U.S. Sanctions on Russia Could Expand as Ukraine Peace Talks Continue, Says Treasury Secretary Bessent 
NATO to Discuss Strengthening Greenland Security Amid Arctic Tensions 
U.S. Lawmakers to Review Unredacted Jeffrey Epstein DOJ Files Starting Monday 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
Norway Opens Corruption Probe Into Former PM and Nobel Committee Chair Thorbjoern Jagland Over Epstein Links 
Pentagon Ends Military Education Programs With Harvard University 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
U.S. to Begin Paying UN Dues as Financial Crisis Spurs Push for Reforms 
Nighttime Shelling Causes Serious Damage in Russia’s Belgorod Region Near Ukraine Border 
TrumpRx Website Launches to Offer Discounted Prescription Drugs for Cash-Paying Americans 
UAE Plans Temporary Housing Complex for Displaced Palestinians in Southern Gaza 
Federal Judge Restores Funding for Gateway Rail Tunnel Project 
Newly Released DOJ Epstein Files Expose High-Profile Connections Across Politics and Business 
Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal 
China Warns US Arms Sales to Taiwan Could Disrupt Trump’s Planned Visit 
Ukraine-Russia Talks Yield Major POW Swap as U.S. Pushes for Path to Peace 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen began her trip and her first transit to the United States this week. Tsai remained defiant on her trip as China warned of retaliation should she have met with Republican US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during her transits.
Tsai arrived in New York on Wednesday as part of her transit to Guatemala and Belize, two countries that still formally recognize Taiwan. Tsai will be staying in New York until Saturday and is set to make another transit to the US on the way back, stopping at Los Angeles. Tsai is also expected to meet with McCarthy during her California transit, which has yet to be confirmed.
“External pressure will not hinder our determination to go to the world,” said Tsai before departing Taiwan. “We are calm and confident, will neither yield nor provoke. Taiwan will firmly walk on the road of freedom and democracy and go into the world. Although this road is rough, Taiwan is not alone.”
Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the United States confirmed Tsai’s arrival in New York and that none of her events were open to the press or the public during her stop. This transit is Tsai’s seventh since taking office in 2016 and comes at a time of concern that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may embolden China to make a military move against the democratically governed island that it claims as its territory.
A potential meeting with McCarthy may be the first between the Taiwanese leader and a US House Speaker on US soil but is seen as a less provocative move compared to McCarthy potentially visiting Taiwan. McCarthy has said he hopes to visit Taiwan, following Democratic US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island last year.
Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that up to 20 lawmakers planned to accompany McCarthy to the meeting with Tsai.
On the same day, the Honduran foreign ministry announced that President Xiomara Castro would be traveling to China soon, the announcement of the trip following the move to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China, bringing Taiwan’s diplomatic allies down to 13.
