Hamas said Friday that it , a significant move that could help end the war in Gaza 鈥� but and could take a long time to achieve, if at all. Israel has not commented on the deal, which President Donald Trump announced hours earlier. It comes nine months after a to end the fighting between Israel and the group was signed.
Trump is taking Friday鈥檚 Cabinet meeting on the road 鈥� to the in Maryland. It’s the first Cabinet meeting at Camp David in 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 second term after an was scuttled because of bad weather.
The president said Thursday he may pull for the full-time post over a sweeping tax audit immunity deal benefiting the president and members of his family.
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Zelenskyy wants Trump to help persuade Musk to expand Starlink access
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pitched Trump and other American officials on helping Ukraine win permission from tech titan Elon Musk to use his Starlink satellite communications system to guide strikes inside Russia.
Zelenskyy is looking for alternate ways to mitigate the need for U.S. Patriot air defense systems to thwart the steady barrage of Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian territory. The interceptors are in shorter supply as the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran continues to rage, and Trump on Friday appeared to back away from a recent commitment to give Ukraine a license to produce them.
Zelenskyy made the request directly to Trump in an Oval Office meeting this week during his whirlwind trip to Washington, according to one person familiar with the matter.
He also told lawmakers later on Capitol Hill that he wanted Starlink to help with targeting inside Russia, according to a person in the room. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive private discussions. Trump did not commit to Zelenskyy鈥檚 request.
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White House signals Trump is weighing carrying out new strikes on Iran
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt expressed the U.S. administration鈥檚 frustration anew, charging that Tehran last month signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. on a truce but then quickly 鈥渂roke it, shot at commercial ships, and killed American soldiers.鈥�
鈥淧resident Trump is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behavior to occur,鈥� Leavitt added in her Friday evening statement. 鈥淚ran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way.鈥�
Leavitt issued the fresh warning after Trump earlier told reporters that 鈥渨e just want to win鈥� in Iran and signaled that he expected U.S. military action to continue for some time.
鈥淲e鈥檒l be hitting them very hard,鈥� Trump said in an exchange with reporters during a meeting with members of his Cabinet. 鈥淵ou know, at some point they鈥檙e going to say, 鈥榃e just can鈥檛 take it anymore.鈥欌��
US drops case against man charged with damaging Reflecting Pool
Government lawyers said information provided since the indictment of former Olympian David Hearn shows that the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was by the result of a 鈥渇lawed installation by the contractor鈥� as well as 鈥渢he rush to complete the project.鈥�
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Dr. Oz defends decision to end Medicare prescription drug subsidy
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz is defending his decision to end a Medicare Part D subsidy that had helped offset premiums for millions of older adults.
鈥淚t鈥檚 still very affordable,鈥� he told The Associated Press at the National Governors Association summer meeting on Friday. 鈥淲hat I didn鈥檛 want to do was subsidize a bailout.鈥�
Oz said the federal subsidy to insurers, which amounted to $3.6 billion this year, would have mostly gone to a single company.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 just not a good thing for the American people,鈥� he said.
While federal officials have insisted the financial impact to beneficiaries is minimal, the decision has opened the Republican administration to potential political consequences in a midterm year where affordability is a central issue.
Trump blames Minnesota governor for cyberattacks, cites no evidence
The president alleged that the recent cyberattacks were the fault of the state, including Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. Authorities have not yet publicly named the source of the attacks.
During a Cabinet meeting on Friday at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, Trump also repeated myriad false claims that have become part of his regular talking points about topics such as immigration, foreign conflicts and prescription drug prices.
鈻� Read more about some of the claims.
UN chief urges Hamas and Israel to follow US road map to peace in Gaza `without any questions鈥�
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 announcement on Hamas agreeing to disarm in Gaza the only 鈥済ood news鈥� in recent days that have seen a military escalation in the Gulf, including a collapse of trade through the Strait of Hormuz.
Hamas said Friday it will begin disarming as part of a stalled deal announced by Trump that requires Israel to halt attacks in Gaza and withdraw from the territory which the Palestinians insist must be part of a future state. Israel鈥檚 prime minister has not responded to what could be a major breakthrough to ending the war in Gaza.
Guterres told U.N. reporters Friday he has a message to both Israel and Hamas: There is a road map that must be implemented now 鈥渨ithout any questions, skepticism, or determination to undermine it.鈥�
He warned that the six-month war in Iran 鈥渋s increasingly becoming a driver of instability,鈥� saying energy markets have been upended, food and fertilizer prices have surged, 鈥渟upply chains are buckling,: and 鈥渁round the world families are struggling to put food on the table.鈥�
Trump has wrapped up the public portion of his Cabinet meeting
The president gave a lengthy opening statement, heard from top officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and answered questions on Iran and array of other topics.
He has now asked the press and cameras to leave, meaning the rest of the meeting鈥檚 proceedings won鈥檛 happen in view of the public.
Trump steps back from pledge to let Ukraine make Patriot interceptors
Asked about his to give Ukraine a license to make Patriot air defense systems to counter Russian missiles, Trump said, 鈥淲e have not agreed to that.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about it. But it鈥檚 a hard thing to give away that kind of technology,鈥� Trump said at his Cabinet meeting on Friday.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think this would ever happen, but you know there鈥檚 people that, you give that technology, they can someday turn on you,鈥� Trump added. 鈥淵ou look at war, that鈥檚 happened a couple of times over the years, right? So we have to be very careful.鈥�
It was a contrast to earlier remarks from the sidelines of the NATO summit this month, where Trump said, 鈥淲e鈥檒l give them the right to make Patriots.鈥�
Trump said he discussed the topic with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when they on Tuesday. Zelenskyy also met with senators to make a case for why Ukraine needs the interceptors.
Trump claims Iran war helped drive Hamas to disarmament agreement
The president during his Cabinet meeting said the newly-minted agreement aimed at leading to of the Palestinian group Hamas and Israel鈥檚 withdrawal from Gaza and transition of oversight of the territory to a civilian body will have 鈥渦ps and downs.鈥�
Still, he said this week鈥檚 agreement is a 鈥済reat breakthrough鈥� that has been helped along by the U.S. and Israel鈥檚 war with Iran, which has served as Hamas鈥� prime backer.
鈥淣obody鈥檚 ever thought that would be possible to disarm Hamas,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淭hat shows you how much success we鈥檙e having with Iran, because if you go four months ago or five months ago, a deal like that would have been impossible.鈥�
RFK Jr talks about first visiting Camp David 6-plus decades ago
Trump health chief Robert Kennedy Jr. said he was visiting the presidential retreat on Friday for the first time in about 62 years.
鈥淢y father loved this place, my uncle loved this place,鈥� said Kennedy, who is the son of former Attorney General and New York Sen. Robert Kennedy.
He said that his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, was resentful of his predecessor, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, for naming it Camp David after Eisenhower鈥檚 grandson.
Kennedy said that had his uncle lived to a second term, he planned to rename the retreat Shangri-La, which was its original moniker before Eisenhower changed it.
Kennedy also cheered Trump for allowing reporters in the compound, saying Trump had opened 鈥渋nner sanctum鈥� of the presidency.
Trump later pointed to a picture of John F. Kennedy on the wall and said he was a 鈥渉andsome guy.鈥�
Trump says the anti-weaponization fund is 鈥榙ead鈥�
The comments came after the president spent the morning defending the $1.8 billion fund on social media.
鈥淚t is dead,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淏ut I wish it weren鈥檛, to be honest with you.鈥�
Trump continued to defend the people who could potentially benefit from the fund, mainly those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
鈥淭heir families have been ruined,鈥� Trump said. Those people 鈥渨anted to go to a rally or an event and ended up spending the rest of their lives in horror.鈥�
Trump acknowledged that Blanche, his attorney general pick, has been a 鈥減awn in this whole thing.鈥�
Trump says 鈥榳e just want to win鈥� in Iran
The president has previously insisted that Iran has been 鈥渃ompletely defeated鈥� militarily. But in his engagement with reporters at Camp David on Friday, he acknowledged that he expects U.S. military action will likely continue for some time.
鈥淲e鈥檒l be hitting them very hard,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淵ou know, at some point they鈥檙e going to say, 鈥榃e just can鈥檛 take it anymore.鈥欌��
Trump says he doesn鈥檛 think International Criminal Court is targeting him but 鈥榠t could happen鈥�
Secretary of State Marco Rubio complained that the international court based in the Hague was very arrogant and had unfairly targeted leaders around the world.
That prompted the president to interject: 鈥淭here鈥檚 no indication they鈥檙e after me. It could happen.鈥� He didn鈥檛 elaborate, but his suggestion drew laughter from Cabinet members.
Trump said Rubio wasn鈥檛 trying to defend him personally, but instead wanted to shield other court targets. He said that could include people like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
鈥淭here is no indication that I鈥檓 one of them, at this moment,鈥� Trump added again for emphasis, drawing still more laughter.
US to make visa bond requirements permanent, affecting mostly African countries
The State Department is making permanent a pilot program under which citizens from 50 countries, mainly in Africa, are required to post bonds to apply for a U.S. visa, and it鈥檚 raising the cost as well, to as much as $20,000.
A draft notice published Friday in the Federal Register says a review 鈥減rovided sufficient data鈥� to suggest the bond program effectively enforces compliance, and would be made permanent by the end of August. The notice is to be formally published on Monday. Additional countries may be added to the list, found .
The program requires holders of passports from the affected countries to pay the bond when being interviewed for business and tourist visas. The regulation says the bond will be refunded if the application is denied or after the person leaves the United States.
The Trump administration rolled out the program as a way of cracking down on visa overstays.
Trump starts Cabinet meeting at Camp David
The president began his Cabinet meeting Friday by saying his team was meeting in a 鈥渧ery special room.鈥�
The White House has tried to highlight that this was the first televised Cabinet meeting at the presidential retreat.
Trump said he invited the news media to watch because he believes in 鈥渢ransparency,鈥� before turning to his standard talking points about the economy and border security, among other issues.
CEO defends Exxon鈥檚 performance at a time of global supply shortages
American refineries are running at near-full capacity and poised to benefit because some refineries in the Middle East and Russia were damaged. And Asia can鈥檛 get the amount of Middle East oil needed for refining.
鈥淧enalizing the businesses who stood by those countries and provided that product going forward is very short-sighted,鈥� Exxon CEO Darren Woods said in a call with investors Friday. 鈥淲e canceled investments that we had planned for Europe based on the last time they passed a windfall profits tax.鈥�
Lawmakers propose taxing the war profits of major oil producers
Exxon and Chevron don鈥檛 set the price of American oil, which has ricocheted between $68 and $115 a barrel, driven by supply and demand, and what traders, refiners and other buyers are willing to pay.
Democrats nevertheless hope to tax major oil producers for profits from 2026 onward and redistribute that revenue to consumers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fair to put a windfall profits tax on inordinate windfall profits rather than cut off children鈥檚 food programs,鈥� said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. His measure and a companion bill by Rep. Ro Khanna of California would impose a per-barrel tax on companies that produced or imported at least 300,000 barrels of oil per day in 2025.
The UK and other European countries have extended temporary windfall profits taxes on fossil fuel companies to 2030, according to Tax Foundation Europe.
Major oil companies reap massive profits as US and Iran fighting drives energy prices higher
American oil and gas giants are announcing huge spring windfalls thanks to the fighting between . that made consumers around the world pay more for fuel.
Exxon Mobil on Friday reported that its second quarter profits doubled to $14.53 billion, boosted by record diesel production. The oil giant, based in Spring, Texas, brought in $116.02 billion in revenue, up 42%. Chevron, based in Houston, nearly quadrupled its profits to $12.07 billion and revenue jumped 56% to $70.06 billion.
Six of Europe鈥檚 largest oil companies posted combined first-quarter profits of $22 billion, more than 40% higher than last year.
Latest developments in the Iran conflict
No U.S. strikes were reported in Iran on Friday.
Iran fired drones at Kuwait, a Gulf country hosting U.S. forces, and said it had also fired at oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil and gas shipments, which has been largely closed by the fighting.
Kuwait鈥檚 Defense Ministry said Friday its armed forces had shot down drones inside Kuwaiti airspace. It said the Iranian attacks had targeted several vital military facilities, causing material damage from falling shrapnel but no casualties. It did not specify how many drones were intercepted. Iranian state media said Iran had targeted an air base in Kuwait with drones, in retaliation for U.S. strikes on Thursday.
Iran鈥檚 Revolutionary Guard claimed to have hit two oil tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media said four other tankers had turned around. The report did not provide further details on which flags or ownership the tankers were sailing under, or say whether there were any casualties.
FIFA chief operating officer tells AP that staff was 鈥榙eceived鈥� by World Cup sell-off plan that 鈥榤ust not go ahead鈥�
FIFA鈥檚 chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said in a statement to The Associated Press that the staff was 鈥渄eceived鈥� by Gianni Infantino鈥檚 lack of openness while planning the scheme to sell a World Cup stake to private investors linked to 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 family.
鈥淚t is the project of one person,鈥� wrote Lamour, a longtime colleague of Infantino at both FIFA and UEFA. 鈥淣ot only must this project not go ahead 鈥� but the time has now come for football political leaders to ask themselves the right questions and make the right decisions.鈥�
Lamour did not resign the post he held since 2024 but said he had a duty to his colleagues to speak out about the 鈥渃ontempt and intimidation鈥� FIFA staff has faced.
鈥淎nd if that means I lose my job, then so be it鈥� the French official said. 鈥淚 will understand and respect that decision. At least I鈥檒l sleep well tonight.鈥�
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Wisconsin Democrats shaken by Mandela Barnes鈥� exit from governor鈥檚 race
The former lieutenant governor鈥檚 announcement came Thursday amid news that the state party had reviewed past allegations of inappropriate behavior, further shaking up the race less than two weeks before the Aug. 11 primary in Wisconsin, where independents and moderates are key voters and where Trump won two razor-thin elections.
That leaves four Democrats, including most prominently Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who with the endorsement of Gov. Tony Evers after Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez amid a campaign finance scandal two weeks ago, and State Rep. Francesca Hong, running far to the left.
The single mother and former line cook has captured the imaginations of liberal Democrats upset with the party establishment, but she鈥檚 that her past calls for defunding the police will hurt her chances against Trump-backed in November.
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Details on disarmament from the Hamas statement
Hamas said Friday that it鈥檚 committed to implementing the Gaza ceasefire agreement, including the new road map focused on the steps it needs to take to disarm.
says it and other Palestinian factions agreed to the framework as part of a national consensus to protect people in Gaza and help meet their humanitarian needs.
It said Israel must adhere to the ceasefire deal agreed to in October and halt its attacks in order for implementation to move forward, echoing language in the new road map released Friday by the Board of Peace.
The agreement calls for Hamas, which ran the government in Gaza, to first turn over all police weapons to a national committee of technocrats responsible for administering the strip. Only later, once the Israeli military withdraws from Gaza, would it be required to decommission and hand over its heavier weapons, according to the text.
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Democratic candidates grapple with 鈥榙efund the police鈥� baggage
With midterm elections looming, Democrats hope to convince voters that Trump administration lawlessness is the biggest threat to their rights and pocketbooks. The party鈥檚 past debates over crime and safety threaten to undermine that pitch.
Across the country, Democratic candidates are facing tough questions about their past calls to 鈥渄efund the police鈥� by reimagining public safety services or redirecting spending to other social programs 鈥� a prominent demand during the protests that followed .
Democratic leaders fear the outlier opinions may sink their chances of gaining ground in Congress, governor鈥檚 mansions and statehouses as the party鈥檚 captivates its base, just as Republicans stoke fears about crime, immigration and democratic socialism in their .
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Trump swings at Cornyn over Blanche nomination
Trump, still frustrated about the status of his attorney general pick, began his Friday morning by going after one of the Republican senators who was holding up Todd Blanche鈥檚 confirmation to lead the Justice Department.
Continuing a criticism he began earlier this week, Trump said Texas Sen. John Cornyn had no issue with the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund until after he endorsed his primary challenger, Ken Paxton, for the Senate.
In the post, Trump also continued to defend the controversial fund, which Blanche said in his Senate testimony was dead. Republican senators want him to put that commitment into writing.
鈥淧erhaps there has never been a group of people treated so badly in our Nation鈥檚 history,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淭hey are suffering still, many ruined, and I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them.鈥�
Blanche met privately with Cornyn and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis over the issue later Thursday and the sides were working collaboratively, although Blanche鈥檚 confirmation prospects still remain unclear.
The Trump administration is ending a Medicare drug subsidy program. Here鈥檚 how it could affect costs
Millions of older adults on could face steeper monthly costs in 2027, after the Trump administration concludes a temporary subsidy program that has helped offset premiums for the past two years.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this week announced it would , which was initially implemented by the Biden administration in 2024 to lower patients鈥� Medicare Part D prescription drug costs in response to the effects of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
While federal officials insist the financial impact on Medicare beneficiaries will be minimal, the decision opens the Republican-led administration to potential political consequences in a high-stakes midterm election year. Voters have identified as a top concern, and many older adults, who tend to vote in high numbers, are on fixed incomes where every dollar counts. The roughly 25 million Americans with Medicare Part D plans will find out about their 2027 rates in the fall, when they are casting ballots in November鈥檚 elections.
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Trump is taking his Friday Cabinet meeting on the road to Camp David
Trump told his Cabinet members to meet him at the in Maryland, a rustic backdrop for the Trump administration sessions that have come to be known for being overly long and consumed by endless praise for their boss.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the 13th such meeting of the Republican president鈥檚 second term 鈥渨ill be a lot of fun and something different for the Cabinet to experience together.鈥�
An was scuttled because of bad weather. During his first term, Trump .
The public portion of 罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 Cabinet meetings has lasted as long as three hours, with the president letting everyone at the table update him on their departments or agencies 鈥� with added praise for him personally and his leadership thrown in. In a departure from other presidents, he allows the news media to stay for the duration, a move that Leavitt has said proves his commitment to transparency.
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Trump announces a deal for Hamas to disarm in Gaza, but many hurdles and uncertainty remain
A Hamas official said Friday that they did reach an agreement on disarmament, the most crucial part of the ceasefire deal. Israel didn鈥檛 give an indication that they had agreed.
Trump said Thursday that a deal has been reached for and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza, but many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remained to wind down .
The White House announcement comes nine months after a was signed. Negotiations between Israel and Hamas had over the implementation of its second phase, including the and the reconstruction of Gaza.
罢谤耻尘辫鈥檚 calls on the militant group to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force and the rebuilding of the battered Palestinian enclave.
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