Trump Signs “America First Arms Transfer Strategy” to Prioritize U.S. Weapons Sales 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
TrumpRx.gov Highlights GLP-1 Drug Discounts but Offers Limited Savings for Most Americans 
TrumpRx Website Launches to Offer Discounted Prescription Drugs for Cash-Paying Americans 
U.S.-India Trade Framework Signals Major Shift in Tariffs, Energy, and Supply Chains 
Norway Opens Corruption Probe Into Former PM and Nobel Committee Chair Thorbjoern Jagland Over Epstein Links 
Netanyahu to Meet Trump in Washington as Iran Nuclear Talks Intensify 
Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges 
US Pushes Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Before Summer Amid Escalating Attacks 
New York Legalizes Medical Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients 
Trump Backs Nexstar–Tegna Merger Amid Shifting U.S. Media Landscape 
China Warns US Arms Sales to Taiwan Could Disrupt Trump’s Planned Visit 
Japan Election 2026: Sanae Takaichi Poised for Landslide Win Despite Record Snowfall 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
Jack Lang Resigns as Head of Arab World Institute Amid Epstein Controversy 
Trump Lifts 25% Tariff on Indian Goods in Strategic U.S.–India Trade and Energy Deal 
India–U.S. Interim Trade Pact Cuts Auto Tariffs but Leaves Tesla Out 
The United States Embassy in Russia said that the American ambassador to Moscow visited detained US citizen Paul Whelan. Whelan has been detained in Mordovia in eastern Russia.
The US Embassy said on Thursday that US ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy paid a visit to Whelan in the prison he has been detained in Mordovia in eastern Russia. Whelan, who is a former US Marine, was arrested in December 2018, detained for 18 months in Lefortovo prison, and sentenced to 16 years on charges of espionage. Whelan has denied wrongdoing.
“Paul has been wrongfully detained in Russia for more than four years and his release remains an absolute priority. The US government will continue to engage Russian authorities in this case so Paul can come home as soon as possible,” tweeted the embassy.
Washington’s designation of Whelan’s case as “wrongfully detained” means that the US has dismissed the case as politically driven.
Last month, Tracy also made her first visit to another detained US citizen, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested in early April on charges of espionage. This marks the first time since 1986 that a US journalist was detained in Russia for alleged spying. The Wall Street Journal has since rejected the charges against Gershkovich, which would carry a prison sentence of 20 years.
“He feels well and is holding up. We reiterate our call for Evan’s immediate release,” Tracy said in a message on the Telegram messaging platform in Russian.
The White House has also dismissed the charges as “ridiculous,” with President Joe Biden saying that Gershkovich’s detention is “totally illegal.”
Tracy did not indicate how long she spent with Gershkovich during her visit to the Lefortovo detention center in Moscow. Tracy’s visit came ahead of the court hearing that was expected to consider Gershkovich’s appeal of the charges. The White House also said it hopes to get regular consular access to Gershkovich,
Russia’s security service FSB accused Gershkovich of collecting state secrets about Russia’s military-industrial complex. The Kremlin also said Gershkovich was “caught red-handed” but did not cite any evidence to support its claim against the reporter.
