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Musk to reduce White House role as Tesla profits plunge
NEW YORK (AFP) -- Elon Musk will significantly scale back his Trump administration work in May to focus on Tesla, the billionaire announced Tuesday as the electric vehicle maker reported a 71 percent drop in first-quarter profits. "Probably in the next month, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly," Musk said at the outset of an earnings conference call, referring to his work for the "Department of Government Efficiency." The comments came as Tesla reported profits of $409 million fo
April 23, 2025 -
Putin says he is open to direct peace talks with Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed on Monday bilateral talks with Ukraine for the first time in years, and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was prepared for any discussion to halt attacks on civilian targets. Putin and Zelenskyy face pressure from the United States, which has threatened to walk away from its peace efforts unless some progress is achieved. Russia and Ukraine have said they are open to further ceasefires after a 30-hour Easter truce declared by Moscow
April 22, 2025 -
Trump greets people for Easter celebration
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump welcomed tens of thousands of people Monday to the White House Easter egg roll, saying the overcast weather meant no one would have to worry about getting sunburned. He thanked the National Park Service for how "spiffy" everything looked. More than 40,000 people were expected to participate, he said. "Happy Easter to everyone," the president said, flanked on the White House balcony by his wife, first lady Melania Trump, and an Easter bunny mascot. "It was
April 22, 2025 -
Macron vows to step up reconstruction in cyclone-hit Mayotte
MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron announced a three-billion-euro package over six years to finance a plan to "rebuild" Mayotte, France's poorest department, which was devastated by a cyclone in December. The most destructive cyclone to hit the Indian Ocean archipelago in 90 years caused colossal damage in mid-December, killing 40 people and causing 3.5 billion euros ($4 billion) in damage. Four months after the disaster, Macron visited Mayotte to "take stock of what is
April 22, 2025 -
Los Angeles mayor proposes slashing over 1,600 jobs
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Monday proposed laying off more than 1,600 government workers in an attempt to close a nearly $1 billion budget gap amid a slumping economy while the city contends with the costly job of rebuilding a seaside neighborhood leveled in a January wildfire. The prospect of chopping hundreds of government jobs comes as the latest unwelcome news for the first-term Democrat, who will stand for reelection next year. In an address to the city council, Bass
April 22, 2025 -
US lawmakers in El Salvador to push for migrant's release
A delegation of Democratic lawmakers visited El Salvador on Monday in a new push to secure the release of a wrongly deported United States resident at the center of a mounting political row. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was sent back to his country and remains imprisoned despite the US Supreme Court ordering President Donald Trump's administration to facilitate his return to the United States. "There is no reason for me to believe that our administration, the Trump administration, is doing anything to f
April 22, 2025 -
Universal Epic Universe is the theme park resort's biggest bang yet in Florida
ORLANDO, Florida (AP) — From Harry Potter to Super Mario Bros. to Frankenstein's monster, Universal Orlando Resort is pulling out all the pop culture stops at its newest and largest theme park in Florida. With five distinctively-themed sections and a 500-room hotel, the multibillion-dollar Universal Epic Universe is slated to open to the public on May 22, just in time for the start of summer, when the Orlando area's theme parks are usually jammed with families and young park-goers fresh out of s
April 22, 2025 -
Harvard University sues to block Trump from slashing billions in research funding
Harvard University sued on Monday to block US President Donald Trump from freezing billions of dollars in federal funding after the elite research institution rejected a list of White House demands that it said would undermine its independence. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston said Trump has launched a broad attack on funding for cutting-edge research at major universities as he seeks to rid them of what he describes as antisemitism and ideological bias. "This case involves the Gover
April 22, 2025 -
White House looking to replace Pentagon chief Hegseth over Signal chat controversy: report
The White House has started a process to look for a new Pentagon chief, a US broadcaster said Monday, following media reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared sensitive military information in a group chat that included his wife and brother. Citing an unnamed US official, NPR reported that the process started, after The New York Times said Sunday that Hegseth shared information about US strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen on March 15 in a Signal messaging chat. Hegseth had already f
April 22, 2025 -
Trump mourns Pope Francis' passing, orders national flag to be flown at half-staff
US President Donald Trump mourned the death of Pope Francis on Monday, ordering America's national flag to be flown at half-staff and announcing a plan to attend the pontiff's funeral together with first lady Melania Trump. The bishop of Rome died on Easter Monday at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican announced. "I just signed an executive order putting the flags of our country — all of them, all federal flags and state flags — at half mast in honor of
April 22, 2025 -
What to know about the death of Pope Francis
Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. Here are the key things to know about the death of the Argentine pontiff, history's first from Latin America, who presided over the Catholic Church for more than 12 years. The death of Francis was announced by Cardinal Kevin Farrell , the Irish-born Vatican camerlengo, a position that will be important in the coming weeks as he takes charge of the administration of the Holy See until a new pope is elected. “At 7:35 this morning, the Bishop of
April 21, 2025 -
Pope Francis: Key moments from his life
VATICAN CITY, April 21 (Reuters) -- Here are some facts about Pope Francis, who has died at the age of 88. - Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born on Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, of Italian immigrant stock. He was ordained a priest in the Jesuit order in 1969. From 1973-79 he was the order's top leader in Argentina. He became an auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 and the city's archbishop in 1998. He was made a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. - Surprising many observers of th
April 21, 2025 -
Pope Francis has died, Vatican says
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -- Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, has died, the Vatican said in a video statement on Monday, ending an often turbulent reign marked by division and tension as he sought to overhaul the hidebound institution. He was 88, and had recently survived a serious bout of double pneumonia. "Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis," Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on the
April 21, 2025 -
India's Modi to host JD Vance in Delhi under US tariffs' shadow
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -- United States Vice President JD Vance begins a four-day visit to India on Monday and will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as New Delhi rushes to avoid steep US tariffs with an early trade deal and boost ties with the Trump administration. Their discussions will cover the first day of Vance's largely personal visit to the country with his family, which includes visiting the Taj Mahal and attending a wedding in the city of Jaipur, people familiar with the matte
April 21, 2025 -
Russia, Ukraine trade blame over truce as Trump predicts 'deal'
KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (AFP) -- Russia and Ukraine on Sunday accused each other of violating an Easter truce as US President Donald Trump surprisingly announced that the war rivals could make a "deal" this week. The 30-hour truce from Saturday, announced by Russia's President Vladimir Putin, had been meant to mark the religious holiday. But Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had carried out hundreds of frontline attacks. "The Ukrainian army is acting and will continue to act in an
April 21, 2025