Iran talks face new doubts after Kuwait attack; Trump taps Blanche for AG
President Donald Trump says Iran talks are going well, but new video from Kuwait suggests the region isn’t there yet.
Plus, Trump moves to make Todd Blanche his permanent attorney general, putting one of his closest legal allies a Senate vote away from the top job at the Department of Justice.
And a new warning for future retirees: Social Security checks could drop by about $500 a month if Congress doesn’t act.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, June 4, 2026.
Iran denies attacks on Kuwait airport, disputes Trump’s optimism on peace talks
Officials in Kuwait said its international airport came under drone and missile attack Wednesday, killing one person and injuring dozens more. Iran has denied responsibility.
The attack comes as Iran’s foreign minister said there has been “no tangible progress” in negotiations with the United States.
It’s a sharp contrast to Trump’s assessment, where he told reporters Wednesday that a deal could be reached within days.
“I hear the negotiation itself is going very well, actually. Very well. I mean, if it happens. It might not happen, you know. Who knows? But if it happens, it could happen like over the weekend,” Trump said.
Meanwhile, fighting continues in Lebanon despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The United Nations said a peacekeeper was killed and two others were wounded after shelling hit a U.N. base in southern Lebanon overnight.
Israel and Hezbollah have accused each other of repeatedly violating the agreement, which established security zones inside Lebanon where Hezbollah forces are not supposed to operate.
Four House Republicans cross party lines on war powers vote
For the first time since the war with Iran began, Congress has voted to push back on Trump’s military authority.
The House passed a war powers resolution Wednesday calling for an end to U.S. hostilities with Iran unless Congress authorizes the conflict.
The vote was 215 to 208, with four Republicans breaking with their party to join Democrats: Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett of Michigan and Warren Davidson of North Carolina.
The vote had been delayed last month after House leadership grew concerned Republicans didn’t have the numbers to defeat it.
This time, Democrats picked up enough GOP support to push it through.
The resolution does not force an immediate end to the war and faces a more challenging path in the Senate. However, it marks the first time either chamber of Congress has approved a war powers measure since the conflict began in late February.
It’s a sign of growing frustration on Capitol Hill as the Trump administration tries to negotiate a deal with Tehran while maintaining military pressure.
Trump formally backs Blanche, looks to make acting AG role permanent
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has been running the Justice Department for weeks, and now Trump wants to make the position permanent. Trump said he will nominate Blanche to serve as the next U.S. Attorney General.
Blanche has held the role since April, when Trump fired Pam Bondi and promoted him from deputy attorney general. Before joining the administration, Blanche served as one of Trump’s personal defense attorneys and represented him in several high-profile criminal cases.
The president announced his plans at a private White House event, predicting a swift confirmation process.
“He’s acting attorney general, and tomorrow, I’m instructing Dan and everybody else that’s involved in that very complicated process — which is gonna go, I think, very quickly — that we are going to make him permanent attorney general.”
President Trump with an announcement tonight at the @WhiteHouse…
Congratulations @TheJusticeDept @DAGToddBlanche—
pic.twitter.com/7C7N0Gjall
— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) June 4, 2026
If confirmed by the Senate, Blanche would take over the job after just over a month as acting attorney general.
His nomination comes days after the Justice Department abandoned plans for a controversial $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund that had drawn criticism from both parties on Capitol Hill.
Social Security faces 24% cut: Report
If Congress does not act, millions of Americans could see their Social Security checks cut by hundreds of dollars a month within a few years.
A new analysis warns the program’s retirement trust fund is on track to run out of money by the end of 2032. If that happens, benefits would not disappear, but they would be reduced.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the average retiree would lose about $500 per month, roughly a 24% reduction in benefits. No state would escape the impact.
The largest average cuts would affect states including Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Delaware, Washington and Minnesota, where retirees could lose more than $550 a month.
The warning comes ahead of the Social Security Administration’s annual trustees’ report, expected later this month. For now, these cuts are not automatic.
Congress could step in with tax increases, benefit changes or other measures to keep the program solvent. But the clock is ticking.
More than 60 million Americans currently receive Social Security retirement, survivor or dependent benefits.
Flesh-eating parasite found in Texas
For the first time in decades, inspectors have detected a flesh-eating parasite in American livestock.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said experts have found New World screwworm larvae in a South Texas calf, marking the first confirmed U.S. case in decades.
While officials stress there is no risk to food safety, they warn that the parasite can cause serious harm to cattle, other livestock and wildlife.
The screwworm was eradicated from the U.S. in the 1970s after causing major losses to ranchers and the livestock industry. Rollins and other agricultural officials have been sounding the alarm about the fly’s movement across Mexico toward the U.S. for more than a year.
“And we all, as you know, have been talking and tracking and working around the clock to contain it, but we have not. Mexico, with the illicit movement of cattle and not having enough sterile flies, certainly has led us to today, June 3rd, 2026, the U.S. confirming its first new world screwworm case in the state of Texas since 1966.”
Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
To prevent further spread, the USDA has established a 12-mile quarantine zone around the detection site and restricted the movement of warm-blooded animals in the area unless they are inspected. Rollins said no other cases have been detected in the country, but federal and state officials are now intensifying surveillance in South Texas.
SpaceX targets record IPO, Musk could near trillion-dollar fortune
Elon Musk prepares for what could be one of the largest stock market debuts in history, as SpaceX is expected to raise approximately $75 billion when it goes public later this month.
SpaceX plans to sell more than 500 million shares at $135 per share in its initial public offering. That would value the rocket company at nearly $1.8 trillion, making it one of the most valuable companies on Earth.
Musk would also retain more than 80% of the company’s voting power. Forbes currently estimates his net worth at about $826 billion.
If the IPO performs as expected, analysts say Musk could become the first person to reach the $1 trillion mark.
More from Straight Arrow:
A data center photo op with Sam Altman sparks political fury for Gretchen Whitmer
A photo-op in an agricultural town near the University of Michigan with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman electrified criticism on social media as Michiganders expressed disappointment in the governor’s presence. A political strategist told Straight Arrow that Whitmer walks a tight line with the move.
The photo spread like wildfire across the internet, garnering more than 1 million views and hundreds of comments expressing disapproval of the new data center in Saline Township. The pushback is something that politicians like Whitmer need to take note of and pivot if they want to win elections, strategist Juven Jacob told Straight Arrow.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
