Jane Fonda to host First Amendment celebration opposite Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 event

2026-06-12 10:07:12 / reuters.com

Jane Fonda poses on the red carpet during arrivals for the opening ceremony and the screening of the film “La Venus electrique” (The Electric Kiss) Out of competition, at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 12, 2026. REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary
• Companies

• Fonda stages concert featuring celebrities advocating for free speech and democracy
• Fonda criticizes Trump administration for attacks on free speech and environmental rollbacks
• Actor-activist urges regulators to block Paramount Skydance merger over concerns about diversity and expression

LOS ANGELES, June 12 (Reuters) – As mixed martial arts fighters gather on ​Sunday on the South Lawn of the White House in a cage match to celebrate President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday — ‌a spectacle kicking off a series of events commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary — actor and activist Jane Fonda will sponsor entertainment of a different sort from New York City.

Fonda’s advocacy group, Committee for the First Amendment, will host a concert featuring actors, musicians and public figures appearing in support of free speech and democracy — principles ​that have come under attack during Trump’s presidency, according to Fonda.

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“This is our documentary moment,” Fonda told Reuters in an interview. “History ​is going to write about this, and I don’t want to be on the side of people who ⁠said, ‘Oh my God, things are so bad, what am I going to do?’ No. I want to be out in the front.”

The “Rise Up, ​Sing Out” concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT) on Sunday, will include performances or appearances by Julia Roberts, Lily Gladstone, Bette Midler, Patti ​smith and Rufus Wainwright. The event takes place at The Town Hall, a century-old landmark founded by suffragists, and

will be available to watch via livestream, opens new tab.

DECADES OF ACTIVISM AND PROTEST

Fonda, 88, has a long history of activism, from working on behalf of Native Americans and the Black Panthers in the 1960s, to protesting the Vietnam ​War in the 1970s. She earned the nickname “Hanoi Jane” following a visit to North Vietnam in 1972, though she would later express regret for ​a photo of her sitting on an anti-aircraft gun, wearing a helmet.

In recent years, the Oscar-winning actor has been involved in climate activism and has been ‌arrested multiple ⁠times in connection with her “Fire Drill Fridays” protests in Washington, D.C. A new documentary, “Gaslit,” which premieres on Friday, follows Fonda on a road trip through Texas and Louisiana to expose the environmental and health impacts of oil and gas extraction.

“Whole communities have been razed because we insist on drilling for oil and fracked methane gas that we’re shipping around the world, that is killing people and nature and animals, and it’s got ​to stop,” said Fonda, who blames ​the Trump administration for weakening ⁠environmental regulations.

PARAMOUNT-WARNER BROS DEAL CRITICIZED

Fonda has also called on federal and state regulators to block the proposed $110 billion merger of Paramount Skydance

(PSKY.O), opens new tab
and Warner Bros Discovery

(WBD.O), opens new tab
. Fonda said that though she personally likes Paramount Skydance CEO David ​Ellison, she is concerned about concessions he made to the Federal Communications Commission to win approval of ​Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount.

“The ⁠lifeblood of creativity is going out the window in order to satisfy these autocrats in the White House,” she said.

Ellison has said the combined Paramount-Warner Bros Discovery would invest in quality content, releasing 30 movies a year, something that will benefit Hollywood’s creative class.

In October, Fonda revived the Committee for ⁠the First ​Amendment in response to a perceived rise in authoritarian practices and attacks on free ​speech. It was a group her father, actor Henry Fonda, formed in 1947 when Hollywood figures were called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

“We are the storytellers, we ​are the artists,” Fonda said. “Without the First Amendment, we can’t exist.”

Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Editing by Edmund Lee and Matthew Lewis

War-wary Hill Republicans question Trump’s Iran strategy with control of Congress at stake

2026-06-12T09:00:08.514Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/12/politics/republicans-question-trump-iran-strategy

A growing number of congressional Republicans are publicly questioning President Trump’s shifting Iran war strategy as midterm elections approach and gas prices spike.

Some Republicans told CNN they want a clear exit strategy and fear economic fallout will cost them their majority in November.

Trump has backed a $350 billion reconciliation bill, despite widespread Republican discontentment about military strategy.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

A growing number of Hill Republicans say they are frustrated with President Donald Trump’s ever-changing strategy in Iran — dangling a ground invasion one day, touting progress in peace talks the next — in a conflict many fear will cost them their majority this fall.

Hours after Trump’s latest threat to seize a key Iranian oil hub, several key Republicans — from centrists to leadership allies to MAGA loyalists — told CNN on Thursday they were deeply uncomfortable with the president’s threat to deepen the conflict without a clear strategy. And with gas prices and inflation again spiking, they fear the war will become the defining issue of an already-tough midterm election.

“I think people are really feeling it,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican, said in an interview. “It’s not just gas prices, food prices, and other things, and I think there’s a level of frustration. … So I think the pressure is for the president to reach a peace solution and move on.”

“Get it done. Get out,” said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a centrist from New Jersey who stressed he supports the ultimate goal of defanging Iran’s nuclear powers. “We need an exit strategy.”

Angst over the war has been spiking for weeks among Hill Republicans. A growing chorus of lawmakers are now bluntly warning about the economic toll of the Iran war, fearing voter blowback over rising prices and calling for a swift end to the conflict. Trump’s main response so far has been a push to temporarily freeze the federal gas tax — a measure widely panned by Republicans who say it amounts to little savings back home. And they say the White House isn’t doing any favors with his recent anti-weaponization fund or ballroom security effort — not to mention his “I love the inflation” remarks just a day earlier.

“Makes absolutely no sense to me,” GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said of Trump’s remarks, voicing concern about the party’s midterm message heading into November. “The fact that we’re not talking about or focused on the things that most people care about at election time, kitchen table issues, I think, is a problem.”

It all amounts to a rising sense of unease among Hill Republicans, including party leaders, about how to navigate the politics of the war, spiking inflation and voter anger alongside a president who demands their full loyalty. On Iran, they’re also worried about how they can deliver Trump’s massive Pentagon funding request — as much as $350 billion, the president has suggested — sometime by August, amid widespread discontentment in their party over military strategy.

Several top lawmakers, including the House GOP’s top spending leader, Rep. Tom Cole, have complained that they’ve been in the dark about how much the war will cost. Others have lamented that Trump has yet to lay out a convincing case to the American public — or to them personally. And some, like Rep. Nick LaLota of New York, are not ruling out backing a vote to formally authorize the conflict, against party leaders’ wishes, to assert Congress’ authority in the monthslong war.

“I think we can lay out the case right, but we haven’t done a good job at it,” retiring Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said of the administration’s ability to make the case for the conflict.

If Trump does decide to escalate the war in Iran — after retracting threats of new strikes earlier Thursday — he will need to make a clearer case to some in his own party.

Congressional Republicans are broadly skeptical of any move to put US troops on the ground and prolong the war. That includes Trump’s threat earlier Thursday to seize Kharg Island, which drew sharp warnings from his party.

“I don’t support boots on the ground. I don’t think America has the stomach for that,” LaLota said, when asked about Trump’s call to seize that oil infrastructure hub.

Asked if he would want to formally authorize any US operation doing so, LaLota did not rule it out: “It’s interesting. I would like to take a look at that if such a proposal is made.”

Republican Sen. John Kennedy, a loyal Trump ally, offered similarly candid remarks on Thursday, saying he was “worried” about the president’s Kharg Island suggestion and offering a stark warning that “this is how it started in Vietnam” — all while pointing to the steep economic toll.

“I think the president has clearly decided to take the pain. I think he’s decided that long-term, the benefits of crippling Iran permanently, if possible, are worth the costs to our economy, to our inflation rate, and the world’s economy. I think he’s made that decision, and it has been painful,” Kennedy said, adding that he can’t say it’s “wrong” because he’s not in the classified briefings.

Even GOP lawmakers who strongly support the war have publicly and privately acknowledged their party has mishandled messaging around the issue.

“It needed to happen even if it costs us our majority. And it might,” one lawmaker told CNN, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the fraught politics of the war.

Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor in Alabama, acknowledged that “everybody is having problems” with inflation.

“We do have to get it under control,” said Tuberville, who also stressed the party can’t make decisions based on potential political fallout. “We can’t worry about that. We’ve gotta worry about the world.”

Any political fallout, however, remains a concern for a number of Republicans, including Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, who argued that “people often vote their pocketbook. … If people don’t feel secure financially, they oftentimes obviously respond by choosing somebody else.”

“There’s no question that history is against us. Inflation is as big an issue to voters as any other issue” — perhaps even over security issues, Cramer said. But he argued Democrats haven’t offered a better solution and suggested voters might have soured on both parties: “I don’t think people have a great deal of confidence in any of us right now, quite honestly.”

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, who has backed Trump’s push for a gas tax holiday, said this week’s inflation numbers should be a “wake up call” for Republicans to take action on high prices.

“We need some relief, and Congress can deliver some relief,” he said, warning: “If Congress doesn’t deliver the relief, I think voters are not going to be pleased.”

CNN’s Morgan Rimmer, Dugald McConnell and Casey Riddle contributed to this report.

Cornyn predicts Trump midterm ‘disaster,’ then ‘the most miserable two years of his life’

June 12, 2026 7:11am EDT / Fox News

Cornyn was trounced by a Trump-backed challenger in a Texas GOP US Senate primary runoff last month

By Alex Nitzberg Fox News

Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn in Texas GOP Senate runoff, AP projects

‘America’s Newsroom’ co-anchor Bill Hemmer reports on the Associated Press projecting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s victory over Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas GOP U.S. Senate runoff on ‘Hannity.’

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Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas predicted “disaster” in the upcoming midterms and thinks that President Donald Trump will then face “the most miserable two years of his life” during the final stretch of his White House tenure,” the New York Times reported.

Cornyn lost the Texas Republican U.S. Senate primary runoff to President Donald Trump-endorsed Lone Star State Attorney General Ken Paxton last month.

The contest was not even close — Paxton shellacked the long-serving incumbent senator in the race. Cornyn has served in the Senate since late 2002.

MAGA TRIUMPH: TRUMP ALLY KEN PAXTON DEFEATS JOHN CORNYN IN BITTER TEXAS GOP PRIMARY WAR

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, departs a meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 4, 2026.(Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

Trump backed Paxton a week before the May 26 contest, as early voting was already underway.

“I had really thought that we’d gone on so long with no endorsement that he was just going to stay out of it,” Cornyn said, according to the Times. “But he couldn’t resist.”

“If he would do that to me, he would do that to anybody,” Cornyn said, according to the outlet. “There’s never going to be good enough for him, other than 100 percent, you know, slavish adherence to whatever he wants. But obviously that’s not what the senator’s role is supposed to be, especially in terms of checks and balances.”

TRUMP FLEXES MAGA MUSCLE IN TEXAS SENATE RUNOFF CLASH BETWEEN CORNYN AND PAXTON

U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to sign an executive order during an event in the Oval Office of the White House on June 3, 2026 in Washington, D.C.(Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

In a May 27 Truth Social post, Trump said Cornyn “will remain my friend for a long time to come, as we both watch Ken become a fantastic, common sense Senator, one who is respected by all.”

“If that’s the way friends treat you, you wonder about his enemies,” Cornyn said, according to the Times.

KEN PAXTON DIDN’T NEED TRUMP’S ENDORSEMENT TO BEAT CORNYN, TEXAS VOTERS SAY

[image_5]

Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general and Republican U.S. Senate candidate, arrives to speak during a runoff election night event in Plano, Texas, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.(Antranik Tavitian/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“It’s going to make things harder, certainly more expensive in Texas, and make it harder around the country,” Cornyn said, predicting the president will eventually regret his actions, according to the Times. “I don’t say that with any sort of desire for vengeance; I just think that’s the way it’s going to be. He’s going to have the most miserable two years of his life in the last two years of his term, I think, because I think November is going to be a disaster.”

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

欧洲官员透露，美国计划大幅减少为北约在欧洲的行动提供的F-16战斗机（图）数量。 （法新社档案照片）

（华盛顿综合电）欧洲知情官员透露，美国计划大幅减少为北约在欧洲的行动提供的战机和军舰数量。这将加速美国缩减80年来为欧洲盟友提供的保护力度，同时限制北约发动远程打击和开展侦察的能力。

《纽约时报》星期五（6月12日）引述两名欧洲高级官员报道，美国计划把F-16与F-15E战斗机数量从约150架减至100架、海上侦察机从26架减至15架，并取消此前在欧洲可用的所有八架空中加油机。

据透露，美国也将重新部署一艘可发射导弹的潜艇和一艘航空母舰，以及多艘军舰和数十架参与航母任务的战机。此外，目前负责欧洲防务的两支轰炸机编队，可能有一支被重新调配到其他地区。

纽时查阅的文件显示，美国已在6月初通过书面文件通知北约盟国这项决定。

北约发言人哈特在回复路透社的电邮中说：“历史上，北约过度依赖美国的军事力量和能力。”

她补充说，随着欧洲和加拿大加大国防投入并发展更强大的能力，责任平衡可能会发生转变。这将通过减少对单一盟友的依赖来加强北约的防御，并反映出北约内部正在发生更广泛的变革。

五角大楼未回应路透社的置评请求。

美国欧洲司令部上周发表声明称，将调整对北约部队模式的支持，但未提供更多细节。

纽时披露的这些细节，迄今为止最清晰地展现了特朗普政府计划在多大程度上减少对北约的军事支持。

特朗普政府多次批评欧洲国家国防投入不足，过度依赖美国提供安全保障，并敦促欧洲及亚洲盟友将国防开支提高至国内生产总值（GDP）的3.5%。

特朗普还称，北约离开了美国就是“纸老虎”，威胁要让美国退出北约。

路透社5月报道称，美国计划缩减在重大危机期间向盟国提供的军事支持。

五角大楼尚未公开美国缩减对北约军事支持的时间表，但据美国官员透露，这将很快发生，远早于欧洲国家此前的准备。

纽时分析指，美军的突然撤离将影响北约的能力，例如监视俄罗斯潜艇活动，或向俄罗斯纵深发射远程战斧导弹的能力。尽管欧洲国家也拥有类似的导弹发射能力，但专家认为，美国部署导弹对俄罗斯的威慑力更大，因为欧洲国家可能更谨慎地部署这些导弹。

欧洲官员透露，美国计划大幅减少为北约在欧洲的行动提供的F-16战斗机（图）数量。 （法新社档案照片）

（华盛顿综合电）欧洲知情官员透露，美国计划大幅减少为北约在欧洲的行动提供的战机和军舰数量。这将加速美国缩减80年来为欧洲盟友提供的保护力度，同时限制北约发动远程打击和开展侦察的能力。

《纽约时报》星期五（6月12日）引述两名欧洲高级官员报道，美国计划把F-16与F-15E战斗机数量从约150架减至100架、海上侦察机从26架减至15架，并取消此前在欧洲可用的所有八架空中加油机。

据透露，美国也将重新部署一艘可发射导弹的潜艇和一艘航空母舰，以及多艘军舰和数十架参与航母任务的战机。此外，目前负责欧洲防务的两支轰炸机编队，可能有一支被重新调配到其他地区。

纽时查阅的文件显示，美国已在6月初通过书面文件通知北约盟国这项决定。

北约发言人哈特在回复路透社的电邮中说：“历史上，北约过度依赖美国的军事力量和能力。”

她补充说，随着欧洲和加拿大加大国防投入并发展更强大的能力，责任平衡可能会发生转变。这将通过减少对单一盟友的依赖来加强北约的防御，并反映出北约内部正在发生更广泛的变革。

五角大楼未回应路透社的置评请求。

美国欧洲司令部上周发表声明称，将调整对北约部队模式的支持，但未提供更多细节。

纽时披露的这些细节，迄今为止最清晰地展现了特朗普政府计划在多大程度上减少对北约的军事支持。

特朗普政府多次批评欧洲国家国防投入不足，过度依赖美国提供安全保障，并敦促欧洲及亚洲盟友将国防开支提高至国内生产总值（GDP）的3.5%。

特朗普还称，北约离开了美国就是“纸老虎”，威胁要让美国退出北约。

路透社5月报道称，美国计划缩减在重大危机期间向盟国提供的军事支持。

五角大楼尚未公开美国缩减对北约军事支持的时间表，但据美国官员透露，这将很快发生，远早于欧洲国家此前的准备。

纽时分析指，美军的突然撤离将影响北约的能力，例如监视俄罗斯潜艇活动，或向俄罗斯纵深发射远程战斧导弹的能力。尽管欧洲国家也拥有类似的导弹发射能力，但专家认为，美国部署导弹对俄罗斯的威慑力更大，因为欧洲国家可能更谨慎地部署这些导弹。

一名伊朗高级消息人士告诉路透社，协议草案将解除对伊朗石油的制裁，解冻伊朗数十亿美元的资金，并要求停止所有战线的敌对行动。 （路透社）

据路透社星期五（6月12日）引述一名西方消息人士报道，美国和伊朗最快可能于星期天（14日）签署一份结束战争的备忘录，双方最可能在瑞士日内瓦签署备忘录。

消息人士称，备忘录的措辞仍在最终敲定中。伊朗坚持其立场，即必须同时结束黎巴嫩的战事。以色列一直在黎巴嫩与真主党交战。

美伊双方的目标是在星期六（13日）前敲定最终措辞，以便由美国副总统万斯和伊朗议会议长卡利巴夫签署协议。签署地点尚未确定，但日内瓦被认为是最有可能的地点。

伊朗官员星期五透露，协议条款似乎满足了德黑兰迄今为止的大部分要求，而特朗普除了要求重新开放霍尔木兹海峡之外，似乎并未获得他所寻求的任何东西。

一名伊朗高级消息人士星期五告诉路透社，协议草案将解除对伊朗石油的制裁，解冻伊朗数十亿美元的资金，并要求停止所有战线的敌对行动。

延伸阅读

美伊连续两天交火 特朗普恫言升级打击占领伊朗石油命脉

核问题将被搁置，留待以后谈判。华盛顿希望达成一项协议，确保伊朗永远不会发展核武器；伊朗则表示并不寻求发展核武器。

消息人士没有提及伊朗可能提供的交换条件。美国方面尚未对此作出回应。

另据伊朗梅尔通讯社报道称，这些条款还包括美国承诺从伊朗周边撤军，并提出重建伊朗经济的计划。

报道称：“美国及其盟友必须提交价值至少3000亿美元（约3850亿新元）的伊朗重建计划。”

一名伊朗高级消息人士告诉路透社，协议草案将解除对伊朗石油的制裁，解冻伊朗数十亿美元的资金，并要求停止所有战线的敌对行动。 （路透社）

据路透社星期五（6月12日）引述一名西方消息人士报道，美国和伊朗最快可能于星期天（14日）签署一份结束战争的备忘录，双方最可能在瑞士日内瓦签署备忘录。

消息人士称，备忘录的措辞仍在最终敲定中。伊朗坚持其立场，即必须同时结束黎巴嫩的战事。以色列一直在黎巴嫩与真主党交战。

美伊双方的目标是在星期六（13日）前敲定最终措辞，以便由美国副总统万斯和伊朗议会议长卡利巴夫签署协议。签署地点尚未确定，但日内瓦被认为是最有可能的地点。

伊朗官员星期五透露，协议条款似乎满足了德黑兰迄今为止的大部分要求，而特朗普除了要求重新开放霍尔木兹海峡之外，似乎并未获得他所寻求的任何东西。

一名伊朗高级消息人士星期五告诉路透社，协议草案将解除对伊朗石油的制裁，解冻伊朗数十亿美元的资金，并要求停止所有战线的敌对行动。

核问题将被搁置，留待以后谈判。华盛顿希望达成一项协议，确保伊朗永远不会发展核武器；伊朗则表示并不寻求发展核武器。

消息人士没有提及伊朗可能提供的交换条件。美国方面尚未对此作出回应。

另据伊朗梅尔通讯社报道称，这些条款还包括美国承诺从伊朗周边撤军，并提出重建伊朗经济的计划。

报道称：“美国及其盟友必须提交价值至少3000亿美元（约3850亿新元）的伊朗重建计划。”

No English content available

这起车祸发生在2025年3月11日下午5时29分，地点是实龙岗路上段朝往实龙岗路与巴耶利峇路上段的交通灯路口。 （谷歌地图）

六旬妇开车闯红灯后撞伤一名电动脚踏车骑士，导致对方骨折住院11天，被判罚款4800元，并吊销驾照五年。

被告陈依兰（67岁，译音）星期四（6月11日）承认一项抵触公路交通法令的控状，指她危险驾驶导致他人重伤。

这起车祸发生在2025年3月11日下午5时29分，地点是实龙岗路上段朝往实龙岗路与巴耶利峇路上段的交通灯路口。

调查揭露，案发时被告驾驶车子在上述地点准备右转。尽管当时是红灯，被告还是进行了右转，随后撞上了从迎面方向而来的一辆电动脚踏车，导致男骑士（27岁）摔倒在马路上。

男骑士送院后留医11天，右膝盖严重受伤，其他身体部位也出现骨折。

控方指出，尽管骑士伤势已无大碍，但离完全复原还有一段距离。

被告律师求情时称，事发时直行的交通灯呈绿色，被告误认为自己也可以右转，才会酿祸。律师也说，被告对此次事故深感内疚。

车长将双臂抵在方向盘上，并用双手在手机上打字，行径危险。 （取自SG Road Vigilante脸书）

汉达英达巴士车长被指驾驶时双手玩手机，行径危险，公司已展开内部调查。

一名汉达英达（Causeway Link）巴士车长近日在前往大士关卡途中，被发现驾驶时长时间使用手机。

根据一名网友于本月10日在 “Complaint Singapore”的脸书群组上载的两段相关视频，第一段视频显示，巴士在一条笔直的路上行驶，车长将双臂抵在方向盘上，并用双手在手机上打字。尽管旁边有其他车辆飞驰而过，车长始终没有抬头查看前方的路况。

第二段视频则显示，车长腾出一只手来调整方向盘，随后再将手机放回仪表盘上。

根据贴文内容，涉事巴士当时正从新马第二通道开往大士关卡。

贴文事后已被删除。

汉达英达巴士私人有限公司发言人受询时指出，已获悉此事，并对此高度重视。

发言人强调：“公司政策严格禁止在驾驶时使用手机或有任何形式的分心行为。我们对任何危及安全的行为持零容忍态度。”

目前，汉达英达已启动内部调查，并将根据公司政策规定和相关监管要求，对涉事人员采取适当的纪律处分。

此外，汉达英达也计划在所有的运营环节中全面加强安全标准，其中包括向所有巴士车长发布安全提醒，督促他们严格遵守安全行驶规则，并计划为员工开展额外的安全简报会，以防止此类危险行为再次发生。