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Tucker Carlson publicly deepened his dispute with President Donald Trump on Friday, responding sharply after the president criticized several conservative media figures who have voiced opposition to the ongoing conflict with Iran.

According to Newsmax correspondent James Rosen, Carlson reacted to Trump’s comments from the previous day with pointed remarks about the president’s position and independence.

“I’ve always liked Trump and still feel sorry for him, as I do for all slaves.”

When pressed to explain his statement, Carlson suggested that outside pressures are limiting Trump’s decision-making ability.

“He’s hemmed in by other forces. He can’t make his own decisions. It’s awful to watch.”

Trump’s criticism had been directed at a group of high-profile conservative commentators, including Carlson and Megyn Kelly, both formerly of Fox News and now independent podcasters, as well as Candace Owens and Alex Jones, who have also built large followings online.

In a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump harshly attacked the group.

“They’re stupid people, they know it, their families know it, and everyone else knows it, too!”

The commentators have been openly critical of Trump’s handling of the Iran situation, arguing that his actions contradict earlier anti-war positions and suggesting, to varying degrees, that he has yielded to pressure from Israel.

Trump continued his criticism by dismissing their relevance and influence.

“They don’t have what it takes, and they never did! They’ve all been thrown off Television, lost their Shows, and aren’t even invited on TV because nobody cares about them, they’re NUT JOBS, TROUBLEMAKERS, and will say anything necessary for some ‘free’ and cheap publicity,” Trump wrote.

The United States Navy has launched operations aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz by preparing to remove sea mines, as diplomatic talks between American and Iranian officials continue in Pakistan.

According to U.S. Central Command, two guided-missile destroyers—the USS Frank E. Peterson and the USS Michael Murphy—are now operating in the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. Their mission is to lay the groundwork for clearing mines that were placed in the strategic waterway by Iran at the start of the conflict with the United States and Israel.

CENTCOM said additional assets, including underwater drones, are expected to be deployed to the area in the coming days to assist with the effort.

CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a statement: “Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage, and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce.”

The Strait of Hormuz, linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, is one of the most vital routes for global energy transport, with roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas shipments passing through it.

Reopening the strait has been a central demand by President Donald Trump as part of ceasefire conditions. However, reports indicate U.S. officials are uncertain whether Iranian forces have precise knowledge of all the mines they deployed.

The New York Times, citing unnamed American officials, reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps scattered mines in a disorganized manner using small boats in the immediate aftermath of the initial strikes by Israel and the United States.

According to the report, it remains unclear whether Tehran accurately tracked the placement of those mines or whether some may have drifted from their original locations, complicating removal efforts.

The task is further challenged by reduced allied support. The United Kingdom, which has historically provided minesweeping capabilities, retired its fleet earlier this year before its next-generation vessels became operational, creating what has been described as a temporary gap in capability.

President Trump addressed the situation today in a post on Truth Social, defending the U.S. position and criticizing media coverage.

“The Fake News Media is CRAZY, or just plain CORRUPT! The United States has completely destroyed Iran’s Military, including their entire Navy and Air Force, and everything else. Their Leadership is DEAD!

“The Strait of Hormuz will soon be open, and the empty ships are rushing to the United States to ‘load up.’ But, if you listen to the Fake News, we’re losing!”

At the same time, negotiations between the two sides got underway in Islamabad, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hosting the talks at the Serena Hotel. The American delegation, led by Vice President JD Vance, included White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, while the Iranian team, headed by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also met with Sharif.

The Federal Aviation Administration is turning to the gaming community as part of a major recruitment effort to address a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers, with plans to hire nearly 9,000 new personnel by 2028.

In a video released Friday by the U.S. Department of Transportation, officials directly appealed to video game enthusiasts, suggesting that the skills developed through gaming could translate into success in the high-pressure field of air traffic control.

The video challenges potential recruits by asking if they are “up for the challenge” of becoming controllers, while stressing the seriousness of the profession, noting it is not simply a “game” but a “career.”

“You’ll keep millions of people safe every day,” the video says, while touting average salaries of up to $155,000 by your third year on the job.

The intensified hiring campaign follows a deadly March incident at LaGuardia Airport in New York, where an Air Canada aircraft collided with a firetruck on the runway, killing both pilots.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are examining whether an air traffic controller may have stepped away to take an emergency phone call prior to the crash, and whether staffing shortages played a role in the accident.

Officials say internal data shows that many controllers who leave the profession list gaming among their hobbies, pointing to similarities between the focus and multitasking required in both activities.

The new outreach effort is designed to “supercharge” recruitment, with the FAA emphasizing that a college degree is not required for applicants.

“To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.

“This campaign’s innovative communication style and focus on gaming taps into a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller,” he said.

“Thanks to President Trump — we’ve already made incredible progress with the highest controller staffing levels in six years. There’s never been a more exciting time to become a controller and level up into a career with a strong purpose — keeping American families safe.”

At present, about 11,000 air traffic controllers are employed, with an additional 4,000 trainees expected to join the workforce.

More than 2,400 new controllers were hired over the past year, marking the largest incoming class to date and setting a record for enrollment at the FAA’s Air Traffic Control Academy in Oklahoma City.

The agency’s hiring plan calls for adding 8,900 controllers by the end of fiscal year 2028, including 2,000 hires in 2025, 2,200 in 2026, 2,300 in 2027, and 2,400 in 2028.

Between January and September 2025, the Department of Transportation reported a 20% increase in hiring compared to the same period the previous year.

The LaGuardia crash was not the only recent aviation tragedy. The year prior, an American Airlines regional jet collided with a Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, killing all 67 people on board both aircraft.

In the aftermath of that January 2025 disaster, Duffy pledged “to surge air traffic controllers” through training pipelines to “bring in the best and the brightest.”

Following a merit-based push to hire pilots the next month, Duffy said, “The American people don’t care what their pilot looks like or their gender — they just care that they are most qualified man or woman for the job.”

His predecessor, Pete Buttigieg, had also sought to increase the number of applicants for air traffic control roles, though with an emphasis on encouraging applications “from women, minorities and individuals in underrepresented communities,” according to a 2021 Department of Transportation announcement.

That initiative was part of a broader push under the Biden administration, which directed tens of billions of dollars toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs.

The global aviation sector is beginning to show early signs of recovery following the ceasefire with Iran, as British Airways announced it will resume flights to Israel starting July 1.

The British carrier is the first international airline to set a firm date for returning service to Ben Gurion Airport since the outbreak of the recent regional conflict, despite continued fighting along the northern front and ongoing rocket fire in parts of the country.

However, the airline made clear that operations will not return to full capacity. Service on the Tel Aviv–London route will initially be scaled back to one daily flight, compared to the two daily flights that operated before the crisis.

The reduction in flights to Israel is part of a broader strategic adjustment across the Middle East, rather than a move limited to a single destination.

Ongoing disruptions caused by the regional conflict have forced the airline to reevaluate demand and scheduling. Under its updated plan, flights to key destinations such as Dubai and Doha will also be reduced to one per day beginning July 1.

In addition, service to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia will be cut from two daily flights to one starting in mid-May. The most significant change in the region is the decision to permanently cancel the route to Jeddah.

These changes come after months of severe disruptions to global aviation. The escalation involving the United States and Israel against Iran led to the cancellation of more than 21,000 flights worldwide, as airspace closures and safety concerns disrupted routes between Europe and Asia and complicated airline operations.

Aircraft freed up by the reduced Middle East schedule will not remain idle. British Airways plans to redeploy those planes to markets currently seen as more stable and profitable.

The airline is shifting resources to expand service to Nairobi in Africa and Bengaluru in India, along with increasing flight frequencies to other cities across the Indian subcontinent, including Delhi and Hyderabad.

British Airways had suspended much of its service to the region in late February at the start of the broader conflict. In its statement, the company said it continues to closely monitor security and political developments in the Middle East and is working to provide alternatives for passengers affected by schedule changes.

The revised and reduced Middle East schedule is expected to remain in place through the summer travel season, until October 24, 2026, with the possibility of further adjustments after that date.

Israel’s security establishment is preparing for a possible sharp escalation along the northern front in the coming 48 hours, prompting the cancellation of classes in border communities and stricter Home Front Command directives across the region.

According to updated assessments, exchanges of fire with the Hezbollah terror organization are expected to intensify significantly following heavy rocket barrages launched into Israel over Shabbos, as reported by N12. In response to the heightened threat, officials decided to cancel planned school reopenings in communities along the border, where limited in-person learning had been scheduled to resume. Authorities determined that the risk to civilians remains too high.

At the same time, the IDF continues to apply military pressure on Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon. Over the past day, approximately 200 targets were struck across multiple locations in Lebanese territory as part of efforts to degrade the group’s capabilities.

Despite the ongoing operations, the political leadership has so far held off on approving several proposals presented by the military to expand both ground and aerial activity. In addition, reports indicate that Israeli airstrikes in the Beirut area have paused over the past two days, a move seen as potentially allowing space for diplomatic efforts.

The current tensions are unfolding alongside reports of intensive negotiations and mounting international pressure aimed at securing a ceasefire. Officials believe an agreement could be reached as early as Tuesday, though conditions on the ground remain volatile. These diplomatic efforts come as local leaders in northern Israel continue to demand a decisive military outcome against Hezbollah, rejecting temporary arrangements.

Municipal leaders from evacuated and frontline communities have expressed concern that authorities may attempt to present limited achievements—such as the creation of a buffer zone or partial removal of anti-tank and infiltration threats—as sufficient, without addressing long-term recovery. They have also stressed that any agreement must include a comprehensive economic and educational plan to rebuild the region after months of sustained fighting.

Against this backdrop, the Home Front Command issued updated and stricter guidelines for northern communities, reflecting the elevated state of alert. The directives, in effect through Monday evening, impose significant restrictions due to the expectation of heavy rocket fire.

In frontline areas, all educational activities have been suspended entirely. In the Golan Heights and Upper Galilee, schooling has been limited and is permitted only within properly protected spaces. The decision to cancel and scale back studies is intended to prevent risk to life during a period when attacks are expected to intensify.

Beyond the education system, new limits have been placed on public gatherings. In border communities, outdoor gatherings are restricted to no more than 10 people, and indoor gatherings to 100. In the bay area, Golan, and Galilee regions, outdoor gatherings are capped between 50 and 100 participants, with somewhat more flexibility indoors.

Officials also clarified that workplaces may remain open only if there is access to an approved protected space that can be reached within the required response time.