Donald Trump has warned Iran that US military strikes could expand to include civilian infrastructure like power plants and bridges if Tehran refuses to negotiate a deal. The threat mirrors comments he made in March and marks an escalation in rhetoric targeting the country.
Such attacks would violate international humanitarian law and likely constitute war crimes under established legal standards. The warning came as Trump simultaneously reversed course on another controversial proposal involving the Persian Gulf.
Just days after suggesting ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz should pay a 20 percent security fee to the United States, Trump abandoned the plan. He credited conversations with Middle East leaders and pointed to massive regional investments as reasons for the reversal. The US will continue blocking Iranian ports, however, he added.
The renewed hostilities have triggered pushback from Senate Democrats, who blocked advancement of the National Defense Authorization Act. Chuck Schumer, the chamber's top Democrat, said his party could not support moving forward on the defense bill while fighting continued.
House Democrats are also fracturing over Middle East policy. Senior party members have pledged to oppose efforts to cut military aid to Israel, even as rank-and-file voters increasingly rebel against their leadership's support for the country.
Immigration Enforcement Pauses Vehicle Stops
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has suspended vehicle stops indefinitely following two deadly shootings in Texas and Maine where federal officers killed immigrants in cars. The pause affects both ICE and Customs and Border Protection personnel.
The action comes after federal agents shot and killed 11 people since January 2025, with five of those deaths occurring during vehicle stops. In most cases, Department of Homeland Security officials claimed immigrants had weaponized their vehicles against law enforcement. Video evidence from separate incidents later contradicted those claims.
Meta Workers Sue Over AI-Driven Layoff Targeting
Twenty-six Meta employees have filed a federal lawsuit claiming the company used artificial intelligence to identify workers for termination based on protected leave requests. The complaint alleges workers were tagged for layoff after requesting maternity leave, disability accommodations, or other protected absences.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in California's Northern District and centers on Meta's elimination of approximately 8,000 jobs earlier this year. The 71-page complaint states that management did not make individualized decisions about whom to fire. Instead, AI systems scored, ranked, and selected employees for dismissal.
Meta rejected the allegations. A company spokesperson told the Guardian the claims lack merit.
In other developments, activist Mahmoud Khalil announced plans to sue Trump officials and pro-Israel groups for allegedly conspiring to punish him and others for supporting Palestinian rights.
Online conspiracy theories have flourished following Senator Lindsey Graham's sudden death and renewed concerns about Mitch McConnell's health, with some linking the events to Russia, vaccines, and the Clintons.
Cyclospora outbreaks continue spreading across the country, with federal health officials warning the parasite could persist through August as investigators trace its source through the food supply.
Thousands visited California to witness a rare blooming of corpse flowers, the world's largest and most pungent flowering plants.
Maryland police arrested a bank robbery suspect who attempted to brandish a stolen cat as a weapon during the heist.
Florida executed 74-year-old Dennis Sochor by lethal injection, marking the state's tenth execution this year. Sochor was convicted of killing 18-year-old Patricia Gifford on New Year's Day 1982, hours after meeting her at a party. Her body was never recovered. Her family expressed anguish that Sochor refused to reveal her remains during his 45 years in prison.
Japanese authorities are hunting a bear that broke into an elderly couple's home and raided their refrigerator. The animal is suspected of being behind 14 break-ins across the town over two weeks. Wildlife specialist Shiho Chida noted it is unusual for bears to target the same location repeatedly and expressed urgency in capturing the animal.
California is preparing for one of its sharkiest summers in a decade as juvenile great whites migrate north from Mexican waters to cooler Pacific coastlines, a shift linked to El Nino conditions.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump's civilian infrastructure threat is bluster designed to pressure negotiators, but the contradictions between his Iran stance and his abrupt Hormuz reversal reveal a president winging foreign policy based on the last conversation he had."
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