Tulsi Gabbard leaves role of national intelligence director

Gabbard resigns as intelligence chief, citing husband’s cancer diagnosis

Tulsi Gabbard has resigned as director of national intelligence, announcing that her husband, Abraham, has been diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer. In a statement posted on X, Gabbard said she would step down effective June 30, 2026, to support him through what she described as “major challenges in the coming weeks and months”. Her resignation letter, addressed to President Donald Trump, expressed gratitude for the trust placed in her during her year and a half leading the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Conflicting accounts over whether resignation was voluntary

While Gabbard cited her husband’s illness as the reason for leaving, conflicting reports have emerged about the circumstances surrounding her departure. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the White House forced her to resign, contradicting the personal explanation she gave. The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people close to Gabbard, that she had told associates she was stepping down because of her husband’s cancer, but the newspaper also described her tenure as “tumultuous”, noting she was largely sidelined from President Trump’s national security operations, particularly regarding Venezuela and Iran.

The Guardian previously reported that Trump had privately asked cabinet members in recent weeks whether he should replace Gabbard. According to that report, the president was frustrated that she had shielded a former deputy, Joe Kent, who had resigned after arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. Kent’s resignation followed his testimony at a worldwide threats hearing where he contradicted the administration’s rationale for military action against Iran. Gabbard herself later declined to condemn Kent’s remarks, further straining her relationship with Trump.

Gabbard’s public statements on Iran had increasingly diverged from administration talking points. In March 2026, she testified before Congress that Iran had made “no efforts” to rebuild its nuclear programme following US-Israeli strikes on three nuclear sites in June 2025, directly contradicting Trump’s claim that the attacks had “completely and totally obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Intelligence assessments at the time suggested the programme had only been set back by months, not destroyed. In February 2026, Trump ordered renewed strikes, claiming Iran was rebuilding, and as of May 2026 he has threatened further military action if mediators fail to reach a deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Senator Tom Cotton offered a message of solidarity to Gabbard on X, thanking her for her service and wishing her husband a full recovery.

Trump misses son’s wedding as Iran tensions mount

President Trump confirmed he will not attend his son Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding to Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas this weekend. In a post on Truth Social, he said: “While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the Trump Family, his soon to be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so.” He added that he felt it important to remain at the White House during “this important period of time”.

Asked by a reporter in the Oval Office whether he would attend, Trump said: “That’s one I can’t win on.” He noted that his son wanted him to go, but described the event as a “small little private affair” and said he would “try and make it”. The president attributed his absence in part to “a thing called Iran and other things”, a reference to the ongoing crisis over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Trump has threatened fresh strikes if negotiations with Iran do not produce a deal, though he has also announced delays in planned attacks. The couple opted for a private ceremony due to security concerns and the international situation.

Surgeon general nominee under fire over supplement sales

Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Dr Nicole Saphier, is facing scrutiny over her company’s sale of herbal supplements. Saphier, a radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New Jersey and a former Fox News contributor, sells products through her firm Drop Rx that contain kava kava root – an ingredient prohibited by the US military and linked by health experts to liver damage. Amazon said it had opened an investigation into the products after being contacted by the Guardian.

Dr Peter Lurie, of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, described the supplements as “snake oil” and said: “Nobody who prides themselves as rigorous about science is in the supplement business.” The role of surgeon general is considered America’s doctor, charged with communicating the best scientific information to the public. Saphier is Trump’s third pick for the post after his first two nominees failed to advance in the Senate. The White House spokesperson Kush Desai defended her, calling her “an accomplished physician” who would be “a powerful asset” in delivering the president’s Make America Healthy Again agenda. Saphier and Drop Rx did not respond to requests for comment.

Texas candidate condemned over antisemitic comments

A Democratic House candidate in Texas, Maureen Galindo, is facing bipartisan condemnation after she posted on Instagram that she would turn an immigration detention centre into a “prison for American Zionists” and a “castration processing center for pedophiles”. Galindo, who is running in the Democratic primary for Texas’s 35th congressional district, later told a local radio station she was not antisemitic but opposed to “Zionist Jews”. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Representative Suzan DelBene of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez denounced her remarks as “extremely dangerous” and “vile”. The Democratic leaders accused Republican groups of propping up Galindo’s campaign through a recently formed political action committee, Lead Left Pac, which has spent more than $900,000 on ads and mail. The PAC has not disclosed its donors, and links to the GOP fundraising site WinRed were removed from its website’s metadata after being reported.

Federal Reserve nominee pledges excellence in swearing-in

At the close of his swearing-in ceremony, Kevin Warsh met government leaders and officials in the audience. In his speech, Warsh said: “My goal now is to create an environment in which the best people can do their life’s best work and to face every challenge in the spirit of common purpose and motion to the national interest, in a word, to excellence.”