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Trump's new acting intel chief Bill Pulte arrives early, eyes firing hundreds

(CNN) President Donald Trump’s pick for acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, showed up at his new job a day early on Thursday after asking for a list of every employee in the office so he could assess whether to fire them, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The sources said Pulte is eyeing to cut hundreds of jobs at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

Italian Foreign Minister cancels US visit over reported Trump comments

(AFP) Italy's foreign minister on Friday cancelled a visit to the United States over reported comments by US President Donald Trump that appeared to mock Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. "The grave and offensive words of President Trump... offend the whole of Italy," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who had been due to visit the US on June 21 and 22, said on X. Meloni said she was "stunned" by Trump's comments to Italian channel La7 in which, according to a transcript provided by the network, he said Meloni "wanted a picture with me so badly" at the G7 summit and he agreed only because he "felt sorry for her".

Firm Tied to Trump Donor Got No-Bid Contract to Clean Reflecting Pool (Greenwater Services)

(NY Times) A business tied to a longtime supporter of President Trump was given a no-bid contract to install a water-purification system in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool earlier this spring. Now that work is coming under scrutiny after algae blooms have come back and turned the iconic pool in Washington a vibrant shade of green rather than the American-flag blue Mr. Trump says he chose.

Owner of Greenwater Services Pleaded Guilty to Bribing Congressman

(Mediaite) The head of the company that owns the firm responsible for part of the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool pleaded guilty to bribing a congressman, The New York Times reported on Thursday night. The Times reported that the company is owned by the J.J. Cafaro Trust, helmed by John J. Cafaro, a Trump donor and one of the president’s Mar-a-Lago neighbors. Mr. Cafaro’s family business was in developing shopping centers, but he branched into other industries, including aerospace. He pleaded guilty in 2001 to conspiracy to bribe Representative James A. Traficant Jr.

Friday's Condensed News Cartoons

Trump approval on Iran low even as tentative deal to end fighting emerged, new AP-NORC poll finds

(AP) Most Americans continue to disapprove of how President Donald Trump is handling Iran, while his overall presidential approval holds steady, according to a new AP-NORC poll that was conducted as Trump suggested a deal with Iran had been reached. The poll points to just how unpopular the three-month war with Iran has been with Americans, even as Trump turned abruptly from threatening Iran to reopening negotiations.

Top Senate Democrat calls on FAA to reject White House arch approval pressure

(The Hill) Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Thursday to reject the White House’s plans to erect a triumphal arch near the Lincoln Memorial. The ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation called the arch President Trump’s “newest vanity project” in her letter to the federal agency and expressed concerns that it could pose a risk to commercial flights.

White House Staff Reportedly Monitored Trump's Trash Because 'He Was Sometimes Throwing Out' High-End Silverware

(Mediaite) An excerpt from The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s upcoming book, published on Thursday by the Daily Mail, revealed that White House staff allegedly needed to monitor President Donald Trump’s trash after it was discovered that “he was sometimes throwing out” sterling silver utensils. The snippet came from Swan and Haberman’s new book on the first 14 months of Trump’s first term, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump.

Colorado Governor Overruled His Own Clemency Board to Release Tina Peters

(NY Times) Months before Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado freed the felonious election denier Tina Peters from prison, his own clemency board voted unanimously — twice — to reject her bid for early release, according to two of the board’s members.

Trump's envy soars over Obama Center

(Salon) Years before he ran, the throughline that would define Donald Trump’s presidency was set: his racist, unhinged obsession with Barack Obama. Trump could have gone down in history with a minor but positive reputation, remembered vaguely but fondly by most Americans as the goofy New York character who hosted “The Apprentice.” Instead, he fell into a spiral of outrage that a Black man who was smarter, more handsome and more beloved than he could ever be had been elected president.