Trump heads to annual Nato summit as Rutte praises his ‘decisive action in Iran’
Trump left Washington DC this morning and is currently on his way to the annual Nato summit at The Hague.
This comes as earlier this morning, Trump posted what appeared to be a text message from Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, praising him for striking the Iranian nuclear sites.
In the message, which Rutte’s representatives confirmed as authentic to the New York Times, Rutte congratulates and thanks Trump for his “decisive action in Iran”, calling it“truly extraordinary” and “something no one else dared to do.”
Rutte then says that Trump is “flying into another big success in The Hague.”
Key events
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte also said on Tuesday he had no doubt that Trump was committed to the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defence clause.
Rutte: no issues with disclosing message he sent to Trump
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has expressed that he has no problem with Trump disclosing the message he sent to him.
Earlier today, Trump posted a screenshot of a text message he received from Rutte, praising him for striking the Iranian nuclear sites.
In the message, Rutte congratulates and thanks Trump for his “decisive action in Iran”, calling it“ truly extraordinary” and “something no one else dared to do.”
Rutte then says that Trump is “flying into another big success in The Hague.”
On Tuesday afternoon Rutte said that he had no problem with Trump disclosing the message, and said that he believed that the tone of the message was appropriate.
In response to the Trump administration postponing the all-senators briefing on Iran that was scheduled for this afternoon, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer described the last-minute postponement as “outrageous, evasive, and derelict”.
In a statement, Schumer said:
Senators deserve full transparency, and the administration has a legal obligation to inform Congress precisely about what is happening.
What is the administration so afraid of? Why won’t they engage with Congress on the critical details: the results of the recent strike, the scope and trajectory of this conflict, the administration’s long-term strategy to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and the potential risks facing American citizens and our servicemembers?
To be abundantly clear: neither Pete Hegseth nor Marco Rubio were scheduled to attend this briefing. If Rubio and Hegseth want to come up on Thursday, in addition, not in replacement, to the planned briefing, fine.
Such obstruction undermines the very principles of accountability and oversight that safeguard our democracy.”
This comes as it was reported earlier today that the Trump administration had postponed classified briefings on the situation in Iran scheduled for today.
The all-Senate briefing was moved to Thursday, and the briefing for all House lawmakers was also reportedly postponed but it was not immediately when it would be rescheduled.
Trump heads to annual Nato summit as Rutte praises his ‘decisive action in Iran’
Trump left Washington DC this morning and is currently on his way to the annual Nato summit at The Hague.
This comes as earlier this morning, Trump posted what appeared to be a text message from Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, praising him for striking the Iranian nuclear sites.
In the message, which Rutte’s representatives confirmed as authentic to the New York Times, Rutte congratulates and thanks Trump for his “decisive action in Iran”, calling it“truly extraordinary” and “something no one else dared to do.”
Rutte then says that Trump is “flying into another big success in The Hague.”
The Trump administration has reportedly postponed classified briefings for Senate and House members regarding the situation in Iran.
According to the Associated Press, which cites multiple anonymous sources, the Senate briefing has been moved to Thursday so that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio can attend, and the House briefings have been postponed.
Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said on Tuesday that he has rehired 942 employees who were previously laid off from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“I brought 722 people back to CDC, I brought 220 people back to NIH because we were not able to perform our job,” Kennedy stated today during a hearing before the US House of Representatives committee on energy and commerce’s subcommittee on health focused on his department’s 2026 budget request.
The day so far
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Overnight, Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had reached a ceasefire in a post published on his social media platform.
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This morning, Trump said that both Israel and Iran violated the ceasefire he announced earlier, and that he was not happy with either country but especially Israel.
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Trump said that he does not want to see “regime change” in Iran, which he said would lead to chaos.
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On social media, Trump warned Israel not to drop any more bombs on Iran or it would be a violation of the ceasefire he is trying to broker between the two countries.
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Trump reportedly called Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and asked him not to attack Iran.
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New York City residents are headed to the polls today in a primary election that is both likely to decide the city’s next mayor and have major political implications for the future of the Democratic party.
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House speaker Mike Johnson said that the War Powers Act designed to check a US president’s ability to commit US forces to military action without congressional consent is unconstitutional.
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Trump is continuing to feud with Republican Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie, who opposed the president’s decision to launch airstrikes in Iran at the weekend without congressional approval.
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Authorities said that federal immigration agents arrested 11 Iranian nationals who were in the US illegally.
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The Fed Chair defied Trump and says that rate hikes can wait.
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We’re also following reaction to Monday’s supreme court ruling allowing the Trump administration to deport migrant detainees to countries that are not their own.
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US senators are also wrangling over the future of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill”, for which an unofficial 4 July deadline has been set.
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A panel of judges in New York are scheduled to hear arguments later on Tuesday in Trump’s appeal of an $83.3m defamation ruling against him after he was adjudicated to have sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s.
War Powers Act unconstitutional, Johnson says
House speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday that the War Powers Act passed in 1973 designed to check a US president’s ability to commit US forces to military action without congressional consent is unconstitutional.
The Louisiana Republican made the eye-popping declaration at a late morning press briefing by senior party officials, arguing that he believed Donald Trump has virtually unlimited power to use the military as he saw fit.
Other Republicans, especially Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie, have insisted Trump exceeded his authority when he ordered the weekend air strike on nuclear facilities in Iran.
Johnson argued that the 1973 act, passed by lawmakers to balance power after Richard Nixon ordered a bombing campaign in Cambodia during the Vietnam war, contravened the constitution. He said:
It shouldn’t even be in dispute. The framers of our constitution never intended for the president to seek the approval of Congress every time he exercises his constitutional authority.
In an emergent and imminent situation, time is not something we always have the luxury of and so they wanted, in moments of danger and conflict abroad, for one single hand of authority to have that authority to act decisively and effectively.
Many respected constitutional experts argue that the War Powers Act is itself unconstitutional. I’m persuaded by that argument. Many more scholars believe the president is correct to use this executive authority in exactly the manner that he did over the weekend.
Johnson’s position will be seen as an extraordinary move in that lawmakers have traditionally forcefully defended the law in order not to cede too much power to the executive branch.
He seems to be arguing now that it is a good thing that previous presidents, including Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden, ordered the military into action without the approval of Congress.
Numerous Republicans, including firebrand Trump ally Mike Lee of Utah, were livid when Biden ordered strikes on Houthis in Yemen last year.
“The constitution matters, regardless of party affiliation,” he wrote at the time.
Fed chair defies Trump, says rate hikes can wait
Callum Jones
The Federal Reserve is well placed to wait and see how tariffs affect US prices before cutting interest rates, its chair, Jerome Powell, insisted, defying renewed demands from Donald Trump.
The US president has disregarded the central bank’s longstanding independence to repeatedly call for rate cuts to spur economic growth and launch a series of personal attacks on Powell.
In an overnight social media post, Trump branded the Fed chair as “very dumb” and claimed the central bank’s refusal to lower rates since December – in part, the result of uncertainty sparked by his own administration’s erratic economic strategy – was damaging the US.
“We will be paying for his incompetence for many years to come,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform.
On Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Powell reiterated that Trump’s tariffs were “likely” to increase prices – potentially challenging the Fed’s years-long effort to bring down US inflation. He noted, however, that the administration’s policies frequently shift.
“Policy changes continue to evolve, and their effects on the economy remain uncertain,” Powell told the US House of Representatives financial services committee. “The effects of tariffs will depend, among other things, on their ultimate level. Expectations of that level, and thus of the related economic effects, reached a peak in April and have since declined.
“Even so, increases in tariffs this year are likely to push up prices and weigh on economic activity.”
Read the full story:
Ice says it arrested 11 Iranian nationals
Federal immigration agents arrested 11 Iranian nationals during and after the weekend, authorities said on Tuesday.
All were in the US illegally, a statement from the homeland security department (DHS), which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), said. Among them is Mehran Makari Saheli, alleged by Ice to be a former member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. He was arrested in St Paul, Minnesota.
Five of those arrested had previous criminal convictions ranging from grand larceny to drug and firearm possessions, the statement said, and those arrested include “an individual with admitted ties to Hezbollah, a known or suspected terrorist, and an alleged former sniper for the Iranian army”.
All 11 have been charged or accused of crimes beyond civil immigration violations.
The Ice arrests follow US airstrikes on Iran on Sunday. There is no suggestion they were related to the US military action, or any identified scheme or plot for an attack inside the US.
Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary of DHS, said in the statement: “We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out – and we are. We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland.”
One US citizen was also arrested, the statement said, and was charged with threatening law enforcement and harboring one of the Iranians.
Donald Trump’s latest post on Truth Social from the skies above the Atlantic is a plea to senators to pass his deficit-busting “big, beautiful bill” this week.
The president’s message is typical of its genre, random capital letters mixed with grandiose claims, including that peace has been achieved in the Middle East despite ceasefire violations by both Israel and Iran:
Now that we have made PEACE abroad, we must finish the job here at home by passing “THE GREAT, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL,” and getting the Bill to my desk, ASAP. It will be a Historic Present for THE GREAT PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, as we begin the Celebration of our Country’s 250th Birthday.
We are finally entering our Golden Age, which will bring unprecedented Safety, Security, and Prosperity for ALL of our Citizens. To my friends in the Senate, lock yourself in a room if you must, don’t go home, and GET THE DEAL DONE THIS WEEK.
Work with the House so they can pick it up, and pass it, IMMEDIATELY. NO ONE GOES ON VACATION UNTIL IT’S DONE. Everyone, most importantly the American People, will be much better off thanks to our work together. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
Trump continues feud with Republican congressman Thomas Massie
Donald Trump has been posting to social media from Air Force One, prolonging his feud with the Republican Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie, who opposed the president’s decision to launch airstrikes in Iran at the weekend without congressional approval.
Calling Massie a “Third Rate Congressman”, Trump – who is on his way to The Hague for a Nato summit – lashed out (again) in a lengthy diatribe on his Truth Social platform. He predicted Massie would vote against Trump’s so-called big, beautiful bill, even though Massie already did: he was one of two Republican no votes last month.
Axios reported on Sunday that Trump allies have launched a political action committee dedicated to unseating Massie in the 2026 election. For his part, Massie has brushed off the attacks, telling MSNBC that he has “Trump antibodies” and is immune to the president’s criticism.
Trump has been posting furiously before his arrival in The Hague, which is expected about 1pm ET. In one post he says he was looking forward to “seeing all of my very good European friends” and insists the summit “at worst … will be a much calmer period than what I just went through with Israel and Iran”.
Shreyas Teegala has been talking to Los Angeles residents who are skipping medical appointments because they fear being caught up in raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents:
On a Wednesday morning earlier this month, Jane*, the coordinator for a mobile clinic at a temporary housing campus in Downey, just southeast of Los Angeles, was weaving through the line of patients, helping them fill out routine forms.
Everything was normal, she recalled, until she glimpsed, from the corner of her eye, the facility’s security guard whisk away the cone that had been propping open the gate for the clinic, letting it swing shut. What had welcomed care now suddenly threatened capture.
Outside, a convoy of unmarked white SUVs rolled toward the entrance. Spotting the armed, masked men and out-of-state plates, Jane knew they were agents of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and so did her patients. As she tried to keep everyone calm, the clinic’s driver and security guard asked to see the agents’ warrant. But they didn’t have one, Jane said.
After a tense few minutes, the SUVs pulled off. The clinic stood its ground, and no one was hauled off – yet the fear lingered. As Ice raids sweep LA county, fixtures of normal life – school, work and now even the doctor’s office – have become hunting grounds cloaked in fear for the region’s immigrant residents.
Read more:
The Republican Louisiana senator (and doctor) Bill Cassidy, who rang the alarm on Robert F Kennedy’s nomination as Donald Trump’s health secretary, then ended up voting to confirm him anyway, wants Kennedy’s new vaccine panel postponed.
In a post to X on Monday evening, Cassidy said that many of the health secretary’s appointees lacked “significant experience studying microbiology, epidemiology or immunology”.
Earlier this month, Kennedy fired the 17 members of the existing key US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee for immunization practices (Acip), and installed his own panel.
Cassidy in unlikely to get his wish. The Acip meeting is set to go ahead Tuesday.
Kennedy, meanwhile, is set to face tough questions about the switch when he appears later Tuesday before the House energy and commerce subcommittee.
A panel of judges in New York will hear arguments a little later on Tuesday in Donald Trump’s appeal of an $83.3m defamation ruling against him after he was adjudicated to have sexually abused writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s.
The US court of appeals for the second circuit, in this case comprising one judge appointed by Bill Clinton, and two by Joe Biden, will take oral arguments.
The president will not be there – he’ll be arriving in the Netherlands in the coming hours for the Nato summit in the Hague – but his lawyers will argue why the award should be overturned.
Trump suffered defeat earlier this month when the appeals court denied his attempt to reverse a separate $5m award from a civil jury, which found in 2023 that Trump had sexually abused Carroll, then defamed her, before he embarked on his political career.
Tactics employed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents in migrant raids taking place across the country have come under increasing scrutiny.
There have been numerous reports of plainclothes Ice officers in masks, some without identification or badges, bundling people into unmarked vehicles, all while Trump administration officials are demanding a ramping up of arrests to 3,000 a day.
Here, Ben Makuch looks at the secrecy surrounding Ice operations, and how the agency has become a kind of “domestic stormtrooper” for Donald Trump’s make America great again (Maga) agenda:
