The United States launched airstrikes Wednesday against Iran, and President Donald Trump said more were coming, as Tehran fired back at countries in the region. The escalating attacks threatened to derail efforts to end the war, with Trump warning that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations.
Trump’s warnings at the White House and on social media came hours after Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan — all of which host U.S. troops — came under Iranian fire. It was the second time this week that back-and-forth strikes have tested a two-month ceasefire. On Monday, Iran and Israel targeted each other.
“We’re going to hit them again hard today,” Trump told reporters at the White House hours after the U.S. said it struck Iranian military sites.
He urged Iran to sign a deal to end the war.
—The Associated Press
Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, arrives on Capitol Hill for a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee investigating convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in Washington, June 10, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Gates tells House panel that Epstein tried but failed to ‘leverage’ billionaire’s infidelity
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday that Jeffrey Epstein sought to “leverage” the billionaire philanthropist’s extramarital affairs after Gates cut ties with the late convicted sex offender in 2014.
“Epstein was working to use information about my infidelities—in addition to many lies that he layered on top—to pressure me to re-engage with him,” Gates said, according to a copy of his prepared remarks shared by his spokesperson with Spectrum News. “He was unsuccessful in this effort, but it shows some of the ways he tried to leverage his interactions with me to further his agenda.”
Speaking to reporters outside the room where Gates was testifying, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., said that Gates denied asking anyone to procure medication for him to treat a sexually transmitted disease –– referencing an email that Epstein appears to have sent to himself in 2013. A separate email alleged that Gates had intended to “surreptitiously give” the medication to his wife, Melinda French Gates. The couple announced the dissolution of their 27-year marriage in 2021.
—Spectrum News’ Christina Santucci
Democrats decry May inflation numbers that Trump says are ‘great’
With a new Labor Department report showing inflation reached its highest level in three years last month, Democrats seized on the issue to lambast President Donald Trump’s economic policies.
“Another month of Trump’s illegal Iran war, another month of Trump’s tariffs, another month of Republican control of Congress,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on X on Wednesday. “The result? A new all-time high for Trumpflation.”
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that consumer prices rose 4.2% in May compared with a year earlier — up from 3.8% in April. Prices rose 0.5% last month, following a 0.6% increase in April and 0.9% increase in March, the bureau said.
Speaking at an Oval Office bill signing Wednesday, Trump said “the numbers were great” when asked about the new inflation data. He said the economy was strong and cited “another stock market high” despite a dip in financial markets Wednesday.
—Spectrum News’ Susan Carpenter
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks during a primary election night watch party after winning the Democratic nomination Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in Blue Hill, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Tuesday’s primary takeaways: Platner’s big night, Clyburn carries on and Trump’s support gets mixed results
Nevada, South Carolina and North Dakota hosted primary elections Tuesday, but much of the political world was focused on Maine’s high-stakes U.S. Senate contest.
The results were never in question. Neither Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins nor Democratic challenger Graham Platner faced serious opposition for their party’s nomination. And yet Tuesday marked an especially significant moment for Platner, the embattled veteran and oyster farmer, who is fighting to rebuild his credibility in a campaign rocked by controversy.
Elsewhere, President Donald Trump’s clout within his party was tested anew in states like South Carolina and Nevada, where he endorsed his favored candidates. Democrats hoped to build momentum in Nevada as part of a broader push to reclaim key governor’s seats.
—The Associated Press
More Wednesday reads
• Trump signs bill giving nearly $70B to his immigration enforcement agenda through end of his term
• Trump defends intel pick, asks Congress for ‘short-term’ surveillance law extension
• Social Security advocates say add revenue or lower costs to preserve full benefits