The U.S. is deploying a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran, while also grappling with a measles outbreak across 24 states and investigations into alleged misconduct by ICE officers. These developments, along with a potential nomination process hurdle for a Federal Reserve chair candidate and an avian malaria threat in Hawaii, highlight a complex landscape of national and international concerns.
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, the Navy's most advanced, is expected to join the USS Abraham Lincoln and its carrier strike group already in the Middle East, according to three U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News. The Ford carrier strike group had been in the Caribbean since November, part of a military buildup near Venezuela. This move comes as tensions between the U.S. and Iran continue to simmer.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that measles cases in the U.S. have surpassed 900, with infections confirmed in 24 states, including Arizona, California, and New York, according to ABC News. At least 177 new cases were reported in the last week. The majority of cases are among the unvaccinated or those with unknown status, the CDC data shows.
In other news, the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that two of its officers may have lied under oath about a shooting of a migrant in Minnesota. A joint review by ICE and the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed that sworn testimony provided by the officers appeared to contain "untruthful statements," according to ABC News. Both officers have been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
In Washington, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said that Kevin Warsh, President Trump's nominee for chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, will have to decide whether he wants to proceed with his nomination process. Tillis cited potential impacts to Warsh's business life, given the senator's pledge to oppose the confirmation of any nominee until the Justice Department resolves its investigation into Chairman Jerome Powell, according to CBS News. "Warsh is going to have to decide whether or not he wants to go through with this, because, as I'm sure you know, once the nominee is put forward, there are certain restrictions on what he can do in his business life," Tillis said in an interview.
Finally, a new study published in Nature Communications revealed that almost every forest bird species in Hawaii is spreading avian malaria, posing an increasing threat to wildlife in the popular honeymoon destination, according to Fox News. Scientists from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the University of California analyzed blood samples from over 4,000 birds across 64 sites across the state.
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