President Donald Trump has flown partway home from a NATO summit in Turkey on an old baby blue Air Force One plane instead of making the full trip aboard the new Qatari-gifted and retrofitted jet he arrived in. (Produced by Elaine Carroll)
Today’s live updates have ended. Read what you missed below and find more coverage at apnews.com.Here’s what we’re following:President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Thursday and discussed Turkey, as well as U.S. moves in the Persian Gulf, according to the prime minister’s office. Turkey and Israel have acrimonious relations. Netanyahu has urged Trump not to sell jets to Turkey, saying it would put Israel in danger.The U.S. launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, hours after Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the ceasefire and threatened to escalate the conflict if they didn’t stop. Iran responded by targeting U.S.-allied Kuwait and Qatar and accused the U.S. of striking near its sole nuclear power plant. Back-and-forth attacks, including on Wednesday, have repeatedly threatened the ceasefire, but Thursday’s appeared bigger all around. And Trump’s mixed messaging — approving back-to-back military strikes while insisting they don’t mean a return to full-scale war — is fueling uncertainty about what comes next.Whether it’s a negotiation tactic or a signal of further escalation, mediators are scrambling to save the interim deal. The inflamed tensions could also spell trouble for Republicans in November’s midterm elections if gas prices stay high.
