President Donald Trump is in Saudi Arabia for the first leg of his three-nation visit to the Middle East this week. His first visit is focused on dealmaking with a key Mideast ally while shared concerns about Iran’s nuclear program and the war in Gaza drag on in the background.
In a speech earlier Tuesday, Trump urged Iran to take a “new and a better path” as he pushes for a new nuclear deal and said he wanted to avoid conflict with Tehran.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi de facto ruler, warmly greeted Trump as he stepped off Air Force One. The pair signed a host of economic and bilateral cooperation agreements.
How to impress a US president? Spin up a fighter jet escort for Air Force One
Saudi Arabia didn’t even wait for Trump to land before it set out to impress him in a sky-high way.
As Trump flew into Riyadh on Tuesday, Air Force One received a ceremonial escort from six Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s as it approached the kingdom’s capital — an exceptionally rare sight.
Margo Martin, a White House official, posted video of the escort online, declaring, “Saudi F-15’s providing honorary escort for Air Force One!”
The Royal Saudi Air Force has the world’s largest fleet of F-15s after the U.S. Air Force.
What senators are saying as Schumer vows to hold up Justice Department nominees over Qatar plane donation possibility
Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune, of South Dakota, declined to give a direct opinion on Trump possibly accepting a free plane from Qatar to replace Air Force One, but he said that if it happens, “I can assure you there will be plenty of scrutiny.”
Democratic Sens. Brian Schatz and Richard Blumenthal, both of Hawaii, went to the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon and tried to force a vote on a resolution disapproving of the Qatari gift.
“It really should go without saying, but no president should be accepting a $400 million gift from a foreign country,” Schatz said. “It is gross, it is reckless, it is corrupt, and the outrage and condemnation especially on the Republican side should be universal.”
The vote was blocked by Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who said Democrats are “losing their mind over the situation” and the gift is not a done deal. He said that if the Qatari government does donate the plane, “the only thing we should say is ‘thank you.’”
US-China deal to slash tariffs eases burden on cheap packages
Online shoppers in the U.S. will see a price break on purchases valued at less than $800 and shipped from China after the Trump administration reached a truce with Beijing over sky-high tariffs.
In an executive order Monday, the White House said the tariffs on low-value parcels originating from China and coming through the U.S. Postal Service will be lowered to 54%, down from 120%.
It also says a flat rate charged as an alternative to the value-based tariff will be kept at $100 per package, rather than being raised to $200 on June 1 as previously decreed.
The new rules go into effect Wednesday.
Mexican security chief confirms cartel family members entered US in a deal with Trump administration
Mexico’s government has confirmed reports that 17 family members of the son of a former cartel leader crossed into the United States.
Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said Tuesday that it appeared to be part of a deal between the Sinaloa Cartel’s Ovidio Guzmán López and the Trump administration.
Independent journalist Luis Chaparro reported over the weekend about Guzmán Lopez’s relatives. The family flew from Sinaloa to Tijuana and crossed on foot to San Diego, California. Guzmán López is a son of former Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Federal judge OKs use of Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans who are labeled gang members
A federal judge says Trump can use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan citizens who are shown to be members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
The ruling Tuesday from U.S. District Judge Stephanie Haines in Pennsylvania appears to be the first time a federal judge has signed off on Trump’s proclamation calling the gang a foreign terrorist organization and invoking the Alien Enemies Act to deport those labeled as being members.
At least three other federal judges have said Trump was improperly using the 18th century wartime law to speed up deportations.