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Here’s what else you need to know to get going and get on with your day.
1️⃣ Trump Cuts China Tariffs to 47% After High-Stakes Meeting With Xi
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached a preliminary trade agreement Thursday in Busan, South Korea, with the US reducing tariffs from 57% to 47%. China agreed to resume rare earth element exports and purchase American soybeans. Trump described the 100-minute meeting as highly successful, rating it “a 12 out of 10.” Both leaders announced plans for reciprocal state visits in 2025. Treasury officials confirmed a framework agreement was reached, though experts caution deeper tensions over manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and geopolitical influence remain unresolved.
2️⃣ Trump Announces US Will Resume Nuclear Weapons Testing After 33-Year Halt
President Trump declared Thursday the United States will resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time since 1992, citing other nations’ testing programs. The announcement, made via social media minutes before his meeting with Xi Jinping, provided limited operational details. Arms control experts warn the decision could trigger reciprocal testing by adversaries and undermine nonproliferation treaties. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, signed but never ratified by the US Senate, prohibits such detonations. Pentagon officials have not confirmed specific testing locations or timelines.
3️⃣ Hurricane Melissa Leaves 36 Dead Across Caribbean; Jamaica Declares Disaster
Category 5 Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba this week, killing at least 36 people with numbers expected to rise. The storm made landfall in Jamaica Tuesday with 185 mph winds, the strongest hurricane ever recorded on the island. Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared Jamaica a disaster zone as western parishes flooded and 2.8 million residents lost power. In Haiti, 10 children died when rivers burst their banks in Petit-Goâve. The storm, now downgraded to Category 1, continues toward Bermuda. Meteorologists describe Melissa as emblematic of intensifying late-season hurricanes driven by warming ocean temperatures.
4️⃣ Australian PM Albanese Balances US Alliance, China Trade at APEC Summit
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese participated in a private dinner with President Trump and regional leaders Wednesday evening in South Korea, seated directly beside the US president. The diplomatic engagement underscores Australia’s strategic balancing act between its security alliance with Washington and economic dependence on Asian markets, particularly China. Albanese met with Korean steel giant POSCO, which imported $18.2 billion in Australian goods last year. With 75% of Australia’s trade flowing through APEC nations, Albanese emphasized the importance of reduced US-China tensions for regional economic stability.
5️⃣ Trump Approves Nuclear Submarine Technology Transfer to South Korea
President Trump confirmed Thursday the United States will provide South Korea with nuclear propulsion technology for submarine development, expanding American military partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region. The announcement raised questions about resource allocation alongside the existing AUKUS agreement with Australia and the United Kingdom. Australian officials quickly dismissed concerns, with Prime Minister Albanese stating Trump has committed to accelerating the AUKUS timeline. The South Korean program addresses growing regional security challenges, particularly from North Korea. Bilateral defense arrangements remain separate from the trilateral AUKUS framework.
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