Cecilia Lei

Trump has warned the regime that he was considering military action and has built up the naval presence in the region.

Yesterday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio didn't say much to indicate that a deal's anywhere close.

Iran's leadership is under pressure at home, too.

It killed thousands of its own citizens in a violent crackdown and temporarily shut down online communications to suppress widespread protests against their rule.

The latest protests began in late December, initially triggered by economic grievances, including a sharp collapse of Iran's currency.

Iran has accused the Trump administration of fomenting unrest in the country, a claim the U.S.

denies.

But The Wall Street Journal reports that, behind the scenes, the administration has been engaged in a covert U.S.

mission to help keep protesters in the country connected to the Internet.

Alex Ward is a national security reporter with The Wall Street Journal who had the scoop.

It's the first time that the U.S.

has directly sent Starlink terminals to Iran.

The White House declined to comment, but the journal's story would suggest that the administration was more involved in supporting protesters than what was previously known.

Analysts and activists told Ward that tens of thousands of Iranians own the terminals, but there are big risks to having them.

The State Department estimated that about 30 million Iranians access the Internet using the U.S.-funded virtual private networks, or VPNs, during 2022 protests.

Ward said that it remains to be seen if the Starlink smuggling will have any discernible impact on the talks today.

As the White House continues to expand a nationwide deportation program, hundreds of children have been detained across the country.

The Biden administration halted the practice, but it's been revived this past year.

Most families pass through the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas.

The detention facility is the only one that holds families and was built during President Obama's second term.