Trump says Senate hearing on DNI nominee is cancelled until US attorney replacement confirmed
President Donald Trump declared in an early Wednesday morning Truth Social post that a scheduled Senate hearing on Jay Clayton’s nomination to serve as director of national intelligence would not move forward Wednesday. The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has a hearing on Clayton’s nomination for DNI scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. But the president said the hearing will not take place until Jamie McDonald has been confirmed to fill the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York post. President Trump tied the move to an ongoing dispute over renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, claiming Democrats had backed away from an agreement pertaining to acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte and the surveillance authority. The provision allows U.S. intelligence agencies to collect communications of foreign targets located outside the U.S. TRUMP PICKS JAMES MCDONALD TO LEAD POWERFUL SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK AFTER JAY CLAYTON’S DEPARTURE The president further said he would not support renewal of FISA authorities unless Congress also advances the SAVE AMERICA ACT, a voting-security measure backed by the administration. Clayton’s hearing had been scheduled amid a broader debate over the future of U.S. intelligence leadership and the reauthorization of key surveillance authorities. TRUMP NOMINATES JAY CLAYTON, FORMER SEC CHAIRMAN, CURRENT US ATTORNEY, AS INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR “Regarding the approval of our Great Patriot, Jay Clayton, we are cancelling the Senate Hearing RE: DNI today, and will not be going forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to be U.S. Attorney. In the meantime, Bill Pulte will remain as the Acting Director of National Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Wednesday. Pulte “will take over on June 19th,” the president declared in a post last week. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP “The Republicans agreed with Dumocrats to remove very fair, and talented, William Pulte, from serving as Acting DNI in return for getting FISA approved by the Dumocrats. However, the Republicans moved so fast with the hearings of the Great Jay Clayton, current U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, that Pulte would be gone before the Dumocrats would vote on FISA. Now, the Dumocrats are saying they will vote against FISA — So, the Republicans wound up having fulfilled their commitment, but Dumocrats broke the Deal,” Trump said in his post on Wednesday morning. REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: LAWMAKERS SCRAMBLE AS FISA FIGHT COMES AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME “In addition, the newly nominated U.S. Attorney, Jamie McDonald, must be confirmed and blue slipped. Because of the ridiculous views of Republicans on blue slipping (Dumocrats are often willing to nix it), I may not be able to get the extraordinary Sullivan & Cromwell Partner, Jamie, approved, and I don’t want to take Jay Clayton away from the great job he is doing until Jamie is in place. Therefore, to add a slight bit of intrigue but, for the Good of the Nation, and the People of our Country, I will not approve FISA without THE SAVE AMERICA ACT going along with it. Not complicated, actually, the Republicans fell into a trap,” he added. The Associated Press contributed to this report
No one knows if Trump’s DNI pick will have his confirmation hearing after Truth Social bomb
Former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Walter “Jay” Clayton was set to face senators at what was expected to be a tense confirmation hearing to become director of national intelligence Wednesday. But President Donald Trump abruptly halted the proceedings, declaring in an early morning Truth Social post that Clayton’s confirmation hearing would not move forward Wednesday. While Trump commands a great deal of authority, he can’t cancel a hearing on the Hill on his own. The president can “withdraw” a nominee, or neglect to send the paperwork to Capitol Hill lawmakers if there’s an issue of timing, but he has not indicated he will do either. Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton said Wednesday that Clayton is a pending nominee before the committee. “We will proceed with his hearing as scheduled unless the president directs him not to appear or withdraws his nomination,” he said. Sources familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that it’d be “hard to have a hearing without a witness.” The presumably postponed hearing had been set against the backdrop of’ Democrats’ weeks-long uproar over President Donald Trump’s temporary pick for the job — homebuilder scion and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. Clayton is currently serving as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, which is considered the most prominent of the dozens of national posts – with alumni ranging from Rudy Giuliani to Preet Bharara. TRUMP NOMINATES JAY CLAYTON, FORMER SEC CHAIRMAN, CURRENT US ATTORNEY, AS INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a top Trump critic, told reporters Tuesday that concerns over Pulte could actually help push Clayton through once he appears before the Intelligence Committee. “[I] would love to hear some reassurance from the White House that Bill Pulte is not going to take over as DNI, even for a very short period of time, but that I don’t anticipate that coming,” he said. Kelly said that Pulte looming over the intelligence community might be an “incentive” to move Clayton through “on a faster timeline.” TRUMP NAMES BILL PULTE ACTING DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE “But to do that, we have to have everybody in the committee,” he said. Democrats have accused Pulte of playing politics with his powers at FHFA and worry that his lack of intel credentials and alleged partisanship endanger the role of DNI. Trump dismissed such claims, saying “Dumocrats” are inordinately “afraid” of Pulte. WHY TRUMP PICKED BILL PULTE TO LEAD US INTELLIGENCE AS CRITICS QUESTION HIS QUALIFICATIONS Clayton, meanwhile, is expected to come before Congress with a resume that may be easier for Democrats to digest in the narrow-GOP-majority upper chamber. While Clayton also doesn’t come from the intel community, he does have the prosecutorial chops some critics may be assuaged by. As SDNY’s top federal prosecutor, Clayton has overseen cases involving violent crime, drug trafficking, Wall Street-related enforcement and national security matters, while avoiding public controversy of other Trump picks. SENATE PUSH TO REAUTHORIZE NATION’S SPY POWERS STUMBLES OVER CONTROVERSIAL TRUMP DECISION Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said that Clayton’s role as SDNY does crossover into intelligence matters. “Jay Clayton is an eminently qualified individual to become the new director of national intelligence. And so we are looking forward to processing him this week. [Intelligence Committee] Chairman Cotton will be … [holding] his confirmation hearing tomorrow… and hopefully reporting him out later in the week.” Returning to concerns over Democrat roadblocks for another Trump pick, Thune noted it would take cooperation of the minority party to fast-track the nomination. It remains unclear when Clayton’s confirmation hearing will be rescheduled or whether Democrats will cooperate with efforts to move his nomination quickly. Fox News’ Chad Pergram and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
A problem hiding in plain sight is keeping Americans from buying homes
Builders reveal a critical labor shortage in their field is fueling the housing affordability crisis in America. America needs more homes, but the industry doesn’t have nearly enough workers to build them. With too few skilled laborers to meet the growing demand, construction is taking longer, costs are rising and, as a result, the much-needed housing supply in the U.S. remains constrained. Experts in the industry point to an aging workforce, a lack of younger Americans entering the skilled trades and immigration policies that they say have failed to keep pace with labor needs. “Labor is one of the largest and most expensive inputs when it comes to home production and land development,” Jim Tobin, president and CEO of the National Association of Home Builders, told Fox News Digital. THE SURPRISING HOUSING STRATEGY FUELING GROWTH ACROSS AMERICA’S FASTEST-GROWING RED STATES He said that every month, the construction industry is short by approximately 250,000 workers. “It’s been as high as 400,000 jobs short when we were really cooking along a few years ago,” Tobin said, adding that the labor gap “is a persistent shortage.” And the industry’s labor needs are only expected to grow in coming years. A recent Home Builders Institute and National Association of Home Builders report estimates builders will need roughly 723,000 new workers annually to keep pace with demand and help close the nation’s 1.5 million-home housing gap. ONE TYPE OF PROPERTY IS QUIETLY SAVING AMERICANS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS The shortage is already affecting how quickly homes can be built. According to Home Builders Institute President and CEO Ed Brady, labor constraints are extending construction timelines and driving up costs. “This shortage adds nearly two extra months to building timelines, inflating costs and delaying delivery,” Brady told Fox News Digital. Builders say replenishing the skilled trades pipeline is only part of the solution. While builders continue to invest in workforce development programs and encourage more young Americans to enter the skilled trades, Tobin argued for immigration reform measures that he says will benefit the industry. FLORIDA AND TEXAS ARE BATTLING FOR NEW RESIDENTS. DESANTIS THINKS HE FOUND AN ADVANTAGE “It’s not only about training more people to come into the industry as our current generation ages out of the skilled trades, but it’s also the immigration problem that we have in this country,” he said. Tobin said many construction jobs do not require a four-year college degree and can provide stable, middle-class careers, but the home construction industry has struggled for years to attract enough workers to replace retiring tradespeople. At the same time, builders have become increasingly reliant on immigrant labor. According to the National Association of Home Builders, immigrants account for roughly one-third of the homebuilding contractor workforce. Tobin called on lawmakers to modernize the nation’s immigration system, including creating legal pathways for workers already in the country and expanding visa opportunities for those seeking construction jobs. “We’ve got to find a way to modernize our immigration laws,” Tobin said. “We’ve got to create a visa system for people who want to work legally in this country, in the construction industry.” Without additional workers entering the labor force, Tobin said, builders will continue to face challenges meeting housing demand and bringing more homes to market.
Trump wins two, loses one: Georgia billionaire delivers rare blow to endorsement machine
ATLANTA, GA. – He wasn’t on the ballot, but President Donald Trump‘s immense clout over the GOP faced more key tests in high-stakes Republican runoffs in Georgia and in neighboring Alabama Tuesday. While the power of a Trump endorsement in Republican primaries didn’t escape unscathed, Trump-backed candidates won two of the three top races, with the one setback coming against a billionaire businessman who shelled out over $100 million of his own money to boost his campaign. Rep. Barry Moore, a House Freedom Caucus member and longtime Trump supporter who was endorsed by the president, comfortably defeated rival Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL sniper who was supported by some top names on the right, in solidly red Alabama’s GOP Senate runoff. TRUMP NOTCHES ANOTHER ENDORSEMENT WIN In battleground Georgia’s Republican Senate runoff, an 11th hour endorsement by Trump this past weekend helped boost Rep. Mike Collins, a MAGA champion, to victory over former college football coach Derek Dooley, who was backed by popular conservative Gov. Brian Kemp. Collins will face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in the general election in a race that’s among a handful that will likely decide if the GOP holds its slim majority in the chamber in the midterms. The president quickly pledged that he would “be doing Big TRUMP Rallies for Mike in Georgia.” TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE SURVIVES GRUELING REPUBLICAN RUNOFF But in Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial runoff, the candidate Trump backed, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who was also endorsed by Kemp this past weekend, was defeated by Rick Jackson, who ran as an outsider. Jones regularly showcased his Trump endorsement, but Jackson, who launched his bid in February long after the president had endorsed Jones, repeatedly said that Trump had inspired him to run. “I just thought, you know, if you had somebody doing business solutions for the state of Georgia, just like Trump is for the United States, I just felt like I would have a major impact on the state of Georgia, and so that was one of the reasons I wanted to get in. I was inspired by President Trump,” Jackson told Fox News Digital recently. And he continuously highlighted that, like Trump, he’s an outsider and businessman. “I’m going to be Trump’s favorite governor because we’re just alike on the way that we handle business and handle problems, and I want to do exactly in Georgia what he’s doing at the federal government,” he reiterated in a Fox News Digital interview Sunday. TRUMP ENDORSEMENT FAILS TO SAVE MAGA CANDIDATE Trump, in Europe for the G7 Summit, praised Jackson. “Rick Jackson ran a great TRUMP Campaign. Very smart! Was with me on Saturday Night making a pitch. Amazing!!!,” the president wrote on social media, as he pointed to Jackson’s meeting this past weekend with the president in Virginia at a top dollar MAGA Inc fundraiser. And pointing to Jones, Trump added that Jackson “won against a great guy, Burt Jones, who has a fantastic future!!!” The brute force of the president’s endorsement power has been on display in GOP primaries over the past six weeks, with his candidates ousting incumbents he targeted in showdowns in Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky and Texas that grabbed plenty of national attention. But Trump’s endorsement streak in statewide and congressional Republican primaries was snapped two weeks ago when his 11th-hour endorsement of Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa in the race to succeed retiring GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds wasn’t enough to propel the three-term congressman to victory. Feenstra was narrowly edged by Zach Lahn, a businessman, farmer and former political strategist who was backed by the political wings of MAHA — the acronym for the Make America Healthy Again movement aligned with Trump Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and Turning Point USA, the powerful conservative organization co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk. Trump rebounded last week, as the candidate he endorsed in the South Carolina GOP gubernatorial primary, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, finished first in a crowded field and clinched one of the two tickets in the race for the nomination. Meanwhile, longtime Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham did win a majority of the vote in the Republican Senate primary, and avoided a runoff. Graham, who was endorsed by Trump, was facing primary challenges from five candidates, including conservative businessman Mark Lynch, who took aim at the senator over his support for the war in Iran. Lynch was backed by some MAGA leaders who have been critical of the president. A Trump political operative, pointing to Tuesday’s loss by Trump-backed Jones, noted that “Rick Jackson set a record for spending in a statewide Republican primary. He spent Tom Steyer level money in a state a fraction of the size of California. That’s going to have an impact.” And the operative, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, also emphasized that “Rick bearhugged Trump. All of his ads and material was about how he’s going to be Trump’s favorite governor. So the race was not really a referendum on Trump.” Veteran Republican strategist Matt Gorman told Fox News Digital that “Rick was a great candidate. Trump’s endorsement can’t do all the work. It’s a massive value add but it’s not a panacea. Now the focus is on coming together for the fall.” Jackson was endorsed at the last minute by Sen. Ted Cruz, and the conservative firebrand from Texas joined Jackson on the campaign trail for a runoff eve rally. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB “Rick has an extraordinary record, an extraordinary life story. And I also think he’s positioned to win. And the stakes are too high. This election is a battleground all across the country. We can’t afford to lose Georgia,” Cruz told Fox News Digital. When Cruz endorsed Jackson on Friday, he also supported South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who is facing off in a week against Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. Asked if he’s trying to put some daylight between himself and the
Top SPLC official allegedly funneled $1.2M to neo-Nazi informant who was secret romantic partner
A top Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) official has been accused of helping funnel more than $1.2 million in donor funds to a confidential informant who infiltrated a neo-Nazi organization — a source prosecutors say was also the official’s secret romantic partner. The details were revealed in a superseding indictment filed June 2 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) against the SPLC, which has faced mounting scrutiny over allegations that it funded individuals tied to extremist groups it publicly opposed. According to the document, the director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project was in a secret romantic relationship with a paid field source who infiltrated a neo-Nazi organization known as the National Alliance at the direction of SPLC. The SPLC director reportedly shared a home with the source and allegedly used a fake company to funnel charitable funds to the partner. A significant portion of the money reportedly ended up in a shared bank account used to fund their life together. NEO-NAZIS, ‘SADISTIC’ BIKERS AND CHARLOTTESVILLE ORGANIZER: 5 OF THE MOST SHOCKING SPLC INFORMANTS Based on details laid out in the superseding indictment, the individual was identified only as the “person who would become Director of the SPLC’s Intelligence Project.” The official reportedly conducted the financial transactions between 2015 and 2021. According to congressional and SPLC documents, the director at that time was Heidi L. Beirich, an extremism researcher who served in the role from 2012 to 2019. The SPLC declined to comment to Fox News Digital. DOJ SAYS SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER FUNNELED $3M+ TO WHITE SUPREMACIST AND EXTREMIST GROUPS Prosecutors allege that a fake shell company created by the SPLC, known as “Tech Writers,” was used to funnel donor money directly to the official’s romantic partner. “The SPLC actively led donors to believe that their donations would be used to ‘dismantle’ violent extremist groups,” the indictment stated. “However, the SPLC hid from donors the fact that a portion of their donated funds was being secretly used to support extremist groups and to fund their violent, racist, and extremist activities.” Investigators reportedly traced roughly $140,000 in donor funds directly from the SPLC’s main operating account through the Tech Writers shell company and ultimately into the couple’s shared personal bank account. Prosecutors said those funds accounted for roughly two-thirds of the money held in the couple’s joint accounts and were used to pay everyday household and living expenses.
GOP Gov DeWine urges Ohio to abolish the death penalty, says it is no longer a deterrent
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, on Tuesday announced support for abolishing capital punishment in his state, reaffirming his change of heart on the policy he helped write as a legislator 45 years ago to reinstate the death penalty in Ohio. DeWine, who has repeatedly postponed executions during his time as governor, pointed to data showing that the death penalty does not serve as a deterrent to violent crime. “For the state to take a human life, there must, in my opinion, there must be evidence that in doing so it will help protect the public, that the threat of that action will deter someone from committing murder,” DeWine said at a news conference. “I do not believe that argument today can be successfully made, nor do I believe that there’s any chance in the future the facts that I’ve cited to support that belief will change,” he said. “Therefore, I believe Ohio should abolish the death penalty.” TEXAS LAWMAKER PROPOSES BILL TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY IN LONE STAR STATE: ‘I THINK SENTIMENT IS CHANGING’ As he made his case, DeWine brought out charts and graphs showing the decline in both the number of death sentences handed down by courts and the quantity of executions being carried out. The data also showed the exceedingly long wait times as legal appeals play out for inmates on death row. The governor said condemned murderers are increasingly unlikely to be executed, as they sometimes die by natural causes or by suicide before they can be executed. “Even if the murderer is caught, indicted, convicted and sentenced to death, the odds are still pretty good they’re not going to be executed,” he said. “In summary, each decade that the death penalty has been in effect, the chances of a murderer getting executed get more and more and more remote,” he added. The last 10 people to be executed in Ohio had been on death row between 14 and 32 years, he said. Since the state reinstated capital punishment in 1981 under a law co-written by DeWine, 56 people who received the death sentence have been executed and 41 died by natural causes or suicide while on death row. Another 89 death sentences were overturned due to “judicial action” such as legal errors. DeWine emphasized the years of pain for victims’ loved ones due to the delays and the impact on the mental health of state employees who work on execution teams. UTAH DEATH ROW INMATE WITH DEMENTIA DIES OF NATURAL CAUSES 3 MONTHS AFTER EXECUTION WAS HALTED “I no longer believe the death penalty is a deterrent to murder,” DeWine said. “The moral justification I had for voting for the death penalty simply no longer exists.” The governor, who is term-limited and cannot seek another term in the 2026 election, said he felt compelled to share his thoughts now after 50 years of experience with the death penalty issue, including as a Greene County prosecutor, a member of the U.S. House and Senate and as Ohio’s attorney general. However, he said his outright opposition to the death penalty has become solidified in the past year. DeWine urged the legislature to abolish the death penalty or to leave it up to state residents to vote on the issue, although Republican House Speaker Matt Huffman has said he would oppose such an effort. Other supporters of capital punishment have argued that Ohio’s yearslong execution pause has denied justice to victims’ families and weakened the deterrent effect of death sentences. DeWine has not authorized an execution since taking office seven years ago, citing, on numerous occasions, pharmaceutical suppliers’ unwillingness to provide the drugs used in lethal injections. Last year, President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Justice Department to help states to resolve that issue. In January 2025, President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Justice Department to help states resolve that issue. The governor has said he expects no more executions during the remainder of his term. Delaying executions has left Ohio with 30 scheduled over the next four years, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. The state has not put an inmate to death since July 18, 2018, before DeWine took office. “The most important way to protect the public is to lock up violent criminals and to keep them out of society,” DeWine said. “That is a proven way of saving lives and protecting our citizens. Our money and energies are much better spent focusing on keeping these repeat violent offenders out of society.” Currently, 27 states allow the death penalty while 23 states and Washington, D.C., do not, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Since 2019, including that year, three states have abolished capital punishment, while five states now authorize nitrogen hypoxia as an execution method amid ongoing controversy over lethal injection protocols. At the federal level, Trump has pushed to expand executions. During his first term, 13 federal executions were carried out, which was more than any president in modern history. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Messi hat-trick fires holders Argentina to win over Algeria at World Cup
Argentina open defence of their World Cup crown with a Lionel Messi-inspired 3-0 win against Algeria at 2026 edition. Published On 17 Jun 202617 Jun 2026 Lionel Messi marked his record sixth World Cup appearance with his first hat-trick at a FIFA tournament – also becoming the joint-highest scorer at a World Cup – as Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 to open the defence of their global crown. The former 38-year-old forward thought he had opened the scoring in the eighth minute in Kansas City on Tuesday when he slotted home from close range, but the offside flag was raised. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The dream start to his record-setting appearance, which will be matched by Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday, was not to be denied for long, though. A trademark, mazy run was capped by a drive on the edge of the box from that famed left foot. The power was too much for Algeria keeper Luca Zidane, son of World Cup winner with France, Zinedine. Messi doubled his tally on the hour mark with a simple tap-in from a rebound off the keeper following a drive from Alexis Mac Allister. The moment that was magical even for a player as decorated as Messi came in the 76th minute when he drilled low past the keeper from just outside the box. The strike took Messi level with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals. His substitution came just three minutes later to a standing ovation – even old maestro seemed disappointed to be removed, and most likely rested for Argentina’s tilt at becoming only the third side to defend a World Cup title. Algeria – the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations winners – offered little, but were themselves denied an early goal when Fares Chaibi’s ninth-minute strike was ruled out for offside. Advertisement Messi saw to it that there was no opening game upset to be had at this edition, with Argentina having lost their opening game at Qatar 2022 to Saudi Arabia before defeating France in the final. The iconic Argentinian number 10, who spent the majority of his club career in Spain with Barcelona before moving to French giants Paris Saint-Germain, plies his trade in US football’s Major League Soccer with Inter Miami. It was during an end-of-season game for Miami that he sustained a minor hamstring injury that slowed him down in the lead-up to the World Cup. But the eight-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, which honours global football’s best player, had no problems in a tune-up last week with Iceland, scoring on a penalty kick while playing for 20 minutes. Messi’s appearance against Algeria was the 200th of his international career, which began in 2005 at the age of 18. The only players with more are Portugal’s Ronaldo, who will play in his 229th on Wednesday, and Kuwait’s Bader Al-Mutawa, who played in 202. The Argentinian’s hat-trick also upstaged two of football’s other big stars – Kylian Mbappe of France and Erling Haaland of Norway – who had big games on Tuesday. Mbappe scored twice in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal earlier in the day and is tied for fourth on the World Cup scoring list with 14, while Haaland scored twice for Norway in their 4-1 win over Iraq. Jordan and Austria open their account in the group later on Tuesday in San Francisco. Argentina next face Austria on Monday. Adblock test (Why?)
Russian drone strikes residential building in Ukraine
NewsFeed A suspected Russian drone attack on a residential building in Ukraine has injured at least seven people. Emergency services responded as fire ripped through the building in Zaporizhzhia. Published On 17 Jun 202617 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Trump administration seeks to halt air pollution lawsuit against xAI
US Department of Justice claims NAACP lawsuit threatens ‘national, economic, and energy security’. The United States government has intervened on the side of Elon Musk’s xAI in a legal dispute over the environmental impact of a $20bn data centre in Tennessee, claiming that efforts to block a related power project threaten national security. In a court motion filed this week, the Department of Justice requested the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing xAI of illegally operating dozens of natural gas turbines at a Southaven, Mississippi facility constructed to power the Colossus 2 data center in nearby Memphis, Tennessee. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the largest civil rights group for African Americans, filed the lawsuit in April under the 1963 Clean Energy Act, which allows citizens to seek injunctions and civil penalties against alleged polluters. The NAACP alleges that xAI erected the turbines without obtaining the necessary permits, exposing hundreds of thousands of residents in Mississippi and neighbouring Tennessee to harmful pollutants linked to “increases in asthma, respiratory diseases, heart problems, and certain cancers”. The lawsuit notes that a “much larger share” of residents are Black compared with the US general population. In its motion, filed in a US District Court on Monday, the Justice Department accused the NAACP of threatening “national, economic, and energy security by seeking to shut off the power supply for artificial intelligence innovation that supports the Department of War’s military operations”. The motion also claims that the US Constitution vests the power to seek civil penalties “conclusively and preclusively” in the executive branch, including the “discretion to decide when such an enforcement action is unwarranted or inconsistent with federal enforcement priorities”. Advertisement Adam Gustafson, the top prosecutor at the Justice Department’s environment and natural resources division, said in a statement that the government would “not sit idly by while private organisations use environmental laws to undermine our national security”. xAI, which is a subsidiary of Musk’s SpaceX, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Elon Musk listens to a speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a state dinner with US President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, on May 14, 2026 [File: Mark Schiefelbein/AP] Earthjustice, an advocacy group representing the NAACP in the lawsuit, condemned the intervention as a “massive power grab” by President Donald Trump’s administration. “Trump’s Justice Department wants to shield Elon Musk’s data center company, xAI, from being held accountable for its illegal pollution – and it’s attempting to grab power from impacted communities, the courts, and Congress to do so. There is no moral or legal precedent for this,” Laura Thoms, director of enforcement for Earthjustice, said in a statement. Abre’ Conner, director of environmental and climate justice at the NAACP, said that polluters should not benefit “at the expense of the health of Black communities”. “Laws like the Clean Air Act are a bedrock insurance policy for communities to hold polluters accountable for decisions that cause them harm,” Conner said in a statement. “This should not be up for debate, and the NAACP will continue to stand up for democracy and against federal bullying and authoritarianism.” The Trump administration has cultivated close ties with Musk, the world’s richest man, tapping the tech titan as a temporary cost-cutting tsar and using xAI’s flagship model Grok in the Pentagon’s drive to become an “AI-enabled fighting force”. In testimony in support of Monday’s motion, Cameron Stanley, the Pentagon’s top official for AI, said that Grok had been used to launch more than 2,000 munitions at 2,000 targets within the first 96 hours of the US-Israel war on Iran. If Grok cannot be deployed and upgraded due to “limitations in energy supply or limited reserve compute capability”, numerous tools used by the Pentagon would be “severely impacted”, Stanley said in a declaration made under oath. Adblock test (Why?)
CBSE whistleblower Sarthak Sidhant slams ban on Telegram ahead of NEET-UG re-exam: ‘A bad idea’
His comments came after the Centre announced a temporary ban on Telegram ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, due to be held on June 21. Sidhant came into the limelight after investigating the Central Board of Secondary Education’s controversial OSM system and related tender documents.