Kazakhstan said Thursday it will join the Abraham Accords between Israel and mainly Muslim nations, in a largely symbolic move aimed at boosting US President Donald Trump’s push for Middle East peace.The central Asian republic has had diplomatic ties with Israel for decades, unlike the four Arab states that normalized relations with Israel under the original accords signed in Trump’s first term.But with Trump aiming to shore up his fragile Gaza ceasefire deal, Washington is pushing to get as much support as possible behind a wider peace initiative.The announcement comes as Trump hosts Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the leaders of the other four central Asian republics — Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.After the leaders arrived at the White House, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he, Tokayev and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had held a “great call.”An official signing ceremony will be announced soon, Trump said, adding that “there are many more Countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH.”Kazakhstan said Thursday it was “natural and logical” for it to join.”Our anticipated accession to the Abraham Accords represents a natural and logical continuation of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy course — grounded in dialogue, mutual respect, and regional stability,” the country’s government said in a statement.US special envoy Steve Witkoff said earlier that a new country would join the accords, sparking initial speculation — later quashed — that it could be the elusive prize of Saudi Arabia.Kazakhstan will be the first country to join since the original Abraham Accords in 2020, when the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco normalized ties with Israel.- ‘Lot of people joining’ -Saudi Arabia had been in talks with the United States on normalizing ties with Israel, in what would be a historic milestone as the kingdom is home to Islam’s two holiest sites.But the Gulf kingdom stepped back after the Gaza war broke out following Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023.Saudi Arabia has long insisted it cannot normalize ties without progress toward an independent Palestinian state, a prospect long opposed by Netanyahu.Trump said at the America Business Forum in Miami on Wednesday: “We have a lot of people joining now the Abraham Accords and hopefully we are going to get Saudi Arabia very soon.”He then added jokingly to an audience which included the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, “But I’m not saying that. I’m not.”The US-brokered Gaza deal has been in place since October 10 but remains shaky, with Israel accusing Hamas of dragging its feet in returning the bodies of hostages.Israel has also launched a number of attacks despite the truce, claiming that its forces have come under attack, and says Hamas is not doing enough to give up its weapons.Witkoff, one of the key negotiators, said Thursday he was still hopeful it could hold, adding that they were “right in the middle of standing up a decommissioning process of weapons” by Hamas.Hamas insisted this process would depend on the deployment of an international security force, which would be greenlighted under a draft UN Security Council resolution presented by the United States this week, Witkoff said.

Donald Trump loves few things more than tackling a new political foe. But has he met his match in New York’s incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani?The mouthwatering showdown between the Republican and the young Democratic socialist could define the next phase of Trump’s presidency.Trump has appeared to relish having Mamdani as a foil, branding him a communist, mocking the name of the first Muslim and South Asian to lead America’s largest city, and threatening to cut federal funding for New York City.But his rival has shown he can play Trump at his own game.It’s rare for former reality TV star Trump to see himself upstaged, but 34-year-old Mamdani managed it at his victory rally on Tuesday night.”Donald Trump, since I know you’re watching, I have four words for you — turn the volume up!” he said to huge cheers.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed to reporters traveling with Trump on Air Force One the next day that the president had indeed watched Mamdani speak.- ‘Go through all of us’ -Trump and Mamdani are, at least partly, enemies with benefits.Leftist Mamdani used Trump as a bogeyman throughout his mayoral campaign, accusing him of “fascism” and comparing the billionaire property developer to the landlords he says are ripping off New Yorkers.He has also cannily positioned himself as part of the resistance to a president who has pushed his power to its limits and sent the National Guard into Democrat-run cities.”To get to any of us, you will have to go through all of us,” Mamdani said at the victory rally.For hapless Democrats who have struggled to find a winning message as Trump has savaged them in recent months, Mamdani represents a long-awaited chance to fight back. But for many on the right, Trump now has the ideal opponent to bash.As Republicans nursed their wounds from defeats in New York, Virginia and New Jersey, Trump said in a speech in Miami on Wednesday that Americans now faced a “choice between communism and common sense.”Trump also blew a dog whistle to the hard-right.”Mandami, whatever the hell his name is,” Trump said in the same speech — deliberately mispronouncing Ugandan-born Mamdani’s surname in the same way he did with his 2024 election rival Kamala Harris.- ‘Flashing red lights’ – Yet the stakes are far higher than a war of words.Trump has repeatedly threatened to put New York — his beloved home city — in the federal crosshairs like he has previously with Los Angeles and Chicago.”If he is a communist, there’s not going to be a lot of activity,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. “So you wouldn’t need bridges and tunnels and all the different things that were being planned for New York.”Some allies meanwhile fear Trump could be playing with fire by focusing on a man whose rise was propelled by the affordability crisis that is now hurting Republicans in the polls.”There should be flashing red lights all over” for Trump, former White House strategy guru Steve Bannon told Politico. “People better understand they have a fight on their hands. This guy is a serious guy.”Both Trump and Mamdani have also indicated they may ultimately be ready to cool things off.Trump has veered between saying he wants to “make him succeed” because he loves New York, and in the same breath urging Mamdani to be “a little bit respectful of Washington.” And Mamdani will be aware that his campaign pledges of free city bus travel, childcare and city-run grocery stores will struggle if Trump cuts federal funding.”I continue to be interested in having a conversation with President Trump on the ways in which we can work together to serve New Yorkers,” he said on Wednesday.

A representative of a pharmaceutical company fainted Thursday during a White House announcement on slashing the cost of weight-loss drugs, forcing President Donald Trump to suspend the event.As one of the bosses of the two drug companies invited to announce the price deal was speaking, the man crumpled to the ground behind him.Trump, who was seated at the time, quickly stood up and remained behind his desk while several people attended to the man, whose identity was not made public.One of those helping him was Mehmet Oz, Trump’s administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and a medical doctor.”The White House Medical Unit quickly jumped into action, and the gentleman is okay,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.The event resumed about an hour later.

Tesla shareholders on Thursday overwhelmingly endorsed a massive pay package for CEO Elon Musk that could reach $1 trillion. The pay package — crafted to ensure Musk’s continued service to Tesla as the company pursues breakthrough technology on artificial intelligence and robotics — won more than 75 percent support from shareholders, a Tesla official said at the company’s annual meeting.”I’d like to just give a heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported the shareholder votes,” a euphoric Musk told the gathering. “I super-appreciate it.”Cheers of “Elon” broke out after the vote result was announced at the gathering, which was held at the company’s factory in Austin.Musk has emerged as a lightning rod figure, in part due to his embrace of right-wing politicians including President Donald Trump. But Thursday’s vote marked the latest demonstration of the entrepreneurial billionaire’s resonance with investors.The package aims to ensure Musk stays at Tesla for at least seven-and-a-half years. It would lift Musk’s holding in Tesla from about 12 percent when the package was introduced in September to potentially more than 25 percent.Musk has described Tesla’s potential growth as nearly boundless, saying in July that it “will be the most valuable company in the world by far” if it delivers on envisioned advances on autonomous driving and AI.But Musk himself has hinted he could leave Tesla or take a back seat if his ownership share is not raised enough to give him the influence over its future that he desires.In urging shareholders to back the proposal, Tesla Chair Robin Denholm argued keeping Musk was essential to Tesla’s future, warning the company’s stock could dive if he exited.The board has shrugged off criticism that the billionaire’s embrace of contentious political figures has weighed on sales.- Base of shareholder support -Tesla investors have been reliable Musk supporters in past votes over Musk’s pay packages, including a 2018 deal for about $55.8 billion that has repeatedly been blocked by a Delaware court in response to shareholder litigation.Following the latest Delaware ruling, Denholm and the rest of Tesla’s board went back to the drawing board, first approving in August an “interim” compensation award worth about $29 billion for Musk and then unveiling the larger plan in September.Once again on Thursday, Tesla shareholders signed off on stratospheric pay for Musk and also handed the company victories on other key votes, including the reelection of board members.But Tesla Takedown, an activist group, blasted the vote result, noting the company’s drop in auto sales in recent quarters.”Elon Musk just got one trillion dollars for failure,” said the group, which rallied against the plan Wednesday in downtown Austin.”Sales are down, safety risks are up and his politics are driving customers away. This isn’t leadership — it’s the world’s most expensive participation trophy.”On the other side, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said the sweeping vote in favor of Musk cements his position as “the AI Revolution takes hold giving us greater confidence in the Tesla story moving forward.”Musk, witha net worth of more than $500 billion, is already the world’s richest person, according to Forbes’s real-time list of billionaires.He must hit 12 milestones related to market capitalization to receive the full pay package. The first tranche would be available when Tesla reaches $2 trillion in market value, up from its current $1.5 trillion.The plan also involves a series of operating profit and product goals, such as the delivery of 20 million Tesla vehicles.The pay proposal was panned by Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). An ISS analysis last month criticized the rationale for the potential windfall, noting that Musk’s financial interests are already closely tied to Tesla’s fate.As structured, the separation of the overall package into tranches of “unprecedented” value “could undermine the necessity for all goals to be realized,” said ISS, which also flagged the lack of explicit requirements that the busy Musk keep focused on Tesla.

Former NBA player Damon Jones, once close to LeBron James having worked alongside him at the Los Angeles Lakers, pleaded not guilty Thursday in two separate cases involving illegal gambling.In the first case, he is accused with several others of participating in a rigged betting scheme based on sharing confidential information from the locker room.He allegedly advised members of the network to bet on the Milwaukee Bucks against the Lakers, knowing that LeBron was injured and would not play.Hours later, James announced his withdrawal, and the Lakers were defeated.The second case involves a national network of Mafia-linked rigged poker games involving around 30 people and the use of highly sophisticated cheating equipment including X-ray tables.Jones allegedly used his notoriety to lure victims into the rigged games, before receiving a share of the profits. Coach Chauncey Billups, who won the NBA championships in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons, is charged in the illegal poker case.Accompanied by his lawyer, Damon Jones — who is out on a $200,000 bond — appeared before the two judges handling the cases and plead not guilty to both.The undrafted 49-year-old former player joined the NBA for a modest career across 11 different teams, notably the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2008, where he played alongside LeBron.He later became an assistant coach, working again for the Cavaliers from 2016 to 2018 during LeBron’s second stint in Ohio. Jones served as James’s personal coach during the 2022–2023 season after the star joined the Lakers, without being employed by the team.