• President Donald Trump made sweeping claims of election interference during a primetime address on Thursday night.
• White House documents posted to the official website during the speech largely failed to support the President's assertions.
• This discrepancy undermines the administration's narrative regarding foreign or domestic interference in the electoral process.
• Former President Donald Trump has revived claims of election fraud, specifically alleging that China interfered in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
• These assertions contradict a 2021 U.S. intelligence assessment and declassified documents, which found no evidence that foreign actors altered technical election aspects or could manipulate voting systems at scale.
• A CIA assessment noted that while Beijing targeted political campaigns for intelligence gathering, there was no indication of an intent to covertly sway the election outcome.
• Former President Donald Trump delivered a primetime speech on Thursday claiming that newly declassified intelligence proves foreign interference, specifically from China, in the 2020 US elections.
• These claims contradict official US government intelligence assessments, which have previously debunked theories that the election data was stolen or compromised by foreign actors.
• The rhetoric is significant as similar unfounded claims regarding the 2020 election previously culminated in the violent attack on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021.
US president offered litany of misleading and false claims during Thursday speech on alleged threats to US electionsDonald Trump offered a litany of misleading and false claims during his Thursday speech on threats to US elections, and released previously classified documents to try to support his specious claims. In some cases, his claims were not supported by those documents. Here is a look at some of the key claims that could mislead the American public. Continue reading...
Markwayne Mullin at presser repeated many of Trump’s unverified claims from controversial primetime speechThe US homeland security secretary, Markwayne Mullin, doubled down on Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated election claims on Friday amid his agency’s efforts to support the president’s agenda.Trump used a memo compiled by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as the basis of many of his unsubstantiated claims on Thursday during his televised primetime address to the nation. Continue reading...
• Donald Trump delivered a national address reiterating his claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent and alleging that China meddled in the process.
• During the speech, Trump urged the Republican-led Congress to pass the "SAVE America Act," a controversial election bill that currently lacks the necessary support for passage.
• These claims echo the rhetoric that led to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, where supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and forced lawmakers to flee.
• President Trump delivered a speech reiterating claims that U.S. voting systems are vulnerable to being "rigged and stolen," though he provided no new evidence of fraudulent votes.
• The remarks reference a 2021 report indicating that China likely maintained longstanding efforts to gather intelligence on U.S. voters, political candidates, and senior government officials.
• These claims matter as they continue to challenge the perceived integrity of the American electoral process and highlight ongoing foreign interference concerns.
• President Trump delivered a primetime address claiming that the United States election system falls "catastrophically short" of necessary security standards.
• During the speech, Trump revisited long-standing allegations of widespread voter fraud, though he provided no new evidence to support these claims.
• The address is significant as it reinforces disputed narratives that election experts and officials have repeatedly debunked.
Democrats also criticize speech as ‘lies and long-debunked conspiracies’Sign up for US News Breaking emailTrump makes unverified claims of China ‘election meddling’Donald Trump repeated calls in his Thursday speech for the passage of the Save America Act – a rebranded and expanded version of last year’s Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (Save) act, which passed in the US House but didn’t get a vote in the Senate.This year’s version includes a very strict voter ID requirement for casting a ballot and a provision that requires states to regularly turn their voter rolls over to the Department of Homeland Security, in addition to criminal liability for election officials who register a voter without proper documentary proof of citizenship. Continue reading...
• President Donald Trump announced the release of dozens of declassified documents during a primetime address on Thursday night.
• The release accompanies Trump's claims that foreign entities interfered in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
• This move is significant as it attempts to provide evidence for long-standing allegations regarding election integrity and external influence.
• Former President Donald Trump delivered a primetime address in which he repeated unverified claims of "sinister election meddling" regarding U.S. elections.
• During the speech, Trump released a series of heavily redacted documents intended to support his assertions of foreign interference.
• The address highlighted claims from former intelligence official John Ratcliffe, who suggested the Venezuelan government developed capabilities to manipulate electronic voting systems.
• President Trump delivered a speech using selectively cited documents to claim that U.S. elections have been compromised for years and that officials suppressed evidence.
• The President specifically referenced claims regarding Smartmatic, a company frequently targeted by conspiracy theories following his loss in the 2020 election.
• The claims suggest that digital methods exist to alter vote totals in ways that would remain undetected by election authorities.
• President Donald Trump is expected to use a primetime address to revive claims that the 2020 U.S. election was hacked.
• These assertions contradict findings from federal agencies, court rulings, and various statewide audits that debunked the hacking theories.
• The move is significant as it challenges the established legitimacy of the 2020 electoral results and the integrity of the democratic process.
• Former President Donald Trump is expected to deliver a speech revisiting claims of widespread fraud and manipulation in the 2020 election.
• These allegations have been consistently debunked by repeated investigations and audits, including validations from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
• The situation highlights Trump's ongoing conflict with CISA and its former director, Chris Krebs, who was fired after confirming the integrity of the 2020 vote.
US government says it wants to ‘systematically disable’ The Hague-based international criminal courtA spokesperson for the EU has pushed back against the Trump administration’s assertion that the international criminal court poses a threat to US sovereignty, a day after the US government said it would work to “systematically disable” a global tribunal that seeks to prosecute some of the world’s gravest crimes.“We stand firm in our support for the international criminal court (ICC),” an EU spokesperson, Anouar El Anouni, said on Tuesday. “Attacks or threats against the court-elected officials, personnel or those cooperating with the court are simply not acceptable.” Continue reading...
US president posts that meeting will take place on Tuesday in Qatari capital after exchange of fire in strait of HormuzDonald Trump has claimed that Iran has agreed to hold talks in Doha after the US and Iran traded fire in the strait of Hormuz this weekend threatening the collapse of a ceasefire meant to keep open the strait of Hormuz and pave the way for peace talks.In a terse post on Truth Social, the US president claimed that the meetings would take place in the Qatari capital, as US media reported that the two sides had agreed to halt strikes following tit-for-tat attacks that once again cut off shipping through the crucial waterway. Continue reading...
Sarah B Rogers speech at conference in London included far-right memes and conspiracy theories about ‘Da Yookay’ Claims by a senior official in the Trump administration that British police were making thousands of “freedom of speech” arrests have been rejected by the UK government.Sarah B Rogers, who has become the public face of the US state department’s hostility to European liberal democracies, was accused by MPs of echoing far-right memes and conspiracy theories during a speech at an international rightwing conference in London. She also referenced the death of Henry Nowak and a recent incident in which a child was thrown into a zoo’s crocodile pit. Continue reading...
President says ‘vandals’ to blame for algae blooms and peeling paint as $14m renovation to undergo further repairsThe Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool is set to be drained again after Donald Trump said on Monday – without providing proof – that five people were arrested for vandalism and five more are under investigation in connection to the algae blooms and peeling paint that appeared weeks after his ill-fated $14m renovation attempt.“It’s not a lot of damage, but we’ll probably have to let the water out and refix it. They went in there with a knife,” Trump told reporters, describing what he first said was a 290- to 300ft slit in the paint but then later amended to a 350ft slit. He also said someone had put fertilizer into the water, which caused the algae to grow. Continue reading...
Trump’s pre-Fourth of July renovation project has endured problems with algae, peeling paint and an inflating price tagDonald Trump’s rush to repaint the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, an iconic symbol of Washington DC, has hit roadblock after roadblock as the country’s 250th anniversary nears.The public has been gripped by the ill-fated $14m bid to renovate the reflecting pool, which the US president vowed to make “beautiful” in time for this summer’s birthday celebrations at the capital. Continue reading...
US president provokes outrage as PM says he ‘totally invented’ story in interview with Italian mediaItaly’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has said Donald Trump “totally invented” a story about her after the US president claimed she begged him to take a photo with her during the G7 summit.The two former allies had appeared to be getting their relationship back on track by having several one-to-ones on the sidelines at the gathering in Évian after falling out in April over the US-Israeli war in Iran. Continue reading...
Keith Sonderling, acting head of the agency, threatens to withhold administrative funds from states for first time in historyKeith Sonderling sent letters to 53 states and US territories demanding action to “combat waste, fraud, and abuse” within the unemployment insurance program, threatening to withhold administrative funds from states for the first time history.“We are officially putting governors on notice,” said the acting US secretary of labor. “The American people will no longer tolerate the blatant waste, fraud, and abuse of their hard-earned tax dollars – no state should allow it either. If states allow it, they will suffer the consequences. This department is no longer afraid to use every lever available to ensure taxpayer money is protected.” Continue reading...
The US president says Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons, ‘which is what it was all about’. Plus, how AI could help botanists combat the extinction risk to rare plantsGood morning. Donald Trump has declared the strait of Hormuz will be “completely open” from Friday. “The deal’s all signed. And the strait is already partially opened,” the US president said as he arrived at the G7 summit in France.“I think a lot of great things are going to happen in the Middle East. And very importantly, the oil is plummeting down and the stock market is shooting up like a rocket today,” Trump said. “The main thing is that Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. They fully agreed to that with strong policing powers, and they won’t have a nuclear weapon, which is what it was all about.”What is the reaction in Israel? Analysts have pointed out that none of Benjamin Netanyahu’s promises at the beginning of the war – regime change in Tehran and the destruction of Iran’s nuclear programme – have been fulfilled. The Israeli prime minister did not denounce the deal, but distanced himself from the negotiations and said Israel would not leave the territory it was occupying in Lebanon.What else is on the agenda at the G7 summit? The G7 will seek to shore up waning US support for Ukraine, with the UK’s prime minister, Keir Starmer, vowing to “choke off” Russian revenue with further sanctions and provide hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of energy support for Ukraine.What do experts say may have caused the crash? Jeff Guzzetti, an aviation safety expert, suspected a flight-control malfunction caused the crash, given how quickly the plane went down after takeoff. He noted that testing new equipment on a 70-year-old aircraft inherently heightened risks. “I think it was definitely a controllability issue,” he said. Continue reading...
US president dismissed Iranian media reports agreement was close, despite earlier suggesting a deal could be signed this weekendMiddle East crisis – live updatesProspects for an immediate end to the war between Iran and the US remained uncertain on Friday amid a chaotic series of conflicting claims and counter-claims by US and Iranian officials about ongoing negotiationsDonald Trump seemed to distance himself from his earlier comments that suggested a preliminary agreement could be signed as soon as this weekend, with a series of angry social media posts describing the Iranians as “very dishonorable people to deal with”. Continue reading...
Brent crude falls as optimism rises strait of Hormuz could reopen over the weekendBusiness live – latest updatesGlobal oil prices fell on Friday to lows not seen since the first week of the Iran crisis after Donald Trump claimed he was close to reaching a peace deal with Tehran.The price of Brent crude began to tumble from about $93 a barrel in overnight trade after the US president called off further military strikes against Iran which were scheduled for the evening. Continue reading...
US president says ‘great settlement’ reached but Iranian spokesman says there has been no final conclusionFull report: Trump claims US and Iran on verge of signing peace agreementHello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.Iran’s foreign ministry has contradicted claims from Donald Trump that a peace deal between Washington and Tehran could be signed as soon as this weekend.Trump said he was cancelling a third day of US airstrikes and bombings that he had earlier said would happen because “discussions” with Iran “have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved”. He also said on social media: “Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others.”Israel, however, said it was “not a party to” what prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described as an emerging memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran. But the office said Netanyahu had spoken with Trump and that the final agreement at the conclusion of negotiations would include the removal of enriched material, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and the cessation of Iran’s support for its terrorist proxies in the region – measures that have been red lines for Iran in the past.The strait of Hormuz would open “as soon as we sign” the documents of the “great settlement” reached with Iran, Trump said. “The whole Middle East is happy.”Iranian media said the country’s forces had stopped a “violating tanker” from entering the strait of Hormuz. The report from the Fars news agency – closely linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards – came shortly after the sound of explosions were reportedly heard near the port city of Bandar Abbas.Trump had earlier posted on social media that the US would seize Iran’s Kharg Island “in the not too distant future”, but later said the seizure would be off the table “if we sign this agreement”.The price of oil rose after Trump threatened a “very hard” attack on Iran, but plunged hours later after he said he was cancelling the strikes. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 1.9% to $86.08 a barrel, on top of a 2.6% drop overnight, and Brent dropped 1.5% to $89.08 a barrel, having fallen nearly 3% overnight. Asian stocks joined a global rally, with South Korea’s Kospi surging 7.4% and Japan’s Nikkei up 2.7%.A strike wounded 10 staff members of a hospital in the Lebanese city of Tyre on Thursday, the facility’s director told the AFP news agency, as Israeli raids continued in the country’s south. All three of the historic city’s hospitals have been hit since the start of the latest war between Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and Israel in early March.India’s government voiced a “strong protest” after three Indian seafarers were killed in US military strikes against oil tankers travelling through the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...
• Former President Donald Trump claimed that Iran shot down a helicopter on June 9, 2026, and vowed that the United States would "respond" to the incident.
• The claim comes amid escalating tensions involving a broader US-Israel military conflict against Iran and ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
• This escalation signifies a critical spike in regional instability, potentially leading to direct military confrontations between major global powers and Middle Eastern states.
National average gas price stands at about $4.16 per gallon as Americans grapple with price hikes sparked by the warDonald Trump has claimed US fuel prices are “not very high, relatively speaking” as his administration grapples with affordability concerns after the surge in costs sparked by his war on Iran.The national average gas price stood at about $4.16 per gallon on Tuesday, according to AAA – $0.37 lower than a month ago, but still about $1 more expensive than the same time last year. Continue reading...
Critics say president using well-worn playbook – with loyalists in key positions ready to amplify his messageDonald Trump is “inventing fraud” in California’s primary elections, and likely to ramp up unfounded allegations when more races go against him, pro-democracy experts have warned.While the US president has used this playbook for years – from his loss at the Emmys as a reality TV star to his defeat in the 2020 presidential election – election integrity campaigners fear this time could be different. Continue reading...
Kristen Welker questioned Trump’s allegations that races for California governor and 2020 president were ‘rigged’Donald Trump walked out of an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press after he repeatedly made false claims that the US 2020 presidential elections was rigged in 2020 and questions around compensation for those charged in the January 6 insurrection.The US president’s abrupt exit came during a tense exchange between himself and NBC’s Kristen Welker during a Friday interview in Wisconsin that aired on Sunday. Continue reading...
US president’s appointee for acting director of national intelligence has sparked bipartisan criticismDonald Trump has suggested his controversial ally Bill Pulte will investigate “rigged elections” while serving as the country’s top intelligence official, as the US president continues to make unfounded allegations about voting.But Pulte, whom Trump appointed as acting director of national intelligence earlier this week, will only serve in the role temporarily, the president claimed on Thursday. Continue reading...