June 16, 2026 | By Cate Martel
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It’s Tuesday. The World Cup storyline of Scottish soccer fans taking over Boston has gotten even funnier. The Boston Globe reports that some bars literally ran out of beer last weekend. One bar’s COO says she had never seen anything like it in the 30 years the bar has been around. “We tripled St. Patrick’s Day.”
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FBI foils alleged White House UFC attack Bombshell report: Taxpayers funding half of Trump’s ballroom (!) Trump slams Israel during G7 Iran’s World Cup team ordered to quickly leave US Reflecting pool already turning green McDonald’s brings back fried pies
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The FBI thwarted an alleged attack at the UFC fight: |
Evan Vucci/Pool Photo via AP
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Federal authorities stopped a potential explosive-drone attack at Sunday’s White House’s UFC fight, FBI Director Kash Patel says.
What happened: A few days before the event, law enforcement became aware of a possible threat through Signal chats. The plans involved 23 people who were outside the Washington, D.C.-area. Patel did not disclose details of the alleged plan or the names of the suspects but says they have been arrested.
💬 Follow today’s live blog
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Taxpayers might actually be on the hook for this new ballroom: |
When President Trump announced he would build a massive ballroom and bunker at the White House, he said it was “taxpayer-free,” describing it as a “gift” to the U.S. It would be funded by private donors. He updated the project’s total cost a few times but always maintained it would not exceed $400 million.
Well, The Washington Post obtained the contractor estimate and reports the project will cost an estimated $600 million, with more than half coming from taxpayers.
The Post says the White House knew this all along: “Multiple project summaries provided to the White House by Clark Construction show that internal cost estimates have been significantly higher than administration officials have acknowledged in public comments or court filings. They also show that the work was projected to rely heavily on taxpayer dollars from the moment it was announced.”
The White House reportedly started working with Clark last June and a preliminary estimate said roughly $100 million would come from taxpayers. That estimate has repeatedly risen since then.
Read the Post’s reporting: ‘Records reveal $600M estimate for Trump’s ballroom project, with half from taxpayers’
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Trump has had a lot to say about Iran today: |
Details of the preliminary U.S.-Iran peace deal are sparce, but President Trump spoke publicly about the agreement while at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in France.
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Here’s what we’ve learned: |
Congress will review the Iran deal: Trump says he will send the U.S.-Iran peace deal to Congress for approval.
The next stage of negotiations: “We have our deal done with Iran and it should be successful. It goes to a second stage which I think will be actually easier,” Trump said.
Some of his most pointed criticism of Israel: Trump said today that there “would be no Israel” without him. “Without me, there would be no Israel because no other president was willing to do what I did,” Trump said.”
^ Specifically, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “I have had a great relationship with Bibi. Now Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,” Trump said.
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Trump says he’s having dinner at Versailles on Wednesday: “I am a fan of beautiful places, and I was leaving in the afternoon and the French president who happens to be a very nice man invited me to dinner,” Trump said. He then noted that “Versailles is not gold leaf. It’s the real deal.”
Trump plans to meet with Zelensky: The president says he plans to meet again with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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ARE REPUBLICANS SUPPORTIVE OF THIS IRAN DEAL? |
“Republican senators are holding back from embracing President Trump’s announced peace deal with Iran, telling reporters that they need more details about the agreement and whether it would stop Iran’s nuclear program before providing judgment,” The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports.
What we know: “Trump’s Republican allies on Capitol Hill have said since the United States and Israel launched strikes in February that Iran cannot be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, but they say they can’t assess whether the new memorandum of understanding (MOU) will achieve that objective because they have yet to review it.”
Read Bolton’s reporting: ‘Senate GOP has many questions about Trump’s Iran deal’
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Iran’s World Cup coach says they had to quickly skedaddle: |
The coach of Iran’s World Cup soccer team says his team was ordered to leave the U.S. right after its opening game against New Zealand.
The coach says the team didn’t have time to “recover” and had to quickly return to Tijuana, Mexico.
In the coach’s words: “After the game today, they said to us, ‘You have to leave immediately.’ It’s very important for us to have time for recovery, [but] we are asked to get on a plane and return to our camp in Tijuana, and we are really troubled by that,” Amir Ghalenoei said through an interpreter, according to The Associated Press (AP).
Who ordered Iran’s team to quickly leave?: He did not say.
When is Iran’s next World Cup game?: Sunday, playing against Belgium
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Follow Washington closely? Something new is coming
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The Hill Insider launches July 2026. Premium access to the reporting and analysis most readers never see. Be among the first inside.
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— Photos of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool show it is already filled with green algae. Remember, the Trump administration just paid $13 million to renovate and paint it dark blue. An Interior Department spokesperson says it is “residual algae” but an expert told Washingtonian the new dark blue color may have exacerbated the algae problem.
— The COVID-19 vaccine lowered the risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to new research. Read more
— Vice President Vance’s new book, “Communion,” is out today. It’s about his conversion to Catholicism. Takeaways from Vance’s book
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The House is out. The Senate is in. President Trump is in France for the Group of Seven (G7) summit. (All times EDT)
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12:30 p.m. Senators meet for weekly caucus meetings. 📆 Today’s agenda
1:15 p.m. Trump attends a cultural performance and concert in Evian, France.
2:15 p.m. Trump attends a G7 Leaders’ social dinner.
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🍫 Celebrate: Today is National Fudge Day!
🍟 Who remembers McDonald’s fried apple pies?: McDonald’s is bringing back its fried apple pies for the first time in more than 30 years for America’s 250th birthday! They will return for a limited time, beginning on June 23.
🀄 Mah-jongg is having a moment: The Atlantic’s Ashley Parker took up the game of mah-jongg — and her reporting is a good read.
Excerpt: “Until recently, mah-jongg was mainly played by older Chinese Americans (both men and women) and Jewish women. But as I started dabbling in the game, and as my social-media feed mysteriously filled with mah-jongg content, I noticed what I began to think of as the Lilly Pulitzerization of mah-jongg. Or, put more bluntly, Bougie White Woman Mah-Jongg.” Read: ‘My Descent Into Mah-Jongg: The game seems to be everywhere, all at once.’
🧼 Antibacterial soap is not the better choice: Antibacterial soap is actually not better for you, according to a column today in The Washington Post. In fact, it may be breeding superbugs. Read: ‘The dirty secret in your soap’
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