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US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered officials to work on a new census excluding undocumented immigrants, as the White House presses Republican states to draw more favorable voter maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Trump called for a “new and highly accurate” census that he wanted based on “modern day facts and figures” gleaned from the 2024 election.”People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS,” he said in the social media post.The US Constitution since 1790 has required a census every 10 years that counts the “whole number of persons in each state” — including people in the country illegally.The next one is not due until 2030, although preparations for the enormous task are already underway.Trump did not make clear if he was referring to the regularly scheduled population count in 2030 or an earlier survey.The census is used to determine how members of Congress are elected, and the Pew Research Center estimates that ignoring unauthorized migrants in 2020 would have deprived California, Florida and Texas of one House seat each.It is also used for apportioning votes in the state-by-state “electoral college” that decides presidential elections and for allocating trillions of dollars in federal funding.Trump attempted similar moves in his first term but was blocked by the Supreme Court from adding a citizenship question to the census. The court declined to rule on whether the millions of people in the country without legal status can be excluded for the first time.Adding a citizenship question would likely undermine the accuracy of the country’s population counts, a March study in the Journal of Policy Management and Analysis showed.Experts believe it would discourage households with Latino and Asian American residents from self reporting.Trump’s call for a new census comes with state-level lawmakers and officials in Texas locking horns over proposals for a new electoral map that would likely net Republicans up to five extra House seats in next year’s midterms.Republican governors in several other states are exploring new maps ahead of the 2026 elections in a bid to protect the party’s razor-thin majority in the House, which would flip with three Democratic gains. Democrats have vowed to retaliate with their own proposals, possibly in New York and California, the country’s largest states. 

The Kremlin said Thursday that a summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was set for the “coming days”, with the two sides already having agreed the venue “in principle.”The summit would be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021, and comes as Trump seeks to broker an end to Russia’s military assault on Ukraine.Three rounds of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv have failed to yield any progress towards a ceasefire, with the two sides appearing far apart in their demands to end the more than three-year-long conflict.Trump said Wednesday he was likely to meet Putin face-to-face “very soon.””At the suggestion of the American side, an agreement has been reached in principle to hold a bilateral summit in the coming days,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov was quoted as saying on Thursday by Russian state news agencies.”We are now starting to work out the details together with our American colleagues,” Ushakov said.The Kremlin said a venue had been agreed “in principle”, but did not indicate where the summit could take place.”Next week has been set as a target date,” Ushakov added.- Zelensky calls for meeting -Tens of thousands have been killed since Russia launched its military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022.Russian bombardments have forced millions for flee their homes and destroyed swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.Putin has resisted multiple calls from the United States, Europe and Kyiv for a ceasefire.At talks in Istanbul, Russian negotiators have outlined hardline territorial demands if Ukraine wants Russia to halt its advance — calling for Kyiv to withdraw from territory it still controls and renounce Western military support.Moscow has also repeatedly sought to cast doubt on Zelensky’s legitimacy and ruled out a meeting between the two leaders until after the terms of a peace deal have been agreed.The announcement of the upcoming summit comes a day after US envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow.Witkoff proposed a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but Russia did not respond to that proposal, Ushakov said.”The Russian side left this option completely without comment,” he added.Zelensky earlier Thursday had refreshed his call for a meeting with Putin — which he says is the only way to make progress towards peace.”We in Ukraine have repeatedly said that finding real solutions can be truly effective at the level of leaders,” Zelensky wrote on social media.”It is necessary to determine the timing for such a format and the range of issues to be addressed,” he added.The Ukrainian leader said Thursday morning that he had planned to hold “several” conversations throughout the course of the day including with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as well as French and Italian officials.s”There will also be communication at the level of national security advisors,” Zelensky added.”The main thing is for Russia, which started this war, to take real steps to end its aggression,” Zelensky added.

Apple will invest an additional $100 billion in the United States, taking its total pledge to $600 billion over the next four years, US President Donald Trump said Wednesday.Trump announced the increased commitment at the White House alongside the tech giant’s CEO Tim Cook, calling it “the largest investment Apple has made in America.” “Apple will massively increase spending on its domestic supply chain,” Trump added, highlighting a new production facility for the glass used to make iPhone screens in Kentucky.In February, Apple said it would spend more than $500 billion in the United States and hire 20,000 people, with Trump quickly taking credit for the decision. It builds on plans announced in 2021, when the company founded by Steve Jobs said it would invest $430 billion in the country and add 20,000 jobs.”This year alone, American manufacturers are on track to make 19 billion chips for Apple in 24 factories across 12 different states,” Cook said in the Oval Office.Trump, who has pushed US companies to shift manufacturing home by slapping tariffs on trading partners, claimed that his administration was to thank for the investment.”This is a significant step toward the ultimate goal of… ensuring that iPhones sold in the United States of America also are made in America,” Trump said. Cook later clarified that, while many iPhone components will be manufactured in the United States, the complete assembly of iPhones will still be conducted overseas.”If you look at the bulk of it, we’re doing a lot of the semiconductors here, we’re doing the glass here, we’re doing the Face ID module here… and we’re doing these for products sold elsewhere in the world,” Cook said.He gifted Trump a custom-engraved glass piece made by iPhone glassmaker Corning, set in a 24-karat gold base.Cook said the Kentucky-made glass piece was designed by a former Marine Corps corporal now working at Apple. After receiving it, Trump said it was “nice” that “we’re doing these things now in the United States, instead of other countries, faraway countries.”- ‘They’re coming home’ -Trump has repeatedly said he plans to impose a “100 percent” tariff on imported semiconductors, a major export of Taiwan, South Korea, China and Japan. “We’re going to be putting a very large tariff on chips and semiconductors,” he told reporters at the White House.Taiwanese giant TSMC — the world’s largest contract maker of chips, which counts Nvidia and Apple among its clients — would be “exempt” from those tariffs as it has factories in the United States, Taipei said Thursday. While he did not offer a timetable for enactment of the new tech levies, on Tuesday, he said fresh tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and chips could be unveiled within the coming week.The United States is “going to be very rich and it’s companies like Apple, they’re coming home,” Trump said.Trump specified further that “Apple will help develop and manufacture semiconductors and semiconductor equipment in Texas, Utah, Arizona and New York.” He noted that if tech companies commit to manufacturing their wares in the United States, “there will be no charge.”Apple reported a quarterly profit of $23.4 billion in late July, topping forecasts despite facing higher costs due to Trump’s sweeping levies.

Eddie Palmieri, who revolutionized Latin music and played a major role in the salsa explosion in New York City, passed away Wednesday at the age of 88, according to the artist’s official social media account.The “legendary pianist, composer, bandleader, and one of the most influential figures in Latin music history, passed away in his New Jersey residence on Aug 6,” read a post on Palmieri’s Instagram handle, alongside a photo of the artist.Fania Records, the salsa label, mourned the star’s death, calling him “one of the most innovative and unique artists in music history.””We will miss him greatly,” it added. Born in Harlem, New York, to Puerto Rican parents, Palmieri was the younger brother of pianist Charlie Palmieri and entered the music scene at a young age. As a teenager, he took piano lessons at Carnegie Hall while also learning to play the timbales. He began performing professionally in bands, including a two-year stint with Puerto Rican musician Tito Rodriguez.Palmieri is recognized for having revolutionized the sound of Latin jazz and salsa, with a career spanning more than seven decades.In 1961, he founded the band “La Perfecta”, which redefined salsa by replacing trumpets with trombones.Four years later, his track “Azucar Pa Ti” (Sugar For You) became a dancefloor hit — and decades later, was added to the collection of the US Library of Congress.In 1975, he became the first Latin artist to win a Grammy, for his album “The Sun of Latin Music,” which won in the newly established Best Latin Recording category.Palmieri was also one of the earliest salsa musicians to adopt a political tone in his compositions. In 1969, he released the album “Justicia” (Justice), featuring lyrics that tackled inequality, social justice, and discrimination, with vocals by Puerto Rican singer Ismael Quintana and Cuban vocalist Justo Betancourt.A few years later, in 1972, he performed at Sing Sing, a prison in New York, in front of an audience largely made up of Latino and Black inmates, according to The Washington Post.”For all humanity!” Palmieri shouted through a loudspeaker in the prison yard, the newspaper reported.He added that there should be “no walls,” “no fear,” and “only one thing in life: freedom in the years to come.””He was a mentor, teacher, and tireless advocate for Latin music and culture,” read a tribute on his social media.”He inspired generations of musicians and moved countless listeners with his artistry, conviction, and unmistakable sound.” He is survived by five children and four grandchildren. His wife, Iraida Palmieri, passed away in 2014.

Donald Trump said he could meet with Vladimir Putin “very soon,” following what the US president described as highly productive talks in Moscow between his special envoy and the Russian leader.The potential summit was discussed in a call between Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky that, according to a senior source in Kyiv, included NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the leaders of Britain, Germany and Finland. “There’s a good chance that there will be a meeting very soon,” Trump told reporters Wednesday at the White House, when asked when he would meet the Ukrainian and Russian leaders.He gave no indication where the meeting with Putin might take place. It would be the first US-Russia leadership summit since former president Joe Biden met with his counterpart in Geneva in June 2021.The New York Times and CNN, citing people familiar with the plan, said Trump plans to sit down with Putin as early as next week, and then wants a three-way meeting with the Russian leader and Zelensky.”It seems that Russia is now more inclined to agree to a ceasefire; the pressure on them is working. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us or the United States in the details,” Zelensky said on Wednesday evening. Trump’s phone call with Zelensky came after US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian leadership in Moscow earlier in the day for talks described by the Kremlin as “productive” — with Trump’s deadline looming to impose fresh sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine.”Great progress was made!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that afterward he had briefed some European allies.”Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come,” he said.Minutes later, however, a senior US official said that “secondary sanctions” were still expected to be implemented in two days’ time.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Witkoff was returning with a ceasefire proposal from Moscow that would have to be discussed with Ukraine and Washington’s European allies.He also cast caution on the timeline for a Trump-Putin meeting, saying there was “a lot of work ahead,” adding it could be “weeks maybe.”- Long process -Trump, who had boasted he could end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office, has given Russia until Friday to make progress towards peace or face new penalties.Three rounds of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul have failed to make headway on a ceasefire, with the two sides far apart in their demands.Russia has escalated drone and missile attacks against its neighbor, a US and European Union ally, to a record high and accelerated its advance on the ground.”A quite useful and constructive conversation took place,” Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists, including AFP, after the three-hour meeting with Witkoff.The two men exchanged “signals” on their positions, Ushakov said, without elaborating.Zelensky confirmed his call with Trump and confirmed European leaders had taken part, although he did not name them.- Sanctions threat -Trump has voiced increasing frustration with Putin in recent weeks over Russia’s unrelenting offensive.The White House has not officially outlined what action it would take against Russia, but Trump told reporters it plans to impose “a lot more secondary sanctions” targeting Russia’s key trade partners, possibly targeting China.Earlier in the day he had ordered steeper tariffs on Indian goods over New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil.Without explicitly naming Trump, the Kremlin on Tuesday slammed “threats” to hike tariffs on Russia’s trading partners as “illegitimate.”Russia’s campaign against Ukraine since February 2022 has killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed swaths of the country and forced millions to flee their homes.Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede more territory and renounce US and EU support if it wants the fighting to stop.Kyiv is calling for an immediate ceasefire, and Zelensky last week urged his allies to push for “regime change” in Moscow.- Nuclear rhetoric -The Witkoff visit came as Moscow-Washington tensions are running high.Trump said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be moved following an online row with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, and that they were now “in the region.”Moscow then said that it was ending a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles, suggesting that it could deploy such weapons in response to what it alleged were similar US deployments within striking distance of Russia.

Thousands of US air passengers were facing delays Wednesday after United Airlines halted many departures in the wake of a systemwide problem.So-called “mainline flights” — those moving between major hubs — were grounded for over an hour before engineers were able to get things up and running again.”We are working with customers to get them to their destinations after a technology disruption on Wednesday evening,” the airline said in a statement.”The underlying technology issue has been resolved, and, while we expect residual delays, our team is working to restore our normal operations.”The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates flight in the United States, had issued ground stops at several major airports.”We’re aware United experienced a technology issue disrupting their operations. Some delays may continue as they work through the recovery process,” the FAA said in a statement. “We’ve offered full support to help address their flight backlog and remain in close contact with United.”The orders affected airports in Denver, Newark, Houston and Chicago and only applied to United, the FAA’s website said.The outage was the latest problem to afflict America’s aviation sector.Last month Alaska Airlines suffered an IT problem that left its planes on the ground for several hours.That came after air traffic control systems went down at a Newark area airport on more than one occasion this year, shaking passengers’ faith in the system.In January a mid-air collision near Washington’s Reagan National Airport involving a passenger jet and a military helicopter claimed dozens of lives.

Apple will invest an additional $100 billion in the United States, taking its total pledge to $600 billion over the next four years, US President Donald Trump said Wednesday.Trump announced the increased commitment at the White House alongside the tech giant’s CEO Tim Cook, calling it “the largest investment Apple has made in America.” “Apple will massively increase spending on its domestic supply chain,” Trump added, highlighting a new production facility for the glass used to make iPhone screens in Kentucky.In February, Apple said it would spend more than $500 billion in the United States and hire 20,000 people, with Trump quickly taking credit for the decision. It builds on plans announced in 2021, when the company founded by Steve Jobs said it would invest $430 billion in the country and add 20,000 jobs over the next five years.”This year alone, American manufacturers are on track to make 19 billion chips for Apple in 24 factories across 12 different states,” Cook said in the Oval Office.Trump, who has pushed US companies to shift manufacturing home by slapping tariffs on trading partners, claimed that his administration was to thank for the investment.”This is a significant step toward the ultimate goal of… ensuring that iPhones sold in the United States of America also are made in America,” Trump said. Cook later clarified that, while many iPhone components will be manufactured in the United States, the complete assembly of iPhones will still be conducted overseas.”If you look at the bulk of it, we’re doing a lot of the semiconductors here, we’re doing the glass here, we’re doing the Face ID module here… and we’re doing these for products sold elsewhere in the world,” Cook said.- ‘They’re coming home’ -Trump has repeatedly said he plans to impose a “100 percent” tariff on imported semiconductors, a major export of Taiwan, South Korea, China and Japan. “We’re going to be putting a very large tariff on chips and semiconductors,” he told reporters Wednesday at the White House.Taiwanese giant TSMC — the world’s largest contract maker of chips, which counts Nvidia and Apple among its clients — would be “exempt” from those tariffs as it has factories in the United States, Taipei said Thursday. While he did not offer a timetable for enactment of the new tech levies, on Tuesday he said fresh tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals and semiconductors and chips could be unveiled within the coming week.The US is “going to be very rich and it’s companies like Apple, they’re coming home,” Trump said.Trump specified further that “Apple will help develop and manufacture semiconductors and semiconductor equipment in Texas, Utah, Arizona and New York.” He noted that if tech companies commit to manufacturing their wares in the US, “there will be no charge.”Apple reported a quarterly profit of $23.4 billion in late July, topping forecasts despite facing higher costs due to Trump’s sweeping levies.The tariffs are essentially a tax paid by companies importing goods to the United States. This means Apple is on the hook for tariffs on iPhones and other products or components it brings into the country from abroad.

Officials in the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca accused sportswear giant Adidas of cultural appropriation after the fashion brand debuted sandals similar to a traditional design from the region.The Oaxaca Slip-On sandals were created by American fashion designer Willy Chavarria, who has Mexican heritage, but drew pushback from both state and local officials in Oaxaca, which has one of the highest Indigenous populations in the country.Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara first addressed the issue during a press conference on Tuesday, saying the sandals were a “reinterpreted huarache model,” particularly one that was uniquely found in the state.In another instance, Isaias Carranza, a Oaxacan legislator of Indigenous Zapotec descent, wrote on his Facebook account: “The Adidas company, in conjunction with designer Willy Chavarria, appropriated a unique design of the traditional huaraches (sandals) from the people of the Hidalgo Yalalag village.”Jara also threatened to take legal action against Chavarria.”This huarache is from Yalalag…we are also going to ask our Yalalag siblings to work with us so we can file a complaint” against the designer, he said at the press conference.For its part, the Ministry of Cultures and Arts of Oaxaca said in a statement that using cultural elements for commercial purposes without the consent of Indigenous peoples was “a violation of our collective rights,” demanding that Adidas stop selling the sandals, publicly acknowledge their origin and begin a process of “dialogue and redress of grievances” with the Yalalag community.The controversy is the latest instance of Mexican officials denouncing major brands or designers using unauthorized Indigenous art or designs from the region, with previous complaints raised about Chinese fast fashion company Shein, Spanish mega-brand Zara and high fashion house Carolina Herrera.Adidas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If Donald Trump is to be believed, millions of Americans could receive a financial slice of the fortunes generated by the US president’s sweeping tariffs.But the eyebrow-raising suggestion from a leader with a flair for creating headlines is largely opaque — with key questions left open about how the giveaway would be funded. Trump himself has acknowledged the difficulty in splashing cash at a time when the United States faces crushing debt.”We have so much money coming in, we are thinking about a little rebate,” Trump said last month, “but the big thing we want to do is pay down debt.”He has since referred to the so-called rebate as a “dividend,” and said it could be for “people that would be middle income people and lower income people.”His idea has, naturally, roused interest. Republican Senator Josh Hawley introduced a bill in July that would see $600 checks sent to each adult and dependent child in American families.Trump has a track record in dishing out money — or at least taking the credit for it.During the Covid pandemic, he insisted that his name be put on government checks distributed to tens of millions of Americans as financial support. – Looming questions -Trump’s latest plan raises a key question: How will it be financed?The United States faces a national deficit that worsened from October to June compared to the same period a year earlier. That was despite a rise in revenue generated by tariffs that Trump has slapped on dozens of US trading partners. Handing out cash to Americans would add to the deficit and increase the country’s debt, which was at more than $36.8 trillion by early August.Trump, when explaining his dividend idea, has claimed the United States is raking in trillions of dollars from other countries thanks to his protectionist agenda. The Republican has also cited large investments promised by Japan and the European Union — deals that coincided with agreements on US tariffs. But foreign leaders paint a different picture. Japan, for example, has stated that its $550 billion pledge will largely be in the form of loans and guarantees — certainly not just hard cash. And Trump’s claims about the revenue generated by tariffs can also be misleading. The president claims — wrongly — that tariffs are paid by foreign countries to the US government. Yet, in reality, it is importers in the United States that are on the hook.Most economists note that American consumers therefore end up paying more as businesses, facing rising costs, raise prices on their products. 

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered steeper tariffs on Indian goods over New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil, opening a new front in his trade wars hours before another wave of duties takes effect.The additional 25-percent tariff on Indian goods, coming into place in three weeks, stacks atop a separate 25-percent duty entering into force Thursday, taking the level to 50 percent for many products.Trump’s order also threatens penalties on other countries who “directly or indirectly” import Russian oil, a key revenue source for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.Exemptions remain however for goods targeted under sector-specific duties such as steel and aluminum, and categories that could be hit later, like pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.Smartphones are in this list of exempted products for now, shielding Apple from a major hit as the US tech titan shifts production from China to India.India’s foreign ministry condemned Trump’s announcement Wednesday, calling the move “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable.”The ministry previously said India began importing oil from Russia as traditional supplies were diverted to Europe over the war — noting that Washington had “actively encouraged” such imports to strengthen “global energy market stability.”But Trump recently raised pressure on India over the oil purchases, threatening new tariffs as part of a campaign to force Moscow into ending its devastating invasion of Ukraine.India’s national security adviser was in Moscow on Wednesday, media in New Delhi reported, coinciding with US envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit.The 25-percent additional tariff is lower than the 100 percent Trump floated last month when he told Russia to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days or face massive new economic sanctions.The Republican said at the time that these would be “secondary tariffs” targeting Russia’s remaining trade partners, seeking to impede Moscow’s ability to survive already sweeping Western sanctions.”This marks a low point in US-India relations,” said Farwa Aamer, the Asia Society Policy Institute’s director of South Asia Initiatives.She expects domestic pressure for India to accede to US demands, but said “this will be a tough road to navigate.”- Tariff turmoil -Trump has separately taken aim at Brazil over the trial of his right-wing ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro — who is accused of planning a coup.US tariffs on various Brazilian goods surged from 10 percent to 50 percent Wednesday, although broad exemptions including for orange juice and civil aircraft are expected to soften the blow.Brazil took the first formal step Wednesday at the World Trade Organization to begin dispute proceedings against the tariffs, government sources told AFP.And come Thursday, a new wave of tariffs impacting dozens of other economies, from the European Union to Taiwan, is set to kick in.These updated “reciprocal” tariffs, meant to address trade practices Washington deems unfair, go up to 41 percent for Syria.US trading partners face varying increases from a current 10-percent level, starting at 15 percent for economies like the EU, Japan and South Korea.Countries not targeted by these “reciprocal” tariff hikes continue facing a 10-percent levy Trump imposed in April.Trump’s plans have sparked a rush to avert steeper duties, with Switzerland’s President Karin Keller-Sutter hurrying to Washington ahead of the Thursday deadline. It was unclear if she would meet Trump or any top economic officials.While Switzerland’s key pharmaceutical sector has been spared from the incoming 39-percent duty for now, Trump has warned that future pharma tariffs could eventually rise to 250 percent.Many of Trump’s sweeping tariffs also face legal challenges over his use of emergency economic powers, with the cases likely to ultimately reach the Supreme Court.Tokyo’s tariffs envoy Ryosei Akazawa was also in Washington, pressing for clarity on when promised cuts to tariffs on Japan’s auto imports from 25 to 15 percent would take effect.A US official said meanwhile that, unlike for the European Union, tariffs on other Japanese imports would not be capped at 15 percent but that these “reciprocal” levies would be added to existing ones.Japan averted threatened extra tariffs of 25 percent in a deal struck in July, but the two sides appear at odds over key details, including over Japanese investments of $550 billion into the United States.”That’s like a signing bonus that a baseball player would get,” Trump told CNBC on Tuesday. “It’s our money to invest as we like.”