Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin pledged to aggressively pursue voter fraud cases at the White House complex on Friday after President Donald Trump revived debunked election theories in his Thursday night.
Trump used the to elevate his yearslong push to raise doubts about the legitimacy of U.S. elections and dispute his 2020 loss 鈥� this time, to justify his push to . His allegations of interference and influence didn鈥檛 include key context. Nor did he produce evidence that votes had been manipulated or that the election outcome had been altered.
Here’s the latest:
US and Iran escalate strikes across Mideast; bridges and a water plant hit
The United States and Iran escalated their attacks across the Middle East on Friday, trading strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets as their battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensified.
The U.S. expanded its attacks against by hitting more bridges and energy sites and collapsing a tower at a key Iranian port, following through on President Donald Trump鈥檚 threats to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the waterway vital to world energy supplies.
In response, Iran launched missiles into U.S.-allied nations in the Mideast, including Qatar, a mediator in the war, and Kuwait, where one of the desert nation鈥檚 was damaged.
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Trump threatens Canada with tariffs over wildfire smoke
The president said he was 鈥渉olding Canada responsible鈥� for the U.S. 鈥渂eing unnecessarily by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air.鈥�
In a post on his social media site, Trump called the situation 鈥渢otally unacceptable鈥� and said that summer smoke from fires in Canada is 鈥渂ecoming a yearly occurrence.鈥�
He said he鈥檇 call Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday, and added that the 鈥渃ost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.鈥�
The Trump administration has imposed import tariffs on some Canadian products, though the Supreme Court declared many such levies unconstitutional.
Unmentioned was the World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday, but the White House says administration officials the wildfire situation.
Trump urges Darline Graham to run for full Senate term as funeral scheduled for Lindsey Graham
President Donald Trump said Friday that Darline Graham, the sister of the late Lindsey Graham, has his support to run for a full term to replace her brother in the U.S. Senate.
He wrote on social media that she 鈥渉as been a WINNER all of her life and, should she accept, has my Complete and Total Endorsement.鈥�
鈥淩UN, DARLINE, RUN!鈥� Trump added.
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13 US troops injured in latest Iran fighting
The number of service members injured in the Iran war has gone up by 13 troops since Monday, according to the Pentagon鈥檚 official casualty count.
According to data in the Defense Casualty Analysis System, the 13 injured troops include 10 Army soldiers and three Navy sailors. No additional information was available, including the date or location of their injuries.
The new injuries come during a week of renewed and intense fighting between Iran and the U.S., with both sides launching strikes for several consecutive days.
Capt. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for U.S. Central Command, declined to offer any details about the injuries or what U.S. bases and assets have been hit in the renewed wave of fighting.
The total U.S. casualty count for the conflict now stands at 14 dead and 427 wounded. Central Command has previously said the majority of the wounded suffered traumatic brain injuries.
DHS secretary says ICE hitting arrest records 鈥榚very single day鈥�
Mullin said the department is ramping up enforcement and hitting records for the number of arrests.
鈥淥ur arrests are up. We鈥檙e hitting single day records every single day,鈥� Mullin said.
Mullin also said the agency deported 442,637 people in 2025 and so far this year has deported 403,294.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to perfect our ability to work with local law enforcement, state law enforcement,鈥� he said.
ICE and DHS related to deportations, arrests and detention, leading to criticism that there鈥檚 no way to verify their work.
Unlike his predecessor Kristi Noem, Mullin has attempted to keep a lower profile for immigration enforcement operations. But the recent shooting deaths of two people who were killed by ICE officers during operations has brought the department back into the spotlight.
Trump鈥檚 envoy greeted by protests in Venice on latest stop of super yacht diplomacy tour
The billionaire U.S. ambassador to was met by protests when he arrived in Venice on Friday aboard his luxury yacht as part of a coastal diplomacy tour marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Hospitality mogul Tilman Fertitta鈥檚 arrival represents an unwelcome display of American wealth and influence for many Italians at a time when they see the as upending the post-World War II international order.
The so-called Coastal Diplomacy 250 tour of 13 Italian coastal regions on a super yacht is intended to celebrate 鈥渙ur shared history, our economic partnership, and the cultural bonds that make the U.S.-Italy relationship so special,鈥� Fertitta said in a social media post.
In Venice, many of the same groups that protested the are mobilizing against Fertitta鈥檚 arrival aboard the 117-meter (384-foot) luxury yacht, Boardwalk, which features two helipads, a pair of swimming pools and a fully equipped spa and gym.
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Mullin won鈥檛 comment on ICE shootings and says arrests are up
The Homeland Security secretary said during a news conference that he hadn鈥檛 heard about allegations of violent behavior against a deportation officer who shot and killed a Colombian man in Maine earlier this week.
Relatives of the officer he struggled with serious mental health issues, had a history of violent behavior and never should have been given a badge and gun.
Mullin said the shooting was being investigated and he鈥檇 allow the investigation to go forward.
鈥淲e understand that it鈥檚 being investigated, and we鈥檒l allow the investigation to go through. That鈥檚 all I鈥檓 going to say about that,鈥� said Mullin.
He wouldn鈥檛 comment on whether the officer was on leave but said that was standard practice in the aftermath of any shooting.
DHS secretary pledges to aggressively chase voter fraud cases
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said if anyone votes illegally in the upcoming midterm elections, 鈥渨e will hunt you down, we will find you and we will prosecute you.鈥�
In a White House briefing doubling down on Trump鈥檚 primetime election claims, Mullin also threatened fines, penalties or prison time for state election officials who refuse to hand over sensitive voter data to DHS.
He said states that don鈥檛 elect to use DHS鈥檚 recently updated tool for identifying noncitizen voters, will become 鈥渁 priority鈥� for investigations.
The comments come as a federal judge has blocked the use of DHS鈥檚 updated system, citing voter privacy and the fact that it can result in the wrongful purging of eligible voters.
Why American elections are so complicated 鈥� and secure
In his Thursday evening, President Trump said , and he claimed to be using federal authority to prevent them from being 鈥渟tolen.鈥�
In fact, one of the strongest security features of U.S. elections is the fact that they aren鈥檛 conducted at the federal level. America votes in more than 10,000 different election jurisdictions, each with different rules set by state and sometimes local governments.
That structure makes the nation鈥檚 elections 鈥� and also safe from widespread fraud. And when misconduct does happen 鈥� rarely 鈥� security protocols frequently catch it.
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ICE has seen a surge in new hires
In January, Homeland Security said it had hired 12,000 new officers and agents since the hiring surge began and said thousands of those new officers were already out on the streets assisting with investigations. The number includes both deportation officers and agents for Homeland Security Investigations, a separate agency that falls under ICE.
ICE has said the majority of new hires are police and military veterans. But applicants with questionable histories were either not fully vetted before they were brought on or were hired in spite of their past, earlier this year found.
Maine shooting and officer鈥檚 background raise new questions about ICE鈥檚 rapid hiring
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has workforce, hiring thousands of new officers as part of the Trump administration鈥檚 attempt to ramp up immigration arrests and deportations.
The supersizing of ICE 鈥� fueled by an infusion of billions of dollars granted by Congress 鈥� has raised concerns about the agency鈥檚 hiring practices and whether officers being brought on are receiving proper vetting. Those concerns have been rejected by the Department of Homeland Security.
Relatives of the ICE officer this week told The Associated Press he struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood and never should have been given a badge and gun to patrol American streets.
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Lawmakers demand answers after 鈥榖ombshell鈥� report of ICE officer shooting in Maine
Democratic members of Congress demanded answers about vetting and training of immigration enforcement agents after it was disclosed Thursday that the this week in Maine had a history of mental health issues and violent behavior.
The Associated Press , the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot a Colombian man in Maine, is an Army veteran who鈥檚 struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood, according to several of his close relatives.
The AP reached out to congressional leaders and several key lawmakers of both parties for response.
The top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, said Brouillette鈥檚 history of violence and mental health issues, as well as the death in Maine, 鈥渄irectly call into question the supposed vetting and training ICE does of its recruits.鈥�
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To air or not to air? Nation鈥檚 TV networks struggle to find the right balance for Trump speech
As threatened sanctions for those who didn鈥檛 cover his address live Thursday night, the nation鈥檚 broadcast and cable news operations wrestled with the thorniest of questions: To air or not to air?
Networks and their news operations, broadcast and cable alike, spent the hours leading up to Trump鈥檚 address debating how to cover it 鈥� and struggling to balance delivering the news with handing over their airwaves to potential falsehoods about the 2020 elections.
In the end, a patchwork quilt of coverage was largely united by one common strategy: real-time fact-checking as much as was possible even while the president was still speaking.
The dilemma took place against between the media and a president working to exert control over it by whatever means he can. Even in his speech itself, Trump excoriated networks that chose not to carry it live.
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Rubio set for Asia trip
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to the Philippines next week to attend meetings with foreign ministers at a gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.
The State Department says Rubio is going to meet with his counterparts and senior officials from governments in the region as he pushes for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Rubio is scheduled to leave for Manila on Sunday and head back to the U.S. on Thursday.
China rejects Trump鈥檚 election interference claim as 鈥榞roundless accusations鈥�
China on Friday said it has never interfered in U.S. elections and has no interest in doing so, urging Washington to stop making what it described as 鈥済roundless accusations鈥� after President Trump accused Beijing of meddling in the 2020 election.
In an Thursday, Trump again raised doubts about the U.S. elections results in 2020 and accused China of interfering in them.
鈥淭he relevant allegations by the U.S. are entirely fabricated and aimed at vilifying China,鈥� said China鈥檚 Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. 鈥淲e have no interest in interfering in US elections and have never done so.鈥�
In a daily briefing in Beijing, Lin called on the U.S. to stop making groundless accusations against China.
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Former intelligence official calls Trump鈥檚 address 鈥榙angerous鈥�
Sue Gordon, principal deputy director of national intelligence in Trump鈥檚 first term, called the president鈥檚 address 鈥渁 dangerous speech about an incredibly important topic.鈥� She said the intelligence community throughout Trump鈥檚 first term was alarmed about foreign interference in elections, but Trump scoffed at them, angered at the investigation of his campaign鈥檚 relationship with Russia.
鈥淗e had an entire term to deal with it and I don鈥檛 know how you can believe how the same community that told him about it, that was excoriated about it鈥� wouldn鈥檛 warn him in 2020, Gordon said on CNN.
Conservative commentator John Solomon, who joined the White House staff last month and was seated in the East Room for Trump鈥檚 speech, later told MS NOW 鈥渢he intelligence community has zero evidence that someone has flipped 鈥� that a foreign power flipped 鈥� a vote in 2020, 鈥�22 or 鈥�24.鈥�
But, he added, 鈥淲e鈥檙e not through all the documents.鈥�
Trump doesn鈥檛 raise doubts about his election wins
President Donald Trump began Thursday night with a stark warning about what he described as flaws in the voting system and said he was releasing previously classified documents related to the 2020 and 2018 elections, when he lost the presidential election and when his party suffered losses.
Trump鈥檚 speech presented allegations of interference and influence in ways that lacked key context and did not produce evidence that votes had been manipulated or that the election outcome had been altered.
Notably, he focused on China but glossed over Russia, a country intelligence officials have said favored Trump in 2016 and 2020 and engaged in wide-ranging influence campaigns aimed at boosting him over Democrat Joe Biden in the latter campaign.
Trump鈥檚 Thursday night address hinged on contradictions
A twice-elected president complained about his one personal defeat, alleged a cover-up by officials in his own first administration and surfaced claims about countries attempting to harm his own prospects while staying silent on steps taken by other nations to boost him.
Trump used the remarks to justify his push to in Congress that hasn鈥檛 advanced because it lacks enough support from his fellow Republicans.
鈥淎merica is back and doing really well, but we still have a major challenge that must be urgently addressed, because no country can be great without fair and honest elections,鈥� he said.
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