United States Marine Corps

A Detroit News investigation found Michigan Rep. Jack Bergman has been living part time in a Capitol Hill rowhouse long owned by an entity tied to Kim Kiyosaki, former business partner of "Rich Dad Poor Dad" author Robert Kiyosaki, a close friend and top donor who with Kiyosaki has given Bergman's campaigns more than $257,000. In February, Kiyosaki sold the home for $1.55 million to Bergman's daughter and son-in-law via a seller-financed land contract requiring no principal payments until 2033. Bergman's office says he pays fair-market rent and is in compliance with House ethics rules, but watchdog groups say the arrangement may be structured to funnel value to Bergman's family while avoiding ethics scrutiny, especially since he has also claimed taxpayer-funded lodging reimbursements.

Dan Green, a Navy veteran and Republican congressional candidate in Florida's 9th District, is backing President Trump's military action against Iran, framing it not as a new war but as the resolution of hostilities dating back to the 1979 U.S. embassy seizure in Tehran. Citing the 1983 Marine barracks bombing, the Khobar Towers attack, and casualties from his own tours in Iraq, Green argues Iran has effectively been at war with the United States for decades and says the priority now is a successful end to the conflict and regional stability.

Green is challenging a 10-year Democratic incumbent in a redrawn, conservative-leaning suburban district with a large Latino population, where he says affordability concerns like grocery and gas prices dominate alongside law-and-order issues. He criticized his opponent's voting record on taxes and other economic measures, and warned that a rising democratic socialist wing within the Democratic Party represents a broader ideological threat to the district's voters.

President Donald Trump, speaking at a rally in Grand Island, Nebraska, said higher gas prices from the Iran conflict were "a small price to pay for keeping the world safe," adding that Iran could "take out" Los Angeles or San Diego and calling it "a very small price to pay" that would be "over with very soon." The crowd cheered. The remark came roughly a month before the midterm elections.

California officials responded swiftly. Governor Gavin Newsom called the comment "dangerous -- if not treasonous," directed the State Threat Assessment Center to monitor for threats against California, and later escalated by calling Trump "mentally ill" and demanding invocation of the 25th Amendment. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told Trump to "keep LA out of your damn mouth," and gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra accused him of treating Californians' lives as "a punchline." San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and other mayors, along with Rep. Derek Tran, condemned the remarks. The White House and allies countered that Trump's full remarks were being taken out of context, arguing he meant Iran could strike those cities only if it obtained nuclear weapons, not that the U.S. should allow such an attack.

ic President Trump drew sharp criticism from California officials after remarks at a Nebraska political rally in which he appeared to suggest Iran could "take out" Los Angeles or San Diego if it developed a nuclear weapon. Defending the U.S. war with Iran as necessary to "keep the world safe," Trump said, "Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego." It was unclear what he meant by the comments.

Gov. Gavin Newsom called Trump "dangerous and deranged," linking the remarks to the earlier deployment of National Guard troops and Marines to California. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said his city was not "expendable," while Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the comments "dangerous" and a potential threat to public safety. The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump also claimed the Iran war would end "very soon," without elaborating. He recently rejected an Iranian cease-fire proposal involving the Strait of Hormuz and renewed nuclear talks in exchange for U.S. concessions.

The final American forces have withdrawn from Iraq, closing out a military presence that began with the March 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. The departure drew little notice inside Iraq, a marked contrast to the upheaval of the early occupation, which reshaped the country's politics, security, and regional alignments for more than two decades.

The invasion's stated rationale shifted from eliminating weapons of mass destruction to building democracy, while decisions such as disbanding Iraq's 400,000-strong army fueled a Sunni insurgency, sectarian violence, and abuses including those at Abu Ghraib. That instability helped give rise to a precursor of the Islamic State and allowed Iran to expand influence over Iraqi politics and security institutions. The withdrawal marks a symbolic close to one of the most consequential U.S. military interventions of the post-Cold War era, whose political and security aftershocks continue to shape Iraq and the wider Middle East.

An 80-year-old Independence, Missouri man, James Lyon, has pleaded guilty in federal court to defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs of $124,262 through years of false claims about his military service.

Lyon admitted he refused Marine Corps training in 1966 as a conscientious objector but later falsely claimed he completed three separate periods of Marine Corps service, including combat in Vietnam, and fraudulently claimed to have earned the Bronze Star and Silver Star despite never serving in combat. He also lied to the VA about having been diagnosed with ALS, submitting fabricated medical records to obtain disability compensation based on the false diagnosis.

Lyon faces up to ten years in federal prison without parole, with sentencing to be scheduled following a presentence investigation. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri and investigated by the VA's Office of Inspector General, part of a broader federal push against benefits fraud under the Department of Justice's new National Fraud Enforcement Division.

President Donald Trump toured the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, and delivered remarks before signing the Hershel "Woody" Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act. Fifteen of the 65 living Medal of Honor recipients attended the event, including Captain Royce Williams, honored for a solo dogfight against seven Soviet pilots during the Korean War, along with several Global War on Terrorism veterans.

The new law authorizes the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., honoring recipients of the nation's highest military decoration. It is named for Woody Williams, a Marine who received the medal for destroying Japanese fortifications with a flamethrower during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.

First authorized in 1861, the Medal of Honor has been awarded 3,536 times to 3,517 recipients, with 19 individuals receiving it twice. The museum opened in March 2025 and has drawn praise since. Trump also made light remarks about awarding himself the medal, which he is barred from doing.

Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, 80, won the Democratic primary Tuesday over U.S. Representative Seth Moulton, 47, who had campaigned on generational change. Markey, in Congress for nearly 50 years, drew support from progressive leaders including Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Elizabeth Warren, along with most of the state's congressional delegation. Moulton, a moderate Marine Corps veteran, was backed by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, VoteVets, and The Boston Globe's editorial board, which praised his "proven leadership." Markey held a fundraising edge of nearly $2 million and led by double digits in polling. He is heavily favored in November in a state Kamala Harris won by nearly 25 points in 2024.

A similar generational contest is unfolding in Boston's 8th District, where moderate Representative Stephen Lynch, 71, faces progressive challenger Patrick Roath, 39, who has outraised Lynch and narrowed his polling lead. Democrats hold all Massachusetts House and Senate seats, and this year's primary winners will be strongly favored in the general election.