US Military Build-Up in Gulf as Trump Warns Iran on Nuclear Deal
Tensions escalated in the Gulf as the United States increased its military presence, with President Donald Trump warning Iran that "time is running out" to negotiate a deal on its nuclear program, according to the BBC. Trump stated that a "massive Armada" was moving towards Iran "with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose." In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi asserted that the country's armed forces were prepared to "immediately and powerfully respond" to any aggression, as reported by the BBC.
Meanwhile, in domestic news, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) announced a "dollar-for-dollar match" for its employees' newborns under the new Trump Accounts program, Fox News reported. The program, announced by President Trump on Wednesday, aims to give children born in the U.S. between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, a financial head start with an initial $1,000 contribution from the federal government. Erika Kirk, the CEO of TPUSA, stated that the organization would honor her late husband "through a company-sponsored dollar-for-dollar" match of the federal government's contribution, according to Fox News.
In other news, a Southern California man, Mark Lorenzo Villanueva, 29, pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges on Tuesday for funneling money to ISIS fighters and stockpiling a homemade bomb, according to the Justice Department, as reported by Fox News. Villanueva pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and being a felon in possession of a gun. He had been in federal custody since his arrest in August 2025.
Additionally, a coalition of unions, scientific groups, and local governments filed a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking to block the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from cutting its staff, The New York Times reported. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, argued that the staff cuts violated laws mandating that FEMA maintain capabilities to respond to disasters. The complaint sought to prevent the dismissals of hundreds of contract workers at FEMA that began at the start of the year.
Finally, The New York Times reported that Republicans had allocated a total of $190 billion over four years to the Department of Homeland Security, including $75 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in President Trump's signature domestic policy bill. Democrats had warned that the money would supercharge the department without any checks on its operations.
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