President Trump's "Golden Fleet" appears to be a reality, even if there are few public details about the ships.
The big picture: Though the ships may not be fitted with gold,Trump's interest in gold continues to impact more than the Oval Office, including his push for a proposed hemispheric missile shield called the Golden Dome, and now, seemingly, an armada.
The conservative Heritage Foundation released its policy priorities for 2026, many of which align with goals already on the Trump administration's horizon.
The big picture: The think tank crafted Project 2025, which President Trump sought to distance himself from while campaigning despite embracing many of those same policies when back in in office.
President Trump said he'd consider a similar approach to curb the flow of drugs from Mexico and Colombia that he's taken with strikes on alleged drug vessels near Venezuela.
Why it matters: The U.S. attacks on alleged drug vessels have killed dozens of people and stirred mass international and bipartisan concern in Congress. Trump's comments in the newly release interview indicate he's undeterred by the growing backlash.
Debra Tice, the mother of American journalist Austin Tice who went missing in Syria thirteen years ago, is asking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow her to review all the information Israel's intelligence services have gathered about her son's whereabouts.
Why it matters: After the fall of the Assad regime one year ago, the search for Tice was relaunched with greater urgency by his family, the U.S. government and private NGOs. His family is holding out hope that he is still alive somewhere in Syria.
President Trump offered a grim assessment of America's closest allies in a new interview, dismissing European nations as "decaying" while embracing authoritarian leaders who enforce strict borders.
Why it matters: The broadside lands as Europe is already rattled by Trump's tariffs and his push for a Ukraine peace deal that European leaders fear favors Russia and marginalizes the rest of the continent.
President Trump said there's "no question" that Russia is in a stronger negotiating position than Ukraine and has the "upper hand" amid high-stakes discussions to end the years-long war.
The big picture: In a new interview, Trump aired his frustration that Ukraine has yet to accept a proposed peace plan, which would require major territorial losses and other concessions.
Two businessmen are in custody for allegedly "violating U.S. export control laws" in a scheme that attempted to smuggle Nvidia H100 and H200 chips to China, the Department of Justice said Monday.
The big picture: The announcement came as President Trump said that his administration would lift a blockade on exports of Nvidia's H200 chips to China and that the U.S. government will get a 25% cut from future sales.
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck near northeastern Japan on Monday night, injuring multiple people and triggering tsunami alerts and evacuation orders for thousands of residents.
The big picture: The quake that the Japan Meteorological Agency noted happened around 23:15pm local time at a depth of 31 miles some 50 miles off the coast of Aomori Prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, caused "blackouts and fires" in some areas, a government official said at a briefing.
