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Lawyers for R. Kelly said in recent court filings that the criminally convicted R&B singer suffered an “overdose” of medication at the hands of prison officials.Kelly is currently serving a 30-year-prison sentence at a facility in North Carolina. He was found guilty of myriad crimes including federal racketeering and sex trafficking of minors.His lawyers alleged in a flurry of filings Monday and Tuesday that Kelly was in solitary confinement when prison staff instructed him to take an “overdose quantity of medication” on June 12.The 58-year-old became “faint” and “dizzy” by the next morning, the filing alleges.”Mr. Kelly tried to get up, but fell to the ground. He crawled to the door of the cell and lost consciousness,” his attorneys said.The court papers say Kelly was taken in an ambulance to Duke University Hospital and that he was under treatment for two days.Queried by AFP, the Bureau of Prisons declined to comment.”For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss the conditions of confinement for any incarcerated individual, including medical and health-related issues. Additionally, the Bureau of Prisons does not comment on pending litigation or matters that are the subject of legal proceedings,” the office said in a statement.Kelly’s lawyers had previously filed an emergency motion for release to home detention, saying that the once-famous artist was the target of a murder plot orchestrated by prison officials.In opposing the request, government attorneys called the accusations “fanciful” and “theatrical.”The request “makes a mockery of the harm suffered by Kelly’s victims,” the Chicago federal lawyers said, adding that it wasn’t filed in the correct court with the jurisdiction to even entertain the accusations.Kelly was convicted in 2021 in New York federal court for using an enterprise to systematically recruit and traffic teenagers and women for sex.The singer known for hits including “I Believe I Can Fly” was then convicted one year later in Chicago federal court in a separate trial, in which jurors found him guilty of producing child pornography and enticement of a minor.He is currently serving the New York prison sentence, and will serve almost all of the Chicago sentence concurrently.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the European Union had yet to offer a “fair deal” on trade, as Washington negotiates tariff agreements with friends and foes alike.”We’re talking but I don’t feel that they’re offering a fair deal yet,” Trump said of the EU, speaking to reporters on board Air Force One before arriving back in the United States from a G7 summit in Canada.”We’re either going to make a good deal or they’ll just pay whatever we say they will pay.”Shortly after taking office, Trump upended the global economic order by accusing the United States’ trading partners of unfair practices and he announced huge global tariffs.Trump imposed a blanket 10 percent tariff on most US trading partners and unveiled higher individual rates on dozens of economies, including India and the European Union — although he swiftly paused the elevated rates.The pause on those higher duties is due to expire on July 9, though the White House has indicated it could extend the deadline for countries that it believes are negotiating in good faith.The US president also imposed additional sector-specific levies on cars, steel, and aluminum that have hit many US trading partners hard, including the EU.World leaders at the Group of Seven summit in Canada on Monday pushed Trump to back away from his punishing trade war, arguing that it posed a risk to global economic stability.The US president left the G7 talks early, citing the crisis between Iran and Israel, and was back in Washington on Tuesday morning.Before his departure, Trump and EU Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen met for a few minutes on the sidelines of the G7 in what the European leader told reporters was a “good and intensive discussion” on trade.”Of course, it’s complex, but we are advancing and that is good,” von der Leyen said after Trump’s criticism of the EU’s position.The EU chief added that negotiations between the US and Europe were ongoing, including on the sidelines of the G7 on Tuesday, and that both sides were working hard to strike an agreement by the July deadline.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stayed behind after Trump left, spearheading negotiations on trade with the other G7 countries. “From the very beginning, I have been very clear that a negotiated solution is my favorite solution,” she said, though adding that the EU was ready to retaliate with countermeasures if talks broke down.

US retail sales declined more than expected in May, government data showed Tuesday, dragged by a slowdown in auto sales as consumers pulled back after hurrying to get ahead of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.As Trump’s levies begin to take effect through the country, analysts are keeping a close watch on how consumers — a critical driver of the world’s biggest economy — respond to resulting uncertainty and any price increases down the line.Last month, overall sales fell by 0.9 percent from April to $715.4 billion, according to data released by the Department of Commerce. It was the largest decline since the start of the year, and bigger than the 0.6 percent drop expected by a Briefing.com consensus forecast.From a year ago, retail sales were up 3.3 percent, still a slowdown from the 5.0 percent rate in April.Analysts said consumers likely brought forward major purchases like cars in anticipation of Trump’s tariffs — the president imposed a sweeping 10 percent levy on almost all US partners in April.Trump also separately slapped steeper tariffs on imports of steel, aluminum and automobiles, fueling concern that these would push inflation up in the coming months.Excluding autos and parts, retail sales in May were still 0.3 percent down from the prior month.Sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers slumped 3.5 percent on-month, while those at restaurants and bars fell 0.9 percent.Declines in spending were also seen at electronics and appliance stores, grocery stores and gas stations, the report said.- ‘Overly reassuring picture’ -For now, there are “few signs” in key sales components that consumer demand for imported goods is collapsing, said Oliver Allen, senior US economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.Despite declines elsewhere, sales were still up at furniture and clothing stores.But underlying sales volumes could drop in the coming months as tariffs are passed on, he said.Economists anticipate a more notable hit to consumer costs once businesses run down on existing inventory.”Tariffs haven’t hit domestic prices in earnest yet, so these data paint an overly reassuring picture,” said Nationwide financial markets economist Oren Klachkin. “We expect to see a larger impact in the summer when the levies will pass through into consumer prices,” he added.Currently, Klachkin said, the consumer “isn’t spending lavishly and is understandably price sensitive.”A key question this week is how a weaker-than-expected retail sales report might influence the Federal Reserve’s deliberations as the central bank opened its two-day policy meeting Tuesday.The Fed has been cautious when it comes to lowering interest rates further despite Trump calling for larger rate cuts in the face of benign inflation data.Policymakers are watching for the effects of tariffs on prices and the jobs market before acting further.The bank is widely expected to keep rates unchanged for a fourth straight meeting, while releasing its economic projections as well on Wednesday afternoon.Separately, US industrial production edged down unexpectedly in May as a drop in utilities output outweighed slight increases in manufacturing and mining.

When director Cristina Costantini started making a documentary about the first US woman in space, she thought it would be looking back on the “sexism and homophobia of yesteryear”.But the story of astronaut Sally Ride, whose queer identity was a secret when she blasted off more than four decades ago, took on a “completely different meaning” after the re-election of President Donald Trump, Costantini told AFP.”When we started making the film, it didn’t seem all that political to celebrate queer love or women astronauts,” said the director of “Sally”, which started streaming on Disney+ in many countries on Tuesday. “Just a few years ago, there was a pride flag that flew in space, and (NASA) had vowed the next person on the Moon would be a woman.”But that vow has now been removed from NASA’s website, just one of many changes at the US space agency since Trump returned to the White House in January. “Employees have been asked to remove symbols of gay pride, pride flags, trans visibility flags,” Costantini said. Now, the director hopes the documentary “serves as a reminder that these rights are not guaranteed, that they were hard fought and they were won by people like Sally” and her partner Tam.”It’s our responsibility to carry the torch and continue the fight for equality.”- ‘It was hard on her’ -After boarding the Challenger space shuttle on June 18, 1983, Ride became the first US woman to fly to space. It was two decades after Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova made the voyage.NASA only started allowing women to apply as astronaut recruits in 1977.Ride, who had a PhD in astrophysics from Stanford University and was an accomplished tennis player, was one of six women selected out of more than 8,000 applicants in the class of 1978.Ride received the same training as male astronauts, but was treated quite differently. Journalists asked whether she cried when facing difficulty. NASA engineers asked about what make-up she would need in space. They even worried whether 100 tampons would be enough for her six-day journey into space.”I felt the women hadn’t paid their dues like we had,” Mike Mullane, another astronaut in the class of 1978, said in the documentary.When Ride returned to Earth, the image of the 32-year-old in her blue jumpsuit, curly chestnut hair, piercing blue eyes and confident smile was seen around the world.But Ride struggled to come to terms with her new status as icon.”It was too much for her,” Tam O’Shaughnessy, who was Ride’s partner for 27 years, told AFP. “She was an introvert and it was hard on her.”The two women founded a nonprofit dedicated to teaching girls science. But the world would only learn they were in a relationship until after Ride’s death from pancreatic cancer at the age of 61 in 2012.”Sally did not like labels,” O’Shaughnessy said.”She was a queer woman. And so I think it’s great that she’s sort of become a part of the (LGBTQ+) community after death.”O’Shaughnessy expressed concern at reports that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants to change the name of a Navy ship currently named after famous gay activist Harvey Milk.”There’s a research vessel called ‘Sally Ride’ and it crossed my mind that might change, too” she said.”It’s just shocking. All of this is hard to swallow.”

A California court will hear arguments Tuesday on whether US President Donald Trump must give up control of the state’s National Guard after he sent troops to protest-hit Los Angeles against the wishes of local officials.Trump has deployed more than 4,000 guardsmen — as well as 700 Marines — to the second-largest US city, where his immigration crackdown has sparked fierce, mostly peaceful opposition with some violence and vandalism.In a show of political muscle, Trump ignored the objections of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who would usually oversee the Guard.A judge said Thursday that the Republican president’s actions were “illegal” and ordered that he return control of the force to Newsom.But a higher court paused that ruling until Tuesday after the Trump administration lodged an appeal and slammed the judge’s order as an “extraordinary intrusion on the President’s constitutional authority as Commander in Chief.”The midday hearing in San Francisco will likely at least determine whether the freeze on the order should be extended, effectively allowing Trump to maintain control over California’s National Guard.The fatigue-wearing troops have been tasked with protecting federal property in Los Angeles, stationed outside buildings with helmets and large shields.US law restricts them from arresting citizens, though some guardsmen have fired tear gas and non-lethal rounds towards protesters, according to local media.- ‘Incite violence’ -California officials have heavily criticized Trump over his use of the military, saying it has escalated demonstrations that Los Angeles law enforcement could have handled.It was the first time since 1965 that a US president deployed the National Guard over the wishes of a state’s governor.”His plan is clear: Incite violence and chaos in blue states, have an excuse to militarize our cities, demonize his opponents, keep breaking the law and consolidate power,” Newsom wrote on X on Monday. Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, accused the Trump administration of “manufacturing a crisis.”Trump has been unrepentant, taking credit for making Los Angeles “safe” and declaring that Newsom — a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 — had “totally lost control.”The dispute mirrors multiple other tussles over Trump’s attempts to expand the limits of presidential power, but is the first to involve troops.Like other cases, it could go all the way to the Supreme Court, where Republican appointees hold a 6-3 majority. Many in Los Angeles are angry about immigration raids carried out as part of Trump’s ambition to deport vast numbers of undocumented migrants around the country.Outrage at the use of masked, armed immigration agents has also sparked protests in other cities, including San Francisco, New York, Chicago and San Antonio, Texas.

G7 leaders on Monday called for “de-escalation” in the Middle East starting with the Israel-Iran conflict, as US President Donald Trump hastily left the group’s summit.Trump, who was making his return to the international diplomatic calendar, departed the gathering in the Canadian Rockies a day early as ally Israel pounded Iran.After a day of statements backing diplomacy, Trump ominously took to social media to sound a warning to people in the Iranian capital, whose population is nearly 10 million.”Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.Having earlier hesitated at backing a joint statement on the crisis, Trump relented during a dinner at a forested lodge under the snow-capped mountains in Kananaskis.”We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza,” said the joint statement released by Canada.The statement said Israel “has a right to defend itself” and stressed “the importance of the protection of civilians,” as the growing attacks kill civilians on both sides.The leaders of the club of industrial democracies — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — stated their conviction that Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon.”Trump for weeks said he favored diplomacy, and his envoy Steve Witkoff met five times with Iranian envoys, but he quickly backed Israel’s strikes and said Tehran’s clerical state should have agreed to his terms.At a group photo with fellow G7 leaders before the dinner, Trump said: “I have to be back as soon as I can. I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand, this is big stuff.”French President Emmanuel Macron suggested the United States was ready to make a diplomatic overture.”There was an offer made for a meeting and an exchange,” Macron told reporters.”If the United States can obtain a ceasefire, it is a very good thing,” he added.Soon after his early exit, Trump rebuked his French counterpart, accusing Macron of mischaracterizing the reason for his departure.”Publicity seeking President Emmanuel Macron, of France, mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a ‘cease fire’ between Israel and Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.”Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay tuned!”Before his decision to leave early was announced, Trump had told reporters: “As soon as I leave here, we’re going to be doing something.”He has repeatedly declined to say if the United States would participate in Israeli military action, although he has said Washington was not involved in initial strikes and the White House said US forces remained in a defensive posture.- Onus on Iran -Trump earlier said Iran would be “foolish” not to agree to a negotiated settlement.”It’s painful for both parties, but I’d say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately, before it’s too late,” Trump told reporters as he met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.The US president will miss a day of G7 meetings that was expected to include discussions with the leaders of Ukraine and Mexico.Since Friday, Israel has struck major nuclear and military sites and killed leading commanders and nuclear scientists in Iran, which has responded with its own volley of drones and missiles on Israel.Macron voiced objections to what increasingly appeared to be Israel’s goal — toppling the clerical state that took power after the 1979 revolution toppled the pro-Western shah.”All who have thought that by bombing from the outside you can save a country in spite of itself have always been mistaken,” he said.Iran, since Trump pulled out of an earlier nuclear deal in 2018, has ramped up uranium enrichment but not yet at levels to create an atomic bomb. Israel is widely known to have nuclear weapons but does not acknowledge them publicly.- Tariff talks -The summit comes after months of tumult on the global stage since Trump’s return to the White House.Seeking to shatter a decades-old US-led global economic order, Trump has vowed sweeping tariffs on friends and foes alike although he has postponed implementation until July 9.But Trump voiced optimism about a resolution with Canada and signed documents with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to confirm an agreement with Britain.Trump has previously mocked host Canada, stating that the vast but less populated neighbor should become the 51st US state.But Trump has appeared to show more respect to Canada since Carney, a staid former central banker, took over from the more flamboyant Justin Trudeau in March.Trump had taken office seeking diplomacy both on Iran and Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022.He has since voiced frustration that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not accepted a US proposal for a ceasefire.

G7 leaders on Monday called for “de-escalation” in the Middle East starting with the Israel-Iran conflict, as US President Donald Trump hastily left the group’s summit.Trump, who was making his return to the international diplomatic calendar, departed the gathering in the Canadian Rockies a day early as ally Israel pounded Iran.After a day of statements backing diplomacy, Trump ominously took to social media to sound a warning to people in the Iranian capital, whose population is nearly 10 million.”Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.Having earlier hesitated at backing a joint statement on the crisis, Trump relented during a dinner at a forested lodge under the snow-capped mountains in Kananaskis.”We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza,” said the joint statement released by Canada.The statement said that Israel “has a right to defend itself” and stressed “the importance of the protection of civilians,” as the growing attacks kill civilians on both sides.The leaders of the club of industrial democracies — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — stated their conviction that Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon.”Trump for weeks said he favored diplomacy, and his envoy Steve Witkoff met five times with Iranian envoys, but he quickly backed Israel’s strikes and said that Tehran’s clerical state should have agreed to his terms.At a group photo with fellow G7 leaders before the dinner, Trump said: “I have to be back as soon as I can. I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand, this is big stuff.”French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that the United States was ready to make a diplomatic overture.”There was an offer made for a meeting and an exchange,” Macron told reporters.Trump told reporters before his decision was announced to leave early: “As soon as I leave here, we’re going to be doing something.”He has repeatedly declined to say if the United States would participate in Israeli military action, although he has said Washington was not involved in initial strikes and the White House said that US forces remained in a defensive posture.- Onus on Iran -Trump earlier said that Iran would be “foolish” not to agree to a negotiated settlement.”It’s painful for both parties, but I’d say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately, before it’s too late,” Trump told reporters as he met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.The US president will miss a day of G7 meetings that was expected to include discussions with the leaders of Ukraine and Mexico.Since Friday, Israel has struck major nuclear and military sites and killed leading commanders and nuclear scientists in Iran, which has responded with its own volley of drones and missiles on Israel.Macron voiced objections to what increasingly appeared to be Israel’s goal — toppling the clerical state that took power after the 1979 revolution toppled the pro-Western shah.”All who have thought that by bombing from the outside you can save a country in spite of itself have always been mistaken,” he said.Iran, since Trump pulled out of an earlier nuclear deal in 2018, has ramped up uranium enrichment but not yet at levels to create an atomic bomb. Israel is widely known to have nuclear weapons but does not acknowledge them publicly.- Tariff talks -The summit comes after months of tumult on the global stage since Trump’s return to the White House.Seeking to shatter a decades-old US-led global economic order, Trump has vowed sweeping tariffs on friends and foes alike although he has postponed implementation until July 9.But Trump voiced optimism about a resolution with Canada and signed documents with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to confirm an agreement with Britain.Trump has previously mocked host Canada, stating that the vast but less populated neighbor should become the 51st US state.But Trump has appeared to show more respect to Canada since Carney, a staid former central banker, took over from the more flamboyant Justin Trudeau in March.Trump had taken office seeking diplomacy both on Iran and Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022.He has since voiced frustration that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not accepted a US proposal for a ceasefire.Trump said Monday that Putin was “very insulted” by Russia’s 2014 expulsion from the G8 and that if Russia were still a member, “you wouldn’t have a war right now.”

US President Donald Trump is widely expected to extend the Thursday deadline for TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the United States.It would be the third time Trump put off enforcing a federal law requiring its sale or ban, which was to take effect the day before his January inauguration.”I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” Trump said in an NBC News interview in early May.”If it needs an extension, I would be willing to give it an extension.”Trump said a group of purchasers is ready to pay TikTok owner ByteDance “a lot of money” for the video-clip-sharing sensation’s US operations.Trump has repeatedly downplayed risks that TikTok is in danger, saying he remains confident of finding a buyer for the app’s US business.The president is “just not motivated to do anything about TikTok,” said independent analyst Rob Enderle.”Unless they get on his bad side, TikTok is probably going to be in pretty good shape.”Trump had long supported a ban or divestment, but reversed his position and vowed to defend the platform after coming to believe it helped him win young voters’ support in the November election.”Trump’s not really doing great on his election promises,” Enderle maintained.”This could be one that he can actually deliver on.”- Digital Cold War? -Motivated by national security fears and belief in Washington that TikTok is controlled by the Chinese government, the ban took effect on January 19, one day before Trump’s inauguration, with ByteDance having made no attempt to find a suitor.TikTok “has become a symbol of the US-China tech rivalry; a flashpoint in the new Cold War for digital control,” said Shweta Singh, an assistant professor of information systems at Warwick Business School in Britain.”National security, economic policy, and digital governance are colliding,” Singh added.The Republican president announced an initial 75-day delay of the ban upon taking office.A second extension pushed the deadline to June 19.As of Monday, there was no word of a TikTok sale in the works.- Tariff turmoil -Trump said in April that China would have agreed to a deal on the sale of TikTok if it were not for a dispute over tariffs imposed by Washington on Beijing.ByteDance has confirmed talks with the US government, saying key matters needed to be resolved and that any deal would be “subject to approval under Chinese law”.Possible solutions reportedly include seeing existing US investors in ByteDance roll over their stakes into a new independent global TikTok company.Additional US investors, including Oracle and private equity firm Blackstone, would be brought on to reduce ByteDance’s share in the new TikTok.Much of TikTok’s US activity is already housed on Oracle servers, and the company’s chairman, Larry Ellison, is a longtime Trump ally.Uncertainty remains, particularly over what would happen to TikTok’s valuable algorithm.”TikTok without its algorithm is like Harry Potter without his wand — it’s simply not as powerful,” said Forrester Principal Analyst Kelsey Chickering.Meanwhile, it appears TikTok is continuing with business as usual.TikTok on Monday introduced a new “Symphony” suite of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools for advertisers to turn words or photos into video snippets for the platform.”With TikTok Symphony, we’re empowering a global community of marketers, brands, and creators to tell stories that resonate, scale, and drive impact on TikTok,” global head of creative and brand products Andy Yang said in a release.

US President Donald Trump was on Monday leaving a Group of Seven summit early as he hinted of greater involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict and warned Tehran residents to evacuate.Before flying out of Canada in the middle of the G7 gathering, Trump took to social media to back Israel and issue an alert to the Iranian capital of nearly 10 million people.”Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.At a group photo with fellow G7 leaders in the scenic mountain resort of Kananaskis, he said: “I have to be back as soon as I can. I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand, this is big stuff.”White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump would attend the leaders’ dinner before returning to the White House.The US president will miss a day of meetings that was expected to include discussions with the leaders of Ukraine and Mexico.He has repeatedly declined to say if the United States would participate in Israeli military action, although he says it was not involved in initial strikes.Trump told reporters before his decision was announced to leave early: “As soon as I leave here, we’re going to be doing something.”The president, who has praised Israel’s strikes despite his stated preference for diplomacy, said Iran would be “foolish” not to agree to a negotiated settlement.”It’s painful for both parties, but I’d say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately, before it’s too late,” Trump told reporters as he met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.US forces in the Middle East remain in a defensive posture, a White House spokesman stressed. – Onus on Iran -Israel has struck major nuclear and military sites and killed leading commanders and nuclear scientists in Iran, which has responded with its own volley of drones and missiles on Israel.Canada and European leaders had hoped to draft a G7 statement on the crisis, but diplomats said that Trump had not committed the United States to joining it.Leaders of the club of industrialized democracies — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — have mostly backed Israel, but concern has mounted as the violence intensifies.French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking to reporters at the summit on Monday, pleaded with Israel to spare civilians in Iran.Any G7 statement would be expected to put the onus on Iran and stop short of calling for an immediate ceasefire.”We’ll highlight the legitimate right of the state of Israel to defend itself and we will also discuss potential additional measures to reach a diplomatic solution,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that G7 leaders share concern about Iran’s nuclear program but also: “I do think there’s a consensus for de-escalation.”Iran, since Trump pulled out of an earlier nuclear deal in 2018, has ramped up uranium enrichment but not yet at levels to create an atomic bomb. Israel is widely known to have nuclear weapons but does not acknowledge them publicly.- Tariff talks -The summit at a wooded lodge under snow-topped mountains comes after months of tumult on the global stage since Trump’s return.Seeking to shatter a decades-old US-led global economic order, Trump has vowed sweeping tariffs on friends and foes alike although he has postponed implementation until July 9.But Trump voiced optimism about a resolution with Canada and signed documents with Starmer to confirm an agreement with Britain.Trump has previously mocked host Canada, stating that the vast but less populated neighbor should become the 51st US state.But Trump has appeared to show more respect to Canada since Carney, a staid former central banker, took over from the more flamboyant Justin Trudeau in March.Trump had taken office seeking diplomacy both on Iran and Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022.He has since voiced frustration that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not accepted a US proposal for a ceasefire.Trump said Monday that Putin was “very insulted” by Russia’s 2014 expulsion from the G8 and that if Russia were still a member, “you wouldn’t have a war right now.”

The US Department of Defense on Monday awarded OpenAI a $200 million contract to put generative artificial intelligence (AI) to work for the military.San Francisco-based OpenAI will “develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains,” according to the department’s posting of awarded contracts.The program with the defense department is the first partnership under the startup’s initiative to put AI to work in governments, according to OpenAI.OpenAI plans to show how cutting-edge AI can vastly improve administrative operations such as how service members get health care and also cyber defenses, the startup said in a post.All use of AI for the military will be consistent with OpenAI usage guidelines, according to the startup.Big tech companies are increasingly pitching their tools to the US military, among them Meta, OpenAI and, more predictably, Palantir, the AI defense company founded by Peter Thiel, the conservative tech billionaire who has played a major role in Silicon Valley’s rightward shift.OpenAI and defense tech startup Anduril Industries late last year announced a partnership to develop and deploy AI solutions “for security missions.”The alliance brings together OpenAI models and Anduril’s military tech platform to ramp up defenses against aerial drones and other “unmanned aircraft systems”, according to the companies.”OpenAI builds AI to benefit as many people as possible, and supports US-led efforts to ensure the technology upholds democratic values,” OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said at the time.