He said \u200cin a social media \u200bpost that the new \u2060tariff would supersede \u200bany trade \u200bdeals \u200bwith the \u200bUS.<\/p>\n
\u201cNumerous European Countries have been discussing the imminent implementation of a Digital Services Tax on American Companies,\u201d Trump wrote<\/a>. \u201cSome of these Countries are close to actually doing this. Please let this statement serve to represent that any Country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100% TARIFF on any and all Goods sent to the United States of America.<\/p>\n \u201cThis TARIFF will supersede Trade Deals made with the Country, whether implemented, signed, or not,\u201d he added. \u201cAdditionally, the 100% TARIFF will be immediately imposed, if they proceed.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month, the US trade court ruled against<\/a> Trump\u2019s latest attempt at a 10% global tariff, finding across-the-board tariffs were not justified under a 1970s trade law. But courts striking down his tariffs have done little to discourage his threats, as earlier this month he threatened<\/a> tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on 60 trading partners including the UK, the EU and Australia over alleged forced labor failures.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.54 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Trump hints at US response to Iran attack on cargo ship<\/p>\n Donald Trump has said \u201cyou\u2019ll find out\u201d when asked if Iran would face any consequences after firing drones on a commercial vessel in the strait of Hormuz on Thursday.<\/p>\n Trump accused Iran of a \u201cfoolish violation\u201d the ceasefire in a subsequent Truth Social post, adding that Iran fired at least four one-way attack drones at ships transiting the strait, of which the US shot down three, while the other hit the ship.<\/p>\n Asked if he considered the ceasefire to still be in effect, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he didn\u2019t like the fact that Iran had taken shots. \u201cThey shouldn\u2019t be doing that, so you\u2019ll find out.\u201d<\/p>\n Pressed to say if he would respond, the president repeated: \u201cYou\u2019ll find out.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump made the remarks during an event with the White House Religious Liberty Commission in the Oval Office. Photograph: Anna Moneymaker\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a>Texas makes Bible passages required reading for millions of public school students The Texas education board has approved a broad new statewide reading list that, for the first time, will make passages from the Bible required reading for more than 5 million public school students.<\/p>\n Under the new initiative, Bible stories will become mandatory reading for millions of public school students in addition to a more standard collection of books, renewing debate over growing efforts in the US to increase the role of religion in classrooms.<\/p>\n The rollout will be staggered, starting with elementary school students in 2030.<\/p>\n The Republican-controlled Texas state board of education gave final approval to the plan during a vote today. Last year, Texas became the largest state to require<\/a> the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n House speaker Mike Johnson will officially transmit the bipartisan housing bill to the White House on Monday, NBC News is reporting citing two people with direct knowledge of the process, after Donald Trump decided to hold the landmark bill hostage<\/a> earlier this week.<\/p>\n Johnson said yesterday, after a lengthy meeting with Trump, that he would be \u201ctransmitting the housing bill to the White House\u201d but did not specify when that would take place (see my earlier post<\/a>).<\/p>\n It remains unclear whether this means Trump will also sign the bill on Monday, or indeed if the president plans to sign it at all. Once the bill is officially transmitted, it triggers a 10-day clock for the president to either sign or veto the legislation, or it becomes law at the end of that window.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.41 EDT<\/p>\n Earlier I was at the Washington Hilton hotel, where Donald Trump made his first appearance since being rushed off stage after a failed assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner in April.<\/p>\n Security was unsurprisingly tight. Roads were closed and police vehicles conspicuous as I approached the hotel, which is hosting the Faith & Freedom Coalition\u2019s annual Road to Majority conference. Just as in April, I went down an escalator and stood in line for airport-style metal detectors operated by the Secret Service.<\/p>\n I emptied my pockets as usual and noticed the officer seemed especially diligent in rummaging through my bag and asking me to turn on my laptop to ensure it was real. But ultimately the people in front of and behind me seemed to pass through without trouble.<\/p>\n The hotel\u2019s vast underground ballroom has patriotic red, white and blue lighting. I could see the spot where I dived for cover under a dining table<\/a> the night shots were fired when Cole Allen allegedly stormed a security checkpoint with a shotgun, a handgun and several knives.<\/p>\n This time there were rows of seats for delegates at this event for religious conservatives, where speakers have included House speaker Mike Johnson and treasury secretary Scott Bessent. Trump himself took the stage just before 2pm ET.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember this place not so long ago,\u201d he quipped. \u201cHopefully, we\u2019ll have a little more pleasant \u2013 we\u2019re going to have a little more pleasant experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.32 EDT<\/p>\n Trump calls democratic socialist victories in New York ‘most serious threat to US in its history’<\/p>\n In bizarre, hateful remarks earlier at the Faith and Freedom Coalition event, Donald Trump rambled for some time about the democratic socialist candidates who swept primary elections in New York<\/a> earlier this week, calling them (wrongly) \u201cruthless communists\u201d and branded the leftist wave in the Democrat party \u201cthe most serious threat to our country in its existence\u201d.<\/p>\n At the same time he boasted that he \u201cwould be the greatest communist in history\u201d but said it would lead to Americans living in squalor, railing against the leftists who \u201chate\u201d America.<\/p>\n double quotation markI looked at some of the people that got elected the other night in New York. These are in many ways stupid people, in some ways, and intellectually probably pretty smart, but they\u2019re people that want to destroy our country.<\/p>\n They hate our country, they hate our people, they hate the Democrat party. The Democrat party is in big trouble, because this isn\u2019t stopping with New York.<\/p>\n The president added:<\/p>\n double quotation markIt\u2019s ironic we\u2019re celebrating a very important birthday \u2026 250 years, and instead of speaking about Christ and freedom and victories of all different kinds, we\u2019re speaking about yet another threat to the foundations of America.<\/p>\n Among the wild (false) claims he made, Trump said \u201cthe hardcore, godless communists\u201d would \u201ctake American down\u201d by targeting churches and Christians, turning buildings into \u201cghettos and slums\u201d, and that everyone would leave New York, and that this would spread across the country \u201clike an uncontrollable cancer\u201d and leave the United States a \u201cthird-world country\u201d.<\/p>\n Donald Trump gives remarks at the Road to Majority conference at the Washington Hilton. Photograph: Nathan Posner\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.34 EDT<\/p>\n Netanyahu also said that Lebanese civilians displaced from the so-called \u201csecurity zone\u201d that Israeli forces are occupying in southern Lebanon will not be allowed to return home after a new deal was announced<\/a> with Lebanon and the US.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are maintaining the original security zone at all times, outside the range of anti-tank fire. We are not allowing Hezbollah to enter it, nor are we allowing the civilian population to enter,\u201d Netanyahu said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel would remain in the parts of southern Lebanon it is occupying until Hezbollah disarms, shortly after the announcement in Washington of a framework agreement<\/a> between Israel, the United States and Lebanon.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important thing is, first of all, that Israel remains in the security zone in southern Lebanon. This is a major achievement, and we will maintain it as long as Hezbollah has not disarmed,\u201d Netanyahu said in a pre-recorded video shared with Israeli media.<\/p>\n Netanyahu added that Israel\u2019s military would also allow the Lebanese army to control territory in \u201ctwo pilot areas\u201d, one south of Lebanon\u2019s Litani River and another north of it.<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s airstrikes and ground invasion has killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced more than a million.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Gavin Newsom urges a national ‘billionaires’ tax’ while fighting one in California<\/p>\n Nick Robins-Early<\/p>\n California\u2019s governor, Gavin Newsom<\/a>, has called for a national \u201cbillionaires tax\u201d as he fights a ballot measure targeting the ultra-wealthy in his home state.<\/p>\n Newsom, who is expected to run for president in 2028, published his proposal the day after California<\/a> officials certified a ballot proposal to levy a one-time 5% tax on residents worth more than $1bn. The proposal, called the California Billionaire Tax Act, was brought by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW) and would fund the state\u2019s healthcare, education and food assistance programs.<\/p>\n The proposal has received more than 1.55m signatures, but has spurred intense pushback from the state\u2019s richest residents as well as several other prominent labor unions.<\/p>\n Newsom strongly opposes the measure, arguing it will hurt the state\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n Gavin Newsom speaks at the Center for American Progress Ideas conference in Washington DC on 19 May. Photograph: Annabelle Gordon\/Reuters<\/p>\n In his Substack post today, Newsom expanded on his opposition and framed it as an ineffective solution. \u201cI understand the anxiety driving the wealth tax proposal in California<\/a>. But I\u2019m voting no because this measure dedicates almost all of the revenue it raises to a single category of state spending,\u201d Newsom wrote.<\/p>\n Newsom argued that a state-level billionaire tax would be easily dodged by wealthy people who are able to move their assets to other states. Already, several billionaires, including Google co-founder Larry Page, have either threatened to leave California or made efforts to cut ties with the state.<\/p>\n \u201cYou may not be able to pick up and move to Texas or Florida to shelter your income from taxation, but I promise you that billionaires can, and do,\u201d Newsom wrote. \u201cWealth is movable, and it shops for the state with the lowest taxes. The fight belongs at the federal level, where this broken system was created in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n In today\u2019s announcement, Newsom offered a counterproposal, a new national tax policy, rather than a state-by-state system. He proposed a minimum tax on anyone with a net worth above $100m. He also wants to make it illegal for the wealthy to borrow against their stock portfolios to fund their luxury lifestyles tax-free.<\/p>\n More on this story here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Israel, Lebanon and US sign trilateral framework agreement in Washington<\/p>\n Israel, Lebanon and the United States have signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at paving the way for a peace deal to end the ongoing hostilities.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are happy to announce a framework agreement between the sovereign government of Lebanon and of course the government of Israel, with a mediation and support of the United States of America,\u201d US secretary of state Marco Rubio said at the signing ceremony.<\/p>\n The agreement \u201cbegins to put in place a framework for lasting peace and security\u201d, Rubio added.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll bring you more on this as I get it.<\/p>\n Marco Rubio looks on as Israeli ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, US state department chief of staff Daniel Holler, and Lebanese ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement. Photograph: Saul Loeb\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a>Leon Black accused of stonewalling Congress as Epstein hearing ends abruptly<\/p>\n Victoria Bekiempis<\/a> and Anna Betts<\/a><\/p>\n Billionaire financier Leon Black\u2019s testimony before a House committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> ended abruptly this morning after members from both parties said Black refused to answer questions about non-disclosure agreements.<\/p>\n James Comer, the Republican who chairs the committee, told reporters that the committee had already issued two subpoenas to Black on Friday \u2013 one demanding he produce any non-disclosure agreements, and another to appear again before the committee next month.<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters outside the room, Comer said that \u201cthe NDAs are between him and other women\u201d and that the committee wants to know \u201cwas Jeffrey Epstein<\/a> involved in the NDAs? Was he involved in writing? Was he involved in awarding funds to the women for the NDAs? \u2026 What was the reason for the NDAs? We want to know everything about the NDAs.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring today\u2019s voluntary transcribed interview, Mr Black stated he wouldn\u2019t answer questions about NDAs,\u201d Comer said. \u201cAnswers about the terms and substance of these NDAs are critical to our investigation. For this reason, today I issued subpoenas to Mr Black for NDAs and to appear for a deposition in the near future.\u201d<\/p>\n Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the committee, told reporters<\/a> that he supports Comer\u2019s subpoenas. \u201cThe NDAs are central to us understanding what actually happened,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n Black\u2019s lawyers said in a statement the committee\u2019s move was a political stunt. \u201cMr Black came here voluntarily to assist the committee. This was nothing more than a planned political stunt. Mr Epstein had no involvement with any NDAs, whether they exist or not,\u201d said Susan Estrich, an attorney for Black.<\/p>\n Leon Black at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, on 1 May 2018. Photograph: Patrick T Fallon\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n The interview this morning was conducted behind closed doors, though the committee is expected to release a transcript at a later date, as it has done with previous interviews.<\/p>\n \u201cOf all the witnesses that have come thus far, this one has the potential to be the most groundbreaking deposition in my opinion,\u201d Comer told<\/a> reporters this morning before the hearing began.<\/p>\n Black, the former Apollo Global Management CEO, has faced questions over his past ties<\/a> to Epstein for years, with scrutiny intensifying after the justice department released millions of records related to Epstein late last year and earlier this year. In 2021, Black stepped down as chairman and chief executive of Apollo Global Management.<\/p>\n According to a report commissioned by Apollo several years ago, Epstein provided financial services to Black between 2012 and 2017. After Epstein pleaded guilty to Florida state prostitution charges in 2008, including procuring a minor, Black became Epstein\u2019s largest client, <\/a>paying him a total of roughly $170m<\/a> in fees, according to an investigation by the Senate finance committee<\/a>. Black has described his work for Epstein as tax and estate-planning services.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the full report:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.17 EDT<\/p>\n Hours \u200cbefore the two met at the G7 summit last week, French president Emmanuel Macron said France would \u200bnot give in to pressure from Donald Trump to scrap its digital tax on large US tech companies.<\/p>\n Before setting off for the summit in France, Trump had warned that the \u2060US would \u201chave no choice\u201d but to apply 100% tariffs \u200bon French \u200bwine unless Paris eliminated \u200bits digital tax, but his latest threat changes the target from wine to all goods.<\/p>\n France has applied a \u200b3% levy\u200c since 2019 on \u200brevenue \u200bfrom digital services earned by companies with revenues of more than \u20ac25m (~$28.5m) in the country and \u20ac750m (~$850m) worldwide.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Donald Trump revives 100% tariff threat against countries imposing digital services tax<\/p>\n Donald \u2060Trump has once again revived his tariff threats<\/a>, warning that any country \u200cthat imposes \u200ca digital services tax on American companies will be hit with a \u2060100% tariff on all \u2060goods.<\/p>\n He said \u200cin a social media \u200bpost that the new \u2060tariff would supersede \u200bany trade \u200bdeals \u200bwith the \u200bUS.<\/p>\n \u201cNumerous European Countries have been discussing the imminent implementation of a Digital Services Tax on American Companies,\u201d Trump wrote<\/a>. \u201cSome of these Countries are close to actually doing this. Please let this statement serve to represent that any Country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100% TARIFF on any and all Goods sent to the United States of America.<\/p>\n \u201cThis TARIFF will supersede Trade Deals made with the Country, whether implemented, signed, or not,\u201d he added. \u201cAdditionally, the 100% TARIFF will be immediately imposed, if they proceed.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month, the US trade court ruled against<\/a> Trump\u2019s latest attempt at a 10% global tariff, finding across-the-board tariffs were not justified under a 1970s trade law. But courts striking down his tariffs have done little to discourage his threats, as earlier this month he threatened<\/a> tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on 60 trading partners including the UK, the EU and Australia over alleged forced labor failures.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.54 EDT<\/p>\n Donald Trump is blaming Iran for the drone strike on a ship in the strait of Hormuz Friday morning, calling it a \u201cfoolish violation\u201d of the ceasefire agreement.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Islamic Republic of Iran shot at least four One Way Attack Drones at Ships transversing the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d Trump wrote<\/a> on his Truth Social platform. \u201cOne of the Drones solidly hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive Cargo Carrying Ship. Damage was done, but the Ship was able to proceed on its way. We knocked down three other Drones. Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier, a United Nations agency paused<\/a> the evacuation of ships through the strait after the British military said a vessel was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman following the passage of several tankers that used a route backed by the UN.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.25 EDT<\/p>\n Also speaking after the guilty plea, John Bolton\u2019s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, compared the case to the 2023 indictment of Donald Trump, which accused him of<\/a> illegally retaining dozens of boxes of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate<\/a> after his first term.<\/p>\n The judge overseeing the case against Trump, Aileen M Cannon, dismissed those charges<\/a> before it went to trial, ruling that the special counsel who brought the prosecution (Jack Smith) had been improperly appointed.<\/p>\n Bolton \u201cdid what real leaders do. He took responsibility for a mistake he made,\u201d Lowell said. \u201cBy contrast, President Trump thumbed his nose at the classified information laws, took actual classified documents to his Florida mansion, interfered with the investigation of that conduct, and has never accepted any accountability for his conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n Bolton, he added, \u201ckept a record to preserve history, but Donald Trump kept secrets to serve himself.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Marina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Marina_Dunbar.png\")
Marina Dunbar<\/p>\n![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782506595_566_David_Smith.png\")
David Smith<\/p>\n