June 30, 2026

• Supreme Court rules Trump can fire leaders of independent agencies — ending 91 years of precedent — In Trump v. Slaughter, a 6-3 majority overturned Humphrey’s Executor (1935), which had shielded multi-member independent agency heads from at-will presidential removal. The case arose from Trump’s 2025 firing of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter via email. About 24 agencies share the FTC’s structure — including the FCC, FEC, NLRB, CPSC, and CFTC — all now exposed to politicized removal. Dissent by Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson: “The Court gives the President a power unknown even to the English Crown.”

June 29, 2026

• Trump sons cash in on $1.6 billion federal mining deal — Up to $1.6B in US federal financing approved before the deal was even signed. Trump/Lutnick families tied to at least 14 companies receiving over $8.9B in federal support since January 2025 — pattern, not single transaction.

• Beware the Purging of General Donahue — NYT opinion: Iran war damage Iran inflicted on US is greater than US inflicted on Iran by certain metrics; Hegseth flu-vaccine optional policy already led to 275 cases at Lackland AFB. Pattern: ideology over military readiness.

• Kaine says Hegseth ‘grudge’ against Army looks ‘personal’ — Sen. Tim Kaine on Face the Nation: Hegseth “served in the Army, he felt like he wasn’t treated well… that’s a grudge he’s carried that he’s described publicly.” Concrete charge that personal animus, not strategy, drove the Donahue ouster.

June 28, 2026

• U.S. and Iran each announce retaliatory strikes in Iran, Kuwait and Bahrain — Bidirectional tit-for-tat now operational fact, not risk. NPR notes Trump tied US strikes specifically to the Ever Lovely drone attack, but the response keeps widening. The Iran-US “memorandum of understanding” survives mostly on paper.

June 27, 2026

• US strikes Iran in response to drone attack on a ship — Trump publicly called the Ever Lovely strike a “foolish violation” of the April 8 ceasefire; the US response is the first publicly acknowledged US-on-Iran military action since that ceasefire took effect on Day 41 of the war.

• Federal judge in Boston halts Trump’s election executive order seeking to create a federal voter list — U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s 37-page ruling blocks the order’s federal voter list provision, the USPS/SSA citizenship verification mandate, and limits on who can receive a mail ballot. Plaintiffs argued (and judge agreed) that Congress and the states — not the president — set election rules.

• Todd Blanche “conceded” violating law on Epstein files, judge finds — Federal judge in DC ruled in Phang v. DOJ that Blanche essentially admitted DOJ violated Phang’s right to records under FOIA in the Epstein files litigation. Blanche’s confirmation hearing for permanent AG is set for next month.

• Texas anti-ICE protesters convicted of terrorism charges sentenced to at least 50 years in prison — Nine activists sentenced after July 4, 2024 Prairieland Detention Center protest. Vandalism (smashed cameras, slashed van tires) charged as terrorism. Sentences track the Texas pattern of treating protest of ICE facilities as terrorism while Jan 6 pardonees walk free.

June 26, 2026

• Supreme Court Expands Trump’s Power Over Immigration With TPS and Border Decisions — Same conservative bloc that has been ratifying Trump immigration moves on the shadow docket since 2025. The administration spiked the football: a White House official told NYT “this is a victory 10 years in the making.”

• Trump refuses to sign bipartisan housing affordability bill until SAVE Act passes Congress — Same hostage tactic used during the spring DHS shutdown. With four months to midterms and affordability the top voter concern, Trump is publicly blocking the one bipartisan economic bill of his second term to leverage a voter-suppression package.

• “Stupid, Costly, and Deadly”: Trump Admin Spent $11B Paying Federal Workers Not to Work — Public Citizen report released this week pegs the deferred-resignation program at $11B and “likely much more.” Workers were paid to stay home on the clock during the buyout — a policy Musk/DOGE pitched as cost-saving but actually obligated taxpayers to fund administrative leave en masse.

June 25, 2026

• Senate blocks second Iran war powers resolution 50-47 — Cassidy and Murkowski flip after Trump pressure — Procedural motion to advance a separate Kaine-led resolution failed late Wednesday after Trump’s closed-door lunch with Senate Republicans Tuesday. Cassidy and Murkowski had voted for Tuesday’s successful resolution; both flipped to block the follow-up. The Tuesday rebuke still stands — Wednesday’s vote killed a parallel measure before it could come to the floor.

• Senate “walks back” Iran rebuke — Trump frustration after Tuesday’s loss prompted retaliation — Trump vented at GOP senators who voted yes on Tuesday and at those who missed the vote entirely. He argued Congress undermined his negotiating position with Iran. Senate Republicans got the message: a parallel resolution that would have passed Tuesday was killed Wednesday on a strict-party procedural vote.

• Trump falsely claims on Truth Social that “Senate changed its vote on Iran” — Tuesday’s war powers resolution still stands; Wednesday’s was a procedural block of a second resolution. NYT explicitly fact-checked the claim. Trump posted that the new vote “puts Iran on notice.” It does not; it puts other resolutions on the same topic on notice that they will be procedurally killed.

• ICE surveillance-tech budget hits record $513M in 2026 — 65% jump in one year — Mijente/Just Futures Law report released this week. Money awarded to surveillance contractors doubled 2024-to-2025 ($310M), then jumped again to $513M in 2026. Tools include drone surveillance, license-plate readers, facial recognition, social-media monitoring, biometric apps. Detentions, surveillance footprint, and contractor profits all moving together.

• New wave of ICE deployments could impact 40+ states — DHS public framing: cities that refuse cooperation will see “more visible presence” from ICE. Privately, the deployments are routed through “operational security” — meaning no public accountability for who, where, or how many.

• ODNI begins mass firings under new Trump appointee Bill Pulte — Office of the Director of National Intelligence had already undergone “substantial downsizing” in 2025. Pulte’s appointment to DNI (acting then permanent) had been bitterly contested in the Senate; he’s now executing what Democrats called a “loyalty purge” of the intelligence community.

• PBS NewsHour June 24 episode: Trump cancels signing of housing affordability bill amid Republican feud — Trump abruptly cancels signing ceremony for landmark bipartisan housing bill after Senate Republicans defied him on Iran. Bill-as-hostage tactic — same playbook used during the spring DHS shutdown over SAVE Act. Housing affordability now collateral damage in the Iran war powers fight.

June 24, 2026

• Senate passes Iran war powers resolution 50-48 — first time a chamber has cleared a war powers measure against a sitting president — Concurrent resolution, so it does not go to Trump’s desk and does not become law. Symbolic but historic — both chambers have now passed companion measures. Bipartisan majority on the Senate floor included multiple Republicans defying Trump while the administration is negotiating a peace deal it wants Congress to fund. The vote is the 10th time the Senate has voted on a war powers resolution since Trump launched the war on his own in February.

• Trump calls Senate rebuke “meaningless” — admin argues 1973 War Powers Act is “unconstitutional” — White House line: ceasefire that took effect April 8 “effectively ended” the war, so the resolution is moot. Admin says it only complies with the War Powers Act “to maintain good relations with the legislative branch.” Trump is publicly daring the Senate to do anything about it.

• Trump: “I will do what I have to do” if Iran doesn’t honor deal — Fox News interview — Threat-laden framing while IMO evacuation rolls out and Senate votes to halt the war. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper welcomed the IMO move. Strait still functionally not normal — Iran’s parliament speaker Ghalibaf said Tuesday Iran “manages” passage under international law.

June 23, 2026

• Pentagon’s $80B request lands on top of $1.5 trillion DoD budget already requested for FY27 (~50% jump) — Congress never authorized the Iran war. Lawmakers from both parties are now being asked to retroactively fund it while Trump’s own MOU with Iran has not been disclosed in detail. CBS frames the political moment as “fraught” — high inflation, midterms five months out.

• Trump claims Strait of Hormuz is “totally open,” “we have an oil gusher” — Said at an Oval Office signing Monday. IMO data shows ~40 commercial ships transited during the ceasefire window; Iran’s own negotiator says Iran still controls passage and oil tanker data has been disputed for two weeks. Pricing reflects market disbelief — Brent still elevated.

• Federal judge quashes Trump DOJ subpoenas of Walz, Ellison, Frey — calls them “blatantly unlawful and unethical” use of grand jury — Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz (a George W. Bush appointee) unsealed the order Monday. DOJ had issued the subpoenas in January during Operation Metro Surge — the federal enforcement push during which ICE agents killed US citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti. Schiltz: subpoenas were used “to harass political opponents or to coerce them into taking official action.” Also ruled the subpoenas violate the 10th Amendment.

• Wikipedia: deportations of US citizens in second Trump administration now have a standing reference entry — As of October 2025, the US government was not tracking how many citizens it had detained or removed. The encyclopedia entry was updated 16 hours ago. Documented cases include the Denver-born US citizen Brian Morales deported to Mexico after a traffic stop in April.

June 22, 2026

• Trump on Fox News: US might “take over” the strait and “collect tolls” if no deal with Iran — Same framing as Graham, in Trump’s own words. CNN notes Trump simultaneously said on Truth Social there’d be “NO TOLLS” during the 60-day ceasefire “unless they are imposed by and for the United States of America” — leaving the door open to US-imposed tolls.

• ICE detention death rate more than doubles under Trump — Reuters analysis — One death per 1,630 detainees as of early June 2026, vs one per 3,848 across 2009-2024 (Vera Institute data via Reuters). Reuters: admin reports contain “less detail” than predecessors, often omitting medical history, medications, emergency response.

• ICE plans to offload two warehouse “mega-detention” properties in PA and NJ — Three warehouses purchased for $90M+ total — earlier this year ICE Director Todd Lyons compared the expansion to “Amazon Prime, but with human beings.” Now being unloaded. Bipartisan local resistance and operational problems cited in the offloading decision.

• Trump claims algae-plagued Reflecting Pool needs to be drained — blames “vandals” without evidence — Trump announced June 6 that $14.7M renovation was complete. Three weeks later, algae bloom. No evidence offered of vandalism; Interior, Park Police, US Attorney’s office all declined comment to Reuters. AP fact-check led with the “without offering substantiation” framing.

June 21, 2026

• Trump’s quote on his own move: “Pulte would be gone before the Dumocrats would vote on FISA” — Section 702 expired June 12 after two short-term patches failed. Trump openly using the DNI seat as leverage on unrelated voting-rights legislation. Intelligence community now has a housing-finance lobbyist running it with no Senate confirmation and an active resolution against him.

• Trump threatens to charge US tolls on Strait of Hormuz if Iran deal not finalized in 60 days — Truth Social post said proceeds would be for “services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East.” Trump’s own MOU explicitly bans tolls during the 60-day window, which he acknowledged in the same post.

• Iran claims it has re-closed the Strait of Hormuz over Israeli strikes in Lebanon — IRGC warned vessels their “security could be at risk.” Iran ties the closure directly to Israel’s Nabatieh strikes — Lebanon ceasefire was a precondition of the broader deal per Pakistani mediators.

• CENTCOM contradicts Iran, says strait remains open and traffic flowing — Capt. Tim Hawkins: “Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz.” US forces “monitoring.” Public contradiction between Tehran and Washington on Day 4 of the deal — Trump’s threat to monetize the strait is the new mediation point.

June 20, 2026

• Trump on Truth Social: “They are FINISHED! We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not ten cents!” — Contradicts the deal’s own terms, which include $300B reconstruction fund, sanctions waivers, and unfreezing tens of billions in assets. Republican allies in Congress openly questioning whether Trump conceded too much.

• US-Iran Switzerland talks called off after Israel-Hezbollah deadly exchange — Vance’s staff were on the tarmac when the trip got pulled. Wednesday’s MoU explicitly required “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon” — a clause Israel says doesn’t bind it since it’s not party to the deal.

• Trump unveils $400M Qatari-gifted 747 as new Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews — Designated VC-25B. The unsolicited-gifts cap for federal officials is $50/year from a single source; the Qatar jet exceeds that by a factor of 8 million. Red/white/dark blue/gold livery. Will serve as interim while Boeing’s delayed replacement is completed.

• Trump admin shifted $352M Secret Service funds to White House ballroom — Trump repeatedly promised the ballroom would be privately financed. Funds were appropriated for Secret Service protection. Disclosed through internal Treasury reporting, not announced. (Covered yesterday — including for context as it expands.)

• DOJ opens civil rights investigation into Major League Baseball over Pride Night hats — Three Giants players wrote Bible verses on hats during Pride Night; MLB criticized the move; DOJ now alleges religious discrimination. Federal civil rights authority deployed to shield ballplayers from a press release.

• Trump enthusiastically agrees with golfing buddy comparing him favorably to Hitler, Stalin, Mao — Man told Trump the “overwhelming difference” between him and Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler is that Trump is more powerful. Trump’s response: “Sounds good to me!” Said in front of cameras.

• Meloni: Trump “totally invented” story that she begged him for a G7 photo — Italian PM publicly contradicts Trump on the record. Meloni had previously called Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV “unacceptable” earlier this spring.

June 19, 2026

• US-Iran nuclear talks in Switzerland postponed; Vance cancels Bürgenstock trip — The Friday signing ceremony at the Swiss resort was scrubbed, with the White House blaming “logistical hurdles” while Switzerland’s foreign ministry said negotiations are on hold. Reuters reports preparations were already “far advanced” before Vance pulled the plug. No new date set.

• US Navy lifts blockade of Iranian ports — Pakistan’s mediators say the MoU also requires Trump admin to issue sanction waivers immediately for Iranian oil sales. Hawkish Senate Republicans publicly attacking the framework.

• Deal includes $300B reconstruction fund for Iran from “regional partners” — Sanctions waivers to let Iran sell oil immediately. Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and missile capability remain intact — neither stated US/Israel war objective achieved per Reuters analysis.

• Trump admin redirects $352M Secret Service funds to White House ballroom project — Trump repeatedly promised the ballroom would be “privately financed.” Admin justifies via “security upgrades” tied to recent threats including an alleged plot against Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn.

• DOJ indicts 15 Minneapolis anti-ICE organizers on federal felony conspiracy charges — Tied to monitoring/allegedly impeding ICE during Operation Metro Surge. Attorney for defendants tells CBS Minnesota she believes feds used an informant. Will Bunch (Inquirer) calls it explicit “shut you up” prosecution to chill protest as midterms approach.

June 18, 2026

• Read: The full text of the U.S.-Iran deal memorandum of understanding — 14 points. Headline terms: Strait of Hormuz reopens, US naval blockade lifts, oil-export restrictions temporarily lifted, $300B Iran reconstruction fund (conditional on a final nuclear deal), 60-day window to negotiate the nuclear annex. What’s NOT in the text: ballistic missiles, support for proxies/militias, Hezbollah, Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping. Trump told reporters Wednesday “missiles aren’t the problem” — a direct reversal of every Iran-deal redline he’s set since the first term.

• Trump administration removed dozens of national park exhibits that ‘disparage’ US (Reuters) — Court-ordered inventory disclosed Wednesday: 51 exhibits pulled from 37 NPS sites under Trump’s “inappropriately disparage Americans past or living” EO. Federal judge last week ordered them reinstalled by July 3 — pace of compliance unknown. NPS is litigating the EO’s First Amendment problems on multiple fronts.

• Six House Democrats denied access to detainees at Delaney Hall (POLITICO) — Six members of Congress conducting an 8 USC 1357(a)(1) oversight visit to the NJ ICE facility were turned away from interviewing detainees Wednesday. Statutory authority of members to inspect immigration facilities is well-established; refusing access is a violation Democrats are documenting for the next NDAA/DHS funding cycle.

June 16, 2026

• Trump strips job protections from 8,000 federal workers (NPR) — June 3 executive order officially moved ~8,000 high-ranking civil servants into Schedule Policy/Career — the rebranded Schedule F. These are GS-14 and GS-15 policy-influencing roles across agencies. Now fireable for any reason. OPM had estimated up to 50,000 total reclassifications when it finalized the rule in February; this is the first formal batch.

June 15, 2026

• Trump marks 80th birthday with UFC Freedom 250 spectacle on White House South Lawn (USA Today via MSN) — Seven-fight card. UFC’s parent company tells reporters it expects to lose money — costs ballooned past the initial $60M estimate. White House says no taxpayer dollars beyond “normal employee duties,” but Mehta court filings from Friday’s dismissed lawsuit acknowledged “significant government resources and manpower” deployed. Trump reportedly bought UFC parent company stock this spring while promoting the event; spokesperson says assets are in a trust managed by his children.

June 14, 2026

• U.S. deports migrants from Afghanistan, Iran, other countries to violence-torn CAR (CBS) — Continues the South Sudan / Eswatini / Rwanda pattern: send people with home-country protection claims to a third country with no legal connection. CAR’s compensation for accepting the flight has not been disclosed. Operation taking place while US bombs Iran and the State Department officially recognizes Iranian dissidents as persecuted.

• Trump’s UFC fight turns White House into a cage match — Dana White personally curated the card; UFC’s regulatory regime nominally requires sanctioning bodies, but DC’s sports-commission status for a federal-land event remains unaddressed. No public information on fighter pay or how the event squares with anti-deficiency rules for use of government property; the lawsuit (Mehta, D.D.C.) was dismissed on standing Friday, not on the merits.

June 13, 2026

• Workers stripped Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center in a predawn operation Saturday — Less than six months after the name went up. Followed a missed Friday midnight deadline (Kennedy Center had asked the judge for a 12-hour extension citing DC thunderstorms; appeals court rejected the last-ditch stay request). Judge Christopher Cooper’s May ruling: the Center cannot be renamed without an act of Congress.

• Federal judge in Virginia indefinitely blocks Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund — Judge Leonie Brinkema extended her earlier TRO, giving the administration one week to provide a sworn statement the fund won’t go forward. The fund was created via reconciliation specifically to resolve Trump’s own lawsuit against the IRS over his tax-return leak — i.e., Congress appropriated $1.8B to settle the president’s personal grievance.

• Judge rejects legal effort to cancel UFC at the White House — Sunday’s “Freedom 250” headlines: 7 UFC matches on the South Lawn, an octagon cage in front of the residence, 5,000-seat structure overlooking the Truman Balcony, and Trump compared the temporary arena to the Eiffel Tower on national TV. Birthday gift to himself, framed as a 250th anniversary celebration. Trump himself is skipping the Vance Iran-deal signing in Europe to host.

June 11, 2026

• Iran’s joint military command declares Strait of Hormuz closed to all shipping — “any vessel attempting passage will be shot at” — First time since the war began that Tehran has issued a formal, no-exceptions closure order covering oil tankers and commercial vessels. Replaces the de-facto blockade (which was running at 2% of pre-war volume — just 2 transits on June 7 vs. typical 94/day) with explicit kinetic threats. Strait has now been closed/effectively closed for 102 days; war-risk insurance for VLCCs at ~$2.5M, 8x pre-crisis, with 6 P&I clubs withdrawing cover entirely.

• Trump signs $70 billion Secure America Act, funding ICE/CBP through end of his term — Oval Office signing Wednesday. $38B ICE + $26B Border Patrol + $5B “unforeseen costs.” Front-loads three years of routine funding so Democrats cannot use appropriations as leverage again before 2029. Combined with last year’s OBBBA ($170B over four years), DHS is now the most heavily funded enforcement apparatus in US history. Bill’s stated target: deport ~1 million people per year. Includes a $350M dedicated fund for operations against sanctuary cities. No body cameras, no warrant requirements for home entries, no mask ban.

• Homan announces planned ICE surge into New York City — Operational plan reportedly already reviewed; timing undisclosed. NYC Mayor Adams’ position not stated; Hochul’s office reiterated state policy requiring constitutional compliance and opposition to mass-enforcement actions affecting law-abiding communities. Follows the pattern (LA, DC, Chicago, Memphis, Portland-attempted, Minneapolis) of surging federal enforcement into Democratic cities.

June 10, 2026

• House passes $70 billion immigration enforcement bill 214-212 — heads to Trump for signature — The “Secure America Act” gives ICE $38.5 billion and Border Patrol $22.6 billion through the end of Trump’s term (FY2029). This is ON TOP of the $75 billion ICE received last year via the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” making it by far the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in history. Passed via reconciliation — no filibuster, no Democratic votes, no reforms. Ends the 115-day funding standoff that began after the Minneapolis ICE shootings. Key provisions NOT included: body cameras, warrant requirements for entering homes, ban on agents wearing masks. Sen. Murkowski was the only Republican to oppose. Speaker Johnson said Republicans “took away” Democrats’ ability to “take hostage” immigration funding for the rest of Trump’s term. ICE officials already have a “shopping list” including wearable headset displays and targeting data.

• DOGE cut the screwworm surveillance program and the Uvalde monitoring office — then ignored ranchers’ warnings as the parasite moved north — DOGE eliminated funding for USAID-backed NWS monitoring and containment work in Central America and slashed roughly 15% of USDA’s workforce (~15,000 employees), including animal-disease surveillance staff. Texas state Rep. James Talarico said DOGE specifically “cut the office in Uvalde, Texas, that’s tasked with monitoring this New World Screwworm.” Ranchers reportedly warned the administration the parasite was approaching the border for months and were ignored. Despite 100 million sterile flies/week being dispersed in Mexico, the parasite advanced 1,100+ miles from southern Mexico to Texas in the funding gap.

June 9, 2026

• Trump claims U.S. will “declare total victory” over Iran within two weeks — Said at a tele-rally for South Carolina Republicans on Monday night, on the 102nd day of the Iran “excursion”. Reuters previously reported the war ended with Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and ballistic missile capability intact — neither of the stated US/Israel war objectives achieved. War death toll to date: 1,700+ Iranian civilians, 1,500+ Lebanese, 13 U.S. service members.

June 8, 2027

• Trump Denies He Ever Pledged Not to Start New Wars — In an interview aired Sunday, Trump contradicted a central 2024 campaign promise. “Not starting new wars” was a core pitch to MAGA voters who were skeptical of foreign military entanglements.

• DOGE Pushed Social Security Administration to Mark 2.7 Million Living People as Dead for Immigration Enforcement — A former SSA executive told Congress that DHS transmitted a list of 2.7 million individuals — including US citizens and lawful permanent residents — to be classified as deceased in the Death Master File. The plan was not carried out after SSA staff refused, finding most sampled individuals were alive and legal. A separate earlier list of names was also transmitted but later removed.

• DOJ Sends Federal Observer to LA Ballot Counting Facility; US Attorney Claims ‘Multiple Election Fraud Investigations Underway’ — Trump accused California of stealing the elections without evidence. A Trump-appointed US attorney said his office was conducting “multiple election fraud investigations” but provided no specifics. The DOJ provided no evidence of fraud. California’s vote-by-mail system is legal and standard — counting late ballots is required by state law.

• US Falls to ‘Historic Low’ in RSF Press Freedom Rankings — Reporters Without Borders’ annual index placed the US at a record low, citing the FCC’s pressure on broadcast licenses, the Paramount/CBS deal leveraged to cancel The Late Show, and the ongoing VOA crisis. Six companies now control most US media.

June 7, 2026

• Trump, without evidence, claims Democrats are “trying to STEAL” the California governor and LA mayor primaries — Days after California’s June primary, with votes still being counted (as is normal under California law), Trump posted on Truth Social that federal prosecutors in LA are investigating. The DOJ sent a federal observer to watch ballot counting. Xavier Becerra (D) has advanced in the CA governor’s race. Election experts say slow counting is a feature of the verification system, not a bug.

• DOJ sends federal prosecutor to observe California ballot-counting, amplifying Trump’s “stolen election” claims — No evidence of fraud or malfeasance has emerged. Experts note California’s extended counting timeline is designed to catch errors and ensure all votes count. NYT analysis warned Trump’s fraud claims could undermine confidence in the November midterm results.

• Trump pardons former Republican congressman Stephen Buyer, convicted of insider trading — Buyer, a former Indiana GOP congressman, served nearly two years of a prison sentence for making illegal stock trades using inside information he obtained after leaving office. The pardon comes as the administration simultaneously promotes what it calls a crackdown on fraud in Democratic-run states.

June 6, 2026

• Trump admin re-separated dozens of families reunited under court order — Eight years after Trump’s first-term family separation policy ended under global pressure, an AP investigation found the administration has re-separated dozens of children from their parents — including families who were previously reunited under a court settlement. Some parents were deported despite being legally protected from removal. The process included ending legal services funding, charging families $1,000 each, and increasing hearing frequency until compliance broke down.

• Trump nominates Todd Blanche as permanent Attorney General — Trump announced at a White House dinner June 4 that he will formally nominate Blanche — his former personal criminal defense lawyer who led Trump’s 2024 hush money defense — as the permanent AG. Blanche has been serving in an acting capacity since Trump fired Pam Bondi in April over the Epstein files. Critics note the pick represents the unprecedented step of putting the president’s personal defense attorney in charge of the nation’s law enforcement apparatus.

June 4, 2026

• Senate narrowly blocks bid to bar Trump’s $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund — 49-50 vote — The fund, which critics call a slush fund to pay January 6 insurrectionists and Trump allies who claim they were “victimized” by the government, survived the vote when only three vulnerable Republican senators crossed party lines. The fund was not stripped from the final bill; it remains in the legislation headed to the House. Schumer: “A slush fund for Trump, tax dodges for Trump, a ballroom for Trump, and a private militia for Trump. For hard-working Americans? Nothing.”

• Trump appoints Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard — Pulte, who was already serving as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency with zero intelligence background, now doubles as the nation’s top spy chief without Senate confirmation. CIA veterans called him a “lapdog” appointment that signals Trump has no use for the intelligence community’s function. Trump said Thursday that Pulte may “find out some things about the rigged elections.”

• Trump administration has expanded political appointee positions to 4,600+ — a record, up from ~4,000 historically — Per the Partnership for Public Service, the administration has added hundreds of new political slots on top of the historical norm. This follows DOGE’s elimination of tens of thousands of civil service positions — the pattern being to gut nonpartisan career staff and replace with loyalists, not reduce government size.

June 3, 2026

• Trump Signs Executive Order Removing Civil Service Protections from ~8,000 Federal Workers — The order puts high-ranking career civil servants in policy-making roles into an at-will “Schedule Policy/Career” category, stripping the job protections that require cause for termination. Administration officials said the ~8,000 positions listed in an appendix are the full scope — but acknowledged the president could expand the list at any time. DOGE and the administration have sought this authority since the first term; prior attempts under “Schedule F” were reversed by Biden. Unions and watchdog groups expect immediate court challenges.

June 2, 2026

• ICE protesters trigger DHS threat to remove airport agents ahead of World Cup — The threat was publicly discussed on Fox News on May 26 by Mullin as an effort to pressure jurisdictions over immigration cooperation. International airports rely on federal officers to inspect passports, process arrivals, and screen for security risks. No teams have been relocated yet, but no contingency plan exists.

• U.S., Iran intensify attacks as ceasefire frays, peace talks stall — CENTCOM said it defeated Iranian ballistic missiles and drones and struck a military ground control station on Qeshm Island. Iran also targeted a vessel (“Panaya”) with missiles, claiming retaliation for a U.S. attack on an Iranian tanker near Hormuz. The IRGC also struck the U.S. Fifth Fleet HQ and airbases in the region. Analysts: the conflict has “hardened into a stalemate” three months in.

June 1, 2026

• Trump Edits Proposed U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding — Third Round of Changes Sent to Tehran — Per CBS/Axios, Trump’s edits focused on the Strait of Hormuz and removal of Iran’s highly enriched uranium — the two hardest sticking points. The broad 60-day ceasefire extension framework also includes sanctions waivers and frozen asset access for Iran tied to diplomatic progress. Trump told Lara Trump in a taped interview he was in “no hurry” to make a deal, despite a Friday deadline he himself set passing without resolution.

• Park Service Officials Raised Alarms Over Trump Admin’s Rock Creek Tennis Center Plan — WaPo investigation published this morning: internal documents show government officials flagged that the administration steered a federally-owned parkland lease through an unusually accelerated process that favored a businessman with a direct financial interest in the site. Follows a pattern of no-bid park contracts benefiting Trump-connected developers.