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The vice president remarked on a reporter referring to him as a “potential future candidate” to say: “I’m not a potential future candidate. I’m a vice president.”

“I really like my job, and I’m going to try to do as good of a job as I can,” Vance said.

The vice president has said similar when brushing aside questions about whether he will run for the White House in 2028.

Vance said that the expected encyclical from Pope Leo XIV on artificial intelligence will be “very important” and “have some influence,” but he said he may or may not agree with its findings.

Vance noted that the previous Pope Leo led the Roman Catholic church during the industrial revolution and a transformation that, “according to a lot of people, led to the rise of fascism and communism in Europe.”

Vance said the Trump administration wants to take a “pro-innovation” approach to AI and outpace other countries in developing the technology.

But the vice president said the administration wants to protect people’s data and privacy as AI is developed for both the economy and national security.

“I’m not going to get ahead of the executive order or any other actions that are going to come out, but we’re trying to balance those two things” regarding innovation and protecting people’s privacy, Vance said.

As he defended the new Justice Department weaponization fund, the vice president said unequivocally that neither the president, his administration, nor his family will benefit from the new $1.8 billion pot of money.

“Is a dollar of this money going to the Trump administration? No,” Vance said. “Is a dollar of this money going to Donald Trump personally? No. Is a dollar of this money going to Donald Trump’s family? No.”

Vance said that anyone can apply to be compensated from the fund and defended using taxpayer money for it.

“Whenever the United States government incurs legal expenses, it pays out those legal expenses,” Vance said.

Vice President JD Vance resurrected the Cold War-era “domino theory” to justify the Iran war, saying that a failure to stop that country’s nuclear ambitions would lead to other countries pursuing atomic weapons.

“If you have every country in the world scrambling to try to get a nuclear weapon, it would make us all much less safe,” Vance told reporters at the White House briefing. “And Iran would really be the first domino.”

During the Cold War with the Soviet Union, U.S. policymakers argued that if a country went communist, it could cause neighboring nations to fall like dominoes into communism as well.

This led to efforts to contain the spread of communism and resulted in American interventions in Vietnam and other nations.

The Vietnam War lasted nearly 20 years.

With his briefing coming shortly after Trump’s endorsement in the Texas Senate primary, the vice president stressed that Paxton will be a “great senator for the people of Texas.”

Echoing Trump’s endorsement statement, Vance noted that he has known Cornyn for a long time, but that ultimately, Paxton was the one who was there for the president.

“I think the message that people should take from this is fundamentally, you have got to serve the people who sent you,” Vance said. “And if you don’t do that, you’re going to find yourself out of step with voters or out of step with the president of the United States. And that’s not a good place to be politically.”

The vice president began his turn in the White House press briefing room on Tuesday by making a joke about what reporters to avoid.

“I’ve got my cheat sheet here, so I know who to call on, most importantly, who not to call on,” Vance quipped. (Rubio, during his stint at the lectern, made a similar joke.)

In his opening remarks, Vance announced that he would deliver the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy next week and touted the work of his anti-fraud task force.

The secretary of state will travel this week to a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Sweden, where U.S. plans to reduce troop levels in Europe, coupled with Trump’s often inconsistent stance on the alliance, have raised concerns as the world grapples with the fallout from the war with Iran and rising energy prices.

The Department of State said Tuesday that Rubio would attend the NATO meeting in Helsingborg on Friday before traveling on to India, where he plans to visit four cities, including Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi.

In Sweden, Rubio will call “for increased defense investment and greater burden sharing in the alliance,” the department said in a statement. It added that he would also focus on Arctic issues. The statement did not mention Greenland by name, but Trump has rankled Europeans with persistent talk of taking over the Danish territory.

Trump has endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, supercharging his effort to oust incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a Republican primary runoff.

Paxton and Cornyn qualified for the May 26 runoff after a March 3 primary, while Congressman Wesley Hunt finished third and did not advance.

Although the four-term Cornyn has backed Trump’s agenda in Washington, Paxton pitched himself as a political warrior for the Make America Great Again movement. Trump’s endorsement Tuesday puts him at odds with his party’s establishment, which is convinced Cornyn is the better candidate for November’s general election.

The runoff has been shaping up as a bitter and expensive battle for the future of the Republican Party.

The Democrats nominated Texas State Rep. James Talarico as their Senate candidate.

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In a brief appearance before reporters, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration would “lean into” Ebola response efforts “pretty heavy” with a priority on funding 50 emergency clinics in affected areas.

“It’s a little tough to get to because it’s in a rural area. So, it’s a kind of confined and hard-to-get-to place in a war-torn country, unfortunately.”

The U.S. has so far contributed $13 million to the effort and Rubio said more would be coming.

Rubio said, adding that the lead agencies in the response would be the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, which Trump withdrew from last year and which Rubio complained had been “a little late to identify this thing, unfortunately.”

The State Department is strongly urging Americans against any travel to the Congo, South Sudan and Uganda after the outbreak of a rare Ebola virus strain there and advising Americans to reconsider visiting Rwanda.

The heightened advisories date back to Sunday when the World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international public health emergency. The advisories expand on similar warnings issued on May 15 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is taking the lead on the U.S. response to the virus.

Of the four, only South Sudan had previously been identified as a Level 4 – Do Not Travel – country due to unrest. Congo and Uganda had previously been identified as Level 3 – Reconsider Travel – and Rwanda as Level 2 – Exercise Increased Caution. Level 4 is the most severe warning that the State Department issues.

Adm. Brad Cooper, the top U.S. military leader in the Middle East, was questioned about reports on Iran’s missile capabilities during Tuesday’s hearing before the House Armed Services Committee.

The New York Times and other publications have reported that U.S. intelligence assessments have found that Iran regained access to many of its missile sites and underground facilities following U.S. and Israeli military strikes.

Cooper, the leader of U.S. Central Command, said the reports were inaccurate. He did not elaborate.

Republicans pressed acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about violent crime, drug enforcement and other conventional Justice Department topics.

But for the most part, they’re steering clear of the Justice Department’s creation of a new $1.776 fund created to compensate allies of President Trump who say they’ve been mistreated by the criminal justice system and Democrats. That’s in contrast to their Democratic counterparts, who routinely pressed Blanche on the fund.

The primary exception on the GOP side was Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who asked Blanche about the fund.

The president said he would be making an announcement in the early afternoon in the contest between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn or state Attorney General Ken Paxton, “And I hope you find it good.”

Trump didn’t say who he would endorse but said, “I’ve pretty much always known who I was going to endorse.”

During a hearing Tuesday, Democrat Rep. John Garamendi asked Adm. Brad Cooper whether the Pentagon’s assessment is that hostilities between Tehran and Washington have been halted since the ceasefire was announced last month.

Cooper continued to testify that the U.S. remained in a ceasefire despite several attacks from both sides in the last several weeks.

“That’s not my question,” Garamendi said. “My question was is the military assessment that hostilities have ceased since April?” Cooper responded that was his assessment but added that “Iran pushes it.”

There have been reports that China, which has close ties to Iran, has considered sending weapons for use in the conflict against the United States.

But Trump says Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that wasn’t the case.

“He promised that he’s not sending any weapons,” Trump told reporters after he was asked about the reports.

The leaders held two days of in-person talks last week in Beijing.

China’s foreign ministry has denied the reports.

Thune told reporters he isn’t sure how the administration intends to use it, but said “I don’t see a purpose for that.”

Thune’s comments come after Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who lost reelection in a GOP primary Saturday, called it a “slush fund” on Monday.

“We are a nation of laws,” Cassidy said. “You can’t just make up things.”

It is unclear, though, if Republicans will try to block the funding.

The House Armed Services Committee’s ranking Democrat pressed the top U.S. military leader in the Middle East for information on the bombing of a school that killed more than 165 people when the U.S. and Israel launched the Iran war.

Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads U.S. Central Command, said the bombing is still under investigation. He said the strike was complex, noting how the school was on a missile site operated by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

Cooper said he’s committed to transparency once the investigation is complete. But Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington said, “I do not trust that answer.”

Smith said he respects Cooper, but accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of showing a “callous disregard” for protecting civilian life.

Under questioning from Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, Blanche said he “will definitely encourage the commission” responsible for deciding on the payouts to “take everything into account.”

He also said he’ll commit to “making sure that the commissioners are effectively doing their jobs and that includes setting your guidelines.”

But he declined to explicitly rule out the idea that people implicated in the violence of Jan 6. could apply for payments from the fund, which was set up to pay people who believe they’ve been mistreated by the criminal justice system.

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions against four people aboard an aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip organized by the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, also subject to U.S. sanctions.

Included in the sanctions are a group of European activists: Saif Abu Keshek, Jaldia Abubakra Aueda, Hisham Abdallah Sulayman Abu Mahfuz and Mohammed Khatib.

Israel has recently intercepted dozens of aid flotillas after more than 50 vessels departed from the port of Marmaris, Turkey, last week in what the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla described as the final leg of their planned journey to Gaza’s shores.

In a statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the flotilla “pro-terror” and “a ludicrous attempt to undermine President Trump’s successful progress toward lasting peace in the region.”

The president said he was giving Iran “two or three days,” but then suggested he might give Iran a week.

“Maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week. A limited period of time,” he said.

The president said he “was an hour away from making the decision” to launch strikes on Tuesday before calling them off Monday.

Asked how close he was to striking Iran and ending a fragile ceasefire, Trump on Tuesday said he was “an hour away” from making the call.

“I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

He said the strikes “would have been happening right now” if he hadn’t held off. “The ships are all loaded, they’re loaded to the brim,” he added.

Trump on Monday announced he was holding off on military strikes planned for Tuesday because “serious negotiations” were underway to end the war.

The president told reporters Cuba may not need a change in regime to address his concerns but said if he wanted to, “I can do that.”

He didn’t offer many details about what he wanted from Cuba but said: “That’s not going to be hard for us to solve.”

Cuba’s economic and energy crises have deepened this year after the U.S. invaded Venezuela in early January, halting critical oil shipments from the South American country. Then in late January, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to the island.

A severe gas shortage has persisted and widespread blackouts continue across the island.

“This is a room that’s been wanted for 150 years by presidents,” Trump said of the ballroom.

Trump has renderings of the building on easels as he explains the various components, including what he calls a “drone-free” roof.

“One thing doesn’t work without the other,” he said.

Trump said the ballroom will be paid for by donors and himself. Republicans in Congress are grappling with a $1 billion funding request to cover all the security elements.

The acting attorney general said the Justice Department is committed to “full transparency” in providing public information about beneficiaries of the new fund meant to compensate allies of President Trump who say they were mistreated by the criminal justice system.

Blanche said in response to a question at the Senate budget hearing that there are privacy laws that mandate some information be kept quiet, but that otherwise, the department intended to be transparent.

Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen pressed Blanche on the creation of the fund during a budget hearing and asked him directly whether Jan. 6 rioters involved in crimes of violence could apply for payment from the fund.

“As was made plain yesterday, anybody in this country is eligible to apply if they believe they were a victim of weaponization,” Blanche said.

The decisions on payouts will be made a five-member commission appointed by Blanche.

In response to questions from Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, he said that though the fund was “unusual,” it’s not unprecedented.

He said the fund was similar in structure to one created during the Obama administration to compensate Native American farmers who alleged they were victims of racial discrimination.

Blanche said the fund will not be limited to Republicans or to people who were investigated or prosecuted by the Biden administration.

He also said he expected the payouts, which will be decided by a five-member commission, to be a matter of public record.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, castigated acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the new $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate allies of President Trump who feel they’ve been unjustly targeted by the criminal justice system.

Van Hollen called the Anti-Weaponization Fund announced Monday a “pure theft of public funds.”

He told Blanche he was “still acting as the president’s personal lawyer” and not the acting attorney general that he is.

The acting attorney general’s testimony before a Senate appropriations subcommittee comes a day after the Justice Department announced a $1.776 billion fund to pay allies of the Republican president who believe they were targeted politically.

Tuesday’s hearing is meant to address the Trump administration’s budget request for the Justice Department. But it’s likely to delve into other controversies that have escalated concerns about the erosion of the law enforcement agency’s tradition of independence from the White House.

He’s repeatedly shown that Republican primary voters will follow his lead, even as his popularity wanes with the broader electorate.

In Kentucky, he’s supporting first-time candidate Ed Gallrein over Massie, who’s been in office since 2012. Massie is trying to convince Republicans they can support both himself and Trump at the same time, a proposition that’s been tried unsuccessfully in other races around the country.

In the race for Georgia governor, Trump is backing Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in an unexpectedly ugly battle for the Republican nomination. Jones, who comes from a wealthy Georgia family, has given his campaign $19 million. But billionaire Rick Jackson, a health care tycoon, has put more than $83 million of his fortune into the race. Trump’s endorsement power has rarely been tested against that level of lopsided spending.

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The signs this year suggest no, and Trump has convinced his voters to defeat his adversaries again and again. The next test of the president’s power to extract retribution is Tuesday, when Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky faces a Trump-backed primary challenger.

Massie has been a thorn in the president’s side for pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, opposing the war with Iran and voting against Trump’s signature tax legislation last year.

Meanwhile, Georgia is about to feature a fresh case study in the divergent paths available to Republicans who defy Trump.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and former Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan were among the few Republicans to speak out against Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 loss. Both are now running for governor — Raffensperger as a Republican and Duncan as a Democrat — and both are trying to convince voters to look past things they said in the past.

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President Trump has considered himself an effective dealmaker above all else, but he appears to have hit a wall with Iran as his tough talk, threats and even military action haven’t moved Tehran from its long-established positions.

With shifting goals that make it difficult to judge the status of the U.S. effort, Trump and his top aides have insisted the U.S. has already won the war and that Iran is ready to reach an agreement in the wake of escalating U.S. threats during a tenuous ceasefire.

But Trump once again backed down, saying Monday that he’d put plans for an imminent resumption of attacks on hold at the request of Gulf Arab states because “serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond.”

Crucially, Iran still has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping lane for global oil supplies, even as the U.S. military has enforced its own blockade on Iranian ports.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is traveling to China to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping less than a week after President Trump wrapped up his own trip to Beijing.

Putin is scheduled to be in China on Tuesday and Wednesday in a visit likely to be closely watched as Beijing seeks to maintain stable relations with the United States while also preserving strong ties with Russia.

The Kremlin has said Putin and Xi plan to discuss economic cooperation between the two countries, but also “key international and regional issues.” The visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship signed in 2001.

China is a key trading partner for Russia, especially after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Beijing has said it is neutral in the conflict while maintaining trade ties with the Kremlin despite economic and financial sanctions by the U.S. and Europe.

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Trump said he is holding off on a military strike on Iran planned for Tuesday because “serious negotiations” are underway to end the war.

“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I’d be very happy,” Trump said at the White House on Monday evening, after first making the announcement in a social media post.

Trump said he had planned “a very major attack” but put it off — “for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever.” He said America’s allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they are close to a deal with Iran.

Trump has been threatening for weeks that the ceasefire reached in mid-April could end if Iran did not make a deal, with shifting parameters for striking such an agreement. Over the weekend he warned, “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.”

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Trump’s allies who believe they have been wrongly investigated and prosecuted could soon have access to a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund, the Justice Department announced Monday.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” will represent “a lawful process for victims of lawfare and weaponization to be heard and seek redress.” Blanche’s statement made no mention of how investigations and prosecutions of Trump’s political opponents under his watch have exposed the Justice Department to the same claims of politicized law enforcement that he has said he opposed.

The fund was announced as part of a deal to resolve Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns.

The fund is in keeping with Trump’s long-running claims that the Justice Department during the Biden administration was weaponized against him, even though then-President Joe Biden himself was scrutinized during that time.

Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday the fund is dedicated to “reimbursing people who were horribly treated.”

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Republican voters in northern Kentucky will choose between U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie and challenger Ed Gallrein in Tuesday’s House primary, another test of President Donald Trump’s power over his party after he handpicked Gallrein to take on the incumbent.

The primary race turned white hot in the final stretch. Massie brought in a phalanx of other Republicans, including Rep. Lauren Boebert, in an attempt to show voters that they could support both him and Trump. Trump ratcheted up his social media attacks on Massie, calling him “an obstructionist and a fool,” and Gallrein shared a stage with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday.

Trump has tightened his grip on the Republican Party in his second term, successfully purging those who deviate from his agenda, but Massie is one of the last and most outspoken holdouts. A Massie defeat on Tuesday would serve as one of the most powerful demonstrations yet of Trump’s influence over Republican voters.

The matchup has become the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will appear on Capitol Hill Tuesday for his first congressional testimony since taking the reins at the DOJ as the law enforcement agency faces intense scrutiny over its plans to create a $1.776 billion fund to pay allies of the Republican president who believe they were targeted politically.

Blanche’s testimony before a Senate appropriations subcommittee follows Monday’s announcement about the creation of the “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which critics decried as an illegal abuse of power designed to line the pockets of Trump supporters with taxpayer dollars.

In the weeks since assuming control of the Justice Department, Blanche has moved aggressively to advance the president’s priorities.

Tuesday’s hearing is meant to address the Trump administration’s budget request for the Justice Department but is likely to delve into other controversies that have escalated concerns about the erosion of the law enforcement agency’s tradition of independence from the White House.

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