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The scale of Trump’s political blunder in Iran is coming into focus

2026-06-22T16:52:01.039Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/22/politics/trump-iran-deal-poll

• A new CBS News-YouGov poll reveals Americans overwhelmingly want the Iran war to end now — but because they want to be finished with it, not because they think the US has won.
• Only 22% of those polled believe the Trump administration’s agreement favors the United States over Iran.
• Most Americans think the war has created more problems than it solved.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

The first major poll conducted since the Trump administration signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran has a point that seems like good news for Trump: Americans overwhelmingly agree he should end the war rather than push for more concessions.

But it’s not because they actually like the agreement; it’s because they think the war is a debacle, and they just want to be done with it.

A new CBS News-YouGov poll shows that even as Americans get their first glimpse — however tentative — of the finish line, it hasn’t improved their views of the war one iota.

And as the administration enters a new phase in this process, it’s worth a check-in on where the politics stand and how they could impact what comes next.

The poll shows 78% of Americans said they’d prefer to end the war now, while just 22% wanted to hold out — to “continue … until Iran gives up more.”

At least one Trump political adviser was celebrating that finding on Sunday. He suggested it showed the American people were on Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s side on the accord with Iran.

But the rest of the poll makes it abundantly clear that’s not true.

When asked to actually review the agreement, just 22% of Americans said it’s better for the United States than Iran, while significantly more — 37% — said it’s better for Iran. (The other 41% said it was about equal.)

The percentage who said it’s better for the US included just 39% of Republicans. So just to underscore, only about 4 in 10 members of Trump’s own party think his administration negotiated a win here.

Americans also said 45%-29% that the war hasn’t been successful from a strategic standpoint.

But that last finding might undersell how much of a strategic defeat Americans see this as.

Perhaps nothing drives that home like polling on the nuclear issue — Trump’s most critical goal.

While Trump has repeatedly asserted his aim was to permanently stop Iran’s nuclear program, the CBS poll shows 69% of Americans and even 45% of Republicans said this agreement, if finalized to bring the war to a conclusion, won’t accomplish that.

This echoes a Fox News poll conducted the weekend the framework was being negotiated in mid-June. It showed registered voters said 64%-35% that it was unlikely a peace agreement would stop Iran from producing nuclear weapons.

Notably, the agreement leaves many details for later, so there are still plenty of issues to iron out on the nuclear front.

But the Trump administration appears to be walking back some of its goals, and these findings get at the rank pessimism that exists in the American public.

The new CBS poll also shows:

• 68% said the agreement, if finalized, won’t have stopped Iran from threatening other countries. Nearly half (48%) of polled Republicans agreed with that statement.
• 79% said it hasn’t made Iran’s leaders more pro-US.
• 74% said it hasn’t made Iran’s people safe and free, which Trump had said was one of his goals earlier this year.

A striking and consistent detail in polling on the Iran war are findings that suggest the war is not only viewed as a failure, but as counterproductive.

And that continues today.

Trump claims the war has destroyed Iran militarily and pulverized its nuclear program. But just 37% of Americans say Iran is weaker today than before the war began.

More than 6 in 10 say Iran is as strong as it was before (38%) or stronger (25%).

While Iran has surely suffered major military losses, it has also demonstrated significant leverage via its now-proven ability to lock down the Strait of Hormuz and jeopardize the world economy.

Speaking of which, Americans think the war is likely to continue exacting a toll in the months and years to come.

A clear 57% majority said the war has actually “created more problems than it solved.” That’s nearly three times the 21% who said it had solved more problems than it created.

And when it comes to that impact, Americans seem to think Trump simply didn’t understand what he was getting himself into.

The poll asked whether people thought the Trump administration understood the impact the war would have on the world economy.

Fully 64% thought the war impacted the world economy more than the administration expected. That includes 51% of polled Republicans.

Of course, there’s plenty to back that up — both from Trump’s own public comments as well as reporting. CNN reported in March that the administration underestimated Iran’s willingness to try and close the Strait of Hormuz.

Americans are just anxious for it to be over — and think Trump is, too

The last big lesson is that Americans are on the same page with Trump in a way: They just want it to be over, and they think Trump does, too.

The Fox News poll in mid-June had shown 70% of registered voters said they were concerned the war would become a long-term commitment. And 87% said it was important to avoid a prolonged war.

That likely helps explain why people might be willing to accept a suboptimal agreement. The administration said the war was likely to last about four to six weeks, and it’s now dragged on for nearly four months.

Americans haven’t seen many deliverables during that time. And given they didn’t see much reason to go to war in the first place, it’s not a big logical leap that they would decide to cut bait.

And perhaps most tellingly, that’s what they think Trump is doing right now — trying to cut bait.

The CBS poll asked whether Americans thought the Trump administration was reaching this agreement because it had met all of its goals, or because it “wants the conflict to be over.”

Two-thirds of Americans said it was because the administration just wants to wrap it up.

Who is Andy Burnham, the man likely to replace British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after his resignation?

2026-06-22T12:55:00-0400 / CBS News

London— British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he was resigning, less than two years after he led his center-left Labour Party to a commanding general election victory.

Starmer vowed an “orderly transition” that should see a new prime minister in place by September, if not much sooner, after months of mounting public dissatisfaction over the economy and perceived slow progress in tackling illegal immigration.

Attention quickly shifted onto the man seen widely as Starmer’s likely replacement. While it’s still possible that there will be a leadership contest within the Labour Party, senior members appeared keen to avoid the spectacle and momentum was building fast around Andy Burnham.

Until last week, Burnham had been the Mayor of Manchester, Britain’s fifth largest city, for about a decade. He stepped down from that role to stand in a local by-election last week, easily clinching the seat in Makerfield, Greater Manchester, to become the local Member of Parliament in the House of Commons.

Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham speaks as he celebrates his victory in a Makerfield by-election on June 19, 2026 in Ashton in Makerfield, England. Ryan Jenkinson/Getty

While not required by law, British party leaders have long been chosen from among sitting elected lawmakers.

Burnham’s recent victory in the Makerfield by-election was significant not only as it cleared his potential path to the premiership, however, but because he won decisively in exactly the type of constituency Labour has struggled to hold onto in recent years.

The seat is predominantly white British, traditionally working-class, post-industrial and voted heavily to leave the European Union in the 2016 “Brexit” referendum. Communities like Makerfield across the U.K. were considered Labour heartlands for decades, but they have become increasingly contested as many voters drift toward right-wing, populist parties such as Reform UK.

Reform, led by President Trump’s ally Nigel Farage, has made major gains over the last year thanks to concern among voters over immigration amid perceived declines in living standards.

Burnham outperformed expectations, however, giving Labour strategists hope that the party can reconnect with voters before the next national elections, which could change the makeup of the House of Commons and give another party a chance to take the reins.

Who is Andy Burnham?

Burnham has spent years positioning himself as a viable alternative to Starmer, criticizing Labour’s leadership at moments of weakness while carefully cultivating his own national profile.

How Burnham would differ from Starmer as a national — and international leader — isn’t exactly clear.

A lawmaker from the Conservative Party, Labour’s longtime chief rivals, recently described Burnham as “Keir Starmer with a Northern accent.”

Whether he would adopt a different approach in dealing with President Trump — after Starmer found that going out of his way to keep the American leader on-side can bring somewhat limited advantages — also remains to be seen. At least one European leader who previously appeared to be reasonable match for Mr. Trump, at least ideologically, has found herself at odds with the White House during the Iran war.

Burnham would be under pressure to maintain Britain’s most cherished alliance, but as he campaigned ahead of the recent by-election in Makerfield, he warned the U.K. against adopting American-style politics.

“Politics is getting more polarized. And the path we’re on, if we are not careful, is a path towards the politics of the United States of America,” he told supporters. “A polarized, poisonous politics where people in communities don’t work together anymore.”

Former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham speaks as he celebrates his victory in the Makerfield by-election, on June 19, 2026. Christopher Furlong/Getty

Although he often presents himself as an outsider to London politics, Burnham’s spent much of his career in the capital, both as a member of cabinet under former Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and during 16 years as an elected Labour member of parliament before he became Manchester’s mayor in 2017.

He has also tried and failed twice previously to win the leadership role at the top of the Labour Party.

As Greater Manchester’s mayor, however, Burnham built a reputation as a champion of northern England, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he publicly clashed with then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s rival Conservative Party government over financial support for his city.

The so-called “King of the North” has championed a model of regional devolution — giving city councils more power — and civic pride that is now sometimes referred to as “Manchesterism.”

This, his supporters argue, is where he differs from Starmer.

They portray him as an authentic voice for post-industrial Britain — a man who understands communities that feel neglected by London. His “everyman” presentation and his easy communication style, they argue, contrasts with the rigidness and technocratic approach to politics that former government lawyer Starmer never managed to shed.

Critics argue, however, that Burnham has failed to make clear his views on some of the most defining issues of the day. When speculation about his return to London intensified, Burnham appeared to change his position, for instance, on immigration and Britain’s post-Brexit relationship with Europe.

Earlier this year, he criticized some of the tougher immigration policies ushered in by Starmer, but then suggested he would go further to reduce legal migration and expand detention capacity for people who enter the country without permission.

He previously expressed support for Britain eventually rejoining the European Union, but he has since distanced himself from that position.

It’s not clear what policies Burnham might try to implement if he does become the country’s next leader that would really differentiate him from Starmer. He may be reluctant to make any dramatic changes as Labour will seat him, or whoever replaces Starmer, without winning a new mandate for the party through national elections.

It was Starmer that brought the party back to power with a resounding 2024 national election victory, seizing control of the House of Commons after more than a decade of Conservative rule. So, abandoning policies adopted off the back of that mandate — the things Labour was originally elected to get done — could leave Burnham open to criticism that he’s being undemocratic.

Within minutes of Starmer’s resignation announcement, the Reform party’s Farage demanded a new general election.

“Westminster wants to crown Andy Burnham off the back of a single by-election,” he said. It’s ridiculous to pretend that Andy Burnham has any kind of meaningful mandate to lead the country.”

How would Burnham become prime minister?

Britons do not directly elect their prime minister. They elect their local Members of Parliament. The leader of the party that commands a majority in the House of Commons typically becomes prime minister.

A governing party can change its leader (who is generally the prime minister) if a majority of its lawmakers believe that person has become an electoral liability and, crucially, they can do so without a general election.

Britain has seen a remarkable number of these entirely legal and constitutional but electionless leadership changes in recent years. If Burnham next inhabits the prime minister’s residence at Number 10 Downing Street in London, he will be the seventh person to do so in a decade.

Burnham’s supporters argue that with his strong support in Labour’s traditional northern heartlands and a fresh public profile, he could become a viable alternative and lead the party to a second consecutive win in the next national elections — or at least spare them the electoral disaster that polls now suggest is awaiting the party.

There must be a new national election called by 2027, but the government can call one any time before that to try and win a mandate. The risk, obviously, is the government can also lose its majority in parliament, and the premiership with it.

While widely seen as the likely replacement, Burnham is not the only name to have been bandied about by Labour as a potential successor to Starmer.

Until Monday, Wes Streeting, a former national Health Secretary and prominent figure on Labour’s centre-right, was widely regarded as an underdog, but a likely contender to challenge Burnham for Labour Party leadership.

Less than an hour after Starmer’s announcement, however, Streeting backed Burnham putting more wind in the King of the North’s sails.

The Trump administration is threatening to cut DHS funding unless states change their election laws. Here are their demands

1:25 PM EDT, Mon June 22, 2026 / CNN

By Dana Bash and Gabe Cohen, CNN

https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/22/politics/video/inside-politics-gabe-cohen-report-trump-admin-election-changes

The Trump administration is threatening to cut DHS funding unless states change their election laws. Here are their demands

Inside Politics

CNN exclusively reports the Trump administration is threatening to withhold tens of millions of dollars in federal funding to pressure states to adopt a sweeping set of election changes. Gabe Cohen joins Dana Bash on “Inside Politics” to break down his reporting.

4:04 • Source: CNN

Clive Davis, legendary music executive, dies at age 94

2026-06-22 12:20:00-0400 / CBS News

Updated on: June 22, 2026 / 12:42 PM EDT / CBS News

Clive Davis, a legendary music executive who helped shape the careers of generations of artists including Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen and Whitney Houston, has died. He was 94.

His publicist said Davis died peacefully at his home in Manhattan on Monday of age-related illness, surrounded by his family and loved ones.

Davis, a five-time Grammy Award winner, played a key role in furthering the work of artists across genres — R&B, jazz, rock, country and hip-hop, as well as some of pop’s biggest stars.

“To the world, our father was the iconic music legend whose vision, instincts, and relentless pursuit of excellence shaped the soundtrack of countless lives,” his family said in a statement. “He discovered, mentored, and championed the greatest artists in modern music history, leaving an indelible mark on culture that will endure for generations.”

“To his family, Clive was Dad and Granddaddy, the steady presence at the center of our lives, the source of wisdom, strength, encouragement, and unconditional love,” his family said. “No matter how extraordinary his professional accomplishments, he never lost sight of what mattered most: the people he loved.”

Clive Davis attends the pre-Grammy Awards gala honoring industry icons in Los Angeles on Jan. 31, 2026 Leon Bennett

Davis, who graduated from New York University and Harvard Law School, wasn’t drawn to music in his early years, and began his career as a lawyer.

“I was plucked out of a law firm to become chief lawyer for Columbia Records three years out of law school. I did that for five years,” Davis told “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King in 2022.

He soon became head of Columbia Records, with no real training in music. He said he never thought he would have a “musical ear,” but he was credited to be one of the greatest hit-makers — signing some of the biggest names in the business, including Simon and Garfunkel, Barry Manilow, Barbra Streisand, Patti Smith, Billy Joel, and Earth Wind and Fire. His roster also included top artists like Notorious B.I.G., Alicia Keys, Luther Vandross, Rod Stewart and many more.

“I do know when I hear a hit song. And so Simon and Garfunkel, I’ll never forget that when they played me ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water,’ I said, ‘That has gotta be the first single,’” Davis had told CBS News, adding that “it was so classic,” and his favorite song.

Davis went on to become founder, president and later chairman & CEO of Arista Records. He was also founder and CEO of J Records, chairman of the RCA Music Group, and, most recently, worldwide chief creative officer at Sony Music Entertainment, according to the statement from his publicist.

“Davis was not only one of music’s most prolific hitmakers, innovators and developers of artistic and executive talent ever, he was one of the record industry’s first and most impactful advocates for Black artists,” the statement said.

Musician David Foster said the secret to Davis’ success was mutual respect.

“He’s completely artist-friendly and the artist always comes first,” Foster previously told CBS News.

Manilow said Davis was an inspiration to him and to everyone in the music business.

Judge says Trump can’t use Social Security data for voter roll purges

2026-06-22T19:32:39.176Z / CNN

By Tierney Sneed

27 min ago

PUBLISHED Jun 22, 2026, 3:32 PM ET

The US District Court for the District of Columbia building, in Washington, DC, on April 27.

Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

Summary

• A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration violated privacy protections by expanding a citizenship verification program with Social Security data.
• The decision halts the government’s use of the enhanced system to identify noncitizens on state voter rolls.
• Voter advocates say the program can wrongly flag eligible citizens and threaten their ability to cast ballots.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

The Trump administration violated federal privacy protections when it overhauled a citizen data program so that it could be used more aggressively to purge voter rolls, a federal judge said Monday.

The ruling from US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan is a major setback for President Donald Trump’s effort to find foreigners on state voter lists — an effort voter advocates and election officials say can wrongly ensnare citizens, risking the disenfranchisement of eligible voters. Sooknanan’s order halts the use of the expanded data system.

“All in all, the federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote. This Court cannot stand idly by while that happens,” said Sooknanan, an appointee of President Joe Biden.

The case centered on the federal data program known as SAVE — or the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements — that has long been used by the government to verify citizenship for public benefits, but has also been offered to election officials to check voter rolls for noncitizens.

Related article COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – JUNE 9: A voter fills out a ballot on Election Day for the midterm primary on June 9, 2026 at Hand Middle School in Columbia, South Carolina. Four U.S. states conducted midterm primary elections on Tuesday. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) Sean Rayford/Getty Images Exclusive: Trump administration plans to use homeland security funds to pressure states into election changes 4 min read

In the early months of Trump’s second term, his administration beefed up the program by expanding the types of data fed into the system, adding Social Security data and data from other agency sources.

Sooknanan wrote in her ruling Monday that the administration knew the revamp of SAVE violated privacy protections passed by Congress, but went forward with it anyway as part of a scramble “to comply with an Executive Order aimed at reshaping federal elections, which directed them to create a system for mass voter verification.”

Since the overhaul, the administration has both encouraged states to use it, and as CNN reported Monday, now seeks to punish states that don’t.

The Justice Department has also gone on an unprecedented campaign to collect each state’s unredacted voter registration file so the federal government can check the rolls against the citizenship data program. A more recent executive order by Trump also instructs the Department of Homeland Security to use SAVE and other federal data sources to assemble lists of voting-age citizens for each state.

It’s unclear how this new ruling will impact those projects on a practical level, but some of those maneuvers were already facing pushback in court in other lawsuits.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The case before Sooknanan was brought by several voter advocacy organizations and a privacy group. The challengers argued that their privacy rights were being harmed and that their members faced the threat of being wrongly identified as noncitizens, because of how the SAVE system can be outdated or inaccurate.

“As the Trump-Vance administration continues its attack on the right to vote, this is an important victory for the American people and our democracy,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which represented the challengers. “The data at the heart of this lawsuit was unlawfully consolidated in violation of privacy laws intended to protect sensitive personal information.”

WATCH: Dems unite on anti-terror spying authority amid standoff over Trump’s DNI pick

June 22, 2026 2:59pm EDT / Fox News

Sens. Warner, Welch and Coons said FISA should be reauthorized but continue to push back on acting DNI’s lack of experience

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said Congress should renew FISA Section 702, while pointing out its risks and political obstacles. (Credit: Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital)

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A group of Democrat senators all agreed Congress should renew the government’s spying powers to ensure national security.

When asked whether the authority should be reauthorized amid ongoing foreign and domestic terror threats, Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Chris Coons, D-Del., all agreed while raising different concerns surrounding Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

Congress let the key spying tool that allows American intelligence agencies to electronically spy on foreigners abroad without a warrant to expire on June 12 for the first time since its enactment in 2008. Intelligence officials, however, note that existing surveillance activity can continue because the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court recertified the program through March 2027.

Additionally, Senate Intelligence Chairman Sen. Warner argued to Fox News Digital that “there has not been a lapse” because communications providers remain legally obligated to turn over material to intelligence agencies

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: CONGRESS PASSES SHORT-TERM FISA 702 FIX, DELAYS LONG-TERM RENEWAL

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., raises his palm while questioning Russ Vought during a Senate hearing in Washington in 2025.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“That could end at any point, and why we need to get it renewed,” Warner insisted.

Sen. Welch, while backing renewal of the authority, said lawmakers should ensure protections remain in place for Americans. Some in Congress argue the surveillance could be used to spy on citizens.

“It’s still under consideration with protections for our own civilians, but yeah, it’s a good tool,” Welch told Fox News Digital at the Capitol.

FISA 702 expired earlier in June after Democrats voted against its renewal in protest of President Donald Trump’s appointing of Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to be acting director of national intelligence (DNI).

Tapping Pulte remains a deeply divisive decision that has drawn widespread concern among lawmakers who point to his lack of experience in the industry as to why he should not have interim access to U.S. intelligence information.

REPS ANDY HARRIS, KEITH SELF, SEN RICK SCOTT: FIX FISA. DON’T SPY ON US

Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Bill Pulte walks outside the White House, Sept. 2, 2025, in Washington.(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“Yes, we should reauthorize FISA,” Coons said. “I also think Bill Pulte doesn’t belong anywhere near our intelligence system.”

Criticism of Pulte has come from both sides of the aisle, with several Republican senators also questioning his intelligence credentials.

Pulte began in his new role on Friday after Trump forcefully postponed last week’s scheduled Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing for his Director of National Intelligence nominee Jay Clayton. Former DNI Tulsi Gabbard resigned from the position this month due to her husband’s rare cancer diagnosis.

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: LAWMAKERS SCRAMBLE AS FISA FIGHT COMES AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME

Jay Clayton, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), during the Bloomberg Global Credit Forum in New York, US, on Wednesday, June 3, 2026.(Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump has also said he will not sign a renewal of Section 702 unless it is tied to the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require voters provide proof of citizenship and a photo ID to cast a ballot in federal elections.

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“There’s one reason if it’s not renewed, and that’s unfortunately President Trump,” Warner said.

This sets up a stalemate as several Democrats have said they will not support reauthorizing Section 702 while Pulte remains Trump’s acting DNI pick.

Hannah is a Production Assistant for Fox News Digital.

Trump allies defend him to Israelis anxious over Iran deal

2026-06-22T17:21:04.887Z / Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., December 29, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

• Summary

• Trump allies rally support for U.S. president in Jerusalem
• Ambassador Huckabee acknowledges enormous anxiety about US-Israel ties
• Pew Research Center poll shows 57% of Republicans aged 18-49 view Israel unfavourably

JERUSALEM, June 22 (Reuters) – American allies of President Donald Trump this week defended him to an Israeli public anxious about a U.S. interim deal with Iran and White House criticism that together appeared to signal fissures in Israel’s decades-old alliance with Washington.

The U.S.-Israeli relationship has been on a roller coaster, from the early confidence they shared after their joint attack on Iran to public disagreements between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over how to end the four-month-old war.

Netanyahu and many other Israelis see a risk that Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran will empower a state they regard as their deadliest enemy and constrict their ability to respond to threats from Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

They sense the U.S. alliance – long the bedrock of Israel’s strategic approach – is under strain as opinion polls show Americans increasingly unhappy with Israel and their strongest champion in Washington appears to be turning away.

“The United States and Israel have an unbreakable bond,” Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said on Sunday after acknowledging there was an “enormous level of anxiety about the relationship.”

He spoke at a foreign policy conference in Jerusalem where concerns about the state of the U.S.-Israel alliance dominated many of the discussions.

Mark Levin, a conservative Fox News commentator and longtime Trump supporter who has broken with the president over the Iran deal, told the audience that while he did not like the agreement and believed that the “Iranian regime” had to be destroyed, he nevertheless praised Trump for what he said was the president’s support for liberty, religious freedom, Christianity and Judaism.

ISRAELIS WORRY OVER CRITICISM FROM REPUBLICANS

Alongside their concerns about the wording of the Iran deal, Israelis worry about Trump’s insistence on Israel agreeing a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon and his language responding to Netanyahu’s resistance to those agreements.

In recent weeks Trump has called Netanyahu “fucking crazy,” lectured Israel that “you don’t have to knock an apartment down every time you’re looking for somebody” and publicly pondered asking Syria to replace Israeli troops in Lebanon.

Vice President JD Vance also struck a more critical tone, saying “Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time,” adding later that not all criticism of Israel should be dismissed as antisemitism.

The fact such sharp views are emanating from Trump’s Republican Party is especially worrying for many Israelis, with U.S. Democrats far more vocally critical of Israel than in previous years.

Sid Rosenberg, a prominent conservative New York radio host, told Israelis that for all their concerns about Trump, he was the best option for them. “You could have JD Vance. Good luck with that,” he said, after acknowledging that “a lot of people in Israel are very, very upset” with the president.

While large majorities of Republicans 50 and older view Israel positively, younger conservative Americans have grown more critical, a Pew Research Center poll from late March showed. Some 57% of Republicans aged 18-49 have an unfavourable opinion of Israel, up from 50% a year previously.

Many Americans, including prominent Democratic politicians, were outraged by the scale of death and devastation in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza after the deadly Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, on Israeli communities and the taking of hostages.

Israel has also faced criticism over the joint decision to launch the war on Iran, a conflict that is deeply unpopular in the United States, including among Trump’s conservative base.

Victoria Coates, vice president at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank and Trump’s deputy national security adviser during his first term, suggested on Monday that the U.S.-Israeli relationship was strained but expressed confidence that the leaders of both countries would bring it “back on track”.

A day earlier, speaking at the conference, she had said that recent days had been “challenging for all of us, to put it mildly,” but that there had been plenty of “great and good things” in Trump’s second term “for which we can and should be grateful.”

NETANYAHU NOT CONCERNED BY TRUMP COMMENTS, OFFICIALS SAY

Until recently, Trump had been seen in Israel as its strongest-ever White House ally after his decision in his first term to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights and his leading diplomatic role securing the release of hostages last year.

Two Israeli officials familiar with Netanyahu’s thinking said the prime minister was not concerned that comments by Trump and Vance indicated any meaningful U.S. policy changes such as slower arms deliveries.

Netanyahu believed the comments might be partly geared towards assuaging voters ahead of U.S. midterm elections in November amid growing frustration over Israel and the war, said the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The anxiety in Israel has led some prominent figures to say it is time for the country to envisage a future without strong U.S. support and to further build up its own military and technological capabilities.

Ohad Tal, chair of the U.S.-Israel caucus in Israel’s parliament the Knesset, said Israelis needed to prepare for the day when there is a less supportive U.S. president “and this is why we have to be much more independent and we have to forge new alliances.”

Additional reporting by Rami Ayyub; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Howard Goller

New York governor announces completion of Smart Path Connect grid project

2026-06-22T19:24:50.713Z / Reuters

New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks as she meets with gateway project construction workers at the site of the Gateway Project in New York City, U.S., February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Adam Gray Purchase Licensing Rights

June 22 (Reuters) – New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Monday the completion of the 100-mile Smart ‌Path Connect transmission project, a major grid upgrade expected to deliver over $438 million in annual savings to consumers.

This energy pathway ⁠is the latest project to be completed as part of the largest investment in New York’s electric grid in 50 years, the press release said, adding that it unlocks one gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy in Upstate New York.

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The release noted that the Smart Path Connect project was developed collaboratively by New York Power Authority (NYPA) and National Grid, and that it merges existing and new renewable resources along its path, including clean, low-cost hydropower from the St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project in Massena.

Reporting by Anjana Anil ​in Bengaluru, Editing by Franklin Paul

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Judge says Trump DOJ subpoenas of Tim Walz and other Democrats are unconstitutional

2026-06-22T17:38:12.535Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/22/politics/tim-walz-justice-department-subpoena-thrown-out

• A federal judge blocked Justice Department subpoenas targeting Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other Democratic officials in the agency’s probe of immigration enforcement resistance.
• District Judge Patrick Schiltz ruled the subpoenas were unconstitutional efforts to harass political opponents rather than conduct a legitimate criminal investigation.
• The decision voids demands for records from Walz, state and local officials who publicly opposed the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Justice Department from forcing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other officials to turn over records in its probe of Democratic resistance to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, calling the move a retaliatory effort to “harass political opponents.”

In a 30-page ruling, district Judge Patrick Schiltz found that subpoenas were “part of an unconstitutional effort to coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil immigration laws and to harass and retaliate against them for failing to do so.”

The order is yet another rebuke of the Justice Department by a federal judge over the agency’s efforts to investigate or prosecute President Donald Trump’s personal and political enemies.

“The Department is not conducting a criminal investigation, but is instead using the grand jury process for other (unlawful) purposes,” wrote Schiltz, an appointee of former President George W. Bush.

His ruling voids subpoenas sent to the offices of Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, and officials in Ramsey and Hennepin counties. The subpoenas had sought records and information on whether Democratic officials obstructed immigration enforcement through their public resistance to the administration’s deployment of thousands of agents to detain migrants accused of living in the US illegally.

Over the winter, the Trump administration conducted a monthslong federal immigration surge in the Twin Cities, which set off mass protests and led to the fatal shootings of two US citizens. More than 4,000 undocumented immigrants were arrested in Minnesota, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

State and local officials publicly decried the effort, and Trump in turn accused those officials of fueling violent protests.

Schiltz said there is “overwhelming” evidence that the subpoenas were issued only to pressure the state officials, noting that senior Justice Department officials have repeatedly threatened to punish states that have so-called sanctuary policies. And, he said, the department “has struggled-without success-to identify a single plausible investigatory justification for the subpoenas.”

Schiltz also noted the Constitution expressly allows Minnesota to decide not to devote its resources to enforcing federal immigration law.

The Justice Department said in a Monday statement it will continue to review what it calls “obstruction” of federal investigations.

“The Department takes the unlawful obstruction of federal law enforcement operations extremely seriously and will continue to act in full compliance with the law to investigate these matters,” the DOJ said.

Walz hailed the ruling in a statement posted on X, saying the investigation into him “was politically motivated, unconstitutional and meritless.”

“The U.S. Justice Department is pursuing criminal investigations into the President’s political opponents,” Walz said. “This case was just one example of that, but we are seeing daily reminders of this administration’s lawlessness — in Minnesota and around the country. We all must continue to seek justice and uphold the rule of law.

Frey also lauded the ruling, saying that “subpoenaing political opponents because they spoke on behalf of their constituents violates the core tenets of our democracy and human decency.”

This story has been updated with additional details.

Trump expected to meet with defense contractors Wednesday amid Iran peace talks

June 22, 2026 1:18 PM EDT / CBS News

By Jennifer Jacobs

Jennifer Jacobs Senior White House reporter

Jennifer Jacobs is a senior White House reporter at CBS News.

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Jennifer Jacobs

President Trump is expected to meet with top executives from the largest U.S. defense contractors on Wednesday, according to multiple sources familiar with the meeting. The meeting comes as his administration is engaged in ongoing peace talks with Iran.

Wednesday’s gathering follows up on a March 6 White House meeting with the leaders of Lockheed Martin, Raytheon parent RTX, BAE Systems, Boeing, Honeywell Aerospace, L3Harris and Northrop Grumman.

The Trump administration has been ratcheting up pressure on defense contractors to prioritize production and American manufacturing capabilities over shareholder payouts.

Most of the defense industry received the message loud and clear from the president to deliver on existing contracts and increase and speed production to support the Department of War, said a source familiar with the meetings.

Mr. Trump issued an executive order in January that sought to curtail defense contractor dividend payments and stock buybacks. Congress is considering codifying a similar provision into law.

Northrop Grumman and RTX increased their shareholder dividends by about 7% in May. Though RTX and Lockheed Martin have halted stock buybacks, Northrop Grumman offered investors a relatively small buyback earlier this year. Boeing hasn’t participated in share buybacks or issued a dividend since 2020.

The source familiar with the meetings said the president will want answers from Northrop on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to ramp up weapons production due to “systemic constraints in the munitions industrial base, including limited production capacity, fragile supply chains, long-lead dependencies, and related production bottlenecks.”

Such shortfalls, the president wrote in a June 11 memo to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, “may impair the ability of the United States to produce, sustain, and expand the availability of munitions, missiles, and equipment required for the national defense.”