🇺🇸⚡- Trump claims he is considering calling in the National Guard to manage airport security amid the partial DHS shutdown.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡- Reports of explosions in Tehran, Iran.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- “U.S. forces are striking targets to degrade the Iranian regime's military infrastructure and capabilities that have threatened American troops and regional partners for decades.” - CENTCOM.

🇺🇸⚡️- Trump has appointed Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, and Jensen Huang to a ‘tech council’ to advise on AI and other issues.

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology—PCAST—which was ordained by an executive order in January, will be chaired by Trump’s crypto czar and cohost of the All-In podcast, David Sacks, and include a total of 24 members. - WSJ.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡️- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the Israeli military to make every effort over the next 48 hours to destroy as much of Iran’s arms industry as possible, according to the New York Times.

Netanyahu issued the order following concerns that President Trump could announce peace talks at any moment.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- BREAKING: Iran has released footage showing its air defenses striking a U.S. F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet over southeastern Iran. The fate of the jet is currently unknown.

The footage shows the moment the jet was struck by a projectile.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- BREAKING: Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iranian Parliament:

“Based on some intelligence reports, Iran's enemies are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands with support from one of the regional countries.

Our forces are monitoring all enemy movements, and if they take any step, all the vital infrastructure of that regional country will be targeted with relentless, unceasing attacks.”

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- CENTCOM has released a statement indicating that the F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter was not shot down nor struck.

🇺🇸🇨🇳🇮🇷⚡️- “My meeting with the Highly Respected President of China, President Xi Jinping, which was originally postponed due to our Military operation in Iran, has been rescheduled, and will take place in Beijing on May 14th and 15th. First Lady Melania and I will also host President Xi and Madame Peng for a reciprocal visit in Washington, D.C., at a later date, this year. Our Representatives are finalizing preparations for these Historic Visits. I look very much forward to spending time with President Xi in what will be, I am sure, a Monumental Event. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP” - President Trump on Truth Social

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- President Trump posted a wall of text calling for an 18-month extension of warrantless spy powers under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

FISA authorizes the government to use intelligence and spy on foreigners abroad.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirms there are no talks with the United States.

🇺🇸🇯🇵🇵🇭⚡️- Japan will deploy combat troops to the Philippines for Balikatan 2026. This will be the first such presence since World War II. The JSDF will join US and Philippine forces in the largest drills yet from late April to early May.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡️- Hezbollah rockets towards northern Israel, likely targeting IDF positions.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇮🇱⚡- "The US and Israel have removed Iran's Majlis Speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, from their list of targets for the next 4-5 days," - The Wall Street Journal.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- According to CNN, Iran has been laying traps and moving additional military personnel and air defenses to Kharg Island in recent weeks in preparation for a possible US operation to take control of the island.

The concern is that occupying Kharg island with US troops would result in high casualties, likely triggering Iranian retaliation against Gulf countries’ infrastructure and prolonging the conflict, the senior Gulf official said.

“Iranians are clever and ruthless. They will do everything they can to inflict maximum casualties on US forces both on the ships at sea, and especially once ground troops are anywhere in their sovereign territory.” - Retired Adm. James Stavridis.