Hegseth Attends Ukraine Defense Group Only Virtually
Pete Hegseth’s predecessor as defense secretary, Lloyd J. Austin III, started the roughly 50-nation group to support Kyiv after Russia invaded in 2022, but he has given up leadership.
United States Politics and Government
Trump’s New Way to Kill Regulations: Because I Say So
The president is trying new shortcuts to eliminate energy and environmental rules, but legal experts say the efforts could face high hurdles.
U.S. and Ukraine Reopen Talks on Contentious Minerals Deal
Kyiv and Washington have been haggling over a deal for resource rights that President Trump sees as a way to “recoup” past U.S. aid to Ukraine.
She Worked in a Harvard Lab to Reverse Aging, Until ICE Jailed Her
President Trump’s immigration crackdown ensnared Kseniia Petrova, a scientist who fled Russia after protesting its invasion of Ukraine. She fears arrest if she is deported there.
Steeling China for a Tariff Fight, Xi Faces His Biggest Test Since Covid
Xi Jinping has refused to back down in China’s tariff confrontation with President Trump. But he’ll have to persuade his people that the pain is worth it.
Trump’s Tariff Fight With China Poses New Threat to US Farmers
Soybean producers warn that farms could go under as the Trump administration hits China with new tariffs of 145 percent.
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Steps Down Amid Strained Ties Under Trump
The departure may complicate the already delicate relationship between Washington and Kyiv, which has been stressed by President Trump’s efforts to end the war.
Southeast Asia, With Little Leverage, Seeks to Placate Trump on Trade
Southeast Asian leaders, their export-driven economies in peril, are trying to placate the president. “We may have to comply,” Thailand’s finance minister said.
Michelle Obama Addresses Divorce Rumors and Public Absences
The former first lady said on a podcast that people “couldn’t even fathom that I was making a choice for myself, that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing.”
How Hamas and the U.S. Tried to Strike a Hostage Deal
Officials met Hamas three times, breaking with a policy against contacting a group the U.S. considers a terrorist organization. But Israeli opposition and shifting positions doomed the effort.