Iran Protests and U.S. Response

Congress approved $643 million for the U.S. Agency for Global Media in the FY2026 National Security, Department of State and Related Programs bill — roughly a 25% cut that lawmakers say was negotiated after talks involving USAGM senior adviser Kari Lake. The reduced funding passed as House Republicans, divided over former President Trump’s executive order to shutter the agency (courts said he lacked authority to strip congressionally approved funding), opted to accept the cut to keep a must‑pass bill intact given their razor‑thin majority.

A U‑Haul box truck drove into a dense anti‑Iranian‑regime rally near the Wilshire Federal Building in Westwood shortly before 3:30 p.m., striking at least one person and prompting medics to evaluate two others as video shows demonstrators swarming the stopped vehicle and assaulting the driver while police detained a man. LAPD Major Crimes detectives, with assistance from the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the FBI, have detained and are booking the driver — identified by some outlets as 48‑year‑old Calor Madanescht — and are investigating possible assault‑with‑a‑deadly‑weapon or related charges; Madanescht says an officer waved him through and that he was trying to join the protest, but authorities are still determining motive.