Iran Says Its Revolutionary Guard Shot Down a U.S. Drone

Abdullah Dhiaa Al-Deen/File Photo/ReutersIran’s Revolutionary Guard has claimed it shot down a U.S. drone, according to the country’s state-run IRNA news agency. The news comes amid mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran and fears of a confrontation in the region. According to IRNA, the drone, identified by the Revolutionary Guard as a RQ-4 Global Hawk, was struck after entering Iranian airspace in Hormozgan province.A spokesman for U.S. Central Command appeared to dispute Tehran's claim, however, telling the Associated Press: “There was no drone over Iranian territory.”White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump had been “briefed on the reports of a missile strike in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” according to the Associated Press. “We are closely monitoring the situation and continuing to consult with our partners and allies,” she was quoted as saying.Trump Tells His Team to Tone Down the Tough Talk on IranThe incident comes as tensions are already at a boiling point following a bitter exchange of accusations last week, when President Trump accused Iran of waging an attack on two fuel tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Tehran has denied involvement in the attack. The U.S. military also accused Iran of targeting a drone that responded to the attack at the time. Relations between Tehran and Washington took a nosedive since Trump pulled the U.S. out of a landmark nuclear deal last year and reimposed sanctions on the country, but many have recently begun to fear the deteriorating ties could lead to a military clash.While Trump and his administration have said they do not want to take military action, the president ordered an additional 2,500 troops to the Middle East in recent weeks to counter what U.S. officials have described as a growing threat from Iran. In what some lawmakers see as a sign the Trump administration is trying to make a case for military action, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other officials are said to have begun briefing Congress on ties between Iran and al Qaeda going back to after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, The New York Times reports. These briefings have led a set of bipartisan members of Congress to question if the Trump administration is attempting to invoke the 2001 war authorization passed by Congress to take action against Iran under the guise of battling terrorism. The authorization allows the United States to go to war with al Qaeda and its allies without a vote from Congress.Gulf Tanker Whodunit: Trump’s a Liar. So Are the Mullahs.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

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Trump advisor Bolton to hold 'regional security' talks in Israel

US National Security Advisor John Bolton will travel to Israel at the weekend for "regional security talks" with top Russian and Israeli officials, the White House said Thursday amid spiking tensions with Iran. Bolton will meet Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, followed by talks with his Israeli and Russian counterparts, Meir Ben-Shabbat and Nikolai Patrushev, NSC spokesman Garrett Marquis said.

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Alaskan teens murder friend after being offered $9 million

The group of teens are facing child pornography charges in addition murder charges; Dan Springer reports.

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'Sully' Sullenberger Tells Congress Deadly Boeing 737 Max Crashes 'Should Never Have Happened'

He warned that similar accidents could follow

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Man decapitates roommate’s dog because she owed him rent money, police say

A man beheaded his roommate’s dog as she was moving out of their shared house because of a financial dispute, officials said on Tuesday. Jose Vega Meza, a 21-year-old living in a suburb outside of Phoenix, Arizona, has been arrested over suspicion of mutilating the animal. He told investigators he killed the dog over the weekend because his roommate owed rent money to his mother, who owns the home in the city of Buckeye, according to police. The owner of the dog told police she had lost track of her pet while moving her belongings out of the home, before spotting Mr Meza sneaking a box onto her truck. When she opened the box, she found her headless dog inside. Police did not immediately provide additional information about the dog’s breed, but said it was small.The dog’s owner was so distraught that she was unable to call authorities until the next day, police said. Mr Meza told investigators that he killed other animals around his neighbourhood, including a cat he said he drowned, police said in court documents.He was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty stemming from the killing of the dog on Saturday.Mr Meza was also booked for misdemeanour assault for attacking another inmate after he was booked in jail, investigators said.The Associated Press contributed to this report

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West Hollywood man who visited Dominican Republic says he fell severely ill

At least nine tourists have died in the Dominican Republic in the last 12 months, several after drinking from hotel minibars.

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Boeing eyes more 737 Max sales after post-crash drought

Boeing's post-crash business slump may be coming to an end. The plane maker said Thursday that it's in negotiations with several customers interested in buying the 737 Max jet, as it tries to rebuild trust in the plane and its own reputation after two Max crashes that killed 346 people. At the Paris Air Show this week, Boeing won its first endorsement of the 737 since an Ethiopian Airlines crash in March and a Lion Air crash in October in Indonesia.

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Tory leadership: Probe after MP called 'disgrace' by colleague

Tory Antoinette Sandbach says WhatsApp texts also told her to quit the party for backing Rory Stewart.

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'Clean electricity' will dominate power supply

Britain is set to obtain more of its power from zero-carbon sources than from fossil fuels.

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The Latest: Trump says Florida re-election rally will rock

Trump says his re-election launch will be a political spectacle. Opponents are launching their protests at a gay bar in Orlando. President Donald Trump is set to kick off his re-election campaign with a rally Tuesday night in Orlando, Florida.

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Russia to Washington: Drop Middle East troop plan and stop provoking Iran

Russia told the United States on Tuesday to drop what it called provocative plans to deploy more troops to the Middle East and to cease actions that looked like a conscious attempt to provoke war with Iran. The comments, from Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov to Russian news agencies, followed an announcement from Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan a day earlier who said Washington planned to send around 1,000 more troops to the Middle East for defensive purposes. President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that Iran would not wage war against any nation and the Kremlin called for restraint from all sides.

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Historic US drug bust nets 16 tonnes of cocaine

US authorities said Tuesday they had seized around 16 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of over $1 billion in a historic drug bust aboard a ship at the port of Philadelphia. "This is one of the largest drug seizures in United States history," tweeted William McSwain, the US attorney for the Eastern District of Philadelphia. "Members of the ship's crew have been arrested and federally charged" following the drug bust at Philadelphia's Packer Marine Terminal, McSwain's office said on Twitter.

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Ocasio-Cortez accuses Trump administration of creating ‘concentration camps on the southern border’

The freshman Democrat sharply criticized the Trump administration's handling of migrants seeking asylum in the United States with rhetoric that drew the ire of some Republicans.

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