Trump Pulls 5K Troops from Germany, Tensions Rise

0:00It's May 3rd. This is U.S. News Today, powered by AI Your Country, in real time. I'm Cory with the story. President Trump is pushing ahead with pulling 5,000 U.S. troops out of Germany, and he says it'll go way beyond that number. This comes as tensions rise between Washington and its European allies over the war in the Middle East, especially with Iran closing off key shipping. Route. The Pentagon laid out the plan Friday, aiming to wrap it up over the next 6-12 months. Right now, there are about 36,436 active-duty troops stationed in Germany, compared to far fewer in places like Italy and Spain. On top of that, Trump slapped new 25% tariffs on European Union cars and trucks starting next week. Republicans in Congress are raising red flags, with top lawmakers warning it sends the wrong message to Vladimir Putin at a time when Europe is still. Ramping up its own defenses.

1:00German officials say they saw this coming, and are ready, but they're drawing a line at shutting down major bases like Ramstein. Trump has been talking about cutting troops in Europe for years, pushing allies to shoulder more of the load. He's now targeting nations not backing the U.S. fully in the Iran fight, even floating poles from Italy and Spain for not helping out. NATO is coordinating with the U.S. on the details, stressing that Europe needs to step up its spending to keep share security strong. As these talks heat up, the transatlantic alliance faces real tests ahead.