Republicans won the special congressional election in Georgia yesterday but by a closer-than-anticipated margin, while Democrats expanded their Wisconsin Supreme Court majority.
Trump criticized NATOonsocial mediain his first comments after a closed-door meeting with Secretary General Mark Rutte at the White House.
"NATO WASNâT THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WONâT BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN," Trump said on Truth Social. "REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!"
Rutte toldCNN in an interviewthat his conversation with Trump was a "very frank, a very open discussion, but also a discussion between two good friends." He said they talked about Trump's frustration with NATO.
"Let me be absolutely clear: He is clearly disappointed, and with many NATO allies. And I can see his point," Rutte said.
Rutte added that the "large majority of European nations" were helpful to the U.S. during the war in Iran with "basing, with logistics, with overflights." He said that there was "widespread support" for Trump's actions in the war and that "degrading the nuclear and ... the ballistic missile capacity from Iran was really crucial."
Asked whether the Strait of Hormuz had been openedfollowing Trump's demandsto clear the strategic waterway, Rutte did not give a straight answer.
âI donât have the intelligence now at my fingertips to give you that answer, but I think over the next couple of days we will know,â he said.
Two Democrats seeking to flip one of Iowaâs Republican-held Senate seats spentÂthis evening at a forum here, appealing to progressive activists and voters who could influence the June primary.
But it was a Democrat from 1,100 miles away who emerged as a tension point.
State Sen. Zach Wahls tried to characterize his primary rival, state Rep. Josh Turek, as an extension of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. While Schumer has not endorsed in the race, thereÂhave been signals that he prefers Turek.
Playing to a crowd unhappy with the influence of big money in politics, Wahls linked Turek to Schumer by noting Turekâs support from VoteVets, an outside spending group thatÂhas aligned with Senate Democratic leadershipÂin the past.
Read the full story here.
A group of Senate Democrats said in a letter today that they plan to force a vote on a war powers resolution next week to halt military operations in Iran and require Congress' approval on any future military actions.
"Thistemporary ceasefire agreementâ which is already being violated â starts a very short clock for Congress to finally end this unprecedented chaos," the letter said.
