Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned the military鈥檚 top officers 鈥 hundreds of generals and admirals 鈥 to a base in northern Virginia for a sudden meeting next week, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The directive did not offer a reason for the gathering Tuesday of senior commanders of the one-star rank or higher and their top advisers at the Marine Corps base in Quantico. The people, who described the move as unusual, were not authorized to publicly discuss the sensitive plans and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The meeting, first reported by The Washington Post, comes on the heels of several unusual and unexplained actions that Hegseth has taken involving military leaders.
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Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul says he鈥檚 mulling another run for president in 2028
Republican Sen. Rand Paul says he鈥檚 thinking about making another run for the White House in 2028 but says a decision is still far off.
Paul says the GOP needs a national voice that promotes international trade and less federal spending. Paul later said he also intends to seek another Senate term in 2028.
Paul advocates for a less-intrusive government, a more restrained foreign policy and is a critic of President Donald Trump鈥檚 tariffs. Paul made his remarks Thursday in his home state of Kentucky after attending an event for U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie.
Paul ran for president in 2016 but dropped out early that year and went on to win reelection to the Senate. Paul was first elected in the tea party-driven wave of 2010 and is known for tangling with GOP leaders.
Trump signs TikTok executive order, says China on board
The president issued an executive order on Thursday that says a proposed agreement on bringing TikTok under U.S. ownership meets key security concerns.
That is a critical step in allowing TikTok to continue to operate in the United States.
Trump insisted that Beijing has signed off on the agreement, telling reporters 鈥渢hey鈥檙e on board.鈥
Sen. Peters warns of national security risks from DOGE鈥檚 unauthorized data collection
DOGE employees working across the Social Security Administration, General Services Administration and U.S. Office of Personnel Management have effectively ordered those agencies to assist with the creation of databases containing sensitive information on nearly every American 鈥渢hat can be manipulated with little to no oversight,鈥 according to a new report released Thursday by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich.
Peters, ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, conducted a series of staff visits to the federal agencies and interviewed current and former federal employees. The report says that the unsecured data collection has resulted in a possible national security risks.
鈥淚t is very likely that foreign adversaries, such as Russia, China, and Iran, who regularly attempt cyber attacks on the U.S. government and critical infrastructure, are already aware of this new DOGE cloud environment,鈥 the report says.
UN refugee chief offers helps, makes plea at US event on asylum crackdown
A U.S. panel on ideas for a massive overhaul of the asylum system represented a wide variety of countries and organizations as advocate groups watched by with unease.
Filippo Grandi, the U.N. refugee chief, sat in the audience as Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and the leaders of Panama, Bangladesh, Kosovo and Liberia applauded the Trump administration鈥檚 controversial approach to asylum and migration.
But Grandi, whose organization advocates for those in forced displacement, pleaded with Landau to take advantage of organizations like his as the U.S. moves forward with this shift in nearly 80 years of policy.
鈥淭he right to seek asylum, which my organization upholds, is not incompatible with sovereignty,鈥 Grandi said when it came time for questions. He added that instead of rushing to halt asylum process, 鈥渢he key is to address the root causes,鈥 that forces people to flee in the first place.
House Democratic leader slams Trump administration鈥檚 threat of mass firings
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats 鈥渨ill not be intimidated鈥 by the threats from the Trump administration to fire federal employees if the federal government shuts down.
鈥淕et lost,鈥 Jeffries said in a press conference at the Capitol.
Jeffries said that Democrats are ready to meet with Republicans and the president himself anytime to discuss ways to preserve health care programs as part of any deal to prevent a shutdown.
Human rights groups are uneasy with US plan to curb asylum
Bill Frelick, Human Rights Watch鈥檚 director of refugee and migrant rights, said the Trump administration鈥檚 proposal to U.N. member nations 鈥渓ooks like the first step in a bid to tear down the global refugee system.鈥
He faulted the proposal for not embracing a core principle of the current system that people shouldn鈥檛 be sent to countries where they face persecution.
Refugees International says the Trump administration mischaracterizes the 1951 U.N. Refugee Convention, the foundation of the global asylum system. Its principles were enshrined into U.S. law in 1980.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau outlined broad strokes of the plan Thursday, saying the current system is rife with abuse.
Official says shooter left note saying, 鈥榊es, it was just me鈥
Nancy Larson, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said shooter Joshua Jahn 鈥渧ery likely acted alone.鈥
At a news conference with the FBI and other agencies, Larson said investigators found a collection of notes at Jahn鈥檚 residence near Dallas. One of them said, 鈥淵es, it was just me.鈥
Other notes were sharply critical of ICE agents and indicted he had hoped to minimize collateral damage and not hurt any of the detainees.
The attack killed one detainee and critically injured two others who were in a transport van. No ICE agents or federal officers were wounded.
Larson said investigators have not found that Jahns was a member in any particular group or entity, and while he broadly wrote about hatred of the federal government, he did not mention any federal agencies other than ICE.
Man who fired on ICE facility hated US government, sought to kill federal agents, officials say
The gunman who on an in Dallas hated the U.S. government and wanted to incite terror by killing federal agents, officials said Thursday, a day after the attack that killed a detainee and critically wounded two others.
The gunman, who fatally shot himself, also left behind a note saying that he hoped the attack would 鈥済ive ICE agents real terror,鈥 the FBI director said Thursday.
The post by Kash Patel on offered the first hint of a motive behind the shooting on Wednesday that targeted the ICE building, including a van in a gated entryway. The detainees were in the van. No ICE personnel were wounded.
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Trump administration presses other countries to join US crackdown on asylum claims
The Trump administration is pushing other nations to join the United States in cracking down on asylum claims and reinforcing domestic immigration laws.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau led calls to reform the global asylum system process which he and others say is riddled with fraudulent claims from people who he said should not be eligible for protections. Speaking at a US-hosted conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Landau said the process had become a 鈥渉uge loophole鈥 in national immigration policies.
鈥淚f you have hundreds of thousands of fake asylum seekers then what happens to the real asylum seekers?鈥 Landau asked rhetorically. 鈥淪aying the process is susceptible to abuse is not xenophobic; it is not being a mean or bad person.鈥
Turkish president鈥檚 day at the White House is over
Trump escorted Erdogan to the door of the West Wing, where Turkey鈥檚 leader got into his car and was driven away.
Erdogan spent a little over two hours at the White House. Trump told reporters they had a 鈥済ood meeting鈥 and went back inside.
Hegseth abruptly summons top military commanders to a meeting in Virginia next week
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned the military鈥檚 top officers 鈥 hundreds of generals and admirals 鈥 to a military base in northern Virginia for a sudden meeting next week, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The directive did not offer a reason for the gathering Tuesday of senior commanders of the one-star rank or higher and their top advisers at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia.
The people, who described the move as unusual, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive plans.
The Pentagon鈥檚 top spokesman, Sean Parnell, confirmed that Hegseth 鈥渨ill be addressing his senior military leaders early next week.鈥 The Washington Post was first to report the news of the meeting.
Across the military, there are 800 generals and admirals of all ranks and many of them command thousands of service members. Many of these officers also are stationed across the world in more than a dozen countries and time zones.
Class action lawsuit filed on DC immigration arrests
Four Washington, D.C. residents and CASA, a national immigration organization, filed the lawsuit against members of the Trump administration Thursday challenging the law enforcement roundups that have ensnared the immigrant community.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, maintains that the authorities, some masked, have swept up residents without warrants or probable cause.
There was no immediate comment from the White House.
鈥淭he government鈥檚 policy and practice of arresting people without probable cause are illegal and have disrupted everyday life in the district,鈥 said Aditi Shah, with the ACLU of the District of Columbia.
In August, Trump issued an order proclaiming an emergency in the city, citing crime. That led to a surge of federal law enforcement authorities and the deployment of National Guard troops. An AP examination of arrests during the period found that more than 40% were immigration related.
AFL-CIO president says federal workers not 鈥榩awns鈥 in shutdown threats
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler the federal employees 鈥 鈥渉ardworking people across the country who keep our essential government services running 鈥攈ave already suffered immensely from the chaos and destruction inflicted by this administration鈥檚 Project 2025/DOGE agenda.鈥
As the Trump administration tells agency heads to prepare for mass firings, she said, 鈥淭hey are not pawns for the president鈥檚 political games.鈥
GOP senator says fed workers jobs may be cut in shutdown
Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno said if the federal government is shutdown, 鈥渢hen we鈥檙e going to have to make changes to the way the federal budget is structured.鈥
The Ohio senator spoke to reporters at the U.S. Capitol while Congress is on recess with just days remaining before the Oct. 1 deadline to fund the government.
The Trump administration has instructed federal agencies to prepare not just for worker furloughs, which are standard during federal closures, but widespread firings of the federal workforce.
Moreno said Democrats are being 鈥渃ompletely crazy鈥 in their demands to save health care programs as part of any government funding deal.
Trump says 鈥榗lose鈥 to Gaza deal
The president gave another status update on the negotiations on the hostilities in Gaza, saying 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e close to getting some kind of a deal done.鈥
鈥淲e want to get the hostages back,鈥 said Trump during the Oval Office spray with Erdogan, the Turkish leader. Trump said there were 20 living hostages and 鈥減robably 38 or so鈥 hostages who are deceased.
Trump met with several key Middle East leaders while at the United Nations this week. He said Thursday that it was a 鈥済reat meeting.鈥
Trump says he鈥檒l divert some tariff revenues to U.S. farmers
The president said he鈥檚 going to take some of the money raised from his import taxes and give it to farmers 鈥渇or a little while.鈥 Trump was speaking from the Oval Office during a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
American farmers growing soybeans have been hurt financially by the loss of China as a buyer of their crops, putting a strain on their finances as the world鈥檚 two largest economies have increased tariffs on each other as they negotiate trade terms.
This is not the first time that farmers have been collateral damage from Trump鈥檚 pursuit of tariffs. During his first term, American farmers also endured a drop in demand and the Trump administration helped to rescue them financially.
Trump approved $11 billion in aid to farmers in 2018 and $16 billion in 2019.
Trump says he doesn鈥檛 know what DOJ will do about James Comey
Asked about a possible federal indictment of the former FBI director, Trump said he doesn鈥檛 know what will happen and that department lawyers will decide.
He named Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, and Lindsey Halligan, whom Trump recently named to be the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Trump, who dislikes Comey because of his investigation into Russian ties to Trump鈥檚 2016 presidential campaign, disparaged Comey as a 鈥渟ick鈥 and 鈥渂ad鈥 person.
鈥淚 have no idea what鈥檚 going to happen,鈥 he said.
It was the last question in his Oval Office media availability with Erdogan.
The leaders are now meeting privately.
Former fed chairs urge Supreme Court to let Lisa Cook keep her job
Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen and other former top economic officials appointed by presidents of both parties urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to preserve the Federal Reserve鈥檚 political independence and allow Fed governor Lisa Cook to remain in her job for now.
The filing came as the justices are weighing an emergency appeal from the Trump administration to remove Cook from her job while her lawsuit challenging her firing by President Donald Trump proceeds through the courts.
Lawyers for the former officials wrote that immediately ousting Cook 鈥渨ould expose the Federal Reserve to political influences, thereby eroding public confidence in the Fed鈥檚 independence and jeopardizing the credibility and efficacy of U.S. monetary policy.鈥
The White House campaign to unseat Cook marks an unprecedented bid to reshape the Fed board, which was designed to be largely independent from day-to-day politics. No president has fired a sitting Fed governor in the agency鈥檚 112-year history.
Chinese Premier says US and his country need 鈥榯o work in the same direction鈥
Chinese told a group of American business executives that the U.S. and his country need 鈥渢o work in the same direction鈥 to further what he called 鈥渢he most important bilateral relationship in the world.
Li told the roughly 20 executives and others interested in U.S.-China relations that their insights were valuable, and 鈥渢he actions that you take are crucial.鈥
Journalists were escorted from the room after Li鈥檚 brief opening remarks at the event, hosted by two nonprofit groups, the U.S.-China Business Council and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations Li was in New York for the s annual meeting of world leaders, where he鈥檚 on behalf of President Xi Jinping.
The meeting comes at a delicate but dynamic time for relations between the world鈥檚 . , , , , and more are in the mix of contentious points, not to mention a myriad of geopolitical, strategic and other issues.
Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump had a lengthy phone call last week. Trump later at an Asian regional summit next month in South Korea and that he plans to visit China next year.
Trump says he and Erdogan will discuss weapons
The presidents are answering questions from reporters.
Trump said he and Erdogan will discuss the Patriot missile system and F-16 and F-35 military jets.
鈥淚 know he wants the F-35 and he鈥檚 wanted that, and the F-16, we鈥檙e in great shape,鈥 Trump said, seated alongside Erdogan in the Oval Office.
鈥淚 think he鈥檒l be successful in buying the things he wants to buy,鈥 Trump said.
鈥淗e needs certain things and we need certain things and we鈥檙e going to come to a conclusion,鈥 Trump told the scrum of White House and Turkish journalists. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l know by the end of the day.鈥
Trump touts friendship with Erdogan, even in 鈥榚xile鈥
The U.S. president, welcoming the Turkish leader to the Oval Office, noted the two men鈥檚 longtime relationship, even through Trump鈥檚 own political troubles after he lost the 2020 presidential election.
鈥淓ven for four years, when I was in exile 鈥 unfairly as it turns out, rigged election, you know, he knows about rigged elections better than anybody 鈥 but when I was in exile, we were still friends,鈥 Trump remarked.
He added: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 always a good way to find out, test a friendship.鈥
Trump continues to call his 2020 loss 鈥渞igged鈥 even though there鈥檚 no evidence of the level of election tampering that would have changed the results.
Turkey鈥檚 opposition party has complained about the fairness of the vote in the country, as have international election observers.
FBI director: Investigation indicates 鈥榟igh degree of pre-attack planning鈥 in ICE facility shooting
Kash Patel that that investigators found a handwritten note by the shooter that read 鈥淗opefully this will give ICE agents real terror, to think, 鈥檌s there a sniper with AP rounds on that roof?鈥欌
Patel鈥檚 post said investigators have been probing the shooters鈥 devices and found writings on his person and in his home. It did not say where the note about a sniper was found.
Patel said the shooter had conducted multiple searches of ballistics and video of the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a Utah university campus. In August, he had searched apps that tracked the presence of ICE agents.
Patel said investigators found the shooter had downloaded a document titled 鈥淒allas County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management鈥 containing a list of Department of Homeland Security facilities.
Escalator technicians seen monitoring at the UN after White House demands an inquiry
The technicians were spotted by an AP journalist around the U.N. campus hours after the White House called for an inquiry into an inoperable escalator and defective teleprompter during Trump鈥檚 visit to the world body.
The controversy began as Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived at the U.N. ahead of his speech Tuesday and an escalator they were on came to an abrupt halt.
When Trump took the rostrum at the General Assembly moments later, he immediately to note the teleprompter wasn鈥檛 working. The back-to-back incidents were initially treated with levity by Trump but shortly after, he and his team began to frame them as 鈥渟abotage.鈥
U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said both issues came as a result of the Trump camp. He said a videographer from the U.S. delegation who ran ahead of the president triggered the stop mechanism at the top of the escalator. A U.N. official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue contributed the teleprompter breakdown to Trump鈥檚 side as well, saying the White House was operating the teleprompter for the president.
Turkey鈥檚 president arrives at the White House to meet with Trump
As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Trump greeted each other outside the West Wing entrance, Trump was asked about allowing F-35 aircraft sales to Turkey.
鈥淵ou鈥檒l find out,鈥 the U.S. president responded.
Illinois abortion providers brace for surge of patients from Wisconsin
As Wisconsin Planned Parenthood pauses abortions amid federal Medicaid funding cuts, Megan Jeyifo, executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, called the cuts a 鈥渂ack door abortion ban鈥 in Wisconsin and said she hopes Illinois will be a 鈥渂eacon of access鈥 for patients traveling from her home state of Wisconsin, where she herself had an abortion many years ago.
鈥淚llinois is ready,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e will not abandon people when they need us.鈥
Dr. Allison Cowett, medical director for Family Planning Associates, said they 鈥渁nticipate a large influx of patients from Wisconsin.鈥
Illinois has long been described by advocates as an oasis for abortion access for swaths of the Midwest and South that have abortion bans. Nearly a quarter of all out-of-state abortions took place in Illinois in 2024, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion access. About 35,000 out-of-state patients traveled to Illinois for an abortion last year, accounting for 39% of all abortions provided in the state, according to the report.
Articles of impeachment against RFK Jr. being drafted by Michigan Democratic representative
Rep. Haley Stevens is drafting articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Michigan Democrat announced in a social media post Thursday.
Stevens, who鈥檚 also running for U.S. Senate, wrote that 鈥渆nough is enough.鈥
Kennedy has come under increasing scrutiny in Congress in recent weeks. He was recently called to testify before the Senate Finance Committee following a string of high-profile departures at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as controversial shifts in federal COVID-19 vaccine guidance.
Despite Stevens鈥 efforts, the impeachment push is unlikely to advance in the Republican-controlled House.
Wisconsin Planned Parenthood pauses abortions amid federal Medicaid funding cut
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin will stop scheduling patients for abortions starting next week as it works to find a way to provide the service in the face of Medicaid funding cuts in President Trump鈥檚 tax and spending bill, the nonprofit said Thursday.
Abortion funding across the U.S. has been under siege, particularly Planned Parenthood affiliates, which are the biggest provider.
The earlier this year that about half its clinics that provide abortion could be closed as a result of a ban on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood for services other than abortion.
The measure was part of the Trump signed in July. Initially, a judge said reimbursements must continue, but a this month said the government could halt the payments while a court challenge to the provision moves ahead.
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Treasury workers鈥 union leader says lawmakers are playing 鈥榓 game of chicken鈥 with federal workers
National Treasury Employees Union President Doreen Greenwald said lawmakers are using the federal budget 鈥渁s a game of chicken with federal employees as the collateral damage鈥 referring to the Trump Administration鈥檚 latest threat of mass layoffs if the government shuts down.
鈥淭his needs to stop,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e must expect more from the government and stand with federal employees so they can continue to provide the services we rely on and are not used as political pawns.鈥
Former Chilean president says she plans to run for the UN鈥檚 top job
Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said Thursday she plans to run for the post of U.N. secretary general.
鈥淚 just want to say something: I鈥檓 going to run for secretary general of the U.N.,鈥 Bachelet said, as she left the stage at the Clinton Global Initiative, following her appearance on a panel about the importance of investing in women and girls.
Bachelet became Chile鈥檚 first women president in 2006 after serving as Latin America鈥檚 first woman defense minister during the government of President Ricardo Lagos.
She served as U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, appointed by current Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. His second term expires at the end of 2026.
China sanctions 6 US companies as trade frictions continue
That鈥檚 despite a between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Three U.S. companies have been added to China鈥檚 鈥渦nreliable entity list,鈥 effectively banning them from trade with China, according to a statement by the Commerce Ministry.
The ministry said the companies have 鈥渆ngaged in so-called military-technical cooperation with Taiwan, severely undermining China鈥檚 national sovereignty, security and development interests.鈥
The companies are unmanned vehicle maker Saronic Technologies, satellite technology company Aerkomm and subsea engineering firm Oceaneering International.
Separately, three other U.S. companies were added to China鈥檚 export control list, preventing them from receiving Chinese shipments of 鈥渄ual use鈥 items, with both military and civilian applications.
The companies are military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries, engineering and facilities manager Planate Management Group and intelligence firm Global Dimensions.
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Trump cheers for GOP New Jersey governor candidate
The president took to social media to make the case for Jack Ciattarelli, the former state Assembly member, while ripping Democratic nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill.
鈥淛ack is tough on crime and cutting taxes, two things that people really demand today,鈥 Trump said, adding that Ciattarelli 鈥渨ill be a GREAT Governor.鈥
Trump and his administration鈥檚 policies loomed large when Ciattarelli and Sherrill on Sunday participated in their first debate ahead of the November election. The New Jersey race is one of the most closely watched races in this off-year election cycle.
Trump heads to the Ryder Cup, embraced by a golf world that once shunned him
Four years ago, President Trump was persona non grata in the professional golf world, ostracized from the sport he loves in the wake of the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The PGA of America pulled and officials in his hometown, New York City, from the golf course it had hired him to run.
On Friday, Trump will be front and center at the at Bethpage Black 鈥 welcomed to the first day of competition by the very powers that once shunned him. The Ryder Cup is run by the PGA of America, the organization that yanked its 2022 PGA Championship from his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf course.
U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said he鈥檚 鈥渄eeply honored鈥 that Trump will be there to cheer on his squad. European captain Luke Donald said the president鈥檚 attendance 鈥渏ust shows how big the Ryder Cup is,鈥 calling it a 鈥渕ark of respect,鈥 even if he鈥檚 rooting for the other side.
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US economy expanded at a surprising 3.8% pace in significant upgrade of second quarter growth
U.S. gross domestic product 鈥 the nation鈥檚 output of goods and services 鈥 rebounded in the spring from a 0.6% first-quarter drop caused by fallout from President Trump鈥檚 trade wars, the Commerce Department said Thursday. The department had previously estimated second-quarter growth at 3.3%.
The first-quarter GDP drop, the first retreat of the U.S. economy in three years, was mainly caused by a surge in imports 鈥 which are subtracted from GDP 鈥 as businesses hurried to bring in foreign goods before Trump could impose sweeping taxes on them. That trend reversed as expected in the second quarter: Imports fell at a 29.3% pace, boosting April-June growth by more than 5 percentage points.
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Trump鈥檚 Thursday schedule
At 11:15 a.m. ET, Trump will greet the President of Turkey. They鈥檒l have a meeting in the Oval Office, followed by a lunch.
At 3:30 p.m., Trump will sign executive orders.
At 4:30 p.m., Trump will have a meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
US military intercepts Russian aircraft near Alaska for ninth time this year
U.S. fighter jets were scrambled Wednesday to identify and intercept four Russian warplanes flying near Alaska, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
NORAD, in a statement issued early Thursday, said it detected and tracked two Tu-95s and two Su-35s operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
NORAD scrambled nine U.S. aircraft, including an E-3 Sentry command and control aircraft, four F-16s, and four KC-135 tankers, to positively identify and intercept the Russian jets.
The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. Such Russian activity near Alaska occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat, NORAD said. This was ninth time this year that the command has publicly announced such an incursion.
The incident comes after President Trump said Tuesday that he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from the U.S. leader鈥檚 repeated to end the war.
Trump hosts Turkey鈥檚 Erdogan at the White House as the US considers lifting a ban on F-35 sales
Trump will hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Thursday as the Republican leader has indicated that the U.S. government鈥檚 hold on sales of advanced fighter jets to Ankara may soon be lifted.
During Trump鈥檚 first term, the United States a NATO ally, from its flagship F-35 fighter jet program after it purchased an air defense system from Russia. U.S. officials worried that Turkey鈥檚 use of Russia鈥檚 S-400 surface-to-air missile system could be used to gather data on the capabilities of the F-35 and that the information could end up in Russian hands.
But Trump last week gave Turkey hope that a resolution to the matter is near as he announced plans for Erdogan鈥檚 visit.
The visit will be Erdogan鈥檚 first trip to the White House since 2019. The two leaders forged what Trump has described as a 鈥渧ery good relationship鈥 during his first White House go-around despite the U.S.-Turkey relationship often being complicated.
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