(WASHINGTON) -- Soon after President Donald Trump said in the Oval Office on Wednesday that the United States has been secretly ferrying "millions of barrels" of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump announced on social media that "more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil" and "more than 200 Commercial Ships" have successfully traveled through the strait.

"Last month, I directed our Great U.S. Military to execute a secret mission to support Oil Tankers and other Commercial Ships through the Strait of Hormuz," Trump wrote on his social media platform.

"Today, I am pleased to announce that this effort has resulted in more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil making its way through the Straight, and into the Open Market. More than 200 Commercial Ships have safely traveled through the Strait."

The president referred to it as a "secret mission" that he says was conducted last month amid the ongoing war with Iran, which has led the strait to be closed to regular commercial shipping.

ABC News could not immediately verify the accuracy of Trump's claims and the numbers of oil barrels and ships that he claims have passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier Wednesday, in the Oval Office, Trump alluded to apparent U.S. operations to stimulate shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, with Trump claiming that the U.S. recently "took" 22 ships, amounting to millions of barrels of oil, through the strait. 

"Do you know, we've been taking out millions of barrels of oil? Nobody knows it. You know who doesn't know about it? Iran, until right now. We took out the other night 22 ships late at night with no lights, because they don't have any radar, because we blasted the crap out of it,” Trump said.

In his post Wednesday afternoon, Trump referred to the alleged operation as a "wildly successful effort" that is due to the U.S. blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. 

“This wildly successful effort is because the UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz — NOT Iran,” Trump wrote. 

Since last month, there have been reports of the U.S. Navy helping ships navigate through the Strait of Hormuz -- though U.S. officials have said that the efforts have not been a revival of Project Freedom, the short-lived U.S. military initiative to escort commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump announced Project Freedom in early May -- pausing the effort just two days later.

Rather, this most recent effort was a coordination effort where shippers could contact U.S. Central Command and in turn, receive information about where to transit through the Strait of Hormuz, according to a U.S. official.

The coordination effort was first reported by The New York Times.

ABC News confirmed the Times' report that, as of late last month, approximately 70 commercial ships had been guided through the strait. In addition to the U.S. coordinating safe passageways, the Times reported that many of the vessels traveling through the strait had turned off their transponders to "avoid detection."

During the Oval Office event earlier Wednesday afternoon, Trump had also indicated that he was choosing to reveal this "secret" mission now because the Iranians had "figured it out."

"But now I'm going to tell you, because they just figured it out. So now that they figured it out, I can tell you it was very hard for me. I wanted to say it so bad, but it was. I didn't want to ruin it, but it was very hard," Trump said. 

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(WASHINGTON) -- To complete Donald Trump's "Triumphal Arch" by the time he leaves office, the National Park Service plans to have construction take place 20 hours per day over the next two to three years, according to planning documents released by the Department of the Interior. 

The National Park Service last week released designs, renderings and reports related to the planned arch as it seeks public comment about the controversial addition to the D.C. skyline. 

"Because the Arch is intended to celebrate 250 years of American independence. ... smaller heights were not considered representative of this milestone, unlike the 250-foot Arch proposed in the undertaking," one of the reports said about the size of the project.

The project is being challenged in federal court, though lawsuits challenging the arch, and other projects like Trump's White House Ballroom, planned golf course renovations and the repainting and sealing of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have so far been unsuccessful in stopping work.

Current designs call for the massive arch to be constructed out of concrete and clad with U.S.-sourced granite -- a departure from some of the older D.C. monuments which are constructed from marble or limestone. According to planning documents, construction workers will require multiple cranes up to 320-feet tall -- taller than the U.S. Capitol building -- and other heavy construction equipment, including concrete pumps, forklifts, skid steers and other tools. 

Because the monument will sit near the complicated flight paths for D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), architects included "aviation required safety lighting" into the design of the arch, using the "least intrusive technology available" to minimize light pollution, according to planning documents.

The FAA recently completed a feasibility study about the arch and concluded it would have "no significant adverse effect on airspace and visual/instrument procedures" for the airport and that it would only require red obstruction lights.

"Career safety experts found no adverse impacts to operations at DCA. Their review determined the only requirement would be the top of the structure would need to be lit with red obstruction lights -- a common safety tool," an FAA spokesperson said in a statement, adding that it will next conduct a full aeronautical study with the National Park Service.

According to the documents, the project will include seven phases of construction over a two-to-three-year period. After workers excavate the site, construction would involve about five months of "continuous heavy equipment operations" to drive the foundation system down about 75 feet to bedrock. The NPS report estimated that removing material for the foundation would require about 30 trucks to move 100 loads of soil per day for months. 

Once the foundation is completed, workers plan to spend about 10 months constructing the primary concrete structure of the arch and then affix granite panels to the concrete.  

"Work would occur year-round, with work occurring in two 10-hour shifts per day (20 hours per day, year-round) for the duration of the construction period," a NPS report said. 

Around the same timeframe, construction workers will begin to assemble the inner structure of the arch, including stairs, elevators, roofing, plumbing, and electrical work. After about two years of work, plans call for a 300-foot mobile crane to be used to install a gold statue atop the arch. 

The National Park Service said the construction would likely result in significant traffic disruptions around the Arlington Memorial Bridge. 

The design for the arch has not yet been approved by the National Capital Planning Commission. During a hearing last week, the commission asked the Trump administration to address a series of issues with their design, though Trump falsely claimed the design had been approved. 

A group of Vietnam veterans also sued over the arch earlier this year and are asking a federal judge to block the construction, arguing the arch should be approved by Congress. 

"With every passing day, Defendants' arch moves closer to construction," they wrote in a recent court filing. 

The Trump administration has argued that a 100-year-old statute related to the building of the nearby Arlington Memorial Bridge authorizes construction of the arch. Department of Justice lawyers have also argued that the plaintiffs lack standing and that the lawsuit is premature. 

"Forcing such disclosures of internal deliberations -- before NPS has concluded its decision-making process -- would 'wreak havoc' on the Executive Branch," DOJ lawyers wrote in a court filing. 

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) -- Closely watched primaries in four states on Tuesday showed a resounding victory for a Democrat who was facing some controversies but amassed much popular support, the continued strength of President Donald Trump’s endorsement, and set up a key governor’s race in November.

Here are some takeaways from Tuesday's primaries:

Platner triumphant in Maine even amid controversies

Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and military veteran, is slated to take on longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November’s general election for the U.S. Senate in Maine, romping to victory in the primary even amid multiple controversies.

That included a late-breaking controversy from a New York Times report last Thursday that some of the Army veteran's former girlfriends said that his actions could be "intimidating and disturbing."

Platner denied allegations of being physically intimidating towards former partners, and said after the story broke that he had been open to Mainers about his past, and that it had never crossed his mind to drop out of the race.

Tuesday night’s results showed Maine Democrats rallying behind Platner, as he romped to a projected victory in the primary with almost 75% of the vote as of late Tuesday. While Maine Gov. Janet Mills was also on the ballot, she had suspended her campaign weeks ago and appeared on track to get less than a fifth of the vote.

“Over the last nine months I have seen Mainers come together behind a vision to take back our power from corporations and billionaires,” Platner told supporters on Tuesday night.

Platner’s win gives Democrats an everyman candidate who has been able to attract huge crowds and support.

But he and other Democrats now face months of a general election campaign where Republicans say they will bring up Platner's controversies every chance they get, both to strike at Platner and to hound Democrats over supporting someone who the GOP says goes against values Democrats claim to support.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), for instance, shared a digital ad right as polls closed in Maine that called Collins “a senator we can be proud of” and portrayed Platner as out-of-touch and scandal-ridden.

But Platner will have the Democratic establishment backing him, too. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, both of New York, wrote on Tuesday night, “Over the past year, we have created a path to win a Democratic Senate majority and put a stop to the chaos and damage of the Trump administration by defeating the Republicans who enable his harmful agenda. … In November, Maine voters will elect Graham Platner, and we will win a Senate majority.”

Trump candidate advances in South Carolina while one who defied him doesn't

Most of the U.S. House and governor candidates Trump endorsed in the 2026 cycle have won their primaries, even when Trump endorsed against established incumbents. In South Carolina’s Republican primary for governor, Trump’s endorsement was again on the ballot, as the president had endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette -- snubbing two U.S. representatives running for the seat, Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman.

And the power of Trump’s endorsement was borne out again, to an extent, as ABC News projected that Evette and state Attorney General Alan Wilson will advance to a June 23 runoff in the Republican governor's primary.

While Trump’s endorsed candidate did not win outright, that might not be a shock, given the sheer number of prominent candidates running and South Carolina’s runoff rules, in which the top two candidates go to a runoff if no one gets more than half of the vote.

Mace, who overall is a staunch supporter of the president, had voted for the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in defiance of Trump’s wishes. Some observers had seen Trump’s snub of Mace's gubernatorial bid as another example of his political vengeance against lawmakers who opposed him, although Trump did not mention Mace in his endorsement of Evette.

“I voted to release the Epstein files and lost some support for that,” Mace said during remarks on Tuesday night, where she conceded the gubernatorial race without mentioning Trump.

Evette, on the campaign trail, had promoted her own conservative bona fides and strongly pushed for the state to redraw its congressional districts, a move Republican state legislators ended up rejecting.

A toss-up match set for governor in Nevada

While the candidates who won Nevada’s primaries for governor were not surprising in and of themselves, the results on Tuesday set up what’s likely going to be one of the most closely watched gubernatorial elections this fall.

Republican incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo, who is running for a second term and has Trump’s endorsement, cruised to a projected victory in his primary, while Democrats nominated Aaron Ford, the state’s Attorney General, as their candidate.

Democrats have said they think Lombardo is the most vulnerable governor up for reelection during the 2026 cycle. They’ve argued that voters impacted by rising prices and Latino voters in the state who are souring on the Trump administration will turn against him.

Republicans, meanwhile, have argued that Lombardo is the best choice to continue leading the Silver State. The Nevada Republican Party wrote in September that Lombardo “has shown he’s a true champion for Nevada families and our conservative values. As Sheriff, he kept our communities safe, and now as Governor, he’s battling against the Democrats’ radical agenda.”

The Cook Political Report rates the seat as “Toss Up,” meaning it could be anyone’s game come November.

ABC News' Jared Kofsky, Clarissa Gonzalez, and Juhi Doshi contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) -- The Justice Department on Tuesday urged a federal judge to reject a lawsuit seeking to stop the White House's Ultimate Fighting Championship event scheduled for this weekend, attacking its plaintiffs as "two people who believe they have superior taste and want to spoil the event for everyone else."

In a filing Tuesday evening, the department argued the lawsuit brought by two Virginia residents lacks any reasonable standing while describing the timing of the filing as "inexcusable" given the event was first announced nearly a year ago.

"It would be easy enough to simply avert their gazes for the weekend.  Instead, they seek to enlist the power of a federal court to impose their idiosyncratic preferences on the rest of the country and ruin an event designed to celebrate the United States of America," the department said. "No one is holding Plaintiffs in a jiu jitsu lock, forcing them to watch UFC Freedom 250 against their will. The public interest does not favor allowing them to exercise a heckler's veto, particularly at this late date."

In a lawsuit filed this weekend, the Public Integrity Project -- representing a political activist and Vietnam veteran -- claimed the event was improperly permitted, skipped an environmental review, and is an extraordinary use of public land to benefit President Donald Trump and his allies.

Calling the event "deeply corrupt," the lawsuit alleged that the Trump administration improperly used a temporary rule for "America 250" to bypass the permitting requirements normally required to host events on National Park Service land. They argue that because the event is being organized by a private entity, not the federal government, and is not explicitly "for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence," the fight does not qualify for that temporary rule.

In its filing, the Trump administration described the UFC fight as "one of the most highly anticipated events" in a series of others intended to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, at one point likening it to the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn and the Congressional Picnic.

At the same time, the filing highlights the extraordinary collaboration between the government and the UFC in preparing for the event, citing "well over $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor" that "have been expended" in order to carry it out.

"More than 4,000 spectators are expected to attend on the South Lawn, including more than 1,000 members of our armed services, and more than 120,000 visitors are expected to watch from the nearby Ellipse after winning free tickets in a lottery," the filing said. "Fourteen world-class athletes, who have been training for months, have traveled from all over the world to compete (including for two world championships)."

The filing continued: "All these hopes could be dashed at the very last moment, however, by the whim of two people who believe they have superior taste and want to spoil the event for everyone else."

The government has informed the judge overseeing the case, Amit Mehta, that counsel is available on Thursday in the event he wishes to schedule oral arguments.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) -- Nevada’s gubernatorial primary has resulted in a face-off between incumbent Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and Democratic nominee Attorney General Aaron Ford and the race is indicative of whether GOP governors in battleground states can survive while distancing themselves from President Donald Trump’s low approval ratings, a dynamic with implications for 2028.

Economic anxiety, conflict overseas, a polarizing mass deportation program and low approval ratings for the president might become headwinds for Lombardo, despite a Republican presidential candidate carrying the state for the first time in two decades in 2024.    

Nevada offers a particularly revealing test case: a tourism-heavy economy, a working-class Latino electorate and an expanding bloc of nonpartisan voters. Since Lombardo’s 2022 victory, registered independents have surged in the state.

Las Vegas tourism fell 7.5% last year, while unemployment remains among the nation’s highest.

Asked whether he can guarantee unemployment will fall, Lombardo said in a statement that since he took office, “... Inflation has come down, wages are rising, housing prices are stabilizing, and Nevada leads the nation in post pandemic job creation, as well as both small business and wage growth.”

His supporters have pointed to his work on the state’s education system.

“The governor has worked to bridge the gap in per pupil spending with several billion dollars in funding without raising taxes, as well as open enrollment, more school choice, and accountability reforms,” John Burke, spokesman for a pro-Lombardo PAC, said. “We’re already seeing results, graduation rates are growing and students are getting the resources they need to succeed.”

Ford, who was a single father in college relying on food stamps and Medicaid, said he’s focused on affordability.

“Nevadans …  cannot afford a home, they cannot afford health care, they can't afford gas, they can't afford groceries, and it's all this Lombardo-Trump economy doesn't work for the working people, it's working for this billionaire class,” Ford said in an interview with ABC News.

Ford has been endorsed by former Vice President Kamala Harris and Nevada’s Democratic congressional delegation.

“He's battled fentanyl being trafficked across our southern border, gone after fraudulent landlords who are jacking up prices on working families, and won more than $1 billion in settlements from taking on big drug companies,” said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., in a statement to ABC News.

Lombardo, a former Clark County sheriff endorsed by Trump, said in a KLAS interview that Nevadans may need to "feel a little pain" over Trump's tariff policies to see job growth -- a line Democrats have campaigned on.

“[Trump] ran on it, he was very vocal about it and very transparent about it in how he was going to accomplish that,” Lombardo said last year. “So, I think we maybe need to feel a little pain in the short term and hopefully in the long-term it’s a huge benefit for us.”

Ford has taken the Trump administration to court more than 40 times, including over tariffs.

“I sued up those tariffs, I won, and I'm not going to stop until Nevadans get the $1,700 of stolen money out of the pockets they had to pay in extra taxes because of those tariffs,” Ford said.

Peter Guzman, president of Nevada’s Latin Chamber of Commerce, told ABC News that Lombardo had conversations with the White House that resulted in Nevada avoiding large-scale immigration raids.

“We've been able to prevent any kind of chaos when it comes to ICE, because of his relationships, not only with Trump administration, but also because of his years in law enforcement,” Guzman said.

Nevada Republicans have criticized Ford for spending at least 322 days out of state, mostly attending professional conferences, according to a Nevada Independent review of his calendar. GOP campaign ads have branded him "high-flying Aaron Ford.”

Ford called the attacks “juvenile” and said working with attorneys general nationwide helped “address issues that transcend state borders.”

In 2022, Lombardo ousted incumbent Democrat Gov. Steve Sisolak by just 1.5%.

“The average election in Nevada is often decided by a very narrow margin. Both parties have their constituencies, but there's a group in the middle that decides these races and the best candidate will earn those voters,” Burke said.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) -- U.S. military officials said Tuesday that an unmanned drone boat rescued two crew members aboard a U.S. Army Apache attack helicopter that crashed in the waters nears the Strait of Hormuz, which President Donald Trump said Iranians shot down.

U.S. officials are describing the rescue as the first time that an unmanned surface drone has been used to successfully rescue crew members at sea.

The AH-64 helicopter crashed at 7:33 p.m. EDT on Monday, leaving the pilots in the waters off Oman, according to U.S. Central Command.

"The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition," according to a CENTCOM statement.

The Navy surface drone -- described by a U.S. official as looking like a speedboat -- located the two Apache crew members, who were then able to board the vessel, which transported them to another location on that water where they were then hoisted up to a helicopter for further transport, according to a U.S. official.

"The surface drone that assisted in last night's rescue of the Apache crew off the coast of Oman was a U.S. Navy Corsair unmanned surface vessel operated by U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59. The task force began fielding these drones in theater in late March," said Capt. Tim Hawkins, the spokesman for U.S. Central Command.

Trump said Tuesday afternoon that the military informed him Iran was to blame for the helicopter crash, vowing that the U.S. must "respond to this attack."

ABC News has reached out to the White House on whether the weekslong shaky ceasefire with Iran is now over.

What is Task Force 59?

Task Force 59 operates a variety of autonomous surface drones in the waters of the Middle East, as well as aerial drones. The task force, established in 2021, uses its unmanned drones to provide quick reconnaissance capabilities and integrate artificial intelligence to share with crewed warships operating in the region, according to the Navy.

With not enough manned vessels to maintain a constant awareness of what is going on in the Middle East's waters, the drones enhance the 5th Fleet's capabilities to detect smuggling and Iranian malign activity, Navy officials said.

"For pennies on the dollar we can put unmanned platforms out there, we can couple it with artificial intelligence … and then, I think critically important, we can use our manned ships much more efficiently, much more effectively,” then-5th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Brad Cooper told reporters in October 2022 following a regional exercise to highlight the task force's capabilities. Cooper is now serving as the commander of U.S. Central Command.

The cost for the boat drone used to rescue the Apache crew is estimateed to be about $1.2 million per drone, according to a report from Sacra, a market research firm. That cost is extraordinarily cheap relative to traditional, manned military vessels.

Artificial intelligence is used to analyze patterns of behavior detected by the sensors aboard the drones, which is then shared with commanders and ships operating in the region.

In addition to the Corsair used in the operation, Task Force 59 uses other notable unmanned surface drones including the T-38 Devil Ray and the Sail Drone.

The Devil Ray is a high-speed autonomously operated unmanned surface vessel that is mainly used to gather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, according to its manufacturer.

In one exercise in 2024, it successfully fired live munitions at a training target.

The Sail Drone looks just like its name implies, it is an autonomous water platform topped by a sail that provides power through wind and solar energy, according to its manufacturer.

A network of Sail Drones can provide a clearer at-sea situational awareness in hostile environments, according to its manufacturer.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) -- U.S. military officials said Tuesday that an unmanned drone boat rescued two crew members aboard a U.S. Army Apache attack helicopter that crashed in the waters nears the Strait of Hormuz, which President Donald Trump said Iranians shot down.

U.S. officials are describing the rescue as the first time that an unmanned surface drone has been used to successfully rescue crew members at sea.

The AH-64 helicopter crashed at 7:33 p.m. EDT on Monday, leaving the pilots in the waters off Oman, according to U.S. Central Command.

"The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition," according to a CENTCOM statement.

The Navy surface drone -- described by a U.S. official as looking like a speedboat -- located the two Apache crew members, who were then able to board the vessel, which transported them to another location on that water where they were then hoisted up to a helicopter for further transport, according to a U.S. official.

"The surface drone that assisted in last night's rescue of the Apache crew off the coast of Oman was a U.S. Navy Corsair unmanned surface vessel operated by U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59. The task force began fielding these drones in theater in late March," said Capt. Tim Hawkins, the spokesman for U.S. Central Command.

Trump said Tuesday afternoon that the military informed him Iran was to blame for the helicopter crash, vowing that the U.S. must "respond to this attack."

ABC News has reached out to the White House on whether the weekslong shaky ceasefire with Iran is now over.

What is Task Force 59?

Task Force 59 operates a variety of autonomous surface drones in the waters of the Middle East, as well as aerial drones. The task force, established in 2021, uses its unmanned drones to provide quick reconnaissance capabilities and integrate artificial intelligence to share with crewed warships operating in the region, according to the Navy.

With not enough manned vessels to maintain a constant awareness of what is going on in the Middle East's waters, the drones enhance the 5th Fleet's capabilities to detect smuggling and Iranian malign activity, Navy officials said.

"For pennies on the dollar we can put unmanned platforms out there, we can couple it with artificial intelligence … and then, I think critically important, we can use our manned ships much more efficiently, much more effectively,” then-5th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Brad Cooper told reporters in October 2022 following a regional exercise to highlight the task force's capabilities. Cooper is now serving as the commander of U.S. Central Command.

The cost for the boat drone used to rescue the Apache crew is estimateed to be about $1.2 million per drone, according to a report from Sacra, a market research firm. That cost is extraordinarily cheap relative to traditional, manned military vessels.

Artificial intelligence is used to analyze patterns of behavior detected by the sensors aboard the drones, which is then shared with commanders and ships operating in the region.

In addition to the Corsair used in the operation, Task Force 59 uses other notable unmanned surface drones including the T-38 Devil Ray and the Sail Drone.

The Devil Ray is a high-speed autonomously operated unmanned surface vessel that is mainly used to gather intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, according to its manufacturer.

In one exercise in 2024, it successfully fired live munitions at a training target.

The Sail Drone looks just like its name implies, it is an autonomous water platform topped by a sail that provides power through wind and solar energy, according to its manufacturer.

A network of Sail Drones can provide a clearer at-sea situational awareness in hostile environments, according to its manufacturer.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson are meeting at the White House on Tuesday as the deadline nears for Congress to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Their huddle comes as Trump's choice of Bill Pulte to be acting director of national intelligence slows efforts on Capitol Hill to renew the controversial spy program by end of day Friday, or face the first-ever lapse in the program's legal authorization.

Democrats in both chambers have signaled objections to Pulte, contending the director of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency does not have any national intelligence experience. 

As he left the Capitol on Tuesday, Johnson told ABC News Correspondent Jay O'Brien that it's up to the president to choose whoever he wants to run the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, rebuffing pressure to change course.

"Is it time for the president to change his mind on Bill Pulte as acting DNI?" ABC's O'Brien asked Johnson.

"It's the president's prerogative," Johnson answered. "I'm going over there right now to visit with him and his team about a number of items."

At the top of that list is FISA's Section 702, which allows the federal government to collect communications of foreigners abroad without a warrant, including when those people are communicating with Americans. The program has been fully reauthorized by Congress three times since the intelligence tool was created by law in 2008.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told reporters that Trump and Johnson are meeting "to finalize this agreement on FISA."

"FISA has been used time and time again to stop terrorist attacks here on our homeland on American soil to prevent terrorist attacks, and that's a critical, critical tool that we need to renew," Scalise said.

Johnson signaled that the House is waiting for the Senate to act on FISA, a feat that will require the bipartisan support of at least 60 senators.

"We passed FISA reauthorization in the House in April. It's still sitting over in the Senate. They're working on another compromise bill," Johnson told ABC News. "We'll pass what they send."

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Tuesday that he believes Trump is "weighing seriously" naming a permanent nominee to serve as director of national intelligence as Pulte's appointment stalls FISA movement on the Senate floor. Pulte can only serve on an acting basis for up to 210 days without Senate confirmation.

Thune said he has not spoken directly to Trump about Pulte but that he's "been in contact with somebody over there that cares a lot about this."

"I don't think [it's] about replacing Pulte," Thune said when asked about what the White House might be considering as a next step. "I think they're weighing seriously making a long-term pick."

Pulte is best known in the Trump administration for launching probes into several of the president's perceived political enemies over allegations of mortgage fraud and possible misuse of authority. Targets of the investigations include Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell. They've all denied wrongdoing.

Before the president announced he was tapping Pulte to lead ODNI in the wake of Tulsi Gabbard's resignation, a bipartisan group of lawmakers was coalescing toward passage of a three-year FISA reauthorization. But Democrats are now balking at a long-term extension over their objections to Pulte.

"This was a bipartisan, bicameral, four-corners deal that everybody had pretty much signed off on, and the naming of Pulte to that position, although the timing arguably wasn't the best, I still don't think it ought to derail something that's this important," Thune said last Friday.

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(NEW YORK) -- Maine voters will decide on Tuesday whether oyster farmer Graham Platner will be the Democratic Party's nominee to take on longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills is also on the Democratic Senate primary ballot on Tuesday, as is former Maryland state official David Costello. However, Mills suspended her campaign in late April citing financial resources, and a University of New Hampshire poll published recently found that Costello "is largely unknown."

Platner has been fighting controversies throughout his campaign, ranging from him once getting a tattoo accused of resembling a Nazi symbol to allegations published by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal claiming he sent sexually explicit texts to women.

And last Thursday, the Times reported that some of the Army veteran's former girlfriends said that his actions could be "intimidating and disturbing."

Platner did not deny the allegations that he sent sexually explicit texts, saying that his wife "went through something hard -- because of me."

In a statement after the Times' story was published last Thursday, Platner said, "Throughout this campaign, I've been open about what was a very dark period of my life where I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD, too often self medicated with alcohol, and was a far from perfect boyfriend," "I take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better. Any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated."

Platner previously covered up the controversial tattoo, saying at the time that it came up "because the establishment is trying to throw everything it can at me. It is terrified of what we are trying to build here."

During a rally in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Friday -- one day after the Times' most recent story, Platner said that "every single piece" of his past and journey is being "dug up, litigated and weaponized."

Also after the Times' latest report, Platner told ABC affiliate WMTW that "I'm very happy to talk about incredibly uncomfortable things in my life, but when things come along that are just made up or lies, I'm very much going to push back against those."

Throughout the campaign cycle, polling has found that most likely primary voters view Platner positively. The University of New Hampshire poll, which published shortly before the most recent reports on Platner, found that 76% of likely voters planned on ranking Platner, a progressive who has focused on wealth inequality, first on their ballots, which have ranked choice voting.

Given Maine's system of ranked choice voting and having local municipalities -- not the state government -- be responsible for counting the ballots on election night, it remains unclear how long it will take for each race to be called.

What voters are saying

Portland, Maine, voter Tyler Stoddard told ABC News that he supports Platner, explaining that he feels that people are focusing too much on personal matters.

"I think that he's going to break the Republican majority in the Senate, and I think that will help stop Donald Trump," Stoddard said.

Yarmouth, Maine, resident Janet Marstine told ABC News that she voted early for Mills.

"I don't trust the frontrunner in the Democratic Party. He has too many secrets, and we don't even know the depth of them," Marstine said, adding that Mills "knows Maine more than any other leader, really, in this state."

Affordability in 'Vacationland' top of mind

The Senate race is far from the only one on the largely ranked choice ballot in Maine on Tuesday.

In a state that describes itself as "Vacationland" on its license plates, affordability is top of mind, with many candidates including the issue in their campaign materials.

The gubernatorial primaries along with the Democratic primary in the 2nd Congressional District are expected to be particularly competitive.

Sitting Democratic Rep. Jared Golden is not running for reelection in the geographically sizable 2nd Congressional District.

With control of the House up for grabs this November, Democrats like Joe Baldacci, Matt Dunlap and Jordan Wood want to keep the seat blue while former Republican Gov. Paul LePage is seeking to make it red.

Baldacci has the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, while Dunlap has aligned himself with Platner. Prior to Katie Porter's unsuccessful run for California governor, Wood served as her congressional chief of staff.

In the governor's race, the Democrats running include former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree. Jackson, Bellows and Pingree previously announced they will rank each other on their ballots.

Candidates seeking the Republican nomination include former Naval Intelligence Officer Bobby Charles, businessman Ben Midgley, former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason and former Athenahealth CEO Jonathan Bush, who is former President George W. Bush's cousin.

In Maine, voters who do not belong to either major party are allowed to choose to vote in one party's primary when they show up to vote.

Early voting in Maine concluded last Thursday. Voters who did not cast their ballots early have until 8 p.m. to vote on Tuesday.

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(WASHINGTON) -- The Senate on Monday formally received President Donald Trump's nomination of Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general, teeing off what could be a potentially contentious confirmation battle.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(WASHINGTON) -- Former Vice President Kamala Harris said she's "thinking about" a 2028 presidential bid, but some previous supporters are unenthusiastic -- despite her national name recognition and experience as second in command.

ABC News spoke with more than 15 former donors, fundraisers, campaign aides, Biden White House staffers and current advisers about Harris running again, some of whom asked not to be named to be able to speak freely.

A source familiar with Harris' thinking told ABC News that she's considering all options, but hasn't begun explicitly deliberating on a run with her team.

Kamala Harris vs. Gavin Newsom

Like Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom got his start in San Francisco politics. He is also viewed as a top 2028 presidential contender and may gain some of her supporters, though has not formally committed.

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, one of California's top powerbrokers, told ABC News while it's early to speculate, he believes the most "viable" between his two mentees would be Newsom, "because he would not be the most recent loser."

"When you embrace somebody for the job, you really want to embrace a winner, and Newsom would be what you would have to say at the moment is a winner," Brown said.

Brown said he was "surprised" that Harris decided not to run for California governor in 2026.

"I would have advised her to be elected governor, so that she would be in the same identical position, if not better than for electability nationally than Newsom. .... If she was in the category of being on January 8, 2027, the governor of California, the dialogue would be about her candidacy, not about anybody else's," Brown said.

An influential California donor and early Harris supporter told ABC News, "I have not heard one person suggest it would be good for anything if she ran. ... We are looking for someone who is fresh and not imposed on the voters. We understood we were stuck with the situation last time, but this is not the case going forward."

Asif Mahmood, a bundler who's backed Harris for 15-plus years, said, "If it is Kamala and Newsom, the money will be divided, and I think Newsom might have little edge on that because he's currently governor."

"It is not that I can say with certainty that I will be backing her the way I was backing before, depending on the field," Mahmood added.

A source close to Harris said that if she ran, she'd be aware that donors and operatives may align with other campaigns.

Sour feelings among some donors

Harris' 2024 presidential campaign burned through more than $1 billion in 15 weeks -- which some fundraisers said has discouraged them from giving large sums to campaigns going forward.

"I think the electorate is going to be extremely hungry for a new, fresh, younger voice with a different perspective, and who can effectively articulate an agenda for the future. ... I don't believe that Kamala is the right person for this moment by any stretch of your imagination," said a fundraiser who raised money for Harris' 2024 run.

A longtime Democratic donor who raised money for Harris' 2020 presidential campaign told ABC News, "I really have not heard anybody say that they want her to run. In fact, it's the opposite."

"I really think that anyone who became the nominee after Biden dropped out would have raised a ton of money. ... I don't know a lot of at least big donors who were like, 'I feel really great about putting this money in for her.' It was just, she was the top of the ticket," the donor added.

One Harris 2020 fundraiser who was involved with her 2024 run said, "For somebody who wants to have a future political career, she has done nothing ... to maintain any relationships with anybody that I'm aware of ... that were her big donors. We're now two years into it, and I don't know anybody's even got a thank you note."

But a couple fundraisers ABC News spoke with felt differently.

“The average Democratic voter who gives 10 bucks, 20 bucks, right now likes Kamala Harris, so she'll have an ability to raise a lot of grassroots money, which is the mother of local politics," said Tom Nides, a former Biden administration official who fundraised for Harris in 2024 when she became the nominee. "The big dollar money is becoming less significant, and they will come on board if they think she's gonna win.”

In response to a request for comment regarding the seemingly unenthusiastic sentiment among some donors, a spokesperson for Harris said in a statement, "The Vice President is grateful to the supporters who have stood with her. Right now, as Americans look for leadership in the fight against the rollback of their fundamental rights and freedoms — including the Supreme Court's devastating gutting of the Voting Rights Act — she is focused on electing Democrats up and down the ballot in the midterms and building up state parties for the critical fights ahead."

'Biden fatigue'

For some, Harris' association to former President Joe Biden -- who withdrew from the race only after facing mounting pressure from Democrats -- will be scrutinized.

"There is a kind of Biden fatigue," said a former senior campaign adviser who worked on Harris' 2024 campaign.

"She was obviously his vice president, which is a benefit. ... But also, a detriment in other ways, especially when your boss was not very popular when he left office. ... I think the donors, and just the electorate writ large, they have an appetite for a fighter, but they kind of want some new faces," the former adviser said.

One 2020 Harris fundraiser said her opponents would seize on her not calling on Biden to drop out earlier in a potential 2028 debate.

However, Ashley Etienne, the vice president's former communications director, said Harris distanced herself enough with her book "107 Days," which details her frustrations with Biden.

"I think that in 2028, if things are continuing as they are now, and there's the affordability issue, costs, unemployment, lack of democratic principles, I think that Biden thing is not going to be an issue anymore," said one former senior campaign adviser who remains close to Harris.

Another source close to Harris said enough time would have passed by, and she could address her association with Biden with self-reflection about topics she couldn't address as vice president.

Decision to not run for governor
Harris' decision not to run for California governor this year came as a disappointment for some, but was viewed as strategic to others.

"Had Harris entered the race, she would have cleared the field and saved Democrats a lot of pain and uncertainty that developed in this primary," Mahmood said.

Etienne said if she jumped into the gubernatorial race, it would've been a "losing proposition."

"For somebody who wants to be president, somebody who was already vice president, I didn't see that as a really good, sound move. ... I just didn't think she gained anything by doing it," Etienne said.

A longtime supporter of Harris said he was "surprised" by Harris’ decision not to run for governor, because it would’ve been a "significant" role for her, but said at the time she was making the decision, her campaign would have been hit by questions regarding her defense of Biden and why she didn’t press him to drop out sooner.

A former senior campaign adviser who remains close to Harris said there was a sense that Harris had to make a decision on a gubernatorial run too quickly after the presidential campaign.

How Harris may be approaching her 2028 decision
A source close to Harris said that if she ran in 2028, she'd have high name recognition, favorability among Democrats, freedom to articulate her vision without restraints of the vice presidency and more time.

The source added that Harris is focused on the midterms -- helping raise money for candidates and state parties -- and vocalizing opposition to Republican-led redistricting efforts in the South.

In August, Harris will be delivering a keynote speech to Louisiana Democrats at the party's annual fundraiser gala, where she will outline what she thinks Democrats must do to counteract the Louisiana vs. Callais decision that gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The former vice president has also been placing calls to federal and state lawmakers impacted by the decision, including members of the Congressional Black Caucus. During the spring, she anchored fundraising events for Democratic state parties in North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia and Nevada.

Her decision could hinge on whether she thinks a presidential campaign or setting up a foundation would be a better vehicle to advance her vision for America, according to the source familiar.

Adrienne Elrod, who served as Harris' senior adviser and spokesperson in 2024, said, "I think anyone who has valuable ideas about how to move our country forward. ... they should run for president, especially if they have broad experience to bring to the table, and she certainly fits that bill."

Etienne said she thinks Harris should run and said she can distinguish herself from the field as she's not currently serving in office for the first time in her political career.

"Folks think she's fantastic, but there was some obvious, baggage that she had, and so how are you in this short period of time addressing that, offloading it, and then coming out with this combination of feeling fresh and new, yet seasoned enough to bring the nation through what Trump is taking us," Etienne said.

"It's really hard to run for president, and I think people who haven't done it underestimate the difficulty and the scrutiny and all the things that come with it at that level, and so in a lot of ways the best way to be prepared to run is to have run already," said a former senior campaign adviser who remains close to Harris.

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(WASHINGTON) --The Senate voted early Friday morning to approve a $70 billion immigration enforcement package that includes nothing to rein in the administration's so-called "Anti-Weaponization Fund."

The immigration enforcement bill passed by a vote of 52-47.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican to join all Democrats in voting against the bill. All other Senate Republicans voted for it, giving the legislation enough support to be narrowly approved. Republicans applauded as the bill was gaveled down early Friday morning.

The bill now heads to House of Representatives, which is not expected to take it up for consideration until next week.

The Senate sends this bill to the House with no language that would in any way restrict or permanently end the administration's so-called "Anti-Weaponization Fund."

The Department of Justice created the $1.8 billion fund in exchange for President Donald Trump agreeing to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. But after backlash, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said earlier this week the DOJ was scrapping plans for the fund, though Trump has continued to defend it as a "beautiful thing."

Democrats and some Republicans wanted to use the more than 18-hour voting process overnight to amend the bill to include something to rein in fund, but they ultimately failed to get the votes necessary to approve a single amendment related to it.

There were several Republicans who supported amendments to curtail the fund throughout the process, including Sens. Murkowski, Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, Jon Husted, Dan Sullivan and Susan Collins.

That support, however, wasn't enough to make any of those amendments stick and, despite previously expressing reservations about supporting this bill if amendments to rein in the fund went unapproved, Tillis and Cassidy both ultimately supported final passage of the immigration enforcement bill.

"After tonight's vote, it's clear to Americans that Republicans refuse to outlaw Donald Trump's $2 billion slush fund," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the chamber's top Democrat, said on the Senate floor. "Now the whole country can see the truth: Republicans fought like hell to please Donald Trump and his slush fund but didn't lift a finger to help working Americans lower their costs."

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(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton is expected to plead guilty over mishandling classified information, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News Thursday.

Bolton could not immediately be reached for comment. The Department of Justice is declining to comment.

Bolton is expected to plead guilty to one count of illegal retention of sensitive documents, sources familiar with the matter said. Sources told ABC News that Bolton has also agreed to pay a fine of $2.25 million.

The count that he's pleading guilty to involves keeping classified national security information in diaries, according to a source familiar with the matter. Bolton is expected to maintain that he did not take documents with classification markings out of government offices.

Bolton is expected to maintain that there's no classified information in his 2020 memoir "The Room Where It Happened," but that he wants to take responsibility for his actions, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

There is a rearraignment scheduled for June 26, which indicates it's intended for Bolton to plead guilty.

The guilty plea would make Bolton thus far the only successful case that we've seen so far in Trump's campaign of retribution against those he perceives to be his political enemies.

Bolton was indicted by a grand jury in October 2025 on charges that he allegedly unlawfully transmitted and retained classified documents. The indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury in Maryland, charged Bolton with eight counts of unlawful transmission of national defense information as well as 10 counts of unlawful retention of national defense information.

Prosecutors had accused Bolton of using a non-government personal email account and messaging application to transmit at least eight documents to unauthorized individuals that contained information classified at levels ranging from "secret" to "top secret."

Seven of the transmissions allegedly occurred during the time when Bolton was serving as Trump's national security adviser in 2018 and 2019, while another document was allegedly sent by Bolton just days after Trump removed him from the administration in September 2019.

Bolton has been a target of Trump's ire since leaving Trump's first administration and publishing a tell-all book. Bolton has denied ever unlawfully removing documents with classification markings and has said no such information was published in his book.

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(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump posted to social media late Wednesday night accusing the Democratic Party in California of trying to "steal" the California gubernatorial and Los Angeles mayoral primaries, offering no evidence to support the allegation.

In his posts, Trump complained about the alleged misuse of mail-in ballots and also accused the Democratic Party of delaying the tallying of votes – claims for which there is currently no supporting evidence.

The president also claimed that the votes are "under investigation" by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. That office declined to comment on the president's statement in response to an ABC News request.

California Democratic Party Chairperson Rusty Hicks told ABC News that Trump's claims were "baseless."

"Everyone knows California will complete a fair and accurate count. End of story," Hicks further said.

"Trump is lying about California again," Gov. Gavin Newsom's press office posted online early Thursday morning about the president's assertion.

Trump has often claimed, without evidence, that elections are rigged and has complained about mail-in ballots and the possibility of fraud. Despite this, he voted by mail in a Florida special election earlier this year.

"As everyone knows, the President is a resident of Palm Beach and participates in Florida elections, but he obviously primarily lives at the White House in Washington, D.C.,” spokesperson Olivia Wales wrote in a statement at the time regarding Trump's mail-in vote in Florida's special election in March for the state's 87th House district.

The White House said at the time that the president's mail-in vote qualified as a “commonsense exception” to the voting method, which the president supports, including for "illness, disability, military, or travel," but that he opposes universal voting by mail due to it being "highly susceptible to fraud."

The process of counting all votes in this week's California contests is expected to take several days or even weeks, a process that has played out regularly in the state.

The most populous state in the country is home to 23 million registered voters, which requires ample time for all ballots to be accurately counted. But in addition to the sheer volume of votes, the state also relies on a significant number of mail-in ballots, with some not arriving until a week after voting ends.

According to the California secretary of state, "vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days after the election, as well as any provisional ballots cast, must still be counted."  

County election officials have up to 30 days after the election to count ballots. Final results from Tuesday's primary must be reported to the secretary of state by July 3, 2026.  

The process of counting mail-in ballots and validating voters' signatures is also arduous, as each envelope signature must match the signatures on file, which can lead to additional delays.

On Tuesday, initial vote counts included early mail-in, early in-person, and day-of ballots. Early votes were allowed to be counted ahead of time but not publicly released until polls had closed.

"On Election Night, we will have a good picture of the outcome of most contests, but it will take weeks to know the final results. This is normal," Secretary of State Shirley Weber said in a statement Tuesday after polls closed.

A White House spokesperson said that Trump has supported "commonsense exceptions" to allow Americans to use mail-in ballots, including for "illness, disability, military, or travel," but that he opposes universal voting by mail due to his claim that it was "highly susceptible to fraud."

An analysis from the Brookings Institution from November 2025 found that voter fraud is rare in voting by mail.

ABC News' Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump, during a dinner Wednesday evening, announced his intent to nominate acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to the post permanently.

In a video shared on social media by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, Trump is seen in the Rose Garden saying that he will instruct his team to start the process to formally nominate Blanche to the post on Thursday.

Earlier, Trump's announcement was confirmed to ABC News by two sources at the dinner.

Blanche, who was once Trump's personal attorney, served as the Department of Justice's deputy attorney general until the president tapped him to serve as acting attorney general following Pam Bondi's ouster.

Trump hinted at the move in a pre-taped interview with the program "Pod Force One" on Wednesday, saying that he thinks Blanche will be nominated to the attorney general position.

"I wanted to see how he's received, you know, we put him as acting, and he's done a very good job, but I've known him a long time," Trump said.

In recent weeks, Blanche has been at the center of the controversy over the Justice Department's so-called $1.8 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund," ostensibly established to benefit the president's allies.

On Tuesday, Blanche told Congress that the department was "not moving forward with the fund."

The move came after heavy pressure from Republican congressional leadership and marked a significant defeat for Blanche, who had spent the past two weeks seeking to defend the $1.776 billion fund while refusing to rule out the prospect that settlements could be paid out to defendants who joined in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol -- including those who had been convicted for assaulting law enforcement.

But on Wednesday, the president himself admitted he did not know what the fund's future would be after a federal judge temporarily blocked it.

"I'd have to ask the lawyers. I don't know," Trump said when pressed on whether the plan was truly dead.

"The weaponization fund, as far as I'm concerned, was a beautiful thing," he added.

Before Blanche told lawmakers the administration was nixing the fund, several Senate Republicans had balked at the plan, telling him they would not be able to pass Trump's legislative agenda until the issue was resolved and even raised concerns about losing in the upcoming, high-stakes midterm elections as a result of the controversial settlement fund.

As acting attorney general, Blanche also secured the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey over his post of seashells that the Justice Department claims amounted to a threat against the president.

Blanche has shrugged off the suggestion that he would use the Justice Department to more aggressively target perceived foes of the president.

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(NEW YORK) -- The results of House, governor and mayoral primary elections in six states on Tuesday night show some promising signs for incumbents and the Democratic establishment and the potential limits of an endorsement from President Donald Trump.

They also show what a key toss-up race jolted by a congressman's absence will look like in the November midterms.

Here are some takeaways from the June 2 primaries.

Karen Bass is first LA mayor in more than 20 years to face runoff

In Los Angeles' closely watched nonpartisan mayoral primary race, embattled incumbent Mayor Karen Bass has reason for enthusiasm after months of uncertainty, while reality star Spencer Pratt still has to play the waiting game, although he appears to have put up a strong showing. ABC News projected on Tuesday that Bass will advance to a runoff in November, meaning she will have a shot to keep her seat.

Bass, the first woman and second African American elected to lead the city, is the first Los Angeles mayor to face a runoff in more than two decades.

Bass dedicated her reelection campaign to emphasizing her past experience and achievements in the role, but faced scrutiny over her record and battled criticism for her handling of last year's Los Angeles wildfires. Bass, who was away from the city on a planned diplomatic trip to Ghana when the Palisades Fire first erupted, has pushed back on criticism over her management of the fire, saying earlier this year that her focus "is on the lives and on the homes."

Criticism of Bass gave an opening to Spencer Pratt, the former star of "The Hills," who ran a campaign focused on calling out Bass' handling of the fires and saying that he'd fix a city he felt had become broken.

It's still unclear if Pratt will advance to the next round with Bass, or whether progressive city councilmember Nithya Raman will end up in the runoff. As of Wednesday morning, Pratt is in second place and leads Raman by around 8 percentage points, but there is still around an estimated 40% of the vote left to be counted.

Pratt's current second-place position, which could shift, might be read by some as a limit on the allure of celebrity candidates. However, it could also be seen as a sign of the strength of Pratt running a campaign with a clear message and going beyond relying just on name recognition.

In the state's marquee race for governor, meanwhile, it's still too early to tell which candidates will advance in the top-two primary -- with many mail ballots still to be counted.

As of Wednesday morning, Trump-endorsed Republican Steve Hilton and former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, have the most votes, with billionaire businessman Tom Steyer -- a Democratic candidate who spent tens of millions in the race -- running behind them.

In Iowa, a loss for Trump-supported candidate in gubernatorial primary and potential win for the Democratic establishment

Trump's key endorsements during the 2026 election cycle have usually resulted in wins for his preferred candidates, including in Kentucky's recent 4th Congressional District primaries where a Trump-backed challenger unseated the maverick GOP Rep. Thomas Massie.

But one major Trump-backed candidate in Iowa conceded in his primary.

Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra, who currently represents Iowa's 4th Congressional District and was mounting a statewide bid for governor, conceded late Tuesday to GOP opponent and "Make America Healthy Again" movement supporter, Zach Lahn, in the gubernatorial primary in Iowa.

As of Wednesday morning, he trailed Lahn by around 1 percentage point.

Lahn will face Iowa state auditor Rob Sand, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary, in November. Democrats have feted Sand as a candidate who can flip the governorship by appealing to voters across the aisle, although he'll still face an uphill battle in a state that voted for Trump by 13 points in 2024.

Meanwhile, Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek's projected win by over 20 percentage points in the Iowa Democratic primary for Senate could be seen as a win for establishment Democrats, in a year when progressive challengers have been making waves in primaries across the country and occasionally unseating incumbents.

Turek himself is not an average politician. He has a unique background, as a four-time Paralympian born with spina bifida after his father was exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam. But he was also, to an extent, seen as the Democratic establishment's choice, given that he received support from Democratic groups that are aligned with Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who did not formally endorse Turek, and took on positions that tacked to the center.

Turek will face Trump-backed Rep. Ashley Hinson, the projected winner of the Republican primary, in what is set to become one of the most closely watched Senate races of 2026. The seat is opening up as Republican incumbent Sen. Joni Ernst is retiring.

Key New Jersey matchup gets set amid Kean's absence

ABC News has projected that Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, will be the Democratic nominee for Congress in New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, in what is set to be a closely watched matchup between incumbent GOP Rep. Tom Kean and Bennett this November -- especially given Kean's unusual absence from Congress for months. Trump has backed Kean regardless of his absence.

New Jersey's 7th District was already a top target for Democrats this year even before Kean's disappearance occurred. The district is rated as a toss up-by the Cook Political Report, and Trump just barely carried it in 2024.

Kean flipped the seat in 2022 for Republicans, just a few years after Democrat Tom Malinowski flipped the seat when he won it in 2018. But Kean has been absent from Congress for months, and has not voted since March 5. For weeks, Kean's office has defended the congressman's hiatus -- telling reporters that he is addressing an unspecific medical issue.

Kean said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, "I am optimistic about the road ahead, and ready to earn the support of voters in every corner of this district." A spokesperson for Kean also told ABC News that the congressman voted by mail last week.

ABC News' Emily Chang, Clarissa Gonzalez, Juhi Doshi, Gaby Vinick, Lauren Peller, John Parkinson and Jay O'Brien contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) -- Two physician associate groups have sued the Trump administration over a federal rule limiting student loan borrowing for some graduate degree programs that impact healthcare professionals, including physician associates and assistants (PAs), nurse practitioners and other clinical providers.

The American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) and the Physician Associates Education Association (PAEA) filed a lawsuit aimed at reversing a Department of Education regulation that the plaintiffs claim violates the Administrative Procedure Act. They are separately requesting an emergency injunction that seeks to block the rule from taking effect for PA students on July 1.

The complaint also claims that the rule exceeds the Education Department's statutory jurisdiction and is therefore unlawful. The Government Accountability Office website said the Administrative Procedure Act prescribes the minimum procedural steps an agency must follow in its administrative proceedings.

The lawsuit alleges the Education Department overstepped its legal authority by disqualifying a PA degree from being categorized as a professional degree.

The new rule entitled the Reimagining and Improving Student Education-Federal Student Loan Program (RISE) -- which is based on an existing regulation -- finalized the definition of "professional" and "graduate" programs, restricting student loan borrowing limits to $200,000 and $100,000 total for professional and graduate degrees respectively. The $100,000 total cost for PA students is capped at $20,500 annually.

AAPA's CEO Lisa Gables said the rule will have "devastating consequences" for the PA workforce.

"PA programs meet every element of the professional degree definition that Congress established in law," Gables wrote in a statement. "They award entry-level master’s degrees, require rigorous clinical training, and lead to professional licensure in all 50 states."

She added, "We are in court to ensure the law is implemented as Congress intended."

According to the Education Department's final regulation, pharmacy and dentistry are among the list of eleven professional degree programs –- including medicine, law and clinical psychology degrees –- eligible for the $200,000 cap, but teaching, nursing, and physician associates are now capped at the lower limit.

The median PA program tuition is nearly $97,000 for residents before fees and additional costs, according to AAPA.

The recent move is drawing widespread concern from public service advocates as the healthcare groups stress that the federal loan limits will push many students to be dependent on private student loans, which have stricter approval requirements, unfavorable interest rates, and limited repayment plan options.

The rule would harm the associations' ability to provide member services and advocacy and the groups' members would also suffer "negative consequences" if PA students do not have access to the higher loan amounts that allow them to attend PA programs, according to the complaint.

Rory O’Sullivan, at D.C.-based policy think-tank Arnold Ventures, argued that loan limits should be based on degree program outcomes, not what field of study the degree is in.

Wednesday's filing comes as 24 states and Washington, D.C., sued the administration on similar grounds in May, arguing that the rule would widen the nursing shortage because the borrowing limit would disincentivize students from entering the field.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon defended her department’s rule at an annual budget hearing on Capitol Hill last month.

"These particular programs have not been reclassified as nonprofessional," McMahon said during the House Education committee hearing. "They were never classified as professional degrees – that just wasn't a part of the equation."

"There's been no other measure that has been taken to try to bring down the cost of education," McMahon contended.

The Department of Education emphasized that loan caps are "common sense" and place downward pressure on the cost of tuition across the country.

Ellen Keast, the press secretary for higher education at the Education Department, told ABC News in a statement, "For two decades, colleges and universities have been able to charge virtually unlimited tuition, even as many student loan borrowers see little to no return on their investment."

"During this time, tuition has risen faster than any other household expense, and 71 percent of graduates with debt report delaying major life milestones, while institutions have taken in billions at the expense of young Americans' financial stability," Keast said.

She added: "The Trump Administration is working to correct this longstanding imbalance by ending a system that pushed students into debt they often could not repay and by promoting access to high quality education that serves students, not institutional bottom lines."

'My dream of being a PA is probably shot'

Wednesday's complaint said the rule will burden students, like Ben Pinckney from New York, and deter them from applying to PA programs. The plaintiffs said it effectively creates scenarios where those aspiring PAs are unable to afford the cost of attendance because the vast majority of PA students need the higher loan limits authorized for the "professional student" to be able to attend PA school.

Pinckney told ABC News in an exclusive interview he has dreamed of becoming a PA for years but said he’s still struggling to find an affordable graduate school within the student loan caps. The 46-year-old recent college graduate said an emergency room PA saved his life when he was the victim of a shooting years ago and that inspired him to pursue medicine as a profession.

"Not only did he save my life in the physical, but [also with] the conversations we used to have," Pinckney told ABC News, adding "My mentality and my way of thinking changed because of the PA."

Pinckney, who later served in the U.S. Army as a combat medic, said he voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 but believes the Trump administration's rule is "hurting both sides" by making the PA degree harder to obtain.

"It's less about politics and more about helping providers or potential providers get the schooling they need, so that we can go into the communities that we want to go into and help those people," Pinckney said.

PAs treat patients under the supervision of a physician in healthcare settings, including hospitals, doctors' offices, and outpatient clinics, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Advocates stress that the department's decision could strain critical patient care access and the majority of students pursuing PA degrees, who will comprise a significant share of the nation's healthcare workforce over the next decade.

Pinckney said it's heartbreaking because his goal of becoming a healthcare provider – within an already overburdened healthcare system – remains in limbo. "If nothing changes, then my dream of being a PA is probably shot," Pinckney said. "If nothing is done short of someone giving me, you know, a huge grant or scholarship, then this chapter for me is over," he later added.

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(WASHINGTON) -- The Pentagon is increasingly strained by a growing list of unplanned and rising expenses over the last year, with fuel costs emerging as one of the most significant pressures.

Defense Department records show the average price the agency paid for fuel climbed from $154.14 per barrel in October to $195.72 in April – a nearly 27% increase in just six months, documents show.  Those costs are averages across two dozen types of fuels the military uses, including gasoline and jet fuel.

Oil and fuel prices have surged during the Iran war. That surge could saddle the Pentagon with more than $1 billion in unplanned costs this year to power its jets, tanks and other military equipment, based on the department's fuel consumption in recent years. The Defense Department purchases some 80 million barrels of fuel annually.

Commanders are also grappling with surging civilian fuel and commercial airfare costs, adding to the financial strain on a military that depends heavily on both. Troops typically use commercial flights and rental cars to travel to different training events, and are often compensated for miles driven in personal vehicles.

Because of that, travel is being heavily scrutinized, with some formations dramatically reducing travel for training and other events or outright canceling the bulk of it since at least April, multiple U.S. officials explained to ABC News and documents show.

"Current energy market dynamics are increasing fuel costs, which can affect the costs of transporting personnel, supplies and equipment," Lt. Col. Orlando Howard, an Army spokesperson, said in a statement, adding that the service is prioritizing travel and equipment usage to preserve funding for critical operations and readiness requirements.

According to internal documents and multiple U.S. officials, the Army has been forced to make sweeping cuts to training as it grapples with a $4 billion-$6 billion shortfall through the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30.

That shortfall is attributed to a confluence of factors, including the Iran war, expanding missions on the U.S. southern border, and the National Guard’s ongoing mission in Washington, D.C., which is aimed to double in size to some 5,000 troops for the summer.

Compounding those issues are rising fuel costs, all spurring intense financial scrutiny. The reductions have eliminated dozens of training courses, including programs for medical personnel, engineers and artillery troops. The service has also sharply curtailed helicopter flight hours, limiting many crews to minimum flying requirements, internal service plans show.

But it is not only the Army that is feeling the strain of financial belt-tightening – some of the other services also face unexpected expenses that could impact training cycles.

Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Navy’s Chief of Naval Operations, warned lawmakers in May that the sea service might start running out of money soon.

"You see a large Navy force in the Middle East. So we're burning bright … but it does come at cost, and it comes at operational costs,” Caudle told the House Armed Services Committee, adding that the service will start running out of money in the summer.

“I will have to start making decisions to change training, operations, certification events, those type of things we do to generate our force, in the July timeframe and their current expenditure,” he said.

One internal Army assessment in April found that the financial pain could leave units slated to deploy to Europe next year with what the assessment framed as an insufficient amount of training. The review, which examined the Army’s III Armored Corps – a roughly 70,000-soldier formation headquartered at Fort Hood, Texas – concluded it could take more than a year to restore affected units to their pre-Iran war training levels.

The military's complex web of fuel purchasing provides some protection against market volatility. In many cases, the Pentagon purchases fuel through contracts 18 months in advance.

But those agreements include provisions that allow prices to be adjusted if the market shifts, limiting the department's ability to fully insulate itself from sustained increases.

Fuel prices surged in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, destabilizing markets. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. climbed past $5 for one week that summer, according to federal data. That year, Congress twice gave the Pentagon more money for fuel, totaling $5.2 billion.

Additionally, the Defense Department is using far more fuel this year than it projected when budgets were set more than a year ago, with the Air Force burning through 10% more than it projected it would, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the chief of staff of the Air Force, told lawmakers in May, amid the ongoing war with Iran.

That could mean the use of hundreds of thousands of gallons of extra fuel. The Defense Department is by far the federal government's largest fuel consumer, burning roughly 227 million gallons of diesel and about 2.2 billion gallons of jet fuel annually since 2021, according to Pentagon data.

Meanwhile, the Marine Corps is not facing any notable funding shortfall, nor has it had to scale back any training, according to the service, though it is significantly smaller than the other branches of the military.

“Annually, we adjust our budgeted spend plans to address various contingencies as they arise, ensuring we prioritize our most critical mission requirements,” a Marine Corps spokesperson said in a statement.

ABC News' Luis Martinez contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) -- The Justice Department’s number three-ranked official suggested overnight in a since deleted post that the Trump administration would be moving forward with an alternative plan to compensate victims of claimed Biden-era "weaponization."

The post came just hours after the acting attorney general committed to Congress that DOJ was scrapping plans for a so-called "Anti-Weaponization Fund."

The fund was created in exchange for Trump agreeing to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS as well as two civil claims related to the Russia collusion investigation he faced during his first term in office and the 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Stanley Woodward, the associate attorney general who signed off on the president’s controversial settlement, responded approvingly to a suggestion pushed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on X Tuesday that victims of so-called Biden-era "weaponization" could still be compensated through claims under the requests under the Federal Torts Claims Act.

"We're on it." Woodward posted at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday evening in response to Graham's post. Woodward's post was deleted Wednesday morning, and a DOJ spokesperson has not responded to ABC's request for comment as to why it's no longer on his X account.

The post comes just hours after acting AG Todd Blanche told House lawmakers that the administration was permanently scrapping plans for its "Anti-Weaponization Fund."

Blanche, however, under pressure from Democrats did not commit to putting the department’s position into writing.

Democrats could seek to seize on Woodward’s post as evidence the administration is seeking an alternate way to pay Jan 6 rioters.

Trump said in an interview taped Tuesday on podcast "Pod Force One" that he wasn't dropping the fund, but that the court had "ruled against it."

In the podcast interview, which was scheduled to begin just ahead of Blanche's hearing, Trump said that the people who he gave pardons to –- presumably referring to the Jan. 6 rioters -- should be "reimbursed for a crooked government."

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump is floating the possibility of keeping the UFC arena on the White House South Lawn -- built for a series of fights on his birthday and Flag Day -- permanently.

In a video posted to his official TikTok account Tuesday evening, Trump sat in the Oval Office and said that the Eiffel Tower in Paris was supposed to be a temporary structure, but that France kept it up -- suggesting that the UFC arena is "quite attractive to a lot of people" so "maybe we'll never ever take it down."

"People don't know that in Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower, 1889 it was built. It was supposed to be taken down immediately after the world's fair, and then they said: 'leave it up a little bit longer, and then they said, 'let's leave it up longer and longer and longer,'" Trump said in the video.

"Well, they never took it down, and you know we're building something in front of the White House that's quite attractive to a lot of people. Really, it's going to have the big UFC fight on June 14, and I'm looking at it and maybe we'll never ever take it down," Trump added.

The Eiffel Tower was constructed for the 1889 World Exhibition, and was only meant to stay up for 20 years -- until 1909, according to the Eiffel Tower's website. Yet the tower's architect Gustave Eiffel fought to keep the tower intact, according to the website.

The "UFC Freedom Fights 250" will take place on June 14 and feature a lightweight title matchup between undisputed champion Ilia Topuria and interim title holder Justin Gaethje alongside four other fights.

The arena is visible from the White House North Lawn, cresting over the historic West Wing and Executive Residence.

The White House South Lawn, where the arena is located, is a place often utilized by presidents.

Trump and past presidents depart and arrive on Marine One from the lawn ahead of any travel to Joint Base Andrews -- an opportunity for members of the media to shout questions to the president as he moves from the White House to his helicopter. These arrivals and departures have been closed to the press since the week of May 20, when construction on the arena began.

Other events, including the White House Easter Egg Roll and the annual Congressional Picnic, which was just held in May, are traditionally hosted on the South Lawn, too.

ABC News' Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report.

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