President Donald Trump is set to address the nation Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on topics he said will include elections and voting machines, suggesting he could revisit long-debunked conspiracy theories about his 2020 defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. The speech comes as he’s escalated his calls for Republicans to pass tighter federal voting rules ahead of November’s midterm elections.
At Trump’s last primetime presidential address in April, he said the U.S. would accomplish its Iran war objectives “very shortly.” But days of back-and-forth attacks by the U.S. and Iran across the Middle East and in the Strait of Hormuz have shredded the interim deal to pause the fighting. U.S. strikes intensified early Thursday against a widening set of targets, including a ship it accused of breaking its blockade on Iranian ports. Iran retaliated by firing on U.S. allies in the region.
Here's the latest:
Democrats warn Trump’s intelligence officials against misleading Americans on election security
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut and Democratic lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee sent a letter to CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Kash Patel and others ahead of the president’s prime time address.
“The President is within his authority to declassify intelligence,” the lawmakers wrote, “but if he does so in a way that is intended to mislead Americans about the most basic foundation of our democracy and that may compromise sources and methods, it is incumbent on you to stand up for the agencies you lead.”
Before any intelligence is publicly disclosed, they said, “it should be coordinated with all relevant Intelligence Community elements.”
The lawmakers said, “We remind you that you are statutorily obligated to keep the Committee fully and currently informed, a requirement that should include notification of new intelligence related to election influence or interference as well as any significant declassification.”
Hegseth backs low-altitude military flyovers as a series of maneuvers draws scrutiny
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is sticking to encouraging low-altitude military flyovers after a fighter jet buzzed a Florida beach during a show this week.
Video spreading widely on social media shows a jet from the Navy’s demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, flying so low over a crowded beach in Pensacola that chairs and tents went flying, sand kicked up and children held their hands over their ears.
The U.S. Navy said in a statement shortly afterward that it was “conducting a thorough safety review.” Then on Thursday morning, a host of Trump administration officials heaped praise on the maneuver.
“The flyovers will continue until morale improves,” Hegseth wrote on his personal X account, without elaborating.
The Pentagon’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, wrote “Carry on Patriots” on social media alongside a photo showing a Blue Angels jet with a wingtip just feet above the heads of beachgoers.
Flyovers might not violate rules but that doesn’t make them safe
Former Transportation Department Inspector General Mary Schiavo said military planes flying low over people probably don’t violate military rules because the Pentagon doesn’t have the same restrictions that the FAA imposes on civilian flights.
“They are air demonstration teams, and what they do is exceedingly dangerous — amazing and wonderful — but dangerous,” said Schiavo, who is also a pilot and used to work in air shows years ago. “And so it is really not something to be performed over people.”
Florida beachgoer Alexandra Belcher, 34, called the Blue Angels flyover this week a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“I didn’t realize how close it was, until everyone around me was like, ‘That was so cool,’” she said. “It was not normal, but it was such a blessing to be able to witness that with everybody that I was with.”
Trump administration to drastically shorten visas for foreign journalists in US
The Trump administration will drastically shorten visas for foreign journalists in the U.S. to 240 days, down from years, and cut those for Chinese journalists to only 90 days, raising concerns over press freedom in the United States and retaliation against American journalists overseas.
The final rule announced by the Department of Homeland Security will do away with the “duration of status” system, which allows foreign journalists to stay and work in the United States as long as they meet eligibility requirements. That will be replaced with a fixed period of time, though the visas may be extended.
The agency says it’s necessary to better vet the visa holders. But advocates for foreign journalists oppose the change, saying the drastically shorter stay would severely restrict their ability to live and work in the States.
Trump media firm plans to sell high speed access to Truth Social posts
Trump’s media company is planning to charge for special high-speed access to Truth Social posts, including possibly his own affecting national security and financial markets.
The move announced Thursday would allow Wall Street trading firms and other institutions to get news from Truth Social contributors in milliseconds so they could profit off subsequent moves in stocks, bonds and interest rates. The most popular Truth Social poster is the president himself and, as the biggest shareholder of the public traded parent company, he would directly benefit.
“He’s selling expedited, privileged access to information about what he is doing as president,” said Kathleen Clark of Washington University School of Law and an expert in government conflicts of interest rules. “It’s yet more brazen corruption, an improper exploitation of government power to enrich himself.”
The Trump family company declined to comment about whether the new feature is profiting off the presidency.
GOP senator says Blanche must meet Epstein accusers to earn his vote for attorney general
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was expected to meet Thursday with accusers of Jeffrey Epstein after a key Republican senator said it was necessary to earn his support for Blanche’s nomination to lead the Justice Department.
Sen. Thom Tillis had indicated during Blanche’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday that he was leaning toward backing Blanche, who has been leading the department in an acting capacity since April.
But after an Epstein accuser testified a day later, Tillis said he expects a meeting to occur before he’s “willing to vote out of this committee.”
Without Tillis’ support, Blanche’s nomination won’t make it through the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Trump stops offshore wind development while citing national security
President Donald Trump’s administration has worked to stop offshore wind development on the grounds it’s a national security risk since late last year, halting work on major projects and buying back leases.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum says a classified report from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth proves offshore wind is a national security threat.
This comes against the backdrop of the Republican president’s hatred of wind turbines and desire to boost fossil fuels for “energy dominance” in the global market. Wind turbines interfere with radar, but that isn’t a new problem.
The Pentagon reviews wind farm construction plans and can deem areas off limits. And there are upgrades to radar to mitigate turbine impacts.
National Guard deployment to DC will last through Trump’s term
The president’s deployment of National Guard troops to the nation’s capital is being extended by more than two years and will last until the end of his term.
The Pentagon confirmed the extension in an email Thursday, stating that the “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Mission” continues to Jan. 20, 2029, “or until terminated by the President.”
The deployment has been contentious since August 2025, when Trump issued an emergency order because of what he said was out-of-control crime. The administration says crime has rapidly fallen since, although local officials have argued that crime was already going down before Trump ordered 2,500 troops into the city.
Guard members have responded to medical emergencies, assisted with arrests, helped with snow removal and carried out beautification projects.
ABC and NBC will air Trump speech on their streaming services but won’t have live network coverage
Networks had been markedly mum about their coverage plans of Trump’s address, not responding to queries.
But by late Thursday afternoon, both ABC and NBC had decided not to air the remarks live, but to carry them in full on their streaming services, and break into network coverage as needed.
ABC said it would carry the speech on ABC News Live and ABC News Radio with “comprehensive, anchored coverage,” as well as cover it in regular network newscasts. It said its Special Report team was prepared to break into network programming to deliver live updates and reporting “should significant developments occur.”
NBC said it would have live coverage on NBC News NOW and would air a special report on the network following the remarks.
At the White House briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt urged TV networks to carry the speech live.
US military launches another day of strikes on Iran
The U.S. military has begun a sixth day of strikes on Iran, a statement from U.S. Central Command announced Thursday.
The statement offered few details about what the military was targeting beyond the new wave being an effort to “further degrade Iranian military capabilities.”
However, U.S. strikes have been intensifying in recent days as the military has taken to hitting targets away from Iran’s coastal regions, including areas around Iran’s capital, Tehran, for the first time in this latest round of violence. American forces also fired into a ship it accused of trying to break its naval blockade on the Islamic Republic.
Iranian officials said Wednesday that U.S. strikes have killed more than 35 people and wounded more than 300 others.
Leavitt says ICE is still stopping vehicles after Trump opposed agents not doing so
“Vehicle stops are continuing. Verbal guidance has been given to all field offices across the country by the Department of Homeland Security,” Leavitt said.
She added that such stops “are a necessary tool that ICE agents need in order” to continue what she calls “their deportation campaign of the worst of the worst.”
Trump posted on his social media site on Wednesday that ICE agents should keep pulling over vehicles – just a day after officials said they’d be suspending most such stops.
ICE’s enforcement tactics are coming under renewed criticism after three people died during encounters with federal officers within a week.
Leavitt urges live coverage of Trump’s speech and suggests it’s still a work in progress
Under persistent questioning about the remarks set for 9 p.m. EDT, Leavitt said there’ve been discussions about Trump addressing a range of topics beyond the 2020 election, “and that could very well be possible tonight.”
“Again, this is all more reason for all of you to carry the speech live, and for the American people to tune in tonight so they can hear directly from the American president and draw their own conclusions,” she said.
It remains unclear how television networks will handle the speech.
Leavitt won’t say whether Trump will accept midterm results; Vance says administration will
Leavitt declined to answer when asked if Trump’s upcoming speech on “election integrity” meant the president might not be willing to accept the results of November’s midterms.
But Vance was far more definitive.
Asked by reporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday about November, Vance said, “Of course we’re gonna support the results of the midterm elections.”
“We think we’re going to win. But ultimately that’s up to the American people,” the vice president said then. “But we also think we have to do everything that we can to discourage cheating.”
Trump and Vance have jointly pushed for approval of the Save Act, which is stalled in Congress. Even if it were to pass, however, the proposal wouldn’t affect the midterms.
Leavitt says Trump administration isn’t sending mixed signals on Iran
The press secretary was asked about Trump saying the U.S. couldn’t negotiate with Iran because they lie, even as Vice President JD Vance has expressed frustration about being criticized by hawkish elements while he’s sought to negotiate with Iran.
Leavitt said that was no contradiction, adding, “I can tell you the president and vice president are on the exact same page about where we are right now in this conflict.”
Pressed separately on Trump continuing to insist that the U.S. military wasn’t responsible for striking an Iranian girl’s school at the start of the war, Leavitt said, “That’s the president’s opinion” only, suggesting what he said wasn’t a fact.
She also said that, at the Defense Department, “the investigation continues” into the incident.
Leavitt says cuts at CDC and FDA haven’t affected response to parasite outbreak
Asked about a surge in infections from the diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora, Leavitt said the administration is “closely monitoring the situation” and tracing the outbreak’s source.
States are reporting record numbers of cases of infections, and health officials have not yet definitively identified what’s causing the spike.
It comes after the administration made significant cuts to food safety programs at the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year. Asked if those cuts have slowed the government’s response, Leavitt said no.
“We’ve talked to the CDC and FDA specifically about that, and not at all,” she said. “They have the resources they need to make sure that Americans are fully informed and protected from this illness during this time.”
Leavitt says White House staffer accused of profiting off position is on unpaid leave
Asked about reports that a teleprompter operator for Trump is accused of placing online bets using inside knowledge from his job, Leavitt said the employee has been put on unpaid leave.
“I’m aware of the report; the president is too. I spoke with him about it. He believes it’s deeply unfortunate and, frankly, a disgrace,” Leavitt said Thursday.
Leavitt said she does not know of other White House employees accused of similar allegations, adding that the White House has “extremely strict, ethical guidelines with respect to issues like this.”
Reports from ABC News and other outlets say Gabriel Perez, a technical assistant to the president, is in talks with federal regulators to settle allegations that he used inside knowledge from Trump’s speeches to win more than $100,000 on the predictions market Kalshi.
White House press secretary punts on who Trump wants to win the World Cup
Asked if Trump will be cheering for Argentina given the hard feelings he has toward Spain, Karoline Leavitt answered a reporter’s question with, “It’s a really good question.”
“And I’m disappointed in myself for not asking the president before I came out here, knowing you would probably ask,” she said at her briefing Thursday. “I haven’t talked to him about it. But we’ll get you an answer on that. You’re welcome to ask him yourself at some point before the game. I’m sure you’ll see him, and I’m sure he’ll have a fun answer for you on it.”
Leavitt teases Trump’s primetime address and World Cup visit
She kicked off the briefing with a scheduling update, highlighting Trump’s national address planned for Thursday evening.
“President Trump will deliver a major address to the nation on protecting the integrity of our elections. And we encourage every American to tune in,” Leavitt said.
She added that Trump will head to New York City on Friday for a FIFA reception at Trump Tower ahead of his appearance at the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday.
Tech troubles before White House briefing
The White House planned to use TV screens ahead of the daily briefing, but technical issues got in the way, and the screens were removed before White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt came to the lectern.
An aide was working on a laptop to get the screens going before the briefing began and looked relatively stressed as the start of the briefing was delayed. Eventually, four aides — two of them on cellphones — tried to resolve the situation without success.
Eventually, the screens were removed from behind the lectern, and Leavitt appeared for her first briefing since giving birth and going on parental leave.
Leavitt holds her first briefing since returning from maternity leave
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is back at the briefing room podium on Thursday, the first time since she went on maternity leave earlier this year.
Leavitt last held a briefing on April 24 before taking leave and giving birth to a daughter on May 1. She returned to work at the White House in late June.
While she was away, the White House leaned on a rotating cast of cabinet members to fill in, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Leavitt’s return comes ahead of a national address Trump is scheduled to deliver Thursday evening. The president has said he will discuss topics including elections and voting machines.
House Democratic leader says Trump is ‘conspirator in chief’ over election claims
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said, “None of the things that Trump has said — or may say later on today — with respect to election interference have any merit.”
Ahead of Thursday’s speech, Jeffries was asked whether China may have interfered in U.S. elections. The Democratic leader said he drew from the work of the House Intelligence Committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, whose op-ed published Thursday in The New York Times restated the findings of U.S. intelligence after recent elections.
Himes wrote that U.S. intelligence said that there are “no indications that any foreign actor attempted to interfere in the 2020 U.S. elections by altering any technical aspect of the voting process.” Himes warned that Trump may try to cherry-pick unverified information and present it as explosive new theories of election wrongdoing.
Jeffries said Trump is “the one fanning the flames of conspiracy theories.”
