Flesh-eating screwworm detected 25 miles from U.S. border, USDA says

June 2, 2026 / 3:34 PM EDT / CBS News

By Emily Mae Czachor News Editor
Emily Mae Czachor is a reporter and news editor at CBSNews.com. She typically covers breaking news, extreme weather and climate. Emily Mae previously wrote for outlets like the Los Angeles Times, BuzzFeed and Newsweek.

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A flesh-eating New World screwworm was recently detected in Mexico just 25 miles from the United States border, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The encounter was the closest to U.S. soil since at least last September, federal data shows.

The screwworm was found in a 5-year-old goat on Thursday in Mexico’s Coahuila state, which shares a border with southwestern Texas. U.S. officials have tracked 32 cases of the parasitic fly throughout the Mexican state, including 19 active cases, according to the USDA.

Overall, at least 26,216 screwworm cases have been identified across Mexico, and upward of 2,700 remain active, the USDA said. The department shares updates twice a week on any new cases found within 400 miles of the U.S. in Mexico, and it prominently notes on a webpage dedicated to the New World screwworm that the pest “is not currently present” stateside and that “the current risk to livestock, other animals, and people in the United States remains very low.”

But in recent months and years, the parasite has shown up closer to the U.S. than ever before. In April, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced it had been found at a location in Mexico that was 60 miles from the U.S. border, CBS Texas reported at the time. Texas officials have warned outdoor enthusiasts about the parasite since late 2024, when the state’s Parks and Wildlife Department issued an advisory saying the screwworm had recently been detected in a cow in southern Mexico.

Last year, the first case of a New World screwworm infestation in a human was confirmed in the U.S., the Department of Health and Human Services announced at the time. The case was detected in a traveler who had returned to Maryland from El Salvador, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told CBS News in a statement. Maryland health officials later said the person had recovered, and investigators did not find evidence of transmission to other people or animals.

The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly that feeds on warm-blooded animals and people. It lays its eggs in open wounds or orifices like the eyes, ears, nose or mouth, which can then eat living tissue or flesh once they hatch, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The screwworm is typically found in South America and parts of the Caribbean, but it has been detected farther and farther north in Central America and Mexico over the last three years, the CDC said.

Edited by Melissa Gaffney

The Associated Press and Sarah Lynch Baldwin contributed to this report.

White House Correspondents’ Association reschedules dinner after shooting incident

2026-06-02T16:34:14.485Z / CNN

By Betsy Klein

Updated 1 hr 33 min ago
Updated Jun 2, 2026, 2:33 PM ET
PUBLISHED Jun 2, 2026, 12:34 PM ET

First lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump attend the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on April 25, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Nathan Howard/Getty Images

Summary

• The White House Correspondents’ Association announced it will hold a second dinner on July 24 with enhanced security measures.
• April’s event at the Washington Hilton was halted after a gunman opened fire in a nearby hallway.
• The July gathering will be “more intimate” and serve as a statement against violence and intimidation of the press, the association said.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

The White House Correspondents’ Association announced on Tuesday that a second correspondents’ dinner, with bolstered security measures, will be held this summer after April’s event was halted by a shooting incident at the Washington Hilton.

President Donald Trump later said he has accepted an invitation to speak at the July 24 dinner, which he said would be held at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, DC — formerly the Trump International Hotel.

The decision to reschedule the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was “not automatic” and made “after thoughtful consideration and input from our members,” association president Weijia Jiang in a letter to members. She said the July event will have “significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures.”

During April’s dinner, Trump, Vice President JD Vance and members of the Cabinet were escorted from the Washington Hilton’s ballroom after a gunman opened fire in a nearby hallway. Journalists and other VIPs took cover under tables in the chaos.

Jiang said the July dinner will be a “more intimate gathering” and that the association has raised funds to cover the costs of the second dinner for members who initially purchased tickets. There are also plans to offer financial support for the scholarship winners who plan to travel back to Washington for recognition.

The event, she added, “will be a statement that violence has no place in American life and a free press will not be intimidated into silence.”

After April’s incident, Trump had expressed interest in attending a second dinner, initially calling for it to be rescheduled within 30 days. On Tuesday, he praised the decision to hold another event.

“This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“I don’t know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out,” he added, going on to tout that the setting is a “building and Ballroom that I built.”

Jiang’s announcement did not provide details on the programming or location, noting that specifics would be communicated “directly with attendees.”

The man accused of running past Secret Service with loaded firearms and knives in an attempt to kill Trump during April’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner has pleaded not guilty to four charges.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

Obama judge clears left-wing group to fly ominous flag aimed at Trump on his own turf

June 2, 2026 2:18pm EDT / Fox News

Interior Department says ‘this type of behavior should not be tolerated’ while complying with the court’s orders

By Ashley J. DiMella Fox News

Published June 2, 2026 2:18pm EDT

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An Obama-appointed federal judge temporarily blocked the National Park Service from removing an anti-Trump “86 47” flag near the National Mall, delivering a win to a progressive activist group and drawing sharp pushback from President Donald Trump’s Department of the Interior.

“This opinion is from an Obama-appointed judge. In what world have we lost all decency, to demand that any threat against the President be taken very seriously,” said a DOI spokesperson to Fox News Digital. “While the Department shall and does comply with the Court’s orders, this type of behavior should not be tolerated.”

Progressive group Accountability Now USA flew the flag near the National Mall alleging that the National Park Service violated their First Amendment rights by threatening to revoke their permit. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington, D.C., granted a temporary restraining order Monday allowing the flag to remain displayed for now.

The dispute comes amid heightened administration scrutiny of “86 47” messages after the Department of Justice charged former FBI Director James Comey over a similar message.

CALIFORNIA BEACH ‘RESIST!’ PROTEST PUSHES ‘KINDNESS’ WHILE CALLING TO ‘86 47’ IN ANTI-TRUMP MESSAGE

A D.C. district judge permits activists to fly “86 47” flag near the National Mall.(Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Comey was charged with two federal counts over an Instagram post last year showing seashells arranged to read “86 47,” and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

The administration has interpreted the number “86” as a political threat, pointing to its common use in the restaurant industry to mean removing or refusing service and its perceived connection to Trump as the 47th president.

Comey has denied he intended any violent threat toward Trump, explaining he understood it meant leave or ditch.

LEGAL EXPERTS WARN COMEY ‘8647’ INDICTMENT FACES FIRST AMENDMENT HURDLES

James Comey is facing two federal charges and up to 10 years in prison for sharing an Instagram post showing seashells arranged to read “86 47.”(JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)

Moss was appointed to the federal bench by Obama after previously serving in Bill Clinton’s Justice Department. He has also contributed to and volunteered for Democratic candidates and causes.

The judge found the meaning of “86” ambiguous, noting the flag itself did not contain violent symbols and bore patriotic colors, writing “the evidence shows that Plaintiff displayed the 8647 flag to urge that Congress impeach and remove President Trump from office.”

Moss did note that “a true threat to the life or safety of the President would undoubtedly outweigh the interest of the public or the speaker in continuing to urge that unlawful conduct.”

Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024.(Anna MoneymakerGetty Images)

Trump has repeatedly been targeted by violence, including just in April at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.

There were two assassination attempts on Trump’s life in 2024, beginning in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a bullet grazed his ear after a gunman climbed onto a roof during a rally on July 13, 2024.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui recently drew backlash from Trump allies after apologizing to Cole Allen, the suspect accused of plotting an assassination attempt tied to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, over his treatment in custody.

“At a minimum, I should be apologizing to him. We are obligated to make sure he’s taken care of. Mr. Allen, I’m sorry that things have not been the way they are supposed to,” said Faruqui.

The temporary restraining order for the flag case is in place for 14 days as litigation continues.

Fox News Digital reached out to Moss’ chambers for comment.

Ashley J. DiMella reports on politics for Fox News Digital.

What are Freedom 250 and America250? Concert confusion highlights dual groups planning celebrations

June 2, 2026 / 12:14 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington— The decision by many performers to back out of a concert series for the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding almost as soon as the lineup was announced last week revealed confusion surrounding plans for America’s big birthday bash in the nation’s capital.

There are two different organizations planning various celebrations for the 250th anniversary. One — Freedom 250 — is a White House-connected, public-private partnership that’s hosting a “Great American State Fair” on the National Mall, along with the concert series and a UFC match at the White House. The other — America250 — was established by Congress a decade ago to plan nonpartisan celebrations nationwide.

Last week, most of the original lineup of performers announced by Freedom 250 said they wouldn’t be playing, with some citing concerns about possible politicization. Over the weekend, President Trump threatened to cancel all performances at the Great American State Fair and said he may hold a Make America Great Again rally instead, fueling critics’ accusations that he’s politicizing the country’s birthday celebrations.

“We should have a giant MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN RALLY, for 250, instead of having overpriced singers, who nobody wants to hear, whose music is boring, and yet who do nothing but complain,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday, adding, “Cancel it.” He also said he wants to “give a major speech” instead of listening to “third-rate ‘artists.’”

The turmoil surrounding the concert lineup brought the groups’ differing approaches to the forefront, with just weeks to go until July 4.

What is Freedom 250?

Freedom 250, the organization responsible for the fair and concert series, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works with the White House and various Trump administration agencies to plan events surrounding the 250th anniversary.

Freedom 250 was created under the “Salute to America 250 Task Force,” which Mr. Trump established through an executive order shortly after he took office to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.

A spokesperson for Freedom 250 said Mr. Trump will personally kick off the celebration at the Great American State Fair.

“The Great American State Fair will bring together all states and territories to showcase the very best of America through state exhibits, industry displays, family friendly attractions and movie screenings, musical performances, military ensembles, incredible flyovers, and an iconic Ferris wheel on the National Mall,” Freedom 250 spokesperson Danielle Alvarez said. “As the visionary behind the Great American State Fair, we are excited to announce that President Trump will personally kick off this historic celebration on Wednesday, June 24 in an opening ceremony celebrating America’s 250th birthday.”

Freedom 250 is also behind UFC Freedom 250, scheduled for June 14 on the White House South Lawn. The South Lawn is already being transformed for the fights, with rigging visible from outside the complex. Freedom 250 is also behind the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., in late August.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum speaks during the announcement of the street race circuit “Freedom 250 Grand Prix Washington, D.C.” next to a IndyCar show car on Monday March 9, 2026, in Washington. Jose Luis Magana / AP

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Freedom 250 is not required to disclose donors, but it lists private partners that include Exxon Mobil, Blockchain Association, Oracle, Northrop Grumman, John Deere, Mastercard and more.

“It’s not about the transparency of the donors,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “This is about Americans celebrating the 250th anniversary.”

What is America250?

America 250 is also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It’s the supporting nonprofit and nonpartisan organization of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. The commission is bipartisan, including both Democratic and Republican members of Congress.

America250’s charge is to lead the commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and plan events not only at the national and international levels, but state and local levels as well.

The commission was created by Congress in 2016 to plan ahead and coordinate events for the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding.

America250 commissioners include Republican Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla, as well as Republican Reps. Robert Aderholt, Maria Elvira Salazar and Democratic Reps. Dwight Evans and Bonnie Watson.

Other commissioners include Jack Schlossberg, JFK’s grandson and current Democratic candidate for Congress in New York, and former top White House official Kellyanne Conway. Rosie Rios, the U.S. treasurer under former President Barack Obama, was appointed by President Joe Biden as the commission’s chair.

On its website, America250 described Freedom 250 as the group that will “lead the delivery of the president’s national signature events.”

“Together, we will ensure that our nation’s 250th anniversary becomes a unifying and unforgettable moment for all Americans,” America250 said.

America250 has already marked the Super Bowl and Rose Parade, and helped spread American flags at events throughout the country. On July 4, it will launch Time Square ball drops, bury a time capsule in Philadelphia, and host America’s Block Party in Los Angeles and elsewhere.

“As the national organization charged by Congress to represent all 350 million Americans (“350 for 250″), America250 will continue to focus on the values-based programming approved by our bipartisan Commission at the local, state, national and international levels, including once-in-a-lifetime celebratory moments during the 4th of July weekend,” America250 chair Rosie Rios said in a statement. “We are supportive of the many other organizations planning events for the 250th at the federal, state and local level, so all Americans have ample opportunities to join in the celebration.”

Why the president wanted to influence the 250th anniversary events

When Mr. Trump announced the creation of Freedom 250 in December 2025, he said he was fulfilling his campaign pledge “to give America the most spectacular birthday party the world has ever seen for America’s 250th anniversary.”

“To help carry out these exciting plans, we have created a new public-private partnership,” the president said. “It’s called Freedom 250. Working with states, companies and organizations across the country we will renew the patriotism, pride and pioneering spirit of America and lay the groundwork for the next 250 years of independence and freedom. This will be a time like you’ve never had in your lives.”

Although Mr. Trump isn’t directly heading up Freedom 250, he is the chair of the “Salute to America 250 Task Force,” creating an avenue for him to have more influence over anniversary events.

What critics of Trump’s influence on 250th celebrations are saying

Some performers who dropped out of the concert series cited concerns about politicization, and concern for their fans.

Young MC, one of the artists, posted on Facebook that the “artists were never told about any political involvement with the event,” and that he hopes to perform in Washington in an event “that is not so politically charged.”

The Commodores said, “Our music has always been our voice and we choose not to publicly affiliate with any single political party,” the statement said. “We support the betterment of all Americans.”

Country singer Martina McBride announced on social media she will not perform. She wrote that she initially signed on because she was told the event would be nonpartisan, which she said “turned out to be misleading.”

Others are encouraging the president to not turn the celebration into a political speech.

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh said replacing musicians with a speech would be “lame and boring,” suggesting the president or Freedom 250 should find other performers instead.

When Mr. Trump proposed giving a major speech instead of hosting a concert, Jenna Ellis, one of the president’s former lawyers who has since become critical of him, wrote, “America 250 is not about Trump. This is so egotistical.”

Political gravity is coming for some of Trump’s most jarring ideas

2026-06-02T17:20:52.475Z / CNN

President Donald Trump is signaling retreat from some of his wildest endeavors after facing pushback from the courts and members of his own party.
The most recent instances came over his $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and the Kennedy Center.
The familiar pattern of Trump pushing the envelope — and then having to pull back — suggests he’s not as powerful as he seems.

President Donald Trump just keeps pushing the envelope — his appointment of a controversial housing official as the new acting director of national intelligence on Tuesday is the freshest evidence of that.

But recent events have also reinforced that political gravity still applies to the president. Some of his most jarring ideas have hit roadblocks in the courts and forced even Republicans to buck him, showing that his domination of Washington is hardly a given anymore.

On Monday, CNN reported that the administration signaled to GOP congressional leaders that it plans to drop its $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund” after an adverse court ruling. The fund had caused a GOP revolt and threatened the party’s broader legislative agenda.

That followed Trump on Friday seemingly giving up on his efforts to Trump-ify the Kennedy Center. He said he would transfer control of it to Congress after a judge ruled that putting Trump’s name on the center was illegal and blocked a planned closure.

In both situations, it remains up in the air precisely how much Trump has capitulated. But he’s at least telegraphing retreat.

Both ideas were wild to begin with — and now the president appears to be dealing with the consequences.

The legally problematic nature of the administration’s “anti-weaponization fund,” which was intended to compensate Trump allies who claimed they were victimized by the prior administration, was readily apparent from the moment it was announced.

It was created as part of a settlement to resolve Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS after a government contractor leaked his tax returns years ago. Trump was settling with the government that he effectively controls — a situation that led a judge to question whether the two sides of the settlement were colluding.

The settlement was also set to benefit third parties who had nothing to do with the litigation. The fund was due to have little transparency or oversight, and it was not approved by the judge.

The White House and the Justice Department tried to argue that this was a fund for anyone who was victimized by a purportedly “weaponized” justice system during the Biden administration — including potentially Democrats. But it looked a whole lot like Trump was just creating a slush fund to pay allies. The administration even granted that it could benefit some January 6, 2021, defendants who assaulted police.

And that gets at why this was so politically problematic.

While Trump’s pardons of nearly all January 6 defendants got somewhat overshadowed during the breakneck first days of his second term, polls showed how overwhelmingly unpopular those pardons were.

Both a Washington Post-Ipsos poll and a Pew Research Center poll showed at least 74% of Americans and a majority of Republicans disapproved of pardoning those who committed violent crimes.

And here was the White House — including Vice President JD Vance — being put in the position of defending potentially giving money to people who beat up police.

The optics quickly became a line-in-the-sand moment even for some pretty Trump-loyal Republicans in Congress.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune called for the administration to “shut it down themselves.” Others like Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and John Kennedy of Louisiana (no relation to the former president) are now saying their party needs to see the White House more explicitly rule out resurrecting the fund in the future, after the Justice Department gave a somewhat qualified statement on the matter.

It remains somewhat unclear what happens next. Trump has not committed publicly to terminating the fund, telling ABC in a phone call Monday, “We are subject to the courts.”

Just to distill this down to its most-shocking basics: Trump plastered his name on a building memorializing a dead president.

He claimed he was surprised by the center’s board adding his name to the building, but he had previously proposed such a change and had purged board members to install loyalists.

It’s one thing to put the name of a living president on things — something that rarely happened before Trump, as The New York Times found in January — but it’s quite another to take a memorial to one of those dead presidents and append Trump’s name to it.

And he did so despite the law. The “John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” name is a matter of federal law, which was not changed before Trump’s name was suddenly added.

His takeover of the Kennedy Center was already highly legally suspect and controversial; then he gave everyone a shorthand for just how drastic this gambit was.

It remains to be seen if and when Trump’s name will be removed from the performing arts center’s exterior; he has sent confusing signals about his intent to keep fighting. (And while he said he was transferring control to Congress, the legislative branch is already responsible for the center’s annual appropriations for operations and maintenance.)

But any situation in which his government would be forced to remove his name from the building would be an indelible — and telling — image.

Trump pushing the envelope to previously unthinkable places and eventually having to pull back has become a familiar tale.

Perhaps the other best example of him retreating this year was his aborted push to get control of Greenland (an idea that polled about as popularly as black mold.) Trump gave up on that in January — at least for the time being — amid pushback from both Republicans and foreign allies.

Trump is also pressing his luck with his coveted White House ballroom, by repeatedly going back on the terms initially laid out. First he promised not to touch the existing East Wing, before suddenly demolishing it. Then he repeatedly said the ballroom would only be paid for with private donations, before suddenly asking Congress for hundreds of millions of dollars for security for it.

Republicans have panicked about the optics of using taxpayer money to build an opulent ballroom while Americans’ economic anxiety is damaging their 2026 election hopes. GOP leaders dropped the funding from an immigration enforcement bill amid an adverse ruling from the Senate parliamentarian and strong pushback from within their party.

In all of these cases, Trump was asking the courts and/or Republicans to sign off on what seemed to be impossible requests. He was asking them to stomach something drastic because he’s Trump, and they’re supposed to do what he wants.

That can accrue to his benefit when it works, because it shows how powerful he is. (Indeed, his successful efforts to knock off GOP incumbents in primaries have reinforced that loyalty to Trump is the easiest path for everyone in his party.)

But when his wild gambits push the envelope too far — and increasingly seem to jeopardize the GOP’s chances in November — they reinforce that Trump isn’t the unrestrained leader of his political movement that he’d like to be.

In fact, he’s a historically unpopular president who looks increasingly desperate to just throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks.

And judging by the appointment of Pulte, Trump is not stopping anytime soon.

Exclusive: Top US spy agencies feud over turf, mission

2026-06-02T16:38:52.003Z / reuters.com

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) – The CIA has stopped contributing to some intelligence assessments, including those related to the Iran war, produced by the office of the nation’s top spy as disputes over intelligence-sharing and areas of responsibility boil over, say people familiar with the matter.

The infighting between the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has flared for more than a year, disrupting collaboration on national security analyses on which presidents long have relied to navigate complex foreign challenges, said a U.S. official and three people with direct knowledge of the matter.

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The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal matters.

At the heart of the disagreements is a clash over a task force set up in April 2025 by Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, the sources said.

The CIA, led by Director John Ratcliffe, contends that Gabbard’s Director’s Initiatives Group has acted recklessly by circumventing traditional intelligence-sharing and declassification protocols, said two of the people. ODNI officials say the CIA has consistently blocked the group’s access to intelligence.

The breakdown in collaboration between intelligence agencies comes at a perilous time for the Trump administration, with the U.S. embroiled in the Iran conflict and grappling with national security challenges ranging from Chinese military expansion to Russia’s war on Ukraine.

It also suggests that the post-September 11, 2001, reforms, which created a director of national intelligence to coordinate the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies, have not ended dysfunction.

“ODNI is supposed to be the oil in the system that keeps the arteries of the intelligence community flowing, that removes blockages,” said Beth Sanner, a former deputy director of national intelligence during President Donald Trump’s first term.

“When you’re not doing that, then you set up the potential that agencies are just going to kind of pull back into their stove pipes and you set yourself up for intelligence failures.”

Beyond assessments produced by ODNI, the CIA has other avenues for ensuring its intelligence, including on Iran, reaches the president and other policymakers. The intelligence forms a large part of the Presidential Daily Brief, the highly classified daily compendium of intelligence reports prepared for the president.

Gabbard said last week that she will step down as Trump’s top spy on June 30, citing her husband’s illness. Trump said on Tuesday he was appointing Federal Housing Finance Agency chief Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence.

“The president and policymakers continue to receive the best intelligence and analysis” from the intelligence agencies, said Olivia Coleman, an ODNI spokeswoman, adding that ODNI and the agencies it oversees “communicate and collaborate daily with CIA counterparts across the full spectrum of intelligence products and operations.”

The Director’s Initiatives Group “operated within ODNI’s oversight authorities and in support of the president’s executive orders,” Coleman said.

Reuters in February reported that Gabbard had wound down the group and reassigned its personnel elsewhere in her agency amid congressional scrutiny of its activities.

“Under Director Ratcliffe, CIA quickly moved out on President Trump’s priorities with a more aggressive agency taking smart risks to outmaneuver our adversaries and give the United States a decisive advantage,” CIA Director of Public Affairs Liz Lyons said.

White House spokesman Davis Ingle said Trump’s “peace through strength foreign policy is a tried-and-true approach that keeps America safe and deters global threats,” and media efforts to sow internal division would fail.

“President Trump has full confidence in his entire exceptional national security team,” Ingle said.

LESS COOPERATION ON INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENTS

The CIA’s move to significantly pare back its contributions to assessments produced by Gabbard’s office is one of the most serious consequences of the agencies’ mutual distrust.

The CIA has been one of the main contributors to the reports produced by the National Intelligence Council (NIC), the premier U.S. intelligence analytical body. The reports carry weight, especially during a war.

Two of the sources with direct knowledge of the matter said that assessments about Iran — where the U.S. military has been fighting since February — are among those the agency no longer regularly participates in.

The CIA and ODNI now operate largely as two separate analytical operations, the sources said.

At one point last year, the CIA, in response to friction between the two agencies, stopped publishing NIC reports on the internal intelligence community distribution service it controls, briefly limiting the accessibility of the analytical products, the sources said.

A U.S. official said the reports were only withheld for “a few hours” as a result of a “processing issue.”

The interagency friction started soon after Gabbard assumed her post in February 2025, the four sources said.

Among her first acts was to assert tighter control over production of the Presidential Daily Brief, the sources said. The CIA long had taken a lead role in compiling the brief.

The relationship soured further with the creation of the Director’s Initiatives Group to “root out” alleged politicization of the intelligence community, according to the sources.

The group also worked to declassify documents related to the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy, as well as investigate the security of election voting machines and the origins of COVID-19.

Critics, including some former intelligence officials, charge that the group was established as a tool to exact retribution against Trump’s perceived political foes.

Task force members at several points pushed the CIA to share intelligence and materials needed to complete ODNI-assigned probes, but believed not enough was provided, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

OUSTER OF CIA OFFICERS

In May 2025, Gabbard ousted two senior CIA officers who led the NIC.

An intelligence official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal government matters said the ODNI removed the two “because they created a toxic work environment, as documented in a workforce survey, and because they had a history of politicizing intelligence.”

The official did not provide evidence to substantiate those claims.

Then in August, Gabbard stripped the security clearances of 37 current and former officials, in the process revealing the identity of an undercover CIA officer serving overseas.

Gabbard charged that the 37 had politicized and leaked intelligence, but did not offer proof.

Former officials and others charged that the move was in part in retaliation for a 2017 intelligence assessment that Russia had used an extensive influence operation to sway the 2016 presidential vote to Trump.

The CIA-ODNI tensions spilled into public view last month when a CIA officer detailed to the Director’s Initiatives Group said to a Senate panel that the agency blocked the group’s access to intelligence on the origins of COVID-19.

That dispute has triggered an investigation by the intelligence community inspector general’s office, an independent watchdog housed at ODNI, said two people with knowledge of the probe.

Reuters could not determine the scope of the probe.

US ally answers Trump’s call on Strait of Hormuz: ‘Part of a diplomatic effort’

June 2, 2026 2:05pm EDT / Fox News

Romania also requested its first-ever UN Security Council session after a Russian drone hit a residential building

By Efrat Lachter Fox News

Published June 2, 2026 2:05pm EDT

EXCLUSIVE: European FM says Bucharest answered Trump’s call for allied support amid Iran tensions, Russian drone strike

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Ţoiu told Fox News Digital that Romania allowed U.S. access to military infrastructure for defensive operations while pushing for an international coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

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UNITED NATIONS: Romania’s foreign minister told Fox News Digital that Bucharest answered the Trump administration’s call for allied support in the Middle East by allowing the use of Romanian military bases for “defensive activities” related to tensions with Iran and efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“We have allowed for access to defensive activities, such as air refueling, for example, because we do believe allies need to rely on each other,” Romania’s interim Foreign Affairs Minister Oana-Silvia Ţoiu said in an exclusive interview at the United Nations.

“We’re not part of the war, nor do we intend to become part of war, but we are part of an effort to ensure common defense, and we are a part of a diplomatic effort to ensure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,” she said.

Ţoiu’s comments come as President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressed European allies to increase defense spending and take a larger role in global security efforts, including maritime security in the Middle East.

NATO LEADERS PREDICT ERA OF 2% DEFENSE SPENDING ‘PROBABLY HISTORY’ AS TRUMP REPORTEDLY FLOATS HIGHER TARGET

A container ship sits at anchor as a small motorboat passes in the foreground in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Saturday, May 2, 2026.(Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)

Ţoiu acknowledged growing tensions between Washington and some European allies over support related to the conflict with Iran, but said both sides recognize the need for closer coordination.

“I’m pretty sure that both on the U.S. side and the European side, we do understand that we need to enhance our dialog in order to prevent moments when we create tension in the transatlantic partnership,” she told Fox News Digital. “And I do believe a better dialog ahead of time on all sides leads to better results, specifically on the request of help in terms of the conflict in the Middle East.”

The Romanian foreign minister said Bucharest approved the use of its military bases and infrastructure for defensive operations linked to regional security efforts.

“Romania has approved through Parliament the proposal of the President, the ministry of foreign affairs and the ministry for defense and the prime minister, the use of our military bases and infrastructure for defensive activities, for activities such as air-fuelling, for example, because we are aware of the fact that it is needed that we trust each other,” she said.

“I think we share clear objectives here in Europe, between the U.S. and countries around the world, such as lowering energy prices, such as allowing for fertilizers not to be blocked anymore there.”

MIKE WALTZ PUSHES UN RESOLUTION TO STOP IRAN MINING KEY GLOBAL SHIPPING ROUTE

Oana-Silvia Toiu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Romania speaks during emergency Security Council meeting requested by Romania and supported by France after Russian military drone entered Romanian airspace and injuring civilians when exploded at UN Headquarters in New York, NY on June 1, 2026.(Lev Radin/Sipa USA)

Romania, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, has emerged as one of the alliance’s key eastern flank states amid growing concerns over both Russia’s war in Ukraine and instability in the Middle East.

“We do agree with President Trump on the need to increase budgets,” Ţoiu said.

She noted that Romania raised defense spending to 2% of GDP during Trump’s previous term and plans to allocate an average of 3.4% next year through a combination of military procurement and strategic infrastructure investments.

Her remarks came just hours after Romania requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday following a Russian drone strike that hit a residential building in the Romanian city of Galați on May 29.

The emergency briefing marked the first time in Romania’s roughly 70-year history at the United Nations that it requested a Security Council session over a direct threat to its national security, according to Romanian officials.

MULTIPLE ALLIES DECLINE US CALLS FOR STRAIT OF HORMUZ SUPPORT AMID RISING MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS

Romanian law enforcement officers work at the site of an explosion in a residential block of flats following a reported drone strike near the border with Ukraine, in Galati, Romania, May 29, 2026.(Inquam Photos/George Calin via Reuters)

Speaking at the Security Council, Ţoiu said a drone carrying explosives violated Romanian airspace for approximately four minutes before crashing into the 10th floor of a residential building, injuring a mother and child.

“We do have the military analysis that shows clearly that it is a Russian-made drone in type of design, type of pieces of equipment, and also the chemical analysis that they have done,” she told Fox News Digital.

Ţoiu said the drone was believed to be part of a larger Russian attack targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure near the Danube River.

“We wanted to call on the international community to make sure we collectively state that this is a blatant violation of international law,” she said.

“And irrespective of whether that was the intention or not, the responsibility is very clear. And these reckless escalations need to stop.”

BALTIC LEADERS RIP UN SECURITY COUNCIL AS POWERLESS WHILE RUSSIA HOLDS VETO SEAT

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz meets with Romanian Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Ţoiu at U.N. headquarters in New York following an emergency Security Council session on a Russian drone strike in Romania, June 1, 2026.(U.S. Mission to the United Nations)

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya rejected the accusations during the session, calling them “unfounded and biased.”

Nebenzya argued that if a Geran-2 drone had directly hit the building, the damage would have been far more severe, claiming Romanian media footage showed only fire damage rather than complete destruction.

He also called for a “thorough, objective, and depoliticized investigation” involving Russia and suggested the incident could have been a Ukrainian provocation intended to drag NATO deeper into the war.

The U.S. military has been enforcing a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, even during the ceasefire.(U.S. Central Command)

Ţoiu pushed back against Moscow’s position and questioned how a permanent member of the Security Council can simultaneously act as an aggressor state.

“We do now have a question that’s not just a question on Romania’s side, but the question of the international community of how can a member of the Security Council contribute to its mission there, which is peace and security, while also being an aggressor state,” she said.

“And of course, its veto [ is not currently] used towards peace and security.”

The United States joined more than 50 countries backing Romania in a joint statement condemning the strike.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz later wrote on X that he met with Ţoiu following “the reckless Russian drone strike on a Romanian apartment building.

“The violence must end before more innocent people suffer,” Waltz wrote.

Ţoiu told Fox News Digital she also held meetings with the U.S. delegation at the United Nations following the emergency session.

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NATO leaders participate in a summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025, where they pledged to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 as requested by President Donald Trump.(Handout / Latin America News Agency via Reuters Connect)

“The United States has joined our common statement alongside more than 50 countries in making a clear public message on the attack,” she said.

“We are working with the United States not just through our partnership in NATO, but also strategic partners.”

Efrat Lachter is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering international affairs and the United Nations. Follow her on X @efratlachter. Stories can be sent to efrat.lachter@fox.com.

Trump signs AI executive order to give government early look at new models

June 2, 2026 / 12:52 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington— President Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order meant to enhance artificial security and innovation by, among other things, establishing a program for AI companies to voluntarily share powerful new models with the government before they are released to the public.

He delayed signing a version of the AI order nearly two weeks ago because he was concerned it would get “in the way” of the United States leading China and other competitors in the AI space.

The executive order the president ultimately signed on Tuesday emphasizes that the federal government doesn’t want to stifle innovation: “The United States continues to lead the world in Artificial Intelligence (AI) because of the enormous talent and innovation of our AI industry, and because we refuse to stifle this innovation with overly burdensome regulation.”

The order aims to both use AI to sure up the nation’s federal cybersecurity systems for the use of AI and using the technology; develop a classified benchmarking process to identify “frontier” models for AI, or systems that are at the forefront of the field; and work with companies willing to voluntarily give the federal government access to such frontier models for up to 30 days before release.

The ability of frontier models to identify long-overlooked software vulnerabilities in crucial systems has raised concerns that they could be used for nefarious purposes. Anthropic, one of the leading AI labs, announced in April that it would be providing its new model, Mythos, to select partners to allow them to harden their defenses against cyberattacks before the technology is available more broadly.

The president’s executive order emphasizes the voluntary nature of any AI company collaboration with the federal government, and that it doesn’t prohibit AI innovators from advancing their technology.

“Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the creation of a mandatory governmental licensing, preclearance, or permitting requirement for the development, publication, release, or distribution of new AI models, including frontier models,” the order says.

On cybersecurity concerns, the executive order calls on the homeland security secretary to establish and expand federal cybersecurity programs that enhance AI defensive tools. It also calls on the treasury secretary, defense secretary, director of the National Security Agency and homeland security secretary, working with AI operators, to set up an AI cybersecurity clearance house to look for software vulnerabilities.

The White House never released the original draft the president was previously expected to sign. But Mr. Trump offered an explanation for why he didn’t sign it.

“Because I didn’t like certain aspects of it, I postponed it,” Mr. Trump said at the time. “I think it gets in the way of, you know, we’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead.”

US CDC flags health risks linked to travel-related cosmetic procedures

June 2, 2026 5:16 PM UTC / Reuters

A sign sits outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Roybal campus in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Megan Varner/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

June 2 (Reuters) – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday that many Americans suffered serious complications — including bacterial infections ​and, in some cases, death — after traveling within the ‌country and abroad for cosmetic procedures.

The agency cited a study published in its Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, which reviewed more than 2,100 reports from ​2014 to 2024 of U.S. residents who traveled for ​cosmetic procedures, including liposuction and breast augmentation.

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The study identified 21 reports involving ⁠about 145 patients who experienced adverse outcomes, including infections, associated with both ​domestic and international surgery centers and clinics.

“More and more people are ​getting medical procedures outside the United States, but there are risks,” said Kiara McNamara, a CDC nurse epidemiologist and the lead author of the study.

U.S. ​residents often travel to Mexico and Canada, as well as ​countries in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean for medical tourism, according ‌to ⁠the CDC’s website.

Postsurgical infections were found in 20 reports, the study showed, including 12 suspected or confirmed cases of bacterial infections.

Four of the reports involved patient deaths, the agency said, adding that one domestic and ​one international investigation ​found significant ⁠lapses in environmental cleaning, personal protective equipment use, hand hygiene, and surgical equipment reprocessing.

The agency urged stronger surveillance, ​closer collaboration between healthcare providers and public health agencies, ​and more proactive ⁠patient education to spot complications early and help prevent them.

People commonly seek medical care abroad owing to lower costs, culturally familiar providers, or ⁠procedures unavailable ​or unapproved in the United States. ​Common treatments for which residents travel include dental care, cosmetic surgery, fertility care, transplants, ​and cancer.

Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Diti Pujara

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Why ‘Tom Kean absent’ is trending

2026-06-02 18:22:37 GMT / CNN Politics

Why ‘Tom Kean absent’ is trending

By Manu Raju and Mallory Thompson, CNN

Published 2:22 PM EDT, Tue June 2, 2026

https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/02/politics/video/tom-kean-absent-congress-primary-election-trending-cli-hrzn

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Why ‘Tom Kean absent’ is trending

The Republican congressman from New Jersey is running unopposed in a primary election Tuesday, but he hasn’t been seen for months after posting on social media he was dealing with a “personal medical issue.” CNN’s Manu Raju explains why House Republicans are growing increasingly concerned about Kean’s absence. Discover more videos, including live streams and exclusive storytelling, on our Watch page.

1:31 • Source: CNN