defense and anti-immigration initiatives, and rollbacks to social programs like Medicaid.

The CBO analysis also found that close to 12 million Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill was passed.

Tillis had said the Senate version of the bill “contains significant changes to Medicaid that would be devastating to North Carolina, and I cannot support it.”

He was one of two Senate Republicans to join Democrats in opposing the bill in a 51–49 procedural vote to advance it. The bill now proceeds to full Senate debate, with Republicans aiming to send it to Trump’s desk by July 4 following final House approval.

In a Sunday evening post, Trump encouraged Senate Republicans to overrule the chamber’s parliamentarian—a nonpartisan official who interprets Senate rules—in order to pass key components of his bill.

Democrat Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, slammed the legislation as debate began on Sunday.

“Republicans are about to pass the single most expensive bill in U.S. history, to give tax breaks to billionaires while taking away Medicaid, SNAP benefits and good paying jobs for millions of people,” Schumer said.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-celebrates-civil-war-win-with-brutal-message-to-gop/?

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Second Intelligence Leak Obliterates Trump’s Iran Claim

Iranian officials expected a U.S. strike to do more damage than it did, according to intercepted audio.

A second intelligence leak has undermined President Donald Trump’s claim that the Iranian nuclear program has been “totally obliterated.”

Intercepted audio captured Iranian officials describing damage at three nuclear sites as “less devastating than expected” despite 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles being used, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

The audio marks the second time this week that leaked intelligence contradicts Trump’s claims that Iran’s nuclear program was “blown up to kingdom come.” Trump, 79, repeated similar lines as recently as Sunday morning in an interview on Fox News.

U.S. intelligence paints a different picture.

“The communication, intended to be private, included Iranian government officials speculating as to why the strikes directed by President Donald Trump were not as destructive and extensive as they anticipated,” the Post reported, citing four people familiar with the classified intelligence.

The White House did not deny the existence of the intercepted audio. Instead, it attacked the Post for publishing details about the recording, which it said were taken out of context.

“It’s shameful that the Washington Post is helping people commit felonies by publishing out-of-context leaks,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Post. “The notion that unnamed Iranian officials know what happened under hundreds of feet of rubble is nonsense. Their nuclear weapons program is over.”

A senior U.S. intelligence official also slammed the Post’s report, telling the paper that “one slice of signals intelligence on its own does not reflect the full intelligence picture.”

The report did not specify what the Iranian officials expected the damage to be.

Trump has attacked Democrats and the media for casting doubt on the efficacy of last weekend’s attack. He was peeved with an intelligence leak from the Pentagon that claimed the bombing set Iran’s nuclear program back months, not years. He has also shut down reports that say Iran evacuated much of its enriched uranium before B-2 bombers released their payloads, calling them untrue.

“I don’t think they did, no,” Trump said Sunday about Iran moving uranium ahead of the attack. “It’s very hard to do; it’s very dangerous to do … they didn’t know we were coming until just then.”

Experts disagree with Trump’s repeated claim that transporting uranium is particularly difficult.

Joseph Cirincione, a nuclear nonproliferation expert and former vice chair of the Center for International Policy, told CNN last week that Iran could have moved its enriched uranium with just “three or four trucks.”

United Nations inspectors also believe Iran was likely able to move uranium. The head of its nuclear watchdog told CBS News this weekend that it expects Tehran will be able to restart enriching uranium again “in a matter of months.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/second-intelligence-leak-obliterates-trumps-iran-claim/?

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Senate Republicans in a sprint on Trump's big bill after weekend of setbacks After a weekend of setbacks, the Senate will try to sprint ahead Monday on President Donald Trump's 940-page bill of tax breaks and spending cuts despite a series of challenges, including the sudden announcement from one Republican senator that he won't run for reelection after opposing the package over its Medicaid health care cuts. Read more.

Why this matters: An all-night session to consider an endless stream of proposed amendments to the package, in what's called vote-a-rama, was abruptly postponed, and is now scheduled to launch as soon as the Senate gavels open.   Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the “hardest choices” for Republicans are still to come. Democrats plan to bring “amendment after amendment after amendment to the floor, so Republicans can defend their billionaire tax cuts and so they can try to explain their massive cuts to Medicaid to people back home.”   The Senate bill includes some $4 trillion in tax cuts, making permanent Trump's 2017 rates, which would expire at the end of the year if Congress fails to act, while adding the new ones he campaigned on, including no taxes on tips. A new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ What’s in the latest version of Trump’s big bill now before the Senate   Republican Senate tax bill would add $3.3 trillion to the US debt load, CBO says   Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina won’t run in 2026 after opposing Trump’s bill   Centrist Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska won’t seek reelection   James Walkinshaw wins Democratic contest to likely replace US Rep. Connolly in northern Virginia   Supreme Court preserves key part of Obamacare coverage requirements   What’s next for birthright citizenship after the Supreme Court’s ruling   Supreme Court OKs fee that subsidizes phone, internet services in schools, libraries and rural areas   Supreme Court upholds Texas law aimed at blocking kids from seeing pornography online   Supreme Court says Maryland parents can pull their kids from public school lessons using LGBTQ books   Chief Justice Roberts warns against heated political words about judges   Senate rejects effort to restrain Trump on Iran as the Republican party backs his strikes on nuclear sites   Democrats wrestle with how to conduct oversight as Trump officials crack down   The government cuts key data used in hurricane forecasting, and experts sound an alarm   Judge rejects another Trump executive order targeting the legal community   Appeals court puts peace institute back in Trump administration hands with stay of lower court   After decades in the US, Iranians arrested in Trump’s deportation drive   Star witness against Kilmar Abrego Garcia won’t be deported, court records show

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Canadian Prime Minister Carney says trade talks with US resume after Canada rescinds tech tax Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said late Sunday trade talks with U.S. have resumed after Canada rescinded its plan to tax U.S. technology firms.  The Canadian government said  “in anticipation” of a trade deal “Canada would rescind” the Digital Serves Tax. The tax was set to go into effect Monday. Read more.

Why this matters: U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he was suspending trade talks with Canada over its plans to continue with its tax on technology firms, which he called “a direct and blatant attack on our country.”   The digital services tax was due to hit companies including Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber and Airbnb with a 3% levy on revenue from Canadian users. It would have applied retroactively, leaving U.S. companies with $2 billion U.S. due at the end of the month.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US, China announce a trade agreement — again. Here’s what it means   Big banks all pass the Federal Reserve’s stress tests, but the tests were less vigorous this year   Trump Management 101: World leaders adapt to his erratic diplomacy with flattery and patience

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Trump administration finds Harvard failed to protect Jewish students, threatens to cut all funding

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday intensified its battle with Harvard University, formally finding the school tolerated antisemitism — a step that could jeopardize all of Harvard’s federal funding, including federal student aid.

https://apnews.com/article/harvard-funding-trump-investigation-students-bca55ab4ec2d344dc6e01caa2af492d8?

Trump administration sues Los Angeles, claiming the city refuses to cooperate on immigration

President Donald Trump’s administration filed suit Monday against Los Angeles, claiming the city is obstructing the enforcement of immigration laws and creating a lawless environment with its sanctuary policies that bar local police from sharing information on people without legal status. Read More.

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? Bipartisan rebuke

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios

Former Presidents Obama and George W. Bush criticized Trump's dismantling of USAID in videotaped statements as the agency shuts down, AP reports. Bush — the only other Republican president of the past 25 years — homed in on Trump's cuts to PEPFAR, his signature program for HIV and AIDS. "Is it in our national interests that 25 million people who would have died now live? I think it is," Bush said. ? Obama called the end of USAID "inexplicable" and "a colossal mistake."

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Trump's clean-energy grenade

Illustration: Brendan Lynch

Republicans in Congress are on the verge of knee-capping America's renewable energy boom, prompting urgent 11th-hour warnings from climate analysts, China hawks and industry titans like Elon Musk, Axios' Ben Geman and Zachary Basu write. Why it matters: Critics say President Trump's megabill amounts to an abject surrender in the battle for the future of energy. The consequences for U.S. jobs, electricity prices and the AI arms race could reverberate for decades. The "big, beautiful bill," which would gut key Biden-era clean energy subsidies and potentially impose new taxes on solar and wind projects, could reach Trump's desk as soon as this week. "A massive strategic error is being made right now to damage solar/battery that will leave America extremely vulnerable in the future," Musk tweeted Sunday, after the Senate unveiled new changes to the bill. ? Threat level: Jason Bordoff, who leads Columbia University's energy think tank, said the bill could hinder the U.S. in the AI race with China. "Winning that race is going to require that we increase electricity generation capacity in the U.S. really fast — and by a lot," he told Axios. That soaring demand is creating tailwinds for natural gas and nuclear, but even those "great" sources can't ramp up fast enough to meet the urgent near-term needs of data centers and AI infrastructure, Bordoff said. Via X The big picture: Trump has made "unleashing American energy" a pillar of his second-term agenda, casting it as central to both fighting inflation and powering the AI revolution's insatiable power demands. But his signature bill threatens to undercut that mission by targeting renewable energy sectors capable of delivering fast, scalable and affordable power. Friction point: Several GOP senators led by Sen. Joni Ernst and Lisa Murkowski are negotiating to soften the bill slightly, especially by stripping out new taxes on wind and solar projects. But their amendment has not yet received a vote. ? What to watch: Critics and clean-energy analysts warn the policies in the GOP bill could ripple across industries, supply chains and geopolitical fault lines. Growth in solar, wind, electric vehicle sales, and clean tech manufacturing will likely decelerate, as investment stalls and incentives disappear. Tech companies will face fresh challenges meeting AI's voracious energy needs, especially as supply chains for gas-fired turbines remain backlogged into the 2030s. Power prices may rise, with new projects delayed just as U.S. electricity demand climbs for the first time in 15 years. Wind, solar and batteries make up roughly 95% of the projects proposed to connect to the grid. China could widen its lead in low-carbon energy sectors that are becoming increasingly central to global power and competitiveness, even as the U.S. retreats on climate change. Daniel Moore and Katie Fehrenbacher contributed reporting.