The Latest: Trump insists US strikes were 'devastating' to Iran, rejects early assessment

President Donald Trump on Wednesday insisted U.S. strikes delivered a crushing blow to Iran’s nuclear program. “This was a devastating attack, and it knocked them for a loop,” Trump said as his administration scrambled to support his claims.

Trump rejected an early leaked intelligence report that said the strikes likely put Iran back mere months. In a statement released Wednesday, the Defense Intelligence Agency said their leaked assessment was preliminary and that its authors had low confidence in their findings at this time.

Drawing reliable conclusions about the impact of the U.S. strikes is difficult only days after they took place.

Here is the latest:

Trump gets ‘golden share’ power in US Steel buyout

The so-called “golden share” is part of the national security agreement under which President Trump allowed Japan-based Nippon Steel to buy out iconic American steelmaker U.S. Steel.

According to disclosures with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the provision gives the president the power to appoint a board member and have a say in company decisions that affect domestic steel production and competition with overseas producers.

Under the provision, Trump — or someone he designates — controls that decision-making power while he is president. However, control over those powers reverts to the Treasury Department and the Commerce Department when anyone else is president, according to the filings.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to questions Wednesday about why Trump will directly control the decision-making and why it goes to the Treasury and Commerce departments under future presidents.

▶ Read more about the U.S. Steel buyout

Trump, evoking his own legal battles, defends Netanyahu

Trump posted a lengthy defense of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on social media.

The president likened the Israeli leader’s long-running corruption trial to a “Witch Hunt,” the same term the U.S. leader used to describe his own criminal cases and legal challenges that unfolded in the years he was out of power.

“Bibi and I just went through HELL together, fighting a very tough and brilliant longtime enemy of Israel, Iran, and Bibi could not have been better, sharper, or stronger in his LOVE for the incredible Holy Land,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.

Trump said Netanyahu’s trial should be “CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY” or that he should be pardoned.

White House aims to limit sharing of classified material with Congress

That’s according to a senior White House official who was not authorized to comment publicly on the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official did not provide details on how the administration would limit the flow of classified information to lawmakers.

Congressional lawmakers have the authority to receive classified information as part of their legislative and oversight duty. The change seems certain to be challenged by Congress members.

The move, first reported by Axios, comes after the publication of details of a Defense Intelligence Agency assessment that determined Iran’s nuclear program has been set back only a few months after U.S. strikes.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt didn’t directly answer reporters on whether the administration intended to limit lawmakers’ access to classified material. But she made clear the administration wants to take action after the leak.

“We certainly don’t want people that are hostile to this government and are trying to undermine our national security to have classified intelligence in their hands if they’re not going to be responsible with it,” Leavitt said.

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— Aamer Madhani

Defense Intelligence Agency says leaked Iran assessment is preliminary

In a statement released Wednesday, the DIA noted that its report is not a final conclusion and that the authors had low confidence in their findings. The agency said it has not been able to review the actual sites themselves.

The DIA’s Monday assessment found that while the strikes did significant damage, the facilities were not totally destroyed, contradicting comments from President Trump, who said the strikes had “obliterated” the sites. The White House has rejected the assessment, calling it “flat-out wrong.”

The DIA also says it is working with the FBI to investigate the unauthorized leak of the assessment.

Pentagon to hold Thursday briefing to respond to intelligence report, Trump says

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other military officials plan to hold a Thursday morning news conference to respond to the leaked intelligence report about the strikes in Iran, according to Trump.

The president said in a post on social media that the officials would speak “in order to fight for the Dignity of our Great American Pilots. These Patriots were very upset!”

Trump, posting as he’s aboard Air Force One, said the news conference “will prove both interesting and irrefutable.”

Kilmar Abrego Garcia to remain in jail as attorneys debate deportation

Kilmar Abrego Garcia will remain in jail for at least a few more days while attorneys in the federal smuggling case against him spar over whether prosecutors have the ability to prevent his deportation if he is released to await trial.

The Salvadoran national whose mistaken deportation became a flashpoint in the fight over President Trump’s immigration policies has been in jail since he was returned to the U.S. on June 7, facing two counts of human smuggling.

Although a federal judge has ruled that he has a right to be released and even set specific conditions for his release, his attorneys expressed concern that it would lead to immediate detention by ICE and deportation.

▶ Read more about Abrego Garcia’s case

As deadline nears for Trump’s big bill, he plans event to pressure Senate

Trump will hold an event at the White House on Thursday afternoon to urge the Senate to pass his massive tax and spending cuts package before a Fourth of July deadline, according to a White House official.

The president will speak at the event in the White House East Room and he will be joined by truck drivers, firefighters, tipped workers, ranchers and others that the White House says will benefit from the passage of the bill, according to the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.