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Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady but leaves door open to hike

June 17, 2026 / 3:18 PM EDT / CBS News

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday left its benchmark interest rate unchanged amid resurgent inflation, but nearly half of its policymakers said they would support a rate hike later this year.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) kept the federal funds rate, which affects borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, in its current range of 3.5% to 3.75%. Economists had widely expected the central bank to keep rates steady.

The so-called easing bias — a sentence in recent FOMC policy statements signaling the central bank was leaning toward cutting interest rates — was removed from the June guidance, which was significantly slimmer than the typical statement.

“You might have already noticed something, a difference in today’s policy statement,” Warsh said in a press conference to discuss the Fed’s latest interest rate decision. “It’s a bit shorter, a bit simpler and it dispenses with some older language. That statement just gives you the facts as best we can judge it.”

The Fed also released its Summary of Economic Projections on Wednesday, which shows that nearly half of FOMC members said they could support a rate hike later this year. The vote to keep rates steady was unanimous, with all FOMC voting members in favor of maintaining the current range.

“Inflation remains elevated relative to the Committee’s 2% goal, in part reflecting supply shocks that have driven price increases in certain sectors, including energy,” the FOMC said in Wednesday’s statement.

“Today’s meeting confirms that the Fed’s recent hawkish shift was not just about higher energy prices,” Kay Haigh, global head and CIO of Fixed Income and Liquidity Solutions at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, said in an email. “Despite the recent pullback in oil, half of the members of the FOMC expect rate hikes as soon as this year, reflecting strong labor market and inflation data.

Haigh added, “Our base case remains that the Fed can just about avoid hikes, but the path is narrow, and there will be a high premium on the incoming inflation data.”

This week’s meeting is the first presided over by new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, who was picked by President Trump to succeed former chair Jerome Powell.

Investors and economists will be closely watching Warsh during his 2:30 p.m. ET press conference for indications of how he plans to keep the U.S. economy on track, as well as his outlook on inflation and the labor market.

Mr. Trump had repeatedly pressed Powell, whose term as Fed chief ended in May, to lower interest rates. But with U.S. inflation at its highest level in more than three years and well above the Fed’s 2% annual target, many economists expect the FOMC to remain on the sidelines through year-end.

“Warsh has two immediate jobs at this first meeting: getting the FOMC and the broader Fed leadership aligned with his vision going forward, and making sure the markets have confidence in what he’s doing,” said Hank Smith, head of investment strategy at investment firm Haverford Trust, in an email before the meeting.

Smith added, “This is not the environment for a rate cut or a rate hike — it’s an environment for ‘steady as she goes’ — and I’ll be listening for whether he projects that kind of discipline and team-building in his first press conference.”

The Fed’s new inflation forecast

Another major change in the Fed’s economic projections is a sharp increase in inflation expectations for 2026. The central bank’s previous forecast, issued in March, forecast that the Personal Consumption Expenditures index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, would end the year at an annual rate of 2.7%.

But in today’s forecast, the FOMC members are penciling in inflation rising to an annualized 3.6% by year-end. Excluding volatile energy and gas prices, inflation could hit 3.3%.

“The median official now expects headline and core inflation well above 3% by the end of this year, and core inflation to reach 2.5% by end-2027,” Oxford Economics said in a note to investors.

House bill would strip federal funding from colleges with alleged ties to Chinese Communist Party

June 17, 2026 12:32pm EDT / Fox News

The Espionage Protection Act would amend the National Security Act of 1947 to block grants for intelligence programs

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6398563474112

GOP congressman aims to cut federal funds to universities linked to CCP-affiliated organizations

Rep. Pat Fallon unveiled legislation that would strip federal intelligence-related funding from colleges maintaining ties to Chinese Communist Party-linked groups, arguing it is necessary to protect sensitive U.S. research and national security.

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FIRST ON FOX: New legislation introduced in the House of Representatives threatens federal funding for colleges and universities working with organizations with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

The Espionage Protection Act, authored by Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, would amend the National Security Act of 1947 to prohibit federal funding for intelligence programs at universities that maintain contractual or in-kind relationships with organizations tied to the CCP.

“American citizens and or professors at these institutions would be compromised and would be doing highly sensitive research and the Chinese Communist Party could benefit from that illegally,” Fallon told Fox News Digital.

“There have been instances of this where they’re using their either trained assets for the Chinese Communist Party or they’re sympathetic – stealing highly sensitive research, biotechnology, etc. and bringing it back to Beijing,” he added.

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, is seen on the House steps of the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 6, 2022.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

‘SERIOUS CONCERNS’: GOP SOUNDS ALARM ON TAXPAYER FUNDS GOING TO ‘HIGH RISK’ UNIVERSITIES VULNERABLE TO CCP

The legislation would revoke federal funding for grant programs, including: Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence, Intelligence advanced research projects, undergraduate and graduate training, Stokes Scholarship Programs and SMART Scholarship for Service Program.

Fallon singled out the Confucius Institute, a nonprofit educational fund by the CCP, for particular scrutiny. While the number of universities who work with the Confucius Institute has seen a dramatic decline due to funding threats in the past, the organization still works with a number of schools.

The Texas congressman also told Fox News Digital he supports an outright ban on student visas for Chinese nationals.

A Riverside County school district in California is under investigation for allegedly issuing invalid diplomas to nonresident Chinese students and engaging in possible financial misconduct, according to a lengthy audit that found potential fraud and unlawful financial practices.(FoxDIGITAL/iStock)

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BEGINS NEW WAVE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VISA REVOCATIONS: ‘NO ONE HAS A RIGHT TO A VISA’

“It would wholly take away one of the major concerns, which would be with Chinese students coming over and stealing technologies and other sensitive data… so it definitely needs to be explored and looked into,” he said.

The debate around whether Chinese students should be allowed in U.S. schools has created some divide within the GOP. In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, President Donald Trump said an outright ban could damage relations between Beijing and D.C., and discussed some of the benefits of allowing Chinese professionals into the country.

“I frankly think that it’s good that people come from other countries and they learn our culture and many of them want to stay here,” Trump said following his meeting with President Xi Jinping last month.

TRUMP JOLTS IMMIGRATION HAWKS WITH SURPRISING DEFENSE OF CHINESE STUDENTS IN USA

Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump meet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.(Kenny Holston/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump noted that the idea of letting Chinese students in U.S. schools “doesn’t sound like a very conservative position – and I’m a conservative… commonsense guy. I think MAGA is common sense.”

Xi and Trump met in Beijing last month, where Trump described the meeting as “incredible” and “very successful,” despite the traditional rift between the two world powers.

Trump’s comments about Chinese students in the U.S. sparked some backlash from members of the GOP who take a hard line position on immigration, including former Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

REP. GREENE RAISES RED FLAG AFTER TRUMP INDICATES US WILL ACCEPT 600,000 CHINESE STUDENTS

“Trump says it’s insulting to tell China their students can’t go to our universities, imagine being an American student and receiving a rejection letter while 500,000 Chinese students get in,” Greene said to The New Republic.

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The Trump administration says foreign student visa vetting will be a continued process rather than a one-time check.(iStock)

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was critical of the Trump administration’s stance on Chinese students last year, and signed legislation to block colleges from hiring students from China and other “countries of concern” in academic labs.

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The IIE Open Doors Report, which is sponsored by the State Department, estimates that more 260,000 Chinese students are in the U.S. as of the 2024-2025 academic school year. Most students hold F-1 visas, which don’t automatically expire upon graduation from a university.

In April, Fallon announced that he was running for chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital. If he wins, he said he plans to root out CCP influence in the U.S.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news.

Victims ID’d in B-52 bomber crash that killed 8 at Edwards Air Force Base

June 17, 2026 / 1:36 PM EDT / CBS News

Edwards Air Force Base has released the names of the eight people killed in a B-52 Stratofortress bomber crash on Monday. The deceased include military personnel, Boeing employees and government civilians.

The deceased include weapons system officers Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, and Maj. Alexander Davis, 34. Estrella was part of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Edwards. 419th Test Squadron pilots Maj. Robert Dee, 40, and Maj. Brad Hovey, 35, were also among the dead.

The others killed were Jeremy Smith, 32, a flight test engineer from the 419th Flight Test Squadron; Christopher Rischar, 41, a contractor and flight test engineer; retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50, a Boeing pilot; and Col.Gregory Watson, 53, a weapons officer for Boeing and Air Force reservist assigned to the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas.

“It is with profound sorrow and a heavy heart that I can now share the names of the eight extraordinary Americans we lost during Monday’s B-52 crash,” Col. Thomas Tauer, 412th Test Wing commander, said in a news release identifying the deceased. “They were dedicated professionals, beloved family members and irreplaceable teammates. … These Airmen were more than coworkers. They were friends, mentors, teammates and valued members of our Edwards and Air Force family.”

The service members killed in the B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base. Edwards Air Force Base

The group was acting as a Combined Test Force, or CTF, which the airfield described as a unique construct where active-duty airmen work with military contractors and governments civilians to complete specific projects.

As standard practice, the military makes public identifications 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.

The crew was embarking on a test mission for the Air Force’s Radar Modernization Program when the plane took off around 11:20 a.m. local time, CBS News previously reported. The plane crashed on the runway shortly after taking off and burst into flames.

Aerial footage taken shortly after the crash showed a large burn mark and a huge plume of smoke, which could be seen for miles. Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, described the crash as “unsurvivable,” despite immediate efforts from first responders.

The airfield will remain closed until at least Thursday, the base previously said. Flight test operations are expected to resume early next week.

The Radar Modernization Program is meant to upgrade B-52 bombers so the planes can continue flying into the 2050s. The aircraft have “tremendous” payload capacity and range, according to Doug Birkey, the executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. The planes are capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Some B-52s were recently deployed during the Iran war.

Footage shows billowing smoke after a B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base. UC San Diego/CalFire Alert California cam

But the age of the B-52s poses a risk, Birkey said. They are among the oldest planes in the Air Force’s fleet, with those still in service today having been built in the early 1960s. The U.S. military is paying nearly $50 billion to upgrade those planes, with the hopes of keeping them flying until the 2050s.

“When you are dealing with aircraft of this age and when you are pressing for the high-performance type scenarios, we’re asking folks to take a lot of risk,” Birkey told CBS News on Tuesday. “And clearly, eight people paid with their lives.”

The U.S. Air Force’s Accident Investigation Board will examine the incident, the base said. The board’s investigation process can take up to six months to form initial conclusions on the cause of the crash.

Supporting families who lost loved ones and other team members remains the base’s primary objective, it said. The test wing has stood up an Emergency Family Assistance Center to provide support, like mental health services, childcare assistance, legal counsel, and chaplain support for anyone at Edwards Air Force Base, according to the Air Force.

Air Force Global Strike Command, which oversees the bomber program, encouraged members of the command to look after each other in an X post on Wednesday.

“Please take the time to check in on your wingmen. Grief affects us all differently, and there is absolute strength in asking for help when you need it,” the post from the commander and command chief of AFGSC said.

The U.S. Air Force does much of its aerospace testing at Edwards. The facility is located about 100 miles north of Los Angeles.

Trump invokes law to increase weapons production after Iran war depleted US stocks

2026-06-17T16:32:23.633Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/17/politics/trump-weapons-iran-defense-production-act

• President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to compel defense companies to increase weapons production.
• The war with Iran depleted significant portions of key US missile stockpiles, according to experts and officials.
• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly said there was not a crisis while analysis shows the US expended roughly half of critical missile inventories.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

President Donald Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act to force defense companies to manufacture more weapons after the war with Iran depleted stockpiles

In a document signed last week, the president says that he finds “that conditions exist which may pose a direct threat to the national defense or its preparedness programs.”

“In particular, systemic constraints in the munitions industrial base, including limited production capacity, fragile supply chains, long-lead dependencies, and related production bottlenecks, 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,” the document, sent to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, says.

It’s a significant move for the president to compel private companies to increase production and suggests a substantial level of concern in the Trump administration about the Pentagon’s weapons stockpiles following the war with Iran as well as the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine which saw the US contribute weapons to Israel and Ukraine.

The Pentagon has long had concerns about the defense industry’s ability to produce weapons quickly enough. Those concerns were only exacerbated by the US’ war with Iran, in which the US used up significant portions of key missile stockpiles, experts and officials have told CNN.

On Wednesday, Trump said that the last two days of the war were “brutal” and that “$200 million worth of bombs” were used.

“It is expensive too, by the way, aside from everything else,” Trump said, speaking from the G7 summit in France.

As the war unfolded, Hegseth and other Pentagon officials publicly maintained that the US had what it needed to fight the war and other conflicts around the world.

On Sunday — three days after Trump’s order invoking the Defense Production Act was signed — Hegseth told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation that there was not a crisis with US weapons stockpiles and that the issue is “a manufactured story that the media wants to peddle.”

But privately, munition levels have been a significant concern for the Pentagon. Recent analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that the US expended at least 45% of its Precision Strike Missile stockpile, and roughly half of its stockpiles of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles and THAAD missiles.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the order and referred questions to the White House.

The Defense Production Act is a 1950s-era law that is the “primary source of presidential authorities to expedite and expand the supply of resources from the US industrial base to support military, energy, space and homeland security programs,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency says. The act allows the president to require companies to prioritize contracts for deliveries deemed vital to US national defense; create incentives for the industrial base to produce critical materials; and broadly gives the government more authority to make agreements with private companies.

The Act has been used numerous times before for various efforts. Trump previously invoked it during the Covid-19 pandemic in his first term to produce things like ventilators, and at the start of his second term to advance domestic mineral production in the US. Former President Joe Biden also invoked the DPA to accelerate domestic production of clean energy technologies.

Trump’s order on June 11 tells Hegseth to “provide for the making of voluntary agreements and plans of action to help provide for the national defense.” One of the sections of the Act cited by Trump calls for the establishment of an advisory committee.

CNN has reported that before the war with Iran began, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine warned that a prolonged military campaign against Iran could impact US weapons stockpiles.

“The high munitions expenditures have created a window of increased vulnerability in the western Pacific,” Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine Corps Colonel and one of the authors of the recent CSIS report, previously told CNN. “It will take one to four years to replenish these inventories and several years after that to expand them to where they need to be.”

Trump has zeroed in on the defense industrial base before; in January, he issued a threat to companies saying he would seek to limit their stock buybacks and executive salaries unless they improved their weapon systems delivery.

Trump says US may recover all the equipment left behind in Afghanistan by Biden admin

June 17, 2026 3:09pm EDT / Fox News

During the G7, President Trump said he may regain U.S. military equipment left in Afghanistan after 2021 withdrawal.

By James Cirrone, Fox News

President Donald Trump criticized former President Joe Biden’s foreign policy record at the G7 Summit, while touting the forthcoming agreement with Iran.

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President Donald Trump suggested he may be able to get back the equipment the U.S. military left behind during Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Trump made these comments at the G7 Summit while taking questions from reporters about the forthcoming agreement with Iran to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz.

In response to a question about how the deal will address Iran’s nuclear program, Trump repeatedly said he would “bomb them” if they do not comply with proposed restrictions.

He then transitioned into criticizing Biden’s foreign policy record, spotlighting the Democratic former president’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan and abandon dozens of military aircraft, thousands of ground vehicles and more than 300,000 weapons, according to the House Budget Committee.

TRUMP PUSHES TO RECOVER ‘BILLIONS OF DOLLARS’ OF MILITARY EQUIPMENT LEFT BEHIND IN AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL

President Donald Trump gestures as he addresses the media alongside U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent during a closing press conference at the G7 summit, in Evian, eastern France.(Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)

“Our country has become the most respected country in the world,” he said. “Look at what happened in so many different locations. Afghanistan, that horrible retreat that these people made. Leaving equipment behind. They weren’t under any pressure. Take your time.”

“I was going to get out,” he continued. “We were going to get out with dignity and pride. Take 100% of the equipment. I was even taking the tents down. But then [Biden] got in and they just left. They left all the equipment. I may get all that equipment back. Now, here’s the thing. It’s more symbolic because it’s a little old now, but we may get it all back. Afghanistan is kissing our a–.”

In June 2022, the Department of Defense estimated that $7.12 billion worth of military equipment ended up in the hands of the Taliban, which quickly seized control of the country after American troops departed.

Taliban fighters take control of Hamid Karzai International Airport and secure equipment and weapons left behind after the full U.S. military withdrawal in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 31, 2021.(Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times)

TRUMP: ‘WE DON’T RUN FROM ANYBODY’ IN BLASTING BIDEN OVER AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL

Trump and his allies have long been critical of what they view as Biden’s hasty decision to end the war in Afghanistan, which lasted for nearly 20 years.

Biden officials at the time defended the withdrawal by pointing out that the equipment seized by the Taliban was in the hands of the U.S.-aligned government in Afghanistan that ended up surrendering.

Biden himself said he believed that the Afghan fighters supported by the U.S. were going to do a better job at holding the country.

“The assumption was that more than 300,000 Afghan National Security Forces that we had trained over the past two decades and equipped would be a strong adversary in their civil wars with the Taliban,” he said on Aug. 31, 2021. “That assumption — that the Afghan government would be able to hold on for a period of time beyond military drawdown — turned out not to be accurate.”

Members and supporters of the Taliban stand on a U.S. flag during a rally marking the third anniversary of the fall of Kabul in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 14, 2024.

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Under Taliban rule, women and girls remain repressed. More than 1 million girls have been banned from secondary school and university. An April UNICEF report claimed that Afghanistan risks losing more than 25,000 teachers and healthcare workers due to the new government’s restrictions on female employment.

The country is also dealing with a hunger crisis, with roughly 17.4 million Afghans at risk for severe food insecurity this year, according to the World Food Programme.

James Cirrone is a writer on the Breaking/Trending News team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to james.cirrone@fox.com.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6398681108112

Thwarted attack on UFC fight is another reason to build White House ballroom, Trump DOJ argues

2026-06-17T18:44:33.468Z / CNN

• Trump’s Justice Department is citing a thwarted attack on a UFC fight at the White House as justification for the White House ballroom project.
• Officials say the planned ballroom would shield the grounds from drones and bullets with sophisticated security features atop the structure.
• Critics argue Trump is using recent violence to justify a project that requires congressional approval he has not obtained.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

As federal courts have looked skeptically at President Donald Trump’s assertion that he can construct a massive new ballroom at the White House without approval from lawmakers, he’s increasingly pointed to alleged attempts to harm him as a reason why the project should continue apace.

The latest iteration of that argument came late Tuesday when a top political appointee at the Justice Department said a thwarted possible attack on the outdoor UFC fight held at the White House last weekend “demonstrates the compelling need” for the nearly 90,000-square foot event space.

The ballroom’s “mass and height will shield the White House grounds from attack, and give the Secret Service the visibility needed to identify attackers,” Brett Shumate, the head of DOJ’s civil division, told a federal appeals court in a brief letter.

“It will protect the president and guests at major events that are currently held in ‘plastic tents that cannot even protect highly esteemed guests from inclement weather, let alone high caliber bullets or kamikaze drones,’ – exactly the attack that this Sunday’s would-be assassins plotted to launch,” he wrote, referring to temporary structures that have historically been used for large events held on the White House’s South Lawn.

The missive represents the department’s latest bid to use violence in Washington, DC, to buttress its arguments in defense of the project. Earlier this year, a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and a separate shooting incident near the White House were invoked by the administration as it sought to keep courts in the nation’s capital from frustrating work on the ballroom.

A three-judge panel at the DC Circuit Court of Appeals is poised to decide in coming weeks whether Trump is unlawfully constructing the ballroom, as a lower court in DC concluded this spring. During oral arguments before the panel earlier this month, the two judges who appeared ready to rule against Trump showed no interest in his national security arguments and instead focused largely on whether the law permitted the president to unilaterally carry out the project.

Critics have pointed to the fact that the planned ballroom would not be a substitute for the kinds of recent events where there was a threat to Trump’s life and those of the people around him.

After a suspected gunman showed up to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner – where Trump and a host of other executive branch officials were present – at a hotel in DC in late April, DOJ pointed to the incident in a bid to get US District Judge Richard Leon to undo his ruling that would have halted construction on the ballroom.

They later raised an incident near the White House last month as they reupped that request. In that case, Secret Service officers shot and killed a person who the agency said approached a security checkpoint just outside the White House complex and fired at them.

“When completed, this highly knitted, integrated, and unified project, which is a singular and vital national security facility, will provide a ‘SAFE HAVEN’ from attackers,” Justice Department lawyers wrote on May 24.

Leon, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, has yet to respond to the administration’s ask.

Outside observers pointed out earlier this year that the annual press gala is a private event that’s never held at the White House and that a new ballroom wouldn’t change that reality. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez noted at the time that Trump’s decision to demolish the East Wing to make room for the ballroom happened long before the incident.

“The idea that they are now trying to change the rationale for this in retrospect doesn’t quite add up,” she told CNN’s Manu Raju in April. “And in fact, the White House long had facilities for hosting, which also included the East Wing.”

For its part, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which is waging the legal challenge to the ballroom project, has pushed back strongly on Trump’s arguments.

The group noted earlier this spring that it takes the president’s safety seriously and that its case wasn’t focused on whether there should be a new ballroom built at the White House, but rather whether Trump could proceed with such a massive change to the presidential residence without congressional approval.

“What Saturday’s awful event does not change is that the Constitution and multiple federal statutes require Congress to authorize construction of a ballroom on White House grounds, and that Congress has not done so,” attorneys for the trust told the Justice Department following the incident at the Correspondents’ Dinner.

https://www.cnn.com/
Inside the alleged plot to attack the White House UFC event

2:22 • Source: CNN

Inside the alleged plot to attack the White House UFC event

2:22

Leon, too, wasn’t persuaded earlier this year that the entire project needed to continue for national security reasons.

He clarified in April that his ruling halting the project excluded work on a highly sophisticated bunker being built under the ballroom, rejecting the White House’s claim that both the underground and above-ground portion of the structure “advances critical national-security objectives as an integrated whole.”

But the DC Circuit put that decision on hold, permitting work to continue for now.

Sunday’s UFC event took place outdoors at a large, temporary event space built on the White House grounds that included a towering, open-air “claw” structure in which the fights unfolded. Officials have said around 100,000 people were expected to gather near the White House for the event, which was held on Trump’s 80th birthday as part of programming for the United States’ 250th anniversary. The event also featured a festival for fans on the Ellipse.

Officials said on Tuesday that multiple people who they claim discussed plans to attack the event were charged in connection with the alleged plot. Authorities say the planned attack allegedly included the use of drones and a gunman. The plans were detected last week, officials said, and Trump still attended the event.

The planned ballroom, Trump’s attorneys told the appeals court on Tuesday, “will support a highly sophisticated drone port and sniper nests atop the ballroom that would destroy any effort to launch such an attack” in the future.

CNN’s Holmes Lybrand, Hannah Rabinowitz and Kaanita Iyer contributed to this report.

Blanche taps longtime prosecutor to coordinate human trafficking and child exploitation cases

June 17, 2026 / 1:41 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington— Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday appointed Alessandra Serano, a longtime federal prosecutor, to serve as the Justice Department’s national coordinator on human trafficking and child exploitation cases.

Serano has worked in various roles at the Justice Department on and off since 2003, including as a prosecutor in the Southern District of California, the Virgin Islands and, most recently, the Eastern District of Virginia.

She has been serving as a senior counsel to the deputy attorney general, and recently completed a temporary assignment with the Senate Judiciary Committee.

As national coordinator, Serano will be responsible for overseeing efforts across the Justice Department and other federal agencies to investigate and prosecute human trafficking and child exploitation crimes.

The role also entails working with the Office of Justice Programs, which awards grant money to victims services organizations that work directly to assist crime victims and local law enforcement.

“Ending human trafficking and the exploitation of children has been and remains one of the highest priorities of the Department of Justice,” Acting Attorney General Blanche said in a statement.

“With today’s appointment of Ali Serano, we are sending a clear and unmistakable message to predators: we are coming for you,” he added.

Human trafficking and child exploitation cases are prosecuted out of the Justice Department’s 93 U.S. Attorney’s Offices. There are also two separate offices in the Criminal Division that handle human trafficking and child exploitation cases, particularly if they span across multiple districts.

Her role will combine oversight of both areas, and be based in the deputy attorney general’s office, effectively elevating the role to a higher level of leadership within the department.

Her appointment comes after the Justice Department announced last week it is investigating the whereabouts of some 300,000 unaccompanied minors — some of whom they fear have been sold into labor or sex trafficking.

DOJ and Department of Homeland Security officials said that they are focused on so-called “super sponsors” who sign up to act as sponsors for three or more unrelated children who enter the U.S. alone. Some of the unaccompanied children end up being trafficked for labor or sex, they said.

In an interview with CBS News, Serano said the Justice Department’s efforts to track down the missing children will be a priority for the administration as part of its broader mission to combat human trafficking.

“I’m not saying that all of these kids have been trafficked, but I wouldn’t doubt that many of them are. And one kid trafficked is one too many,” she said.

In 120 days, Serano will be tasked with helping to submit a report updating the DOJ’s strategy for combatting child exploitation and human trafficking.

Serano said the Justice Department is seeing a number of trends related to both trafficking and child exploitation cases.

One trend involves “financially motivated sextortion,” she said. The schemes involve a predator pretending to be a teenager online and tricking victims into sending illicit photos of themselves. The predators then threaten to distribute the photos unless the victims send them money.

Another trend involves nihilistic violent extremist groups, such as one known as “764,” in which the group members coerce children to harm themselves or engage in other heinous acts.

In one case in the Middle District of Florida on Monday, a member of 764 pleaded guilty to distributing and possessing child sexual abuse materials, after prosecutors said he caused a minor girl to cut herself and use her blood to write messages. He also distributed gore and sexually explicit images of children.

On Tuesday, meanwhile, a judge sentenced a Maryland man also associated with the 764 group to 30 years in prison for sexually exploiting at least 10 minor females and urging them in some cases to cut themselves with razors and use their own blood to write on the wall.

Serano added that the Justice Department is also seeing more cases involving artificial intelligence-generated images of children being sexually exploited.

Reporter’s Notebook: Capitol Hill’s legislative clock is ticking ahead of the midterms

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins blaming Democrats for lack of cooperation

June 17, 2026 12:43pm EDT / Fox News

By Chad Pergram Fox News

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6398493888112

Trump calls for SAVE America Act to be linked to FISA bill

Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram details President Donald Trump’s controversial demand to link the extension of the FISA anti-terror surveillance law with voter ID legislation, the SAVE America Act. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., expresses doubt about the feasibility of this linkage, while Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticizes Trump’s move as ‘deeply reckless.’

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We’re deep enough into the season to have a sense of how the year is going for various clubs and players.

We see which players are most expendable by the trade deadline. And we get an early line on what to anticipate this fall.

Could sub-.500 clubs like the Texas Rangers or The Athletics (now playing in Sacramento) make the postseason? Did the Baltimore Orioles get what they paid for when they signed Pete Alonso from the New York Mets? Will the Detroit Tigers deal back-to-back Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal to the Atlanta Braves or Cleveland Guardians?

All becomes clearer as we approach the All-Star Break in less than a month.

The same is true in Congress. But the schedule is a little more advanced on Capitol Hill compared to the baseball calendar. Yes, Major League Baseball would play a potential Game 7 of the World Series on Oct. 31. Election Day for the midterms is Nov. 3.

DEMOCRATS FACE DAUNTING CONGRESSIONAL BASEBALL GAME STREAK AS EX-MLB GREAT EYES GOP ROSTER SPOT

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are questioning whether Congress should have a role in approving any agreement with Iran.(Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

However, the Capitol Hill timeframe is more truncated than the baseball slate.

In some respects, Congress is already past its legislative equivalent of the Dog Days of August. In fact, both the House and Senate will likely be out of session for all but a day – if that – in August. They’ll be back in September and then out again until after the midterm.

That is, unless there’s another lengthy government shutdown. And that’s a distinct possibility.

The government’s fiscal year expires at 11:59:59 p.m. ET on Sept. 30. Yes, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle want to rush home in the fall to campaign before the midterms. But last year’s record 43-day comprehensive government shutdown may just be a legislative amuse bouche of what we’re in for this year.

Plus, if Democrats again go to the mat over healthcare or the lack of guardrails for ICE and Border Patrol – despite Republicans just funding those agencies for the rest of the Trump presidency earlier this month – they may view a government shutdown and bogging down everything in Washington as the equivalent of campaigning.

The Senate is meeting this week. The House is out. Chatter started ricocheting around the Capitol this week that the House might consider sending everyone home until September at the end of the next work period. The official calendar has the House meeting through July 2. After adopting the One Big Beautiful Bill last summer, the House left for its August recess a day early in mid-July. One could see the House conceivably cutting town a bit early this year too.

That said, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., wants to advance a few spending bills across the floor before the recess. The House has already approved two of the 12 bills: one for military construction and veterans programs. The other for agriculture.

The House is poised to approve the Energy and Water spending bill next week as well as one for national security initiatives.

CONGRESS FLEES TOWN AS HEALTH CARE PREMIUMS SET TO EXPLODE FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS IN JANUARY

Rep. Tom Cole is running for his 12th term in Congress in Oklahoma.(Getty Images)

Republicans would like to approve the annual defense funding measure soon. That bill consumes well over half of all discretionary spending (money which Congress allocates each year). The GOP may need to follow suit from last year where the House passed the defense plan with only Republican votes. But if the House greenlights the Pentagon’s bill, it will have approved around 80 percent of all spending for the next fiscal year.

However, the Senate is another question. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, canceled planned sessions to craft multiple spending bills over the past few weeks. She’s blamed Democrats for lack of cooperation.

That said, control of the Senate may hinge on Maine as Collins faces embattled Democratic nominee Graham Platner this fall. Platner lugs around more baggage than a skycap at Dulles International Airport. But Democrats are sticking with Platner. Democrats are in no mood to cede any ground to Collins or present her with any easy “wins” ahead of the fall.

BATTLEGROUND REPUBLICANS HOLD THE LINE AS JOHNSON PRESSURES DEMS ON SHUTDOWN

Graham Platner addresses the crowd at his watch party after winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate at a YMCA in Blue Hill, Maine, on June 9, 2026. Platner will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the election for the seat.(Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)

While the House appropriations process may limp along, it’s all but paralyzed in the Senate. This is where a congressional contagion could spread from the Senate to the House. Some House lawmakers may question why they should stick around to tackle any bills if they’re on a road to oblivion in the Senate. Pressure will ramp up on both sides of the aisle to let everyone go home early rather than engage in an academic exercise.

And let’s fast-forward to fall and the funding deadline. The sides simply are not getting along at all. There’s no incentive for Democrats to help if both the House and Senate are in play this fall. President Trump demonstrated no incentive to negotiate during last year’s government shutdown. It could be worse this time around. That’s why a shutdown may be in the cards.

The question is whether lawmakers stay in Washington for the month of October and try to figure things out when they’d rather be in their districts and states campaigning. Remember, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., kept the House out for most of the autumn shutdown last year.

MORNING GLORY: WILL THE HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS DESERT PRESIDENT TRUMP AND TRIGGER A MASSIVE TAX HIKE?

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson answers questions during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2026.(Win McNamee/Getty Images)

And then there is the biggest possible bill of all: “Reconciliation 3.0.”

No one really knows exactly what Republicans would stash in a massive package, ala last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill. President Trump is adamant that they add $350 billion in additional military spending on top of the Pentagon’s annual budget measure – mostly to cover the war in Iran. This would also restock munitions exhausted overseas.

Some Republicans believe they should address health care. Yet there’s still no bona fide health care proposal from the Trump Administration. There will be tax cuts. Maybe lower the cost of living. Of course, President Trump also wants the SAVE America Act tacked on to this bill. It requires proof of citizenship to vote. But the president just insisted that congressional Republicans latch the SAVE America Act to a bill to renew FISA.

Either way, the SAVE America Act wouldn’t pass muster with special Senate budget rules. And Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said repeatedly he would not fire the Senate’s budget umpire, Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough.

IT NEVER ENDS: GOP MOVES TO FUND BORDER, DEMOCRATS BLAST TRUMP SPENDING

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks during a Senate Republicans press conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 2, 2026, flanked by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)

Vulnerable Republicans would love to have another policy bill to campaign on this fall. But there’s lots of skepticism. And any decision to dismiss lawmakers from Capitol Hill early would serve as a signal that there’s no way they can pass “Reconciliation 3.0.”

In Major League Baseball, we usually know by late July or early August if even an average team has an outside shot at the playoffs. The trade deadline is Aug. 3 – although some clubs may try to stock up or unload well before then.

Teams and players on the wrong side of the ledger will play out the string through the end of the season. Then pack up for the hot stove league.

Congress is similar. Members elected to the 119th Congress are in office until 11:59:59 p.m. ET on Jan. 3, 2027. Some are just running out the string.

Yogi Berra famously declared that “the future ain’t what it used to be.”

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In baseball, there were high expectations this season for the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros. The season isn’t even to its mid-point. But the future isn’t panning out for these clubs.

The same is true on Capitol Hill. We’ll know soon if the future is what “it used to be,” here too.

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.

Read the 14 points of the agreement between Iran and the U.S.

June 17, 2026 3:29 PM EDT / CBS News

By Anne Bryson

Washington— Senior U.S. officials on Wednesday dictated the 14 points of the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, reading the text of the agreement to reporters on a phone call. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Iran has not officially released the memorandum.

Key points of the deal include:

• Both sides agreed to “the immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
• Iran can begin exporting oil as soon as the MOU is signed.
• Iran “will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa.”
• The U.S. and regional partners will develop a reconstruction plan for Iran worth at least $300 billion.
• Iran affirms that it “shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons.”
• The two sides “have agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpiled enriched material.”
• U.S. sanctions on Iran will be lifted on schedule as a part of a final deal, linked to nuclear compliance.
• There will be 60 days to sign a final agreement, which the two sides can agree to extend.

“If it doesn’t get done in 60 days, that’s all right. We go back to bombing,” President Trump said at the G7 in France Wednesday. “I don’t want to do that, because it’s so good, but we might have to, because we’re never going to let them have a nuclear weapon.”

The paragraphs of agreement below were transcribed from the official reading them aloud. CBS News has not seen the document directly:

1. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war, by signing this MOU, declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon and other provisions of this paragraph.
2. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran undertake to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs.
3. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran commit to negotiating and achieving the final deal in maximum 60 days, extendable with mutual consent.
4. Immediately upon the signing of this MOU, the United States of America will begin the removal of its naval blockade and any disturbances or impediments against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days. During this period, the traffic of vessels will be in proportion to the numbers of pre-war traffic being restored by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America further undertakes to remove its forces from the proximity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final deal.
5. Upon the signing of this MOU, Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa. The traffic of commercial vessels will immediately start and considering the need for removing the technical and military obstacles and demining by the Islamic Republic of Iran will be instated within 30 days. The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz in discussion with other Persian Gulf states in line with the applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.
6. The United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive mutually agreed plan with at least USD $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The mechanism for the implementation of this plan will be finalized as part of the final deal within 60 days. All required licenses, waivers and permissions needed for the relevant financial transactions will be granted by the United States of America.
7. The United States of America undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the United Nations Security Council resolutions, IAEA Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral U.S. sanctions, primary and secondary, in an agreed-upon schedule as part of the final deal. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America acknowledge the critical importance of the sanctions termination issue above mentioned, and express their intentions to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.
8. The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpiled enriched material, pursuant to a mechanism that will be mutually agreed upon in accordance with the schedule mentioned in paragraph seven, with the minimum methodology to be down-blending on site under the supervision of the IAEA. The two parties also agreed to discuss the issue of enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear needs, based on a satisfactory framework being agreed upon in the final deal. The final deal will confirm the provisions of this paragraph. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran acknowledge the critical importance of the nuclear issues above mentioned, and express their intention to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.
9. Pending the final deal, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree to maintain the status quo. The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program, and the United States of America will not impose any new sanctions, and will not deploy additional forces in the region.
10. The United States of America undertakes that immediately upon the signing of this MOU, and until the termination of sanctions, the U.S. Department of Treasury will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and derivatives, and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurances, transportation, etc.
11. The United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the implementation of this MOU. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will mutually agree on the procedures related to the release of these funds during the negotiations. Such funds, whether retained in the original account or transferred, shall be made fully usable for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America undertakes to issue all necessary licenses and authorizations accordingly.
12. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree that an executive mechanism will be established to monitor the successful implementation of this MOU and the future compliance of the final deal.
13. After signing this MOU and subject to the beginning of the implementation of paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 10, and 11 of this MOU, and the continuing implementation of these measures, the United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran will start negotiations regarding the final deal exclusively on the other paragraphs.
14. The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UNSC resolution.

大力发展倡议经济 印尼部长特乌库：新一代创造者将塑造亚洲未来

2026年6月17日 23:06 / 联合早报

王英慧雅加达报道

印尼创意经济部副秘书（数码与科技创意）尼尔（左）星期三（6月17日）在第五届东南亚讲堂上，与《联合早报》雅加达特派员蓝云舟（右）展开对话。 （Tech in Asia）

面对当前的国际竞争，印度尼西亚正力推创意经济作为国家的增长引擎，印尼资深官员相信，全亚洲都在见证新一代的创造者与创业家的崛起，他们的创意点子和才华将日益塑造本区域的经济未来。

印尼创意经济部长特乌库（Teuku Riefky Harsya）星期三（6月13日）在雅加达举行的第五届东南亚讲堂上发表主旨演讲时说，东南亚位处主要经济和科技强国之间，“但我们的未来不应被选边站队所定义，而应通过增强自身能力来成就。对印尼而言，其中一项能力就是创意经济 。”

特乌库指出，今时今日，国家面对的挑战已不再只是如何参与全球经济，而需要在经济成就日益取决于创意点子、创新、技术与人才的环境下，保持竞争力、适应能力，并体现价值。

特乌库所领导的印尼创意经济部，主要负责推动创意产业发展，促进文化与数码内容产业转化为经济价值的政府部门。

印尼创意经济去年的国内产值增长了6.86%，吸引到投资达103亿美元（约132亿新元），从业人员超过2700万人。特乌库说，其中57％是Z世代和千禧一代，显示印尼创意经济是由与数据联通、具备全球视野的年轻一代开拓者、革新者和创业家所驱动。

他相信，凭着数据经济的发展、丰富多样的文化与年轻的人口，亚洲有潜力成为强大的全球创意引擎，而这场转型正在发生。亚洲新一代创造者、创新者和创业家正在崛起，“我们的责任是确保这一代人拥有能让他们将创意，转化为可持续经济价值的生态环境和机会。”

他指出，在数码内容、游戏、电影、动漫、音乐、设计、创新科技、人才、流动性和知识产权发展的领域，亚洲国家身有深化合作的显著机会。

创意经济部长特乌库在发表主旨演讲前接受媒体采访。特乌库在主旨演讲中说，投资创意经济就是投资印尼的人民、思想以及未来。（Tech in Asia）

他介绍，印尼政府也在制定AI政策框架，来确保AI的使用符合道德，包容，并以人为核心。

同时，印尼正着力保护知识产权（IP），推动把知识产权视为经济资产，使之能更广泛地被金融机构接受，作为融资的凭证。为此，特乌库领导的部门，正与监管机构、银行和行业伙伴，合作发展“知识产权评估体系”。

印尼创意经济部副常任秘书（数码与科技创意）尼尔（Muhammad Neil） 在与《联合早报》雅加达特派员蓝云舟的对话中则提到，在当前地缘政治环境下，“东南亚是时候崛起了”，尤其是在数据与创意产业领域方面。

尼尔以新加坡为例说，创新科技早期研发的声霸卡以及电竞公司雷蛇，都是具有代表性的产品和品牌。而今，印尼方面的巴东饭（Nasi Padang）、印尼东部音乐（Musik Timur）和影视作品也成了印尼的IP，广泛传入马来西亚和新加坡等亚细安国家。

他认为，新加坡和印尼等亚细安国家的文化多样性是项优势，关键在于各国需提升对知识产权的认知，将它作为国家与创作者的重要资产，同时开展合作，更好地整合和推动这些资源的发展。

本次东南亚讲堂由《联合早报》携手科技媒体Tech in Asia，于2026亚洲经济峰会期间呈现。