live Iran says no progress on reviving interim peace deal with U.S.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source wh...
U.S. President Donald Trump said he expects Elon Musk to uncover hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud and waste at the Pentagon during an audit led by the billionaire.
"I'm going to tell him very soon, like maybe in 24 hours, to go check the Department of Education. ... Then I'm going to go, go to the military. Let's check the military," Trump said in a Super Bowl interview with Fox News' Bret Baier. “We're going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse.”
The Pentagon’s budget is approaching $1 trillion annually. In December, then-President Joe Biden signed a bill authorizing $895 billion in defense spending for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.
Musk’s Role and Controversy
The White House has designated Musk as a special government employee, tasking him with leading an initiative to reduce the size of the U.S. federal workforce. As part of this effort, Musk’s aides have reportedly sought access to confidential government data, raising legal and security concerns.
Critics argue that Musk’s involvement could risk exposing classified information and gutting federal agencies without congressional approval. Additionally, Musk’s companies hold major defense contracts, leading to concerns over potential conflicts of interest.
Targeting Pentagon Inefficiencies
National Security Adviser Mike Waltz highlighted shipbuilding as an area needing scrutiny, citing delays and cost overruns. “Everything there seems to cost too much, take too long, and deliver too little to the soldiers,” Waltz said on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’.
“We need business leaders to go in and reform the Pentagon's acquisition process,” Waltz added, pointing to waste and inefficiencies in military spending.
While leaders from both parties have long criticized waste at the Pentagon, Democrats and civil service unions argue that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency lacks expertise to implement meaningful reforms without jeopardizing classified programs.
With Musk’s expanding role in government oversight, scrutiny over his influence and defense contracts is expected to intensify.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Iran to pay compensation for decades of deaths and damage, adding a new demand to peace talks as Tehran seeks compensation and sanctions relief before reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
A criminal court in Damascus has sentenced former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.
Millions of people across Spain and Iceland are preparing on Wednesday to witness a rare total solar eclipse, when the moon will pass directly between Earth and the Sun, briefly turning daylight into darkness along a narrow path.
Millions of people across Spain and Iceland are preparing on Wednesday to witness a rare total solar eclipse, when the moon will pass directly between Earth and the Sun, briefly turning daylight into darkness along a narrow path.
Ukraine has agreed to refrain from targeting certain tankers using Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk following a request from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, the Financial Times reported, although Kyiv has continued strikes on Russian targets at the port.
Taiwan has criticised a planned joint naval exercise involving China and Indonesia near its eastern waters, describing it as a politically charged move designed to strengthen Beijing's claims over areas surrounding the island.
An overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk killed an eight-year-old child, injured others and damaged residential buildings, port infrastructure and grain facilities, Russian officials and industry sources said on Wednesday.
Romanian military divers have destroyed two Gerbera-type drones found drifting near the Neptun Deep offshore gas development in the country’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone.
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