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President Donald Trump speaks about prescription drug prices in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Washington.<\/p>\n
Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters during and event about prescription drug prices in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House campus, Monday, May 18, 2026, in Washington, with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., left, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz.<\/p>\n
Julia Demaree Nikhinson\/AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson<\/p>\n
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will appear on Capitol Hill for his first congressional testimony since taking the reins at the Justice Department, as the agency faces intense scrutiny over its plans to create a $1.776 billion fund to pay allies of President Donald Trump who believe they were targeted politically.<\/p>\n
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Also, Trump said he’s holding off on a military strike on Iran planned for Tuesday because \u201cserious negotiations\u201d are underway to end the war. Trump said he had planned \u201ca very major attack\u201d but put it off \u2014 \u201cfor a little while, hopefully, maybe forever.\u201d He said America\u2019s allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they’re close to a deal with Iran.<\/p>\n
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Is there a future in politics for Republicans who cross Trump?<\/p>\n
The signs this year suggest no, and Trump has convinced his voters to defeat his adversaries again and again. The next test of the president\u2019s power to extract retribution is Tuesday, when Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky faces a Trump-backed primary challenger.<\/p>\n
Massie has been a thorn in the president\u2019s side for pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, opposing the war with Iran and voting against Trump\u2019s signature tax legislation last year.<\/p>\n
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Meanwhile, Georgia is about to feature a fresh case study in the divergent paths available to Republicans who defy Trump.<\/p>\n
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan were among the few Republicans to speak out against Trump\u2019s attempt to overturn his 2020 loss. Both are now running for governor \u2014 Raffensperger as a Republican and Duncan as a Democrat \u2014 and both are trying to convince voters to look past things they said in the past.<\/p>\n
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Trump\u2019s tough-talk foreign policy is hitting a wall with Iran as it grips Strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n
President Trump has considered himself an effective dealmaker above all else, but he appears to have hit a wall with Iran as his tough talk, threats and even military action haven\u2019t moved Tehran from its long-established positions.<\/p>\n
With shifting goals that make it difficult to judge the status of the U.S. effort, Trump and his top aides have insisted the U.S. has already won the war and that Iran is ready to reach an agreement in the wake of escalating U.S. threats during a tenuous ceasefire.<\/p>\n
But Trump once again backed down, saying Monday that he\u2019d put plans for an imminent resumption of attacks on hold at the request of Gulf Arab states because \u201cserious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Crucially, Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping lane for global oil supplies, even as the U.S. military has enforced its own blockade on Iranian ports.<\/p>\n
Putin visits China to reaffirm Russia ties as Xi also seeks stable US relations after Trump summit<\/p>\n
Russian President Vladimir Putin is traveling to China to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping less than a week after President Trump wrapped up his own trip to Beijing.<\/p>\n
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Putin is scheduled to be in China on Tuesday and Wednesday in a visit likely to be closely watched as Beijing seeks to maintain stable relations with the United States while also preserving strong ties with Russia.<\/p>\n
The Kremlin has said Putin and Xi plan to discuss economic cooperation between the two countries, but also \u201ckey international and regional issues.\u201d The visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship signed in 2001.<\/p>\n
China is a key trading partner for Russia, especially after Moscow\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Beijing has said it is neutral in the conflict while maintaining trade ties with the Kremlin despite economic and financial sanctions by the U.S. and Europe.<\/p>\n
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Trump says he\u2019s called off Iran strike planned for Tuesday at request of Gulf allies<\/p>\n
Trump said he is holding off on a military strike on Iran planned for Tuesday because \u201cserious negotiations\u201d are underway to end the war.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I\u2019d be very happy,\u201d Trump said at the White House on Monday evening, after first making the announcement in a social media post.<\/p>\n
Trump said he had planned \u201ca very major attack\u201d but put it off \u2014 \u201cfor a little while, hopefully, maybe forever.\u201d He said America\u2019s allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they are close to a deal with Iran.<\/p>\n
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Trump has been threatening for weeks that the ceasefire reached in mid-April could end if Iran did not make a deal, with shifting parameters for striking such an agreement. Over the weekend he warned, \u201cFor Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won\u2019t be anything left of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
What to know about Trump\u2019s nearly $1.8B fund to compensate allies claiming political targeting<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s allies who believe they have been wrongly investigated and prosecuted could soon have access to a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund, the Justice Department announced Monday.<\/p>\n
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that the \u201cAnti-Weaponization Fund\u201d will represent \u201ca lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.\u201d Blanche\u2019s statement made no mention of how investigations and prosecutions of Trump\u2019s political opponents under his watch have exposed the Justice Department to the same claims of politicized law enforcement that he has said he opposed.<\/p>\n
The fund was announced as part of a deal to resolve Trump\u2019s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns.<\/p>\n
The fund is in keeping with Trump\u2019s long-running claims that the Justice Department during the Biden administration was weaponized against him, even though then-President Joe Biden himself was scrutinized during that time.<\/p>\n
Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday the fund is dedicated to \u201creimbursing people who were horribly treated.\u201d<\/p>\n
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US Rep. Thomas Massie\u2019s GOP primary in Kentucky is the latest test of Trump\u2019s power over the party<\/p>\n
Republican voters in northern Kentucky will choose between U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie and challenger Ed Gallrein in Tuesday\u2019s House primary, another test of President Donald Trump\u2019s power over his party after he handpicked Gallrein to take on the incumbent.<\/p>\n
The primary race turned white hot in the final stretch. Massie brought in a phalanx of other Republicans, including Rep. Lauren Boebert, in an attempt to show voters that they could support both him and Trump. Trump ratcheted up his social media attacks on Massie, calling him \u201can obstructionist and a fool,\u201d and Gallrein shared a stage with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday.<\/p>\n
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Trump has tightened his grip on the Republican Party in his second term, successfully purging those who deviate from his agenda, but Massie is one of the last and most outspoken holdouts. A Massie defeat on Tuesday would serve as one of the most powerful demonstrations yet of Trump\u2019s influence over Republican voters.<\/p>\n
The matchup has become the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.<\/p>\n
Blanche will face questions from lawmakers over a nearly $1.8B fund to compensate Trump allies<\/p>\n
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will appear on Capitol Hill Tuesday for his first congressional testimony since taking the reins at the DOJ as the law enforcement agency faces intense scrutiny over its plans to create a $1.776 billion fund to pay allies of the Republican president who believe they were targeted politically.<\/p>\n
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Blanche\u2019s testimony before a Senate appropriations subcommittee follows Monday\u2019s announcement about the creation of the \u201cAnti-Weaponization Fund,\u201d which critics decried as an illegal abuse of power designed to line the pockets of Trump supporters with taxpayer dollars.<\/p>\n
In the weeks since assuming control of the Justice Department, Blanche has moved aggressively to advance the president\u2019s priorities.<\/p>\n
Tuesday\u2019s hearing is meant to address the Trump administration\u2019s budget request for the Justice Department but is likely to delve into other controversies that have escalated concerns about the erosion of the law enforcement agency\u2019s tradition of independence from the White House.<\/p>\n
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