The U.S. military has widened its efforts beyond the blockade of Iran’s ports to allow its forces around the world to stop any ship tied to Tehran or those suspected of carrying supplies that could help its government, from weapons to oil, metals and electronics.
Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, specifically pointed to operations in the Pacific, saying the U.S. would be targeting vessels that left before the blockade began earlier this week outside the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for energy and other shipments.
U.S. forces in other areas of responsibility “will actively pursue any Iranian flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran,” he told reporters at the Pentagon.
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—The Associated Press
Trump nominates Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general, to serve as CDC director
President Donald Trump on Thursday nominated Erica Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general, to be the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a social media post, Trump described Schwartz as “incredibly talented” and said, “She is a STAR!”
The Atlanta-based CDC, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats, has been in turmoil since Trump returned to office more than a year ago, with a succession of mostly temporary leaders.
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—The Associated Press
County prosecutor charges ICE agent with assault for pointing gun at people on Minneapolis highway
An ICE agent is charged with assault for allegedly pointing his gun at people in car while driving on a Minneapolis highway, prosecutors in Minnesota said Thursday.
An arrest warrant in Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, says Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. is charged with two counts of second-degree aggravated assault. The warrant says Morgan was working as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in the Minneapolis area on Feb. 5 when he pointed a gun at the occupants of a vehicle on Minnesota State Highway 62.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said she believes it is the first criminal case brought against a federal immigration officer involved in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration enforcement that surged federal authorities into cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland and New Orleans.
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—The Associated Press
Artist renderings and diagrams for President Donald Trump’s new triumphal arch released by the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts that is planned to be built in Washington between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, are photographed Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
Commission of Fine Arts approves plans for Trump’s Triumphal Arch to move forward
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved the Trump administration’s proposal for an arch at the entrance of the nation’s capital during its meeting Thursday morning, greenlighting the concept and allowing the project to move forward for design adjustments.Â
Modeled after L’ Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the project in Washington — dubbed the Triumphal Arch — is slated to stand 250 feet in height, in honor of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. By comparison, the Lincoln Memorial is 99 feet tall, and the Arc de Triomphe is about 164 feet.Â
The arch would sit within a traffic circle connecting Washington with northern Virginia on the west end of the Arlington Memorial Bridge by the Potomac River. The traffic circle is situated on a manmade land mass called Columbia Island and renamed Lady Bird Johnson Park, in honor of the former first lady.Â
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—Spectrum News’ Christina Santucci
RFK Jr. defends Health Department changes at House hearing
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday he is not happy about the proposed 12.5% decrease in Department of Health and Human Services funding for the upcoming fiscal year but added that it is necessary to help tackle the growing federal deficit.
During an occasionally contentious hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee, Kennedy defended the many policy changes he has made over the past year and said he remains committed to ending federal policies that have fueled the country’s chronic disease epidemic.
As the committee considered a proposed $111.1 billion budget for the nation’s health and safety agency, Kennedy said his department has to “tighten our belt” because of the country’s $39 trillion federal deficit.
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—Spectrum News’ Susan Carpenter
More Thursday reads
• Israel’s Netanyahu says he agrees to a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon
• House rejects effort to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran war as Republicans stick with Trump
• Trump rails against court decision that once again stalls his White House ballroom project
• House passes bill to protect Haitian immigrants, in slap back to the Trump administration