Stories from Washington · United States

The European Commission urged the United States to quickly reinstate agreed-upon tariff arrangements from a previous EU-US trade deal. The EU plans to cancel tariffs on imported US industrial products as part of a trade agreement. The EU expressed concern over the US threat to increase tariffs on European cars and trucks to 25%. EU Commissioner Schiev-Jovic and Greer discussed trade agreement tensions. The European Union is considering implementing trade countermeasures in response to US tariffs. The EU is considering raising tariffs on American cars and trucks to 25%, citing non-compliance with EU-US trade agreement terms. The move comes amid ongoing trade disputes between the two economic blocs. The EU aims to protect its industries from the impact of these tariffs. Discussions are underway among member states to formulate a unified strategy.

Biopharmaceutical company Merck has decided to invest $1 billion. Merck plans to invest $1 billion in biopharmaceutical research and development. This investment is intended to advance new treatments.

The United States has announced a pause in its naval effort to escort commercial ships. The administration is evaluating if an agreement can be reached to prevent a blockade. This suspension follows progress in negotiations and was done by mutual agreement with the Iranian regime to determine if a final agreement can be reached. The United States and UAE have agreed to briefly suspend Operation Freedom. Oil prices fell following the announcement of the pause. US media criticized the decision, citing project failure as the reason for the halt. Donald Trump is pressing pause on his flagship project to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The President and Secretary of State held separate news conferences to discuss the details of the decision to call off military action to seek an agreement with Iran.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that lasting peace depends on Iran meeting U.S. Donald Trump has refused to provide specific details regarding alleged violations of an agreement with Iran. President Donald Trump announced the suspension of 'Operation Freedom' in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. The UAE Ministry of Defense stated on May 5th that its air defense systems were responding to missile and drone attacks from Iran. Iran warned the United Arab Emirates of a firm response if any hostile actions originate from the UAE. Iran has warned the UAE that it will take decisive action if any adversarial moves are made from the UAE's direction, following recent missile or drone strikes. President Donald Trump stated that the United States would temporarily halt its plans related to a deal with Iran aimed at ending the Middle East conflict.

US President Trump announced a temporary pause on the 'Freedom Navigation' operation to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz, citing requests from Pakistan and other countries.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke at a mental health and over-medicalization summit in Washington on Monday. The event was hosted by the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Institute.

Opposition to the current war among the US public has reached 62 percent, according to a report on BCC News Taiwan. The conflict is also impacting natural gas supplies, for Taiwan's power generation.

US oil companies have reported strong earnings for the first quarter. The companies benefited from increased oil prices and demand.

The unchecked military application of AI poses risks to national security and could lead to an international arms race. The unchecked development of AI, particularly its militarization, poses risks to security and capabilities, potentially leading to a development divergence. The US approach of relaxed regulation and promotion of AI militarization could encourage other countries to follow suit. The increasing reliance on AI for military purposes could lead to development pitfalls and harm security. Excessive resource allocation to military AI could also reduce research and development space for civilian AI applications. The inclination towards military applications and the infringement of security, or even capability issues, can easily lead development down a divergent path. Unregulated AI military development could squeeze research space for civilian AI used in public services.

A new US AI Super Political Action Committee has been established, aiming to influence future politics. A new US political action committee focused on Artificial Intelligence has raised $140 million.