BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump is dismissing the idea that launching the war with Iran this year betrayed his refrain of “No new wars” that he made repeatedly as he campaigned again for the White House.

Trump, in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said he “didn’t guarantee” there would be no wars if he were back in office.

“First of all, I didn’t guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?” Trump said.

Trump also defended plans for a now-scrapped $1.8 billion fund that would have compensated allies of the Republican president and he repeated his baseless claims of mass fraud in California’s drawn-out vote count from Tuesday’s primary. He ended the interview abruptly when he became frustrated with pushback from NBC’s Kristen Welker.

Iran ‘is not an endless war’

In his 2024 campaign, Trump repeatedly cast his Democratic opponents as warmongers and said he was a president who started “no new wars” and would bring an era of peace.

But Trump said in the NBC interview, taped Friday in Wisconsin, that as a candidate, “I didn’t promise anything.”

“I don’t like these endless wars. This is not an endless war. We’ve been doing this for three months,” he said of the war with Iran, which began Feb. 28.

Trump said he was “doing the world a service” and “doing our country a service” because he had to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon. But elsewhere in the interview, Trump repeated a contradictory message where he said U.S. strikes last year “obliterated” Iranian nuclear sites.

He also defended his decision in his first term to withdraw from Democratic President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, an agreement he has heavily criticized, without negotiating the “better deal” he has promised to reach.

“It takes years to do these things,” Trump said.

Trump without evidence claims fraud in California vote

California’s notoriously prolonged vote count has been a magnet for election conspiracy theories, and Trump since Tuesday’s election has claimed without evidence that Democrats are rigging the election. The Trump-appointed top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles said Friday that his office had opened “multiple election fraud investigations.”

Late-tallied Democratic-leaning mail ballots have eaten into the vote totals for Trump’s preferred candidates for governor and Los Angeles mayor. While Trump has often said that changes to vote totals as late ballots are counted are a sign of fraud, they are merely a reflection of a slow vote-counting process.

Trump in the interview kept claiming that it was a sign of “cheating” and “a rigged election,” and grew increasingly frustrated as Welker pressed him for evidence to support that.

“All I have to do is look. All I have to do is look,” Trump said.

“But that’s not evidence,” Welker responded.

“And I listen. And I listen to people. And let’s see what happens,” Trump replied.

‘Anti-weaponization’ fund

Trump defended plans that his Department of Justice said it has now abandoned to create a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” as part of a settlement to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wednesday that the department was scrapping the plan. That announcement came after the plan was paused by a judge and after both Democrats and some Republicans said they were concerned about the fund’s lack of oversight and the possibility of payouts being made to participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.

Trump told NBC he thought the fund was “a great idea” and that he would be “disappointed” if it were not approved.

When asked if he thought people who attacked police officers on Jan. 6 should get a payout, Trump said, “I wouldn’t be inclined to say so, but I have to see it.” He then began making unfounded and false claims about riot and those who stormed the Capitol. Trump granted a sweeping pardon on his first day back in office in January 2025 to the more than 1,500 people prosecuted over Jan. 6.

Rain interruptions and an abrupt end

The NBC interview was conducted in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, before Trump was set to speak at a roundtable event with farmers. The interview was repeatedly interrupted as waves of heavy rain fell on the metal roof of the barn where the taping took place, making it difficult at times to hear.

At the end, Welker pressed Trump on the settlement fund and his claims about the California election. Trump raised his voice and began calling Welker and the media “crooked,” attacking her credibility and complaining about what he called “the fake, dirty press.”

As Welker tried to switch subjects, Trump continued on and there was cross talk between the two. Trump ended the interview, saying said, “Let’s call it quits.” He took off his microphone, telling Welker, “Thank you, darling. Have a good time.” He said he had given the interview enough time, stood up and walked away.

Welker said during the broadcast that she spoke to Trump on Saturday and he agreed the rain had caused complications and said he would do another interview in the future.

Bambi, a much-loved rescue at the Bolton Destitute Animal Shelter, captured hearts across the community after vets discovered she was suffering from a serious and potentially life-threatening condition.

Fears that the young dog could face major surgery prompted an overwhelming response from animal lovers, who donated, shared her story and sent messages of support in their thousands.

Now, in a moving update, the shelter says Bambi is stable, symptom-free and enjoying life, bringing hope to everyone who has followed her journey.

“She is living a happy, normal life, which is exactly what we hoped for,” a spokesperson for the shelter said.

Bambi is now looking for a long-term foster home where she can enjoy the life she deserves. (Image: Bolton Destitute Shelter)

Following discussions with specialist vets, Bambi has started medication to help slow her heart and, for now, surgery has been put on hold.

Instead, she will be closely monitored with regular scans every nine to 12 months.

But while the update brings welcome relief, her future remains uncertain.

Experts have warned that Bambi’s condition is serious and unpredictable.

Although she could remain stable for years, there is also the possibility that her health could deteriorate suddenly, potentially forcing difficult decisions in the future.

The emotional update comes after months of worry, specialist appointments, X-rays and ongoing treatment costs.

The shelter said the support from the public has been “incredible”, with donations helping to make Bambi’s care possible.

“Your support means more than we can ever put into words,” the charity said.

As Bambi continues her fight, there is now one more thing she desperately needs, a place to call home.

If anyone is interested in adopting Bambi you can fill in an application here.

Thousands rallied behind Bambi after learning of her life-threatening heart condition. (Image: Bolton Destitute Animal Shelter)

The brave rescue dog is currently staying with a short-term foster family while her future care arrangements are finalised.

Now, Bolton Destitute Animal Shelter is appealing for a long-term foster home where she can settle down and enjoy the happy life she deserves.

Competitors began with a 1.9km swim at Pennington Flash before tackling a challenging 90km bike course through surrounding towns and villages, finishing with a 21.1km half marathon through Bolton town centre and Queen’s Park.

Crowds gathered along the route from the early hours of Sunday morning to cheer on participants as they pushed themselves through one of the UK’s most popular middle-distance triathlons.

AS IT HAPPENED: All the action as IRONMAN 70.3 returns to Bolton

Despite the gruelling challenge, many competitors remained in good spirits throughout the day, smiling and waving at the camera as they made their way around the course.

The event attracted athletes from across the country and beyond, with many competing for personal bests, age-group honours and qualification opportunities.

These pictures capture some of the determination, emotion and community spirit on display throughout the day.

Before long, what had been a soporific race turned into a surreal one.

First, Stroll crashed his Aston Martin at the final corner, causing a first safety car.

As the cars prepared to get going again, Leclerc crashed at the same place in the same way even before the race had restarted.

Leclerc said “today I look like an idiot” but blamed his Ferrari’s brakes for the crash.

He told Sky Sports: “I would hate to look at myself in the mirror and see myself finding excuses when I do a mistake, so that’s why I’m always bluntly honest when I’m in front of cameras. But I’m not going to take any of it today.”

That incident led to a red flag as officials took a look at the track surface at the crumbling final corner, known as Antony Noghes.

And that meant another restart that Antonelli had to negotiate, this time with the fast-starting Ferrari alongside him.

But again he was perfect and the race surrendered to him.

Hadjar drove an excellent race battling power-unit problems and was helped by a masterstroke from Red Bull in not stopping under the first safety car, which gained him positions on Russell and Piastri.

Racing Bulls had a good day with Arvid Lindblad taking the best result of his rookie season with sixth place behind team-mate Liam Lawson.

Gasly was seventh ahead of the Williams of Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon’s Haas.

And Sergio Perez took 10th for what could be the first point for the new Cadillac team, although he faces an investigation for being incorrectly positioned on the restart after the red flag.

If he is penalised, the final point will mark the first of the season for Aston Martin, for whom Fernando Alonso finished 11th.

And there may be questions as to why so many drivers – more than a quarter of the grid – ended up speeding in the pit lane.

At least 32 women studying at the University of Manchester say they have been tormented by male peers during terrifying late-night calls

The first call came at 2am.

Unsolicited and anonymous, Charlotte answered, thinking it could be a fellow student, a friend or loved one in distress.

A male voice spoke. He said he was re-sitting his exams and needed help from Charlotte in her capacity as president of student educational society Manchester MedEd. But when she told him it was not an appropriate time to call, the voice is alleged to have said ‘no, Buttercase I need you now’.

Again, she stressed it was not appropriate and asked if the caller was OK, the voice allegedly continued: “I need you now. I’m going to kill myself”.

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An apparently flippant remark, it was particularly upsetting for Charlotte who, as a teenager, lost someone close to her to suicide. Shocked, she replied: “That’s not funny, that’s never funny, but if you genuinely need help, I’ll try and help you.”

Then came the laughter. From what appeared to be three other males in the background. The speaker said he needed to know what emotional and physical support Charlotte could offer him.

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When asked what he meant by this, he is said to have replied: “I can’t get it up.”

Charlotte told him ‘this constitutes sexual harassment – I suggest you hang up the phone’. The call ended.

But Charlotte wasn’t alone. A small band of ‘weak and cowardly’ young male medical students are said to be terrorising female counterparts at the University of Manchester’s renowned school of medicine.

Alleged abuse appears to have taken the form of anonymous late-night phone calls to the mobiles of unsuspecting young women who are forced to listen to upsetting sexual slurs and abuse often accompanied by the laughter of the tormentors, who seem to think it’s acceptable banter or even sport.

It’s all the more shocking as the male students believed to be responsible are well on the road to becoming doctors, trusted to treat patients. Half of these will be women seeking help during what may well be the most vulnerable time of their lives.

But, thanks to the bravery of one of the women who has stepped forward to lead a campaigning for justice, the university has launched a major investigation into these ‘deeply concerning’ allegations.

That woman is Charlotte Buttercase who has waived her right to anonymity to expose what’s happening and speak to the Manchester Evening News.

The 24-year-old is among a group of female medical students who alleged they have been sexually harassed by male colleagues, often in distressing late-night calls where the principal tormentor appears to be with a band of other young men who are sniggering in the background as the alleged abuse is delivered.

These upsetting calls are said to have started from at least 2023 and affected a number of year groups, revealing what appears to be a pattern of misogyny which the protagonists no doubt dismiss as banter.

Charlotte has bravely waived her right to anonymity and is now fronting a campaign on behalf of the female students affected, prompting the university to launch an investigation.

For Charlotte, she was at her digs in Hulme in April this year when she was woken by the 2am call. She answered, thinking it could be a fellow student, a friend or loved one in distress.

Phone numbers for Charlotte and other students are easily obtained as they are shared on a range of large medical school WhatsApp groups.

“It was very distressing, I think particularly in the context of being alone in a dark room with four men essentially taunting me with sexually explicit comments. It was incredibly demeaning,” Charlotte told the Manchester Evening News.

“When I woke up the next morning, I felt incredibly nervous to enter into my hospital. I felt genuinely frightened of who it was who would have done that to me, making a sport of sexual harassment even though they were my own colleagues. I found it all very distressing.”

Within hours, Charlotte had lodged formal complaints with university bosses and Greater Manchester Police and, through talking to others, soon realised she was far from the only young female medical school student at the university to have suffered unwanted late-night phone calls.

A week later, she had written and published an open letter to the vice chancellor of the university Professor Duncan Ivison, which referred to 15 young women who all said they have been targeted. That number, according to Charlotte, has now swelled to 32.

One of them, who we are not naming as they are entitled to anonymity, told the Manchester Evening News she was in her second year as a medic when she received and answered a call at 1am from an anonymous caller.

She said the male caller greeted her silence with a comment that she was ‘more talkative’ when they had met the previous day. She said he asked her to make ‘sexual noises’ and he claimed she had done so when they had met previously.

She received a number of ‘no caller ID’ calls in her second year but didn’t answer apart from one occasion when she said the caller said she was ‘pretty’.

The student told the M.E.N.: “Frustrated and upset, I responded by telling him to leave me alone. The caller then became aggressive, swearing at me, calling me a ‘bitch’ and telling me to kill myself before I ended the call.

“During both calls, I could hear what sounded like multiple voices or background mumbling, which led me to believe this may involve a group of individuals rather than a single caller.

“After speaking with other students, I discovered that many girls at the university have experienced similar calls, with some receiving at least one missed or unanswered call. Given that many do not answer unknown numbers, I believe the number of affected students is likely far higher than reported.”

She continued: “I am sharing my experience in the hope that it contributes to raising awareness and encourages further investigation into what appears to be a wider issue affecting female students.”

It is understood GMP considered this and Charlotte’s cases and decided no crimes were identified. They hope the force will reconsider as more cases become known.

In her open letter to Prof Ivison, now signed by more than a thousand people, Charlotte wrote: “Gathered evidence demonstrates that for several years, women have been receiving anonymous calls, during which where they are subjected to scare tactics and sexual harassment. These range from telling them they are being watched, to asking them to perform sexual favours or indeed screaming gender-based slurs, all targeted to moments of vulnerability, in the early hours of the morning.”

She continued: “This escalation is about collectively establishing a precedent that safety is the minimum expectation and the cornerstone of education at our university; it is about an unequivocal statement that behaviour such as this, a prerequisite to sexual violence, is unacceptable on every count and shall not be tolerated anywhere, let alone by those being elevated to a public position of trust. We must beg the question: what institutional failing, has led to these individuals so comfortably, gleefully and successfully continuing this behaviour for so long?

“I would rue the day that I allowed the actions of a few weak and cowardly men to tarnish the good name of this profession, and particularly skew the perceptions of male doctors, be that in training or as these men possibly enter practice, given the overwhelming volume of excellence I have observed from male clinicians. It is the career-long efforts of my male peers and mentors, that moves me to prevent these men, small in both character and number, from overshadowing the commitment of the majority, to the highest standard of care and genuine safety for their patients.”

The university has now agreed to her demand for an investigation.

In a statement, Professor Ashley Blom, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, said: “The issues raised are deeply concerning, and we are treating them with the utmost seriousness. No member of our community should ever experience behaviour that makes them feel unsafe, intimidated or harassed.

“Our immediate priority is supporting the students affected. We have launched a formal investigation into the specific allegations raised, and we are also undertaking a wider review of the cultural and systemic issues identified.

“We will continue to take whatever action is necessary to address the issues identified and deliver meaningful, lasting change. We know that our students and colleagues must have confidence that concerns will be listened to, taken seriously and acted upon.

“I want to thank everyone who has come forward and shown courage in speaking up. I would strongly encourage anyone who has experienced or witnessed similar behaviour to report it so appropriate action can be taken.”

Twain, though, clearly was always was a different kind of precocious talent, a 10-year-old singer and guitarist with 100 covers in her repertoire. By way of introducing her version of ‘The Gambler, she tells us about the heartthrob on her teenage bedroom wall, “one of my gods”, beardy Kenny Rogers.

Travellers faced train disruption today (Sunday, June 7) with emergency services dealt with an incident between Bolton and Preston.

Services were delayed or cancelled due to the incident, Northern Rail said. Disruption continued until around 5pm. Travellers are being urged to check services beforehand.

A statement shared by National Rail read: “The emergency services are dealing with an incident between Bolton and Preston. Whilst they carry out their work, all lines between these stations are closed. Trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised.”

Services between Manchester Victoria and Blackburn were not impacted. Other rail replacement services from Manchester Piccadilly are being scheduled.

In The Mixer’s World Cup special

Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.

Verstappen has cut a very frustrated figure so far this season, with speculation swirling around his future at Red Bull and in the sport. However, he was in fine form yesterday and came so close to pole, only to be pipped by Antonelli by under half a tenth of a second.

“If you would have told me yesterday [Friday] to be on the front row, I would have definitely taken it,” Verstappen said. “This morning [Saturday] we had quite some difficulties with the car so heading into qualifying and being up there was extremely positive. So overall, of course, extremely happy with how qualifying went, how all the laps went even though you have to deal with all the traffic and also the walls. But I am happy to be on the front row and then, tomorrow [today], let’s see in the start. These cars are quite complicated to start. I have two cars behind me that start quite well but we will see. This was a good day and definitely enjoyed it in qualifying.”

Lewis Hamilton, who was won three times around the street of Monaco, will start from third today.

“It was tough for us,” Hamilton said. “We were looking so strong in practice, and we barely changed anything, but the car was drastically different once we got to qualifying for some reason, so we have to take a deep dive into that. I gave it absolutely everything. I was as close to the barriers as I could be, and what a privilege it is to be here, to be one of the 22 drivers in F1 getting to do this still. I love every second of it. I think it is definitely very close between us all. I thought we almost maybe nearly had it, and then Max put in a good time and then Kimi. I think it is great to see how close all the cars are. I think we lost something going into today, and that is what we need to try to figure out.”

Hometown boy Charles Leclerc, who hit the wall on his final flying lap in Q3, starts alongside his Ferrari teammate Hamilton on the second row. Isack Hadjar starts fifth whilst George Russell starts five places behind his Mercedes teammate Antonelli in sixth. It was a disappointing qualifying for McLaren, with Oscar Piastri and defending world champion Norris on the fourth row in the grid in seventh and eighth respectively. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson rounds out the top ten.

The race gets under way at 2pm.

Friends, family members and local residents lined the route from the early morning, cheering on athletes as they swam, cycled and ran their way through the demanding course.

Many supporters brought banners, cowbells and plenty of enthusiasm, helping to create a lively atmosphere throughout the day, while others gathered at key points along the route and at the finish line to encourage participants as they pushed towards the end of the race.

AS IT HAPPENED: All the action from IRONMAN 70.3 as it returns to Bolton

Thousands of athletes converged on Bolton for IRONMAN 70.3 Bolton, which saw Levin Veale and Katie Walker crowned champions.

The weekend also featured Night Run Bolton UK and IRONKIDS Bolton, with more than 10,000 athletes taking part across the events, making it the biggest event weekend on the calendar.

These pictures capture some of the supporters who helped make race day a memorable occasion for competitors and spectators alike.