American politician and U.S. military officer with DNI tenure since 2025
The investigation into former CIA director John Brennan has gained momentum, with FBI agents interviewing current and former CIA officers about Brennan’s role in producing a 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment that referenced the Steele dossier. Prosecutors are examining whether Brennan gave false testimony to Congress and how the dossier influenced the report.
House Republican leaders have pulled a scheduled vote on a Democratic war-powers resolution to compel President Trump to seek congressional authorization for the Iran campaign after defections and multiple absences made it clear they lacked the votes to block the measure. The Senate has recently advanced a similar resolution as some Republicans have joined Democrats.
Tulsi Gabbard has announced she will resign as U.S. director of national intelligence, effective June 30, saying she must care for her husband after his diagnosis with a rare bone cancer. The White House has said Aaron Lukas will serve as acting DNI; Reuters reports a source saying the White House forced her out.
The White House has issued an executive order addressing cybersecurity risks posed by artificial intelligence, aiming for less-stringent industry oversight than previously planned. The action follows a quieter White House process and private signing by the president.
The New York Times has reported that President Trump has sent a revised framework to Iran with tougher terms after expressing frustration with delays. The White House has held talks toward a possible agreement, while Axios cites changes focusing on Iran's enriched uranium stockpile and the timetable for implementing the deal. Iran is reported to be considering the proposal, with Iran’s leadership credited for reviewing it.
President Donald Trump has named Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director and chair of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as acting director of national intelligence. Pulte will keep his housing posts, has no known intelligence experience and can serve up to 210 days without Senate confirmation, prompting bipartisan concern about politicising the intelligence community.
The CIA-investigated case centers on David Rush, a former CIA officer, who has been arrested after investigators found 303 gold bars, $2 million in cash, and dozens of luxury watches in his Virginia home. He has allegedly used a fake special access program and falsified credentials to obtain funds for work-related expenses between November 2025 and March 2026. The FBI and CIA are pursuing the case, with detention ordered as flight risk is cited.
The Section 702 surveillance law is set to lapse this week. President Trump has named Bill Pulte as acting DNI, triggering bipartisan concern and stalling renewal talks while lawmakers debate guardrails and timing. A Senate gridlock persists as Republicans and Democrats clash over the scope of surveillance and the president’s chosen interim leader.
President Donald Trump has delayed Jay Clayton’s Senate confirmation and said Bill Pulte will remain acting director of national intelligence. Trump has tied progress on renewing Section 702 surveillance authority and Clayton’s confirmation to passage of a voter ID bill and has ordered Pulte to cut ODNI staff and return employees to their home agencies.
Republican factions in Congress have rebuked President Trump on Iran, the White House ballroom funding, and the anti-weaponization fund, while Ukraine aid moves forward. The party faces growing fractures as it weighs next steps ahead of Election Day.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo has exonerated Lander after a one-day trial, concluding prosecutors failed to prove obstruction of an elevator during a September 2025 protest in lower Manhattan. Lander has challenged Dan Goldman in the Democratic primary.
Trump has nominated Jay Clayton, former SEC chairman and U.S. attorney, to be the next Director of National Intelligence. The move follows a congressional standoff over extending the expiring FISA program, with Pulte set to serve as acting DNI. Coverage details the political friction and potential implications for U.S. intelligence oversight.
U.S. forces have carried out an airstrike that has killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as Niño Guerrero, the leader of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, U.S. and Venezuelan officials have said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump have said the operation targeted a compound in Bolívar state earlier this week and involved coordination with Venezuelan security forces.
President Donald Trump has delayed the Senate confirmation hearing for Jay Clayton and is keeping Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence. Trump has tied renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to passage of his SAVE America voter ID bill, making an immediate FISA reauthorization unlikely.
The interim Director of National Intelligence has begun a new round of firings within the U.S. intelligence community, as President Trump presses for rapid staff changes. The White House and DNI have not commented. The move follows reports that the administration aims to remove officials deemed loyal to opponents and to expand access to sensitive data.
President Trump has delivered a primetime address releasing declassified intelligence he says shows China acquired large volumes of U.S. voter data and that officials hid reports about foreign efforts to target U.S. elections. Journalists, former intelligence officials and state authorities have said the documents do not prove foreign actors altered 2020 vote counts and many of the administration's claims have been disputed.
A Santa Barbara judge has dismissed parts of a lawsuit challenging Santa Barbara County's permit process for Sable Offshore and ExxonMobil, ruling some claims can be amended. The decision preserves ongoing county protections while leaving room for refiled charges as both sides weigh next moves over the Santa Ynez Unit oil project and related pipeline.
The United States is pressing Iran over the Pickaxe Mountain site near Natanz, with multiple outlets reporting continued construction, potential centrifuge activity, and warnings of imminent strikes as the war escalates. President Trump has warned of heavy action, while analysts debate the site’s depth and capabilities. International inspectors have not accessed the facility.
Former CIA director Woolsey has died at his Washington home after a stroke, with his wife citing Havana syndrome as a factor in his declining health. He led the CIA from 1993 to 1995 amid post‑Cold War changes and the Aldrich Ames spy case.
The Senate has confirmed Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence, replacing acting DNI Bill Pulte. Clayton has faced questions about his stance on the 2020 election and national security credentials, while Republicans push for steadier leadership in the intelligence community as major policy debates continue.
The Senate Homeland Security Committee has voted 8–5 to hold Dr Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked the Fifth Amendment repeatedly during a hearing on pandemic decisions and the origins of COVID‑19. Chairman Rand Paul has authorised sending the committees report to the DC US attorney for possible prosecution and has threatened to certify the citation to the Senate president if the chamber is not in session.
Apple has filed a fresh challenge at the UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal against the government’s demand to access encrypted iCloud data. The move follows a long-running dispute over “backdoor” access and the UK’s use of technical capability notices to compel data access, with the government defending encryption protections while arguing for proportionate access in serious crimes.