Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the United States that supplies of long-range missiles to Ukraine will seriously damage relations between Moscow and Washington but will not change the situation on the battlefield. At the same time, Putin hailed U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to help negotiate peace in Ukraine and described their August summit in Alaska as productive. Speaking Thursday at a forum of foreign policy experts in Russia’s southern resort of Sochi, Putin appeared to appeal to Trump and his conservative supporters, hailing Charlie Kirk as a hero assassinated for promoting the same conservative values that Russia shares.
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Republican leaders have presented a united stance as they try to keep the government open and berate Democrats for demanding health care policy changes in exchange for their votes. It's a role reversal from previous funding battles. The change is happening because President Donald Trump is exercising top-down control over a mostly unified GOP. Democrats, meanwhile, have been left scrambling for leverage in the first year of Trump’s second term, using the funding fight to exert what influence they can. It’s an awkward posture for a party that has long cast itself as the adults in the room during shutdown threats.
Karen Attiah, a former opinion columnist at The Washington Post, says she was fired after social media posts expressing concerns about gun violence and rhetoric against Black women. The newspaper says the posts violated its social media policy. Media professionals and critics are worried about the implications for journalistic freedom and diversity. They say the potential fallout could make journalists of color hesitant to express opinions or address injustices, effectively muting those perspectives. The National Association of Black Journalists said Tuesday that Attiah’s firing had “raised an alarm about the erosion of Black voices across the media.” Attiah plans to dispute the firing in court.
AP Wire
President Donald Trump is proposing using American cities as training grounds for the armed forces. He's suggesting U.S. military might be deployed against what he describes as the “invasion from within.” Addressing military brass abruptly summoned to Virginia on Tuesday, Trump outlined a muscular and at times norm-shattering view of the military’s role in domestic affairs. He was joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who declared an end to “woke” culture and announced new directives for troops that include “gender-neutral” or “male-level” standards for physical fitness. The messages underscored the Trump administration’s efforts not only to reshape contemporary Pentagon culture but to enlist military resources in the president's priorities and in everyday American civic life.
AP Wire
A federal judge says the Trump administration unconstitutionally targeted noncitizens for deportation over pro-Palestinian protests. U.S. District Judge William Young issued the ruling on Tuesday, agreeing with the plaintiffs that the policy they describe as ideological deportation violates the First Amendment. The decision came after a trial in which plaintiffs presented witnesses who testified that the Trump administration had launched a coordinated effort to target students and scholars who had criticized Israel or showed sympathy for Palestinians. An email to the Homeland Security department for comment was not immediately returned.
The U.S. government is phasing out paper checks for most programs. The change starts Tuesday and affects recipients of benefits like Social Security, Supplemental Security Income and tax refunds. Nearly 400,000 Social Security and SSI recipients still rely on paper checks. The director of Social Security and disability policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says many of these people lack access to digital services. President Donald Trump's Republican administration says electronic payments and collections will speed up processing and cut costs. The Social Security Administration says it will continue issuing paper checks if a beneficiary "has no other means to receive payment.”
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has made a strong case for China's role in global governance at the United Nations General Assembly. He emphasized China's commitment to global cooperation, climate change, and the authority of the UN, subtly critiquing recent U.S. actions. Li's speech reflects China's ambition to reshape the world norms to align with its interests and values. Experts note that China's foreign policy under Xi Jinping is more confident and strategic. However, some analysts argue that China's actions don't always match its rhetoric.
AP Wire
Wall Street ticked higher as technology stocks recovered some of their losses from last week. The S&P 500 added 0.3% Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.5%. All three are near their all-time highs set a week ago. Modest gains for Amazon and other Big Tech stocks helped lift the market. They offset losses for oil companies, which dropped as crude prices slumped. This week’s highlight for Wall Street is scheduled for Friday, when the latest monthly update on the job market is due. The hope is for modest numbers that keep the Federal Reserve on track to cut interest rates.
AP Wire
President Donald Trump is planning big tariffs on pharmaceuticals, kitchen counters, bathroom vanities, upholstered furniture and heavy trucks. The levies continue his campaign to build a wall of tariffs around the American economy. But the president, who announced the levies on social media, was short on details, leaving many businesses bewildered. And the tariffs are likely to raise costs for homeowners and other consumers.
Wall Street broke its three-day losing streak and trimmed its losses for the week. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.4%. All three indexes pulled closer to their records set at the start of the week. Stocks got some help from a report on inflation that suggested the Federal Reserve may be able to continue cutting interest rates. Such cuts would help justify high prices for stocks after their big rally. President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs caused waves for some stocks but not for the broad market.