Trump scales back South Korea drills over North Korea; Hayden Panettiere dies at 36
President Donald Trump is scaling back joint military exercises with South Korea, pointing to his relationship with Kim Jong Un and the signal the drills send North Korea.
Plus, the USS Abraham Lincoln heads home after an extended Middle East deployment, but military leaders and lawmakers disagree over whether reported problems on board have actually been addressed.
And actress Hayden Panettiere has died at just 36, after a three-decade career that began when she was a child.
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Trump scales back US-South Korea drills saying exercises send ‘hostile’ signal
Joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea are underway, but Trump has ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” the planned 10-day training mission.
Trump said South Korea declined to help denuclearize Iran and that the exercises are costly and send what he called a “totally inappropriate and hostile” signal to North Korea. The president also highlighted his “very good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
It’s not yet clear what the scaled-down exercises will look like.
South Korea’s president said Monday morning the two countries have “maintained close coordination” on joint exercises and training and will continue to do so.
Trump’s order comes days after North Korea launched a ballistic missile toward the sea. Some experts said it was a test that may have been a response to planned U.S.-South Korea drills.
The scaleback has drawn criticism on Capitol Hill.
On X, Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., called it “shortsighted and a mistake,” saying North and South Korea remain technically at war and the exercises help keep U.S. forces ready to defend South Korea if the North attacks.
Eight nations condemn Israel for rejecting Trump’s peace plan ahead of Kushner’s meeting with Netanyahu
Foreign ministers from eight countries have condemned Israel’s rejection of Trump’s 15-point peace plan for Gaza. The joint statement, signed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, says Israel now bears responsibility for “obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza.”
It comes ahead of a meeting Monday between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East envoy Jared Kushner.
Kushner met with Hamas leaders in Egypt on Sunday, discussing the group’s disarmament and the transfer of control of Gaza to a new government.
In Iran, a 60-day window for the U.S. and Tehran to negotiate a broader deal expires Monday with no agreement. The memorandum signed in June called for talks to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but those negotiations have stalled. A top official with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Tehran could shift from a defensive to an “offensive” posture.
Iran’s army chief is offering a $30,000 reward to anyone who kills or captures a U.S. soldier and delivers the soldier to Iranian authorities.
CENTCOM leader acknowledges USS Lincoln strain after visit
The leader of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has weighed in on reports of poor conditions and mental health concerns aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
After seeing it with his own eyes, Admiral Brad Cooper said the reality is more complicated.
Cooper visited the Lincoln on Saturday. The ship has been at sea for more than 200 days. During its extended deployment, it has been plagued by reports of food and supply shortages, water and plumbing problems, and deteriorating morale and mental health.
Cooper said many of the food and hot water problems were reported months ago and have since been resolved. He also said that, of the Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers, the Lincoln currently has one of the fewest mental health cases.
“This doesn’t mean that all is perfect. Find any of the nearly four million Navy veterans in America today, and they will likely tell you that service at sea for long periods isn’t for everyone,” he said.
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., a former Marine, told ABC News’s “This Week” he’s hearing something different from families connected to the ship.
“I was just speaking to a spouse just about three days ago, and this is the current problem right now. And then it really goes to the deep, deep, deep problem here is that this administration did not plan for this war, did not plan how to get out of this war, did not really understand how this war was going to escalate. They were basically trying and hoping this war would end up just like the war in Venezuela.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.
The Lincoln has been deployed for almost nine months supporting U.S. operations against Iran. That’s more than a month beyond its original schedule.
Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen told ABC News he believes the government should not dismiss reports about conditions on board.
“I also believe the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle … some of these problems, I connected with Admiral Cooper last night, who was on the ship yesterday, and he had a really good visit. He told me many of these problems were early in the deployment, and they were solved. But these are morale issues on a ship, which you really have to focus on.
Mike Mullen, former joint chiefs chairman
And now, the Lincoln heads home. U.S. officials said the U.S.S. George Washington will replace it in the Middle East as part of a planned rotation.
‘Heroes’ and ‘Nashville’ star Hayden Panettiere dies at 36
Actress Hayden Panettiere has died at age 36. No cause has been announced, and her publicist said an investigation is ongoing.
Her father, Skip, described her in a statement to ABC News as “an incredible light” and “a force of nature” who brought joy to everyone around her.
She appeared on screen for over three decades, starting as a child in commercials and soap operas, with roles in “Remember the Titans” and “A Bug’s Life.” However, her breakthrough came in 2006 with “Heroes,” where she played Claire Bennet, a cheerleader with superpowers. Later, she portrayed country singer Juliette Barnes in “Nashville.”
In May, Panettiere published a memoir about her life in the spotlight and her personal struggles.
She would have turned 37 this Friday.
Beshear presses McConnell for answers as senator remains home with no return date
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he has yet to receive a direct response from Sen. Mitch McConnell, more than a month after first asking him to publicly comment on his health.
McConnell was hospitalized on June 14 after a fall at his Washington home, and for weeks his office released very little information about his condition. The 84-year-old later moved to a rehabilitation center and said earlier this month that he’s now back home, continuing his recovery.
Beshear first wrote to McConnell in July, asking him to update Kentuckians on his health and whether he can continue serving. He later urged McConnell to speak directly to his constituents and provide proof that he can still do the job.
“I’ve heard absolutely nothing back from Mitch McConnell,” Beshear told CBS News on Sunday.
“His bosses are the people of Kentucky. This is why the Senate, the Republican-controlled Senate, feels so broken; they feel like they’re not accountable to anyone. All he needs to do is call into this show for two minutes, or Fox News for two minutes, or do a video for two minutes to the people he’s supposed to serve. But you know what? He absolutely refuses to do it,” Beshear said.
McConnell is not running for re-election this fall. His office has released photos and written updates about his recovery, but he has not publicly stated when he plans to return to the Senate.
Four Renaissance paintings stolen from native city of Antonello da Messina
Italian police are hunting for thieves who stole four Renaissance paintings from a museum in Sicily.
The thieves targeted the museum in Messina on Saturday, when much of the city’s attention was on an annual religious procession that drew about 100,000 people. They stole three panels from the 15th-century San Gregorio polyptych, along with a small, double-sided devotional painting of the Madonna and Child.
All four are attributed to the Renaissance master Antonello da Messina — and were the only works by the artist still in his native city. The thieves took all five surviving panels but left two near a fence outside the museum as they escaped.
Police are now reviewing security footage and seeking photos from people who reported seeing suspicious activity.
Italy’s culture minister called the stolen works “extraordinary value.”
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Digital ads are flooded with ‘synthetic’ AI models. How one state is calling them out
Athletifreak, a small athletic clothing company run by a New Jersey-based husband-and-wife duo, pitches itself online as a brand for active people born with “a freakish passion for movement.”
“Movement, to us, isn’t just physical,” Athletifreak, which has six brick-and-mortar stores primarily in malls in New York City suburbs, says on its website. “It’s a mindset. It’s how you show up when no one’s watching.”
There’s the chic woman relaxing on an urban stoop in an advertisement for the brand’s casual “Retreat” line. And there’s the ripped gym bro, repping Athletifreak’s “Weight Room” gym shorts while doing pull-ups on a playground.
Turns out, somebody was watching and, apparently, Athletifreak’s models have zero moves. That’s because they don’t even exist — not physically.