Inflation rises a bit less than expected
The Consumer Price Index, a measure of inflation, increased 0.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis in April, after falling 0.1% in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.3%. The cost for shelter rose 0.3% in April, accounting for more than half of the all items monthly increase. The cost of energy also increased over the month, rising 0.7% as increases in natural gas and electricity more than offset a decline in gasoline.
Trump is in Saudi Arabia
President Trump has begun his three-day trip to the Middle East with a visit to Saudi Arabia. He was greeted at the airport by the Royal Crown Prince, who does not normally go out to the airport to greet arriving visitors. Also today, the U.S. announced a $1.4 billion sale of weapons to the United Arab Emerates.
Zelenskyy may meet with Putin
CNN reported today that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy raised the stakes ahead of a potential meeting with Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday by saying he wouldn’t hold talks with any Russian representative other than the president himself. Asked by CNN about the goals of the possible meeting – a summit Putin has not yet agreed to attend despite proposing it himself, Zelenskyy said anything other than a ceasefire agreement would be a failure. Zelenskyy said he would travel to Turkey after Putin suggested direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in the country on Thursday in response to the ceasefire-or-sanctions ultimatum given to Moscow by Kyiv’s European allies on Saturday. (via CNN Newsource)
Biden aids concerned about him according to new book
CNN reported today that former President Joe Biden’s physical deterioration was severe enough in the second half of his presidency that his aides privately discussed putting him in a wheelchair for his second term, according to a new book from CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson. Axios reported Tuesday on the new details from “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” which is being released on May 20. The book is based on more than 200 interviews, mostly with Democratic insiders, almost all of which occurred after the 2024 election was over. According to the report, Biden aides believed it was politically untenable to have the president use a wheelchair during his reelection bid — but they believed he might have to do so if he won a second term. (via CNN Newsource)
Trump files with Supreme Court
The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow it to resume the deportations of nearly 200 Venezuelan migrants detained in Texas, requesting that the court lift its order from last month that temporarily paused the deportation of migrants subject to the Alien Enemies Act. In a new court filing, Solicitor General John Sauer said that some of the 176 detained migrants allegedly associated with the Venezuelan street gang Tren de Aragua, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization, have “proven to be especially dangerous to maintain in prolonged detention.” According to the filing, a field officer from the Department of Homeland Security described a recent incident where 23 of the detained migrants “barricaded themselves in a housing unit for several hours and threatened to take hostages and harm ICE officers.” (via CNN Newsource)
Pakistan did not consider nuclear weapons in fighting with India
As tensions ratcheted up over the last week of fighting, Pakistan did not consider deploying nuclear warheads to strike India, the country’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar told CNN. In his first interview since India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire Dar said Islamabad “had no choice” but to launch strikes in “self-defense” following India’s May 7 cross-border attacks. Last week’s escalatory tit-for-tat strikes marked the worst fighting between the two nuclear-armed nations since 1971, killing dozens and deepening fears of a wider conflict. Dar referred to India’s strikes as a “war.” (via CNN Newsource)
