Iran has handed over its latest proposal for negotiations with the United States to mediators in Pakistan, Iran\u2019s state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday. President Donald Trump subsequently said he\u2019s \u201cnot satisfied\u201d with it, but did not elaborate on the proposal\u2019s apparent shortcomings. The shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has lasted for three weeks.
\nEven as negotiations continue, Trump is claiming that the war has been \u201cterminated\u201d because of the ceasefire. The president also called the War Powers Resolution, which states Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days, \u201cunconstitutional.\u201d
\nThe resolution\u2019s May 1 deadline is now set to pass without action, as lawmakers left town for a week on Thursday after the Senate rejected a Democratic attempt to halt the war for a sixth time.
\nTrump also said Friday that he will increase the tariffs charged on cars and trucks from the European Union next week to 25% after claiming without evidence that the E.U. was \u201cnot complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal.\u201d The U.S. and E.U. reached a trade deal last July that sets a 15% tariff on most goods.
\nUS to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany in next 6-12 months after feud over Iran war
\nTrump had threatened to withdraw some troops from its NATO ally earlier this week as he continues to feud with Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the U.S-Israel war against Iran. Merz said the U.S. was being \u201chumiliated\u201d by the Iranian leadership and criticized Washington\u2019s lack of strategy in the war.
\nPentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that the \u201cdecision follows a thorough review of the Department\u2019s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground.\u201d
\nThe U.S. has several major military facilities in Germany, including the headquarters for U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command. The number of troops leaving Germany would be 14% of the 36,000 American service members stationed there.
\nCourt restricts abortion access across the US by blocking the mailing of mifepristone
\nA panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is requiring that the pill \u2014 one of the most common means of abortion in the U.S. \u2014 be distributed only in-person at clinics.
\nJudges have long deferred to the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s judgments on the safety and appropriate regulation of drugs. FDA officials under Trump have repeatedly stated the agency is conducting a new review of mifepristone\u2019s safety, at the direction of the president.
\nSince the Supreme Court\u2019s 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed enforcement of abortion bans, prescriptions by mail has become a major way that abortions are provided \u2014 including in states where bans are in place.
\n\u201cThis is going to affect patients\u2019 access to abortion and miscarriage care in every state in the nation,\u201d said Julia Kaye, an ACLU lawyer.
\nTrump opens event with older Americans in Florida by referencing shooting at Washington dinner he attended
\nTrump is visiting The Villages in central Florida, a community for older Americans, to talk about how his policies are helping them.
\nHe said he loves Florida and was \u201cthrilled\u201d to be among the \u201cgreat American patriots\u201d of The Villages.
\n\u201cNow, you know I shouldn\u2019t be here,\u201d Trump said, referencing what law enforcement authorities have said was an attempt on his life during a gala dinner in Washington last weekend.
\nTrump said he should be \u201cindoors at a secure facility\u201d and asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s more secure than The Villages?\u201d
\nEPA says oil and gas producers can continue routine flaring at new oil wells
\nA Biden-era rule had set a May 7 deadline to halt routine flaring of planet-warming methane at new wells. However, the Environmental Protection Agency said Friday it won\u2019t make that change in response to concerns from energy companies.
\nRepublican Rep. Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota hailed the new guidelines, which she said will allow continued production of up to 40,000 barrels of oil a day in her state.
\nMethane is a potent greenhouse gas that traps heat far more efficiently than carbon dioxide over the short term and is a major driver of climate change. Energy companies routinely flare, or burn, excess methane produced by oil wells because it\u2019s less valuable than the oil.
\nChinese envoy says \u2018world is big enough\u2019 for both US and China ahead of Trump\u2019s visit to Beijing
\nAsked if the ongoing war between Iran and the U.S. will overshadow the upcoming Trump-Xi summit, China\u2019s U.N. ambassador Fu Cong said the relationship between the two world powers \u201cgoes beyond\u201d the issue of reopening the critical waterway.
\n\u201cI think it is in the interest of both countries and both people \u2014 and I may say, to the entire world, of the people of the entire world \u2014 that China and U.S. maintain a steady and sound and sustainable relationship,\u201d he told reporters at the U.N. headquarters in New York.
\nFu added that there\u2019s room for both on the world stage and that \u201cit doesn\u2019t have to be a zero-sum game between the two countries.\u201d
\nTrump contends hostilities with Iran have \u2018terminated\u2019
\nThe White House asserted to Congress in a letter Friday that hostilities with Iran have \u201cterminated\u201d despite the continued presence of U.S. armed forces in the region.
\nThe message from Trump effectively skirts a May 1 legal deadline for gaining approval from members of Congress to continue the war with Iran. That deadline was already set to pass without action from Republican lawmakers, who are deferring to the president.
\nThe letter brings into stark relief the bold but legally questionable assertion of presidential power at the heart of Trump\u2019s war, which he began without congressional approval two months ago.
\nHe also made it clear in the letter that the war may be far from over.
\n\u201cDespite the success of United States operations against the Iranian regime and continued efforts to secure a lasting peace, the threat posed by Iran to the United States and our Armed Forces remains significant,\u201d the Republican president said.
\nUS military reaches deals with 7 tech companies to use their AI on classified systems
\nGoogle, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Nvidia, OpenAI, Reflection and SpaceX will provide resources to help \u201caugment warfighter decision-making in complex operational environments,\u201d the Defense Department said.
\nThe use of AI can help the U.S. military reduce the time it takes to identify and strike targets on the battlefield, while aiding in the organization of weapons maintenance and supply lines, according to a report in March from the Brennan Center for Justice.
\nFriday\u2019s announcement comes after concerns raised by a company not on the list, Anthropic, whose battle with the Pentagon to put up AI guardrails has spilled into court.
\nThe tech company said it wanted assurances in its contract that the military would not use its technology in fully autonomous weapons and the surveillance of Americans. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the company must allow for any uses the Pentagon deemed lawful.
\nTrump says after CENTCOM briefing that he has two options for Iran
\nDiscussing a Thursday briefing with Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, Trump said the U.S. has just two options in Iran.
\n\u201cI mean, do we want to go and just blast the hell out of them and finish them forever? Or do we want to try and make a deal? I mean, those are the options,\u201d Trump said.
\nAsked if he wanted to pursue the former, Trump said: \u201cI\u2019d prefer not. On a human basis, I\u2019d prefer not, but that\u2019s the option.\u201d
\nTrump said he believes Iran\u2019s leadership has made some progress toward unifying around a resolution.
\n\u201cThey\u2019ve made strides, but I\u2019m not sure if they ever get there,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s tremendous discord, they\u2019re having a tremendous problem getting along with each other in Iran.\u201d
\nTrump dismisses war powers law as \u2018unconstitutional\u2019
\nFriday marked the 60th day since the White House notified Congress of its military operations in Iran, meaning Trump would have to withdraw forces or seek formal approval from Capitol Hill.
\nBut the president said his predecessors have similarly not sought congressional approval for military action abroad, and he wasn\u2019t going to be any different.
\n\u201cEvery other president considered it totally unconstitutional, and we agree with that,\u201d Trump said at the White House as he departed for Florida on Friday.
\nHe also agreed with an argument advanced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week that ceasefire days should not count as hostilities and thus not toward the 60 day limit.
\nA senior administration official says the U.S.\u2019s military actions in Iran have effectively \u201cterminated\u201d since the April 7 ceasefire.
\nMeet Dr. Nicole Saphier, Trump\u2019s third pick for US surgeon general
\nTrump dropped his pick for surgeon general Dr. Casey Means this week after it became clear she didn\u2019t have enough Senate votes.
\nHis new pick Dr. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist and former Fox News Channel contributor, has promoted much of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s agenda, including cutting ultraprocessed foods from diets and encouraging exercise.
\nBut she has been a more vocal advocate for vaccination than Kennedy. She\u2019s also criticized the administration\u2019s handling of some issues as \u201cembarrassing.\u201d
\n\u201cThe more vaccine confusion we create, the more preventable disease we will see,\u201d she said in September, urging the administration to get itself in order on the issue.
\nTrump sounds open to putting former 2024 GOP rival Ron DeSantis in his Cabinet
\nWhen asked Friday if he\u2019d consider a Cabinet role for the Florida governor, who is term-limited and will be out of office in 2027, Trump responded by saying, \u201cWell, I like him a lot.\u201d
\nTrump\u2019s team in 2024 was considering DeSantis as his defense secretary when then-nominee Pete Hegseth\u2019s path to Senate confirmation seemed shaky.
\nTrump says he\u2019s still looking at a taxpayer-funded takeover of Spirit Airlines
\n\u201cWe\u2019re looking at it. If we could do it, we\u2019ll do it. But only if it\u2019s a good deal,\u201d Trump told reporters on Friday as he prepared to leave the White House for a trip to Florida.
\nHe didn\u2019t offer any details about what proposal he was considering but said he\u2019d like to save jobs at the airline. Trump said his administration gave Spirit \u201ca final proposal\u201d and would make an announcement Friday or Saturday.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re looking at Spirit and if we can help them, we will. But we have to come first,\u201d he said.
\nTrump says he\u2019s \u2018not satisfied\u2019 with Iran\u2019s latest proposal in negotiations to end the war
\n\u201cThey want to make a deal, I\u2019m not satisfied with it, so we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d Trump told reporters Friday at the White House.
\nAsked about what he sees as the proposal\u2019s shortcomings, Trump said, \u201cThey\u2019re asking for things I can\u2019t agree to.\u201d
\nThe president said negotiations have continued by phone after he called off his envoys\u2019 trip to Pakistan last week. He expressed frustration with Iran\u2019s leadership, which he described as fractured.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a very disjointed leadership,\u201d he said. \u201cThey all want to make a deal, but they\u2019re all messed up.\u201d
\nSome background on the 2025 trade deal between the US and EU
\nThe 2025 deal was first cast into doubt after the U.S. Supreme Court this year ruled the Republican president lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency and charge tariffs on EU goods.
\nThe initial agreement had been a tariff ceiling of 15% on goods from the EU, but the Supreme Court ruling reduced that to 10% as the Trump administration launched a new set of import taxes based on other laws. The Trump administration is in the middle of investigations on trade imbalances and national security risks to impose a new tariff regime, which could ultimately put the agreement with the EU in risk of violation.
\nThe EU had said it expected the bilateral deal would save European automakers about 500 million to 600 million euros ($585 million to $700 million) a month.
\nThe value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services amounted to 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in 2024, or an average of 4.6 billion euros a day, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.
\nTrump says he\u2019ll place 25% tariff on autos from EU, accusing bloc of not complying with trade deal
\nIt\u2019s a move that could jolt the world economy at a fragile moment.
\nTrump said in a post that the EU \u201cis not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal,\u201d though he did not flesh out his objections in the post.
\nTrump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had agreed to the trade deal last July. It set a 15% tariff on most goods.
\nBessent wants Americans to avoid easy-money traps and invest in financial literacy
\nTreasury Secretary Scott Bessent winces at the allure of easy money \u2014 whether it\u2019s lottery tickets, buy now, pay later loans or the promise of a crypto windfall \u2014 warning that the get-rich-quick mindset often leads Americans farther from financial stability, not closer to it.
\n\u201cThere are a lot of young people, mostly young men, going to blue-collar construction jobs, playing the lottery. It drives me crazy,\u201d Bessent said in an interview.
\n\u201cThe best thing you can do is not play the lottery,\u201d he said \u2014 rather, people should invest and \u201cthen watch it grow.\u201d
\nBessent spoke about the basics of building a workable budget and saving for the future at the tail end of Financial Literacy Month, an initiative the billionaire hedge fund manager has made a priority since joining Trump\u2019s administration, driven by a childhood marred by poverty.
\nKing Charles III wins praise for deft handling of Trump on his US state visit
\nPresident Trump sang the praises of King Charles III after the monarch\u2019s state visit this week. He even lifted some tariffs on Scotch whisky as a favor to the British monarch.
\nThe king delivered a diplomatic master-class on the trip, mixing praise for his host with subtle criticism. It\u2019s unclear, though, whether it will make a major difference to a trans-Atlantic relationship troubled by divisions over issues including the Iran war.
\n\u201cIn the short term probably yes, in the long term probably no,\u201d said Kristofer Allerfeldt, a University of Exeter professor specializing in American history. But he said Charles had \u201cdefinitely clawed back some of the prestige of the monarchy\u201d in his homeland with his assured performance.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s done us proud,\u201d Allerfeldt said.
\nJoe Biden endorses a former Atlanta mayor and White House adviser for Georgia governor
\nThe former Democratic president is wading into the midterms, making his first political endorsement of the 2026 cycle by backing Keisha Lance Bottoms for the state\u2019s top job.
\nBottoms served as Biden\u2019s senior adviser for public engagement after her tenure as Atlanta mayor.
\nIn a one-minute video promoting her candidacy, Biden praised her track record as mayor and said \u201cthose same qualities that made her a great mayor made her invaluable to our administration \u2014 smart, focused, gets things done.\u201d
\n\u201cShe handled it all with steady and thoughtful leadership,\u201d Biden said in the video. \u201cThat\u2019s the definition of battle-tested.\u201d
\nAfter major enforcement operations, the Trump administration recalibrates its immigration crackdown
\nWhen Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was questioned by senators during his confirmation hearing about his vision for implementing President Trump\u2019s mass deportation agenda, he said his goal was to keep his department off the front pages of the news.
\nTo some degree, he has. Gone are the social media video clips of now-retired Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino clashing with protesters. Mullin\u2019s predecessor, Kristi Noem, made her first trip as secretary to New York City to make arrests with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In contrast, Mullin went to North Carolina to review hurricane recovery efforts.
\nThe Republican administration appears to be recalibrating its approach to a centerpiece policy that helped bring Trump back to the White House, moving in many ways away from aggressive, public-facing tactics toward a quieter approach to enforcement. Despite that shift, the administration insists it\u2019s not backing down from its lofty deportation goals.
\nRepublicans say they will defer to Trump on Iran war despite arrival of 60-day deadline
\nMany Republicans who have been uneasy with Trump\u2019s war in Iran emphasized that there would be a May 1 deadline for Congress to intervene. But the date is now set to pass with no action from GOP lawmakers who continue to defer to the White House.
\nUnder the War Powers Resolution of 1973, Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days \u2014 a deadline that falls on Friday \u2014 or within 90 days if the president asks for an extension. But Congress made no attempt at enforcing that requirement, leaving town for a week on Thursday after the Senate rejected a Democratic attempt to halt the war for a sixth time.
\nThe Trump administration has shown no interest in seeking congressional approval at all. It is arguing that the deadlines set by the law don\u2019t apply because the war in Iran effectively ended when a ceasefire began in early April.
\nSenate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Thursday he doesn\u2019t plan on a vote to authorize force in Iran or otherwise weigh in.
\nTrump gives go-ahead to major new Canada-US oil pipeline
\nPresident Donald Trump granted a key approval Thursday for a major new oil pipeline from Canada into the U.S. that\u2019s been dubbed \u201cKeystone Light\u201d over its similarities to a contentious project blocked by the Biden administration.
\nThe three-foot-wide (1 meter) Bridger Pipeline Expansion would carry up to 550,000 barrels (87,400 cubic meters) of oil a day from Canada through Montana and Wyoming, where it would link with another pipeline.
\nThe pipeline needs additional state and federal environmental approvals before construction, which company officials expect to start next year. Environmentalists hope to stop the project over worries that the pipeline could break and spill.
\nAt peak volume, the 650-mile (1,050-kilometer) pipeline would move two-thirds as much oil as the better-known Keystone XL pipeline that got partially built before President Joe Biden, citing climate change, canceled its permit on the day he took office in 2021.
\nProsecutors release video of armed man storming correspondents\u2019 dinner
\nFederal prosecutors released a video Thursday showing the moment authorities say a man armed with guns and knives tried to storm the White House Correspondents\u2019 Association dinner and attempt to kill Trump.
\nJeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, posted the video on social media amid questions over whose bullet struck a Secret Service officer as Cole Tomas Allen ran through security with a long gun toward the hotel ballroom packed with journalists, administration officials and others.
\nProsecutors had previously claimed the agent was shot in the bullet-resistant vest during the melee, but had not confirmed it was Allen who shot the agent. Pirro, however, said Thursday that there is no evidence that the officer was hit by friendly fire.
\nAllen was injured but was not shot during the Saturday night attack at the Washington Hilton, which disrupted one of the highest-profile annual events in the nation\u2019s capital.
\nTrump administration says its war in Iran has been \u2018terminated\u2019 before 60-day deadline
\nThe Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval.
\nThe statement furthers an argument laid out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate earlier Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days.
\nA senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration\u2019s position, said for purposes of that law, \u201cthe hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb. 28 have terminated.\u201d The official said the U.S. military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7.
\nWhile the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran\u2019s oil tankers from getting out to sea.
\n#TrumpIranNegotiations #USForeignPolicy #WarPowersResolution #EUUSTrade #USGermanyTroops #AbortionAccess #ClimateChangePolicy #AIinMilitary #Trump2024 #SpiritAirlines<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Iran has handed over its latest proposal for negotiations with the United States to mediators in Pakistan, Iran\u2019s state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday. President Donald Trump subsequently said he\u2019s \u201cnot satisfied\u201d with it, but did not elaborate on the proposal\u2019s apparent shortcomings. The shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has lasted for three […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16470,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16469","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iran-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16469","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16469"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16469\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16469"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16469"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16469"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}