Trump Holds Housing Affordability Bill Hostage To Pressure Congress On ElectionsPresident Donald Trump has cancelled a news conference and signing of a housing affordability bill so that all focus can be on an elections bill, which he called “a National Emergency.” “Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency,” he posted on Truth Social.The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship for voter registration, and photo identification for voting. It has not been supported by the number of GOP leaders needed for passage.The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which received bipartisan support during its passage by lawmakers this week, aims to increase housing supply and reduce costs by speeding up the development of affordable housing and expediting approval processes.Latest Live UpdatesSenator Calls On Trump To Reimburse Taxpayers For ‘Failed’ Reflecting Pool RevampSen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) is calling on President Donald Trump to personally reimburse taxpayers for the millions in federal dollars he spent revamping the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which is now a cesspool of algae and chunks of blue sealant."Americans have watched a national embarrassment unfold on the National Mall,” Hickenlooper says in a new letter to Trump, first obtained by HuffPost.“Under the guise of an ‘emergency,’ your Administration bypassed competitive bidding processes to rush a renovation of the iconic Reflecting Pool,” he says. “Today, the Reflecting Pool is a fluorescent green swamp of algae, and the expensive blue sealant is already peeling off the bottom in sheets.”The mess at the pool was entirely avoidable: Trump rushed to paint it "American flag blue" in time for a July 4th photo-op, and in the process, he bypassed laws and gave out no-bid contracts. The result is a combination of shoddy work, a missed deadline and more than $16 million in taxpayer money gone.Trump has tried to blame the disaster on mysterious vandals, baselessly suggesting people went to the pool to shred the blue sealant and dump algae into the water. In his letter, Hickenlooper said none of this is the result of vandalism, “but your administration’s incompetence.”“If you want a blue Reflecting Pool for a photo-op,” he says, “you should pay for it yourself.”Kash Patel's Girlfriend Will Perform At Trump-Backed 250 Event After Many Others Dropped OutAlexis Wilkins, the girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, announced she will perform at the Great American State Fair on Wednesday."What a great honor to be a part of the 250th birthday of this great nation," Wilkins wrote Tuesday on X.Wilkins' participation comes after many of the performers who were initially scheduled, like Martina McBride and Bret Michaels, dropped out after learning it was a Trump-backed event. Wilkins defended her participation in a post on Tuesday."I have been a country music artist for years now," she wrote. "I have had a successful career in both music and commentary/strategy. People don't get to negate that for clicks or headlines. I was invited to sing this anthem on my own accord, as I have been many other places throughout my career."President Donald Trump will also deliver remarks at the event on Wednesday.Congo Ebola Outbreak ‘Is Continuing To Outpace The Response’: WHO Director-GeneralThe Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo “is continuing to outpace the response,” though “the risk to the rest of the world remains low,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference.The outbreak was declared five weeks ago, and there have been 1,094 confirmed Ebola cases and 277 deaths as of Wednesday. A trial of two therapeutics is expected to start in Congo next week, he said."Despite the good progress we have made, we still face major challenges, and the outbreak is continuing to outpace the response,” he said. “The outbreak is continuing to move fast.”The infections include nearly 80 health workers, he said, “highlighting the risks they face and the importance of strengthening infection prevention and control.”Democrats Demand Info From Trump's Reflecting Pool ContractorsDemocrats on the House Oversight Committee have asked the contractors that handled the president's disastrous renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to hand over documents and information about the project."In the latest example of stunning waste, fraud, and abuse, the Trump Administration skirted standard contracting practices to award noncompetitive contracts to Trump donors and acquaintances — including yourself — to beautify the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pool," Rep. Robert Garcia (Calif.), the committee's top Democrat, said in a letter to John Cafaro, head of Green Water Solutions. Garcia sent a similar letter to Curtis Wood, CEO of Atlantic Industrial Coatings, noting the new blue surface has begun peeling off amid a resurgence of algae. The letters request documents detailing the scope of work and an explanation for the apparent failure to improve the pool's appearance. "The American people deserve better management of their tax dollars," the letters said. "They also deserve to know how the contractors selected to do this work were vetted, and how they plan to address their shoddy work moving forward."The companies aren't under any legally enforceable obligation to share information, but if Democrats retake the House in November's midterm elections, they could use subpoenas to demand the information. Senior Islamic State Leader Killed in U.S. Airstrike In Syria: Central CommandA senior leader of the Islamic State group has been killed in a U.S. airstrike in northwest Syria, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Wednesday.Ali Husayn al-‘Ulaywi was killed in a June 19 strike, which was part of efforts to “disrupt and eliminate” plots to attack Americans abroad and in the U.S., the command said.“CENTCOM and our partners remain committed to rooting out remaining remnants of ISIS to ensure its enduring defeat,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, in a statement. “We will continue to defend the U.S. homeland, our service members, and allies and partners across the region.”Ex-Chief Of Staff To Ex-NYC Mayor Eric Adams Arrested In Federal Bribery Probe: APThe former chief of staff to ex-New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been arrested with several others in relation to an alleged bribery scheme involving a city contract, The Associated Press has reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.Frank Carone was reportedly taken into custody with his brother and two others. Indictments are expected to be unsealed later Wednesday.Carone served as Adams’ chief of staff during his first year in 2022 and was once a lawyer for the Brooklyn Democratic Party.WSJ Details The Big Money Underpinning Larry Ellison's Close Friendship With TrumpThe Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Larry Ellison, the billionaire co-founder of Oracle, gave about $45 million to a political nonprofit supporting President Donald Trump’s 2024 election campaign — and the donation appears to be reaping benefits.The piece, which cites unnamed sources, details how Ellison's companies have benefited under the Trump administration. It also notes that Ellison's son, Larry, has rapidly grown his media empire since Trump's return to office, in particular his Skydance company's merger with Paramount.The Journal reports Ellison, 81, has given millions more to Trump-aligned groups since the election, with some of the money committed to the president's legacy initiatives in Washington, D.C.Thanks in part to the money, Ellison has a “more-private friendship” with Trump compared with other CEOs who have cozied up to the president, the paper says.Read more here:Flu Cases At Texas Military Base Rise To 222: ReportAn ongoing flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas has sickened at least 222 recruits as of Tuesday and hospitalized four, ABC News reported.The total number of new cases is about 39% more than what was reported last week.The outbreak follows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth scrapping a flu shot mandate for all troops in April. Amid this current outbreak, all recruits at Lackland are required to get the flu shot, ABC News and The New York Times reported.Trump To Meet With Defense Firm Executives Amid Dwindling MunitionsPresident Donald Trump is expected to meet Wednesday with the chief executives of major defense firms regarding concerns of diminishing munition stockpiles after U.S. military usage in Ukraine and the Middle East.The meeting follows up on a March 6 gathering where top executives from Lockheed Martin, Raytheon parent RTX, BAE Systems, Boeing, Honeywell Aerospace, Northrop Grumman and other companies visited the White House.Trump at the time declared that they had agreed to increase weapons production of “exquisite class” weaponry. The administration has also this year highly pressured defense contractors to focus on U.S. production to support the Department of War over shareholder payouts.Senators Demand That Trump Admin Stop Directing Pregnant Women To Anti-Abortion CentersNearly a dozen senators are calling on President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to remove a federal website that directs pregnant people to unregulated anti-abortion centers.The 11 senators sent a letter, shared exclusively with HuffPost, to Trump and Kennedy Wednesday morning demanding answers about the administration’s new website Moms.gov. The Department of Health and Human Services launched the website last month on Mother’s Day to offer "resources, information and help for new and expecting mothers." But the main resources listed are 2,750 anti-abortion pregnancy centers, also known as crisis pregnancy centers, located around the country.Read more here:See All Updates