Daily English Article — June 15, 2026

President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he intends to appoint James M. McDonald as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, formally known as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The appointment fills a vacancy created when Trump nominated Jay Clayton, the current occupant of the role, to serve as director of national intelligence. McDonald is a partner at the prestigious law firm Sullivan & Cromwell and a former prosecutor in the very office he is now set to lead.

McDonald has a notable background in both government and private legal practice. During Trump's first term, he served as director of enforcement at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a key financial regulatory body. He also worked earlier in his career as deputy associate counsel in the White House under President George W. Bush. His combination of prosecutorial experience, regulatory expertise, and White House service makes him a well-rounded figure for the demanding position.

McDonald is currently a member of the legal team managing Trump's ongoing appeal of his felony convictions in New York. Those convictions stem from hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. His direct involvement in Trump's personal legal battles raises questions about potential conflicts of interest, though the White House and the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office have not publicly addressed those concerns.

McDonald also played a role in another high-profile legal matter. He was part of the team that successfully persuaded the Trump administration's Justice Department to drop a fraud and conspiracy case against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani. That case had originally been brought under the Biden administration. The outcome was seen as a significant legal victory, and it further illustrates McDonald's influence and effectiveness as a prominent attorney in complex, politically sensitive cases.

The Southern District of New York is widely regarded as one of the most powerful and prestigious prosecution offices in the United States. Its jurisdiction covers terrorism, espionage, securities fraud, and public corruption, among other serious matters. Trump expressed confidence in McDonald, writing on his Truth Social platform that he was certain McDonald would 'deliver strong results.' The Manhattan office's spokesperson described McDonald as 'widely respected,' signaling a relatively smooth confirmation process may lie ahead.

Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, known as WWDC, has effectively set in motion the countdown to the launch of this autumn's new iPhone lineup. The keynote address delivered on Monday, June 8 marked the formal start of Apple's next software development cycle, with the first developer beta of iOS 27 released the same day. This mirrors precisely what happened a year earlier with iOS 26, suggesting that Apple's iPhone release timeline remains firmly on track to follow the same pattern as last year.

Apple confirmed during WWDC that the first public beta of iOS 27 would become available in July, again aligning with the previous year's schedule. Because Apple's software and hardware launches are closely synchronized, analysts can use these software milestones to predict when the iPhone 18 event will take place. Last year's iPhone 17 keynote was held on Tuesday, September 9, making the same week this year the most probable window for Apple to unveil its next flagship devices to the public and the press.

However, a scheduling complication arises this year. Monday, September 7 falls on Labor Day, a public holiday in the United States, and Apple has historically avoided holding major keynote events the day immediately following a holiday. The logistics of flying journalists and invited guests to Apple's Cupertino headquarters require additional preparation time. As a result, the most likely date for this year's iPhone announcement event is Wednesday, September 9, though a further delay to September 14 or 15 remains a theoretical possibility.

The anticipated iPhone 18 lineup is expected to include three models: the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and what may be Apple's first-ever foldable iPhone, potentially called the iPhone Ultra. Concerns have circulated about production difficulties with the foldable model, which could mean it is announced at the same time as the other devices but delayed for sale by several weeks. This would echo the launch strategy Apple used in 2017, when the Face ID-equipped iPhone X went on sale weeks after the iPhone 8 was already available.

Following the established pattern of recent Apple product launches, pre-orders are expected to open on the Friday immediately after the keynote event. If the announcement takes place around September 9, that would place pre-orders on Friday, September 11. The standard iPhone release schedule then sees devices go on sale one week after pre-orders begin, pointing to Friday, September 18 as the most likely date for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max to be available for purchase in stores and delivered to customers.