President Donald Trump did not rule out the government paying people who were charged with assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and he also contended without evidence that recent California elections were “rigged,” in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
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Trump defended what his administration has dubbed an “anti-weaponization” fund, saying the protesters who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were unfairly targeted by prosecutors and deserved compensation.
When moderator Kristen Welker asked if those who attacked police officers that day should get a payout with taxpayer funds, Trump said: “I wouldn’t be inclined to say so, but I have to see it.”
Trump then called the 2020 presidential election “dirty” and segued to last Tuesday’s elections in California, where votes were still being tallied into the weekend.
“Do you think it’s appropriate that they have an election and five days later, they’re nowhere close to picking a winner?” the president said.
Trump says Fed chair should ‘do whatever he wants’ but criticizes possible rate hikes
Trump criticized the possibility of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates, but said that he wants Fed Chair Kevin Warsh “to do whatever he wants.”
“Kevin is fantastic, and I want him to do whatever he wants,” the president said. “I don’t want to have a big influence on him. But we had a great report. We’re doing great, and it’s unfair that whenever you do great, they want to raise interest rates.”
The May jobs report indicated that the labor market was still resilient, adding 172,000 jobs while the unemployment rate remained consistent. The report came amid heightened concerns over oil and gas prices, which have risen since the start of the Iran war.
“Nowadays when you have good reports, the market goes down because they think they’re going to raise interest rates,” Trump said during the interview. “There’s no reason to raise interest rates.”
U.S. will work with Iran to destroy its uranium if they can make a deal, Trump says
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Trump describes what could trigger further military action in Iran
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The president also said the U.S. will work with Iran to retrieve and destroy its highly enriched uranium if he is able to cut a deal to end the three-month-old war — or, in the absence of an agreement, that he will further degrade Tehran’s military to the point that American forces can safely collect the material on their own.
“If we make a deal that now we’re friendly, we’ll all go together. It’ll be our equipment. We’ll take it out and destroy it, whether it’s on-site or whether we take it off-site,” Trump said.
Politics in brief
- Buyer’s remorse: Trump pardoned Stephen Buyer, a former Republican congressman who served nearly two years in prison for making illegal stock trades based on inside information after he left office.
- Sphere of influence: Mayor Zohran Mamdani is seeking to put his stamp on New York City’s congressional delegation with a trio of endorsements against incumbent lawmakers and their picks.
- Trouble abroad: A luxury $1.6 billion resort plan by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner sparked mass protests in Albania.
- ‘60 Minutes’ fallout: Former correspondent Scott Pelley accused CBS News chief Bari Weiss of tilting coverage in favor of how Trump characterized events in Minnesota and described a newsroom in turmoil under her leadership in a New York Times interview.
Israel says Iran launched missiles toward it after Beirut strikes
Iran launched multiple barrages of missiles toward Israel on Sunday, according to the Israeli military, after Israeli warplanes struck the southern suburbs of Beirut in retaliation for alleged Hezbollah attacks, threatening to unravel a recently renewed ceasefire.
The Israeli military said it had detected missiles launched from Iran and activated air defense systems to intercept them.
President Donald Trump urged both sides to avoid further escalation and ensure negotiations with Iran continue. Speaking to Fox News after the strikes, Trump said the Iranian missiles were “certainly not going to help negotiations” and called on Iran to return to the talks.
“You’ve shot your missiles, that’s enough. Get back to the table and make a deal,” the president told Fox News.
More regional news
- In name only: Here’s why ceasefires haven’t stopped deadly strikes in Gaza, Lebanon or the Gulf.
- Growing pressure: Israel faces mounting outrage over allegations of rape, beatings and humiliation of international activists detained on a flotilla attempting to break its naval blockade of Gaza.
Candace Owens and the Tate brothers turned up in Russia. The Kremlin spun it as a thaw.
American influencers and an administration official arrived in Russia just as President Vladimir Putin needed a publicity boost.
Candace Owens, a popular right-wing podcaster and a onetime Trump ally, became perhaps the most visible American guest at an economic forum in St. Petersburg. Manosphere bloggers Andrew and Tristan Tate, dual U.K.-U.S. citizens, also filmed from Moscow but weren’t at the forum.
Their presence may deliver a domestic propaganda victory to Putin, experts say, as Russians become dissatisfied with the cost of the war in Ukraine.
“They want the propaganda value of implying that there’s some kind of economic thaw between the United States and Russia, which is not really the case,” said Michael Kimmage, the director of a nonprofit policy research organization.
The U.S. fought the flesh-eating screwworm for decades. Now it must begin again.
The U.S. spent more than half a century and hundreds of millions of dollars driving the flesh-eating New World screwworm as far from its borders as possible. Now, it’s back for the first time since 1982.
The species can eat the tissue of any warm-blooded animal, but it’s a particular threat to livestock and is often fatal for cattle. Some bioethicists have openly debated whether it would be moral to deliberately drive it into extinction.
“There are some species that it’s worth considering wiping out altogether and I do think the screwworm is one,” said Gregory Kaebnick, a senior research scholar at the Hastings Center for Bioethics.
French Open crowns a pair of first-time champions
Alexander Zverev is no longer one of the best players never to win a major title.
He’s finally a Grand Slam champion.
In his fourth major final, Zverev beat Flavio Cobolli 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 for the French Open title on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva won the women’s singles final Saturday to claim her first Grand Slam title, ending qualifier Maja Chwalinska’s improbable run with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
More sports news
- Golden goal: Shea Theodore’s goal in double overtime avoided what could have been a potentially devastating loss for the Vegas Golden Knights, who won Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final after blowing a four-goal lead against the Carolina Hurricanes.
- Party’s over: A New York Knicks watch party set to take place Monday outside Madison Square Garden was canceled due to Trump’s planned attendance at Game 3.
- World Cup in focus: The U.S. men’s national team fell short in its final warm-up match, a 2-1 loss to Germany at Soldier Field in Chicago.
- Kimi possible: Kimi Antonelli won a dramatic Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, extending his championship lead to a commanding 66 points after a race twice interrupted by crashes and a red flag.
- In a rhythm: Golden Tempo won the 158th running of the Belmont Stakes, capturing the third leg of the Triple Crown five weeks after winning the Kentucky Derby.
Notable quote
If they are confronted with the question: Do they want to see Bad Bunny or do they want to see the pope, I think many will see Bad Bunny. But I think there will also be a few here to see the pope. And that says something, you know.
Pope Leo XIV on his popularity
Pope Leo visited Madrid this weekend, part of his weeklong trip to Spain, as rapper Bad Bunny performed in the city. The pontiff acknowledged the Puerto Rican music star would provide some competition.
In case you missed it
- The body of James “Weston” Higginbotham, an Auburn University student who had been missing in Japan for a week, was found in a mountainous area outside of Kyoto, according to his family.
- At least 12 people were shot when gunmen, possibly aiming for each other, opened fire near a summer festival in Toledo, Ohio, officials said.
- A student who witnessed the stabbing of Austin Metcalf testified Saturday at the Karmelo Anthony murder trial that he wasn’t aware how badly Metcalf was injured until the 17-year-old lifted his shirt and saw a “big hole.”
- A judge dropped a murder charge against an Arkansas sheriff candidate who killed a man accused of sexually abusing his daughter.
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