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In the news today: At least 1,000 American troops are set to deploy to the Middle East, giving Trump new options to escalate the Iran war; a Democrat flips a congressional seat in Trump’s backyard; and how the Castro family could regain power in Cuba. Also, what to do with all your old phones, laptops and cables. |
An 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper participates in artillery training during a field exercise at Fort Bragg, N.C., 2020. (AP Photo/Sarah Blake Morgan) |
At least 1,000 US troops from 82nd Airborne set to deploy to Mideast, AP sources say |
The military is preparing to deploy at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East in the coming days, according to three people with knowledge of the plans. Read more. |
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The unit is considered the Army’s emergency response force and can typically be deployed on short notice. It will mark the latest addition of American troops to the Iran war effort after U.S. officials recently said thousands of Marines aboard several Navy ships will be heading to the region. When asked about the deployment, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly deferred to the Pentagon but noted that “President Trump always has all military options at his disposal.”
Also, Iran has received a 15-point proposal from the U.S. to reach a ceasefire in the war, two Pakistani officials said on Wednesday. The officials described the proposal broadly as touching on sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency, missile limits and access for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
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Democrat flips seat in special election for Florida district that includes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort |
Democrat Emily Gregory won a Florida special election on Tuesday, flipping a state legislative district that is home to Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach estate that President Donald Trump counts as his residence. Read more. |
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Democrats celebrated the victory as the latest sign voters are turning against Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterm elections in November. Tuesday was the latest in a series of lopsided or improbable victories in special elections across the country since Trump returned to the White House more than a year ago. The president had endorsed Gregory’s rival, Jon Maples. In a social media post Monday, he urged voters to turn out, saying Maples was backed “by so many of my Palm Beach County friends.” The district was previously represented by Mike Caruso, a Republican who resigned to become Palm Beach County’s clerk. Caruso won by 19 percentage points in 2024.
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As Trump pressures Cuba, a Castro could be the next president |
As President Donald Trump pushes for change in Cuba’s leadership, speculation is mounting about who, if anyone, might replace Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel. Two Castro cousins have come into focus as potential replacements, experts said. Read more. |
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As Raúl Castro’s handpicked largely figurehead successor in 2018, Díaz-Canel has been the only leader without the last name Castro to govern since the 1959 revolution. He still has two years left in his term — but some experts and a growing number of Cubans doubt he’ll make it. Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga — Raúl Castro’s 55-year-old great nephew — has shot to power since emerging from obscurity several years ago. He became minister of Cuba’s influential Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment in May 2024 and was appointed the island’s deputy prime minister in October. By contrast, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro — Raúl Castro’s grandson — has never occupied a government post, having served as his grandfather’s bodyguard and later as head of Cuba’s equivalent of the U.S. Secret Service.
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