Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is sending an amphibious assault ship, the USS Tripoli, and its Marine expeditionary unit to the Middle East, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Axios on Friday. Why it matters: The deployment will add thousands of Marines, several warships, and F-35 fighter jets to support those already in the region, the U.S. official said. The U.S. official said U.S. Central Command asked for the new force in order to have more options for military operations against Iran. The Marine expeditionary unit will be able to conduct ground operations if ordered. The U.S. official declined to comment on that possibility. Driving the news: The Marine expeditionary force is moving into the region as Iran continues to target traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, driving up global oil, shipping and insurance prices. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that U.S. Navy escorts for commercial ships in the Strait could begin "soon." Bessent said the disruptions have already cost the U.S. $11 billion.Sources with knowledge said that before such escorts would begin, the U.S. military is planning potential operations for taking out land-based anti-ship missiles that the Iranians have deployed in the Strait area. 13 U.S. military members have died in the conflict as of Friday, following the crash of a refueling tanker aircraft in Iraq. What they're saying: "We're on plan to defeat, destroy, disable all of their meaningful military capabilities at a pace the world has never seen before," Hegseth insisted in a news conference Friday. "But it's not just that Iran doesn't have a functioning Air Force, or that their entire Navy is at the bottom of the Persian Gulf, or their missile force is shrinking daily.""They also don't have the ability to build more. That's the most important component I'd like to emphasize today," he said.Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine said that U.S. Central Command will continue to "destroy the Iranian Navy to ensure freedom of navi
Violence erupts in several states after one of the most powerful cartel leaders in Mexico is killed in army operation
Russia launched a massive air attack on Ukrainian energy facilities overnight on Saturday, targeting electricity generation and distribution, Kyiv said. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the overnight attack involved more than 400 drones and some 40 missiles of various types, targeting the grid, generation facilities and distribution substations. Nearly four years into the war that began
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his proposal to raise New York City property taxes was a “last resort” to close a budget gap
A new social media platform called Moltbook, designed for AI agents only, is raising concerns online, including from tech billionaire Elon Musk. Moltbook, a project from Peter Steinberger, allows for AI agents to interact with each other without any human prompting. The machines can create posts, comment, and interact with one another, while humans can only
The Votkinsk factory, that produces ballistic missiles, is more than 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from Ukraine
The allegation comes as the White House pushes Beijing to agree to new nuclear talks after the New Start arms-control deal expired this week
Texas Rep. James Talarico (D–Austin) and Stephen Colbert
The White House and Senate Democrats have struck a deal on funding on the eve of a partial government shutdown. The deal includes separating funding for the Department of Homeland Security from five other appropriations bills, all previously approved by the House, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) office told CNN. The passage of the
Russia launched a massive air attack on Ukrainian energy facilities overnight on Saturday, targeting electricity generation and distribution, Kyiv said. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the overnight attack involved more than 400 drones and some 40 missiles of various types, targeting the grid, generation facilities and distribution substations. Nearly four years into the war that began
Rights groups condemned the 78-year-old's 20-year prison term, calling it 'effectively a death sentence' and a grave injustice. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump have called for Lai's release