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The Latest: Trump orders Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea

President Donald Trump has to scale back as his stretches . Trump said South Korea wouldn鈥檛 help with his war against Iran and cited his good relationship with North Korea鈥檚 Kim Jong Un.

The is replacing the in the Middle East amid growing aboard the long-deployed Lincoln. The move leaves the western Pacific without a key military asset as China shows more .

The asked in getting documents and testimony to defend against his . The request filed in federal court in Florida on Friday argues that Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump, Jr. have 鈥減ersonal knowledge鈥 and likely have records relevant to Trump鈥檚 claims.

The Latest:

Trump blames vandals for damaged grass where he held his July 4 celebration

Trump on Sunday said vandals are to blame for large swaths of dead grass on the National Mall near the World War II Memorial 鈥 in the same spot where Trump had a stage built and hosted crowds for .

Trump made the accusation in a social media post without saying why he believes it鈥檚 the work of vandals instead of trampled turf from the Independence Day festivities. He posted a photo showing a once-grassy area by the World War II Memorial, now patchy and brown across much of the sprawling turf.

鈥淟ook what VANDALS did to the grass connecting the vandalized World War II Monument and the vandalized Reflecting Pool, which will be opened again, and better than ever, shortly,鈥 Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for damage to his renovation projects in the nation鈥檚 capital, often without evidence and sometimes despite opposing accounts from his officials.

BBC seeks US help in getting Trump family testimony

The asked a U.S. court for help in getting documents and testimony from members of 鈥檚 family in connection with his against the British broadcaster, a court document showed.

Lawyers for the BBC argued that Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump, Jr. have 鈥減ersonal knowledge鈥 and likely have records relevant to elements of Trump鈥檚 claims against the broadcaster, according to a filing Friday in federal court in Florida.

The broadcaster has been unable to serve subpoenas because the three have Secret Service protection and other security personnel around them, the filing says.

Trump filed the lawsuit in December seeking $10 billion in damages from the BBC, accusing it of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices.

The allegations center on the way a 2024 documentary edited a speech Trump gave on Jan. 6, 2021, before protesters attacked the Capitol in Washington. The lawsuit accuses the BBC of 鈥渟plicing together two entirely separate parts of President Trump鈥檚 speech鈥 to 鈥渋ntentionally misrepresent the meaning of what President Trump said.鈥

The BBC has for the misleading edit, but said it had not defamed him.

US pulls last aircraft carrier from Asia as Trump turns to Iran and Americas

The is departing the Pacific and expected to replace the in the Middle East amid growing aboard the long-deployed carrier. The Lincoln has had its from its original May return date to support operations against Iran.

The lack of a U.S. carrier in the Pacific may be short-lived if the Navy deploys another in the next couple of months. But it shows how the are running some American sailors ragged, analysts say, while the Trump administration further retreats from the Asia-Pacific region and .

鈥淭he administration says that the Pacific is supposed to be the most important behind the Western Hemisphere,鈥 said Greg Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Instead, the U.S. is 鈥渄oing the exact opposite鈥 of its previously expressed goal of pulling out of the Middle East.

Trump orders Pentagon to scale back joint exercises with South Korea

President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon on Sunday to scale back , saying the ally declined to help with the war against Iran and citing his good relationship with North Korea鈥檚 Kim Jong Un.

Trump said in a social media post that the exercises, which began Monday, are not only costly but 鈥渟end a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile鈥 to North Korea, which he said 鈥渉as been unthreatening and respectful鈥 during his time in the White House.

鈥淭herefore, and based on the fact that it is too late to cancel, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to substantially reduce the Joint Military Exercises!鈥 Trump wrote. The president added that he recently asked South Korea鈥檚 president if they would join the U.S. in the 鈥渄enuclearization鈥 of Iran, 鈥渁nd they said, 鈥楴o thanks!鈥欌

The move is the latest example of the president appearing to turn against an ally in favor of a leader that previous administrations have cast as an adversary.

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