The Latest: Trump calls for ‘a real end’ to the conflict between Israel and Iran
In the span of about eight hours Monday, President Donald Trump went from suggesting a nuclear deal with Iran remained “achievable” to urging Tehran’s 9.5 million residents to flee for their lives as he cut his visit to the international G7 summit short to return to Washington for urgent talks with his national security team.
Trump expressed frustration with Iranian leaders for failing to reach an agreement, adding that he wants “a real end” to the conflict and a “complete give-up” of Tehran’s nuclear program.
Here’s the latest:
Britain’s prime minister says he feels confident Trump won’t embroil US in Israel-Iran conflict
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he’s confident Trump isn’t about to take the U.S. into the Israel-Iran conflict, despite the president’s early departure from a G7 summit to deal with the escalating crisis.
Starmer told reporters at the summit Tuesday that “I don’t think anything that the president said either here or elsewhere suggests that” the U.S. will get involved. That comes after Trump on social media urged the 9.5 million residents of Tehran to leave.
Starmer pointed to a statement issued late Monday by all G7 leaders, including Trump, calling for a “de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.”
“Throughout the dinner yesterday I was sitting right next to President Trump, so I’ve no doubt, in my mind, the level of agreement there was in relation to the words that were then issued immediately after that,” Starmer said.
Trump administration asks judge to dismiss lawsuit over Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s mistaken deportation
The administration argues the case is moot because he’s back in the United States.
“Plaintiffs have now received the relief they sought in their Complaint because Defendants have taken extraordinary steps and have facilitated, and indeed effectuated, Abrego Garcia’s return,” U.S. attorneys wrote in a filing Monday.
Jennifer Vasquez Sura, Abrego Garcia’s American wife, filed the lawsuit in a U.S. District Court in Maryland after Abrego Garcia was expelled in March to his native El Salvador. His deportation violated a U.S. immigration judge’s order in 2019 that barred him from being sent to El Salvador because he faced a credible threat of violence from local gangs there.
The Trump administration later described the deportation as an administrative error.
The U.S. returned Abrego Garcia earlier this month to face federal human smuggling charges in Tennessee, where he remains in custody. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have characterized the smuggling case as a desperate attempt to justify the mistaken deportation.
Trump shares Huckabee’s lengthy text message of praise
On his social media site, Trump shared a screenshot of the text from Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel. Huckabee’s also a Baptist minister and a former Arkansas governor.
He opens by referencing last year’s attempted assassination of Trump in Pennsylvania, saying Trump was spared by God to be the “most consequential President in a century – maybe ever.”
Huckabee says no president in his lifetime “has been in a position like yours. Not since Truman in 1945.” That’s a reference to President Harry Truman’s decision to drop an atomic bomb on Japan during World War II.
Trump returned to Washington early Tuesday after leaving an international summit a day ahead of schedule because of the Israel-Iran conflict.
“You did not seek this moment. This moment sought YOU!” Huckabee wrote, adding, “It is my honor to serve you!”
Senate expected to pass crypto bill without addressing Trump’s investments
The Senate is expected to approve the legislation Tuesday that would regulate a form of cryptocurrency known as stablecoins, the first of what’s expected to be a wave of crypto legislation from Congress the industry hopes will bolster its legitimacy and reassure consumers.
The fast-moving legislation, which will be sent to the House for potential revisions, comes on the heels of a 2024 campaign cycle where the crypto industry ranked among the top political spenders in the country, underscoring its growing influence in Washington and beyond.
Eighteen Democratic senators have shown support for the legislation as it has advanced, siding with the Republican majority in the 53-47 Senate.
Still, most Democrats oppose the bill. They’ve raised concerns that the measure does little to address President Trump’s personal financial interests in the crypto space.
Read more about the crypto legislation in the Senate
Trump again dismisses comments of one of his top aides
Back in March, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard told lawmakers U.S. spy agencies did not believe Iran was building a nuclear weapon.
When asked about the comment aboard Air Force One, Trump dismissed her remark.
“I don’t care what she said,” Trump said. “I think they were very close to having it.”
Trump suggests he’ll extend a deadline for TikTok’s Chinese owner to sell the app
Trump had signed an order in early April to keep TikTok running for another 75 days after a potential deal to sell the popular video sharing app to American owners was put on ice.
“Probably yeah, yeah,” he responded when asked by reporters on Air Force One whether the deadline would be extended again.
“Probably have to get China approval but I think we’ll get it. I think President Xi will ultimately approve it.”
He indicated in an interview last month with NBC that he would be open to pushing back the deadline again. If it happens, it would be third time that the deadline has been extended.
A widening schism over Iran among Trump’s MAGA supporters
Trump bristled when asked about some of his MAGA faithful, including conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, who’ve suggested further U.S. involvement would be a betrayal to supporters who were drawn to his promise to end U.S. involvement in expensive and endless wars.
“Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that,’ IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!’” the president wrote on social media.
Other prominent Trump supporters have also raised concerns about how far the president should go in backing Israel.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk are among prominent Trump World allies who’ve noted that voters backed Trump because he promised not to entangle the nation in foreign clashes and to be wary of expanding U.S. involvement in the Mideast conflict.
Trump says he won’t call Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after lawmaker shootings
The president said he he won’t call Walz after the targeted shootings of two state lawmakers because it would “waste time.”
One of the lawmakers and her husband were killed.
The Republican president spoke to reporters early Tuesday aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington after abruptly leaving an international summit in Canada because of rising tensions in the Middle East between Israel and Iran. Asked if he planned to call Walz, Trump said the Democratic governor is “slick” and “whacked out” and said, “I’m not calling him.”
Presidents often reach out to other elected officials at times of tragedy to offer condolences.
Trump added, “The guy doesn’t have a clue. He’s a mess. So, you know, I could be nice and call him, but why waste time?”
Walz was the vice presidential running mate for 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who lost her presidential bid to Trump.
Read more about Trump and Gov. Tim Walz
What to know about bunker-buster bombs and Iran’s Fordo nuclear facility
If the U.S. decides to support Israel more directly in its attack on Iran, one option for Washington would be to provide the “bunker-buster” bombs believed necessary to significantly damage the Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant, built deeply into a mountain.
Such a bomb would have to be dropped from an American aircraft, which could have wide-ranging ramifications, including jeopardizing any chance of Iran engaging in Trump’s desired talks on its nuclear program. Israeli officials have also suggested that there are other options for it to attack Fordo as it seeks to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities. But aside from a commando attack on the ground or a nuclear strike, the bunker buster bomb seems the most likely option.
The bomb is believed to be able to penetrate about 200 feet (61 meters) below the surface before exploding, and the bombs can be dropped one after another, effectively drilling deeper and deeper with each successive blast.
Read more about the bunker-buster bomb
San Francisco appeals court will hear arguments over National Guard deployment in LA
A federal appeals court in San Francisco is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday on whether the Trump administration should return control of National Guard troops to California after they were deployed following protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids.
The hearing comes after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request by the administration last week to temporarily pause a lower court order that directed Trump to return control of the soldiers to the governor who filed a lawsuit over the deployment.
The three-judge panel is set to hear oral arguments via video starting at 3 p.m. ET, and protests outside the downtown San Francisco court are expected.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco ruled last week that the Guard deployment was illegal and exceeded Trump’s statutory authority. It applied only to the National Guard troops and not the Marines, who were also deployed to LA.
Read more about the upcoming court hearing
Trump is at a moment of choosing as Israel looks for more US help crushing Iran’s nuclear program
President Donald Trump in about eight hours Monday went from suggesting a nuclear deal with Iran remained “achievable” to urging Tehran’s 9.5 million residents to flee for their lives as he cut short his visit to an international summit to return to Washington for urgent talks with his national security team.
He returns to the capital at a moment of choosing in his presidency. Israel, with five days of missile strikes, has done considerable damage to Iran and believes it can now deal a permanent blow to Tehran’s nuclear program — particularly if it gets a little more help from Trump.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One during his overnight flight back to Washington that Iranian leaders had been unwilling to reach an agreement over their nuclear program, suggesting he was now less interested in talking with them.
“They should have done the deal. I told them: Do the deal,” Trump said. “So I don’t know. I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate.”
The Republican president, who said he plans to meet with advisers in the Situation Room, appears to be gradually building the public case for a more direct American role in the conflict. His shift in tone comes as the U.S. has repositioned warships and military aircraft in the region to respond if the conflict between Israel and Iran further escalates.
Read more about Trump’s shifting rhetoric around Iran