Trump to rename Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf ahead of US-Iran nuclear talks, Middle East trip: report
President Donald Trump is reportedly to rename the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Gulf ahead of his trip to the Middle East in the coming days. The expected announcement was first reported Wednesday by the Associated Press, which clashed with the Trump administration earlier this year over the president renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back. The AP cited two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. Iran’s foreign minister slammed the reported change, writing that, “politically motivated attempts to alter the historically established name of the Persian Gulf are indicative of hostile intent toward Iran and its people, and are firmly condemned.” VANCE PREVIEWS US-IRAN NUCLEAR TALKS, SAYS TRUMP ‘OPEN’ TO SITTING DOWN WITH RUSSIANS, CHINESE IN FUTURE “Such biased actions are an affront to all Iranians, regardless of their background or place of residence. Let’s hope that the absurd rumors about the PERSIAN Gulf that are going around are no more than a disinformation campaign by ‘forever warriors’ to anger Iranians all over the world and agitate them,” Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on X. The foreign minister said the name Persian Gulf “is deeply rooted in human history” and that Iran “has never objected to the use of names such as the Sea of Oman, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, or Red Sea.” “The use of these names does not imply ownership by any particular nation, but rather reflects a shared respect for the collective heritage of humanity,” Abbas Araghchi wrote, adding that he is confident Trump “is aware that the name PERSIAN Gulf is centuries old and recognized by all cartographers and international bodies and was even used by all leaders of the region in their official communications until as recently as 1960’s.” “While any short-sighted step in this connection will have no validity or legal or geographical effect, it will only bring the wrath of all Iranians from all walks of life and political persuasion in Iran, the U.S. and across the world,” he said. Trump is traveling in the coming days to the Middle East, where he will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which all lie on the body of water. TRUMP TEASES ‘VERY, VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT’ AHEAD OF MIDDLE EAST TRIP, CARNEY SAYS HE’S ‘ON EDGE OF MY SEAT’ U.S. and Iranian officials are also expected to meet for the fourth round of nuclear talks in Oman in the coming days. Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday the U.S. was negotiating toward a “complete cessation” of Tehran’s nuclear program. Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf under the Persian Empire. The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of “Gulf of Arabia” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East, according to the AP. The government of Iran – formerly Persia – threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps. On Google Maps in the U.S., the body of water appears as the “Persian Gulf” followed by “Arabian Gulf” in parentheses. Apple Maps only says the Persian Gulf. The U.S. military for years has unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in statements and images it releases. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A spat developed in 2017 during Trump’s first term when he used the name Arabian Gulf for the waterway. Iran’s president at the time, Hassan Rouhani, suggested Trump needed to “study geography.” “Everyone knew Trump’s friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is, too,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote online at the time. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Potential adoption roadblocks could soon be removed as GOP ramps up pressure: ‘Safe, loving homes’
FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers are re-introducing legislation to make sure parents seeking to only raise a child of their biological sex do not face extra roadblocks in the adoption and fostering process. The “SAFE Home Act” would prevent agencies that receive federal funding from rejecting those parents or placing additional hurdles or oversight on them. The legislation introduced by Sens. Jim Banks of Indiana and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, as well as House Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois, would ensure that adoptive parents would not be obligated to do any “medical, surgical, or psychological treatments” that would try to make changes to a child’s gender identity. CENSURED MAINE REP. LIBBY RIPS GOVERNOR AFTER TRANSGENDER ATHLETE REPORTEDLY WINS TRACK EVENTS “Kids deserve safe, loving homes and parents shouldn’t be blocked from adopting or fostering just because they oppose irreversible sex-change procedures on children. This bill makes sure families aren’t punished for using common sense,” Banks told Fox News Digital in a statement. Sen. Cotton said the legislation helps tackle “radical gender policies.” Part of the bill’s inspiration comes from a Biden-era Department of Health and Human Services rule that makes sure children are put into homes that affirm their sexual orientation or gender identity in 2023. When that rule came out, Banks first introduced the legislation when he was in the House of Representatives, but it did not move forward. AMBASSADOR OF RILEY GAINES CENTER DISCUSSES ‘VIOLENT’ PROTESTS DURING FAIRNESS IN WOMEN’S SPORTS RALLY President Donald Trump has taken multiple executive actions related to transgender policies, including seeking to limit “medical interventions” for people under 19 years old and ensuring federally funded institutions only allow biological women in women’s sports programs. The actions have faced legal opposition, including a transgender military ban that the Supreme Court ruled could go for now on as lawsuits are ongoing. “We must defend the rights of parents to raise their children in a way that reflects reality and safeguards their future. The SAFE Home Act ensures that parents are not excluded from adopting simply for having common sense and standing against dangerous gender ideologies that threaten the well-being of children,” Miller stated. USA FENCING PREPARES TO CHANGE TRANSGENDER POLICY AMID FEDERAL PROBE, BACKLASH AFTER ATHLETE’S KNEEL PROTEST As of fiscal year 2022, there were over 368,000 children in the foster care system, and nearly 109,000 children were “waiting to be adopted” nationwide, according to the most recent Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System report from 2023. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
15 civilians killed, 43 injured in artillery firing by Pak army in J-K after ‘Operation Sindoor’
Fifteen innocent civilians have been killed and 43 injured in artillery firing by the Pakistan Army since yesterday night which has hit civilian areas in Poonch and Tangdhar, defence sources said on Wednesday. Pakistan Army has targeted civilian areas in the border areas.
Mock drills in India: Several cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, observe blackout as part of security drill
The nationwide mock drills were conducted to assess emergency preparedness and to evaluate local response capabilities to security challenges.
Vance previews US-Iran nuclear talks, says Trump ‘open’ to sitting down with Russians, Chinese in future
Vice President JD Vance previewed the next round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks on Wednesday, saying President Donald Trump would be “open” to sitting down with Chinese and Russian officials in the future to prevent proliferation. U.S. and Iranian officials are scheduled for a fourth round of nuclear talks in Oman in the coming days. Trump will visit the Middle Eastern countries of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates next week. At the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, former German ambassador to the U.S., Wolfgang Ischinger, asked Vance if the administration would “go for zero enrichment” by Tehran and noted the unresolved “Gaza issue.” TRUMP TEASES ‘VERY, VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT’ AHEAD OF MIDDLE EAST TRIP, CARNEY SAYS HE’S ‘ON EDGE OF MY SEAT’ Vance cited “two big issues” with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the formal name of the Iran nuclear deal secured in 2015 during the Obama administration. Trump has said the flawed deal did not prevent Iran from building an atomic bomb. The vice president on Wednesday added that former President Barack Obama’s agreement had “incredibly weak” enforcement regarding inspections, and he, therefore, didn’t believe “it actually served the function of preventing the Iranians from getting on the pathway to nuclear weapons.” Secondly, Vance said the Trump administration believes there were some elements of the Iranian nuclear program that were actually “preserved” under the JCPOA. “Yes, there weren’t nuclear weapons. Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon,” Vance said, arguing the deal “allowed Iran to sort of stay on this glide path towards a nuclear weapon if they flip the switch and press go.” “We think that there is a deal here that would reintegrate Iran into the global economy,” Vance said ahead of the talks. “That would be really good for the Iranian people, but would result in the complete cessation of any chance that they can get a nuclear weapon. And that’s what we’re negotiating towards. And as the president has said, that’s Option A.” If Option A is “very good for the Iranian people,” Vance offered that Option B “is very bad.” “It’s very bad for everybody. And it’s not what we want, but it’s better than Option C, which is Iran getting a nuclear weapon. That is what is completely off the table for the American administration. No ifs, ands or buts,” Vance said. ISRAEL SAYS TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST VISIT IS THE ‘WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY’ FOR HOSTAGE DEAL Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview that aired Sunday that he would only accept “total dismantlement” of Iran’s nuclear program. The vice president on Wednesday said the Trump administration’s broader objective is to prevent nuclear proliferation, noting that he believes the president would be “open” to sitting down with China and Russia down the road. “If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, which country then next gets a nuclear weapon, and then when that country gets a nuclear weapon, which country after that? We really care not just about Iran, but about nuclear proliferation,” Vance said. “The president hates nuclear proliferation. I hate nuclear proliferation. And I think that the president would be very open to sitting down with the Russians and the Chinese and saying, ‘look, let’s get this thing in a much better place. Let’s reduce the number of nuclear weapons that are in the world writ large.’ That’s obviously not a conversation for tomorrow. That’s a conversation, God willing, for a few years from now.” “But there is no way you get to that conversation if you allow multiple regimes all over the world to enter this sprint for a nuclear weapon,” Vance added. “And we really think that if the Iran domino falls, you’re going to see nuclear proliferation all over the Middle East. That’s very bad for us. It’s very bad for our friends. And it’s something that we don’t think can happen.” As for negotiations with Iran, Vance gave a grade of “so far, so good,” thanking intermediaries, including the Omanis, for ensuring that the talks are “on the right pathway.” “But this is going to end somewhere, and it will end either in Iran eliminating their nuclear program — their nuclear weapons program,” Vance said. “They can have civil nuclear power. Okay. We don’t mind that. But let me ask this basic question – which regime in the world has civil nuclear power and enrichment without having a nuclear weapon? And the answer is no one.” “So our proposition is very simple. Yes, we don’t care if people want nuclear power. We’re fine with that. But you can’t have the kind of enrichment program that allows you to get to a nuclear weapon. And that’s where we draw the line.” Trump announced on Tuesday that the U.S. military, which has been bombing Iran-backed Houthis since March 15 to defend freedom of navigation, would stop its strikes on the Yemen-based terror group, which communicated it does “not want to fight” anymore. The Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile launched from Yemen that struck near the main terminal of an Israeli airport last weekend hours before the Israeli Cabinet voted to expand fighting in Gaza. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP From the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump also teased a “very, very big announcement” happened before his Middle East trip, but declined to clarify the subject, besides saying it “wasn’t necessarily about trade.”
China’s spying in Cuba sparks alarm on Capitol Hill after fresh satellite images show surveillance buildup
FIRST ON FOX: Republican leaders in the House are increasingly concerned about China’s presence in Cuba and its capacity to spy on the U.S. from the island. A new report analyzing open-source intelligence found the addition of what appears to be a circularly disposed antenna array (CDAA) at the Bejucal signals intelligence site near Havana, Cuba. The antenna could pinpoint radio signals from between 3,000 and 8,000 miles away, putting key U.S. military installations and even Washington, D.C., well within range. “The CCP’s poisonous alliance with Cuba has posed significant threats to U.S. national security for decades,” House Intel Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Ark., told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement. “Their alleged involvement in signals intelligence hubs in Cuba is outward, unconcealed adversarial behavior against the U.S. The CCP’s actions are becoming increasingly more bold and thereby detrimental to Western Hemisphere security.” CHINA AND EGYPT WRAP FIRST JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE AS BEIJING LOOKS TO COZY UP TO AMERICAN ALLIES The chairman called on the U.S. and its partners to work to thwart CCP influence in the Western Hemisphere. The report’s authors at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said work on the CDAA is ongoing, but satellite imagery shows it is “already easily identifiable as a CDAA by its circular shape.” A group of House leaders requested a briefing from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on the matter on Tuesday. “The PRC is positioning itself to systematically erode U.S. strategic advantages without ever firing a shot,” read a letter penned by Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., China Committee Chair John Moolenaar, R-Mich., Transportation and Maritime Security subcommittee Chair Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., and Rep. Sheri Biggs, R-S.C. “The geographic proximity of suspected PRC-linked facilities in Cuba to sensitive U.S. installations, including Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, Kennedy Space Center, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, may enable the PRC to monitor American detection and response capabilities, map electronic profiles of U.S. assets, and prepare the electromagnetic environment for potential future exploitation,” the lawmakers wrote. CHINA DENIES NEW REPORT LINKING CCP TO FOUR SITES IN CUBA ALLEGEDLY USED TO SPY ON THE US Cuba has a history of allowing U.S. adversaries to use its soil to snoop on U.S. communications. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union operated a surveillance facility at the Lourdes Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Complex near Havana. That site monitored U.S. satellites and intercepted sensitive military and commercial telecommunications. After Russia, China moved in – pouring $8 billion into infrastructure projects on the island, including telecoms networks built by Huawei and Zhongxing Telecommunication Equipment Corporation, which are sanctioned by the U.S. due to surveillance concerns. “If left unchecked, the PRC’s activities in Cuba could establish a forward operating base for electronic warfare, enable intelligence collection, and influence operations that directly undermine U.S. national security interests,” the lawmakers added. Cuba offers Beijing a platform to “monitor U.S. military movements, disrupt critical communications in the event of a crisis, and shape political dynamics throughout the region to its advantage.” China has denied having any ties to surveillance infrastructure in Cuba, and nothing in the unclassified space shows indisputable links to China. But U.S. officials have long warned about China’s access to spying facilities on the island. An earlier report from CSIS identified four SIGINT sites as “highly likely” to be supporting CCP surveillance operations on the U.S. “These sites have undergone observable upgrades in recent years, even as Cuba has faced increasingly dire economic prospects that have drawn it closer to China,” that report’s authors said.
Federal judge orders Trump admin to immediately resettle 12K migrants
A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to immediately resettle some 12,000 refugees into the U.S. under a court order that partially blocks President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at halting the refugee admissions program. U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead, a 2023 appointee of former President Joe Biden, issued the order despite the Trump administration saying during a hearing last week that it should only have to process 160 refugees into the country and would likely appeal any order requiring thousands to be admitted. “This Court will not entertain the Government’s result-oriented rewriting of a judicial order that clearly says what it says,” Whitehead wrote Monday. “The Government is free, of course, to seek further clarification from the Ninth Circuit. But the Government is not free to disobey statutory and constitutional law — and the direct orders of this Court and the Ninth Circuit — while it seeks such clarification.” Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office suspending refugee resettlement and ordering the Department of Homeland Security to report back in 90 days on whether resuming resettlement would be in the interests of the U.S. DHS UNLEASHES POSSIBLE MONEY-SAVING MEASURE FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS TO SELF-DEPORT: ‘SAFEST OPTION’ In February, Whitehead blocked the Trump administration’s move to suspend refugee admissions into the United States in response to a lawsuit from refugee aid groups. Whitehead said at the time that Trump’s actions were an “effective nullification of congressional will” in setting up the nation’s refugee admissions program. NOEM CALLS FOR DEATH PENALTY FOLLOWING MARITIME HUMAN SMUGGLING ATTEMPT THAT LEFT CHILD DEAD Whitehead ordered the Trump administration within the next seven days to resume processing the cases of refugees who are protected by the court order. The federal judge also told the government to immediately take steps to facilitate admission to the U.S. for those refugees whose clearances, including medical and security authorizations, have not yet lapsed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
SCOOP: Congress moves to address air traffic controller crisis as Newark meltdown sparks alarm
EXCLUSIVE: The House of Representatives is taking a hard look at the state of the U.S. air traffic control system and what it needs to modernize. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee on the House’s committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, told Fox News Digital he would be leading a bipartisan series of closed-door conversations on the issue. “We are going to start holding roundtables with stakeholders to implement this plan,” Nehls said in an interview. It comes after a blackout at Newark Liberty International Airport reportedly caused a roughly 90-second outage to its air traffic control screens. REAL ID DOCUMENTS HELD UP IN MAIL ACCORDING TO AMERICANS WHO ENROLLED BEFORE DEADLINE The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said that operators at Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control, which coordinates planes arriving at the busy New York City-area airport, “temporarily lost radar and communications with the aircraft under their control, unable to see, hear, or talk to them.” Nehls said a primary focus of the roundtables would be formulating a plan on how to spend the $12.5 billion the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee approved toward air traffic control (ATC) modernization. The funds were marked for ATC as part of the budget reconciliation process, through which Republicans are passing a massive bill advancing a host of Trump administration priorities. HIDDEN REAL ID HASSLES FACING AIRLINE TRAVELERS AND STATES TO AVOID “We’ve got $12.5 billion. How are we going to spend it? Who’s going to spend it? What it needs to be spent on, what should be the priority? So we are bringing in these stakeholders, these experts from all different areas,” Nehls said. “We’re bringing in these individuals that know about a lot dealing with a lot of this technology, they’re the first group that is coming in to talk about, you know, what do we do about fiber optics.” He was referring to reports that the blackout was caused by a fried piece of copper wire, which Nehls said was an example of the outdated system ATC was running on. The first meeting of the panel, which will include two Republicans and two Democrats, is set for early June, he said. “We’re going to meet with new stakeholders to provide the guidance. And I’m going to do a lot of listening. I’m not going to do a whole lot of talking,” Nehls said. “So we can make a very deliberate and informed decision on how we’re going to spend the money with taxpayer money to modernize the system. So I think that’s a step in the right direction.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee for comment.
Fetterman slams ‘dumb hit piece’ about health, says it felt like being ‘in Goodfellas’
Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman reacted Tuesday to what he called a “dumb hit piece” in New York Magazine that cited former staffers who questioned his hardiness for the job amid recent health issues. Fetterman, who suffered a somewhat debilitating stroke during his 2022 campaign, told Fox News Digital that being attacked in the story that broke late last week was like being “in ‘Goodfellas.’” “Everyone takes a beating sometimes. It was just a dumb hit piece, and we’ve all moved on,” Fetterman said. He also claimed former staffer Adam Jentleson, who was quoted by the magazine, must hold a “bizarre grudge” that he would speak so critically of him, as many staffers who have spoken out have expressed irritation at his shift from being a progressive favorite. JOHN FETTERMAN FACES NEW SPOTLIGHT ON HEALTH, FAMILY DRAMA, SPARKING ONLINE UPROAR The story said Jentleson, previously a top aide to Sen. Harry M. Reid, D-Nev., wrote to doctors at Walter Reed that Fetterman “frequently exhibits the kind of alarming behavior you told us to look out for when he was discharged and… appears to be off his recovery plan.” “But that’s where we are, and we all moved on,” Fetterman said Tuesday before stepping into an elevator in a Senate Office Building. The exposé about Fetterman’s time on Capitol Hill set social media ablaze on Friday. FETTERMAN SPOKESWOMAN REAMED FOR REPORTEDLY CONTRADICTING BOSS ON ISRAEL: ‘UNPARALLELED HUBRIS’ The report also raised questions about alleged tensions with his wife, Gisele, over his health regimen, his stance on Israel and her reported run-ins with his staff. In the article, “All By Himself: John Fetterman insists he is in good health, but staffers past and present say they no longer recognize the man they once knew,” the magazine laid out recollections from current and former staff members like Jentleson, who worked for the Pennsylvania Democrat. The article relayed several reported instances, including a February 2023 situation at a Democratic caucus retreat at the Library of Congress. A staffer told the outlet that he received a message questioning how Fetterman was doing, as he was found sitting at a table alone, silently drinking a soda. The report went on to claim the lawmaker was “nearly struck by a car” and found “wandering” Capitol Hill. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Physicians at George Washington University Hospital later determined he was severely dehydrated and had not had a second stroke as feared, the report claimed. A reported ensuing discussion with then-Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, found Fetterman to be nearly “catatonic” when Brown tried to talk with him. Soon after, on Feb. 15, he was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center. After being discharged, Fetterman “threw himself into” his Senate work and became more vociferous than ever on issues like the Israel-Gaza conflict and other topics that have rankled his Democratic colleagues, according to sources quoted in the article. Fox News Digital reached out to New York Magazine but did not immediately hear back. Jentleson declined to comment, but he has been critical of the progressive left as well as of late. He recently told The Bulwark that some people have been trying to “justify” their “bad choices” when it comes to rhetoric on the Israel-Gaza situation.
Vance says Russia’s demands are too high, but there’s still a path to ‘durable peace’ with Ukraine
WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance said that the concessions that Russia is seeking from Ukraine to end the conflict between the two are too stringent, but he believes there is a viable path forward for peace and wants both to find common ground. “The step that we would like to make right now, is we would like both the Russians and the Ukrainians to actually agree on some basic guidelines for sitting down and talking to one another,” Vance said here Wednesday at the Munich Leaders Meeting in Washington. “We think that if cool heads prevail here, we can bring this thing to a durable peace that will be economically beneficial for both Ukrainians and the Russians,” Vance said. Vance appeared for a discussion with Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, president of the Foundation Council of the Munich Security Conference and the former German ambassador to the U.S. Vance has urged for European nations to bolster defense spending and increase European independence, aligning with the Trump administration’s “America First” agenda that has pushed NATO allies to beef up their own military spending. The event comes as Ischinger recently cautioned that any attempts to establish a peacekeeping force in Ukraine to end the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv absent the U.S. could mean the “de facto end of NATO,” according to Politico. Should the U.K. and France send a peacekeeping force there like they’ve both discussed without U.S. involvement, that could prompt Russia to accuse Ukrainians of starting a conflict, Ischinger said in a Politico interview published Monday. VANCE’S ‘AMERICA FIRST’ APPROACH GOES GLOBAL, TAKES HARDLINE MESSAGE TO GREENLAND “And therefore the Europeans in Ukraine would possibly be shot at, and would need to reply, to engage without the United States on their side,” Ischinger said. “Quite frankly, that would be the end of NATO as we know it.” Vance previously appeared at the Munich Security Council in February, where he laid out the Trump administration’s stance that Europe “step up in a big way to provide for its own defense.” He also cautioned that Russia and China don’t pose as great a threat to European nations as the “threat from within,” in regard to issues like censorship and illegal immigration. European leaders pushed back on the remarks at the time, with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he perceived the comments as a comparison to “conditions in parts of Europe with those in authoritarian regimes.” This is a breaking news story and will be updated.