WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump warned on Friday that limited strikes against Iran are possible even as the country’s top diplomat said Tehran expects to have a proposed deal ready in the next few days following nuclear talks with the United States. In response to a reporter’s question on whether the U.S. could take limited military action as the countries negotiate, Trump said, “I guess I can say I am considering that.” Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a TV interview that his country was planning to finalize a draft deal in “the next two to three days” to then send to Washington. Tensions between the longtime adversaries have ramped up as the Trump administration pushes for concessions from Iran and has built up the largest U.S. military presence in the Middle East in decades, with more warships and aircraft on the way. Both countries have signaled that they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear program fizzle out. Recent rounds of indirect negotiations had made little visible progress.
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Trump vows 10% global tariff after Supreme Court ruling
Furious about the defeat, Trump said he will impose a global 10% tariff as an alternative while pressing his trade policies by other means. The new tariffs would come under a law that restricts them to 150 days.
He made that announcement after lashing out at the Supreme Court for striking down much of his sweeping tariff infrastructure as an illegal use of emergency power. Trump said he was “absolutely ashamed” of justices who voted to strike down his tariffs and called the ruling “deeply disappointing.”
“Their decision is incorrect,” he said. “But it doesn’t matter because we have very powerful alternatives.”
The court’s 6-3 decision centers on tariffs imposed under an emergency powers law, including the sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs he levied on nearly every other country.
Trump begins his briefing and calls tariff ruling ‘deeply disappointing’
The president entered the briefing room with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Attorney General Pam Bondi and trade negotiator Jamieson Greer.
The White House debuted new, moodier lighting in the briefing room right before the president’s appearance. Softer blue lights were lit behind the podium.
Truckers and bus drivers to be required to take commercial driver’s license tests in English
The move comes as the Trump administration expands its aggressive campaign to improve safety in the industry and get unqualified drivers off the road.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the latest effort Friday to ensure that drivers understand English well enough to read road signs and communicate with law enforcement officers. Florida already started administering its tests in English.
Currently, many states allow drivers to take their license tests in other languages even though they are required to demonstrate English proficiency.
In August, a truck driver who Duffy says wasn’t authorized to be in the U.S. made an illegal U-turn and caused a crash in Florida that killed three people. Other fatal crashes since then, including one in Indiana that killed four earlier this month, have only heightened concerns.
Melania Trump donates her 2025 inaugural gown to the Smithsonian
Asked how it felt to see the strapless white and black-trimmed gown and matching black bejeweled neckpiece added to the National Museum of American History’s first ladies exhibit, Melania Trump said, “It’s incredible. It’s a historic moment.”
It’s the second inaugural gown she has donated to the exhibit. She also donated her 2017 inaugural gown.
The gown was set to go on public display starting Friday afternoon.
Hochul: Trump said the lesson from Minnesota was ‘we’ll only go where we’re wanted’
New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul said that Trump was asked during a breakfast with governors what the lessons from immigration enforcement in Minnesota were, and that the president responded that from now on “we’ll only go where we’re wanted.”
He added, according to Hochul, that “for example, I won’t go to New York unless Kathy calls and says she wants me to come to New York.”
“I took that as a very positive outcome from this meeting,” Hochul told reporters.
Trump administration plans for possible reopening of embassy in Syria
The Trump administration has informed Congress that it intends to proceed with planning for a potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, Syria, which was shuttered in 2012 during the country’s civil war.
A notice to congressional committees earlier this month obtained by The Associated Press informed lawmakers of the State Department’s “intent to implement a phased approach to potentially resume embassy operations in Syria.”
The administration has been considering re-opening the embassy since last year, shortly after longtime strongman Bashar Assad was ousted in Dec. 2024.
The department took a similar “phased” approach to its plans to re-open the U.S. embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, following the U.S. military operation that ousted former President Nicolas Maduro with the deployment of temporary staffers who would work and live out of interim facilities.
However, in the case of the Damascus embassy, details of the plans to re-open remain classified.
Trump to travel to China at the end of next month
The White House on Friday confirmed that the president will be traveling from March 31 to April 2 for his scheduled meeting with President Xi Jinping in China.
Trump has said Xi will also visit the U.S. at the end of the year, but dates have not been released for that planned visit.
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PHOTO – President Donald Trump speaks during a breakfast with the National Governors Association in the State Dining Room of the White House, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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