Trump is expected to promote economic ambitions during his visit to the Middle East. The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release price growth data for April. And the first witnesses have taken the stand in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial.
Here’s what to know today.
Trump heads to Middle East with hopes of making big deals
President Donald Trump hopes to leave his mark in the Middle East when he visits Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week with a focus on economic interests and dealmaking. A White House official said Trump will discuss opportunities for investment and cooperation with other leaders during this trip. But wars in Gaza and Ukraine loom over his economic-focused ambitions.
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Trump’s visit kicks off today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a Gulf power abundant in mineral wealth where “the relationship really couldn’t be better,” said a well-placed Trump ally with close ties to the region.
Then, in Doha, Qatar, Trump is expected to deliver a speech and meet with American troops at the Al Udeid Air Base. He’ll also meet with the Qatari government to discuss the royal family’s gift of a luxury plane worth about $400 million. The proposed gift has sparked debate in Washington about whether it would run afoul of the constitutional clause that bars gifts from foreign nations without congressional approval. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson called the plane “a pretty strange offer,” while Trump ally Laura Loomer said accepting the gift would be “a strain” on the administration. Trump described the gift as a “contribution” that the U.S. can’t turn down.
Also worth noting: A deal was finalized last month for a Trump-branded golf course near Doha in partner with a Saudi Arabian firm, highlighting the Trump Organization’s international ambitions while raising concerns from critics about profiting from the presidency.
The ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine also offer diplomatic opportunities for Trump, who announced before departing Washington the return of American hostage Edan Alexander. The president hopes Hamas will release more hostages this week. And it’s not on the official agenda, but Trump said that he would consider flying to Turkey for a potential meeting Thursday between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Read the full story here.
More politics news:
- House Republicans unveiled the legislative text of their sweeping tax proposal for Trump’s agenda, but a key divide over SALT could determine whether the bill passes a floor vote. Also in the broader plan: extending expiring 2017 tax cuts, eliminating federal taxes on tips and overtime pay through 2028 and new savings accounts for newborns — but not a tax hike on the wealthy.
- American officials welcomed a group of 59 South Africans as refugees even though the Trump administration has shut down refugee admissions from almost all other counties. Also, the Episcopal Church’s migration service refused a federal government directive to help resettle the new refugees.
- The DNC subcommittee recommended invalidating the vote that made activist David Hogg its vice-chair after a complaint that it failed to follow party rules.
- Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s arrest last week at an ICE facility could be a boon to him in the New Jersey governor’s race. Here’s why. Meanwhile, Trump endorsed Republican candidate Jack Ciattarelli.
Price growth slows, but uncertainty remains
The latest batch of consumer-price data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics will be released today, and while analysts predict slightly slowed growth during last month, they say the ongoing conversation about tariffs has injected uncertainty into the market. For the period covering the past 12 months, experts forecast an increase of 2.3% in price growth in April, slightly down from 2.4% in March. On a monthly basis, analysts predict average price growth of 0.2% in April.
Gas prices are about 50 cents less per gallon than this time last year, according to AAA. But grocery price growth remains stalled, housing costs have continued to rise and auto prices are expected to be higher “due in part” to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Read the full story here.
The new BLS data follows the U.S. and China’s announcement of an agreement, for now, to reduce their reciprocal tariffs. The development sent stock prices rocketing, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing Monday up more than 1,100 points, an increase of about 2.8%; the S&P 500 up 3.3%; and the Nasdaq up 4.4% and now in a bull market. Despite the markets’ optimism, the strain between the U.S. and China has not gone away.
Hotel guard, male escort take the stand in Sean Combs trial
The jury has been seated, the prosecution and defense made their opening statements, and testimony is underway in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal trial. Combs faces five criminal counts, including racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has denied the allegations.
Here’s what happened Monday:
A jury of eight men and four women were seated, whittled down from a pool of 45 prospective jurors. They range in age from 30 to 74 years old. Among them are an investment analyst, a physician assistant, a massage therapist and a deli clerk. Here’s what else we know about the jurors.
During opening statements, prosecutors from the Southern District of New York painted Combs as a “larger than life” figure who ran a criminal enterprise, allegedly orchestrated dayslong “freakoffs” and attempted to cover up surveillance video of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
Combs’ defense team said they won’t fight that Combs has committed acts of domestic violence but argued those actions do not amount to the potential federal crimes being adjudicated.
The first witness to take the stand was LAPD officer Israel Florez, a former hotel security guard who was on duty the day Combs was caught on camera attacking Ventura. Florez said that Combs offered him a “sack of money” not to talk about the incident, which Florez said he interpreted as a bribe.
The second witness was Daniel Phillip, a male escort who said he received money to have sex with Ventura while Combs watched and gave them instructions. He also said he once witnessed Combs assault Ventura and told her, “You need to get help.”
Read more about Day 1 of the trial.
NBC News will be following the trial closely. Sign up for the Diddy on Trial newsletter to receive the latest news, including insights and analysis from our team inside the courtroom.
Read All About It
- An early-season heat wave is expected to bring record-breaking triple-digit temperatures to parts of Texas, Louisiana and Florida, as well as other parts of the Plains and the southeast.
- Kim Kardashian will take the stand in Paris to testify against a gang of 10 people known as the “grandpa robbers” who are accused of stealing $9 million in jewelry from her at gunpoint in 2016.
- McDonald’s said it plans to hire 375,000 employees in the U.S. this summer in one of the fast-food chain’s largest hiring pushes in years.
- Tory Lanez, the rapper convicted of shooting Megan Thee Stallion, was rushed to a hospital after he was stabbed in prison.
- Phoenix Ikner, the 20-year-old accused in the deadly rampage that killed two people and injured at least six at Florida State University last month, was charged with first-degree murder and and attempted murder.
Staff Pick: No black box, no answers
Steve Langen waited more than a year to learn what caused a Marine helicopter to slam into a snowy mountain peak in Southern California, killing his son and four other service members on board. But last week, an investigation report said the aircraft was not equipped with a device that preserves flight data in a crash, known as a “black box.” Without adequate data, investigators could only posit theories.
That means Langen may never know how and why he lost Alec, his 23-year-old son who followed in his Marine aviator footsteps, that night on Feb. 6, 2024. Outraged, Langen is now pushing the Marine Corps to add the technology to its Super Stallion aircraft, though he has been told that doing so would be too expensive.
“You’re putting a price tag on a service member’s life,” Langen told me. “For me, as a dad and a Marine who did this job, it really hurts. That hurts on a level that it’s hard to put into words.” — Melissa Chan, national reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
NBC Select editors tested two digital photo frames for a month and compared the popular models. Here’s how the Aura and Skylight frames stack up. Editors also tested over 20 compression socks, and these six pairs are the favorites.
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