Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday to testify about his 2027 “America First” State Department budget request. While most department budgets increase significantly, this is the second consecutive year the State Department continues to make significant cuts, no longer operating as “the world’s ATM.” “Our foreign policy is one that is solely focused on the interests of the United States of America,” Rubio told the committee. Rubio’s request for a $35.6 billion budget is a 30% decrease from the $51.1 billion enacted in fiscal year 2026. Democrat Senator Jeanne Sheehan is big mad at Secretary of State Marco Rubio for…*checks notes*For spending 44% LESS ?!? pic.twitter.com/XWhdl4fGNy— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) June 2, 2026 This effort reflects the Trump administration’s efforts to limit unnecessary global spending and a “bloated bureaucracy.” Most of the spending cuts have been in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and grants to nongovernmental organizations, as well as shrinking the department workforce significantly. Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, began the hearing by congratulating Rubio for implementing this agenda “quite well.” The senator supported the cuts and said the United States is no longer “the world’s ATM.” Rubio agreed, saying, “The United States government is not a charity.” HOLY SMOKES. Sec. Marco Rubio just OBLITERATED Sen. Rosen (D)'s liesROSEN: You were at a PARTY instead of helping JD Vance negotiate with Iran! RUBIO: "You don't know what you're TALKING ABOUT! I know your staff wrote up this CUTE statement for TikTok, but it's NOT TRUE.… pic.twitter.com/03b6OrVWfV— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 2, 2026 The secretary is familiar with this committee, last appearing before members prior to the war in Iran. Rubio is also a former senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The secretary will continue his budget justification tour and will appear before three more committees this week. On Tuesday, members began challenging him on nearly every issue, including the war in Iran, funding for Ukraine, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the recent Ebola outbreak in Africa, artificial intelligence, actions against drug cartels in the South Pacific, and his cuts to the department. U.S. operations in Iran are still underway. The ceasefire continues, but the Strait of Hormuz, crucial for global oil exports, remains closed. The Department of War has increased its budget request 44% to $1.5 trillion, breaking records as the largest increase since the Korean War. It also will likely need supplemental funding to support the war in Iran. In late April, the Pentagon told the House Armed Services Committee that it had spent $25 billion on the war. Since then, however, reports indicate it could have reached nearly $35 billion. .@SecRubio: "We remain the world’s sole global superpower—the most powerful country on earth. We have the largest economy, we have the most formidable and powerful military ever known to man, by the way. Our dollar remains that reserve currency of the world. Our language is used… pic.twitter.com/okDp7qqSEY— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 2, 2026 While the administration is operating by putting America first, Rubio said the United States government needs to be involved in strategic actions abroad “on behalf of American interests.” “Sometimes in foreign policy the choices are not between a good choice and a bad choice—it’s between two less-than-ideal choices,” Rubio said, standing by decisions he has made as secretary. Congress is set to vote on, and will likely pass, another funding authorization bill to loan Ukraine an additional $8 billion this week. This would bring the total U.S. aid to Ukraine to nearly $200 billion since 2022.

Democrats thought they found their next political golden boy in Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, but they realize his campaign follows the same pattern as disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell—with an even worse résumé. Mehek Cooke, a national security and political analyst with The Daily Signal, joined Harris Faulkner on Fox News’ “The Faulkner Focus” to argue that Republicans should stop trying to rescue Democrats from Platner, whose controversies could become a political gift to the GOP. “As Republicans look at this, they want to let Graham Platner cook,” Cooke said. “Graham Platner has an immediate strategy. He could exit and allow Janet Mills to run, but Democrats aren’t abandoning him.” Platner is riddled with controversy including a tattoo of a Nazi symbol he got in 2007, and resurfaced Reddit posts containing vulgar and inflammatory comments about race, sexuality, and military sexual assault. He faced backlash over a deleted Reddit post mocking Purple Heart recipient who was shot four times during a firefight with the Taliban after drawing fire away from members of his unit. And most recently he was exposed for exchanging sexually explicit messages with multiple women while married. With Maine’s Democratic Senate primary set for June 9, Cooke said Democrats still have an opportunity to change course, but the party appears determined to double down on Platner as it prepares for a pivotal Senate race. Cooke also criticized Platner over reports that a profile linked to him remained active on Kik, an anonymous messaging app that one serial offender has said is a “predator’s paradise” for child exploitation. Cooke said voters should pay attention not only to Platner’s record but also to the party leaders who continue to stand behind him as additional stories emerge before voters cast their ballots. “It will continue to implode,” Cooke said. “There are more stories that will come out, Harris.” Cooke said Republicans should allow Democrats to own the consequences of that decision rather than interrupt the implosion. “Democrats are continuing to double down on a candidate that is so far gone,” she said. “This actually shows the arrogance of the party, the fact that they won’t take the exit ramp, that Bernie Sanders is continuing to back Graham Platner.” Cooke compared Platner’s growing political baggage to the controversies surrounding former California Rep. Eric Swalwell, arguing that Democrats are repeating the same mistake with an even weaker candidate. “This is Eric Swalwell but worse,” Cooke said. “Democrats continue to try to find their next golden boy. Graham Platner is not it. You have the same pattern with a worse resume.”

Amid skepticism from lawmakers—including some Republicans—Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a House panel Tuesday that the Justice Department has scrapped its planned Anti-Weaponization Fund. The $1.776 billion fund stemmed from a settlement between President Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax information. Blanche testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, days after a federal judge temporarily blocked the fund. Instead, Blanche said it will never move forward. Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, asked: “We know that the department has agreed to pause this effort until at least June 12. I wanted to ask what your plans were for the fund after June 12.” Blanche replied, “We’re not moving forward with the fund, period.” “The reasons for the fund are something that President Trump has talked about for a long time, which is the fact that there were a lot of people in this country who had their government weaponized against them,” Blanche added. “The reasons for the fund remain as important as they were before. But we are not moving forward with the fund.” A surprised Meng responded, “Not moving forward ever?” “Correct,” Blanche said. Meng followed up, “There is no more fund, then?” Blanche answered: “To the extent there was a fund. Remember, the fund wasn’t set up yet.” A five-member commission was supposed to be appointed to review claims and determine whether someone was entitled to an apology or monetary damages. “There were no commissioners named,” Blanche said. “There were no claims brought forth yet. So we are not moving forward with the fund.” The fund was intended for individuals who claimed to be targets of “lawfare,” or the weaponization of federal agencies. Some Senate Republicans were stalling on funding the Department of Homeland Security over their skepticism of the fund. Before the hearing on Tuesday, Mike Howell, president of the Oversight Project, a watchdog group, criticized plans for the DOJ to suspend the fund. “Senate Republicans holding ICE/CBP hostage in an effort to kill it is shameful. They are re-victimizing the victims. They had no problem trying to pay themselves,” Howell said in a post on X. I will not be suspending my candidacy for the Anti-Weaponization Fund.The Fund needs to happen. Senate Republicans holding ICE/CBP hostage in an effort to kill it is shameful. They are re-victimizing the victims. They had no problem trying to pay themselves. https://t.co/5mm1gKCwUA pic.twitter.com/URoPysbB7y— Mike Howell (@MHowellTweets) June 1, 2026 Democrats argued the fund could be used to pay people who broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In Trump v. IRS, the president, his son Eric Trump, and the Trump Organization LLC sued the Treasury Department and the IRS in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida following the leak of their tax returns. As part of the settlement, the plaintiffs will receive a formal apology but no monetary payment or damages. The plaintiffs also agreed to the establishment of the Anti-Weaponization Fund in exchange for dropping pending litigation related to the 2022 FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property and the Justice Department’s investigation into alleged ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian government. The Justice Department said the fund was based in part on a legal precedent set by the Obama administration in the Keepseagle case. That administration created a $760 million fund to address claims of discrimination against the federal government over several decades. During the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., praised the Justice Department for targeting leaders of drug trafficking organizations, including Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. “Over the past year, the Department of Justice has made great strides in combating drug cartels and curbing the flow of illicit drugs, including fentanyl,” Rogers said. “The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Justice have taken down some of the most notorious cartel bosses.” “While these are significant wins, the department must continue this fight to eradicate the flow of illicit drugs and bring more cartel leaders to justice,” he added.

Late last month, a bus driver plowed into a line of stopped cars on Interstate 95 in Virginia, killing a family of four traveling to a wedding in South Carolina. Massachusetts residents Dmitri and Ecaterina Doncev and their two children, ages 13 and 7, were killed alongside fellow Bay Stater Priscilla Mafalda. Forty-four others were injured. Driver Jing Dong, a resident of New York, was arrested and charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of reckless driving. The obvious question followed: How did this happen? Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy believes he knows the answer. According to Duffy, Dong should never have been issued a commercial driver’s license (CDL) in the first place because he could not speak English. Dong, a Chinese immigrant who later became a U.S. citizen, obtained a New York CDL in 2024 despite lacking basic English proficiency. Duffy called the whole affair “unacceptable” in a post on X, adding, “If you can’t be properly trained, read our road signs, or communicate with law enforcement, you have no business driving a bus.” Unfortunately, Dong’s case is not unique. In August 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 25-year-old Harneet Singh, an illegal alien from India, after he and his brother made an illegal U-turn on a Florida highway causing a fatal crash. Singh had obtained a California CDL despite lacking legal immigration status. Two months later, another California CDL holder, 21-year-old illegal immigrant Jashanpreet Singh, drove a semi-truck into stopped traffic on Interstate 10, killing three more. Federal officials again said Singh should not have qualified for a CDL based on his immigration status. Then in December 2025, illegal immigrant Yisong Huang caused a fatal multi-vehicle pileup despite federal authorities saying he lacked English proficiency and thus should not have received a New York CDL. These repeated cases raise disturbing questions into the oversight blue states put into issuing CDLs. Operating a commercial vehicle demands far greater skill and responsibility than driving a passenger car. Commercial drivers sit behind the wheels of behemoth vehicles that can greatly endanger human life if improperly driven. Legal immigration status and the ability to speak English should be the bare minimum when it comes to determining who has CDL privileges. Yet states like California and New York have failed to treat that task with the gravity it deserves. And drivers on the road are beginning to take notice. Truck drivers themselves increasingly cite communication barriers as a growing safety problem. Indeed, English-language proficiency ranked third among top concerns identified in the American Transportation Research Institute’s 21st annual survey of trucking industry issues, climbing from seventh the year before. Those drivers recognize that the consequences of lax enforcement do not stop at blue state borders. A Massachusetts family would be alive today and celebrating with their family if New York had done its job. Instead, their lives ended on a highway in Virginia, with the commonwealth now responsible for cleaning up the mess. Thankfully, President Donald Trump’s administration has begun pressing states to strengthen enforcement. Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem oversaw operations resulting in more than 140 arrests tied to licensing and safety violations, while Transportation Secretary Duffy directed stronger enforcement of federal English proficiency requirements, including out-of-service orders for drivers unable to demonstrate sufficient language skills. But federal enforcement alone is not enough. States issuing CDLs must adopt reforms that endure beyond any single administration. Commercial licensing standards exist to protect the public, not to satisfy political priorities or ideological battles with Washington. The question should be straightforward: When issuing licenses to operate vehicles capable of killing scores of people, what matters more: politics or public safety? We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of the Daily Signal.

June 2 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will attend the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on July 24, he said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, nearly three months after the annual event was postponed following a shooting. The black-tie gathering of journalists and politicians in Washington was postponed after a suspect stormed a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun outside the event on April 25, with Trump in attendance. Trump and first lady Melania Trump were safely rushed out of the dinner. Cole Thomas Allen was charged May 5 with the attempted assassination of the president and assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon. In a letter to association members on Tuesday, WHCA president and CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang said the decision to reschedule was not “automatic,” and the event will feature “significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures.” Trump—who has a history of maligning the media—posted that Jiang asked him to attend and speak, and that he accepted. He added: “I don’t know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out.” Trump said the event will take place at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington. The Trump Organization developed the hotel, once a federal office building, and sold it in 2022. Jiang said in her letter that the association has raised funds to ensure WHCA members who purchased tickets will not have to pay if they attend the second event, which she described as a “more intimate gathering.” “This dinner will not only be an opportunity to carry out our program,” Jiang wrote. “It will be a statement that violence has no place in American life and a free press will not be intimidated into silence.” The annual gala—a Washington fixture for more than a century—raises funds for journalism ​scholarships and celebrates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, which guarantees free speech and a free press. In 2011, Democratic President Barack ​Obama used his WHCA speech to roast Trump, then attending the dinner as a real estate mogul and reality television star. Trump waited, however, until this year to make his first appearance as president. His attendance and the tone of his expected remarks at the April event were highly anticipated in Washington. (Reporting by Helen Coster and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Rod Nickel)