NTD News Today

The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday said it was pulling out its remaining forces in Yemen after Saudi Arabia backed a call for UAE forces to leave the country within 24 hours, in a major crisis between the two Gulf powers and oil producers. The UAE made its announcement hours after a Saudi-led coalition airstrike on the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla.Voters in Iowa State Senate District 16 go to the polls Tuesday for a special election that has major political stakes, with a Republican supermajority in the state's upper chamber on the line.

President Donald Trump is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, extending a series of high-level talks that have focused on the future of Gaza and regional security threats. Netanyahu's visit marks his sixth meeting with Trump this year, according to Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon, who described the trip as a sign of enduring ties between the two allies.FBI Director Kash Patel on Sunday confirmed that his office had surged resources to Minnesota to investigate claims of fraud exploiting federal services and programs. Federal officials have, to date, indicted 78 people and convicted 57 individuals in a $250 million fraud scheme in Minnesota, Patel said in a post on X. The charges included wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. Patel said the case could yet prove to be “just the tip of a very large iceberg.”

Iconic French Actress Brigitte Bardot Dies at 91 - NTD NEWS TODAY

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that he will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida over the weekend. Zelenskyy told journalists that the two leaders will discuss security guarantees for Ukraine during Sunday's talks, and that the 20-point plan under discussion “is about 90% ready.”Trump announced a “powerful and deadly strike” targeting the ISIS terrorist group in northwest Nigeria on Thursday. Trump said the group had not heeded warnings, leading to the Christmas night strike. The Trump administration has also designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act, which opens the country up to sanctions. A Pentagon spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the Nigerian government approved the strikes.

President Donald Trump sent out his greetings on Christmas Eve, wishing Merry Christmas to all. He called active-duty U.S. service members, thanking them for their sacrifice and devotion. He also surprised children when he answered NORAD Santa calls from his Mar-a-Lago estate. Southern California deals with the aftermath of torrential rain. The downpour unleashed widespread flash flooding on Christmas Eve. Authorities are urging people to stay off roads and some residents to evacuate.

The chief executive officer of the IRS said during an interview on Tuesday that around 94 percent of middle-class Americans will see some form of tax relief next year. He added that Social Security recipients will see “up to a $6,000 benefit.” Frank Bisignano's comments come after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett have both projected significant refunds in the 2026 tax year due to legislation that was signed into law over the summer by President Donald Trump.A thunderous explosion at a nursing home just outside Philadelphia killed at least two people, collapsed part of the building, sent flames shooting into the air, and left people trapped inside. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a news conference several hours after the explosion that at least two people had been killed. The explosion occurred at Bristol Health and Rehabilitation Center in Bristol Township as a utility crew began searching for a gas leak on site.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday morning released thousands of documents related to the now-deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in the latest batch of files. The department warned that some claims contained in the documents were falsely made against President Donald Trump.Robust consumer spending and a rebound in exports helped the U.S. economy grow faster than economists expected, according to delayed Bureau of Economic Analysis data released on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump said he has appointed Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry to be his special envoy to Greenland. The governor thanked Trump for the appointment in a post on X and said the new role would not require him to resign from his current position as governor. Trump has stated ⁠that Greenland, a Danish territory that largely governs itself, should become part of the United States, citing security reasons and an interest in the island's mineral resources.Australian police say homemade pipe and tennis ball bombs were thrown at a crowd at Bondi Beach by the shooters before they began shooting, but failed to detonate, according to court documents released on Monday. In response to the attack, the New South Wales parliament is debating legislation to cap firearm ownership, ban terror symbols, and restrict protests.

FBI Director Kash Patel announced Friday that a Chinese researcher on a J-1 visa in the United States has been charged with smuggling E. coli into the country and making false statements.President Donald Trump will travel to North Carolina on Friday, seeking to convince Americans that his handling of the economy is sound ahead of a midterm election year.

The annual inflation rate in the United States slowed sharply to 2.7 percent in November, suggesting price pressures are cooling even as tariff-related costs continue to filter through the economy.Trump Media & Technology Group will merge with a nuclear fusion power company in an all-stock deal that the companies said on Thursday is valued at more than $6 billion.

Warner Bros Discovery's board rejected Paramount Skydance's $108.4 billion hostile bid on Wednesday, saying it failed to provide adequate financing assurances. The board said it found Paramount's offer "inferior" to the merger agreement with Netflix.The House Judiciary Committee is questioning former special counsel Jack Smith behind closed doors on Wednesday. Smith's deposition is regarding his two prosecutions of President Donald Trump over alleged mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort and actions challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election. Smith has continually denied that his work was politically motivated and has said that he is willing to testify publicly.

Congress continues investigating a September strike that hit a drug boat in the Caribbean. Secretary of war Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others briefed members of the House and the Senate on Tuesday. Hegseth says video of the strike will be shown to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees Wednesday, but the full video will not be released to the public.U.S. economy added 64,000 new jobs last month following a decline of 105,000 in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. November's jobless rate rose to 4.6 percent—the highest since September 2021— from 4.4 percent in September.

Hollywood actor and director Rob Reiner and his wife were confirmed dead after an apparent double homicide at their home in Los Angeles on Dec. 14. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said in a statement that two people were found dead at Reiner's home in the Brentwood neighborhood and that homicide detectives are involved in the investigation.Jimmy Lai, a former newspaper publisher and one of Hong Kong's most outspoken critics of the Chinese Communist Party, has been convicted in a national security trial—a case that has drawn international scrutiny amid Hong Kong's continued erosion of freedoms. Lai, who has pleaded not guilty to all three charges, will be sentenced at a later date. He could face life in prison. Lai was arrested in August 2020 and has been imprisoned for more than 1,800 days since being charged in December 2020.

Police in Providence have released a man who was held as a person of interest in the Brown University shooting. The attack left two students dead and nine others injured. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley says the investigation is moving in a “different direction." The first victim has been identified as sophomore Ella Cook. President Donald Trump paid his respects to the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.Authorities are still investigating a shooting that took place at Sydney's Bondi Beach that killed 15 people during a Hanukkah celebration. Police say two gunmen opened fire on a crowd of about a thousand people. One of the shooters died during the exchange of gunfire and the other is in the hospital. The shooting is being condemned all over the world as an anti-Semitic attack.An ISIS terrorist ambush in Syria killed two U.S. National Guard troops from Iowa and a U.S. civilian interpreter. An Iowa police chief identified his son, Nate Howard, as one of the two soldiers killed. Names of the other victims are expected to be released later today. The ISIS terrorist was killed, and five people suspected of having a connection to the gunman were arrested. Trump is warning of a "very serious retaliation." Lawmakers are encouraging the continued cooperation to totally dismantle ISIS.

Australia Shooting Declared Terror Attack, A Gunman Killed | NTD News Today Dec. 14

The U.S. Transportation Department on Friday threatened to pull tens of millions of dollars in funding from New York over commercial driver licenses improperly issued to non-U.S. citizens. USDOT said New York must take actions to address concerns about immigrant truck drivers within 30 days or the state could lose federal highway funding. The U.S. Justice Department said on Friday it had filed lawsuits against Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Nevada after the states failed to provide their voter registration lists to the department. The department's Civil Rights Division also filed a lawsuit against Fulton County, Georgia, for records related to the 2020 election, it said in a statement.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is expected to face fierce questioning from House Democrats on Dec. 11 over the Trump administration's immigration policies.Noem is testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee on “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland,” which is likely to focus heavily on immigration. Also attending Thursday's hearing are Joseph Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, and Michael Glasheen, operations director of the national security branch of the FBI.The Senate is poised for a Dec. 11 vote on competing measures to resolve the standoff over extending the expiring Obamacare subsidies. Both are likely to fall along party lines and to fail to reach the 60-vote threshold required to advance legislation in the Senate. The subsidies were created in 2021 as a temporary measure to blunt the economic impact of the COVID-19 national health emergency. Originally offered for two years, the enhanced subsidies were further extended for three years and will expire at the end of this month.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a challenge on Tuesday to a federal law restricting political parties from coordinating spending with candidates. The case pits those who say the First Amendment vigorously protects political speech against those who say the restrictions are needed to prevent corruption and the appearance of corruption in the political process.Miami voters still have to choose their next mayor, and their choice could show how the city's political leaning has evolved ahead of the 2026 midterms. A crowded pool of 13 candidates was on the Nov. 4 ballot, but none gained the majority needed to win. A runoff between the two highest-polling picks is taking place today.

President Donald Trump plans to announce on Monday a $12 billion economic assistance package for farmers, according to a White House official.Conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices signaled on Monday they will uphold the legality of President Trump's firing of a Federal Trade Commission member.

President Donald Trump's newly released national security strategy states, "The Era of Mass Migration Is Over."War Secretary Pete Hegseth says the United States is increasing its focus on defending its own interests. He accuses previous administrations after the Cold War of not putting America first in their policies.Our guest provides analysis on this and on what the strategy says about China.Japan has lodged a strong protest after a Chinese jet locked radar on Japanese fighters.Japan and Australia are calling for calm and both nations say they will keep a close eye on Chinese military activity.A major, magnitude 7 earthquake rocked Alaska on Saturday. It was felt as far away as Canada.

A panel of experts selected by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday voted to recommend federal officials stop directing parents to get their infants quickly vaccinated against hepatitis B, unless the babies' mothers test positive for the virus.

President Donald Trump will bring leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda together in Washington on Thursday to sign new deals aimed at stabilizing a war-scarred region and attracting Western mining investment. Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi are expected to pledge their commitment to an economic integration compact already agreed to last month, as well as a U.S.-brokered peace deal reached in June but still not implemented.Lawmakers on Capitol Hill will receive a classified briefing today from Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley, the Navy commander who reportedly ordered a follow-up strike that killed survivors of an attack on an alleged drug-smuggling boat near Venezuela. Admiral Bradley now leads U.S. Special Operations Command. He will brief top House and Senate lawmakers as pressure builds on Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it has suspended the processing of all immigration applications from 19 countries, including Afghanistan and Somalia, citing national security and public safety concerns. The action comes a week after an Afghan national was arrested for shooting two National Guard members near the White House, killing one and critically wounding the other. The suspension includes green card and U.S. citizenship processing, according to a memorandum.The House Homeland Security Committee will hear testimonies from leaders of law enforcement associations regarding how anti-law enforcement rhetoric is fueling violence against officers nationwide.

President Donald Trump will hold his ninth cabinet meeting since returning to office. According to the White House, the meeting is scheduled to start at 11:30am ET. NTD will have live coverage of the meeting.U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin confirmed on Dec. 2. Russian President Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Witkoff and Kushner would be the only U.S. representatives present. The discussion comes as Trump continues his push to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, which has raged for nearly four years. Witkoff and Putin last met in August.

Tough issues have yet to be resolved following U.S.–Ukrainian talks in Florida, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday, as he and other Ukrainian officials toured Europe to rally their allies. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy is heading to Moscow to brief the Kremlin. Zelenskyy arrived in Paris to rally support from French President Emmanuel Macron, and will travel to Ireland tomorrow. Ukraine's defense minister attended an EU counterparts meeting in Brussels today.Luigi Mangione is due in New York state court today. He's accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson a year ago. His attorneys are seeking to have evidence thrown out of court, including a notebook and a nine-millimeter handgun that prosecutors say matches the one used in the killing. The prosecution says the notebook contains passages describing Mangione's intent to “wack” a health insurance executive. His lawyers argue that investigators seized the items illegally from the 27-year-old's backpack without a warrant.

Rubio and Witkoff are Meeting with Ukraine's Negotiators in Florida | NTD News Today (Nov. 30)

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World countries” and remove foreign nationals who are “incapable of loving” the United States, saying the steps were necessary to allow for the U.S. system's full recovery.Hong Kong authorities said on Friday that the search for survivors after a massive fire tore through a residential complex in the New Territories, killing at least 128 people, has ended. About 200 people remain unaccounted for.

FBI Director Kash Patel spoke Thursday about the daytime shooting of two National Guard members in Washington by a man authorities said is an Afghan national. Speaking at a press conference, Patel said there is “confirmation” the man “had a relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces,” and that the FBI is “fully investigating that aspect of his background.”The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place in New York City at 8 a.m. ET on Thursday.

A fire spread across seven high-rise apartment buildings in a Hong Kong housing complex, killing 13 people and leaving others still trapped, the city's fire services said Wednesday.The Kremlin said U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and several other key U.S. officials will visit Moscow next week for discussions on a possible peace plan for Ukraine.

Russia launched a fresh barrage of drones and missiles at the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Tuesday, killing several people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could visit the United States in the coming days to finalize a deal with President Donald Trump to end the Russia–Ukraine war, Kyiv's national security chief Rustem Umerov said on Tuesday.President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi spoke by phone on Monday amid tensions between Tokyo and Beijing over Taiwan. “President Trump gave a brief explanation of the recent state of U.S.–China relations,” Takaichi told reporters following her call with Trump.

The United States and Ukraine on Monday sought to narrow the gaps in a peace plan to end the war with Russia after agreeing to modify a U.S. proposal. Washington and Kyiv said in a joint statement that they had drafted a "refined peace framework" after talks in Geneva on Sunday.British Members of Parliament are questioning BBC Chair Samir Shah on Monday over the broadcaster's editorial policies in the wake of the controversy over its editing of President Donald Trump's Jan. 6, 2021, speech.

President Donald Trump says Ukraine has shown zero gratitude for U.S. efforts to end the war. More on the divisions and controversies surrounding America's peace proposal.Top U.S. negotiators are in Geneva today discussing their proposed Russia–Ukraine peace plan with Ukrainian and European counterparts. A former lead Army intelligence coordinator shares his insight.

President Donald Trump will meet with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani at the White House on Friday. Mamdani commented on the planned meeting during a Nov. 20 press conference, describing the visit as “customary.” Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist whose campaign to run America's most populous city drew national attention, is set to take office on Jan. 1, 2026. The mayor-elect has already sparred publicly with Trump, who has threatened to reduce federal funding to the city.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready for “honest” work with the United States to bring an end to the war with Russia. His comments came after discussions with a top U.S. Army official following revelations of a plan devised by the Trump administration. The White House confirmed on Nov. 20 that it has been working with both Russia and Ukraine over the past month to develop a peace plan aimed at ending the conflict, following media reports of a leaked proposal.

U.S. employers added 119,000 jobs in September, according to data delayed for weeks by the government shutdown. The unemployment rate rose to 4.4 percent from 4.3 percent in August. The increase in payrolls was more than double the 50,000 economists had forecast. But Labor Department revisions showed that the economy lost 4,000 jobs in August instead of gaining 22,000 as originally reported.Former Vice President Dick Cheney's funeral will be held in Washington National Cathedral on Thursday. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Joe Biden will attend the service. Bush will deliver a tribute at the funeral.

The Senate passed a bill unanimously on Tuesday requiring the Department of Justice to release more files related to the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The bill now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature, as the House passed the bill earlier in the day by 427-1. The president has said he would sign the bill if it came to his desk. The Epstein Files Transparency Act would order the Department of Justice to release “in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to Epstein no later than 30 days after the bill's enactment.Trump will deliver a speech at the U.S.–Saudi Investment Forum on Wednesday, according to a schedule released by the White House. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will also be in attendance. The investment summit will include the heads of Salesforce, Qualcomm, Pfizer, the Cleveland Clinic, Chevron, and Aramco, Saudi Arabia's state-owned petroleum and natural gas company.

President Donald Trump changed course on Sunday evening on his previous opposition to a resolution ordering the release of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After previously speaking out against the Democrat-led discharge petition, Trump is now calling on his party to vote for the resolution when it comes up this week.The Federal Aviation Administration terminated its order to reduce flights out of U.S. airports on Nov. 17 as the country moves to return to normal air traffic in the aftermath of the government shutdown. The flight reduction emergency order expired at 6 a.m. on Monday, enabling normal operations to resume across the National Airspace System, according to the federal agency.

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (Nov. 16)

President Donald Trump this week elaborated more on how he would deal with health care subsidies and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), suggesting an account for citizens where payments can be made for health-related issues. Trump wrote in a Nov. 8 post on Truth Social that Senate Republicans should direct hundreds of billions in funding away from insurance companies and into people's accounts, allowing them to purchase their own health insurance.The federal government has reopened after Trump signed the funding bill passed by Congress. Government employees are returning to work, with regular paychecks also resuming. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins told CNN that most SNAP recipients should receive benefits by the end of this week, providing relief to the almost 42 million people who stopped receiving the benefits this month. The Trump Administration also withdrew its emergency application to the Supreme Court related to SNAP benefits.

After more than 40 days, Congress has passed legislation to end the government shutdown. The bill funds the government through Jan. 30. It also includes three full-year appropriations bills to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Agriculture through Sept. 30, 2026. Left only with time until the end of January to fund the government long-term, appropriators will have to come up with legislation soon to fund the agencies that did not get full-year appropriations.Attorneys for former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James will try to disqualify interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan on Thursday. The defense attorneys will argue that a U.S. attorney can only serve 120 days on a temporary basis before needing Senate confirmation. If the judge concludes that Halligan's appointment is invalid, the decision could be a fatal blow to the cases against both Comey and James.

President Donald Trump is marking Veterans Day on Tuesday with a new proclamation honoring America's service members. Trump will also lay a wreath and deliver remarks at Arlington National Cemetery. The president called upon federal, state, and local officials to display the flag of the United States and participate in patriotic activities in their communities.Trump is taking his dispute with magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll to the Supreme Court. On Monday, Trump asked the nation's highest court to review the $5 million civil judgment against him. Trump's lawyers argued that the judge in that trial made a number of errors.

President Donald Trump will host Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House on Monday in what is the first visit by a Syrian leader to Washington. The meeting comes six months after Trump and Sharaa met in Saudi Arabia and just days after the United States and the United Nations lifted terrorism-related sanctions on the Syrian leader.Air travel across the United States is in turmoil as the government shutdown triggers massive flight cancellations and delays. More than 2,700 flights were canceled and over 10,000 were delayed on Sunday, marking the worst day of travel disruption since the shutdown began.

Trump: $2,000 For Every American — Paid For By Tariffs

President Donald Trump is set to meet with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House on Friday. It is the first bilateral meeting between the two leaders since Trump's return to office in January. The two leaders are expected to discuss Hungary's reliance on Russian oil. Trump has insisted that European nations stop buying Russian petroleum products as a way of slashing Moscow's funding for its war in Ukraine.Some 40 airports across the United States are being forced to decrease the number of flights, starting on Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the decision on Wednesday, as it struggles with personnel shortages due to the ongoing government shutdown.

Food stamp recipients will receive up to 65 percent of their normal benefits in November, according to court filings by Trump administration officials on Nov. 5. That's an increase on the 50 percent outlined in previous filings and in a U.S. Department of Agriculture memorandum sent to states on Tuesday.As President Donald Trump toured Asia in late October, an Epoch Times reporter traveling with the White House entourage met with repeated roadblocks in accessing key press events, which fit an ongoing pattern of interference by communist authorities in Beijing. Along with its sister media outlet NTD, The Epoch Times was ultimately denied access to two key press events in which world leaders gathered in late October—the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summits. Both summits revealed the regional power of China's communist regime, which signed trade pacts and pressed for stronger trade ties with nations already heavily tethered to China economically.

Democrats swept a trio of races on Tuesday in the first major elections since Donald Trump regained the presidency. In New York City, 34-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral race. And in Virginia and New Jersey, moderate Democrats Abigail Spanberger, 46, and Mikie Sherrill, 53, won their respective elections for governor with commanding leads.The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments on Wednesday over the legality of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs in a case with implications for the global economy. The arguments are set to begin at 10 a.m. EST.

Americans in states and localities across the country are heading to the polls on Tuesday to cast their votes for a variety of candidates, positions, and ballot measures.The U.S. government shutdown entered its 35th day on Tuesday, matching the record for the longest shutdown in history as Republicans and Democrats in Congress continue to blame each other for the standoff.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments this week on whether President Donald Trump has overstepped federal law with his tariffs. Trump said it would be a “disaster” for the United States if the justices failed to overturn lower court rulings that found he went too far in using an emergency powers law to put his tariffs in place. But the president said he won't go to the Supreme Court to hear the arguments in person.Nov. 4 is the first major election day of Trump's second term. Heated races in Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City will test the popularity of Republicans—and the ideology of democratic socialism.

The United States is now one month into the government shutdown. With food stamps set to lapse, some state governments are resorting to emergency measures. In a Truth Social post, President Donald Trump called on Republicans to "Get rid of the Filibuster," thereby bypassing the need to rely on votes from Senate Democrats. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins will join House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to address the media on the shutdown.FBI Director Kash Patel announced on X that the agency prevented "a potential terrorist attack" over Halloween weekend. He said the FBI arrested multiple suspects in Michigan who were allegedly plotting a violent attack.

During an interview on Fox Business on Thursday morning, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States and China could sign a trade agreement as soon as next week. He also said the United States would enact a one-year suspension of Entity List restrictions. China has agreed to purchase millions of metric tons of U.S. soybeans in the coming years, said Bessent.Hurricane Melissa churned across the Atlantic Ocean toward Bermuda on Thursday after thrashing Cuba's second-biggest city, unleashing devastation on Jamaica and drenching Haiti. According to the National Hurricane Center, Melissa weakened to a Category 1 storm as it moved northeast through the Bahamas on Thursday morning.

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States and South Korea had "pretty much finalized" a deal on trade. His comments came at a dinner hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, after a lavish welcome and gift-giving ceremony where Trump was awarded the country's highest award. The two allies unveiled a deal in late July under which Seoul would avoid the worst of U.S. tariffs on its imports.Hurricane Melissa is making its way across Cuba on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm, a day after making landfall in Jamaica as one of the region's strongest storms on record. Cuban authorities have evacuated more than 735,000 people. Melissa rapidly strengthened in recent days, making forecasting more difficult.

President Donald Trump met with business leaders in Japan on Tuesday. Around 20 companies from Japan and the United States are exploring projects related to Tokyo's pledge to invest $490 billion in America. The president said the U.S.–Japan partnership is a cornerstone of mutual prosperity and Asian-Pacific security.Hurricane Melissa reached category 5 status on Monday, making it the strongest Atlantic storm so far this year. Melissa is currently bearing down on Jamaica. The island nation hasn't taken a direct hit from a hurricane in more than a decade.