2.59am BST
Closing summary
This concludes our live coverage of the second Trump administration for the day, with the president watching the Knicks-Spurs NBA finals game from Madison Square Garden, along with that slice of the city able to shell out thousands of dollars for tickets. For a more representative look at how a far more diverse and representative group of New Yorkers are watching the game, living and dying with every bounce of the ball, here is a great AP livestream of the watch party in Bryant Park . You can’t see the court, but you get to see the city as it is.
Here are the day’s other developments:
Donald Trump was loudly booed when he was shown on the video screens at Madison Square Garden on Monday night before Game 3 of the NBA finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks.
Nithya Raman, a progressive Los Angeles city council member, has advanced to the November runoff for LA mayor, edging out Fox News favorite Spencer Pratt for the right to face off against incumbent mayor Karen Bass.
Trump told supporters in South Carolina the end of the war with Iran is comming soon. “I think we are winning that battle, but you’re really going to win it over the next two weeks when we declare total victory. It’ll be a total victory,” said the president who routinely promises that things will happen in two weeks which never happen at all.
In an interview at the National Press Club in Washington DC on Monday, Bernie Sanders , the socialist senator from Vermont, was asked if he still supports Graham Platner . “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure Graham Platner is the next senator from the state of Maine,” Sanders said.
Trump nominated Todd Blanche to serve permanently as attorney general, lining up his former personal lawyer to be the country’s top law enforcement officer.
2.42am BST
Kalshi and Polymarket crack down on creators spreading election conspiracy theories – report
The NPR tech correspondent Bobby Allyn reports that some influencers paid by the prediction markets Kalshi and Polymarket have been spreading unfounded conspiracy theories about fraud in California’s elections.
In recent days, Kalshi and Polymarket have attempted to rein in some of their paid influencers. After NPR asked Kalshi about several partnership posts on Friday, the company said it told the influencers to take the posts down. Some of the posts, including Freeman’s post questioning “CA cheating,” have been deleted. Semafor first reported on Kalshi’s crackdown.
On Monday, Polymarket told NPR it, too, is pulling back its sponsorship of some creators who were spreading election falsehoods.
In a social media update to his story on Monday, Allyn added: “Kalshi now says it prohibits paid creators from calling into question the integrity or accuracy of an election, legal ruling or official determination in connection with an election.”
Polymarket, he adds: “now says any affiliate post denying an election result would violate their terms of service stipulating that creators do not spread false and misleading information. The company says it has asked that posts from two of its paid affiliates lose its sponsorship.”
Updated at 2.59am BST
2.23am BST
Key event
A Somali referee, who was set to become the first person from his country to officiate at a World Cup , has been denied access to the US and will not work at the tournament.
Fifa confirmed that Omar Artan “will be unable to train and officiate at the Fifa World Cup 2026” in a statement issued to media on Monday. The governing body passed responsibility for the situation to the US government, saying that they were “informed by authorities that Mr Artan’s status will not be changed at present”.
“Fifa is not involved in host country immigration processes, including visa adjudications … in line with previous Fifa events, a host government ultimately determines who receives a visa and who is admitted into their country.”
Artan was refused entry to the US at Miami international airport this past weekend, despite allegedly having a valid travel visa. Somalia is one of several countries currently under a broad travel ban imposed by the Trump administration and while the reasons behind any decision to deny Artan entry to the US have not been made clear, representatives of the Somali government said the decision had “undermined football’s commitment to fair play”.
Related: Top African referee Omar Artan refused access to US and will miss World Cup
2.00am BST
Donald Trump was loudly booed when he was shown on the video screens at Madison Square Garden on Monday night before Game 3 of the NBA finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks.
Trump was shown on the jumbotron while the Star-Spangled Banner was being sung before the game, and jeers and boos broke out around the arena . The president, with his granddaughter Kai behind him, was shown for a little over eight seconds and held a salute the whole time with a smile on his face. A few seconds later, the video board showed Knicks players in line and the boos turned to cheers.
The US president, a longtime Knicks fan, attended as the guest of team owner James Dolan as New York hosted their first NBA finals game since 1999. Trump entered the arena amid a heavy security presence. He watched the game from the owner’s box above center court, while Secret Service personnel commandeered the neighboring suites on either side.
Related: Donald Trump given hostile reception as New York crowd boos and jeers president at NBA finals
1.41am BST
Loud boos for Trump during pre-game national anthem in Madison Square Garden
Even though Donald Trump was largely out of sight ahead of the tip-off for game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York, in the owner’s box, fans loudly booed when the president was shown on screen during the national anthem.
The booing when Trump appeared on the jumbo screen, clearly audible on the TV broadcast , was also captured on video shot from inside the arena and posted on social media by a local sports radio host.
The wave of derision for Trump was also captured on video , from high up in the rafters, by an Associated Press political reporter.
Trump, who saluted and seemed to grin at the boos, as if embracing the pro wrestling world role of the heel, is watching from Knicks owner James Dolan’s suite, along with his granddaughter Kai, adviser Boris Epshteyn and cabinet secretaries Lee Zeldin, Sean Duffy and Doug Burgum. He is the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and his diplomatic envoy Steve Witkoff are with him as well, suggesting that no talks on ending the war he started with Iran will be happening until the post-game.
Updated at 2.44am BST
1.24am BST
Key event
Trump has managed to hijack the spotlight from one the biggest nights in Knicks history. Earlier, the Guardian spoke with a few New York fans outside the arena about the president’s presence.
“He could have picked any other day. This night is for the fans,” said Joanne Cadden, 53, a lifelong Knicks supporter from the Bronx who has followed the team since the early 1990s. “You’re making people go away from the Garden. This wasn’t the time.”
Gesturing toward the fencing and checkpoints surrounding the arena, Cadden added: “This looks like prison.”
Rich Becker, a 54-year-old Knicks fan from Queens who came to Midtown despite not having a ticket, said the president’s visit had changed the feel of the day, including the cancellation of the outdoor watch party that had drawn thousands of fans outside the Garden during earlier playoff games.
“It changed everything,” Becker said. “Should he be here? I don’t think he should, but he’s coming. He used to be a Knicks fan. He spent a lot of time at the Garden back in the day. But now it’s a little different. Just stay away.”
Related: NBA finals 2026 Game 3: San Antonio Spurs v New York Knicks – live buildup
1.22am BST
Trump has arrived at Madison Square Garden
As our Guardian colleague Bryan Armen Graham reports from Madison Square Garden on our Knicks-Spurs live blog , Donald Trump is in the building.
According to the White House pool report, filed by a reporter from a conservative outlet, as the motorcade arrived at the arena, anti-Trump signs were visible.
One sign side “Nobody wants you here.” Another said “Trump must go,” and two others said “Impeach. Convict. Remove.”
The White House shared video of the president’s motorcade arriving earlier on the near-empty streets, with him waving to almost no one, the usual vibrancy and life of the city streets having been drained for his safety and convenience.
1.07am BST
Nithya Raman projected to advance to Los Angeles mayor run-off, edging out Spencer Pratt
Nithya Raman, a progressive Los Angeles city council member, has advanced to the November runoff for LA mayor.
She will face incumbent mayor Karen Bass, who is seeking a second term to lead America’s second largest city.
Spencer Pratt, a former reality TV villain who decided to run for mayor after his Pacific Palisades home burned down in the 2025 wildfires, trailed behind the pair.
Bass learned on 2 June’s primary election night she had secured enough votes to make it to the November election, but the race for second remained close for nearly a week. Pratt held a lead over Raman for days but as ballot processing from last week’s election continued, the city councillor pulled ahead.
Related: Nithya Raman edges out Spencer Pratt to face Karen Bass in LA mayoral runoff
12.58am BST
Trump says US will 'declare total victory' over Iran 'over the next two weeks'
In comments endorsing Lindsey Graham , the South Carolina Republican, at a tele-rally, Donald Trump credited the senator with helping him in the effort to ensure that Iran can not have a nuclear weapon.
“I think we are winning that battle, but you’re really going to win it over the next two weeks when we declare total victory. It’ll be a total victory,” said the president who routinely promises that things will happen in two weeks which never happen at all. “It’ll happen very soon, and oil prices will come tumbling down.”
Iran had previously agreed, in the first paragraph of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the international agreement negotiated by the Obama administration, “that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons.”
Trump sabotaged the agreement by withdrawing the United States from it in 2015 and reimposing sanctions.
Updated at 1.10am BST
11.59pm BST
Speculation Trump could engage in locker room talk with Knicks ahead of game
As New York basketball fans try to make sense of the news that reporters who cover the Knicks will not have access to the team’s locker room before game 3 of the NBA finals on Monday, there is speculation that Donald Trump could be planning to engage in some, well, locker room talk with the players when he arrives at Madison Square Garden.
Outside the world’s most famous arena, a huge swath of midtown Manhattan went into lockdown on Monday evening, to ensure the president’s safety in the city that knows him best, and voted resoundingly against him all three times he ran for president, most recently handing his opponent Kamala Harris a 68%-30% landslide victory in 2024.
One fan who managed to get into the arena before the game, Spike Lee , is wearing a version of a Knicks jersey that could be seen as anti-Trump: it reads “ Pope Leo 14 ” and was autographed by the American pope Trump has clashed with.
Updated at 1.26am BST
11.11pm BST
Key event
Independent senator Bernie Sanders announced he was working on legislation that would create a sovereign wealth fund that would take stakes in AI companies to manage the technology’s expected disruptions to the economy and day-to-day life.
“Seems to me that, given the fact that it is the people who whose work is the foundation, whose labor is the foundation of AI, they should have some say in the future of AI,” Sanders said at an event hosted by the National Press Club in Washington DC Monday.
The bill, which Sanders said he would release in the coming weeks, would give the proposed fund a 50% stake in major AI companies and half the seats on their boards. “What it will give us is the ability to stop decisions that are simply geared to make more and more profit for the owners of the industry,” Sanders said, comparing the proposal to sovereign wealth funds in Norway and Alaska that manage proceeds from those regions’ oil production.
In March, Sanders introduced a federal moratorium on new datacenter construction, with New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introducing the House version. Sanders argued the construction halt was necessary to slow down the growth of the AI industry so that proper regulations could first be applied.
“There are very few people who doubt that AI is the most transformational technology in the history of the world. It makes the industrial revolution seem very, very modest,” Sanders said.
Speaking of his datacenter moratorium, the senator said: “Let’s get our act together. Let’s know where we are going, what the impact is going to be on working people, on ordinary Americans, before we proceed.”
11.05pm BST
Tina Smith, who replaced Al Franken in the Senate over #MeToo allegations, says she would vote for Graham Platner, 'no question'
Senator Tina Smith , a Minnesota Democrat, said in a social media post on Monday that she would vote for Graham Platner if she lived in Maine, where he is running for the US Senate, despite allegations of misconduct from one former romantic partner.
“Graham Platner is gonna win because he has connected with Mainers on what they really care about: How this country can work for them, not just the wealthy. He’ll win because he’s not part of the Washington establishment”, Smith wrote . “If I voted in Maine he’d have my support, no question.”
Smith was first appointed to the Senate in 2017 to replace Al Franken , who resigned at the height of the #MeToo movement after allegations of unwanted touching or kissing from several women.
(In the interest of full disclosure, your current live blogger worked briefly for Franken’s radio show in 2004.)
Updated at 11.08pm BST
10.41pm BST
Sanders says Trump's NBC interview shows he is 'a mentally unstable person who has strong paranoid tendencies'
Speaking to Robert Costa, the CBS News correspondent, at the National Press Club in Washington on Monday, senator Bernie Sanders said that Americans of all parties “are disgusted” with Donald Trump ’s “illegal and unconstitutional war in Iran”.
“People are tired of the arrogance, the narcissism. I mean, you know, we get used to this stuff, but the idea that you have a president wants to name every bloody thing after himself is weird”, the runner-up for the Democratic nomination for the presidency in both 2016 and 2020 continued.
Trump’s Meet the Press interview over the weekend, Sanders added: “Again, we say, ‘Oh well, that’s just Trump’. But that is a mentally unstable person… who has strong paranoid tendencies.
“I mean, NBC is against him, ABC is against him, CBS is against him”, Sanders went on, mocking Trump’s intemperate complaint that he gets “bad press” before he stormed ou of the interview after being pressed to present evidence for his baseless claim that US elections are “rigged”.
“That is, to say the least a dangerous situation for somebody like that to be in the White House”, Sanders said.
10.22pm BST
Bernie Sanders says he is not running for president in 2028
Asked about supporters who want to see him run for the presidency again in 2028, Bernie Sanders , who would turn 87 before the election that year, joked that that is “because they want youthful vigor in the White House!”
Ventriloquizing his supporters, he continued: “'We’re tired of these 30 and 40 year old people; what we really need are 80 year olds running the country!”
“I suspect that’s not going to happen”, he added. “I know I look like I am 30. I am not.”
10.12pm BST
Bernie Sanders says he will 'do everything I can to make sure Graham Platner' wins Maine Senate race
In an interview at the National Press Club in Washington DC on Monday, Bernie Sanders , the socialist senator from Vermont, was asked if he still supports Graham Platner , who is running for the Democratic nomination for the US Senate, despite allegations of misconduct by a former romantic partner.
“I’m going to do everything I can to make sure Graham Platner is the next senator from the state of Maine,” Sanders said.
Lyndsey Fifield , a Republican operative Platner dated between 2013 and 2105, told the New York Times that he was physically abusive to her on two occasions and that he knew then that a tattoo on his chest he got while serving in the military was a Nazi symbol. Platner denied ever being physically abusive or knowing that the tattoo was used by the Nazi SS until recently, when he had it covered up.
After the event was disrupted by protesters calling on Sanders to vote against all US aid to Israel, Sanders was pressed on those allegations.
Sanders, who was an early and ardent backer of Platner, said his Republican opponents are not worried about Platner’s treatment of women. “What they are worried about is that he is is going to be a strong voice against oligarchy.”
He then noted that Platner had served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan in the US military and suffered from PTSD as a result, when he got home. “He saw some horrible things and participated in some very horrible things one wishes human beings did not have to go through,” Sanders said. He added that Platner got help, through the VA, and is now married and has “gotten his life together.”
“Sp, to my mind, I don’t know what is true or not true. He denies it, she says something else. But what I do know is that there are people in the United States Senate right now who are not saints,” he added.
“There are people who have voted for tax breaks for billionaires, and threw 15 million people off of their health care that they had which resulted in tens of thousand of Americans dying,” he continued. “There are people who voted for the war in Iraq, which was based on a lie; there are people who voted to support the president in this terrible war in Iran right now.”
“To my mind right now we need allies in the United States Senate who have the guts to take on the big money that is dominating this country, who have the guts to say that every American is entitled to health care as a human right”, Sanders added.
“People who have the guts, and in his case, from a very personal experience, that we don’t go into wars unless we know what we are fighting for and unless those wars are based on truth not lies”, the senator concluded. “I’m supporting Graham Platner.”
Updated at 10.16pm BST
9.43pm BST
Adam Schiff says Todd Blanche is still acting as Donald Trump’s criminal defense lawyer' and should not be attorney general
Senator Adam Schiff , a California Democrat and former federal prosecutor who serves on the Senate judiciary committee, has released a statement opposing the confirmation of Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, to the job on a permanent basis.
Schiff says that Blanche has continued to act as Trump’s personal lawyer, noting in particular: his support for the indictment of James Comey , the former FBI director and Trump critic, for posting an Instagram photo of seashells on a beach arranged to read: “86 47”; his decree that Trump and his family should be exempt from prosecution or audits by the IRS; his approval of a $1.776bn fund to reward Trump supporters who claim that they were prosecuted on political grounds.
Here is Schiff’s statement in full:
“At every turn, Todd Blanche has been unable to put aside his role as Donald Trump’s criminal defense lawyer and represent the American people instead.
“He has allowed the President to abuse the Department of Justice to go after his political enemies with absurd seashells cases, engaged in the most blatant self-dealing by representing both Trump and his government in an IRS scam, and blessed a corrupt slush fund for cop beaters.
“This is hardly the stuff of Attorney Generals.
“The Senate must vigorously oppose his confirmation.”
9.32pm BST
Chuck Grassley says Todd Blanche, Trump's former personal lawyer, 'is well-qualified' to be attorney general
Chuck Grassley , the Republican chair of the US Senate judiciary committee that has to confirm a new attorney general, said in a statement on Monday that Donald Trump has officially nominated his former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche , now the acting attorney general. In a statement, Grassley also called Blanche, a “well-qualified” nominee.
Here is Grassley’s full statement :
Today, the Senate received President Trump’s nomination of Todd Blanche to be United States Attorney General. Maintaining the Department of Justice’s ability to protect Americans from crime and hold criminals accountable is essential for the safety of American families. I’ve worked well with Acting Attorney General Blanche for more than a year and appreciate his commitment to transparency and support for law enforcement. Blanche is well-qualified and has shown his dedication to restoring law and order across our country. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s work to process Blanche’s nomination is underway.”
Updated at 9.52pm BST
9.14pm BST
Trump nominates Todd Blanche to serve permanently as attorney general
As expected, Donald Trump has nominated Todd Blanche to serve permanently as attorney general, lining up his former personal lawyer to be the country’s top law enforcement officer.
The US president suggested last week that Blanche, who was appointed on an acting basis in April after the president fired Pam Bondi , was set to receive the nod. “He’s a very talented guy,” Trump told a podcast.
Under Blanche – a staunch ally of Trump – the US Department of Justice has pursued a series of controversial actions, including the unveiling of criminal charges against James Comey , the former FBI director, representing an escalation of its investigation into former CIA director, John Brennan , and the removal of press releases about prosecutions of rioters who attacked the US Capitol on January 6 .
Blanche also played a key role in the effort to create a $1.8bn “anti-weaponization” fund to compensate Trump’s allies. On Tuesday, he abruptly announced the fund had been axed , amid widespread condemnation of the plan, but a provision granting Trump, his family and his businesses immunity from IRS audits would remain in place.
Blanche’s appointment will require confirmation in the US Senate, where even Republicans pushed back against the proposed fund.
Hours after Trump announced his intention to nominate Blanche permanently for the position, Senate majority leader John Thune said it was “hard to say” whether Blanche will have a difficult time getting the votes.
“I think obviously most of our members are pretty deferential to who the president wants in these key positions. He’s already serving in the role already, and clearly has experience in it,” Thune said. “But this is an environment where nothing is a safe or sure bet.”
9.08pm BST
Explainer: Trump claims he ‘didn’t guarantee’ no US wars. Here’s what he’s actually said
Donald Trump has forcefully denied he ever promised not to draw the US into war, having spent years pledging to avoid doing just that.
The US president’s own biography on the White House website credits him with “putting a stop to endless wars” – raising questions about the US-Israel war on Iran , which he launched, with no end currently in sight.
NBC’s Kristen Welker pressed Trump in a Meet the Press interview that aired yesterday about his previous pledges to refrain from starting wars.
“Mr President, in your first term, you held to that promise, and it was so fundamental to who you were as a candidate, to a first-term president,” she said. “What changed? Because you insisted no new wars.”
“I didn’t guarantee no war,” Trump interjected. “Why would I have built the strongest military in the world? I built our military.”
His response sharply contradicts previous comments he has made over the years, including when accepting his victory in the 2024 US presidential election.
We want want security. We want to have things be good, safe. We want great education. We want a strong and powerful military. And ideally, we don’t have to use it. You know, we had no war – four years, we had no wars, except we defeated Isis. We defeated Isis in record time, but we had no wars.
They said: ‘He will start a war.’ I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars.
My colleague George Chidi has compiled all the president’s war quotes here:
Related: Trump claims he ‘didn’t guarantee’ no US wars. Here’s what he’s actually said
9.04pm BST
The day so far
Fears of a return to a full-scale regional war eased on Monday as Israel and Iran said they had halted attacks on each other after an appeal from Donald Trump to “immediately stop shooting”. The new violence has complicated Trump’s push to end the war he and Israel started back in February. Trump has leaned on Israel to stop its attacks in Lebanon to allow room for a deal to end the wider war with Iran, including an obscenities-filled rebuke of Netanyahu in a phone call last week, but the Israeli PM faces an election later this year and is under domestic pressure to continue efforts to broaden his assault on Lebanon. Here’s our news story and analysis of the ever more strained Trump-Netanyahu relationship.
A federal judge struck down a $100,000 fee that Trump imposed on new H-1B visas for foreign workers in highly skilled occupations, such as IT, healthcare and engineering, as unlawful and said it must be invalidated. Judge Leo Sorokin, an Obama appointee, concluded that the fee was not a penalty but a tax that the president lacked any authorization from Congress to issue. Here’s our report .
Trump again repeated his baseless claim that the California elections were “rigged”, this time in reference to the Los Angeles mayoral primary and reality TV star Spencer Pratt . “Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the L.A. runoffs after the big lead he had,” Trump posted on Truth Social. It comes as Nithya Raman, the progressive Los Angeles city councillor, appeared to be edging out Pratt in the race. More on that here .
The Trump administration has plans to announce today that it is seeking to revoke the citizenship of 17 US citizens accused of immigration fraud, CBS News reported , significantly expanding Trump’s already unprecedented denaturalization drive . Justice department officials told CBS News the move represents the largest-ever effort by the US government to use its denaturalization powers, which were rarely invoked before Trump returned to the White House last year with promises to launch a historic mass deportation campaign. More on this story here .
Trump’s hardline border czar Tom Homan again threatened to dispatch a surge of immigration agents to New York City, as the administration vows to press ahead with its controversial crackdown. Homan said he had reviewed a plan to expand ICE operations in New York and deploy “more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen” in the city. It comes as millions are expected to visit the region to celebrate the New York Knicks in the NBA finals, as well as for the Fifa World Cup final, which will take place in New Jersey. “We will not allow ICE or anyone else to sow fear in our communities – especially at this moment,” Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s Democratic mayor, responded on X. “As the world comes to our city, we will stand proudly with our immigrant neighbors and reject these attacks for what they are: an attempt to divide us.”
And finally, a five-block area around Madison Square Garden will be on virtual lockdown during Trump’s visit for tonight’s NBA Finals game. Amid heightened security due to Trump’s attendance, the watch party outside MSG was cancelled, though the city has organized other free ones in Central Park and Brooklyn Bowl. Go Knicks!
8.40pm BST
Analysis: complex relationship between Trump and Netanyahu continues to undermine Middle East ceasefire
The latest eruption of hostilities between Israel and Iran appears to have been contained for now after Donald Trump insisted he called “all the shots” in the Middle East, but in a dangerously fragile region Benjamin Netanyahu has again shown he is ready to take shots of his own.
The exchange of missiles on Sunday and Monday was ample demonstration of the inherent instability of the current limbo between war and peace, but it also shone a bright light on the complex and conflicted relationship between the US president and the Israeli prime minister, frenemies who could determine the fate of the current ceasefire .
Trump and Netanyahu went to war together against Iran on 28 February but fell out of step within days , as soon as it was clear that the quick victory and regime change promised by the Israelis was unlikely to materialise. From then on, their interests have increasingly diverged.
Netanyahu’s political logic drives him towards further onslaught in the hope of a breakthrough, such as regime collapse in Tehran. To secure support from the Israeli far right, Netanyahu has to show himself ready to defy Trump from time to time in pursuing that multi-front campaign, but no leader of Israel can afford to burn bridges with Washington, its principal security guarantor. That leaves a fine line to tread.
Persuading Trump to join the attack on Iran was the biggest victory of Netanyahu’s career, but that triumph is crumbling. The US-Iranian peace deal is being negotiated without Israeli participation, and in its current reported form, would leave the regime in power with a restricted but continuing nuclear programme. By Tehran’s insistence, any agreement would also tie Israel’s hands in dealing with Hezbollah in Lebanon .
Netanyahu’s best bet for his political survival is that the peace talks will fail , and the US will be drawn back into the war on Iran. Officials in his government have consistently predicted that outcome in off-the-record briefings, and so far they have been right. For all his repeated claims that peace is almost at hand, Trump has clearly found it hard to stomach any deal that would compare with the nuclear agreement achieved by Barack Obama in 2015, especially if it involves anything as visually embarrassing as the delivery of unfrozen Iranian assets in the form of pallets of cash flown into Tehran. The weekend’s eruption of hostilities and their temporary resolution does not bring an exit from that limbo any closer.
So far this year, Trump and Netanyahu have found common remedy for their domestic predicament by going to war. Netanyahu is still determined to press on and take US military might with him, while Trump is wavering. As long as this two-man drama remains unresolved, the Middle East will continue to pay the price.
Here’s Julian’s full analysis:
Related: Complex relationship between Trump and Netanyahu continues to undermine Middle East ceasefire
Updated at 9.07pm BST
7.54pm BST
Scientists inside the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency have told CNN (paywall) they are being pushed to downplay potential risks of household products such as cleaners and cosmetics .
According to CNN’s report, the scientists say they are “ under pressure to alter safety reviews of chemicals commonly found in consumer products like household cleaners and cosmetics to make risks to human health and the environment disappear on paper ”.
They are also “being told to stop considering the impact a chemical may have on specific racial groups ” and “some veteran employees say they have been pressed to make chemicals appear safe by coming up with test parameters that aren’t realistic ”.
The EPA said it is “using realistic exposure scenarios rather than defaulting to compounded worst-case assumptions”, and is maintaining “gold-standard science”.
Updated at 8.22pm BST
7.11pm BST
Trump ’s border czar Tom Homan ’s latest threat to send more ICE agents to New York City comes as millions are expected to visit the region to celebrate the New York Knicks in the NBA finals , as well as for the Fifa World Cup final , which will take place about 10 miles outside of the city, in New Jersey.
“We will not allow ICE or anyone else to sow fear in our communities – especially at this moment,” Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s Democratic mayor, responded on X. “As the world comes to our city, we will stand proudly with our immigrant neighbors and reject these attacks for what they are: an attempt to divide us .”
“Soccer would not exist without immigrants,” Mamdani added. “Immigrants play and coach the game, work in the stadiums, fill the stands, and make celebrations like the World Cup possible. Six of the players on the US Men’s National Team are immigrants.”
It comes as immigrant rights advocates have issued travel warnings for the 10 million visitors expected to travel to the US for the World Cup, the world’s largest sporting event, that they risk “serious rights violations” under the current political climate, including “arbitrary denial of entry and risk of arrest, detention and/or deportation”.
A reminder that least 18 people have died this year in ICE custody. And in January, amidst an enforcement surge in Minneapolis , immigration officers killed two US citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti , in a matter of weeks.
Updated at 8.37pm BST
7.03pm BST
The Iranian regime has announced the end of attacks against Israel , while Donald Trump has claimed both sides “want a ceasefire”. This comes after Israel and Iran attacked each other’s territory for the first time since a fragile ceasefire took effect in April. The Israeli strikes are in apparent defiance of the US president, who told Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate against Iran, in order to avoid derailing peace talks.
To unpack all of this in today’s edition of The Latest podcast, Nosheen Iqbal speaks to the Guardian’s senior international correspondent Julian Borger .
Updated at 8.38pm BST
6.56pm BST
Further to that last post , the increase in fees under Trump discouraged H-1B visa requests, Reuters reports. As of 15 February, USCIS had received just 85 payments of the $100,000 fee, the administration said in a March filing.
The administration argued that the fee constituted a monetary penalty that the president had lawful authority to impose under federal immigration law to restrict the entry of certain foreign nationals.
But Judge Leo Sorokin , an Obama appointee, concluded that the fee was not a penalty but a tax that the president lacked any authorization from Congress to issue . He wrote:
Here, the substance and application of the $100,000 payment reveal that it is a tax, regardless of what the payment is called.
Updated at 6.57pm BST
6.34pm BST
Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee is unlawful, US judge rules
A federal judge has struck down a $100,000 fee that Donald Trump imposed on new H-1B visas for foreign workers in highly skilled occupations, such as IT, healthcare and engineering, as unlawful and said it must be invalidated.
US district judge Leo Sorokin in Boston issued the ruling in a lawsuit filed by 20 Democratic state attorneys general challenging a fee Trump announced last year that dramatically raised the cost of obtaining H-1B visas.
There are as many as 730,000 H-1B holders in the US, and an additional 550,000 dependents, including spouses and children, who together make up nearly 1.3 million residents, according to a January 2025 report from fwd.us, an immigration and criminal justice advocacy group.
The cost for an H-1B previously ranged from about $1,700 to $4,500 , depending on whether the visa was expedited. Each year, Congress caps H-1B visas at 85,000, awarded through a lottery system. To enter, companies pay a $215 registration fee, followed by the thousands of dollars more in application fees and legal costs if selected.
But in September, the Trump administration increased the fee for skilled foreign workers applying for H-1B visas to $100,000, claiming the visas were being “abused” to undercut American wages and outsource IT jobs.
6.07pm BST
In the highly watched Senate election in Texas, in which Democrat James Talarico will be battling it out the Trump-backed Ken Paxton , Talarico has gained an unlikely supporter.
Dan Cogdell, an attorney who helped lead Paxton’s defense during his 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges, gave a statement to NOTUS on Monday that he would be supporting Talarico.
Cogdell told Notus that his former client – the attorney general of Texas – “has lost sight of his core mission, which is to represent the people of Texas.
“And unlike Ken, I believe to my core that James Talarico believes in unity over division and that he knows how to assemble not only Democrats, but Independents and Republicans, and we need that right now,” Cogdell said.
Updated at 6.19pm BST
5.53pm BST
Trump’s border czar threatens to send ‘more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen’ to New York City
Donald Trump ’s hardline border czar has again threatened to dispatch a surge of immigration agents to New York City , as the administration vows to press ahead with its controversial crackdown.
Tom Homan said today that he had reviewed a plan to expand Immigration Enforcement and Customs (ICE) operations in New York and deploy “more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen” in the city.
Homan said in an interview on Fox News that he is making good on a promise he made to Kathy Hochul , the Democratic governor of New York, that he would increase ICE presence in New York if the state passed legislation barring state and local law enforcement from working with immigration in New York jails.
Hochul signed the bill into law at the end of last month.
“ I made her a promise: you’re going to see more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen in New York City, and it’s coming ,” Homan said. “ I just reviewed an operational plan. ”
Homan has repeatedly threatened to send more ICE personnel to New York, as well as to other Democrat-run sanctuary cities around the country that limit the cooperation between local agencies and federal immigration authorities.
Such a move has so far yet to materialize in New York.
More here:
Related: Trump’s border czar threatens to send ‘more ICE agents than you’ve ever seen’ to New York City
Updated at 6.27pm BST
5.35pm BST
Trump invokes rigged California election claim over Spencer Pratt mayoral results in LA
Donald Trump again repeated his claim on Monday that the California election was rigged, this time in reference to the Los Angeles mayoral primary and reality TV star Spencer Pratt .
“Not possible for Spencer Pratt to have lost the L.A. runoffs after the big lead he had,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Trump had endorsed Pratt , a former Republican, a move that may have acted more as a hindrance than a help in deep-blue Los Angeles. Pratt has fallen behind LA city council member Nithya Raman in the contest to face the incumbent mayor, Karen Bass , in the November run-off election.
In the same post, Trump called California a “3rd World Nation” before declaring “Rigged Elections!” and asserting that “they” will now “be working on great guy Steve Hilton” – a Republican in the California gubernatorial race.
Updated at 7.31pm BST
5.18pm BST
Donald Trump on Monday posted on Truth Social that “ Israel and Iran must immediately stop ‘shooting’” before claiming an hour later that Israel and Iran were “looking to do an immediate ceasefire” and that “final negotiations on peace” were under way.
While he did not provide any further details, AFP reports that Trump had called Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
For more live coverage of the Middle East, follow along here .
Updated at 5.49pm BST
5.03pm BST
Further to my earlier post about the lawsuit filed against Trump’s UFC event at the White House, my colleague Joseph Gedeon notes in his report that, adding to the conflict of interest allegations, Trump’s financial disclosures show he purchased up to $50,000 worth of stock in TKO Group Holdings, the UFC’s parent company, in March .
“This is fundamentally a private, commercial, corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain,” Brendan Ballou, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told the Associated Press .
Related: Lawsuit aims to block UFC event at White House on Trump’s birthday
4.48pm BST
Kennedy Center removes Trump’s name from its website after US judge’s order
The Kennedy Center has removed Donald Trump ’s name from its website , although the front of the performing arts venue as of today still reads: “The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”
It comes over a week after a federal judge ruled that the name change had been carried out unlawfully and ordered the take-down of all physical signage bearing Trump’s name and the elimination of any references to a “Trump Kennedy Center” from official materials within 14 days (which takes us up to this Friday).
In his ruling, US district judge Christopher Cooper said that Congress had been “crystal clear” when it renamed the National Cultural Center as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” and designated it a “living memorial” to the former president.
“Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name,” he wrote. “And only Congress can change it.”
My colleague Maya Yang has the story:
Related: Kennedy Center removes Trump’s name from its website after US judge’s order
Updated at 6.53pm BST
4.14pm BST
Trump administration reportedly set to launch largest-ever effort to denaturalize US citizens accused of fraud and other crimes
The Trump administration has plans to announce today that it is seeking to revoke the citizenship of 17 US citizens accused of immigration fraud, CBS News reports , significantly expanding Donald Trump ’s already unprecedented denaturalization drive .
Justice department officials told CBS News the move represents the largest-ever effort by the US government to use its denaturalization powers , which were rarely invoked before Trump returned to the White House last year with promises to launch a historic mass deportation campaign.
As part of that wider crackdown on both illegal and legal immigration, the second Trump administration has sought to vastly escalate denaturalization efforts . Between 1990 and 2017, the DOJ filed an average of just 11 such cases per year.
Per CBS News’s report:
Some of the 17 citizens targeted in the latest denaturalization campaign were convicted of violent or serious crimes, including sex offenses against children. Others were convicted of fraud crimes or accused of committing immigration fraud.
In federal court complaints filed across the country in recent days, justice department officials argued that the individuals concealed their criminal activity when they applied for US citizenship or were otherwise ineligible to be naturalized, including because they lacked a ‘good moral character’, one of the requirements in the naturalization process.
Those targeted in the latest round of denaturalization cases include a Haitian immigrant who allegedly sexually abused his daughter; a man from the former Yugoslavia convicted of sexually abusing a child under the age of 15; an immigrant from Mexico convicted of receiving sexually explicit images of minors; a former Catholic priest born in Colombia accused of child sex abuse; and a Filipino-born man who pleaded guilty to a child sex crime.
The group also includes an Indian immigrant accused of filing fraudulent H-1B visa petitions; the daughter of a Colombian drug trafficker accused of money laundering; a man born in Jamaica convicted of wire fraud; and a Cuban-born woman accused of defrauding a tribal casino. Other naturalized citizens were accused of using false identities.
Acting attorney general Todd Blanche told CBS News the DOJ would have “zero tolerance” for abuse of the naturalization process. “Criminal aliens are lying about their past crimes, including drug dealers, sexual predators, and fraudsters,” he said.
Homeland security secretary Markwayne Mullin told the outlet the Trump administration would “continue to use every lawful avenue to denaturalize and remove aliens”. He added: “American citizenship is a privilege, and it must be earned honestly. If you come here, break our laws, and lie in your immigration proceedings, you forfeit that privilege.”
Updated at 7.49pm BST
3.42pm BST
The US state department has taken steps to impose sanctions on more than 100 Nicaraguan officials in the Murillo-Ortega authoritarian regime and their family members.
Secretary of state Marco Rubio called the leadership “an enemy of humanity”, adding that “the Trump administration will not ignore their crimes and brutality, including the dictatorship’s singular role in the death of political opposition leader Brooklyn Rivera.
“The United States stands with the Nicaraguan people who, like Rivera, aspire to see a free Nicaragua,” Rubio said in his statement.
The move comes after sanctions were imposed on five senior Nicaraguan officials in February (building on measures under the Biden and first Trump administrations), and on a number of individuals and companies that operate in the country’s gold sector , including two sons of the country’s co-presidents, in April.
Updated at 3.47pm BST
3.11pm BST
A five-block area around Madison Square Garden will be on virtual lockdown during Donald Trump ’s visit for tonight’s NBA Finals game.
Amid a fevered atmosphere in New York as the Knicks attempt to win their first NBA title since 1973, the watch party outside MSG was cancelled and enhanced security will be in place due to Trump’s attendance.
“Because of that [presidential] visit, in coordination with the US Secret Service, there will unfortunately be no watch party outside Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the Finals,” NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference this morning .
No one without an “authorized reason” will be allowed in the secured area from West 30th to West 35th streets, between Sixth and Eighth avenues, she said.
I think New Yorkers are used to presidents coming to town, and they understand that that generally means lockdowns of areas, and that’s what you’re going to see tonight at the Garden.
Watch parties outside Madison Square Garden will resume for Game 4, when the president is not scheduled to attend, Tisch added.
City Hall announced another watch party with capacity for 5,000 at Bryant Park (free, registration required), in addition to events at Wollman Rink in Central Park and Brooklyn Bowl.
Updated at 3.54pm BST
2.25pm BST
Lawsuit seeks to stop UFC fight on White House South Lawn for Trump’s birthday
A federal lawsuit seeks to halt the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship event on the White House South Lawn in a mixed martial arts show timed for Donald Trump’ s 80th birthday and part of the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
As the event approaches, a 92ft tall, 600-ton fighting ring dubbed “The Claw” has been erected on the White House’s South Lawn.
The filing on Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the 14 June event was unlawful.
The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the erection of “The Claw” and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.
It says that UFC CEO Dana White , a longtime Trump friend and ally, has denied that the event’s timing is a birthday celebration for Trump and has maintained the timing is a “coincidence”. But, the suit adds, White has acknowledged that the event was “Trump’s idea”.
The suit also argues that the fight is “private” and “for-profit”, and alleges that even though the UFC claims it is “eating” the whole cost of the event and is not selling tickets, “the event will likely be profitable for the UFC and its partners” as the organization is selling VIP and sponsorship packages.
It also claims, that while some preliminary fights will be broadcast on cable networks, the “main card” will be exclusively broadcast on streaming platform Paramount+, noting that Paramount Skydance is “run by two other Trump allies, Larry and David Ellison”.
The filing reads:
The UFC Freedom 250 event also is not being held ‘for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence.’ Rather, UFC Freedom 250 is being held for the financial benefit of the UFC, Paramount, and their advertisers, and to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Donald Trump’s birth.
The White House said in a statement to the Associated Press that the legal challenge was “an obstructionist, baseless, and dilatory” attempt to prevent Trump from hosting the fight and that the event was “no different than the various other White House-hosted events on the South Lawn and properly permitted events on the Ellipse and National Mall throughout the year.”
Updated at 3.00pm BST
1.34pm BST
Trump doesn’t rule out giving January 6 rioters who attacked police payouts from ‘anti-weaponization’ fund
In case you missed it yesterday, Donald Trump walked out of an explosive interview with NBC’s Meet the Press after he repeatedly made false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and faced questions about compensation for those charged in the January 6 insurrection. (You can watch the interview here .)
Trump falsely claimed that the California gubernatorial race was “rigged” while asserting untrue claims of cheating in the 2020 US presidential election.
“It’s four days and they aren’t even close to counting [ballots],” Trump argued, as NBC’s Kristen Welker argued that was standard for California’s election process . When Welker asked the president for any evidence on the gubernatorial race being fraudulent, he also accused the veteran reporter of being “crooked”.
When Welker later tried to ask additional questions, Trump continued to assert that NBC was “crooked” and ended the interview. “Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough,” said Trump, taking off his microphone. “Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”
Earlier in the interview, Trump also became irritated as Welker asked if those who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers during the January 6 riots would be eligible for funding included in Trump’s controversial “anti-weaponization” fund.
Trump claimed – without evidence – that rioters were actually invited into the US Capitol by FBI agents and took plea deals due to fears of longer prison sentences .
“You know why they pleaded guilty? Because they were told they were going to jail for 15 years … because they were frightened. They were down. They were ushered into a building,” Trump said, refusing to answer if such individuals should receive taxpayer funding .
Related: Trump walks out of interview with NBC’s Meet the Press after clash over election claims
Updated at 1.53pm BST
1.19pm BST
Maine voters head to polls for closely watched primary election
Shrai Popat and David Smith
Voters in Maine head to the polls today for one of the most closely watched primary elections in the country. The US Senate race has become a national fixation as Democrats try to unseat a longtime Republican with a political newcomer who has spent months under fire .
Graham Platner , 41, is set to advance as the Democratic nominee for the Senate, after his primary rival – the state’s two-term governor, Janet Mills – suspended her campaign in April. The primary result will probably set up a months-long contest between Platner, an oysterman and marine veteran with a groundswell of popularity and a mounting list of scandals, and Susan Collins , a 73-year-old GOP senator who has held the seat for nearly three decades.
Democrats see Maine as one of their few real pickup opportunities in the fight for Senate control. Platner’s barnstorming run has drawn big crowds in rural towns and fueled a surge of in‑ and out‑of‑state donations. His populist message has tapped into a base fed up with Washington’s machinations. “Our tax dollars can build schools and hospitals in America instead of bombs to drop on them in Gaza and Iran,” he told supporters in Portland recently. He often leans on his combat experience – and the healthcare he says he receives from being “blown up enough times” – for his push to overhaul the system.
For her part, Collins last appeared on the ballot in 2020, winning a fifth term even as Joe Biden carried the state. She beat Democrat Sara Gideon by nine points despite trailing in polls. But this year many Republicans are being pressed on Donald Trump ’s unpopular policies.
Collins has long walked a tightrope with the US president. She has defied him directly by voting for his second impeachment conviction and opposing Pete Hegseth’s defense secretary nomination. Yet she has also anchored some of the president’s biggest priorities – most notably her vote for Brett Kavanaugh, a move that ultimately helped enable the overturning of Roe v Wade. This midterm cycle, Democrats are hoping to frame Collins’ moderation as outright complicity with the Trump administration.
Platner holds a narrow lead over Collins in recent polling, which has tightened from a once-comfortable margin after his latest controversies.
More on that here:
Related: Maine voters head to polls on Tuesday for closely watched primary election
Updated at 1.31pm BST
12.53pm BST
Trump repeats claim that California election is rigged
Welcome to our coverage of US politics.
Donald Trump has repeated a claim made during an NBC interview on Sunday that he walked out of claiming that the California gubernatorial race is rigged.
On Monday, the US president posted a screenshot of congressman Abe Hamadeh ’s post on X, who claimed that California is “incapable of running free and fair elections consistent with our constitution”.
Trump posted the screenshot on Truth Social, with the original post by Hamadeh referring to election data platform Decision Desk HQ that Nithya Raman is projected to win the second of two spots in the CA Los Angeles mayor non-partisan primary election.
In response, Trump wrote: “No way this could have happened. Rigged Election!”
This comes after he walked out of an NBC interview aired on Sunday, where he falsely claimed that the California gubernatorial race was “rigged” while asserting untrue claims of cheating in the 2020 US presidential elections.
“It’s four days and they aren’t even close to counting [ballots],” he said – as interviewer Kristen Welker argued that this was standard process in California. When he was asked about what his evidence was to suggest that the California election is “rigged”, Trump accused Welker of being “crooked” and later “stupid”.
When NBC tried to continue to pose questions to the president, he took off his microphone, and said: “Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”
Read the full story about Trump walking out of the NBC interview here:
Related: Trump walks out of interview with NBC’s Meet the Press after clash over election claims
In other developments:
Later today Trump is expected to attend a campaign rally in New Jersey, before attending the Knicks game in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Trump’s appearance at the game means that there will be heightened security, a strict no-bag policy and airport-style screening for attenders of the game.
This comes after a stabbing occurred in Penn Station directly below the arena, injuring six people. The suspect is in custody.
The president also claimed that Iran’s military had been “virtually decapitated” as the war between the Middle Eastern country and the US reaches its 100th day. Earlier today, Trump urged Iran and Israel to “stop shooting” in a social media post. You can follow our Middle East liveblog coverage here:
Related: Middle East crisis live: Iran announces end of attacks against Israel as Trump claims both sides want ‘immediate ceasefire’
Updated at 1.05pm BST