Here's a roundup of today's top U.S. stories, pulled from AP, Reuters, CNN, NPR, the Washington Post, and more:
New Air Force One unveiled. Trump showed off the new Air Force One, a formerly Qatari-owned jumbo jet converted into the official presidential aircraft, featuring a navy blue and red exterior in place of the traditional robin's-egg blue. He said it would be used for a July 4 flyover marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S., and it replaces the 30-plus-year-old military-grade 747 that brought Trump home from Europe just the day before. The Qatari gift drew bipartisan criticism over ethics and security, and the overhaul could cost more than $1 billion. KOB.com + 3
Iran talks hit a snag. JD Vance's planned overnight trip to Switzerland to begin technical nuclear talks with Iran was abruptly called off Friday, just days after the U.S. and Iran agreed to reopen negotiations on Iran's nuclear program and restart oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials balked at sending a delegation while Israeli strikes on Hezbollah continue in Lebanon — fighting that killed at least 18 people in Israeli airstrikes and four Israeli soldiers. The White House blamed logistics instead. The Philadelphia Inquirer + 2
Pentagon vs. NATO. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth upbraided NATO allies in Brussels and announced a Pentagon review tying U.S. troop presence to allied spending, while calling NATO a "paper tiger" — even though European leaders noted defense spending was already up nearly 20%, with $90 billion in extra spending in 2025 alone. NATO chief Mark Rutte said he had no clarity yet on what the review would actually entail. Washington TimesWashington Times
CFPB staffing fight continues. A federal appeals court blocked the Trump administration's bid to immediately resume cutting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau staff by roughly two-thirds, though it did send the underlying case back down to the district court. The proposed cuts would have taken the bureau from about 1,100–1,200 employees down to as few as 200. Yahoo! + 2
Mail-in voting order challenged. A federal judge in Boston ruled that Democratic-led states and voting-rights groups can proceed with lawsuits challenging Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting, at least as it applies to the November midterms. The order requires citizenship verification for mail ballots and directs DOJ to investigate officials who send ballots to people deemed ineligible. U.S. News & World ReportThe National Desk
GOP revolt over the Iran deal. Trump's agreement is drawing rare public criticism from his own party, including Senators Roger Wicker and Ted Cruz, who object to the $300 billion Iran reconstruction fund and sanctions relief. Senator Bill Cassidy called it "the worst foreign policy blunder in decades," arguing Iran's nuclear ambitions weren't curbed and that Tehran has learned threatening Hormuz works. Trump fired back on social media, calling critics "fools" and pointing to record stock prices and falling oil prices. CNN + 2
The Iran deal is the spark. Bill Cassidy summed up the GOP mood Thursday: "Iran's left stronger, we are left weaker." Ted Cruz called the $300 billion reconstruction fund a bad idea, saying "the president is receiving some very poor advice on this deal," while John Cornyn said he simply "doesn't like that part of the deal" but acknowledged Trump's negotiating authority. Even some MAGA-aligned media figures pushed back — Mark Levin suggested the U.S. should have "slow-walked" Iran, built up munitions and oil reserves, gotten gas prices down through the midterms, then escalated pressure afterward. CNN + 2
But it's bigger than Iran. The relationship between Trump and Senate Republicans neared a breaking point this week — he upended a confirmation vote for his own intelligence nominee and threatened not to sign a surveillance law renewal unless senators agreed to new terms. Trump has reportedly lost interest in most of the GOP's own agenda and is fixated instead on his citizenship-verification voting push (which has almost no chance of passing), while also asking Congress to fund his White House ballroom project, accept an intelligence director nobody on the Hill wants, and cede authority over the Iran war. The Philadelphia InquirerThe Philadelphia Inquirer
It's straining leadership. The standoff has stalled much of the Senate's business and put Majority Leader John Thune in an awkward spot, having to manage expectations with Trump about what he can actually deliver. CNN notes the Iran criticism is compounding existing GOP unease over the ballroom project, Trump's "retribution campaign," and the fight over his intelligence chief — and could complicate plans to pass a costly bill funding Iran war operations this summer. The Philadelphia InquirerCNN
The political stakes. Trump is framing the deal as a clear win — "It's a very strong deal... nobody knows what it is, but it's very strong," he said at the G7 — but Democrats argue the timing benefits Trump precisely because it'll be harder for him to walk away from negotiations as midterm pressure and gas prices mount, with Tim Kaine arguing the U.S. is "giving a lot more to get a lot less than we got" in the 2015 Obama-era deal. NBC NewsMS NOW
So: it's not really a clean ideological revolt — more a confluence of grievances (war powers, spending priorities, nominee fights, the ballroom) hitting at once, with vulnerable Republicans facing reelection caught between defending Trump and distancing themselves before November.