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Feb. 13 (UPI) — The U.S. military is sending the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, to the Middle East as tensions with Tehran over its nuclear program ratchet up, President Donald Trump confirmed Friday.

Trump told reporters he’s sending the vessel because if the United States and Iran doesn’t “make a deal, we’ll need it,” The Hill reported.

The vessel and its supporting warships, which are in the Caribbean, will join the USS Abraham Lincoln in a trek that’s expected to take about three to four weeks, The Guardian reported.

“We have an armada that is heading there and another one might be going,” Trump said in an interview with Axios on Tuesday.

An unnamed official said Trump made the decision to send the USS Gerald R. Ford to the Middle East after his Thursday meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The U.S. Southern Command said in a statement to The Hill that it was carrying out “mission-focused operations to counter illicit activities and malign actors in the Western Hemisphere.”

“While force posture evolves, our operational capability does not. SOUTHCOM forces remain fully ready to project power, defend themselves, and protect U.S. interests in the region.”

U.S. and Iranian leaders have been involved in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear arms program. Tehran has shown willingness to scale back its nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of economic sanctions, but has declined to consider requests to scale back its ballistic missile arsenal.

Feb. 4 (UPI) — The United States has sent a warship to Port Au Prince, Haiti, ahead of the Haitian government’s transition to new leadership on Saturday.

The USS Stockdale arrived off the coast of Haiti on Tuesday, U.S. Southern Command said on X. It joins two U.S. Coast Guard ships already in place: the USCGC Stone and USCGC Diligence.

“Their presence reflects the United States’ unwavering commitment to Haiti’s security, stability and brighter future,” U.S. Southern Command said in a post.

On Saturday, Haiti’s Transitional Presidential Council’s mandate is scheduled to end, giving way to the installation of new elected leaders. However, it remains unclear who the country’s new leaders will be as a president has not been elected.

Discussions continue over what is next for Haiti after the council voted to oust Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime last week. Three of the five council members were then sanctioned by the United States over attempting to remove Fils-Aime.

Antoine Rodon Bien-Aimé, former member of Haiti’s Lower House of Deputies, said in an interview that all members of the council must step down. The council has agreed with some members explicitly saying they will step down, though other members have continued to be involved in discussions about the government transition.

The council has been in place since 2024 to lead the country until a new president is elected. Haiti is set to hold elections in the summer but gang violence threatens the process.

“Their time is up. They did not give results,” Bien-Aimé said. “They did not respect their accord, what they signed. They have to leave. This is why we were present and will be present to continue to ask for their departure.”

Jordan Chiles might be able to keep the bronze medal she won, then was stripped of, at the 2024 Paris Olympics after all.

On Jan. 23, Swiss Federal Supreme Court sent the U.S. gymnast’s case back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to re-examine the matter “on the basis of an audio-visual recording” that could provide evidence in Chiles’ favor, the court said Thursday in a news release.

“The Federal Supreme Court acknowledged that this new evidence may justify a modification of the contested award,” Switzerland’s highest court stated. “It referred the case back to the CAS for it to re-examine the situation, taking this new evidence into account.”

Chiles initially was deemed the fifth-place finisher in the women’s floor exercise final on Aug. 5, 2024, but was bumped up to third place after a judging inquiry placed by U.S. coach Cecile Landi gave Chiles an extra tenth of a point.

The decision resulted in a viral moment on the medal stand, as Chiles and U.S. teammate and silver medalist Simone Biles bowed to gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil.

Days later, however, the CAS ruled that Landi’s inquiry was registered four seconds too late and that Chiles’ original score of 13.666 should be restored. That decision knocked the UCLA star back down to fifth place.

Chiles, with the support of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and USA Gymnastics, filed an appeal of that ruling with Switzerland’s Supreme Court in September 2024. Her appeal maintains that the CAS had refused to allow video evidence she feels would show that Landi’s inquiry was filed within the required time frame.

In its Thursday statement, the Swiss court acknowledged that the video could “lead to a modification of the contested award in favour of the applicants, since the CAS could consider, in the light of this audio-visual sequence, that the verbal inquiry made on behalf of Jordan Chiles had been made before the expiry of the regulatory one-minute time limit.

“The Federal Supreme Court therefore partially overturns the contested award and refers the case back to the CAS for a new ruling, taking into account the probative value of the audio-visual recording in question.”

In a statement emailed to The Times on Thursday, the CAS agreed with the Swiss court’s ruling that “new evidence provided by the athlete after the CAS decision justifies a re-examination of the appeal.”

“During the Olympic Games, CAS renders sporting decisions in a demanding time frame,” the statement read. “CAS cannot reopen a closed procedure without the agreement of all Parties. Following the [Swiss Supreme Court’s] decision, CAS can now ensure a thorough judicial review of the new evidence that has since been made available.”

Maurice M. Suh, one of the attorneys representing Chiles, issued a statement Thursday praising the decision.

“We are delighted that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has righted a wrong and given Jordan the chance she deserves to reclaim her bronze medal,” Suh said. “… We appreciate that Jordan will receive a full and fair opportunity to defend her bronze medal. She is ready to fight vigorously, and we look forward to helping her achieve that result.”

THE EX of Katie Price’s new husband Lee Andrews has sent the star an urgent warning – begging her to “run”.

The former glamour model, 47, stunned fans when she revealed that she had married businessman Lee days after meeting him.

The mother-of-five got hitched for a fourth time in a quiet ceremony in Dubai with no loved ones present.

It came just hours after Katie revealed they had got engaged, calling it a “wedding at first sight”.

But The Sun revealed this week Lee had proposed to fitness enthusiast Alana Percival four months ago — in exactly the same way.

And now Alana has urged Katie to proceed with caution.

FAUX RESCUE?

Katie Price’s husband Lee accused of faking saving ELEPHANTS

‘RUN FOR THE HILLS’

Katie Price warned over new hubby by his exes who claim he is swindler

Alana took to social media today to post photos of her on a beach holiday.

But her caption came with a serious message, which read: “Catching flights not fiancés – lucky escape.

“Somebody with your ex right now thinking they found The One,” while tagging Katie in the post.

Alana added: “More to come today’s news is just a warm up.

“You guys wanted to know what he is all about? Well let me start to tell you.”

She then concluded with the hashtag ‘Run for the hills’.

Alana then followed up with an Instagram post as she slammed her ex for his behaviour during their brief relationship.

She claimed: “This man had me shrinking myself, making me not want to speak up.

“Telling me not to speak to my friends about how he acted because they all told me to leave him.

“He even ruined some of my friendships, pulled me away from people I love by protecting him.”

She continued: “Made unlimited promises making me look as bad as him because I was on his side.

“Finally I get to speak freely and tell you all.

“I hope Katie listens, I wish I had listened to all the others that warned me.”

She added: “Please ladies if you experience anything like this run a mile and more. Keep running.”

EXES WARNING

Lee was branded a lying swindler who preys on women by Alana and a second woman Crystal Janke, who he dated at the same time last year. 

In a bombshell interview, Alana, 32, and Crystal, 40, told how they were hoodwinked by the businessman — who we revealed had faked meeting stars including Elon Musk and Kim Kardashian using AI. 

Alana said: “Katie should run for the hills. Lee is a liar, a narcissist and I think he’s a manipulator. 

“Once I tried to leave him, he told me had a heart condition and was living on borrowed time. 

“Lee doesn’t know what’s fact and what’s fiction. 

“It’s worrying because I think he believes his own lies.” 

Last week Katie posted photos of her lover’s wedding proposal, with flowers spelling “Will you marry me?” at Dubai’s Burj Khalifa hotel. 

Incredibly, Alana, who works in property, said she got engaged to him there last September in the same way.

And two weeks before that, Crystal believed Andrews was going to ask her to marry him there too.

The family nurse practitioner from Texas said: “I was supposed to meet Lee at the Burj Khalifa two weeks before he proposed to Alana.

Incredibly, Alana, who works in property, said she got engaged to him there last September in the same way.

And two weeks before that, Crystal believed Andrews was going to ask her to marry him there too.

The family nurse practitioner from Texas said: “I was supposed to meet Lee at the Burj Khalifa two weeks before he proposed to Alana.

“We’d looked at rings, he told me he wanted to marry me. 

“Luckily I had to cancel the trip because I was too busy with work. 

“He would have proposed to both of us. Who does that?” 

Mum-of-five Katie, who flew back from Dubai to her home in Horsham, West Sussex, on Monday, is understood to be standing by her new husband despite a string of disturbing allegations. 

The pair struck up a relationship on social media before their whirlwind wedding last week, days after they met in person. 

And Alana and Crystal fear history may repeat itself. 

Andrews connected with Alana on Facebook in March last year and struck up an online conversation with Crystal two months later. 

They allege Andrews proceeded to date them at the same time without the other knowing.

Lee told The Sun: “I did have a relationship with Alana. 

“I deny all plausibility to her claims and also with Crystal Janke who I have never even met.” 

As federal immigration tactics face mounting legal and political scrutiny after a U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a Minneapolis man over the weekend, Donald Trump announced Monday he was dispatching his border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota.

Until now, Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino has overseen the federal government’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota. But as the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security faces widespread criticism for its aggressive tactics since it launched Operation Metro Surge in December, Trump signaled Monday that he could be shifting strategy as he deploys Homan to the region.

“He has not been involved in that area, but knows and likes many of the people there,” Trump said of Homan on TruthSocial. “Tom is tough but fair, and will report directly to me.”

Trump’s deployment of Homan comes as a federal judge hears arguments Monday on whether to temporarily halt the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement in Minnesota. Meanwhile, Democratic senators plan to oppose a funding bill for DHS, raising the possibility of a partial government shutdown, and a small but growing number of Republicans have joined Democratic calls for a thorough investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti

The Department of Homeland Security said Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse, approached federal officers on the street Saturday morning with a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun and “violently resisted” when officers tried to disarm him. But cellphone videos recorded by eye witnesses contradict that account.

According to videos taken on the scene, Pretti was holding a phone, not a handgun, when he stepped in front of a federal agent who was targeting a woman with pepper spray. Federal agents pulled him to the ground and shot him.

Pretti is the second U.S. citizen in Minneapolis to be killed by immigration officers this month. On Jan. 7, Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother, was shot in the head by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem raised criticism this weekend when she said that her agency would lead the investigation into Pretti’s killing.

After federal officials denied Minnesota state investigators access to the shooting scene in South Minneapolis, local and state officials in Minnesota accused DHS of mishandling evidence. Late Saturday, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension asked a federal court to block Homeland Security and Justice Department officials from destroying or concealing evidence.

It is not immediately clear how Bovino’s role could change as Homan arrives in Minneapolis.

Noem, who has backed Bovino’s aggressive tactics, said Monday it was “good news” that Homan was going to Minneapolis.

“I have worked closely with Tom over the last year and he has been a major asset to our team,” Noem wrote on X. Homan’s “experience and insight,” she said, would “help us to remove even more public safety threats and violent criminal illegal aliens” off Minneapolis streets.

But some Democrats in Minnesota oppose sending Homan to Minnesota. Minneapolis City Council member Soren Stevenson said the move would only aggravate tension.

“They are losing the battle in people’s minds,” Stevenson told CNN, noting that people could see video evidence contradict federal accounts of border patrol agents’ actions.

“They’re losing this narrative battle, and so he’s sending in his top guard,” Stevenson added. “And really, it’s escalating, because we just want to be left alone. The chaos in our community is coming from ICE. It’s coming from this invasion that we’re under … and it’s got to stop.”

In a short interview with The Wall Street Journal Sunday, Trump criticized Pretti for carrying a gun during protest activity.

“I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it,” Trump said. “But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either.”

The President declined to comment on whether the agent who shot Pretti had done the right thing. “We’re looking,” Trump said when pressed. “We’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination.”

Democratic officials, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, have called on federal immigration officers to leave Minneapolis. On Sunday, Trump suggested they could withdraw, but he did not give a timeline.

“At some point we will leave,” the president said. “They’ve done a phenomenal job.”