AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

President Trump’s Cabinet is meeting in the White House right now for its second “meeting of the minds” since the Iran war began.

Trump began by rattling off a series of accomplishments, including “achieving the largest drop in the murder rate ever recorded,” “created the most secure border in the history of our country,” lowering prescription drug prices and more.

He also bragged that his administration is the most transparent ever.

But the world is tuning in to watch one thing: Updates on the war in Iran. Trump said over the weekend that the U.S. and Iran are close to a deal that would end the war. But tensions have risen since that announcement. The U.S. struck Iran in what it describes as “defensive” strikes, while Iran threatened retaliation. Regardless, negotiations are still happening.

So far, Iran has not been the focus of the meeting. However, the president did appear to link Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s win last night in his Senate primary to Americans’ sentiment about the Iran war.

“Look, what happened last night. That was the prelude to the midterms,” Trump said. “People understand it. They know that, very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. I'm doing that for the world. I'm not doing it just for us.”

Read more on the ‘hazy’ Iran deal, via The Hill’s Niall Stanage: ‘Trump and allies seek to spin Iran deal amid hazy details’

💻 Watch the Cabinet meeting live

Wasn’t this meeting supposed to happen at Camp David?: Yes, the Cabinet meeting had been scheduled to happen at Camp David but was shifted to the White House because of bad weather.

💬 Follow today’s live blog

TIDBIT — KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR TRUMP AT THE NBA FINALS: 

Trump had planned to make a surprise appearance at Wednesday’s NBA Eastern Conference final, but the New York Knicks clinched the series and ended it, according to The New York Times. 

Now,  Trump is reportedly considering attending the NBA finals next week. 

NEW VANCE INTERVIEW: 

Vice President Vance spoke with NBC News for an interview. It’s getting some traction this morning. Here are the highlights: 

On the pope’s warnings about AI: Vance called it “profound.”  

Vance still has X deleted from his phone: Vance confirmed that he deleted the X social media app from his phone for Lent but still hasn’t reinstalled it. “It’s one of these things where not having that as a distraction, I think, has made me much more productive,” Vance said. “You’re not scrolling all the time when you get five minutes. I can actually read something, as opposed to, you know, scroll or get distracted by X.” 

He’s on an RFK Jr. diet: Vance says he’s doing a “crazy diet” that  Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommended. It involves “a lot of protein” and “fermented foods.”  

We’ve woken up to a new dynamic in the Texas Senate race. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report shifted the Texas Senate race in Democrats’ direction from “likely Republican” to “lean Republican.” 

That’s because Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) clobbered Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) in Tuesday’s Texas Senate runoff after Trump jumped in with a last-minute endorsement, ending Cornyn’s 24-year-long Senate career.

Why Democrats have an extra twinkle in their eyes today: Paxton has faced numerous legal, ethical and political scandals, including criminal indictments and a 2023 impeachment trial on corruption charges. Remember when his wife, Angela Paxton, filed for divorce last year on “biblical grounds?” (A Houston Chronicle reporter noted his divorce is expected to go to court in a few weeks.)  

Paxton will face off against Texas Democrat James Talarico. It would still be a longshot for Democrats to win in Texas, but they believe the combination of Trump’s low polling numbers and Paxton’s baggage gives them their best shot.  

Some Republican leaders are worried about Paxton as the nominee, reports The Washington Post.  

🩹 Republicans tore themselves apart. Now, they need to unite … and quickly: The Cornyn-Paxton fight was brutal. It was expensive and bruising. President Trump inserted himself at the last minute with a controversial endorsement of Paxton over the well-respected senior senator. Now, they need to quickly unify and shift into general election mode to take on Talarico.  

Read more: 5 takeaways from Texas’s primary runoffs 

Former President Biden sued the Department of Justice (DOJ) to block the release of interviews used in the special counsel investigation into his handling of classified documents. 

The interviews include transcripts and audio of private interviews with a ghostwriter. 

Timing: “Biden’s lawyers filed the lawsuit in federal court in Washington D.C., ahead of the DOJ’s upcoming release of the files to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and the conservative Heritage Foundation on June 15.” Read more 

“Some Senate Republican aides say there is growing support within the Senate GOP conference for ousting the parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, after she ruled against a proposal to provide $1 billion for the White House ballroom, a move that would drastically change how the upper chamber operates,” reports The Hill’s Alexander Bolton. 

Keep in mind: MacDonough’s role as Senate parliamentarian is nonpartisan. She simply decides if proposals abide by the Senate’s own rules. But because in her role, she sometimes squashes partisan proposals. 

She ruled that Trump’s ballroom funding did not pass the rules to be included in Senate Republicans’ reconciliation package. It’s important to note she did not say they can’t fund the ballroom. She just ruled that it would require 60 votes, not the simple majority Senate Republicans wanted.  

Read more on the discussions about MacDonough’s future: ‘Senate Republicans battle over future of parliamentarian’ 

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was spotted vacationing with former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) in Costa Rica. 

📸 TMZ obtained a photo of Greene, Massie and their spouses 

— The White House appointed former Attorney General Pam Bondi to serve on an AI advisory committee. 

— The president’s Board of Peace fund is empty, reports the Financial Times. 

— Bath & Body Works sales have fallen despite the company’s efforts to turn things around.  

— Vanity Fair published a fascinating interview with Los Angeles mayoral candidate and former reality star Spencer Pratt. There are some wild excerpts, like this one. Read more 

New York magazine: Don Jr. & Bettina Anderson’s Wedding: The Biggest Snubs & Surprises 

The Washington Post: We asked 1,200 Americans what they dislike about Democrats and Republicans 

The New York Times: Inside Xi Jinping’s Strategy to Export Ideas on State Control 

The Atlantic: Pausing the Gas Tax Is a Lose-Lose Proposition: The tax is too small for its absence to make a real difference to consumers, but the revenue it generates is still badly needed. 

The Free Press: How Ben Sasse Raised Me 

Analysis in CNN: Trump might not have a good way out of the Iran war