Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says he wants America to be strong, vows to counter Russian narratives
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that he wanted the United States and Kyiv’s other Western allies to remain strong in countering Russia’s demands and narrative in its three-year war on his country. But Zelenskiy said that pro-Kremlin comments…
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un touts AI suicide drones, early-warning aircraft
SEOUL -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test of suicide drones with artificial intelligence (AI) technology and said unmanned control and AI capability must be the top priorities in modern arms development, state media reported on Thursday. Kim…
South Korea battles worst ever wildfires as death toll hits 28
ANDONG, South Korea -Wildfires raging in South Korea doubled in size on Thursday from a day earlier, as authorities called the blazes the country’s worst natural fire disaster with at least 28 people killed and historic temples incinerated. More than…
New Russian envoy to US to present credentials on Thursday, State Department says
WASHINGTON -Russia’s new ambassador to the United States will informally present his credentials to the Trump administration on Thursday, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday. Alexander Darchiev, who was recently named as Russian ambassador to the U.S., will present…
US judge in Trump deportation case assigned lawsuit over Signal scandal
The U.S. judge whom President Donald Trump has argued should be impeached for blocking him from using wartime powers to deport Venezuelan migrants is set to hear a new lawsuit over administration officials’ use of the messaging app Signal to…
Trump’s SEC pick pledges ‘rational’ crypto regulations
Paul Atkins, President Donald Trump’s pick to run the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, pledged on Wednesday that regulations under his leadership would benefit the crypto sector and prevent politics from “stifling” capital formation, according to prepared testimony made public…
Senior US Republican wants probe into Signal chat on Houthi attack
WASHINGTON – A powerful U.S. Senate Republican called on Wednesday for an independent probe of Trump administration officials’ discussion of sensitive attack plans on the Signal messaging app, after critics argued that U.S. troops could have died if the information…
Judge spurns Trump administration request to recuse from law firm case
WASHINGTON -A U.S. judge declined on Wednesday to step aside from a lawsuit challenging Donald Trump’s order targeting law firm Perkins Coie after his administration accused her of bias in this and other cases involving the Republican president. U.S. District…
Trump SEC pick discloses family fortune of more than $328 million
Paul Atkins, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has disclosed personal assets held jointly with his wife valued at more than $328 million, according to a Reuters analysis of ethics documents released on Tuesday….
US Senate confirms Trump’s picks to lead FDA, NIH
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominees Martin Makary and Jay Bhattacharya as heads of the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, respectively. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 56-44 to confirm Martin Makary as…
Exclusive-US Democrats move to force House vote on Signal chat leak
WASHINGTON -Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives sought on Wednesday to force the Trump administration to hand over records related to the disclosure of highly sensitive attack plans that were shared over a commercial messaging app, according to…
DOGE staffer ‘Big Balls’ provided tech support to cybercrime ring, records show
WILMINGTON, Delaware -The best-known member of Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service team of technologists once provided support to a cybercrime gang that bragged about trafficking in stolen data and cyberstalking an FBI agent, according to digital records reviewed by Reuters….
US Justice Department backs Trump bid to move hush money case to federal court
NEW YORK -The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday backed Donald Trump’s bid to move his already-decided hush money criminal case to federal court, the second time in less than a week the department has moved to help the U.S. president…
Why target these law firms? For Trump, it’s personal
WASHINGTON -President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting elite U.S. law firms have shared a common theme: his perceived grievance that an attorney linked to the firm has personally done him wrong. The Republican president’s latest order took aim at Jenner…
Pentagon’s Hegseth texted start time of planned killing of Yemeni militant
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth texted about plans to kill a Houthi militant leader in Yemen two hours before a military operation meant to be shrouded in secrecy, according to screenshots of a chat released by The Atlantic on…
US Social Security agency delays, rolls back some service cuts after complaints
The U.S. Social Security Administration said on Wednesday it would delay planned phone service cuts to retirees by two weeks and abandon a rule that would have required some disabled and elderly people to travel to an office to claim…
Trump selects Georgia state lawmaker Brandon Beach to be next US Treasurer
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he had picked Georgia’s Republican state Senator Brandon Beach to be the next Treasurer of the United States, a role that has oversight of the U.S. Mint and involves liaison with the Federal Reserve….
US judiciary launches task force on security, independence after Trump criticism
The U.S. federal judiciary on Wednesday launched a task force focused on ensuring the continued security and independence of the courts as Republican President Donald Trump and his allies ramp up their criticism of judges who block his agenda. The…
US appeals court pauses order forcing Musk’s DOGE to turn over documents
By Jack Queen (Reuters) – A federal appeals court on Wednesday paused an order that would have forced Elon Musk’s government cost-cutting initiative to turn over records and answer questions under oath about its efforts to slash bureaucracy under President…
Trump names conservative media critic as US ambassador to South Africa
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has named conservative media critic Leo Brent Bozell III as U.S. ambassador to South Africa, the president said on social media late on Wednesday. Bozell’s nomination must still be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
US appeals court upholds block on Trump deportation of some Venezuelans
WASHINGTON -A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday upheld a lower court’s temporary block on the Trump administration’s deportation of some Venezuelan immigrants under a little-used 18th century law. The decision by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the D.C….
Trump administration spending freeze will remain blocked, US appeals court says
BOSTON -A court order blocking President Donald Trump’s freeze on trillions of dollars in government financial assistance will remain in place for now, a federal appeals court said on Wednesday. The ruling by the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of…
Trump administration detains Turkish student at Tufts, revokes visa
BOSTON – U.S. immigration authorities have detained and revoked the visa of a Turkish doctoral student at Tufts University near Boston who had voiced support for Palestinians in Israel’s war in Gaza. Rumeysa Ozturk’s supporters say her detention, late on…
Cuban domestic freight traffic plummets in sign of deepening crisis
HAVANA – Cuban freight traffic plunged 19% in 2024, the government’s statistics agency said this week, the latest sign that a grueling economic crisis which began five years ago is growing worse. The statistic measures transportation by ground, sea and…
UK finance minister Reeves trims her spending plans in face of slowing economy
LONDON – British finance minister Rachel Reeves, facing a weak economy, trimmed her spending plans in a budget update on Wednesday that gave some reassurance to investors, but the risks of a global trade war could put tax hikes back…
US risks default as soon as August without debt-ceiling action, CBO estimates
WASHINGTON – The U.S. government will probably risk defaulting on some of its $36.6 trillion in debt as soon as August – or possibly even by late May – unless Congress acts to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, the non-partisan…
Analysis-Wall Street job cuts loom as market turmoil stalls deals
NEW YORK – U.S. investment banks are poised to cut more jobs if economic uncertainty continues to weigh on dealmaking in the months ahead, according to analysts and recruiters. U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on trading partners…
Trump tariffs loom over Britain’s debt-laden economy
LONDON – U.S. President Donald Trump emerged as one of the biggest threats hanging over the British economy on Wednesday, when the country’s fiscal watchdog said slow growth and a heavy debt burden made it especially vulnerable to his proposed…
Oil settles up 1% on US crude and fuel stock draw, Venezuela supply worries
HOUSTON -Oil prices rose on Wednesday, buoyed by government data showing U.S. crude oil and fuel inventories fell last week and by mounting concerns about tighter global supply following the U.S. threat of tariffs on nations buying Venezuelan crude. Brent…
NY Fed details likely looming rise in troubled student loan borrowing
NEW YORK -The end of various pandemic-era student loan support programs likely portends a rise in credit issues for borrowers, although it will take time to understand the full extent of the problem, New York Federal Reserve researchers said on…