作者： root

Republicans defy Johnson to advance Democrat-backed Ukraine aid

2026-06-03T17:39:26-04:00 / Fox News

The legislation would reaffirm US support for Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia if it continues its war

By Adam Pack, Tyler Olson, Fox News

Published June 3, 2026 5:39pm EDT

At least 2 killed, dozens wounded in Russian strike on Kyiv

Fox News correspondent Alex Hogan gives details on a Russian attack on Ukraine, a shooting near the White House and the ongoing conflict in Iran.

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House Democrats scored a rare victory on Wednesday after the chamber voted to advance a security package providing new military aid for Ukraine and imposing steep sanctions on Russia.

The Democrat-sponsored legislation cleared a procedural vote 218-204 with all Democrats present voting in the affirmative. Seven members of the House Republican conference supported the measure in a notable display of defiance against GOP leadership.

The defecting Republicans included Reps. Don Bacon, R-Neb., Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Max Miller, R-Ohio, and Joe Wilson, R-S.C. Additionally, Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., an independent who caucuses with Republicans, also voted to advance the bill.

The security package would reaffirm U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO, authorize more than $1 billion in new military assistance, support Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction, and impose new sanctions on Russia and entities that support its war effort if Moscow continues the war, among other provisions.

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 03: U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) answers questions from reporters during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 03, 2026 in Washington, DC.((Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images))

ANOTHER NATO ALLY SIGNS ONTO EUROPEAN NUCLEAR UMBRELLA AS CONTINENT BOOSTS SELF-DEFENSE

The measure now heads for a vote on final passage, where it is expected to pass as soon as Thursday.

Its fate in the Republican-controlled Senate remains uncertain, where a bipartisan effort to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia has stalled for more than a year despite overwhelming support. Trump is expected to veto the legislation if it reaches his desk.

The vote came after Democrats and a handful of Republicans teamed up to force consideration of the legislation over the objections of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who controls the floor.

Fitzpatrick, Bacon and Kiley crossed party lines to sign the Democratic-led discharge petition, a legislative maneuver that allows lawmakers to trigger a vote on legislation with majority support.

“This is our opportunity to provide the leverage that could prove decisive in ending this conflict on acceptable terms in a way that will deter future Russian aggression,” Kiley, an independent lawmaker, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

“It’s just inconceivable that we should not be having additional sanctions against working with Putin,” Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., who supported the underlying bill’s advancement, told Fox News. “Over and over again, we need to be standing with the courageous people of Ukraine.”

“We need to stop what Putin is doing, which is trying to resurrect the Soviet Union,” he added.

Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., was the 218th signature on the discharge petition forcing a vote on the Ukraine Support Act.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.)

6 HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEFY TRUMP ON KEY AGENDA ITEM IN DEM-PUSHED VOTE

The measure was vigorously opposed by Republican leadership, who argued the pro-Ukraine measure was poorly drafted and undermined the administration’s efforts to end the years-long conflict, which has been estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands.

The bill calls for NATO countries to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP prior to NATO’s Washington Summit — an event that occurred nearly two years ago in July 2024. Trump also secured a newer commitment from allies in 2025 to hike defense spending to 5% of their economic output over the course of a decade.

Additionally, the legislation mandates that Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a taxpayer-funded outlet, have its funding restored after the Trump administration sought to cut off the outlet’s congressionally approved funding in 2025. Federal courts later ordered the funding restored amid an ongoing legal battle.

The Russia-Ukraine war has continued with no end in sight, despite Trump’s vow to end the conflict upon returning to office.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6396379020112

Proponents of the Ukraine Support Act argue that the legislative branch should pressure the Trump administration to take a harder line against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“This is the moment for Congress to assert itself,” Kiley told Fox News Digital. “We’re seeing just further brutality on the part of Russia now, and so I think that if Congress gets involved in a meaningful way, it could provide the decisive leverage to finally bring about a resolution.”

The successful discharge petition is the latest instance in which a majority of lawmakers have worked around Johnson’s opposition to put legislation on the floor.

“Democrats have repeatedly governed in the minority as if we were in the majority, and we’re going to do so again this week,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Tuesday, arguing his party is displaying support for “the free world, for democracy, for truth and the Ukrainian people” by forcing a vote on the security package.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks with reporters as he walks to his office after a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 27, 2026.(Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

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The use of discharge petitions, a rarely used tool historically deployed by the minority, has exploded under Johnson’s leadership.

A coalition of Democrats and a handful of Republicans has used the legislative maneuver to force votes on legislation compelling the release of the Epstein files, extending legal protections to Haitian nationals and overturning a regulation targeting federal employees’ collective bargaining rights.

Former primary rival resurfaces to challenge scandal-plagued Graham Platner in Maine Senate race

June 3, 2026 5:42pm EDT / Fox News

Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign but says Democrats can still vote for her in the June 9 primary against Susan Collins

By Charles Creitz, Fox News

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Scandal-plagued democratic socialist Graham Platner’s continued controversies have led his former primary rival to speak out and remind Mainers that she remains on the ballot despite having suspended her campaign.

Platner has been hit with one controversy after another, though he remains the heavy favorite heading into next Tuesday’s primary contest, as his only active opponent, David Costello, has failed to gain traction.

But Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign for Senate earlier this year, dropped a potential bombshell in comments to a Lewiston Sun-Journal columnist by suggesting Democrats could still vote for her in their effort to unseat 30-year incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, New England’s last remaining federal Republican officeholder.

“People have the impression that I withdrew or dropped out,” Mills said, according to columnist Steve Collins.

“I simply suspended active campaigning. I am still on the ballot,” said Mills — an outspoken Trump critic who got publicly reprimanded by the president during a White House lunch earlier this year over the subject of biological men in girls’ sports.

DEM PRIMARY TURNS UGLY: MILLS UNLEASHES BRUTAL ATTACK ON SANDERS-BACKED PLATNER IN CRUCIAL SENATE SHOWDOWN

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6394338571112

While fundraising struggles were cited in Maine media reports as a key reason Mills paused her campaign, Platner has charged ahead through one controversy after another.

His “Totenkopf” chest tattoo — one used by German Nazi concentration camp guards — has been the controversy most frequently cited by Republicans, while his campaign also became embroiled in a separate controversy when a consultant asked Massachusetts-based sports media personality David Portnoy to collaborate on an anti-private-equity campaign against the Boston Red Sox front office.

Portnoy balked at the suggestion, citing his Jewish faith and Platner’s Nazi tattoo.

Platner also defended himself after a Reddit post resurfaced in which he called former Pennsylvania lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Teddy Daniels a “dumb motherf—-er” for being badly wounded in a Taliban siege, blaming “poor marksmanship” by the Afghan terrorists for the Republican’s survival.

Otherwise dormant since April 30, Mills’ campaign X account sprang back to life June 1 with a post commemorating Pride Month.

PLATNER CONTROVERSIES FUEL SPECULATION ABOUT LITTLE-KNOWN MAINE BALLOT REPLACEMENT PROVISION

Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine and two-term Gov. Janet Mills are competing in the state’s Democratic Senate primary.(Sophie Park/Getty Images; Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

“Everyone deserves the freedom to live authentically and marry who they love without fear. I’m proud to stand with the LGBTQ+ community, today and every day,” Mills said.

Meanwhile, Steve Collins wrote in the column containing Mills’ comments that an increasing number of female independent and Democratic voters in Maine are troubled by Platner’s scandals.

He wrote that their collective umbrage is “more likely to kill [Platner’s] campaign… than greedy millionaires.”

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6396279511112

Susan Collins’ counterpart in the Senate is registered Independent Sen. Angus King Jr., who caucuses with Democrats and reliably votes with them.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Platner campaign and Mills’ office for comment.

The Pine Tree State’s primary is June 9.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

Is Bill Pulte Trump’s least-experienced Cabinet pick? He’s got lots of competition

2026-06-03T21:50:28.863Z / CNN

• Bill Pulte’s selection as acting director of national intelligence has drawn criticism from even Republicans over his lack of relevant experience.
• But it’s not necessarily an unusual choice for Trump, who values loyalty over expertise.
• See how Pulte stacks up against some of Trump’s other picks with questionable qualifications.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

President Donald Trump appears to have chosen one of his diciest Cabinet picks yet, with the elevation of 38-year-old Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte to the job of acting director of national intelligence.

Even many Republicans have questioned or criticized the selection, often pointing to his lack of any discernible intelligence experience.

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said he had “no evidence” that Pulte was qualified. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she was perplexed by Pulte’s selection. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana cited Pulte’s “absence of apparent qualifications.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune more subtly cited how, in the role of DNI, “we need professionals there.” And both Thune and Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton on Tuesday declined to vouch for Pulte’s level of experience.

This is somewhat par for the course for Trump, who emphasizes loyalty over expertise and often seems to have little regard for experts. He’s regularly picked people without the traditional types of experience expected in a Cabinet position or other high-profile job.

Still, Pulte’s striking lack of experience stands out, even among Trump picks.

So how does he compare? Here’s a ranking of some of the competition, factoring in both the officials’ level of experience and the level of experience someone in the job has typically had — in descending order.

When Duffy, a former Wisconsin congressman, was tapped for the position in late 2024, Roll Call reported that his “experience does not include much in the way of transportation.”

His legislating on the issue was generally limited to projects that were specific to his home state. After leaving Congress in 2019, he became a host on Fox Business Network.

It’s not unheard of for transportation secretaries to have limited relevant experience. When Joe Biden tapped Pete Buttigieg for that job in 2020, it was noted that Buttigieg’s transportation experience mostly involved overseeing local travel issues as mayor of mid-sized South Bend, Indiana.

(Despite that low profile, Buttigieg had recently won the 2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses and finished second in the New Hampshire primary.)

When Chavez-DeRemer was selected in late 2024, her chief asset for the job seemed to be that she was one of few Republicans in Congress who had supported legislation that certain influential unions liked.

She did deal somewhat with labor policy as a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee. But she lost reelection after serving only one term, and before that she was mayor of an Oregon town of about 25,000 people.

McMahon had government experience from the first Trump administration as head of the Small Business Administration.

But she’s otherwise mostly known as a professional wrestling executive. And she had limited education experience, compared to virtually every other recent education secretary – who often worked as teachers, school administrators or otherwise in the education field.

McMahon served on the board of trustees at Sacred Heart University, and she served a year as an appointee on the Connecticut Board of Education before launching her political career with a 2010 run for US Senate.

While undergoing vetting for the education board position, McMahon falsely claimed she had earned a bachelor’s degree in education, when in fact it was in French, according to a 2010 Hartford Courant report. While the program was designed to prepare teachers, it wasn’t a degree in education. (McMahon has said she wrote to the Connecticut governor at the time to correct the record.)

McMahon’s bio on the Education Department’s website today cites how her “college aspirations to become a schoolteacher reflect her lifelong interest in education.”

Of course, Trump has shown little interest in the business of the Education Department; in fact, he’s aimed to dismantle it.

4. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

When Kennedy was chosen, plenty noted that he wasn’t a doctor or a scientist. But that’s actually pretty normal for the HHS secretary.

Still, the job usually goes to someone with experience in government or running a large organization.

And Kennedy’s involvement in health and medical issues largely involved heterodox views on nutrition and healthy living — views that have significant appeal with many Americans — and, most notably, many years of debunked claims questioning the safety of vaccines.

The former Florida congressman had many problems when Trump shocked Washington by briefly nominating him for attorney general in late 2024. But one of the big ones was his lack of experience actually practicing law.

Gaetz had never served as a prosecutor, and he spent only a few years in a low-profile job at a small law firm before entering politics three years after passing the bar exam.

When asked if Gaetz had the necessary experience and character, Republican Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho reportedly responded: “Are you sh***in’ me, that you just asked that question? No! But hell, you’ll print that and now I’m going to be investigated.”

Hegseth is a military veteran who ran a pair of conservative veterans’ groups before becoming a Fox weekend host.

But he had never served in a senior military role, never served in government and never ran anything larger than a small nonprofit.

It was a remarkably thin resume for someone taking on perhaps the second-biggest job in the federal government, overseeing 1.3 million active-duty troops and about 750,000 civilians.

The size of the job became even clearer when Trump launched a war against Iran, which Hegseth now oversees.

Before joining the Trump administration last year, Pulte spent a career in the finance sector and various other pursuits, including an air conditioning company and a nonprofit that cleared abandoned homes.

Some of that experience makes sense for his job at the FHFA, which regulates housing-related government entities like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

But he has basically none of the experience of past DNIs, who, even if they didn’t serve in the intelligence community, at least served in the military or worked on intelligence issues as a member of Congress.

Pulte’s predecessor, the soon-to-depart Tulsi Gabbard, was a somewhat unorthodox pick for the post. But the former Democratic congresswoman at least had military experience and served on House committees focused on the military and military intelligence.

Pulte’s lack of relevant experience is especially remarkable given the 2004 law establishing the Office of the Director of National Intelligence says that anyone “nominated for appointment as Director of National Intelligence shall have extensive national security expertise.”

He clearly does not have that. But as CNN reported Tuesday, that’s apparently not what Trump is looking for.

US Senate advances ICE bill as Democrats aim to make Trump a liability for Republicans

2026-06-03T21:16:42.976Z / Reuters

WASHINGTON, June 3 (Reuters) – The Republican-led U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to open debate on a $70 billion bill to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, clearing the way for a marathon of debate and amendment votes that Democrats will try to use to tie Republicans to Trump’s efforts to compensate his allies and protect himself from tax scrutiny.

The move to advance the partisan funding bill for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol toward a vote on passage later this week came days after fierce opposition among Senate Republicans forced the Trump administration to abandon plans for a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. Political fallout over the fund had already prevented Republicans from moving the bill forward last month.

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Trump’s recent actions, from the fund to his decision to name political ally Bill Pulte as U.S. intelligence chief, have gone down poorly with Republicans since he oversaw the primary defeats of Republican Senators John Cornyn and Bill Cassidy last month.

The Senate will hold hours of debate before initiating a lengthy vote-a-rama in which members of both parties will propose amendments they want included in the legislation ahead of a final vote on passage that could come as early as Thursday.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer vowed on Wednesday to bring a slew of amendments that would force Republicans to vote on Trump’s fund, a deal that protects Trump and his family from future IRS tax audits, the Iran war, Trump’s tariffs and actions by immigration enforcement officials, including the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens earlier this year.

“Even without Trump’s $1 billion taxpayer-funded ballroom … the bill is rotten through-and-through,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “Every amendment we’ll bring to the floor will demonstrate that Democrats are standing up for the American people and Republicans are selling out to Donald Trump.”

Democrats hope that their legislative onslaught will undermine Republicans in the November midterm elections, in which Democrats are favored to take control of the House of Representatives and could also capture the Senate.

But Republicans have shown little outward concern about seeing any Democratic amendments win enough support for passage, saying the decision to move forward with the legislation signaled that their 53-47 majority would have the wherewithal to withstand the attack.

Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis dismissed Democrats on Wednesday, saying: “They must have more free time on their hands than I do.”

Reporting by David Morgan and Nolan D. McCaskill in Washington, editing by Deepa Babington

NAACP says US Postal Service mail-in voting plan violates settlement

2026-06-03T21:12:26.385Z / Reuters

A mail-in ballot, during the Pennsylvania primary election, is displayed in this illustration picture taken in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., May 19, 2026. REUTERS/Hannah Beier/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary
• Companies

• NAACP argues USPS rule violates 2021 ballot delivery settlement agreement
• USPS proposes refusing ballot delivery if states don’t meet new requirements
• White House defends executive order as legal challenges proceed in ​multiple courts

WASHINGTON, June 3 (Reuters) – A leading civil rights group asked a federal court on Wednesday ‌to block the U.S. Postal Service’s proposed restrictions on mail-in voting, arguing they violate a settlement that required expedited mail-in ballot handling.

The Postal Service last week proposed a rule requiring states to provide lists of voters and adopt new balloting procedures before the mail agency would make deliveries. If states did not comply, the Postal ​Service would refuse to deliver the ballots.

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The regulations stem from U.S. President Donald Trump’s March executive order that aimed to severely ​restrict mail-in voting, which he has said, without providing evidence, is prone to fraud.

In its motion before the ⁠District Court for the District of Columbia, rights group the NAACP said the USPS rule would create a process “that directly violates its obligations” under ​a 2021 legal settlement which forced USPS officials to prioritize ballot mail and take “extraordinary measures” to ensure its timely delivery.

The group asked a U.S. judge ​to issue a ruling by June 22, saying the postal plan could “prevent millions of eligible voters from receiving mail-in ballots to which they are entitled.”

“USPS has committed over and over to playing its part in democracy by prioritizing the timely delivery of mail-in ballots,” Samuel Spital, associate director-counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, ​told Reuters. “And now for USPS to say we affirmatively will not deliver a ballot at all because it doesn’t meet criteria that we invented ​out of whole cloth, not only violates the settlement agreement, but also the historical role of the USPS in our democracy.”

A representative for the Postal Service ‌declined to ⁠comment.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement on Monday, before the motion was filed, that the “Trump administration will continue lawfully enacting the agenda President Trump was elected to enact – which includes the safety and security of American elections … The administration remains confident that the executive order will be implemented by the November election, which was always the intent when it was signed.”

The NAACP’s 2020 lawsuit originally challenged new postal policies ​that slowed mail delivery at the ​height of the COVID-19 pandemic ⁠and in the run-up to that fall’s presidential election.

Judge Emmet G. Sullivan held daily, and sometimes explosive, status conferences on the state of mail delivery, installing the court as a type of independent monitor of election ​mail. USPS implemented measures, including ballot-expediting procedures and daily facility ballot sweeps, to comply with Sullivan’s orders, ​and later made them ⁠standard operating procedure during election season.

In 2021, USPS and NAACP settled the case by agreeing to meet in the months before subsequent federal elections and maintaining the “extraordinary measures” for ballot delivery.

Wednesday’s motion says the settlement is “incompatible with a rule under which USPS chooses which mailed ballots to deliver – and which ⁠not to ​deliver.”

Trump’s executive order already faces legal challenges. A federal court in Boston appeared poised ​Tuesday to halt the order in a case brought by more than 20 states and a handful of voting rights groups. A judge in Washington in a separate case allowed ​the mail-ballot restrictions to proceed, saying the case was not yet ripe for arguments.

Reporting by David Shepardson and Jacob Bogage; Editing by Stephen Coates

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Trump says anti-fraud efforts are uncovering billions in waste, claims savings could balance budget

June 3, 2026 6:17pm EDT / Fox News

President praises Vance’s efforts, saying ‘Billions of Dollars is being found, and we’ve just started’

By Brittany Miller Fox News

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

President Donald Trump on Wednesday touted Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud efforts and claimed Republicans are uncovering enough government fraud to potentially balance the federal budget, while accusing Democrats of resisting investigations because they are “in on the act.”

In a Truth Social post, Trump praised Vance and Republican officials for what he described as a nationwide effort to identify fraud and waste in government spending.

“Vice President JD Vance and Republicans are doing a great job hunting down Fraud in the various States,” Trump wrote. “Billions of Dollars is being found, and we’ve just started!”

Trump’s comments come as the administration has sought to highlight anti-fraud efforts led by Vance. In April, Fox News Digital reported that Vance’s newly created anti-fraud task force had identified nearly $6.3 billion in government contracts believed to be tied to potentially fraudulent businesses.

Officials said nearly 400 businesses would be required to prove they had legitimate operations and physical addresses.

JD VANCE’S TASK FORCE FLAGS NEARLY $6.3B IN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS GOING TO POTENTIALLY FRAUDULENT BUSINESSES

Vance says anti-fraud funding will be cut to states that don’t respond to Medicaid letters.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, File)

The president argued that the amount of fraud being uncovered could have major implications for federal spending and taxes.

“If we found it all, we would literally be able to balance the Budget, and simultaneously reduce Taxes, cutting them even more than I have already done, which is a RECORD!” Trump wrote.

Trump did not provide evidence that fraud findings identified by Republicans would be sufficient to eliminate the federal deficit. While the president argued uncovering fraud could eventually balance the budget, the administration has not publicly released figures showing identified fraud totals approaching the size of the annual federal deficit.

BESSENT SAYS MINNESOTA FRAUD RECOVERY COULD HELP FUND TRUMP’S $1.5T DEFENSE PLAN

President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order on a task force on fraud in the Oval Office with Vice President JD Vance.(Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo, File)

The anti-fraud task force was established by executive order in March, and is chaired by Vance. The administration has said the initiative is designed to identify fraud, waste and abuse across federal programs and government contracts as part of a broader effort to reduce spending and strengthen oversight.

Trump also sharply criticized Democrats, saying he was surprised efforts to uncover fraud had not received bipartisan support.

“Amazingly, Dumocrats are fighting us all the way,” Trump wrote. “This is something that I am surprised at, because I thought this would be a Bipartisan effort.”

JD VANCE WARNS BLUE STATE OFFICIALS COULD FACE PRISON OVER BILLION-DOLLAR FRAUD EPIDEMIC

Vance’s anti-fraud efforts have received praise from Trump.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, File)

Trump went on to suggest Democrats may oppose such investigations because they have a vested interest in preventing further discoveries.

“It’s looking like they’re in on the act,” Trump wrote.

The president further claimed Democrats do not want Republicans to uncover what he described as “Hundreds of Billions of Dollars of FRAUD!”

Trump later compared Democratic opposition to anti-fraud efforts with several other issues that have become central themes of his political messaging, including transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, mail-in ballots, voter identification requirements and proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting.

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The administration has made rooting out waste, fraud and abuse a recurring focus of its messaging as it seeks to reduce government spending and defend broader fiscal policy initiatives.

Democrats have argued Republicans frequently conflate fraud, waste and policy disagreements when discussing federal spending reductions and have questioned whether projected savings touted by the administration can ultimately be realized.

Brittany Miller is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital. Tips can be sent to brittany.miller@fox.com and @BrittMillerFox on X.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6397457752112

American Airlines suspends 6 routes because of high jet fuel costs

June 3, 2026 / 4:37 PM EDT / CBS News

By Megan Cerullo

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

American Airlines has joined the list of carriers temporarily cutting routes as the ongoing war in Iran drives up jet fuel costs.

The airline told CBS News on Wednesday that it has adjusted schedules for “select routes” in August and September. An American Airlines spokesperson said the changes are in response to elevated fuel costs and that the affected routes will not be permanently cut.

“American is not suspending any routes indefinitely as part of this adjustment,” the spokesperson said in a statement. The affected routes being temporarily cut are:

• Los Angeles to Cleveland
• Los Angeles to Columbus
• Los Angeles to Pittsburgh
• Los Angeles to Washington Dulles
• Charlotte to Ontario
• Charlotte to Sacramento

Jet fuel accounts for roughly 25% to 30% of an airline’s overall costs, according to industry analysts. The ongoing Iran war has choked global oil supplies, driving up carriers’ operating costs. In some cases, airlines have raised fares or tacked on jet fuel surcharges to ticket prices, while also suspending unprofitable routes.

American Airlines said it will accommodate customers with tickets for flights on the affected routes, either by rebooking them on a different flight or offering a refund.

The carrier isn’t alone in looking to offset rising jet fuel costs. Delta Airlines raised its baggage fees, citing “evolving global conditions.” European airlines KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Lufthansa have also announced route cuts in response to rising jet fuel costs.

Edited by Alain Sherter and Aimee Picchi

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/summer-travel-costs-rising-analyst-says-book-now/

中国专项治理微短剧：涉儿童有害、软色情擦边等问题

2026年6月4日 07:34 / 联合早报

中国国家广播电视总局宣布，在星期一（6月1日）启动微短剧有害低俗内容和侵权盗版专项治理，治理部分微短剧存在的涉儿童有害、软色情擦边等问题。

广电总局星期三（3日）在微信公众号公布，这个专项治理为期两个月，将集中治理部分微短剧存在的涉儿童有害、软色情擦边、拜金炫富、畸形婚恋观、封建糟粕、暴力复仇、低俗片名、侵权盗版这八个重点问题，规范微短剧创作传播行为。

广电总局有关负责人说，本次专项治理对于营造微短剧行业良好内容生态具有重要意义。

广电总局强调，各省级广电行政主管部门要切实履行属地管理责任，建立巡查与抽查机制，对辖区内平台和制作机构实行全周期、动态化监管；相关平台和制作机构要认真落实主体责任，积极主动开展全面排查，对发现的问题内容即查即改、处置到位。

国家广播电视总局也说，专项治理结束后，将及时总结经验，开展常态化监测监管，制定完善法规制度，进一步营造良好网络视听环境。

法网溃败争冠梦碎 阿丽娜：现在只想退出网坛

2026年6月4日 07:47 / 联合早报

法网溃败争冠梦碎 阿丽娜：现在只想退出网坛

在法网八强出局后，阿丽娜在赛后记者会上显得相当沮丧。 （路透社）

（巴黎综合电）世界第一女单阿丽娜·萨巴伦卡（Aryna Sabalenka，白罗斯）星期三（6月3日）在法国网球公开赛八强意外输给俄罗斯的戴安娜·施奈德（Diana Shnaider）出局后对自己的表现相当失望，直言当下想从此不打球。

阿丽娜在首盘6比3胜出，第二盘5比3领先的情况下发挥失常，随后连丢10分，意外以6比3、5比7、0比6的比分输给25号种子戴安娜，冲击个人首座法网冠军的梦想彻底破灭。

她在赛后说：“没有想法，没有情绪。我现在只想退出网坛。几天后再看如何，希望我能在精神上重新回到正轨。

“我觉得我在第二盘有很多非常好的机会，但我搞砸了，然后她（戴安娜）就趁势而上，打得非常出色。我觉得在心理上，第二盘之后我真的无法恢复。我认为那是我最大的错误。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqriX9fOP8g

“我不知道我上次连续输掉10局比赛是什么时候。我想，我在心理上陷入一个非常深、非常黑暗的境地，我就是无法在精神上重新回到正轨。”

获胜的戴安娜将在半决赛和另一位来自波兰的资格赛黑马玛雅·赫瓦林斯卡（Maja Chwalinska）争夺决赛资格。另一场半决赛由乌克兰的玛尔塔·科斯秋克（Marta Kostyuk，15号种子）对阵俄罗斯的米拉·安德烈娃（Mirra Andreeva，八号种子）之间的胜者。在俄罗斯入侵乌克兰的背景下，玛尔塔曾多次为乌克兰发声，批评俄罗斯和其选手。

贝雷蒂尼退赛 阿纳尔迪晋级男单四强

男单半决赛也尘埃落定，近年来饱受伤病困扰的意大利好手贝雷蒂尼（Berrettini）在5比7、2比5落后的情况下，因臀部受伤被迫退赛。同胞阿纳尔迪（Arnaldi）晋级，并将在半决赛对阵另一位意大利选手科博利（Cobolli，10号种子）。

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncb6CmbP3rM

世界排名第104的阿纳尔迪说：“你永远不希望有人以这种方式结束比赛。我为他（贝雷蒂尼）感到遗憾，希望他能康复，很快就能在草地赛季强势回归，届时他将非常难以对付。”

排名第105位的贝雷蒂尼自2021年以来首次亮相法网赛场，但他在经历几场高强度比赛后臀部不适，在教练组的示意下，最后只好退赛。

贝雷蒂尼说：“不幸的是，我必须做出正确的决定。尽管这是一个重要的舞台，我是最不想退赛的人。我厌倦了退赛。我只是不想这样做，但有时你不得不这样做。”

另一场半决赛将由德国的兹维列夫（Zverev，二号种子）对垒捷克的门希克（Mensik，26号种子）。在意大利头号种子辛纳（Sinner）早早出局后，兹维列夫迎来获得首个大满贯冠军的最好机会。

Trump says he doesn’t know whether the $1.8 billion payout fund is dead

2026-06-03 / The Washington Post

In his first comments since the apparent collapse of the plan, the president was less definitive than acting attorney general Todd Blanche was a day earlier.

June 3, 2026 at 5:55 p.m. EDT Yesterday at 5:55 p.m. EDT

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

By Cat Zakrzewski

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was not sure whether a proposed $1.8 billion fund for people claiming political persecution was dead, a departure from acting attorney general Todd Blanche’s more definitive assurance of the fund’s demise a day earlier.

“I’d have to ask the lawyers,” Trump said when a reporter asked him whether the fund was dead or just on hold. “I don’t know.”

A day earlier, Blanche told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the administration is “not moving forward with the fund. Period.”

The president’s vaguer response is likely to roil Republican lawmakers, many of whom are sharply opposed to the fund and pressured the White House to abandon it by threatening to derail a $72 billion immigration enforcement funding package that Trump badly wants.

After Blanche’s assurance that the fund was dead, all Senate Republicans voted to move forward on the budget package, which advanced 53-46 along party lines Wednesday.

Even so, many Democrats and some Republicans said they wanted a more formal assurance that the administration had dropped any intention of creating such a fund, and several said they would introduce amendments to the immigration bill officially killing the idea.

When asked why he dropped the fund, Trump suggested it was because “a radical-left judge ruled against it.”

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema on Friday paused work on the fund pending a June 12 hearing on the matter. The administration has suggested she had permanently and definitively shut down the fund — a far broader reading than conveyed by the judge’s language.

Trump spoke of his “love” for the idea of a payout fund aimed at people who claimed they were the targets of political prosecutions by the government. The proposal has been sharply criticized by lawmakers in both parties as a vehicle that would reward the president’s allies, including those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“We’ll see how that all works out,” Trump said. “But a radical-left judge ruled against it, but these people, their lives have been destroyed, their families have been destroyed, many of them. Not just, I’m not just talking about a few people, many of them. I’m one of them.”

Trump also suggested that the people who swarmed the Capitol that January day in 2021 in an effort to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory had done so “with love.” He talked about a “tremendous crowd” that gathered early in the day during a speech he delivered.

“And there was so much love and friendship. It was the most amazing thing. People were crying,” Trump said.

The pro-Trump mob at the Capitol that day assaulted police officers and ransacked lawmakers’ offices. Many members of Congress were evacuated or barricaded themselves in their offices.

Trump cut off the reporter when she pressed him on Republican lawmakers’ concerns that “people who beat up cops” would be eligible for payments from the fund.

Trump’s unexpected Oval Office session with reporters was his first public appearance — and his first exchange with the White House press corps — in about a week, an unusually long time for him.

The hiatus unfolded as Trump faced several setbacks, including a judge’s ruling against the president’s plans for the Kennedy Center, the delay in reaching a deal with Iran and the loss of a Trump-endorsed candidate in Iowa.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/06/03/trump-blames-radical-left-judge-demise-payout-fund/