President Donald Trump got what he wanted from NATO at last year’s summit: an alliance whose members had largely acceded to his demands to step up their defense spending. This week when he meets leaders in Turkey, his mission is to enforce that pledge.
Plus, a Michigan Senate race shakeup, Trump official's son-in-law tests president's heft in Wisconsin and how nonprofits and brands are navigating the partisan waters of America's 250th celebrations. |
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President Donald Trump speaks during a media conference at the end of the NATO summit as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen in The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) |
Trump won big spending promises from NATO last year. This week in Turkey, he’ll try to enforce them — By Seung Min Kim
The speed with which most NATO countries have tried to heed Trump’s 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 — even as he continues to spar with its members over the Iran war, his flirtation with annexing Greenland, 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’s despite efforts from Mark Rutte, the alliance’s secretary-general, who tried to feed the ego of the tempestuous U.S. leader in an Oval Office meeting last month. There, he displayed large charts on easels showing what he called “The Trump Trillion” — how much allies had boosted their spending commitments since 2017.
Trump left last month’s G7 summit in France buoyed by support from his counterparts for his interim agreement to end the war with Iran. He praised unity among leaders — who also worked to bring Trump onside to boost security assistance for Ukraine in its fight with Russia. That war, now in its fifth year, is expected to be a key focus at the Ankara summit. The White House said Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday. Trump spoke with both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 4. Read more from Kim on the stakes for Trump's NATO trip this week. |
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Democrat Mallory McMorrow suspends her Michigan Senate campaign |
Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, listens to questions from the media during the Michigan Democratic Party State Endorsement Convention, April 19, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez) |
Democrat Mallory McMorrow suspends her Michigan Senate campaign and scrambles the pivotal race — By Joey Cappelletti and Steve Peoples
Michigan Democrat Mallory McMorrow suspended her campaign for the U.S. Senate on Sunday, abruptly reshaping the party primary just a month before the election and leaving a two-person contest between moderate Haley Stevens and progressive Abdul El-Sayed.
McMorrow’s exit comes after many Democrats increasingly viewed her as a long shot for the nomination. It also creates a fresh dynamic in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races, forcing Democratic voters into a direct choice between Stevens, a mainstream congresswoman backed by much of the party establishment, and El-Sayed, supported by many progressive movement leaders. The binary choice will be on full display Tuesday, when Stevens and El-Sayed are set to face off in a televised debate. During a May debate, El-Sayed repeatedly went on the offensive against Stevens, who mostly declined to engage directly with him. McMorrow’s departure could also prompt influential Democrats in the state to announce their support for Stevens because of concerns about El-Sayed’s electability in a general election. Some had stayed on the sidelines because of relationships with McMorrow. Read more from Cappelletti and Peoples on McMorrow's move. |
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Sean Duffy son-in-law Michael Alfonso tests Trump sway in Wisconsin |
Michael Alfonso, a House candidate from Wisconsin, attends an event before President Donald Trump arrives to speak, Friday, June 5, 2026, in Chippewa Falls, Wis. (AP Photo/Glen Stubbe) |
Sean Duffy's son-in-law divides Trump-backing Republicans in a Wisconsin congressional race — By Scott Bauer
Michael Alfonso, the 26-year-old son-in-law of U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, has an answer for people who say he doesn’t have the experience necessary to join Congress as its youngest member. He points to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. “They were 26 when they were first elected to public office,” said Alfonso, a Republican.
Alfonso is trying to ride support from his father-in-law to win his old House seat in rural northern Wisconsin. Duffy has repeatedly jetted back to the district to campaign and raise money for Alfonso, and he's tapped $1 million from his old congressional account to support Alfonso's candidacy.
Alfonso has also scored the endorsement of Trump, who called him a “MAGA warrior.” But to Alfonso's detractors, including prominent Republicans in the 7th Congressional District, he's too young and inexperienced for the job. The Aug. 11 primary will test whether Trump's endorsement of Alfonso, Duffy’s star power in his old congressional district and Alfonso’s fundraising advantage will be enough to put the political newcomer over the top.
Read more from Bauer on how this Wisconsin race tests Trump's power. |
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Nonprofits, brands navigating American divisiveness on 250th |
A "Happy 250th Birthday" signs seen near the entrance at Lucky Patriot Fireworks in Batavia, Ohio, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) |
Nonprofits and brands are navigating the partisan air of the 250th in search of a unifying tone — By James Pollard and Anne D'Innocenzio
The United States' 250th birthday carries ambitions to galvanize Americans 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's 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, according to a recent survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, part of a broad decline in patriotic sentiment. Views of the American flag — a prominent feature of semiquincentennial celebrations — are divided by politics, age and race.
Rival events, planned by two different commissions, are adding to the conflicted feelings. Late last year, Trump created Freedom 250, a nonprofit led by his allies, to organize alternative programming to America250, the official nonpartisan group formed in 2016 by Congress. Even the organizations' competing logos are adding to the advertising jumble for the celebrations.
Read more from Pollard and D'Innocenzio on celebration navigation.
View the AP-NORC Polling tracker. |
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