The House is currently debating the Republican bill to provide $70bn to the Department of Homeland Security to fund immigration enforcement for the remainder of Donald Trump’s term.

Bennie Thompson, the Mississippi Democrat who chaired the 2022 select committee investigation of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, just noted that this bill does not include a provision that failed in the Senate that would have prevented the Department of Justice from paying Trump supporters convicted of attacking police officers in that riot up to $1.776bn.

The upcoming vote is expected to be close in the narrowly divided House, where Republicans hold a slim majority, and have one member, Tom Kean Jr, who has been missing for months due to a health crisis. The vote just to open debate passed by just 213-211 along party lines.

Hospitality and food service workers in several US cities hosting World Cup matches are warning of looming labor disputes and possible strikes as the largest single sport tournament in the world gets ready to kick off on 11 June.

In Los Angeles, California, cashiers, dishwashers, cooks, bartenders, concessions workers and food attendants at the SoFi stadium reached a tentative agreement on Tuesday afternoon, but the union noted it has a contractual right to walk off the job if it determines that federal immigration enforcement is threatening worker safety during the World Cup. The US’s opening match, against Paraguay, is scheduled to take place at SoFi Stadium on 12 June.

About 2,000 workers at SoFi Stadium represented by Unite Here Local 11 had voted 96% in favor of a strike authorization before the agreement was reached on Tuesday. Workers are seeking a new union contract with wage increases and protections from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“We’re just trying to make things fair,” said Eva Miles, a bartender at SoFi stadium since it opened in 2021. “Without us, they don’t have a stadium. Are they going to cook? Are they going to pour those drinks? Are they going to serve these people?”

Miles said she and her co-workers cannot afford to live near the stadium on the wages they’re currently paid. She commutes two hours to work every day and said some co-workers have even longer journeys.

“Let’s see them live on our wage, let’s see them raise a family,” added Miles. Workers are pushing for pay above $30 an hour. “I’ve been there since the beginning. I love meeting new people. I want my guests to be happy, and I want them to enjoy it and have a great experience. I know they spend a lot of money, and I know they’re spending a lot of money on this Fifa World Cup, so I don’t understand why we can’t get what we want and everybody be happy.”

More on this here:

For successive men’s World Cup tournaments, from Brazil to Russia to Qatar, Fifa has managed to bulldoze its way through costly immigration and entry requirements. Not so in 2026, where Fifa has found its tournament squarely caught up in the second Trump administration’s aggressive border restrictions.

My colleague Martin Belam has this explainer on some of the people that have been affected, including Omar Artan, one of 52 referees appointed by Fifa for the tournament, who has been refused entry to the US after arriving in Miami. Artan had been set to become the first person from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup.

For the vote, due to take place in the 4.30pm ET vote series, House speaker Mike Johnson will need near perfect GOP attendance and unity to finally push through the legislation, which would then go to Donald Trump for his signature to fund ICE and Border Patrol for the next three years.

The legislation has been sidetracked multiple times. The GOP initially sought to include $1bn for enhanced security on the White House grounds, including for Trump’s new ballroom. And the Trump administration recently tried to create a $1.8bn fund to compensate allies of the president who claim they have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted.

Those politically toxic proposals were scrapped and now the bill is focused entirely on immigration enforcement. It will allocate $38bn to ICE, $26bn to the Border Patrol and another $5bn for unforeseen costs related to Trump’s immigration crackdown and mass deportation agenda.

That is in addition to the nearly $140bn that the Republican-controlled Congress gave ICE and CBP last year as part of Trump’s sweeping tax and spending cuts bill.

Democrats have objected to giving the agencies more money without significant changes in the way they operate after the fatal federal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis. Among those demands, Democrats have insisted that agents remove masks and be required to display their ID badges during enforcement operations and that they get a judicial warrant before entering private property.

But, after a monthslong standoff that resulted in the longest shutdown in the nation’s history after Democrats refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security over ICE operations in Democrat-led cities, negotiations with the White House ultimately failed.

Republicans then turned to a complicated procedural manouevre to get around the filibuster and pass the immigration funding package with no Democratic votes.

So essentially, the funding for ICE and CBP will now come with virtually no strings attached.

Per The Hill, the rule appeared briefly to be in trouble, with Republican representatives Chip Roy of Texas, policy chair of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, and Tim Burchett of Tennessee initially voting “no”.

They and a number of other hardliners, including members of the Freedom Caucus who were reportedly withholding their votes as they sought commitments on codifying more of Trump’s border policies, huddled with speaker Mike Johnson and majority leader Steve Scalise.

In the end, Roy and Burchett flipped their votes and other hardliners voted “yes”.

in Blue Hill, Maine

A funny thing happened on the way to Graham Platner’s primary election night watch party.

I stopped by the Blue Hill Co-op cafe in Blue Hill, Maine, and spotted the progressive activists Daniel Moraff and Leanne Fan, who were recently interviewed by the Wall Street Journal newspaper about how and why they recruited Platner to run for the US Senate.

Moraff told the Journal that a firm was hired to vet Platner and, though it uncovered some of his disturbing social media posts, it did not spot his sexually explicit text messages or a tattoo recognised as a Nazi symbol.

“We paid a nice firm a whole chunk of money and got some stuff back,” Moraff was quoted as saying. “Some of what you’ve seen on the news we got back. Other stuff we didn’t ... I said none of this will or should stop him from becoming a US senator.”

Today Moraff and Fan were sitting at a table, seeming relaxed and in a good mood. But then I approached them to ask for an interview. The sight of a journalist seemed about as welcome as a skunk at a garden party and, while polite, they could not snap their laptops shut and get out of the cafe fast enough.

As we reported earlier, vice-president JD Vance has referred Minnesota’s Democratic governor Tim Walz, his rival in the 2024 election, and state attorney general Keith Ellison to the DOJ after a congressional report renewed allegations of inaction and retaliation over fraud schemes in the state.

Per my colleague Rachel Leingang in Minneapolis, Walz’s office has responded, pointing to his March congressional testimony, in which he called the US government’s attacks on Minnesota “political retribution” and detailed the action his administration had taken on fraud.

“This committee has proven time and time again to be nothing more than a joke,” Teddy Tschann, a spokesperson for Walz, said in a statement. “They continue to rehash Covid-era fraud to distract from endless wars, gas prices, ICE, and the president’s insider trading.

“Governor Walz is glad to see fraudsters are going to prison. If the committee is concerned about corruption, they should investigate why President Trump continues to let fraudsters out of prison.”

Here’s Rachel’s full report:

Per my earlier post, House speaker Mike Johnson is meeting with Donald Trump at the White House to discuss the path to reauthorizing section 702 of Fisa amid bipartisan alarm over his decision to appoint Bill Pulte as acting DNI.

Senate majority leader John Thune has told reporters that he doesn’t believe the administration is considering replacing Pulte in the acting role - but is instead weighing a permanent nominee to lead the intelligence community.

“I think they’re weighing seriously making a long-term pick,” Thune said, adding that it’s his “hope” the decision would come sooner rather than later.

Lawmakers in both parties are pressing the White House to drop Pulte, citing his lack of congressionally mandated national security expertise.

in Bangor, Maine

Voting continues on a hot and sunny day in Maine. Aiden Grant, a 31-year-old student who moved here from Texas seven years ago, backed Graham Platner in the Democratic Senate primary election.

“He actually cares about the Maine people and cares about the rights of minorities,” Grant explained. “I’m disabled and I’m queer so those are quite important for me.”

Platner’s missteps - which include a tattoo recognised as a Nazi symbol and allegations from women of unsettling behaviour - do not deter Grant.

“Yes, he’s got some bad publicity, probably made some poor choices in his life but he owns that. He accepts that he made mistakes and he doesn’t try to hide it, which I value because everyone makes mistakes but, if you’re gonna fuck up, you’d better own it.”

Zach Falcon, 53, a college professor, has voted for Republican Susan Collins in the past but is backing Platner in this election.

“As flawed as he may be, I am voting with the momentum that he has the best chance of winning in the fall,” Falcon explained. “We weigh everything about a candidate and their flaws and strengths and his flaws certainly give me pause but we’re voting in the complete context of all of the facts of our present circumstances.”

However, outside the Democratic tent, Platner’s baggage is viewed as a fundamental disqualifier. Adam Jones, a 44-year-old farmer and self-described conservative, firmly rejected the frontrunner.

“Separate from the Democratic, Republican, party lines thing, I don’t think the man has the character befitting somebody to take public office,” said Jones, suggesting that Platner’s secretive online posts “alone should disqualify him automatically”.

And Jones, who has elaborate tattoos on his arms, is not buying Platner’s redemption song. “I myself am a past heroin addict 21 years ago. I ended up accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour and got cleaned up. I understand change.

“I understand who I was 21 years ago and so I would be the first to say, you know what, if he’s done these things maybe five years ago, maybe 10 years ago and he’s shown a consecutive habit of showing he has changed his life around, then great, he is a new man.

“But he’s just trying to get into office. There has not been enough time to prove that he has actually changed.”

in Bangor, Maine

There is a trickle of voters at the Cross Insurance Center building, located near a giant, colourful statue of lumberjack Paul Bunyan. Here, I found a split among female voters over Graham Platner in the Democratic primary for the US Senate.

“I like him,” said Jesenia Soler, 39, who describes herself as a transformational self-love practitioner. “He’s very for the people. That he wants to make it more for people instead of corporations is the biggest thing for me.”

Asked about Platner’s various controversies, Soler said: “For me it’s like everyone has shit that they’ve done. It’s human. No one’s perfect. The Nazi tattoo: I know he was a Marine and you don’t know everything you tattoo on yourself at the time and then you find out and like, ‘Oh, shit!’ and then there’s regret.

“The issues with the women: well, that’s between him and the women. It’s not my job to judge someone on what they’ve done as long as they’ve changed and moved forward and not kept on the same pattern. That’s the important thing.”

The pragmatic calculus is shared by Kylie Thorwardson, a 23-year-old clinical intern, who acknowledged: “I am concerned. I very much believe women and also realising that this is very convenient timing for things to come out and holding him accountable if anything does come to play. He doesn’t have my vote for life for sure.”

But Thorwardson is impressed by Platner’s outsider status and progressive agenda. “Mainers struggle day to day,” she continued. “There is such a high financial disparity and that is concerning. I do think we need higher taxes. If you’re driving around here, you know the roads aren’t great. We need new blood.”

But Jackie Farrell, an 81-year-old retiree who formerly worked for Catholic charities, voted for Janet Mills, whose campaign is inactive but who remains on the ballot. Asked what troubles her about Platner, she replied with a laugh: “That he’s a Nazi – hello? And the girlfriends. I’m a woman so I understand that part of it.”

For Farrell, whose political memory stretches back to lining up on the street to wave at President Dwight Eisenhower when she was in second grade, the current landscape is a cause for sorrow. “It makes me cry,” she admitted, tearing up. “But you know, there’s always something bad about everyone.”

While the deadline to renew section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) is fast approaching, it does not mean that the surveillance program itself will go dark.

In March, the Fisa court issued a yearlong certification authorizing section 702 collection through approximately March 2027, even if the law lapses.

More here:

House speaker Mike Johnson is meeting with Donald Trump this morning as mounting Democratic outrage over Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence endangers the renewal of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), which is due to expire next week.

“I’m going to go have a private conversation with him and his team on a number of topics,” Johnson told The Hill as he left the US Capitol.

House majority leader Steve Scalise separately told reporters at the GOP leaders’ conference that Johnson is at the White House to discuss the path to reauthorizing the powerful surveillance program.

“It’s too critical for our national security that that program not go dark on Friday night,” Scalise said, adding that criticisms of Pulte should play out during the confirmation process, otherwise: “You’re really going to jeopardize the security of America over a personality issue.”

Trump’s appointment of Pulte, a close ally with no intelligence experience, to the role of DNI set off alarm bells in Washington last week, including from Republicans. John Thune, the Senate majority leader, told reporters that “we don’t need a weaponized” national intelligence director and Pulte would have “a lengthy road ahead of him” if he were nominated to take the post on a permanent basis.

Vice-president JD Vance has added a chicken coop to his residence at the US Naval Observatory, the Daily Wire reports, along with a dozen baby chicks whose new henhouse is designed to look like the Victorian home where the second family lives.

The coop was built without taxpayer money, a person familiar with the project told the Associated Press. The residence hosted a family event over the weekend where local 4-H students taught other kids about the newly installed coup, the person said.

Vice-presidents since 1977 have lived on the grounds of the 72-acre property, with many leaving their own imprint. Joe Biden added a heritage garden, Mike Pence’s wife, Karen, contributed beehives, and Kamala Harris’ updates included pink wallpaper in the house’s library. A heated swimming pool on the property was added by Dan Quayle in 1991.

in Bangor, Maine

Graham Platner has some vocal supporters. I spoke to Tim Fullerton, a Democratic strategist born and raised in Maine who is now cofounder and chief executive of Find Out Media. Fullerton interviewed Platner on his podcast last year.

“I find him to be somebody that is willing to own up to past mistakes and acknowledges wrongdoing in his past, which is something this president [Donald Trump] has never done,” Fullerton said. “He truly cares about people and he has changed and so Mainers are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Voters in Maine have an independent streak and are frustrated with do-nothing Washington, Fullerton added, so are unlikely to heed advice from the Democratic establishment.

“The best way to make sure that a Mainer does the opposite of what you want is for somebody from outside of the state to tell them to do something. When you live in a rural state, basically at the end of the country, having somebody in DC in a suit tell you what’s best for you is never going to work particularly well, because those people have never lived the experience of Mainers.

“Graham lives in Sullivan, which is a very small place, and has worked the water, which in Maine is a very big and critical part of the economy there. People in Maine also know lots of people similar to Graham and so they are willing to hear him talk about how he has grown and understand nobody’s perfect. Mainers are not the ones that like the type of candidates that look like they have wanted to run for office since they were eight years old. We all know who those people are.”

Fullerton continued: “They like that he’s a bit gruff. He volunteered to serve his country and experienced some damage and people understand it. People up there know him, vouch for him and see him doing the work that is necessary to make up for some past wrongs.”

In case you missed it last night, here’s Donald Trump being loudly booed when he was shown on the video screens at Madison Square Garden before Game 3 of the NBA finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks.

The president was shown on the jumbotron while the Star-Spangled Banner was being sung before the game, and jeers and boos broke out around the arena. Trump was shown for a little over eight seconds and held a salute the whole time with a smile on his face. A few seconds later, the video board showed Knicks players in line and the boos turned to cheers.

Trump, a longtime Knicks fan, attended as the guest of the team owner, James Dolan, as New York hosted its first NBA finals game since 1999. The president entered the arena amid a heavy security presence, and watched the game from the owner’s box above center court, while Secret Service personnel commandeered the neighbouring suites on either side.

Also in the box were Dolan, interior secretary Doug Burgum, transportation secretary Sean Duffy and Trump’s granddaughter Kai.

Later in the game, which the Knicks lost 115-111, Trump appeared to fall asleep.

Hospitality and food service workers in several US cities hosting World Cup games are warning of looming labor disputes and possible strikes as the largest single sport tournament in the world gets ready to kick off on 11 June.

In Los Angeles, California, about 2,000 workers at SoFi Stadium represented by Unite Here Local 11 voted 96% in favor of a strike authorization as workers are seeking a new union contract with wage increases and protections from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Cashiers, dishwashers, cooks, bartenders, concessions workers and food attendants at the stadium, could walk off the job at any time. The US’s opening match, against Paraguay, is scheduled to take place at SoFi Stadium on 12 June.

“We’re just trying to make things fair,” said Eva Miles, a bartender at SoFi stadium since it opened in 2021. “Without us, they don’t have a stadium. Are they going to cook? Are they going to pour those drinks? Are they going to serve these people?”

Few Americans would abandon their party’s candidate over controversies such as Democrat Graham Platner’s Nazi-linked tattoo in Maine or Republican Ken Paxton’s fraud indictment in Texas, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, highlighting deep partisan divides that make winning paramount.

Two-thirds of party-aligned respondents said they sometimes have to vote for a candidate they don’t like just to stop the other party from winning power, according to the six-day poll completed on Monday.

That principle will be put to the test in a Maine primary election on Tuesday, when Democratic oyster farmer Platner hopes to become a candidate for a Senate seat seen as crucial to Democrats’ hopes of winning a majority in that chamber in November.

In a nationwide poll, just 17% of Democrats familiar with Platner said his tattoo of a Nazi-style skull-and-crossbones would stop them from voting for him if they could vote in Maine’s election.

The same share of Republicans nationwide said they would refrain from voting for Texas attorney-general Paxton, who was indicted a decade ago on charges of defrauding investors, if they could vote in the state’s Senate election in November.

Lesley Groff, Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime executive assistant, is testifying on Tuesday before the House oversight and reform committee as lawmakers on the panel continue their investigation into the late convicted sex offender.

Groff worked for Epstein for almost 20 years, beginning in 2001 and ending in July 2019 when he was arrested. Notes from a 2021 FBI interview with Groff, which was included in the millions of documents related to Epstein released by the Department of Justice earlier this year, state that she told agents that she began working for Epstein after she was contacted by a headhunter, who found her resume and told her that there “was a job to organize one man’s life”.

The man turned out to be Epstein, and Groff told agents that she had not previously heard of him. She said that she interviewed with several people for the position, including Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking crimes. According to the FBI document, Groff said that she signed a non-disclosure agreement.

The document states that Groff told agents her responsibilities included scheduling meetings, making phone calls, coordinating with Epstein’s driver and chef and other people, and managing much of his daily schedule and appointments.

On election night, Nithya Raman seemed as if she was prepared to lose the second spot in the Los Angeles mayoral race to the reality TV star Spencer Pratt, whose viral campaign appeared on track to upend the contest.

“Many thousands of votes will be counted in the days ahead, and we may not get an answer we like. But regardless of what happens next, nobody can take away what all of us have built together,” Raman, a progressive Democrat who sits on the LA city council, told her supporters.

Now in a twist fit for Hollywood, it is Raman who will be advancing to the November election to face off against her one-time political ally, incumbent mayor Karen Bass, for the chance to lead the second largest city in the US.

It was a shake-up in a race that has been defined by the unexpected. Raman rocked the Los Angeles political establishment in February when she threw her hat in the ring hours ahead of the deadline and just weeks after endorsing Bass in her re-election campaign.