US slams ‘smear campaign' as pro-Iran hackers threaten to release Trump material
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said the threat to expose emails about the president is 'nothing more than digital propaganda' meant to damage Mr Trump and other federal officials.
'A hostile foreign adversary is threatening to illegally exploit purportedly stolen and unverified material in an effort to distract, discredit and divide,' CISA spokeswoman Marci McCarthy wrote in a social media post.
'These criminals will be found, and they will be brought to justice.'
Reuters reported that it contacted the alleged hackers online, and they told the news organisation that they had a large cache of emails from Trump chief of staff Susie Wiles, other senior advisers and porn actress Stormy Daniels, to whom a hush money payment led to Mr Trump's criminal conviction.
Federal prosecutors charged three Iranians last year on allegations of hacking into Mr Trump's presidential campaign. Hackers also targeted the campaign of Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and unsuccessfully tried to leak material supposedly taken from Mr Trump to Democrats and members of the media.
The threat to release more hacked emails was reported on the day that CISA, the FBI and the National Security Agency issued a public bulletin warning that hacking groups supportive of Tehran may attack US interests despite a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
The hackers, authorities warned, could seek to disrupt or disable critical infrastructure systems such as utilities, transportation and economic hubs. They also could target defence contractors or other American companies with ties to Israel, the agencies said.
The bulletin outlined recommendations, including the use of regular software updates and strong password management systems to shore up digital defences.
Hackers backing Tehran have targeted US banks, defence contractors and energy companies after American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, but so far have not caused widespread disruptions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
11 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump news at a glance: a senator quits, the ‘big beautiful bill' loses its name – but senate still passes Trump's megabill
After days of deliberations that went late into the night on Tuesday, the Senate passed Donald Trump's sweeping tax and spending cuts megabill, taking the deeply divisive piece of legislation one step closer to becoming law. At the 11th hour, minority Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer won a small victory in having the name of Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' stricken, but it wasn't enough to stop its passage – the act was passed just minutes later. The bill needs approval by the House of Representatives, which previously passed it by just one vote. If it becomes law, it would allow Trump to deliver on many of his election pledges, including making temporary tax cuts from his first term permanent, a major boost in spending on border protection and defense, and more oil and gas production. That will be partly funded by slashing spending on Medicaid and health programs, food stamps, student loans and clean energy tax credits. Here are the day's key stories: The passage of Donald Trump's major tax and spending bill is a victory for Senate Republicans, who faced infighting and deep divisions over measures like Medicaid cuts and even saw one lawmaker choose to retire after clashing with Trump. It remains unclear if changes made by the Senate will be accepted by the House. While Republicans control both house of Congress, factionalism in the lower chamber is particularly intense. Read the full story Trump on Tuesday toured 'Alligator Alcatraz', a controversial new migrant detention jail in the remote Florida Everglades, and celebrated the harsh conditions that people sent there would experience. The president was chaperoned by Florida's hard-right governor, Ron DeSantis, who hailed the tented camp on mosquito-infested land 50 miles west of Miami as an example for other states that supported Trump's mass deportation agenda. Read the full story Trump and administration officials have threatened CNN over what they said was its promotion of a new app that allows users to track and try to avoid Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents. Read the full story Donald Trump claimed that Israel was ready to agree to a peace deal with Hamas as he seeks to broker a ceasefire to the war in Gaza that has claimed almost 60,000 lives. In a post on Truth Social, the US president wrote: 'Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War.' Read the full story The Trump administration raised the possibility of stripping Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral candidate for New York City, of his US citizenship as part of a crackdown against foreign-born citizens convicted of certain offences. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, appeared to pave the way for an investigation into Mamdani's status after Andy Ogles, a rightwing Republican representative for Tennessee, called for his citizenship to be revoked on the grounds that he may have concealed his support for 'terrorism' during the naturalization process. Read the full story Legally mandated US national climate assessments seem to have disappeared from the federal websites built to display them, making it harder for state and local governments and the public to learn what to expect in their back yards from a warming world. Scientists said the peer-reviewed authoritative reports save money and lives. Websites for the national assessments and the US Global Change Research Program were down Monday and Tuesday with no links, notes or referrals elsewhere. The White House, which was responsible for the assessments, said the information will be housed within Nasa to comply with the law, but gave no further details. Read the full story The US is halting some shipments of weapons to Ukraine amid concerns that its own stockpiles have declined too much, officials said Tuesday, a setback for the country as it tries to fend off escalating attacks from Russia. The chair of the Federal Reserve blamed Trump's tariffs for preventing the immediate interest rate cuts the president has demanded. Months after Trump expressed negative opinions about a portrait of him in the Colorado state capitol, a White House-approved replacement now hangs in its place. A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's bid to end temporary deportation protections and work permits for approximately 521,000 Haitians before the program's scheduled expiration date. Donald Trump and Elon Musk's reignited feud continued on Tuesday with the former political allies trading sharp public threats of retribution. Catching up? Here's what happened on 30 June 2025.
South Wales Guardian
13 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Hamas ‘ready for a ceasefire' but only if a deal ends the war in Gaza
The militant group stopped short of accepting a US-backed proposal announced by Donald Trump hours earlier. The US president said on Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. He has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war. Mr Trump said the 60-day period would be used to work towards ending the war — something Israel says it will not accept until Hamas is defeated. He said a deal might come together as soon as next week. Hamas's response raised questions about whether the latest offer could lead to an actual pause in fighting. Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the militant group was 'ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement', adding that the group is 'ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war'. A Hamas delegation is expected to meet Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official. Throughout the nearly 21-month war, ceasefire talks have repeatedly faltered over whether the war should end as part of a deal. Hamas has said it is willing to free the remaining 50 hostages, less then half of whom are said to be alive, in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war. Israel says it will only agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and exiles itself, something the group refuses to do. An Israeli official said the latest proposal calls for a 60-day deal that would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a surge in humanitarian aid to the territory. The mediators and the US would provide assurances about talks on an end to the war, but Israel is not committing to that as part of the latest proposal, the official said. It was not clear how many hostages would be freed as part of the agreement, but previous proposals have called for the release of about 10. Israel has yet to publicly comment on Mr Trump's announcement. On Monday, he is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House, days after Ron Dermer, a senior Netanyahu adviser, held discussions with senior US officials about Gaza, Iran and other matters. On Tuesday, Trump wrote on social media that Israel had 'agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War'. 'I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE.'
Telegraph
17 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Can Elon Musk's ‘America Party' work?
After three weeks of relative silence, Elon Musk returned to the spotlight with a political moonshot. Pointing his rockets at the 'one big, beautiful bill' and its loyal lawmakers, Mr Musk threatened to blow up the two-party US system by doing what few have dared. Launch one of his own. 'If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,' he wrote in a string of firebrand posts on Monday. 'Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uni-party so that the people actually have a VOICE.' By Monday evening, the tech billionaire was suggesting specific action, vowing to tank congressmen who dared vote for the flagship tax and spend bill by funding their political rivals. In any event, it appears to have been just a threat. Yet Mr Musk's ambition for a new 'America Party' is the latest example of what many view as the biggest threat to Donald Trump's second term; the tech billionaire himself. His incredible wealth, time inside the West Wing and influence will help him recruit supporters. Perhaps all he is missing is the charm of Mr Trump. The States' winner-takes-all style elections make it almost impossible for those outside of the two main American parties: Republicans and Democrats. Yet there is, it seems, some appetite for a third party. In a poll on his X account, Mr Musk asked if it was time to create a party 'that actually represents the 80 per cent in the middle'. A total of 5.6 million people voted, with 80.4 per cent responding 'yes'. It is a result repeatedly cited by the tech billionaire as evidence that most Americans want a political alternative. Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle? — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 5, 2025 'The key question is, would you actually vote for such a third party?' John Mark Hansen, the Charles L Hutchinson distinguished service professor in the department of political science at the University of Chicago, said. 'And typically, a vote for a third party is a wasted vote, so people don't vote for third parties. 'If success is actually creating a party that is durable, that is around for more than one election cycle and that has candidates running on its line... then this doesn't have much of a chance.' There are questions over whether Mr Musk's influence would have the durability to last for more than one election cycle. Still, never before has someone with the unique combination of star power and resources taken interest in giving the two-party duopoly a run for its money. Musk could self-finance campaign With a net worth of $409.8 billion (£298.4 billion), Mr Musk has the means to self-finance a campaign on a scale never seen before. By the end of Trump's presidential campaign, Mr Musk had ploughed $277 million into the party, making him their largest donor. With plenty of change spare, he had a go at influencing Wisconsin's supreme court election. With his other affiliated groups, he spent over $20 million in the hopes of getting a return on his investment. But despite the cash injection, his preferred candidate still lost. Mr Musk could afford nationwide advertising, tech-savvy targeted marketing and some of the brightest political strategist money can buy. Such financial might means he wouldn't be dependent on traditional donors, a selling point for his 'anti-establishment' campaign. Then there is his popularity. Just under half of American adults (42 per cent) say they have a favourable view of Mr Musk, according to a Pew Research Centre survey earlier this year. Perhaps more importantly, roughly 73 per cent of Republicans (including a staggering 84 per cent of conservative Republicans) view him favourably. His spectacular fallout with the president, in which he accused Mr Trump of being in the Epstein files, did little to dent the Tesla boss's popularity inside the Maga base either. Third party could swing close election And so with his maverick image, he has the potential to attract voters fed up with the establishment. But with a narrow set of political opinions, he stands little chance of success. 'A lot of Americans will tell you they want a third party, and that they are dissatisfied with both Democrats and Republicans,' Peter Loge, the director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at the George Washington University told The Telegraph. 'A lot of people agree. What they disagree about is what that should look like. The problem is, you can't have a political party representing a whole nation of people who just agree with you.' While a third party is unlikely to have any impact by way of seats, its real damage to Mr Trump and the Republicans will be by syphoning away a chunk of their voters. Even a small third-party vote can swing a close election. In 2000, Ralph Nader, under the green party won only 2.7 per cent of the vote. Yet his few millions in Florida and other swing states is credited to tipping the election in favour of George W Bush. It is a scenario that could prove devastating to the Republicans who face tight races in the midterms next year. While a third party stands little chance of success Mr Musk can really cause harm to Mr Trump by primarying Republicans and running campaigns. Specific action, like funding individual lawmakers and discrediting opponents with attack ads, is Mr Musk's best chance of vengeance. It is a move he has floated already, announcing he would be backing Republican Kentucky GOP Congressman Thomas Massie, a dissenter of Mr Trump's bill, in his re-election bid next year. 'I do think probably the most effective way to gum up the works would be to sponsor independent candidates,' Mr Hansen added. 'If there's someone there who could syphon votes away [in swing seats] even in protest from the Republican candidate, Mr Musk could get his revenge.'
