Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
A Ferris wheel is seen on the National Mall for the 250 Anniversary celebration, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Donald Trump is headed to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with Republican senators who have grown increasingly frustrated with his efforts to divert their agenda. He has pressured senators to focus on his proof-of-citizenship voting bill, blocked them from confirming one of his own nominees and forced them to defend his Iran war even as they question the strategy and endgame.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will check in face-to-face with Trump on Wednesday, visiting the volatile U.S. leader two weeks before the annual summit of the military alliance at a time when the Pentagon is reviewing the size of the U.S. military footprint in Europe.
The saga over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool took a turn as Trump said Tuesday that six people have been arrested over recent damage. The president’s troubled $14-million-plus rehabilitation project has become a visceral flashpoint over law enforcement, aesthetics and environmental concerns ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
US reopens embassy in Kuwait after shuttering during Iran war
The Trump administration has announced the limited reopening, more than three months after it was shuttered at the height of the war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended a ceremonial flag-raising at the embassy compound in Kuwait City on Wednesday during the second leg of a three-nation tour of Gulf allies.
“Effective at midnight on June 24, 2026, the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait resumed operations following a suspension caused by Iranian attacks,” the State Department said. “The Embassy will immediately resume emergency services for American citizens, with other services phased in gradually.”
The embassy suspended operations on March 5, amid intensifying Iranian drone and missile retaliation for U.S. and Israeli airstrikes. Ot was the only one to entirely close down, although all others in the region reduced staffing by either allowing or ordering non-emergency personnel to leave their posts.