Newly Released DOJ Epstein Files Expose High-Profile Connections Across Politics and Business 
Melania Trump Pushes Diplomacy to Return Ukrainian Children from Russia 
Norway Opens Corruption Probe Into Former PM and Nobel Committee Chair Thorbjoern Jagland Over Epstein Links 
Keir Starmer Faces Political Crisis After Condemning Peter Mandelson Over Epstein Ties 
Nvidia, ByteDance, and the U.S.-China AI Chip Standoff Over H200 Exports 
Marco Rubio Steps Down as Acting U.S. Archivist Amid Federal Law Limits 
UAE Plans Temporary Housing Complex for Displaced Palestinians in Southern Gaza 
Ukraine-Russia Talks Yield Major POW Swap as U.S. Pushes for Path to Peace 
Trump Endorses Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Ahead of Crucial Election Amid Market and China Tensions 
NATO to Discuss Strengthening Greenland Security Amid Arctic Tensions 
U.S. Sanctions on Russia Could Expand as Ukraine Peace Talks Continue, Says Treasury Secretary Bessent 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
U.S. Announces Additional $6 Million in Humanitarian Aid to Cuba Amid Oil Sanctions and Fuel Shortages 
Human Rights Watch Warns of Democratic Decline in U.S. Under Trump Administration 
Iran–U.S. Nuclear Talks in Oman Face Major Hurdles Amid Rising Regional Tensions 
Missouri Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Starbucks’ Diversity and Inclusion Policies 
CK Hutchison Launches Arbitration After Panama Court Revokes Canal Port Licences 
US President Joe Biden travelled to New York City this week as part of a tour to further promote the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Biden touted the funding that would be used for an underwater tunnel that would connect Manhattan and New Jersey.
In remarks at a railyard by the Hudson River tunnel on Tuesday, Biden touted the funding the project would receive as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Biden also announced that his administration has granted almost $1.2 billion from the law’s new national infrastructure project assistance discretionary grant program for nine projects in the country.
“While others tried to shut this down, I made clear this is a national priority,” said Biden to the lawmakers and supporters in attendance in New York. “Wall Street is important but it didn’t build the middle class. The middle class built this country and union built the middle class.”
The Hudson River tunnel project would repair an existing tunnel and build a new one for Amtrak and state commuter lines from New York City to New Jersey. New York, New Jersey, and the federal government would be splitting the estimated cost of $16.1 billion, and nearly half the bill would be shouldered by the federal government.
Biden’s visit to New York is one of three stops this week that sought to highlight the US leader’s bipartisan success in securing funds to invest in the country’s infrastructure. This comes at a time when House Republicans are threatening to block the Democratic president’s economic agenda and lead to a government shutdown if Biden does not agree to the spending cuts.
On Monday, Biden went to Baltimore, Maryland to tout the planned replacement of a 150-year-old tunnel. The US leader is set to travel to Philadelphia to discuss replacing toxic lead pipes which would be funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law worth $1.2 trillion.
Meanwhile, officials familiar with the matter said Biden is expected to appoint a new team of economic advisers, and no decision is to be expected before the US leader’s State of the Union speech this year. Officials said Biden is focused on his upcoming address to a special joint session of Congress and has yet to decide who to appoint to be part of the National Economic Council and the Council of Economic Advisers.
