President Donald Trump is scheduled to convene his Cabinet Wednesday during a critical juncture in discussions aimed at concluding the conflict with Iran, coming just days after he claimed his administration and Tehran had “largely negotiated” a settlement while negotiations continue to remain uncertain.
As Trump prepares to meet with his senior advisors, he’s expressing optimism about reaching an agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and give him credible grounds to argue that Iran’s nuclear capabilities have been sufficiently reduced to claim success, bringing to a close a conflict that has proven politically unpopular among Republicans.
The developing agreement delays numerous crucial matters for future resolution and has already subjected the president to harsh criticism — including from some of his own allies — that Iran’s extremist leadership will come out of the conflict damaged but strengthened.
In other political developments, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton handily beat four-term Sen. John Cornyn in the most recent race where Trump aimed to remove an incumbent he viewed as not sufficiently supportive. The controversy-ridden Republican will now face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November, with Senate control remaining uncertain.
Additionally, the 79-year-old president came out of another medical examination stating “Everything checked out PERFECTLY” after working to address questions about his age and energy levels. The White House reported his more than three hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center were dedicated to preventive medical and dental examinations.
Construction crews are building a temporary octagon-shaped cage on the South Lawn for next month’s UFC match, scheduled to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary — and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. Online designs show what the finished, wire-mesh-fence-surrounded fighting area is anticipated to look like before the June 14 event, surrounded by a red, white and blue stage beneath a massive arch featuring stars and stripes designs and two large screens broadcasting the action live.
“I have never seen anybody want anything so much as people want those tickets,” Trump said recently. “That’s gonna be something.”
Through a social media message, Trump praised Paxton on a “tremendous win” and pledged that “I will do some nice, big, beautiful rallies for Ken. Texas, this will be FUN!
Trump also praised Cornyn “for having run a strong and powerful race but, more importantly, having had a truly great career.”
In his support of Paxton, Trump stated Cornyn “was not supportive of me when times were tough” and that “John was very late in backing me.”
However, Trump said Wednesday that, “John will remain my friend for a long time to come, as we both watch Ken become a fantastic, common-sense Senator.”
Joe Biden filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department on Tuesday attempting to prevent the release of audio recordings and transcripts from the former president’s conversation with a ghostwriter that were secured by the special counsel who examined his management of classified documents. Biden’s attorneys argued in a lawsuit filed in Washington’s federal court that the Justice Department intends to release the files to Congress and a conservative organization, the Heritage Foundation, after the department had previously contended that they were protected from disclosure under public records law.
Biden’s legal team contended that the disclosure would “constitute an unwarranted invasion of President Biden’s privacy.”
“Every American, including a sitting or former Vice President, has a right to privacy in the personal conversations he has within his own home,” his attorneys wrote. “And when the U.S. Department of Justice obtains that private information through a criminal investigation, the Department bears a particular responsibility to protect it from disclosure.”
The Trump administration is seeking to have all current and future federal employees sign nondisclosure agreements, as part of an ongoing effort to prevent leaks to the media. A draft notice, revealed Tuesday on the Office of Personnel Management website, is anticipated to be formally published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, requesting feedback on a proposed NDA to be utilized by federal agencies for “both new and existing employees.”
“The form is intended to document Federal employees’ acknowledgment of, and agreement to comply with, current legal obligations to safeguard nonpublic, confidential, or proprietary information, created or obtained through their official duties, while expressly preserving the right to make disclosures authorized by law,” the notice said.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton secured the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, soundly defeating four-term Sen. John Cornyn in the most recent race where Trump worked to remove an incumbent he considered insufficiently supportive. Trump backed Paxton last week, describing him as a “true MAGA warrior.” Paxton’s success in Tuesday’s runoff makes Cornyn — who was initially elected to the Senate in 2002 — the first Republican senator from Texas to lose the party’s nomination for reelection.
Applause echoed through the ballroom at Paxton’s election night celebration when the race was decided, and he addressed the stage to supporters chanting his name. He immediately credited Trump.
“When everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn’t listen,” Paxton said. “President Trump is the leader of our party, and his endorsement is the most powerful force in politics.”
