Trump To Plaster His Face On U.S. Passports: Report
President Donald Trump apparently hasn’t tired of plastering his name and likeness everywhere imaginable.
The Bulwark reported Tuesday that the State Department plans to put the president’s face on U.S. passports as part of a “radical redesign” to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary. It would be part of a limited run of 250,000 passports and still needs approval, a source told the outlet.
In a mockup viewed by the Bulwark, the inside of the passport cover page features “a scowling Trump – taken from his second inaugural portrait – superimposed over the Declaration of Independence, as well as the president’s signature in gold.”
An expert on passport history described the State Department’s plans as “wacky.”
The president’s eagerness to put his name and face on objects and structures is one of the least consequential yet most irritating features of his second term. Casting aside any pretense of bipartisanship, the administration has moved to slap his face on National Park visitors passes, new “Trump gold card” visas and official commemorative coins.
They have also affixed his name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S. Institute of Peace, and hung banners with his face from the Justice Department and Labor Department.
Past presidents with a basic sense of humility and public service have generally held back from putting their personal stamp everywhere while in office. Most understood that a large share of the electorate didn’t care for them and preferred not to travel with their face or autograph in their wallet.
The passport plans were confirmed by Trump-friendly Fox News, which received an “exclusive” on the new design after the Bulwark reached out to the State Department for comment, according to the Bulwark's story. Fox News described the design as “bold.”
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Putin Increasingly Isolated Amid Tightened Security, Assassination Fears: Financial Times
Russian President Vladimir Putin has tightened security – and grown increasingly isolated – amid assassination fears, according to a Financial Times report, which cited anonymous sources who know him and a source close to European intelligence services.
The Kremlin's concerns about an assassination attempt via drone have spiked, fueled by Ukraine's military capabilities and the U.S.'s capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, sources told the FT.
Putin is allowing fewer visits and has dialed up his time in bunkers as a result. He's also been hyper-focused on Russia's war with Ukraine, becoming more detached from other domestic issues.
The Kremlin did not immediately respond to The FT's request for comment.
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Grand Jury Indicts Man Shot By ICE Agents In California
A federal grand jury has indicted a 36-year-old man who was shot multiple times by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during a targeted traffic stop in April.
The three-count indictment against Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez was returned last Thursday after ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons claimed that he had “weaponized” his vehicle against an officer during the stop.
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GameStop Makes Bold $56 Billion Play For eBay
GameStop proposed on Sunday to buy eBay Inc for about $56 billion in a cash-and-stock deal, with CEO Ryan Cohen saying he was prepared to take the bid directly to shareholders should eBay’s board be unreceptive.
GameStop - once a stock market minnow that shot to fame during a meme-stock frenzy five years ago - is offering to pay $125 a share in a 50-50 mix of cash and stock, Cohen said in a letter to eBay’s board. Based on eBay’s Friday close, the bid represents a premium of about 20%.
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Photo Of The Day: A Record-Setting Run For The Roses
Jockey Jose L. Ortiz rode Golden Tempo (19) to victory at the 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
According to The Associated Press, 19.6 million watched the race on NBC and Peacock, making it the most-viewed Run for the Roses on record since Nielsen began tracking average audiences in 1988.
Trump Responds To Giuliani’s Hospitalization By Criticizing Democrats
President Donald Trump responded to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s hospitalization by mostly criticizing Democrats.
“Our fabulous Rudy Giuliani, a True Warrior, and the Best Mayor in the History of New York City, BY FAR, has been hospitalized, and is in critical condition,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday evening. “What a tragedy that he was treated so badly by the Radical Left Lunatics, Democrats ALL — AND HE WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING! They cheated on the Elections, fabricated hundreds of stories, did anything possible to destroy our Nation, and now, look at Rudy. So sad!”
Earlier in the day, a spokesperson for Giuliani said he had been hospitalized in "critical but stable condition."
Giuliani had previously served as Trump's personal attorney and backed the president's baseless claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election.
Rudy Giuliani Is Hospitalized In 'Critical But Stable Condition,' Spokesperson Says
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is in a Florida hospital in “critical but stable condition,” according to his spokesperson Ted Goodman.
“Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he's fighting with that same level of strength as we speak,” Goodman said in a statement shared to X on Sunday evening. “We do ask that you join us in prayer for America's Mayor Rudy Giuliani.”
It was not immediately clear why Giuliani has been hospitalized.
Swatting Incidents Prompt Evacuations, Closures At Several U.S. Zoos
Hoax calls involving alleged bomb threats and even claims of active shooters have prompted evacuations and closures at several zoos around the U.S. in recent days, disrupting family plans and taxing public safety resources in some cities.
No explosives or real dangers have been found in the latest string of what authorities are describing as swatting incidents.
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Todd Blanche Commits To Not Prosecute Every Person Who Posts '86 47' Like Comey
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday that the Justice Department would not pursue every person who posts or interacts with the cryptic "86 47" message – a departure from the department's recent indictment of James Comey.
The Justice Department indicted the former FBI director last week because he posted a photo on Instagram in May 2025 showing seashells on a beach that spelled out "86 47," which prosecutors described as a "serious expression of intent to do harm" to President Donald Trump.
On NBC's "Meet the Press," host Kristen Welker pointed to dozens of products sold on Amazon.com that have "86 47" on them. Welker asked Blanche whether people who buy or sell such merchandise should fear being prosecuted by the Justice Department.
"Of course not. That's posted constantly, that phrase is used constantly," he said. "There are constantly men and women who choose to make threatening statements against President Trump. Every one of those statements do not result in indictments, of course."
Blanche said that the indictment against Comey was based on evidence gathered over 11 months, not just the Instagram post. Comey deleted the post after receiving right-wing backlash.
Josh Shapiro Secretly Helped Republican To Get Back At Fellow Dem: Axios
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) tried to boost the reelection bid of a Republican state treasurer in 2024 after the candidate's Democratic opponent criticized the governor as a potential running mate for Kamala Harris, according to a report published Sunday by Axios.
In a recording obtained by the outlet, Shapiro-backed congressional candidate Bob Brooks told a group of Democratic students at Lehigh University last week that the governor had asked the firefighters union he leads to endorse Republican Stacy Garrity over Democrat Erin McClelland because the latter "came out hard about something on" Shapiro.
A spokesperson for Shapiro denied the request, while Brooks told Axios he "misspoke."
That year, McClelland had publicly questioned whether Shapiro, who was being vetted as a possible vice presidential candidate to Harris, was "secure enough to be second under a woman." Shapiro is expected to launch his own presidential run in 2028.
Top Trump Adviser Admits He Does Not 'Know What The Definition Of War Is'
White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said on Sunday he does not know what the definition of war is "when we're not shooting," the latest Trump official to avoid admitting the United States is engaging in an act of war against Iran by continuing its naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.
CBS host Margaret Brennan asked the top economic adviser on "Face the Nation" whether the U.S. is at war with Iran, after President Donald Trump told Congress on Friday that the war has ended because "there has been no exchange of fire" between the two parties in nearly a month.
"I don't know what the definition of war is when we're not shooting and we're negotiating," Hassett answered. "And they're under a lot of pressure. There's no reason I think right now to do anything other than what we're doing. The fact is that that regime has destroyed the country."
On Saturday, Trump himself justified saying the war is over despite the blockade because it's "a very friendly blockade" that "no one is challenging."