Over the last 24 hours, commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has remained steady despite continued regional tensions.

Based on visible automatic identification system (AIS) data from MarineTraffic.com, roughly two-thirds of transiting vessels continued to use the Iranian (northern) traffic separation scheme, while the remaining traffic utilized the Omani (southern) route.

Traffic remains below pre-conflict norms, and the true number of transits is likely higher than visible due to some vessels continuing to disable AIS while crossing the Strait.

According to Al Arabiya, citing the French Foreign Ministry, in conjunction with support from their U.S. counterparts, France and other European nations will join international forces in a deployment to Southern Lebanon. Per the report, this is at the request of the Lebanese government. It’s yet unclear if this deployment will be subordinate to the already in place United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL), or if the deployment will be a stand alone international peacekeeping mission.

According to the New York Times, citing U.S. officials, the U.S. feared that Israel would continue to target key principal Iranian decision-makers, specifically Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during the U.S.-Iran negotiations. Per the report, the U.S. went to great lengths to avoid such a scenario, going as far as to urge third party regional nations to warn Iran of potential Israeli threats to both decision-makers. U.S. officials feared that Israel’s potential targeting of Foreign Minister Araghchi and Speaker Ghalibaf would upend any progress in the talks at the time, and serve to plunge the region back into the large-scale conflict that characterized the 40-day war.

In addition to the New York Times (NYT) report on Israeli threats to key Iranian decision-makers during negotiations, according to Iranian officials, while under escort from Pakistani jets, two Israeli jets entered Iranian airspace from the direction of Iraq, prompting the Iranian delegation to land early in Mashhad, Iran and travel by land back to the capital Tehran.

(Footage shows the Iranian delegation, escorted by Pakistani jets, en route to the Islamabad talks in April.)

Speaking to Israel’s I24 News, an Israeli security official has responded to the NYT report on Israeli threats to key Iranian decision-makers during negotiations, saying “If and when Israel wants to eliminate anyone, it does so.”

According to a 927-page financial disclosure released earlier this week, U.S. President Donald J. Trump reported a personal income of over $2.2 billion in 2025, most from cryptocurrency ventures such as $Trump, a meme coin created by the Trump Family only days before last year’s Presidential Inauguration which soared over 300% on release night before falling to less than $2 per coin in 2026.

In addition to over $1.4 billion in crypto profits in 2025, investment accounts linked to President Trump carried out multiple high-profile trades last year, including more than 300 previously undisclosed stock purchases on April 8, 2025, one day ahead of his surprise announcement that he would pause a number of his “Liberation Day” tariffs levied against countries across the World.

The Wall Street Journal reports the Pentagon was prepared to announce additional reductions to the U.S. military presence in Europe beyond previously canceled and withdrawn deployments, but the proposal was halted by senior White House officials.

Instead, the administration opted to proceed with the six-month U.S. force posture review announced by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at last month's NATO defense ministers' meeting.

If accurate, the report suggests the administration remains divided over the pace and scope of any future troop reductions in Europe. At the same time, it reinforces the Pentagon's broader strategy of shifting greater responsibility for Europe's conventional defense to NATO allies while freeing U.S. forces for higher-priority theaters, particularly the Indo-Pacific.

Source: https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/hegseth-prepared-a-bombshell-plan-to-cut-troops-in-europe-then-it-got-nixed-cbb87e75?mod=hp_lead_pos2

An active-duty U.S. Air Force major who was arrested by U.S. Capitol Police yesterday after conducting a protest on the Capitol steps while in uniform calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance is now under investigation by the Pentagon.

Service members are prohibited from participating in partisan political activities while in uniform and are subject to additional restrictions under the Uniform Code of Military Justice regarding public statements about senior government officials.

Without identifying the officer, the office of Air Force Secretary Troy Meink acknowledged reports of the incident, stating that an investigation "will proceed unimpeded." The Department of the Air Force also reiterated that all personnel are expected to comply with laws, regulations, and policies governing conduct and the wear of the uniform.