that a central to President Donald Trump鈥檚 does not adhere to the chamber鈥檚 procedural rules, delivering a crucial blow as Republicans rush to finish the package this week.
Guidance from is rarely ignored and Republican leaders are now forced to consider difficult options. Republicans were counting on big to offset trillions of dollars in , their top priority. Additionally, the Senate鈥檚 chief arbiter of its often complicated rules had advised against various GOP provisions barring certain immigrants from health care programs.
Trump wants the legislation, which includes tax reductions, Medicaid cuts, and border enforcement, passed by July 4.
Here's the latest:
Kennedy鈥檚 advisers have endorsed flu vaccines for just about every American
But they threw in a twist: Only use certain shots free of an ingredient antivaccine groups have falsely tied to autism.
What is normally a routine step in preparing for the upcoming flu season drew intense scrutiny after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. the influential 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and that include several vaccine skeptics.
That seven-member panel bucked another norm Thursday: It deliberated the safety of a preservative used in less than 5% of U.S. flu vaccinations based on a presentation from an antivaccine group鈥檚 former leader 鈥� without allowing the usual public airing of scientific data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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WTO warns goods trade could slow in the coming months
The World Trade Organization reported Thursday that goods trade rose strongly in the first part of 2025 as importers frontloaded purchases in anticipation of expected higher tariffs. But it also cautioned that export orders have begun to weaken, suggesting that the momentum earlier in the year may not last.
The Geneva-based trade body said its latest goods trade barometer 鈥� which tracks trends in global trade 鈥� rose to 103.5 in April, up 0.7 percentage points from the last reading in March.
A reading of 100 is considered the baseline, so any reading over that is above trend.
However, the tracker on new export orders came in at 97.9.
The report alluded to uncertainty caused by sweeping U.S. tariffs under the Trump administration launched in early April that have since largely been eased.
Prosecutors say the US plans to initiate removal proceedings against Abrego Garcia
Federal prosecutors told a judge Thursday that the government plans to deport Abrego Garcia to a country that is not El Salvador upon his release from a Tennessee jail.
But the prosecutors also said that they would comply with all court orders and that their plans are not imminent.
Trump tries to push his legislative agenda over the finish line
Before wrapping up her briefing, Leavitt expressed confidence that the 鈥渂ig beautiful bill鈥� will be approved by Congress on the president鈥檚 timeline.
鈥淚 know everyone looks forward to being here at the White House for the bill signing next week,鈥� she said.
Trump is holding an event later in the afternoon to press his case. He wants the legislation, which includes tax reductions, Medicaid cuts, and border enforcement, passed by July 4.
鈥榃hen you have a totalitarian regime, you have to save face鈥�
The White House brushed off the ayatollah鈥檚 defiant message.
鈥淎ny commonsense, open-minded person knows the truth about the precision strikes on Saturday night,鈥� Leavitt said. 鈥淭hey were wildly successful.鈥�
Kilmar Abrego Garcia鈥檚 lawyers ask judge to order him returned to Maryland when he鈥檚 released from jail
The lawyers say that would prevent attempts by immigration officials to deport Abrego Garcia when he is released from jail in Tennessee.
A federal judge in Tennessee has ruled that Abrego Garcia has a right to be released while he awaits trial on federal human smuggling charges. But she hasn鈥檛 released him over concerns of deportation.
Abrego Garcia lived in Maryland for more than a decade before the Trump administration him to his native El Salvador in March.mistakenly deported him in March to El Salvador.
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White House says Iran didn鈥檛 move uranium
The fate of Iran鈥檚 uranium stockpile is a critical question after U.S. strikes over the weekend.
Leavitt said the White House believes it was not whisked away from nuclear facilities between American missiles and bombs landed.
鈥淲e were watching closely and there was no indication to the United States that any of that enriched uranium was moved,鈥� she said.
White House says Trump ended 鈥榯he immediate threat鈥� of Iranian nuclear program
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt began Thursday鈥檚 briefing by touting a U.S. mission that 鈥渨ill go down in the history books鈥� as an 鈥渙verwhelming success.鈥�
She also said Trump 鈥渨ants peace鈥� and U.S. officials are in communication with Iranian leaders.
鈥淩ight now we鈥檙e on a diplomatic path with Iran,鈥� Leavitt said.
Israelis love Trump. But some are unnerved by vow to 鈥榮ave鈥� Netanyahu from his corruption trial
Trump鈥檚 call for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 corruption trial to be thrown out has plunged the American leader into one of Israel鈥檚 most heated debates, unnerving some in its political class just days after they unanimously praised his strikes on Iran.
Trump鈥檚 social media post condemning the trial as a 鈥淲ITCH HUNT,鈥� and his vow that the United States will be the one who 鈥渟aves鈥� Netanyahu from , came just two days after he in Iran to preserve a ceasefire.
Both were dramatic interventions in the affairs of an ally that previous U.S. administrations had always insisted was a sovereign nation that made its own decisions. Now the one leader nearly all Israelis seem to support has fully embraced the one who most divides them.
鈥淲ith all due respect for Trump, he is not supposed to interfere in a legal process in an independent country,鈥� opposition leader Yair Lapid told Israeli media.
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Gov. Pritzker dodges questions on presidential bid after announcing gubernatorial campaign
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was at a Thursday morning rally launching his bid for a third term in office next year.
鈥淚鈥檓 running for governor today because I want to be governor of Illinois,鈥� the Democrat told reporters.
Pritzker, a vocal critic of Trump who was a top contender as Kamala Harris鈥� running mate in 2024, has often been mentioned as a potential presidential candidate for his party.
Pritzker also beat back against Trump on Thursday, calling the president 鈥渁 megalomaniac narcissist鈥� and the GOP 鈥渇ascist freak show fanatics鈥� aiming to end democracy.
鈥淥ur story doesn鈥檛 have a king telling us what to do,鈥� he said as hundreds of supporters cheered 鈥淛B鈥� at Chicago鈥檚 Grand Crossing Park Field House, where Pritzker announced his first gubernatorial bid in 2017.
RFK says US is pulling funding from global vaccine group Gavi
U.S. Health Secretary says the country is pulling its support from the vaccines alliance , saying the organization has 鈥渋gnored the science鈥� and 鈥渓ost the public trust.鈥�
A video of Kennedy鈥檚 short speech was shown to a Gavi meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, where the organization that has paid for through routine immunization programs was hoping to raise at least $9 billion for the next five years.
Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, mentioned Gavi鈥檚 partnership with the World Health Organization during COVID-19, accusing them of silencing 鈥渄issenting views鈥� and 鈥渓egitimate questions鈥� about vaccine safety.
that its 鈥渦tmost concern is the health and safety of children,鈥� adding that any decision it makes on vaccines to buy is done in accordance with recommendations issued by WHO鈥檚 expert vaccine group.
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Trump is now fundraising with 鈥楧addy鈥� shirts
The president and his allies are taking a liking to the 鈥淒addy鈥� nickname, inspired by comments made by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and are now selling $35 orange T-shirts with his image and the word.
The new merchandise benefits his fundraising efforts linked to his and Vice President JD Vance鈥檚 leadership political action committees and the Republican National Committee.
In a news conference with Trump, Rutte said 鈥渄addy has to sometimes use strong language鈥� when the two were talking about his dealings with warring Israel and Iran.
The White House shared a mashup video on social media with highlights from the NATO summit in the Netherlands and the soundtrack of Usher鈥檚 song 鈥淗ey Daddy (Daddy鈥檚 Home).鈥�
Trump officials will give their first classified briefing to Congress on the Iran strikes
Senators are set to meet with top national security officials Thursday as some lawmakers question Trump鈥檚 decision to and whether those strikes were .
The classified briefing, originally scheduled for Tuesday, also comes as the Senate is expected to vote this week on a resolution that would require congressional approval .
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are expected to brief the senators.
Democrats, and some Republicans, have said the White House overstepped its authority when it failed to seek the advice of Congress. They also want to know more about the intelligence Trump relied on when he authorized the attacks.
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Trump鈥檚 latest rejection of intelligence assessments reflects a long distrust of spy agencies
President Trump鈥檚 fights with the intelligence community were a running theme of his first term as he raged against an investigation into his campaign鈥檚 alleged links to Russia. Now, a sequel is playing out as Trump battles to of his foreign policy gamble in Iran.
said Iran鈥檚 nuclear program has been set back only a few months after last weekend. The Republican president has rejected the report and pronounced the program 鈥渃ompletely and fully obliterated.鈥�
The dispute is unlikely to fade anytime soon. Top administration officials are pressing Trump鈥檚 case, with Hegseth scolding the media at a Pentagon briefing Thursday for 鈥渂reathlessly鈥� focusing on an intelligence report he downplayed as preliminary. , though the White House plans to limit the sharing of classified information after the initial assessment leaked this week.
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States can cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, the Supreme Court rules
The ruling handed down Thursday comes amid a wider Republican-backed push to defund the country鈥檚 biggest abortion provider.
The case centers on funding for other health care services provides in South Carolina, but the ruling could have broader implications for Medicaid patients.
Public health care money generally can鈥檛 be used to pay for abortions. Medicaid patients go to Planned Parenthood for things like contraception, cancer screenings and pregnancy testing, in part because it can be tough to find a doctor who takes the publicly funded insurance, the organization has said.
South Carolina鈥檚 Republican governor says no taxpayer money should go the organization. backed by Trump in Congress would also cut Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood. That could of about 200 centers, most of them in states where abortion is legal, the organization has said.
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Trump is satisfied by Pentagon news conference on Iran strikes
鈥淥ne of the greatest, most professional, and most 鈥榗onfirming鈥� News Conferences I have ever seen!鈥� the president wrote on social media. 鈥淭he Fake News should fire everyone involved in this Witch Hunt, and apologize to our great warriors, and everyone else!鈥�
Trump also emphasized his belief that Iran did not remove nuclear material from its facilities before the U.S. attacked.
鈥淲ould take too long, too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move!鈥� he wrote.
Key Medicaid provision in Trump鈥檚 big bill found to violate Senate rules
The Senate parliamentarian has advised that the that鈥檚 central to Trump鈥檚 doesn鈥檛 adhere to procedural rules, delivering a crucial blow to Republicans rushing to finish the massive package this week.
The guidance Thursday from the parliamentarian is rarely ignored and forces GOP leaders to consider options. Senate leaders could try to revise or strip it from the package. Otherwise, the provision could be challenged during floor votes, requiring a 60-vote threshold to keep it, a tall order in the narrowly split Senate. Democrats are unified against the Republican president鈥檚 bill.
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Hegesth鈥檚 media criticism included Fox News, where he鈥檇 been an anchor
Hegseth criticized his former Fox News colleague, Jennifer Griffin, as 鈥渁bout the worst, the one who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says鈥� in his Pentagon news conference Thursday.
Griffin, Fox鈥檚 chief national security correspondent, said 鈥淚 take issue with that鈥� and defended her reporting on the U.S. bombing of Iran鈥檚 nuclear facilities.
Hegseth, a Fox News anchor before Trump appointed him defense secretary, repeatedly criticized the media for its reporting on an initial assessment of the weekend鈥檚 bombing that questioned how much damage was done to Iran鈥檚 nuclear program.
Griffin had asked Hegseth about whether there was any certainty that highly enriched uranium was stored at the mountain bunker bombed by the U.S., given satellite photos that showed more than a dozen trucks were seen there two days in advance.
鈥淥f course, we鈥檙e watching every single aspect,鈥� Hegseth said. 鈥淏ut, Jennifer, you鈥檝e been about the worst, the one who misrepresents the most intentionally what the president says.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 schedule today, according to the White House
1 p.m. 鈥� Press secretary Karoline Leavitt will host a news briefing
4 p.m. 鈥� Trump will participate in a 鈥淥ne, Big, Beautiful Event鈥� related to his signature bill
Trump comparison of Iran strikes to atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Nagasaki stirs anger in Japan
鈥淚t鈥檚 scary that a person with such a view is serving as leader,鈥� said Masao Tomonaga, a survivor from Nagasaki.
Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said the 鈥渦se of atomic weapons should never be tolerated for any purpose.鈥�
Earlier this week, Trump said the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities helped end the recent war in the Middle East like the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan brought World War II to a close.
鈥淗ow can the president of America say such a thing? I just don鈥檛 understand,鈥� said Toshiyuki Mimaki, who was a child in Hiroshima when the bombing took place. 鈥淲hat he said is totally unacceptable.鈥�
Mimaki is a leader of Nihon Hidankyo, a group of survivors that won a Nobel Peace Prize last year.
The Hiroshima city assembly on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the peaceful settlement of all conflicts, saying Trump鈥檚 remark apparently justifying the atomic bombing 鈥渃annot be overlooked or accepted,鈥� Japan鈥檚 NHK national television reported.
US economy shrank 0.5% between January and March, worse than earlier estimates had revealed
That鈥檚 according to the Commerce Department in an unexpected downgrade from its previous estimate and came as President Trump鈥檚 disrupted business.
First-quarter growth sank under a surge of imports as companies in the United States rushed to bring in foreign goods before Trump could . The Commerce Department previously estimated the economy fell 0.2% in the first quarter. Economists had forecast no change in the department鈥檚 third and final estimate.
The January-March drop in gross domestic product 鈥� the nation鈥檚 output of goods and services 鈥� reversed a 2.4% increase in the last three months of 2024 and marked the first time in three years that the economy contracted. Imports expanded 37.9%, fastest since 2020, and pushed GDP down by nearly 4.7 percentage points.
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The Pentagon news conference has ended
The Pentagon briefing included a detailed narrative about military tactics and hardware. However, it was short on information about how much the attack setback the Iranian nuclear program.
It鈥檚 unclear how quickly Iran could repair the damage or rebuild its capabilities elsewhere. There have also been questions about whether Iran was able to move its enriched uranium before the U.S. strikes.
Hegseth said he didn鈥檛 think that happened.
鈥淚鈥檓 not aware of any intelligence that I鈥檝e reviewed that says things were not where they were supposed to be 鈥� moved or otherwise,鈥� he said.
Hegseth targets 鈥榖iased leaks to biased publications鈥�
Military officials have said it will take time to fully understand the impact of U.S. strikes on Iran, and there was little in the way of new information about their damage.
But Hegseth said they decided to hold Thursday morning鈥檚 news conference because 鈥渢here was a great deal of irresponsible reporting鈥� based on a preliminary intelligence assessment. He criticized 鈥渂iased leaks to biased publications.鈥�
鈥淚f you want to know what鈥檚 going on at Fordo, you better go there and get a big shovel,鈥� he said.
Military official describes Iranian missile attack on US base
The top U.S. military official recounted in detail the Iranian missile attacks on a U.S. military base in Qatar.
The description from Gen. Dan Caine, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, appeared aimed at shifting the conversation from questions about political leadership and overall strategy to heroic narratives about individual U.S. service members.
He said roughly 44 American service members responsible for defending the entire base were present as rounds of Patriot missiles were launched. Caine says Qatar joined in the successful American defense of what he called the largest single Patriot engagement in U.S. military history.
Hegseth minimizes intelligence assessment
The defense secretary minimized the importance of a preliminary intelligence assessment that concluded U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities had damaged but not permanently destroyed them.
Hegseth scolded the media for 鈥渂reathlessly鈥� focusing on an assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency even though the DIA is part of the Defense Department.
He said the assessment was preliminary and had not been coordinated with other agencies in the intelligence community. He said other intelligence assessments have been more bullish in their assessments on damage of the sites.
Trump tunes in
The president seems to be monitoring the Pentagon news conference, posting about it on social media. 鈥淲atch it!鈥� he wrote.
He also baselessly suggested that media outlets that reported on the intelligence assessment 鈥渨ill be firing the reporters who made up the FAKE stories.鈥�
Trump has been fixated on coverage of the U.S. strikes, which could determine how American voters view his decision to get involved in the latest war in the Middle East.
Hegseth berates the media
The news conference began with Hegseth, a former Fox News host, criticizing the media for 鈥渉unting for scandals all the time.鈥�
He accused reporters of failing to acknowledge 鈥渉istoric moments鈥� like improved military recruiting and increased spending on European defense by U.S. allies on the continent.
He then shifted to attacking the 鈥渇ake news鈥� for reporting on a preliminary assessment about the impact of recent U.S. strikes on Iran.
Pentagon briefing begins to defend Trump on Iran strikes
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine assembled this morning to push the president鈥檚 claims that the recent U.S. attack 鈥渙bliterated鈥� Iranian nuclear facilities.
A preliminary assessment, produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, said American bombs and missiles caused a setback of only a few months. Trump has rejected this conclusion, lashing out at the news media for reporting on it and marshaling his administration to support his version of events.
The Associated Press
