Friday, Apr 18th
Last update09:15:21 PM GMT
It was a surprise ceremony at the White House presided over by President Donald Trump to unveil a $100 billion investment from what he called the world’s most powerful company, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).
But nearly 8,000 miles away, the mood was far from celebratory. Instead, the shock announcement last week has reignited fears in Taiwan about losing its crown jewel, its world-beating semiconductor industry, to the US due to political pressure.
A 37-year-old man has been arrested in connection to Thursday's multi-vehicle crash in Austin, Texas, that left five people dead −including children − and several hospitalized.
Solomun Weldekeal Araya has been arrested and charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault, a spokesperson for the Austin Police Department told USA TODAY on Friday afternoon.
He is currently held at Travis County Jail. The fatal incident, which also involved a semi-truck, occurred on Interstate 35 in North Austin, and authorities responded to the scene just before 11:30 p.m.
The Starliner saga is one step closer to its end with the launch Friday night of a SpaceX vehicle that will relieve the astronauts who months ago flew to orbit aboard the now-infamous Boeing spacecraft.
A mission known as Crew-10 is on its way to the International Space Station, where for the past 10 months NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have unexpectedly found themselves stationed for an extended stay. Wilmore and Williams, of course, were catapulted into the public eye back in June when the Starliner vehicle they piloted to the space station encountered a series of issues that ended with the spacecraft leaving them behind.
Instead of returning to Earth on the Starliner as planned, Wilmore and Williams joined Expedition 72 at the space station and were folded into the Crew-9 mission that arrived in September with two astronauts instead of four.
UN experts have accused Israel of increasingly using sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians and carrying out "genocidal acts" through the systematic destruction of maternal and reproductive healthcare facilities.
A report commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council documents alleged violations, including rape, in Gaza and the occupied West Bank since Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg was conspicuously absent from two recent summits in Saudi Arabia — one with Russian officials and the other with Ukrainians — even though the talks come under his remit.
“Together,” Trump said in announcing Kellogg’s nomination in November, “we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.”
But Kellogg did not attend U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, on Feb. 18. Russian President Vladimir Putin thought he was too pro-Ukraine, a senior Russian official with direct knowledge of the Kremlin’s thinking told NBC News.
“Kellogg is a former American general, too close to Ukraine. Not our kind of person, not of the caliber we are looking for,” according to the official, who is not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
The Trump administration has called on the Pentagon to provide military options to ensure the country has full access to the Panama canal, two US officials told Reuters on Thursday.
Donald Trump has said repeatedly he wants to “take back” the Panama canal, which is located at the narrowest part of the isthmus between North and South America and is considered one of the world’s most strategically important waterways, but he has not offered specifics about how he would do so, or if military action might be required.
One US official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a document, described as interim national security guidance by the new administration, asked the military to look at options to ensure “unfettered” access to the Panama canal.
A second official said the US military had a wide array of potential options to guarantee access, including ensuring a close partnership with Panama’s military.
The S&P 500, a key US stock market index, closed in correction territory on Thursday as the volatility of Donald Trump’s trade wars rattled investors.
The index closed more than 10% down from its 19 February peak as Wall Street approaches the end of a second week of pressure.
The technology-focused Nasdaq Composite also closed in correction last Thursday, while the Dow is over 9% down from its peak in December.
Protesters organized by a progressive Jewish group occupied the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday to demand the release of Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian Columbia University student held by US immigration authorities. About 100 were arrested.
Chanted slogans included: “Free Mahmoud, free them all” and: “Fight Nazis, not students.”
Other chants in footage posted to social media included: “We will not comply, Mahmoud, we are on your side” and: “Bring Mahmoud home now.”
At a news briefing on Thursday afternoon, a police official said those arrested faced charges including trespassing, obstruction and resisting arrest.
Many of the protesters in a group organizers said was more than 250-strong wore red T-shirts bearing the message “Jews say stop arming Israel”. By early afternoon, footage was posted showing officers from the New York police department beginning to arrest protesters.
A federal judge is ordering the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of previously terminated probationary employees across 18 different agencies.
U.S. District Judge James Bredar issued a temporary restraining order Thursday evening that requires the probationary employees be reinstated by March 17 and stops any ongoing mass firings.
This evening’s order came in a case brought by 20 Democratic attorneys general who sued to block the firings last week and is separate from a California judge’s decision also dealing with probationary employees that was issued earlier Thursday.
The order covers every major department other than the Pentagon, including the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Transportation and Veterans Affairs.
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