The Latest: Trump weighing moves against Iran and widens use of military in US
An appeals court on Thursday allowed President Donald Trump to keep control of National Guard troops he deployed to Los Angeles following protests over immigration raids while California's legal challenge continues. The court case could have wider implications as the president vows to expand deployments within the United States while prioritizing deportations from other Democratic-run cities.
'The court rightly rejected Trump's claim that he can do whatever he wants with the National Guard and not have to explain himself to a court,' California Gov. Gavin Newsom said. 'The President is not a king and is not above the law. We will press forward with our challenge to President Trump's authoritarian use of U.S. military soldiers against citizens.'
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators the Pentagon is providing options as Trump gave himself a two-week deadline to decide whether to order direct U.S. involvement against Iran, which could risk dragging America into a wider war in the Middle East. The president's press secretary offered the deadline Thursday, saying there is a 'substantial chance' for renewed negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program.
Here is the Latest:
Trump's schedule, according to the White House
11 a.m. — Trump will attend a national security meeting
2 p.m. — He'll travel to Bedminster, NJ
7:30 p.m. — Trump will attend a dinner for the super PAC MAGA Inc. at his golf course
Trump extended TikTok ban deadline for a third time, without clear legal basis
Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to keep TikTok running in the U.S. for an additional 90 days, giving his administration more time to broker a deal that would bring the social media platform under American ownership.
Trump disclosed the executive order on the Truth Social platform Thursday morning.
The first extension was through an executive order on Jan. 20, his first day in office, after the platform went dark briefly when a national ban — approved by Congress and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court — took effect. The second was in April when White House officials believed they were nearing a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with U.S. ownership that fell apart after China backed out following Trump's tariff announcement.
It is not clear how many times Trump can — or will — keep extending the ban as the government continues to try to negotiate a deal for TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance. While there is no clear legal basis for the extensions, so far there have been no legal challenges to fight them.
Top Senate Democrats 'deeply concerned' over escalating tensions with Iran
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and the top Democrats on several key committees said in a joint statement Wednesday evening that they are 'deeply concerned about a lack of preparation, strategy, and clearly defined objectives' amid uncertainty about whether President Trump will decide to strike Iran.
The Democrats say Trump should seek authorization from Congress if he is 'considering taking the country to war.'
They urged Trump to 'prioritize diplomacy and pursue a binding agreement that can prevent a nuclear-armed Iran and reduce the risk to our diplomats, our service members, and the hundreds of thousands of Americans living in the Middle East.'
Senior European diplomats are set to hold nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva on Friday
Senior European diplomats are set to hold nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva on Friday, according to a European official familiar with the matter.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said the high-ranking diplomats from Germany, France and the United Kingdom as well as the European Union's top diplomat will gather for the meeting in Switzerland.
The planned meeting comes as President Donald Trump is weighing approval for the U.S. military to join Israel in carrying out strikes on Iran's nuclear program.
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