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Three Big Things

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Pentagon Prepares Second Aircraft Carrier to Deploy to the Middle East

The Pentagon has told a second aircraft carrier strike group to prepare to deploy to the Middle East as the U.S. military readies for a potential attack on Iran, according to three U.S. officials.

President Trump said Tuesday that he was weighing sending a second carrier to the Middle East to prepare for military action if negotiations with Iran failed. The order to deploy could be issued in a matter of hours, one of the officials said.

The officials cautioned that Trump hadn’t yet given an official order to deploy the second carrier, and that plans could change. The carrier would join aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln that is already in the region.

One of the officials said the Pentagon was readying a carrier to deploy in two weeks, likely from the U.S. East Coast. The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is completing a series of training exercises off the coast of Virginia, and it could potentially expedite those exercises, officials say.

Trump met Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House to discuss Iran negotiations. Details regarding a potential second round of talks with Iran have yet to be ironed out, officials say.
Trump said in a social-media post following the meeting that he preferred to make a deal with Iran.

“I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated. If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be,” Trump said.

The U.S. has built up its firepower in the region in recent weeks, sending in the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln from the South China Sea, as well as additional warships, air defenses and fighter squadrons.

The deployment of a second carrier to the Middle East would mark the first time there have been two carriers in the region in nearly a year, when the USS Harry S. Truman and the USS Carl Vinson were both in the Middle East to battle Yemen-backed Houthi rebels in March 2025.

The Navy declined to comment on the carrier movement due to operational security concerns. White House and Pentagon spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

After pulling back from attacking Iran in retaliation for a brutal crackdown on protesters in mid-January, Trump has asked the military for more “decisive” options, The Wall Street Journal reported.

“You have to get in position. We have plenty of time. If you remember Venezuela, we waited around for a while. And we’re in no rush. We have very good talks going with Iran,” Trump told reporters on Friday.

Read More : Exclusive | Pentagon Prepares Second Aircraft Carrier to Deploy to the Middle East - WSJ
Sen. Tuberville calls on state lawmakers to pass PSC, utility reform package: ‘Focus on the future of the people of Alabama’

U.S. Senator and 2026 frontrunner to become the next Governor of Alabama, Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), voiced his support Wednesday for the multi-bill utility reform package moving through the Alabama Legislature.

In a weekly call with in-state reporters, Tuberville urged lawmakers to pass the legislative package, saying the current Public Service Commission members who fail to keep rates down “need to go immediately.”

“I’ve read this bill, and it’s very simple. We’re in a land rush. Companies are coming back to the U.S., and Alabama, with a heavy focus on moving all over the Southeast. It’s all state energy. It’s for these new industries, and I want to make sure our utilities are being responsible with taxpayer dollars,” Tuberville said.

“The PSC isn’t aligned with the state leadership to keep utility rates down, which they need to be, and stop ridiculous regulations from being implemented. If they don’t do that, then they need to go immediately, not at the end of a six-year term,” he continued.

“Alabama is one of only 10 states that elect their public service commissioners, and even with that, all three of Alabama’s current commissioners have been appointed, not elected. We need to raise the bar and ensure the right, qualified people are overseeing our utilities, not politicians looking for their next job or doing political favors when they’re up for reelection or election.”

Tuberville compared the window of opportunity to the Tennessee Valley Authority board, which President Trump overhauled after clashing with its leadership on energy policy.

“I’ve seen this firsthand with TVA in the last couple of years. When the board of TVA wasn’t aligned with President Trump’s energy policies or with North Alabama, they suffered because of it. So, what did President Trump do? He cleaned house,” Tuberville said.

“We can’t keep doing the same things and expect different results. The Legislature needs to pass this package and focus on the future of the people of Alabama.”

The three-bill “Affordability Protection Plan” was introduced last week by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and is advancing in both chambers.

SB268/HB392 would restructure the PSC from an elected body to an appointed one by 2030, with commissioners named by the governor, House speaker, and Senate President Pro Tem and confirmed by the Alabama Senate.

The Senate version is sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) and the House version by State Rep. Chip Brown (R-Hollinger’s Island).

SB270/HB403 would require data centers to pay the full cost of grid and infrastructure upgrades their operations require, rather than spreading those costs to existing ratepayers. The Senate version is sponsored by State Sen. Lance Bell (R-Pell City) and the House version by State Rep. Neil Rafferty (D-Birmingham).

SB265/HB399 would reform data center incentives, reducing the property tax exemption from 30 years to 20 and requiring data centers to pay taxes on real property and sales and use taxes allocated to the General Fund. The Senate version is sponsored by State Sen. Andrew Jones (R-Centre) and the House version by State Rep. Leigh Hulsey (R-Helena).

The House versions passed committee on Tuesday. The Senate versions were referred to the Senate Committee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development.

Sen. Tuberville calls on state lawmakers to pass PSC, utility reform package: 'Focus on the future of the people of Alabama' - Yellowhammer News
Heated legal battle over controversial Alabama tax halted as cities, schools pause lawsuit

By John Sharp | jsharp@al.com

The Alabama cities and school systems suing the state over the way internet sales taxes are assessed and allocated are voluntarily dismissing their legal challenge while a legislative fix is negotiated in Montgomery.

Read more : Heated legal battle over controversial Alabama tax halted as cities, schools pause lawsuit - al.com