President Donald Trump is responding to global outrage over his intervention with FIFA during the World Cup. The president said he didn鈥檛 initially know what a red card was or what its consequences were, but when he learned it could keep Folarin Balogun out of Monday鈥檚 knockout match against Belgium, he felt compelled to call FIFA president Gianni Infantino asking for a review.
Belgium said it鈥檚 appealing the suspension of the penalty. Infantino鈥檚 predecessor Sepp Blatter said 鈥渞ed cards are not overturned by political phone calls.” Norway鈥檚 coach called it 鈥渂ad, bad, bad, bad, bad.鈥�
Trump rang a ceremonial bell Monday as the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq opened, as he promoted for children, which Republicans created in their .
And Trump will meet with Ukrainian President and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday at the , as Kyiv tries to refocus his attention on the and as Trump in the Middle East.
The Latest:
Obamacare rolls shrank dramatically in many states over the past year, new federal data shows
States across the country saw steep drops in the number of people covered by the Affordable Care Act over the past year, with Ohio and Oklahoma each losing nearly one-third of enrollees, according to new federal data that provides the first complete 50-state breakdown of following the January of enhanced subsidies.
The , posted in late June by the Trump administration and first reported on by The Associated Press, reveals how changes in each state鈥檚 insured population led to around 2.6 million fewer Americans having Obamacare plans in February compared with the same time last year.
It captures not only how many people signed up for or were automatically reenrolled in plans in 2026, but how many paid their first monthly premiums to keep coverage, according to Cynthia Cox, a vice president and director of the ACA program at the healthcare research nonprofit KFF, who reviewed the dataset. She said it accounts for people who were retroactively removed from coverage after a nonpayment grace period ended.
FIFA president says disciplinary committee acted with independence
In its decision to let Balogun play against Belgium, FIFA cited article 27 of its disciplinary code, which says a 鈥渏udicial body鈥� can 鈥渇ully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.鈥� Balogun could yet get that one-game suspension on top of any future punishment if he commits a similar offense again in the next year.
While FIFA didn鈥檛 elaborate on how it reached its decision, the global soccer organization鈥檚 president, Gianni Infantino, insisted in a social media post that FIFA鈥檚 disciplinary committee acted with independence and judged cases such as Balogun鈥檚 on 鈥渁pplicable regulations and the specific facts.鈥� Article 27 doesn鈥檛 lay out any requirements for which cases are eligible under the rarely used rule.
Trump says he鈥檚 building a White House helipad for a new, more powerful Marine One
President said Monday that he鈥檚 building a granite helipad on the White House lawn, insisting that the landing area is needed to accommodate new, more powerful presidential choppers.
Confirmation of the project came as construction crews had already begun working on the helipad on the South Lawn, where the president had UFC build a temporary arena for a . He said the project would be privately funded and estimated its cost at up to $6 million.
鈥淚t鈥檚 got the seal of the White House on it in granite, in carved granite,鈥� Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really a beautiful thing.鈥�
The president did not offer details on how long the work would take. It is the latest major construction project he has overseen in an effort to increasingly mold the White House in his own image.
Trump tells lunch guests they won鈥檛 have to talk to each other while music plays
Trump offered his playlist as he wrapped more than 40 minutes of remarks in Washington, D.C.鈥檚 heat that was held shortly after an earlier, lengthy press event in the Oval Office.
鈥淪hould we put on a little music, yes?,鈥� he asked. 鈥淭his way you don鈥檛 have to talk to each other. You just have to listen to music.鈥�
鈥淪o we鈥檙e going to put on a little music, the Trump playlist, OK, and we鈥檒l have a little fun,鈥� Trump said.
鈥淵MCA鈥� began to play as the White House press pool was escorted back indoors.
Rapper Nicki Minaj returns to White House for launch of Trump accounts
Minaj got a shout-out from Trump as he spoke at a Rose Garden luncheon after an earlier event to highlight the accounts.
The musical artist had joined Trump in January for an earlier announcement about the 鈥淭rump Accounts鈥� for children born during his second term.
Trump said Monday that Minaj is 鈥済reat鈥� and 鈥渟o respected.鈥�
Minaj has described herself as Trump鈥檚 鈥渘umber one fan.鈥�
Rubio also wades into the red card controversy
In rare comments during a photo op ahead of his meeting with Chile鈥檚 foreign minister, Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Trump by saying 鈥渋t was the right decision to reverse鈥� Balogun鈥檚 penalty.
Rubio acknowledged that 鈥渢here鈥檚 a lot of drama around鈥� the decision. But he mused about why Belgium would want to possibly win a match 鈥渋f everyone will argue you didn鈥檛 really win it because their best, or their leading scorer was not on the pitch.鈥�
Rubio joked that maybe it was 鈥渢urning into an international incident鈥� ahead of the NATO leaders summit in Turkey this week.
鈥淢aybe we鈥檒l bring it up at NATO tomorrow or with the Belgians and everybody else,鈥� Rubio told reporters Monday, laughing. 鈥淚 just hope the match will go on, everyone will be at full strength and the winner will be the winner.鈥�
Trump says Cruz only SCOTUS appointee who would get 100 Senate votes
Calling Sen. Ted Cruz 鈥渁 friend of mine,鈥� in the Oval Office earlier on Monday, Trump said the Texas Republican was the only potential Supreme Court nominee who could get unanimous approval for the post from the Senate.
Trump talked at length about how the two were 鈥済reat friends鈥� before they duked it out for the GOP nomination during the 2016 presidential campaign, 鈥渂ut then it came together better than ever before.鈥�
Cruz has been laying the groundwork for a possible run at the presidency again, stumping for Republican candidates in early-voting states . Frequently floated by Trump for a post on the high court, Cruz has said he would decline it, preferring to stay in politics and policy.
Trump says he鈥檚 putting 鈥榓 lot of love鈥� back into the White House
Trump reviewed several of his White House renovation projects at a lunch on the Rose Garden patio for his investment accounts that bear his name for children born during his second term.
He referenced work being done to the columns on the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance to the mansion and said he was having layers and layers of paint removed.
Trump also talked about the ballroom he鈥檚 building and his decision to replace the lawn in the Rose Garden with patio stone.
鈥淲e鈥檙e putting a lot of love back into the White House,鈥� he said.
Nonprofits and brands navigate this partisan 250th in search of a unifying tone
The United States鈥� 250th birthday behind nationwide community-service drives and patriotic brand launches. Well-known U.S. nonprofits hope to inspire a record-setting level of volunteerism, while major companies such as Walmart and Coca-Cola are sponsoring tributes and selling limited-edition merchandise.
But the private sector鈥檚 unifying ambitions have been met with a mixed response, complicated by an uneasy national mood. Fewer Americans see their country as exceptional compared to 10 years ago, , part of a . Views of the American flag 鈥� a prominent feature of semiquincentennial celebrations 鈥� are .
鈻�
Hamas dissolves Gaza government, plans power transfer to UN-backed committee
The Hamas militant group said Monday it had dissolved its government in and is preparing to transfer power to a technical committee backed by the United Nations as part of a U.S.-brokered deal.
Hamas did not say whether it planned to take the crucial step of disarming or handing over security to an international force, but described its decision as evidence of its commitment to after years of war.
It was unclear if the move, announced by a lower-level official, would lead to any meaningful change on the ground.
The , led by with the mandate of governing and rebuilding Gaza, said it would assess the impact of the Hamas announcement based on 鈥渁ctions, not promises鈥� and stressed in a statement on X that the technocratic committee must control all weapons in Gaza, as laid out in the ceasefire agreement.
Netanyahu urges US not to sell F-35s to Turkey
Speaking Monday on the morning show 鈥淔ox & Friends,鈥� Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 鈥渃alls openly for the annihilation of Israel.鈥�
Turkey and Israel have acrimonious relations. Erdogan frequently accuses Israel of committing genocide in its war in Gaza, triggered by the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
Turkey was barred from the F-35 program in 2019, after it purchased Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems. However, Trump, who has warm relations with Erdogan, has hinted ahead of his planned visit to Ankara for the NATO summit that the sales could soon resume.
Netanyahu said selling Turkey F-35s would 鈥渦pset the power balance in the Middle East, which is ultimately guaranteed by Israeli air superiority and also, I think, by America鈥檚 posture in the Middle East.鈥�
, including F-35s, F-16s and F-15s.
Trump points to George Washington to justify enriching his family
The president has drawn sharp criticism after in crypto last year.
He says , the , while he鈥檚 president.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 talk to them,鈥� Trump said, adding, 鈥淚鈥檓 allowed to, I think.鈥�
But he also said he doesn鈥檛 bother because being president is more important: 鈥淭his office is a much higher calling.鈥�
Trump also offered a dubious history lesson, suggesting that, as president, George Washington had two desks 鈥� one for business matters and another for the presidency.
鈥淗e had two desks in the same room,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淎nd so, you鈥檙e allowed to. But I choose not to. I don鈥檛 talk to my kids about, you know, this stuff.鈥�
Trump confirms he鈥檚 building a helipad on the White House lawn
The president argued that landing Marine One on the South Lawn, as has been done for years, was tough on the grass. He said the process has sometimes singed the grass or even torn it away.
鈥淭he hardest thing to get is a helipad,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no harder zoning thing to get.鈥�
He added 鈥渨e鈥檙e building a helipad鈥� that will feature the presidential seal and be made of granite.
The plan marks yet another building project for Trump, who has shaped the White House and its grounds in his own image in myriad ways.
Trump questions dangers of TikTok because he鈥檚 No. 1 on it
Asked whether SpaceX shares would be donated for use in Trump Accounts, the president instead talked about how TikTok helped him become president again.
Citing a news segment about the social media app鈥檚 purported dangers, Trump said he had seen that he is 鈥淣o. 1 on it,鈥� then questioned how dangerous it could actually be.
鈥淚 think it helped me win the election in a landslide, if you want to know the truth,鈥� he said.
As for SpaceX, Trump said he鈥檚 鈥渁 cheerleader for geniuses鈥� and speaks to many of them, including Elon Musk, who founded the rocketmaking company.
Trump says he called FIFA president to review red card, called it a 鈥榟orrible鈥� call
Asked about his role in getting Balogun鈥檚 red-card penalty suspended, Trump acknowledged calling Infantino and asking that FIFA take a second look.
The president said he didn鈥檛 initially know what a red card was or what its consequences were. When he found out that it could keep Balogun out of Monday鈥檚 match against Belgium, Trump said he felt compelled to intervene.
鈥淎ll I did was ask for a review,鈥� Trump said to press at the White House. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think it was a foul,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 thought it was two great athletes that crashed each other and got entangled.鈥�
He said the red card was a 鈥渉orrible鈥� call, arguing that the slowed-down video review made it look worse than it was.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 very unfair,鈥� he said. 鈥淗ow do you penalize them for a game that hasn鈥檛 been played?鈥�
Trump warns of 鈥榗ommunists鈥� who want to destroy US
鈥淐apitalism鈥� has been the word du jour of the Trump Accounts event, with speakers talking about how the investment vehicles will energize children about financial investing.
But Trump found a way to weave in a reference to the opposing socioeconomic system of communism 鈥� applying the label to the Democratic socialist candidates whose primary wins have energized many anti-Trump voters.
Asked by a reporter if the program would go down as one of his 鈥渟ignature policy achievements,鈥� Trump took the opportunity to accuse these candidates in the upcoming midterm elections of being 鈥渃ommunists鈥� who 鈥渨ant to destroy our country.鈥� The rhetoric is reminiscent of similar narratives he has employed throughout his political career.
Cruz thanks Trump for intervening against 鈥榬idiculous鈥� red card
Speaking alongside the president, Sen. Ted Cruz began his remarks by thanking Trump for working to get FIFA to reverse Balogun鈥檚 red card penalty of a one-game suspension.
鈥淥n behalf of all Americans, thank you for getting rid of that ridiculous red card,鈥� Cruz said. 鈥淚t was spectacular. There was a reason the FIFA trophy sat here for as long as it did.鈥�
Cruz appeared to be referring to a White House visit by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who in a rare move .
Trump thanked FIFA over the weekend after he and the White House intervened to enable Balogun to play in Monday鈥檚 match against Belgium.
Trump says he believes an end to the Russia-Ukraine war is close
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e getting much closer than people realize. And President Putin wants it to end, I will tell you that very strongly,鈥� Trump said Monday while talking to press at the White House. He added that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also wants to end the war 鈥渘ow.鈥�
The war and efforts to end it are forecast to be a central topic at the upcoming NATO summit this week. Trump plans to at the meeting in Turkey.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to get it ended,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a terrible situation.鈥�
Cruz tries to make Trump Accounts relatable to kids in Oval Office
To the children assembled for the investment accounts event, Sen. Ted Cruz tried to break down the stakes in a way they might grasp: McDonalds.
Referencing a brand no doubt recognizable to all of them, the Texas senator said the Trump Accounts and their stock market investments mean the children could go into the restaurant knowing they 鈥渘ow own a little bit of McDonalds.鈥�
Cruz made a similar reference for the kids, feeling a different connection to aeronautics manufacturer Boeing, the next time they fly in an airplane.
Can older kids get any bonuses for their Trump Account?
Yes, thanks to contributions from some of the country鈥檚 wealthiest investors and executives.
Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, targeted so children 10 or under can get $250 in seed money if they live in ZIP codes with a median family income of $150,000 or less.
Trump announced that Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron Technology, would give $250 million. Hedge fund founder so kids under 10 in qualifying ZIP codes in Connecticut can get $250. And Trump said investor Brad Gerstner would donate $250 to Trump Accounts for every child under 5 in Indiana.
Corporations are being urged to add such contributions to their benefits packages through what Bessent calls the 鈥�50 State Challenge.鈥�
Trump: 鈥楴obody cares鈥� about World Cup red card controversy
The president preemptively waved away potential questions from the press about against U.S. star Folarin Balogun.
After introducing the press at an Oval Office event on Monday, Trump said: 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 want to know anything about soccer slash football. Fortunately, they won鈥檛 be asking any questions on that. Nobody cares about that, right?鈥�
Trump said he wanted to keep attention on his administration鈥檚 new investment accounts for U.S. children, the topic of Monday鈥檚 Oval Office event.
What are critics saying about the child investment accounts?
Critics point out that the accounts do little to help children in their early years, when they鈥檙e most vulnerable and most likely to be in poverty. The accounts, they say, also fail to offset to other programs that benefit young people and the adults in their lives, including food assistance and Medicaid.
And even with government contributions, critics say the Trump Accounts will widen the wealth gap. Affluent families that can afford to make the maximum pretax contributions will realize the greatest benefits. Poor families that can鈥檛 afford to set aside money for the accounts will benefit the least. Assuming a 7% annual return, the $1,000 in seed money would grow to roughly $3,570 over 18 years.
鈻�
Bessent says 6 million American children signed up for Trump Accounts
Ahead of the president ringing the market bell, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave an overview of the program so far.
He said that 86% of the 6 million signed up came from families earning less than $200,000.
Under the program, parents can open for any child born during Trump鈥檚 second term and automatically receive $1,000 from the government. Accounts can be opened for older children 鈥� as long as they don鈥檛 turn 18 before the end of the calendar year 鈥� but they will not receive the $1,000. The accounts were set to open for deposits July 4, which was also the day the Treasury Department plans to transfer the $1,000 bonus.
Trump rings bell at the White House as US markets open
Trading had begun just before Trump rang the ceremonial bell brought to the Oval Office to mark the opening of trading in U.S. markets on Monday.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it was the first time the opening bell had been rung in the Oval Office. Trump joked that he wanted to keep the large, silver bell for the White House.
A crowd gathered in the Oval Office to watch as Trump rang the bell, including a group of children who were visibly 鈥� and vocally 鈥� excited to be there.
Someone whispered 鈥渂e quiet鈥� to a child who began speaking just as the president was launching into an intro about the importance of the moment.
Trump鈥檚 emphasis on stock market gains ring hollow for many Americans
The Oval Office bell-ringing is aimed at promoting , which were created as a vehicle for children to have investments in stock indexes as part of Republicans鈥� .
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has emphasized that millions of people 鈥� 38% of American adults have no direct exposure to stocks, so don鈥檛 immediately benefit from investments that largely accrue to more affluent households 鈥� 鈥渂ut with Trump Accounts, over time, we can get that number down to zero.鈥�
The S&P 500 posted gains of 17.9% in 2025, after annual returns of 25% in 2024 and 26.3% in 2023 under President Joe Biden. The benchmark stock index has risen roughly 10% so far this year. But just as , Trump has also seen his approval fall as and created new inflationary pressures.
Trump rings opening bells for NYSE and Nasdaq
rang the opening bells for the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq from the golden confines of the Oval Office on Monday, a symbolic act that reflects how he has increasingly tied his presidency to the stock market.
With hurting Trump鈥檚 popularity, the Republican president has tried to get more Americans to focus on their 401(k) investments, claiming that his policies should get the credit for any gains, particularly as the November midterm elections draw closer.
Only 33% of U.S. adults approve of Trump鈥檚 economic leadership, according to by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
White House takes fresh aim at Smithsonian Institution
Trump may be preparing at the after a branded its leadership, especially at the , as radical activists who cannot be trusted.
Trump already revealed his at the Smithsonian with an targeting funding for programs advancing what he called 鈥渄ivisive narratives鈥� and 鈥渋mproper ideology.鈥�
Historian Lonnie Bunch, the Smithsonian鈥檚 current secretary, is the first African American to lead the institution. In an unrelated interview that aired Sunday on NBC鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Press,鈥� Bunch said 鈥淎merica鈥檚 greatest strength, it鈥檚 not running away from its history, but it鈥檚 understanding how that history shaped us and continues to shape us.鈥�
鈻�
Trump won big spending promises from NATO last year. This week in Turkey, he鈥檒l try to enforce them
Trump got what he wanted from NATO at an alliance whose members had largely acceded to his demands to step up their defense spending.
This week, when he his mission is to
The speed with which most NATO countries have tried to heed Trump鈥檚 call to spend 5% of their annual gross domestic product on defense over the next decade underscores how the U.S. president has reshaped the alliance and bent it to his will 鈥� even as he continues to spar with its members over the , his flirtation with , and various personal tiffs.
Trump leaves Monday evening for the summit, and for days leading up to the trip has been airing grievances about how much the U.S. spends on defense compared with other countries. That鈥檚 despite efforts from , the alliance鈥檚 secretary-general, who tried to feed the ego of the tempestuous U.S. leader in an Oval Office meeting last month.
鈻�
Trump posts a doctored photo of the Obamas and Air Force One with graffiti spray-painted on plane
Trump on Sunday posted a falsified image of former and his wife, , waving before boarding an Air Force One that had been spray-painted with graffiti.
It came months after another by the president that showed the couple as primates in a jungle. That one was deleted after stiff, bipartisan backlash.
The latest image shows the Obamas smiling and waving at the top of stairs alongside a baby blue and white presidential plane with graffiti painted on it that included the Democrat鈥檚 campaign slogan 鈥淵es We Can,鈥� 鈥淥bama鈥� and 鈥淏LM,鈥� short for Black Lives Matter. The post also shows graffiti in Arabic on the plane that says the phrase 鈥渁lhamdulillah,鈥� which means 鈥減raise be to God鈥� or 鈥渢hank God.鈥�
Trump has a yearslong record of intensely personal criticism of the Obamas, and of using incendiary, sometimes racist, rhetoric. That includes everything from feeding the lie that Obama was not born in the United States to crude generalizations about majority-Black countries and posts that have sparked anger on his Truth Social website.
鈻�
Trump鈥檚 administration won鈥檛 seek new bids to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
The Trump administration will not seek new bids to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Interior Secretary said Sunday as he faced new questions about the troubled project and the taxpayer money involved.
Like , Burgum said he was 100% sure that to the century-old Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. Trump has charged that a 350-foot gash was cut into the pool鈥檚 liner in the midst of recent renovations, while Burgum described it as multiple cuts adding up to that figure. He also said the pool would have to be at least partially drained in the coming week to finish the repairs.
The repairs will not be opened up to new contractors, he said.
鈥淲e鈥檒l use the same company, because they did a fantastic job,鈥� Burgum told CNN鈥檚 鈥淪tate of the Union.鈥� 鈥淭hankfully, the vandalism was small. It was bad. I mean, it could cost tens of thousands of dollars to repair, so then it could fall into a felony … just like damaging any other government property could. But the job that was done to fix the Reflecting Pool was done extremely well.鈥�
鈻�
Trump to meet with Ukraine鈥檚 Zelenskyy and Syria鈥檚 al-Sharaa during the NATO summit
President plans to meet with Ukrainian President and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday while attending the NATO summit in Turkey, the White House said. Those discussions will come as Kyiv tries to refocus Trump鈥檚 attention on the and as Trump has in the Middle East.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly confirmed the meetings in a call with reporters while previewing the , where Trump also plans to meet with Turkey鈥檚 President on Tuesday. Before returning to the United States on Wednesday, Trump is scheduled to have a news conference, Kelly said.
Trump鈥檚 meeting with Zelenskyy comes as Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine is now in its fifth year. Both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin held phone calls with Trump on Saturday, congratulating him on the July Fourth commemoration of the .
鈻�
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
