Trump News

President Trump privately distanced himself from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's firing spree at the Pentagon, apologizing to a senator on behalf of a four-star general Hegseth axed without explanation, even as the purge leaves the Army without a permanent leader amid escalating drone warfare in the Middle East.

Hegseth, who styles himself "Secretary of War" through a Trump executive order, fired Gen. Randy George, the Army's top officer, in a 15-second phone call in April, with no clear reasoning given. According to The New York Times, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), a 22-year National Guard veteran who hails from George's state, called Trump directly to complain, telling him George was one of the Army's best officers and noting the general's own parents had voted for Trump.

Social media erupted Tuesday after Alex Pretti’s family broke their silence about his killing by federal immigration officers, revealing that they learned of his death by watching television.

"The Trump regime murdered Alex Pretti and his family only learned about it by watching it on TV," prominent X commentator JoJoFromJerz told her followers.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly slipped into Moscow on a secret trip Tuesday, marking the highest-level visit by a Trump administration official to Russia since January — even as the Kremlin insists no such meeting is happening at all.

CBS News and Axios both reported Ratcliffe's presence in the Russian capital, citing sources familiar with the situation, though neither outlet identified who he was meeting or what was discussed. Meanwhile, according to Al Jazeera, flight-tracking data showed a U.S. military C-17 departing Riga, Latvia early Tuesday morning and landing in Moscow roughly 74 minutes later, before departing again later in the day.

President Donald Trump is facing rare backlash from members of his own party over his plan to temporarily lift tariffs on hundreds of thousands of tons of foreign beef to lower grocery prices.

Under the president’s plan, the United States will allow up to 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef to enter the country without higher tariffs, The Guardian reported Tuesday. Trump said the imported meat would be sold at 25% below “current market prices.”

President Donald Trump mourned country music legend Dolly Parton on Tuesday, years after she twice declined his offer of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

“Very sad to report that Dolly Parton, one of the greatest Country singers, and far beyond, EVER, has just passed away,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform shortly after news of her passing broke.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro faces a bar complaint alleging she abused her power to pursue indictments against six Democratic lawmakers on behalf of President Donald Trump.

The Legal Accountability Center filed the complaint Tuesday with a state grievance committee in White Plains, New York, which handles ethics cases against attorneys. The group asked the committee to investigate Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, and to pursue disciplinary action against her.

The family of Alex Pretti spoke out Tuesday for the first time about his killing, stressing that the 37-year-old intensive care nurse was merely observing a surge of federal immigration officers — not participating in a protest — when agents shot him.

Pretti’s parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, and his sister, Micayla, broke their silence in an ABC News exclusive interview with George Stephanopoulos that aired Tuesday on “Good Morning America,” seven months after Pretti was killed in Minneapolis.

A number of medical professionals expressed outrage Tuesday as the ongoing measles outbreak claimed two lives in Pennsylvania — the state’s first measles death in 35 years — amid Trump administration policies and rhetoric that critics have said exacerbated the issue.

“Two measles deaths in Pennsylvania. What a tragedy,” wrote Neil Stone, a British infectious-disease physician, in a social media post on X Tuesday. “A completely avoidable tragedy. Measles vaccine is incredibly safe and highly effective at preventing measles. This is MAHA...sadly.”

Republican South Carolina voters raced to the polls Tuesday to decide who will replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on the ballot in November, but before the polls closed, Republicans were already betting on President Donald Trump’s hand-picked candidate going down in flames, NOTUS reported.

Graham’s sister, Darline Lettie Graham Nordone — who notably has dropped her married name in her campaign material — was endorsed by Trump to replace her late brother, and heads into the race as an incumbent after being nominated to serve in her brother’s seat on an interim basis by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. Nordone faces Rep. Ralph Norman in a special runoff election.

The Justice Department is weighing federal charges against an ICE officer just hours before a judge decides whether Minnesota can finally take custody of him.

Federal prosecutors could move as soon as Tuesday, CNN reported, citing a source familiar with the case and a department spokeswoman. The officer, Christian Castro, was arrested in May on charges in Minnesota. He has been held in a Texas jail since.

Marco Rubio's State Department is seeking legal guidance as part of an attempt to sell off a government-owned painting by Kehinde Wiley — the celebrated artist behind former President Barack Obama's official portrait — after Trump administration officials branded the work "woke."

According to a report from the Washington Post, State Department officials are exploring options to sell the painting, which was removed earlier this month from the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s “Great American Road Trip” reality show raises more questions about the Trump appointee than it answers about what it is like to be an American.

That is the opinion of Washington Post culture columnist Monica Hesse in a biting review of the six-part reality show, where she suggests there are some curious moments, including possible “dogwhistling” to Jan 6 insurrection supporters.