Good morning.You're reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.In another whiplash decision, President Trump announced yesterday that he canceled new attacks in Iran, after announcing earlier in the day that more strikes were coming if the country didn't agree to a peace deal.
The president signaled that the two countries had "conceptually" secured an agreement on nuclear issues and could sign a peace deal in the next few days, but Iran's foreign ministry says a deal hasn't been finalized.Trump has nominated Jay Clayton to serve as director of national intelligence.Clayton is a federal prosecutor and former head of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
His nomination comes after Trump named his close political ally Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence.Pulte was appointed despite not having experience in national security, and his selection sparked a political backlash that doomed Congress' efforts to renew a crucial intelligence tool that is set to expire today.
The tool, called FISA 702, allows the government to collect the electronic communications of foreign nationals located outside of the U.S.The Trump administration is trying to downsize the U.S.Forest Service and eliminate wildfire and smoke research, just as the American West faces a potentially epic summer fire season.
The administration has identified 90 research stations for closure as part of its Forest Service reorganization plan, which includes relocating its headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Utah and consolidating regional offices into individual state facilities.U.S.
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz has defended the proposed reorganization, noting it has been considered by previous administrations since 2006.If Congress approves Trump's proposed budget for the agency, the U.S.
Forest Service would be a skeleton of its former self, just as c...