Trump Warns Iran ‘Clock is Ticking’ as Talks Stall; Massie Primary

President Donald Trump expressed frustration over stalled nuclear talks with Iran, warning in a social media post that “the Clock is Ticking” and that Tehran must act “FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”

Trump is scheduled to meet his national security team Monday to discuss next steps, according to Axios. He also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of an Israeli security cabinet meeting focused on Iran, Lebanon and Gaza, amid growing speculation in Israel that military action against Iran could resume if no compromise emerges.

The United Arab Emirates blamed a fire near its nuclear power plant on a drone launched by Iran or one of its proxies, calling the incident a “dangerous escalation.”

With two days until the latest test of Trump’s influence within the Republican Party, the president clashed with longtime adversary Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who faces a primary election Tuesday that could determine his political survival.

Over an eight-hour stretch beginning early Sunday, Trump used Truth Social to taunt Massie, one of the few senior Republicans who have consistently defied him.

Trump wrote that Massie “is the worst and most unreliable Republican congressman in the history of our Country” and urged Kentucky voters to “vote the bum out on Tuesday.”

Massie has been a persistent thorn in Trump’s side, voting against Trump’s signature tax and spending cuts bill, pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, and insisting on congressional oversight of military actions in Venezuela and Iran. He now faces a bruising primary against Trump-endorsed challenger Ed Gallrein.

A trade union monitoring renovations at one of Washington’s most historically significant sites warned that workers may be endangering their safety as they race to complete the project before the U.S.’s 250th anniversary celebrations on July 4, 2026.

The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades expressed concerns about the reflecting pool on the National Mall, site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, which was drained and fenced off for upgrades.

The pool has become a hub of frenetic repair activity, with vehicles and heavy equipment occupying the space.

“With this project, they are trying to rush on a timescale that is most likely to leave some liability with the contractor. The chemicals are hazardous. My concern is usually the level of risk when it’s rushed. Are workers taking the rightful steps to protect themselves?” said Herbert Zaldivar, business development director of the union.

In June 2025, Christian Cerna attended a protest in his neighborhood against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and allegedly punched a border patrol agent. He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault but denies hitting the officer.

Cerna was violently arrested in front of his family by ICE officers, who filmed the incident and posted the video to social media. Cerna told the Guardian that the experience took a “heavy toll” on him.

“Stateside with Kai and Carter” is the Guardian US’s new flagship video podcast, hosted by Kai Wright and Carter Sherman. New episodes air three times a week, bringing the Guardian’s global perspective to U.S. stories.

Actor Cate Blanchett lamented that the #MeToo movement “got killed very quickly” in Hollywood. Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival, the Australian actor said film sets still have “10 women and 75 men” a decade later.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged “congratulatory letters” Monday ahead of Putin’s visit to Beijing this week, four days after Trump left China following a high-stakes summit.

The World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern.”

Thousands of people gathered on the National Mall for a daylong prayer rally billed as a “rededication of our country as One Nation Under God.” Worship music blared from a stage emphasizing the event’s Christian focus. The White House-backed event drew criticism for blurring the line between church and state.

History shows that shifts in dominant energy sources often realign global power. The world is undergoing such a transition as the age of oil – dominated by the U.S., Russia and Gulf states – gives way to renewables overwhelmingly manufactured in China, while some U.S. fossil fuel advocates attempt to reverse the trend.

“We’re in a system that’s rigged toward people who are willing to take advantage of other people, to look out for their own interests and amass as much as they can for themselves,” said Lindsay C. Gibson, author of “Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents.” She expressed optimism that a better society built by emotionally healthier people is possible.

After a series of record-breaking U.S. heatwaves, the 2026 bee swarm season in North America started 17 days earlier than last year, raising questions about how honeybees are responding to the climate crisis.

Punta Marina, a seaside town on Italy’s Adriatic coast in the Emilia-Romagna region, has been overrun by peacocks – much to the delight and frustration of residents. The birds previously lived in a nearby pine forest but wandered into town during the COVID-19 pandemic and never left.

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