President Donald Trump has to scale back as his stretches . Trump said South Korea wouldn鈥檛 help with his war against Iran and cited his good relationship with North Korea鈥檚 Kim Jong Un.
The is replacing the in the Middle East amid growing aboard the long-deployed Lincoln. The move leaves the western Pacific without a key military asset as China shows more .
The asked in getting documents and testimony to defend against his . The request filed in federal court in Florida on Friday argues that Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. have 鈥減ersonal knowledge鈥� and likely have records relevant to Trump鈥檚 claims.
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Supreme Court again rebuffs Trump, upholds $5 million for E. Jean Carroll
on Monday again rebuffed President Donald Trump鈥檚 push to a jury鈥檚 $5 million finding that he sexually abused the writer at a New York City department store in the mid-1990s and later defamed her.
The Republican president鈥檚 lawyers had asked the justices to reconsider their refusal to hear his appeal.
It鈥檚 unusual 鈥� although not unheard of 鈥� for the court to grant such requests. the judgment shortly after the court declined to take up his appeal in June.
Trump and the Justice Department are also asking the high court to toss out a second Carroll verdict totaling . They argue he鈥檚 immune from being sued over comments he made about her in 2019, when he was president. The court has not yet acted on that appeal.
Israel鈥檚 Ben-Gvir advocates killing 鈥�30 to 40鈥� people in Gaza every night
The comments by an extremist Israeli lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 coalition surfaced Sunday and were quickly shared by Palestinian media, but scarcely mentioned by Israel鈥檚 domestic media.
Minister of National Security was speaking on a podcast about Israel鈥檚 recent drawdown of strikes in Gaza.
鈥淚 disagree with the prime minister,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think targeted assassinations should be carried out in Gaza, taking down 30 to 40 every night. Not just those who pose an immediate threat 鈥� there are people there who are not worthy of life. They shouldn鈥檛 live. They鈥檙e not even people.鈥�
In the past, similar statements by Ben-Gvir and other Israeli officials were widely condemned and presented to the U.N.鈥檚 world court as . Israel denies it has committed genocide in Gaza.
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Kushner meeting with Netanyahu as he seeks approval of Gaza road map
Trump son-in-law and Mideast negotiator Jared Kushner with Israel鈥檚 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday after talking with Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on disarmament.
The Israeli leader rejected a to move the truce deal forward in Gaza. Hamas says it has agreed to the road map, which includes disarmament, and the group is urging mediators and the U.S.-created to 鈥渃ompel鈥� Israel to sign on as well.
But Israel, which under the road map must withdraw from Gaza, says Hamas must fully disarm before any Israeli withdrawal will occur.
Trump鈥檚 60-day deadline for an Iran peace deal is expiring
The deal Trump set an ambitious 60-day deadline for ending and reaching an accord on its . The deadline was Monday, and the two sides are even further apart.
Talks, , have focused on reopening the and lifting a U.S. blockade. Both were under the interim deal. There has been no sign of any compromise on the strait, or that detailed nuclear talks have even begun.
The U.S., meanwhile, has no good options for getting out of the war it started alongside Israel. Acceding to Iranian control over the critical international waterway where global energy supplies moved freely before the war . Escalating the would jolt the world economy and drive up prices ahead of U.S. elections.
Iran says deal with Oman over shipping through Strait of Hormuz is nearly final
Iranian Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran on Monday that 鈥渁n understanding has been reached regarding the map of the transit route,鈥� and the sides are working to finalize details for the joint statement.
He did not elaborate, but details that have previously emerged suggest the deal would reopen the strait with ships entering through a route close to Iran and exiting through a route close to Oman. Ships would transit without paying fees or tolls during the interim period.
The U.S. has sought an acceptable deal on opening the strait before ending its blockade of Iranian ports and it was not clear whether this would meet Washington鈥檚 expectations.
US Central Command chief visited aircraft carrier after Trump鈥檚 comments
Adm. Brad Cooper visited the amid reports that its record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days is taxing the crew鈥檚 and creating supply shortages. The Lincoln has been supporting Trump鈥檚 , including the .
Cooper praised the carrier鈥檚 leadership on Sunday for making mental health and resilience a priority. His visit followed on Friday that their deployment is 鈥渘ot nearly long enough.鈥�
Top Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have requested a classified briefing on the ship鈥檚 situation. Republicans have been less outspoken.
Trump blames vandals for damaged grass where he held his July 4 celebration
Trump on Sunday said vandals are to blame for large swaths of dead grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial 鈥� in the same spot where Trump had a stage built and hosted crowds for .
Trump made the accusation in a social media post without saying why he believes it鈥檚 the work of vandals instead of trampled turf from the Independence Day festivities. He posted a photo showing a once-grassy area by the World War II Memorial, now patchy and brown across much of the sprawling turf.
鈥淟ook what VANDALS did to the grass connecting the vandalized World War II Monument and the vandalized Reflecting Pool, which will be opened again, and better than ever, shortly,鈥� Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for damage to his renovation projects in the nation鈥檚 capital, often without evidence and sometimes despite opposing accounts from his officials.
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BBC seeks US help in getting Trump family testimony
The asked a U.S. court for help in getting documents and testimony from members of 鈥檚 family in connection with his against the British broadcaster, a court document showed.
Lawyers for the BBC argued that Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. have 鈥減ersonal knowledge鈥� and likely have records relevant to elements of Trump鈥檚 claims against the broadcaster, according to a filing Friday in federal court in Florida.
The broadcaster has been unable to serve subpoenas because the three have Secret Service protection and other security personnel around them, the filing says.
Trump filed the lawsuit in December seeking $10 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing it of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices.
The allegations center on the way a 2024 documentary edited a speech Trump gave on Jan. 6, 2021, before protesters attacked the Capitol in Washington. The lawsuit accuses the BBC of 鈥渟plicing together two entirely separate parts of President Trump鈥檚 speech鈥� to 鈥渋ntentionally misrepresent the meaning of what President Trump said.鈥�
The BBC has for the misleading edit, but said it had not defamed him.
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US pulls last aircraft carrier from Asia as Trump turns to Iran and Americas
The is departing the Pacific and expected to replace the in the Middle East amid growing aboard the long-deployed carrier. The Lincoln has had its from its original May return date to support operations against Iran.
The lack of a U.S. carrier in the Pacific may be short-lived if the Navy deploys another in the next couple of months. But it shows how the are running some American sailors ragged, analysts say, while the Trump administration further retreats from the Asia-Pacific region and .
鈥淭he administration says that the Pacific is supposed to be the most important behind the Western Hemisphere,鈥� said Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Instead, the U.S. is 鈥渄oing the exact opposite鈥� of its previously expressed goal of pulling out of the Middle East.
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Trump orders Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea
President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon on Sunday to scale back , saying the ally declined to help with the war against Iran and citing his good relationship with North Korea鈥檚 Kim Jong Un.
Trump said in a social media post that the exercises, which began Monday, are not only costly but 鈥渟end a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile鈥� to North Korea, which he said 鈥渉as been unthreatening and respectful鈥� during his time in the White House.
鈥淭herefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!鈥� Trump wrote. The president added that he recently asked South Korea鈥檚 president if they would join the U.S. in the 鈥渄enuclearization鈥� of Iran, 鈥渁nd they said, 鈥楴o thanks!鈥欌��
The move is the latest example of the president appearing to turn against an ally in favor of a leader that previous administrations have cast as an adversary.
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