Trump and Philippine leader plan to talk tariffs and China at the White House

Trump and Philippine leader plan to talk tariffs and China at the White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — PresidentDonald Trumpplans to host Philippine PresidentFerdinand Marcos Jr.on Tuesday at the White House, as the two countries are seeking closer security and economic ties in the face of shifting geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific region. Marcos, who met Secretary of StateMarco Rubioand Defense SecretaryPete Hegsethon Monday, is set to become the first Southeast Asian leader to hold talks withDonald Trumpin his second term. Marcos' three-day visit shows the importance of the alliance between the treaty partners at a time when China is increasingly assertive in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have clashed over the hotly contestedScarborough Shoal. Washington sees Beijing, the world's No. 2 economy, as its biggest competitor, and consecutive presidential administrations have sought toshift U.S. military and economic focusto the Asia-Pacific in a bid to counter China. Trump, like others before him, has been distracted byefforts to broker peacein a range of conflicts, fromUkrainetoGaza. Tariffs also are expected to be on the agenda. Trump has threatened to impose20% tariffs on Filipino goodson Aug. 1 unless the two sides can strike a deal. "I intend to convey to President Trump and his Cabinet officials that the Philippines is ready to negotiate a bilateral trade deal that will ensure strong, mutually beneficial and future-oriented collaborations that only the United States and the Philippines will be able to take advantage of," Marcos said Sunday when he was departing for Washington, according to his office. Manila is open to offering zero tariffs on some U.S. goods to strike a deal with Trump, finance chief Ralph Recto told local journalists. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hinted that a trade agreement with the Philippines was in the works. "Perhaps this will be a topic of discussion," she told reporters Monday when asked about tariff negotiations. The White House said Trump will discuss with Marcos the shared commitment to upholding a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific. Before a meeting with Marcos at the Pentagon, Hegseth reiterated America's commitment to "achieving peace through strength" in the region. "Our storied alliance has never been stronger or more essential than it is today, and together we remain committed to the mutual defense treaty," Hegseth said Monday. "And this pact extends to armed attacks on our armed forces, aircraft or public vessels, including our Coast Guard anywhere in the Pacific, including the South China Sea." Marcos, whose country is one of the oldest U.S. treaty allies in the Pacific region, told Hegseth that the assurance to come to each other's mutual defense "continues to be the cornerstone of that relationship, especially when it comes to defense and security cooperation." He said the cooperation has deepened since Hegseth's March visit to Manila, includingjoint exercisesand U.S. support in modernizing the Philippines' armed forces. Marcos thanked the U.S. for support "that we need in the face of the threats that we, our country, is facing." China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have been involved in long-unresolved territorial conflicts in the South China Sea, a busy shipping passage for global trade. The Chinese coast guard hasrepeatedly used water cannonto hit Filipino boats in the South China Sea. China accused those vessels of entering the waters illegally or encroaching on its territory. Hegsethtold a security forum in Singaporein May that China poses a threat and the U.S. is "reorienting toward deterring aggression by Communist China." During Marcos' meeting Monday with Rubio, the two reaffirmed the alliance "to maintain peace and stability" in the region and discussed closer economic ties, including boosting supply chains, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. The U.S. has endeavored to keepcommunication open with Beijing. Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met this month on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They agreed to explore "areas of potential cooperation" and stressed the importance ofmanaging differences. ___ Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 21, 2025

Trump and Philippine leader plan to talk tariffs and China at the White House

Trump and Philippine leader plan to talk tariffs and China at the White House WASHINGTON (AP) — PresidentDonald Trumpplans to host Philippin...

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Swarms of Russian drones attack Ukraine nightly as Moscow puts new emphasis on the deadly weapon

Swarms of Russian drones attack Ukraine nightly as Moscow puts new emphasis on the deadly weapon

Thelong-range Russian dronescome in swarms each night, buzzing for hours over Ukraine by the hundreds, terrorizing the population and attacking targets from the industrial east to areas near its western border with Poland. Russia now often batters Ukraine with more drones in a single night than it did during some entire months in 2024, and analysts say the barrages are likely to escalate. On July 8, Russia unleashedmore than 700 drones — a record. Some experts say that number could soon top 1,000 a day. The spike comes as U.S. PresidentDonald Trumphas given Russia until early Septemberto reach a ceasefire or face new sanctions -– a timeframe Moscow is likely to use to inflict as much damage as possible on Ukraine. Russia has sharply increased its drone output and appears to keep ramping it up. Initially importingShahed dronesfrom Iran early in the3 1/2-year-old war, Russia has boosted its domestic production and upgraded the original design. The Russian Defense Ministry says it's turning its drone force into a separate military branch. It also has established a dedicated center for improving drone tactics and better training for those flying them. Fighting 'a war of drones' Russian engineers have changed the original Iranian Shahed to increase its altitude and make it harder to intercept, according to Russian military bloggers and Western analysts. Other modifications include making it more jamming-resistant and able to carry powerfulthermobaric warheads. Some useartificial intelligenceto operate autonomously. The original Shahed and its Russian replica — called "Geran," or "geranium" — have an engine to propel it at 180 kph (just over 110 mph). A faster jet version is reportedly in the works. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War noted that cooperation with China has allowed Russia to bypass Western sanctions on imports of electronics for drone production. Ukraine's military intelligence estimates that Russia receives up to 65% of components for its Geran drones from China. Beijing rejects the claims. Russia initially launched its production of the Iranian drones at factory in Alabuga, located in Tatarstan. AnAssociated Press investigationfound employees at the Alabuga plant included young African women who said they were duped into taking jobs there. Geran production later began at a plant in Udmurtia, west of the Ural Mountains. Ukraine has launched drone attacks on both factories but failed to derail production. A report Sunday by state-run Zvezda TV described the Alabuga factory as the world's biggest attack drone plant. "It's a war of drones. We are ready for it," said plant director Timur Shagivaleyev, adding it produces all components, including engines and electronics, and has its own training school. The report showed hundreds of black Geran drones stacked in an assembly shop decorated with Soviet-style posters. One featured images of the father of the Soviet nuclear bomb, Igor Kurchatov, legendary Soviet space program chief, Sergei Korolyov, and dictator Josef Stalin, with the words: "Kurchatov, Korolyov and Stalin live in your DNA." Shifting tactics and defenses The Russian military has improved its tactics, increasingly usingdecoy dronesnamed "Gerbera" for a type of daisy. They closely resemble the attack drones and are intended to confuse Ukrainian defenses and distract attention from their more deadly twins. By using large numbers of drones in one attack, Russia seeks to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and keep them from targeting more expensive cruise and ballistic missiles that Moscow often uses alongside the drones to hit targets like key infrastructure facilities, air defense batteries and air bases. Former Russian Defense Ministry press officer Mikhail Zvinchuk, who runs a popular war blog, noted the Russian military has learned to focus on a few targets to maximize the impact. The drones can roam Ukraine's skies for hours, zigzagging past defenses, he wrote. "Our defense industries' output allows massive strikes on practically a daily basis without the need for breaks to accumulate the necessary resources," said another military blogger, Alexander Kots. "We no longer spread our fingers but hit with a punching fist in one spot to make sure we hit the targets." Ukraine relies on mobile teams armed with machine guns as a low-cost response to the drones to spare the use of expensive Western-supplied air defense missiles. It also has developed interceptor drones and is working to scale up production, but the steady rise in Russian attacks is straining its defenses. How Russia affords all those drones Despite international sanctions and a growing load on its economy, Russia's military spending this year has risen 3.4% over 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which estimated it at the equivalent of about $200 billion. While budgetary pressures could increase, it said, the current spending level is manageable for the Kremlin. Over 1.5 million drones of various types were delivered to the military last year, said President Vladimir Putin. Frontelligence Insight, a Ukraine-based open-source intelligence organization, reported this month that Russia launched more than 28,000 Shahed and Geran drones since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, with 10% of the total fired last month alone. While ballistic and cruise missiles are faster and pack a bigger punch, they cost millions and are available only in limited quantities. A Geran drone costs only tens of thousands of dollars — a fraction of a ballistic missile. The drones' range of about 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) allows them to bypass some defenses, and a relatively big load of 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of explosives makes them a highly effective instrument of what the Center for Strategic and International Studies calls "a cruel attritional logic." CSIS called them "the most cost-effective munition in Russia's firepower strike arsenal." "Russia's plan is to intimidate our society," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that Moscow seeks to launch 700 to 1,000 drones a day. Over the weekend, German Maj. Gen. Christian Freuding said in an interview that Russia aims for a capability of launching 2,000 drones in one attack. Russia could make drone force its own military branch Along the more than 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, short-range attack drones have become prolific and transformed the fighting, quickly spotting and targeting troops and weapons within a 10-kilometer (6-mile) kill zone. Russian drone units initially were set on the initiative of midlevel commanders and often relied on equipment purchased with private donations. Once drones became available in big numbers, the military moved last fall to put those units under a single command. Putin has endorsed the Defense Ministry's proposal to make drones a separate branch of the armed forces, dubbed the Unmanned Systems Troops. Russia has increasingly focused on battlefield drones that use thin fiber optic cables, making them immune to jamming and have an extended range of 25 kilometers (over 15 miles). It also has set up Rubicon, a center to train drone operators and develop the best tactics. Such fiber optic drones used by both sides can venture deeper into rear areas, targeting supply, support and command structures that until recently were deemed safe. Michael Kofman, a military expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the Russian advancements have raised new defensive challenges for Ukraine. "The Ukrainian military has to evolve ways of protecting the rear, entrenching at a much greater depth," Kofman said in a recent podcast.

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 21, 2025

Swarms of Russian drones attack Ukraine nightly as Moscow puts new emphasis on the deadly weapon

Swarms of Russian drones attack Ukraine nightly as Moscow puts new emphasis on the deadly weapon Thelong-range Russian dronescome in swarms ...

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Things to know about the release of federal documents related to MLK's assassination

Things to know about the release of federal documents related to MLK's assassination

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Federal records related to the investigation into the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. were released on Monday, following thedisclosure in March of tens of thousands of documentsabout the1963 assassinationof PresidentJohn F. Kennedy. In January,President Donald Trumpordered the release of thousands of classifiedgovernmental documentsabout Kennedy's assassination, while also moving to declassify federal records related to the deaths of New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy andKingmore than five decades ago. Trump ordered Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Attorney General Pam Bondi to coordinate with other government officials to review records related to the assassinations ofRFKand King, and present a plan to the president for their "complete release." Some10,000 pages of recordsabout the RFK assassination were released April 18. Justice Department attorneys laterasked a federal judgeto end a sealing order for the records nearly two years ahead of its expiration date. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which King led, is opposed to unsealing any of the records for privacy reasons. The organization's lawyers said King's relatives also wanted to keep the files under seal. Scholars, history buffs and journalists have been preparing to study the documents to find new information about the civil rights leader's assassination on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. The King family's statement released after Trump's order in January said they hoped to get an opportunity to review the files as a family prior to its public release. King's family, including his two living children, Martin III and Bernice, was given advance notice of the release and had their own teams reviewing the records ahead of the public disclosure. In a statement released Monday, King's children called their father's case a "captivating public curiosity for decades." But they also emphasized the personal nature of the matter and urged that "these files must be viewed within their full historical context." "We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family's continuing grief," the statement said. Here is what we know about the assassination and what scholars had to say ahead of the release of the documents. In Memphis, shots ring out King was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, heading to dinner with a few friends, when he wasshot and killed. King had been in Memphis to support a sanitation workers strike protesting poor working conditions and low pay. The night before the assassination, King delivered the famous"Mountaintop" speechon a stormy night at the Mason Temple in Memphis. An earlier march on Beale Street had turned violent, and King had returned to Memphis to lead another march as an expression of nonviolent protest. King also had been planning the Poor People's Campaign to speak out against economic injustice. The FBI's investigation After a long manhunt,James Earl Raywas captured in London, and he pleaded guilty to assassinating King. He later renounced that plea and maintained his innocence until his death in 1998. FBI documents released over the years show how the bureau wiretapped King's telephone lines, bugged his hotel rooms and used informants to get information against him. "He was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign," the King family statement said. King family's response to the investigation Members of King's family, and others, have questioned whether Ray acted alone, or if he was even involved. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, asked for the probe to be reopened, and in 1998, then-Attorney General Janet Reno directed the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department to do so. The Justice Department said it "found nothing to disturb the 1969 judicial determination that James Earl Ray murdered Dr. King." Dexter King, one of King's children, met with Ray in prison in 1997, saying afterwards that he believed Ray's claims of innocence. Dexter King died in 2024. With the support of King's family, a civil trial in state court was held in Memphis in 1999 against Loyd Jowers, a man alleged to have known about a conspiracy to assassinate King. Dozens of witnesses testified, and a Memphis jury found Jowers and unnamed others, including government agencies, participated in a conspiracy to assassinate King. What will the public see in the newly released documents? It's not clear what the records will actually show. King scholars, for example, would like to see what information the FBI was discussing and circulating as part of their investigation, said Ryan Jones, director of history, interpretation and curatorial services at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. "That's critical given the fact the American public, at that time, was unaware that the FBI that is involved in the investigation, was leading a smear campaign to discredit the same man while he was alive," Jones said. "They were the same bureau who was receiving notices of assassination attempts against King and ignored them." Academics who have studied King also would like to see information about the FBI's surveillance of King, including the extent they went to get details about his personal life, track him, and try to discredit him as anti-American, said Lerone A. Martin, director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. However, Martin said he does not expect that the documents will have a "smoking gun that will finally say, 'See, this is 100% evidence that the FBI was involved in this assassination.'" "We have to view these documents with an eye of suspicion because of the extent the FBI was willing to go to, to try to discredit him," Martin said. Why now? Trump's order about the records release said it is in the "national interest" to release the records. "Their families and the American people deserve transparency and truth," the order said. However, the timing has led to skepticism from some observers. Jones questioned why the American public had not been able to see these documents much earlier. "Why were they sealed on the basis of national security, if the assassin was in prison outside of Nashville?" he said. Jones said there are scholars who think the records release is a "PR stunt" by a presidential administration that is "rewriting, omitting the advances of some people that are tied to people of color, or diversity." The Pentagonhas faced questionsfrom lawmakers and citizens over the removal of military heroes and historic mentions from Defense Department websites and social media pages after itpurged online content that promoted women or minorities. In response, the department restored some of those posts. Martin said Trump's motivation could be part of an effort to shed doubt on government institutions. "It could be an opportunity for the Trump administration to say, 'See, the FBI is evil, I've been trying to tell you this. This is why I've put (FBI director) Kash Patel in office because he's cleaning out the Deep State,'" Martin said. Another factor could be the two attempts on Trump's life as he was campaigning for a second presidential term, and a desire to "expose the broader history of U.S. assassinations," said Brian Kwoba, an associate history professor at the University of Memphis. "That said, it is still a little bit confusing because it's not clear why any U.S. president, including Trump, would want to open up files that could be damaging to the United States and its image both in the U.S. and abroad," he said.

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 21, 2025

Things to know about the release of federal documents related to MLK's assassination

Things to know about the release of federal documents related to MLK's assassination MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Federal records related to th...

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Big Ten suggests to NCAA that Michigan has been punished enough for sign-stealing, AP sources say

Big Ten suggests to NCAA that Michigan has been punished enough for sign-stealing, AP sources say

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti sent a letter to theNCAACommittee on Infractions suggesting that Michigan's football program should not face more sanctions stemming from asign-stealing scheme, according to two people familiar with the situation. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because no one is authorized to comment on an ongoing NCAA investigation. Petitti's letter was shared during last month's hearing because he was unable to attend while recovering from hip surgery, Big Ten Deputy Commissioner Diane Dietz said. ESPN was first to report some details of Petitti's letter. The NCAA alleged last year in a notice relating to its sign-stealing investigation that current coach Sherrone Moore violated rules as an assistant under former coach JimHarbaugh, who served a three-game suspension in exchange for the conference dropping its own investigation into the allegations after the two ended up in court. After winning the 2023 national championship, Harbaugh left to lead the Los Angeles Chargers. Moore also was accused of deleting text messages with sign-stealer Connor Stalions before they were recovered and provided to the NCAA. Moore has said he has and will continue to cooperate with the NCAA's investigation. The NCAA investigation surfaced early in the 2023 season amid allegations that Michigan used a robust in-person scouting and sign-stealing operation conducted by Stalions, a former a low-level staffer. He was suspended by the school and laterresigned. Stalions, who did not participate in the NCAA investigation, recently said he knew almost every signal opponents used in seven games over two seasons. Michigan is prepared to suspend Moore for two games during the coming season. The NCAA will decide if that self-imposed sanction is enough to address allegations that Moore failed to cooperate in an investigation. The governing body takes three months on average for contested cases to make a final decision. The Wolverines open the season on Aug. 30 at home against New Mexico State and at Oklahoma, where Moore was an offensive lineman, on Sept. 6. Harbaugh was suspendedby the Big Ten, three weeks after an investigation by the NCAA into the allegations began. Hours later, Michigan asked a court for an injunction and temporary restraining order and the two sides narrowly avoided a court hearing. Harbaugh has repeatedly denied any involvement with Stalions' apparent scheme. The NCAAdoes not have rules against stealing signs, but does prohibit schools from sending scouts to the games of future opponents and using electronic equipment to record another team's signals. Multiple Big Ten schools had records showing ticket purchases under Stalions' name and video surveillance footage of people in those seats with cell phones pointed toward the field. Big Ten coaches and athletic directors previouslypushed Petitti to punish Harbaughbefore the NCAA concluded its investigation. When the Big Ten did suspend Harbaugh, Michigan claimed the commissioner overstepped his authority and acted outside the conference's bylaws. Athletic director Warde Manuel released a scathing statement just before Michigan kicked off at Penn State and won 24-15 without Harbaugh on the sideline. "Not liking someone or another university or believing without any evidence that they knew or saying someone should have known without an investigation is not grounds to remove someone from their position before the NCAA process has reached a conclusion through a full NCAA investigative process," Manuel said then. The NCAA previously put Michigan on three years of probation, fined the school and implemented recruiting limits after reaching a negotiated resolution in a recruiting case and banned Harbaugh from coaching college football for four years. ___ AP college football:https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-pollandhttps://apnews.com/hub/college-football

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 21, 2025

Big Ten suggests to NCAA that Michigan has been punished enough for sign-stealing, AP sources say

Big Ten suggests to NCAA that Michigan has been punished enough for sign-stealing, AP sources say ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Big Ten Commission...

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MLB goes full NASCAR with Braves, Reds uniforms for Speedway Classic at Bristol

MLB goes full NASCAR with Braves, Reds uniforms for Speedway Classic at Bristol

In an effort to host more baseball games in more unique locations, theCincinnati RedsandAtlanta Bravesare set to play a game at Bristol Motor Speedway, the legendary auto racing track in Bristol, Tennessee, on August 2nd. This will be the first-everMLBgame played at a NASCAR track, and the teams involved are going all-out for their part in league history. On Monday, July 21, theCincinnati Reds unveiled the uniformsthey plan to wear for the contest: white jerseys equipped with classic checkered flag patterns and numbers in the same style seen on drivers' cars. TheBravesalso revealed their jerseys, which will feature similar NASCAR-inspired numbers, as well as a new ballcap designed by New Era with hod rod flames across the brim. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MLB ⚾ (@mlb) The Aug. 2 game will count as a Reds home game and will be proceeded by games against the Braves at Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park on July 31 and Aug. 1. The game will be held a little more than a month before the speedway, know as "The Last Great Colosseum," hosts NASCAR's annual Bristol Night Race on Saturday, Sept. 13. The baseball field will be set in the middle of the track's infield. GUARDIANS:Why did Cleveland change baseball team name? Origins of decades-long controversy Rawlings has designed new batting helmets directly modeled after racing helmets for this game. Furthermore, Reds' catcher Tyler Stephenson has already revealed a custom chest plate for the game, modeled after the movie 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.' One of the best things I've seen in awhile. Check out Tyler Stephenson's gear for the Speedway Classic as he goes full Ricky Bobby and Talladega Nights. Shake and Bake!@EvoShield#Reds#MLB#ATOBTTRpic.twitter.com/x4vB8AWCeF — Jim Day (@JimDayTV)July 6, 2025 The straps on the back of the protector include the famous line from the movie: "If you ain't first, you're last." Bristol Motor Speedway anually hosts two NASCAR weekends a year – one in the spring and one in late summer or early fall. The speedway hosted a college football gamebetween the Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech Hokies in 2016, which had almost 157,000 fans in attendance. The Bristol Motor Speedway ballpark as well as the Reds' and Braves' specialty uniforms are expected to be available to play with in the popular baseball video gameMLB: The Show 25. There will be a pregame concert headlined by Tim McGraw, Pitbull, and Jake Owen. Owen will host a full day of musical sets in a dedicated fan zone at the venue, perBristol Motor Speedway. The Commissioner's Trophy is also expected to make an appearance, giving fans a once in a lifetime opportunity to take photographs with baseball's most coveted trophy. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:MLB Speedway Classic uniforms: What Braves, Reds will wear at Bristol

byKonstantin Pynzar

in

July 21, 2025

MLB goes full NASCAR with Braves, Reds uniforms for Speedway Classic at Bristol

MLB goes full NASCAR with Braves, Reds uniforms for Speedway Classic at Bristol In an effort to host more baseball games in more unique loca...

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