Democrats are zeroing in on the Pentagon and defense contractors as they prepare to scrutinize potential conflicts of interest in the Trump administration should they win control of Congress, according to lawmakers and people familiar with the plans.

The Trump administration is reluctant to get more involved in Saudi Arabia’s offensive against the Houthis and has tried to restrain Riyadh from sparking a major new conflict in Yemen, according to people familiar with the situation.

Anduril Industries, known for building drones and autonomous aircraft, is investing $3.7 billion to build a massive new shipbuilding facility in Maryland, a move that will enhance the US Navy’s nuclear-powered submarine production.

President Donald Trump said fresh threats of terror attacks prompted the US to move its B-1 bombers from their base in the UK, contradicting his top diplomat who had earlier described the move as part of a regular rotation.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a sweeping speech to junior officers and enlisted troops, announcing new military commands and projects, including one to be led by Elon Musk, Anduril Industries Inc. founder Palmer Luckey and former House speaker Newt Gingrich to research the future of warfare.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called press coverage of the Iran war “a national betrayal,” and described journalists as anti-American traitors for reporting on the actions of the Pentagon.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to cut the number of senior positions reserved for generals and admirals by 20%, a Pentagon official said.

As European capitals brace for US troop cuts, the Pentagon’s top policy official is telling lawmakers in Washington that allies are on board with a vision of “NATO 3.0” in which Europe maintains its own non-nuclear defense.

Officials in the Trump administration have backed off an effort to replace Stephen Feinberg, concluding the Pentagon’s No. 2 was indispensable to a US push to gain stakes in defense-technology companies and wrest supply chains away from China.

The US is preparing to provide Israel thousands of bombs that are among the most destructive in its arsenal, the largest single transfer of such weapons in years.

The cost of naval operations since the buildup began in January has topped $7.1 billion — not including all the US assets being used to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

A top Pentagon official said lawmakers must “step up and deliver” on the Trump administration’s $1.5 trillion funding request if the military is to replenish its stockpiles of key air defense interceptors and deep-strike weapons that have seen heavy use in the Iran war.

A top Pentagon official is pushing back against rising fears about artificial intelligence risks days after a public warning from an Anthropic PBC engineer that AI insiders believe the technology “could kill us all by the end of the decade.”

The US and Iran have intensified tit-for-tat military strikes in recent days, remaining locked between ceasefire and all-out war as the White House struggles to end the six-month conflict.

In-demand Patriot interceptors and a valuable air defense integration system make up more than half of the $14 billion Taiwan weapons deal that has become a flashpoint in broader US-China relations, according to people familiar with the situation.

The US struck Iranian military targets for the second time this week and Kuwait said it responded to missile and drone threats, highlighting the fragility of the ceasefire and the challenge of forging a peace accord that would restore global energy flows.

As President Donald Trump continues to suggest a deal with Iran is close, he finds himself caught between two extremes: Tehran’s demand for financial relief and an end to attacks, and pressure from Republican hawks to “finish the job” — or at least not to sign a bad deal.

The US is touting progress toward a peace deal with Iran to end the nearly three-month war, even amid fresh hostilities and uncertainty over the vital Strait of Hormuz.

The US and Iran traded threats of escalation as the weeks-long standoff in the Middle East dragged on without resolution.

The US military boarded and later released an Iranian-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, keeping up pressure on Tehran’s economy as President Donald Trump presses for a deal to end their conflict.