United States Representative Nancy Mace, a Republican, has said Congress should have a say in any decisions to deploy troops to Iran, further underscoring division within US President Donald Trump’s political party.

Mace’s comments on Sunday came days after she emerged from a classified House of Representatives briefing on the war, saying it had raised concerns over the administration’s plans.

They also came on the same day the Washington Post reported the Pentagon is preparing for limited ground operations in Iran, including raids on Kharg Island and sites near the Strait of Hormuz.

“If we’re going to do a conventional ground operation with Marines and 82nd Airborne that is a ground war that I believe Congress should have a say and we should be briefed,” Mace said during an interview on CNN.

“We don’t want troops on the ground,” Mace added.

“I think that’s a line for a lot of people. If we’re going to do that, then come to Congress and get the proper authorities to do so.”

Trump has so far not publicly supported deploying US troops to Iran, but has maintained that all options remain on the table. He has broadly claimed success in the month since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, but his endgame and final timeline for the conflict have remained unclear.

Military analysts and Trump’s own director of national intelligence have said that while Iran’s military capabilities have been diminished in the fighting, the country still maintains the ability to inflict damage on the region and to potentially rebuild.

Many experts have also pointed to the limits of using air power alone in fully degrading Iran’s military capabilities, destroying its nuclear programme, or in achieving more comprehensive regime change.

In a statement on Sunday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not deny the Washington Post’s report, but said the Pentagon regularly prepares a range of options for the president to review.

“It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the commander-in-chief maximum optionality. It does not mean the president has made a decision,” Leavitt told the newspaper.

Inter-party divisions

Deploying boots on the ground has been a major political Rubicon for Trump, who has long favoured swift and finite military action abroad in what he calls an “America First” strategy.

The decision would also be a major gut check for Republican lawmakers, who have generally thrown their support behind Trump even as influential figures in his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement have condemned the war.

That was largely on display at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) gathering held in Dallas, Texas over the weekend, where several speakers cheered the war or avoided the issue altogether.

However, former member of Congress and Trump ally Matt Gaetz directly decried any possible ground invasion.

“A ground invasion of Iran will make our country poorer and less safe,” he said. “It will mean higher gas prices, higher food prices, and I’m not sure we would end up killing more terrorists than we would create.”

The US has increased its military presence in the region in recent days, with the US Central Command (CENTCOM) saying about 3,500 additional soldiers arrived in the Middle East on board the USS Tripoli on Saturday.

About 2,000 soldiers from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division were diverted from the Asia Pacific region prior to that.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was weighing sending an additional 10,000 troops to the region, where about 40,000 US troops are typically stationed.

Speaking to Politico last week, Representatives Eli Crane and Derrick Van Orden, both Republicans and former members of the military, also said their support for the war would shift if Trump deployed troops.

“My biggest concern this whole time is that this would turn into another long Middle Eastern war,” Crane told the news site.

“Though I don’t want to try and take away any of the president’s ability to carry out this operation, I know a lot of our supporters and a lot of members of Congress are very concerned,” he said.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The 14-year-old was riding an electric bicycle at an estimated 25 mph when he slammed into Janet Stotko during her evening walk, leaving her unconscious and bleeding on a sidewalk in her Minnesota neighborhood.

The 2024 crash nearly killed Stotko, who was raced to a hospital with severe brain injuries, a facial fracture and broken eardrum. But after being on a ventilator for two days, spending three weeks in the hospital and enduring brain surgery, she survived, surprising even her doctors.

At a checkup, she said, her doctors told her, “Wow, we can’t believe you’re here.”

Now, she’s pushing for stricter laws regulating e-bikes in hopes that others won’t be hurt.

E-bikes offer a convenient, eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to cars, but their increasing use is drawing safety concerns. A study by the University of California, San Francisco found that rider injuries from e-bikes nearly doubled each year from 2017 to 2022, and a University of California, San Diego study showed injuries in San Diego among e-bike riders under 18 soared 300% from 2019 to 2023.

Under federal law, most e-bikes are considered nonmotorized vehicles just like traditional bicycles, so riders don’t need a driver’s license or insurance and they don’t have to wear a helmet. But many states have more stringent rules, and regulations vary widely.

Health experts have called for new laws and better enforcement of existing regulations, and officials in many places are taking action.

Here’s what e-bikers should know to keep themselves and people around them safe.

Not all e-bikes are the same

Many states have adopted a three-tier classification of e-bikes: Class 1 have motors that kick in while riders pedal with maximum speeds of 20 mph; Class 2 have throttles that reach the 20 mph maximum without pedaling; and Class 3 provide pedal-assist up to 28 mph.

There are faster versions available, sometimes called e-motos, that can reach 40 mph even without pedaling. Many states treat these bikes like motorcycles, so they’re not allowed on sidewalks or paths, but in some states there are no specific rules for the ultra-fast bikes.

As John Maa, a general surgeon at MarinHealth Medical Center in Northern California, notes, it’s basic math that increased speeds lead to increased injuries.

“It’s Newton’s principles, right? Force equals mass times acceleration, and also kinetic energy is mass times velocity squared,” Maa said.

Learn where you can and can’t ride

Speed limits, helmet requirements and other rules for e-bikes are changing rapidly, and what’s legal in one city or state might be illegal in the next.

New York City imposed a speed limit of 15 mph on all electric bikes in October, and Florida lawmakers recently sent the governor a bill limiting e-bike speeds to 10 mph within 50 feet of pedestrians. In Connecticut, an October law requires all e-bike riders to wear a helmet, and bikes without pedals equipped with batteries over 750 watts will require a driver’s license.

“We were not only hearing from manufacturers and riders, but we were hearing from concerned citizens trying to share the road with these new electric bikes and e-scooters, and also law enforcement who really needed some clear policies set into place,” said Christine Cohen, the Connecticut state senator behind the legislation.

Know your bike

The market is full of vehicles that blur the line between a traditional e-bike and something closer to a motorcycle, and manufacturers don’t always make the distinction easy to spot.

To understand a bike’s capabilities and where it can be legally ridden, check its top speed, motor wattage, and whether it requires pedaling or operates on throttle alone. Anything outside the three-class classification could be subject to motor vehicle regulations, making it illegal to ride on some shared-use paths where slower e-bikes are allowed.

“The first thing we always tell people is familiarize yourself, read the manual, look at some videos, look at your specific model,” said Charles DiMaggio, an injury public health researcher and professor at New York University’s medical school.

Going to a local bike shop instead of buying online can help, enabling riders to ask questions, take a test ride and learn what’s legal and what isn’t.

Follow traditional bike safety measures

Hospitals and medical groups like the American College of Surgeons and American Association of Neurological Surgeons have called for stricter policies and offered safety tips.

Above all, they stress wearing a helmet. Other tips include riding defensively around cars, using front and rear lights, wearing reflective vests in the dark, and avoiding biking under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Experts also recommend against altering an e-bike to make it faster.

Maa added that e-bike riders should consider wearing a motorcycle helmet that covers the neck to protect against spinal injuries. He also advises parents to make sure their children can comfortably ride a pedal bike before they graduate to e-bikes.

“Make sure they’re comfortable, they understand the rules of the road, they’re able to navigate turns, understand the flow of traffic, the use of bicycle lanes,” Maa said.

Minnesota victim wants accountability

After she was injured, Stotko told the city council in her community of Hastings, Minnesota, about her crash to push for a stricter ordinance. The city agreed, reducing maximum e-bike speeds to 15 mph on city trails, prohibiting e-bikes on sidewalks and imposing penalties.

City police issued a citation to the 14-year-old rider for operating an e-bike underage, but no one was charged for the injury to Stotko.

“It’s really about taking accountability and ownership of owning an e-bike and operating one,” she said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is turning battlefield innovation into bargaining power, offering Ukraine’s anti-drone systems to Middle Eastern allies, while seeking more air-defense support as the war with Russia drags into its fourth year.

Zelenskyy met Friday in Abu Dhabi with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the two discussed an agreement by which Ukraine would provide its cutting-edge counter-drone technology in exchange for ballistic missile support and financial aid.

In a wide-ranging interview with Fox News after the meeting, Zelenskyy detailed how Ukraine’s battlefield innovations, namely its anti-Russian drone systems, are influencing defense partnerships worldwide.

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“We have, for example, drone interceptors. We have [a] system of electronic warfare and a lot of things. All these jointly work in one system. This is what we have [that] nobody has,” Zelenskyy told Fox News correspondent Matt Finn in Abu Dhabi.

Ukraine is now sharing elements of that system with at least four Persian Gulf nations — the UAE, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia — as they confront growing threats from Iran’s drone capabilities.

But Zelenskyy emphasized the partnership must be reciprocal. Ukraine continues to face a “big deficit” of critical air defense weapons, particularly PAC-3 Patriot missiles used to intercept ballistic threats.

“We are ready to help Middle East countries with our expertise and with our knowledge, and we hope … that they can help with anti-ballistic missiles,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine has already signed 10-year defense agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, with a similar deal with the UAE expected soon, according to the AP.

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Zelenskyy also warned that increasing U.S. military focus on the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran and the ongoing “Operation Epic Fury” could slow the flow of weapons to Ukraine.

He claimed Russia is already strengthening Iran’s military by sharing drone technology, including Shahed “kamikaze” drones, as well as battlefield tactics developed during the war.

“Russia will share all they know about this war. … They’re already sharing with Iranians,” Zelenskyy said. 

While he stopped short of confirming missile transfers, Zelenskyy suggested Moscow has a strategic interest in prolonging instability in the Middle East to divert U.S. attention away from Ukraine.

“This is what they do,” Zelenskyy said.

On the battlefield, Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine will not cede territory in the contested Donbas region, arguing it would weaken defenses, damage troop morale and displace tens of thousands of civilians.

“I think their morale will decrease,” Zelenskyy said.

He also urged the Trump administration not to lose sight of Ukraine while addressing Middle East tensions.

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More than 270 Russian drones struck Ukraine overnight Friday, leaving at least five people dead, Ukrainian officials said Saturday, according to AP.

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“I hope that President Trump … will find a way to end this war with pressure on the Iranian regime, and I hope that also they will not forget about … the war of Russia against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.