U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for the G7 Leaders' Summit at the Hotel Royal, Evian Resort on June 15, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. Isabel Infantes | Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump is set to sit down with CNBC's Joe Kernen in the Oval Office in the White House for an interview scheduled to air Thursday afternoon.The interview comes as the negotiators for the U.S. and Iran are engaged in indirect peace talks to resolve a war that Trump began in late February, as Trump's demand that Congress pass a voter-ID bill has stalled defense and spending legislation in the House, as new jobs data shows a slowdown in hiring in June and with less than four months to go before the 2026 midterm elections.The Supreme Court earlier this week handed Trump a major win by ruling that he has the power to fire members of traditionally independent federal agencies, but thwarted the president's effort to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook as she continues her lawsuit seeking to block him from firing her. The court also rejected Trump's bid to undo the right to birthright citizenship for children of immigrants.On Tuesday, Trump's annual financial disclosure report revealed how he had made hundreds of millions of dollars in 2025, his first year back in the White House, from proceeds of the sale of cryptocurrency tokens. Tune in in the 5 p.m. ET hour as President Donald Trump speaks to CNBC's Joe Kernen. Watch in real time on cnbc.com.3 Hours AgoTrump's push for SAVE Act has roiled CongressSpeaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to reporters as he arrives to a House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on June 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch | Getty ImagesTrump's insistence on Congress' adoption of a controversial voter-identification and proof of citizenship bill has derailed action in both the House and Senate in the past week and threatens other GOP priorities.Republican hardliners jammed up the House floor this week, in part because of congressional leadership's refusal to attach a version of the election bill, dubbed the SAVE America Act, to the National Defense Authorization Act. In the face of stiff opposition, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., sent the House home early for its July 4 recess.The House advanced the SAVE America Act in February, but the legislation lacks the 60 votes it would need in the Senate to overcome a filibuster. Trump and his supporters have repeatedly pushed Senate leaders to abolish the filibuster to pass the election bill, but there's also insufficient support to drastically change the chamber's procedures.—Justin Papp8 Min AgoOpenAI and Trump administration in preliminary talks about a government stakeWASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 21: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman appears during a news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump announced an investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure and took questions on a range of topics including his presidential pardons of Jan. 6 defendants, the war in Ukraine, cryptocurrencies and other topics. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)Andrew Harnik | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesThe Trump administration and OpenAI are engaging in preliminary and ongoing talks about a possible government stake in the AI company, according to a source close to the discussions, who asked not to be named because the details are confidential. The talks have been in progress for more than a year, as CNBC previously reported, but nothing official has been decided and the specifics are still subject to change. Altman first shared the idea with the Trump administration in 2025.OpenAI has reportedly discussed giving the government a 5% stake in the company, according to a report from the Financial Times on Thursday. That potential holding would be worth roughly $42.6 billion at the artificial intelligence startup's recent $852 billion valuation.—Ashley Capoot4 Hours AgoRestricting defense contractor stock buybacks picks up steamAn aerial view of the Pentagon, which houses the US Department of Defense headquarters, in Arlington, Virginia, on May 31, 2026. Daniel Slim | Afp | Getty ImagesTrump's idea to restrict defense contractors from buying back their own stock and paying dividends is picking up steam in Congress. The Senate Armed Services Committee incorporated a provision to write it into law into its version of the National Defense Authorization Act — a must-pass defense bill.As written, contractors would need Pentagon approval to execute buybacks or pay dividends. The legislative text closely resembles an executive order Trump issued in January. An amendment to add a similar provision to the House version of the NDAA didn't make it into the final bill. Trump has not publicly leaned on Congress to approve the measure yet, but if he does, it would greatly improve its chances of becoming law. Advocacy groups representing Pentagon contractors are lobbying hard to kill the proposal. —Garrett Downs26 Min AgoPirro touts indictment of Olympic canoeist David Hearn in Reflecting Pool vandalism caseU.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro (C) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia on July 2, 2026 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker | Getty ImagesU.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced Thursday that a grand jury had indicted Olympian canoeist David Hearn on a felony charge for allegedly destroying a piece of liner from the Reflecting Pool at the National Mall."This was a deliberate act to damage the Reflecting Pool at the National Mall that members of the National Park Service actually have worked hard to restore, and have witnessed," Pirro said. "National Park employees observed Hearn actually forcefully and violently pulling up and removing the bottom liner with both hands."The Washington Monument is reflected in The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on June 30, 2026 in Washington, DC. Finn Gomez | Getty ImagesHearn, 67, has said, "I didn't vandalize anything." He claims he reached down into the pool on June 19 to touch a piece of liner that had become partially detached.Trump has made the renovation of the Reflecting Pool a top priority, and has claimed that its new "American flag blue" liner was intentionally damaged by vandals. — Dan Mangan4 Hours AgoWhite House $87.6 billion Iran supplemental is raising eyebrows on the HillThe US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Daniel Heuer | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThe White House in late June sent Congress an $87.6 billion supplemental funding request for the Iran war, a proposal that raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill and may be meeting with some opposition — and not just from Democrats.Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Appropriations Committee ranking member Patty Murray, D-Wash., immediately slammed the request, which would require congressional approval."President Trump launched a reckless and costly war with Iran — without authorization from Congress or the support of the American people — that he should never have started, and now, instead of doing anything to help families get by, he is asking taxpayers to pick up the tab and give him billions more to wage wars overseas," Murray said in a statement at the time.Politico reported on Wednesday that even some key Republicans are alarmed at the supplemental, claiming the administration hadn't provided enough information.—Justin Papp47 Min AgoIran's Hormuz Strait toll plans become key dispute in negotiations with U.S.: ReportsCommercial vessels remain anchored off Port Sultan Qaboos on June 21, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. Elke Scholiers | Getty ImagesIran is intent on charging fees for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital trade route that was choked off during the U.S.-Israeli war and remains at the center of ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran, according to multiple reports.The U.S. has floated the possibility of relinquishing some frozen Iranian funds in exchange for the Islamic republic abandoning its claims over the waterway, but Iran has so far refused, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.The monthslong war in Iran, launched by the U.S. and Israel in late February, led to last month's signing of a 60-day memorandum of understanding that paved the way for further talks on a permanent deal. But tensions remain high, with the sides exchanging fire at one point and continuing to publicly disagree about key issues.Axios on Wednesday cited a U.S. official saying discussions in the Persian Gulf currently center on "how the Strait should be managed after [the memorandum expires]."—Kevin Breuninger2 Hours AgoTrump interview to follow lackluster jobs reportA job seeker meets with a recruiter during the HIRE360 Diversity Hiring Expo & Mega Career Expo at the Carson Event Center on June 30, 2026, in Carson, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty ImagesTrump's interview with CNBC has been teed up by some unwelcome economic news: The Labor Department reported a sudden slowdown in U.S. job growth last month.Nonfarm payrolls for June increased by a seasonally adjusted 57,000 for the month, less than half of the Dow Jones forecast of 115,000. Job creation in May was also downwardly revised to 129,000, according to the government's latest monthly report.The unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% — but that was largely due to a decline in the labor force participation rate, suggesting fewer people in the U.S. are actively looking for work. The rate fell 0.3 percentage points to 61.5%, its lowest point since March 2021.—Kevin Breuninger and Jeff Cox