Salem News Channel

Who will break first: China or President Trump?

Will President Trump be able to make a deal with China? See more on Salem News Channel.

U.S. Ambassador To Ukraine To Step Down As Peace Talks Uncertain

The U.S. ambassador to Ukraine is stepping down from her post after nearly three years in Kyiv amid uncertainty over the Trump administration’s attempts to broker a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The State Department said Thursday that Bridget Brink will be leaving her post in the near future, although it was not immediately clear exactly when she would depart. Brink assumed the post under former President Joe Biden’s administration and has been a staunch advocate for U.S. military assistance to Ukraine. Her resignation had been expected for some time, especially considering the Trump administration’s premium on rapprochement with Russia and ending the war. “Ambassador Brink is stepping down,” the department said. “She’s been the ambassador in Kyiv for three years — that’s a long time in a war zone. And frankly, the war has gone on for far too long.” “The real issue is whether the Russians and Ukrainians are ready to do what’s necessary to end this war,” it said.

Michigan Court Bans Mandatory Life Sentences For 19 And 20-Year-Olds In Murder Cases

The Michigan Supreme Court made an extraordinary change to the state's sentencing law Thursday, striking down automatic, no-parole prison terms for 19-year-olds and 20-year-olds convicted of murder. As a result, hundreds of people will be eligible to return to local courts for new sentences and an opportunity for freedom. The Supreme Court, in a 5-2 opinion, said mandatory life sentences for people who were 19 and 20 at the time of the crime violate a ban against “cruel or unusual punishment” in the Michigan Constitution. The court made a similar decision for 18-year-olds in 2022. A mandatory life sentence “that does not allow for consideration of the mitigating factors of youth or the potential for rehabilitation is a grossly disproportionate punishment,” Justice Elizabeth Welch wrote. A life sentence still could be possible though rare. The burden will be on prosecutors to show that someone convicted of murder should never get a chance at parole. Judges will hear evidence about family life, mental health, education and other factors, the same process followed for people 18 or under. Welch said the court's decision was rooted in scientific research about brain development and a young person's ability to fully grasp the consequences of their actions. “As late adolescents mature into fully developed adults, they become less prone to reckless decision-making, more likely to consider and appreciate consequences, and less susceptible to peer pressure,” Welch said. In a dissent, Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement said lawmakers, not the court, should decide whether to change the law. “Courts should not reshape the law with every shift in scientific consensus, especially when it is the Michigan Constitution that is the subject of reshaping,” said Clement, who was joined by Justice Brian Zahra.

American Airlines Plane Struck On Ground By Another Plane At Reagan Airport Near DC

An American Airlines plane carrying at least three members of Congress at Reagan Washington National Airport was struck on the taxiway by the wingtip of another American Airlines jet, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday. American Airlines flight 5490, a Bombardier CRJ 900 headed to Charleston, South Carolina, struck American flight 4522, an Embraer E175 headed to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport, around 12:45 p.m. ET (1645 GMT), the FAA said. No injuries were reported. Representative Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, said on social media that he was on the flight to New York when the incident occurred while waiting to take off on the runway. The latest mishap at Reagan National will intensify scrutiny over how air traffic is handled at the airport near Washington that has the single busiest U.S. runway. The FAA will investigate. American said both aircraft taxied to the terminal and were taken out of service to be inspected by maintenance teams. The damage was limited to a winglet on each aircraft. Passengers will board replacement aircraft to continue their trips, American added. There were 76 passengers and four crew on the South Carolina flight and 67 passengers and four crew on the New York-bound flight. Operations at Reagan have come under intense scrutiny since a January 29 fatal collision between an American Airlines regional jet and Army helicopter, killing 67 people. It prompted the FAA to impose permanent restrictions on helicopter traffic near the airport. The FAA said this week it installed a new management team to oversee air traffic control at Reagan National. Senators last month pressed the FAA for failing to act on thousands of reports of helicopters in dangerous proximity to airplanes near Reagan. Last week, the FAA said it may slow flight arrivals at Reagan after the collision. It is also increasing operational supervisor staffing from six to eight and an FAA stress management team will visit the airport offering confidential support for staff. On March 28, a near-miss between a departing Delta Air Lines and a group of Air Force jets approaching Arlington National Cemetery triggered a cockpit collision warning for the Delta plane, leading to renewed safety concerns and raising questions about why controllers allowed the Delta plane to depart. Also last month, a fight occurred in the Reagan air traffic control tower and an employee was arrested and placed on leave, the FAA said.

Six People Have Died In A Helicopter Crash In The Hudson River In New York City

A helicopter crashed in the Hudson River near lower Manhattan on Thursday afternoon, the New York City Police Department said. ABC News said fatalities had been reported, citing law enforcement sources. A New York City Police spokesman said that police boats were assisting in the rescue efforts on the Hudson, but details such as how many people were on board were not immediately available. CNN said at least three people were rescued. The Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately comment while the National Transportation Safety Board said it was gathering information on the incident. News video of the crash site showed several emergency and police boats circling around a patch of river where the helicopter was submerged. The accident took place in the river off the Tribeca neighborhood of lower Manhattan. New York police said residents should expect emergency vehicles and traffic delays in the surrounding areas.

Prime Minister Carney says Canada wants to be US and Trump's friend again

With Justin Trudeau out of the way, Canada wants to be allies again with President Trump and the United States. See more on Salem News Channel.

The Left thinks they are justified in their violence against Trump and Musk

Stacy Washington digs into why The Left thinks violence is justifiable against President Trump and Elon Musk. See more on Salem News Channel.

Florida Brings Charges Against A Man Jailed On Federal Counts Of Trying To Assassinate Trump

A man already jailed on federal charges of attempting to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump as he golfed last fall will face additional state terrorism and attempted murder charges, Florida's attorney general said Thursday. Ryan Routh tried to undermine the country's political system and will face state attempted first-degree murder and terrorism charges, Attorney General James Uthmeier said. “Attempting to take the life of a former president and a leading presidential candidate isn’t just an attack on one man, this was a political attack against our Republican form of government and our shares American values,” Uthmeier said. Routh's lead attorney, Kristy Militello, didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment. According to prosecutors, Routh plotted to kill Trump as Trump golfed at his West Palm Beach golf course in September. Secret Service officers spotted Routh before Trump came into view. Routh aimed his rifle at an agent, who opened fire, which led Routh to drop his weapon and flee without firing, they said. Uthmeier, a Republican, criticized the Biden administration, accusing it of trying to “frustrate our efforts” and “block" his office's investigation. He lauded FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi for being willing to “work together to pursue justice.” Routh is jailed on federal charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He is due in court on the federal charges in September. The lag between his arrest and his next court date was granted to give his attorneys time to review hundreds of hours of footage from police body cameras and surveillance cameras, and to pore over material from Routh's 17 cellphones and other electronic devices. Shortly after Routh's arrest, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state would conduct its own investigation and could bring charges that aren't available at the federal level. If convicted of the attempted assassination charge, Routh could be sentenced to life in prison.

House Passes A Requirement To Prove U.S. Citizenship To Vote

The U.S. House on Thursday approved legislation requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for anyone registering to vote, something voting rights group have warned could disenfranchise millions of Americans. The requirement has been a top election-related priority for President Donald Trump and House Republicans, who argue it's needed to eliminate instances of noncitizen voting, which is already rare and, as numerous state cases have shown, is typically a mistake rather than part of a coordinated attempt to subvert an election. It's already illegal under federal law for people who are not U.S. citizens to cast ballots and can lead to felony charges and deportation. The bill, known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or the SAVE Act, now heads to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain because Republicans don't have a large enough majority to avoid a filibuster. Here’s a look at key issues in the debate over a proof of citizenship requirement for voting: Who would be affected if the bill becomes law? If it eventually becomes the law, the SAVE Act would take effect immediately and apply to all voter registration applications. “This has no impact on individuals that are currently registered to vote,” said Rep. Bryan Steil, a Wisconsin Republican who has been advocating for the bill. Voting rights groups say there is more to the story. The law would affect voters who already are registered if they move, change their name or otherwise need to update their registration. That was acknowledged to some extent by the bill’s author, Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, during a recent hearing on the legislation. “The idea here is that for individuals to be able to continue to vote if they are registered,” Roy said. “If they have an intervening event or if the states want to clean the rolls, people would come forward to register to demonstrate their citizenship so we could convert our system over some reasonable time to a citizenship-based registration system.”

House Narrowly Passes Framework For Trump’s Big Spending Bill

House Republicans narrowly approved their budget framework on Thursday, a political turnaround after Speaker Mike Johnson worked into the night to satisfy GOP holdouts who had refused to advance trillions of dollars in tax breaks without deeper spending cuts.

Deadly Gas Explosion Levels Home In Missouri After Gas Main Hit

A gas explosion leveled a home on Wednesday evening in a Kansas City suburb after a gas main was damaged. City officials in Lexington, Missouri said the explosion happened about 7:45 p.m. after a subcontractor hit a gas main while installing a fiber optic cable. Local ABC News affiliate KMBC News 9 reports: "A young boy has died and two others are seriously injured after a gas explosion damaged multiple homes in Lexington, Missouri." The explosion caused a fire in the home and, multiple structures nearby also were damaged, Funderburk said. Liberty Utilities shut off gas to the town of 4,500 people following the incident and is still investigating the cause, the company's director of operations, Jeff McChristian, said during the press conference. Repairs are ongoing, and he could not specify when gas service would be restored to the town.

White House Clarifies U.S. Is Tariffing China At 145%

The tariff fight between the world's two largest economies spiraled into greater peril Wednesday as President Donald Trump tried to narrow his global trade war into a direct — and risky — faceoff with Beijing. As Trump reversed his larger “reciprocal” tariffs on most of the world in the face of recession fears, he nonetheless hiked his tariffs on China once again. The move locks the strategic rivals into a deepening standoff that endangers both their economies and interests around the world. The stakes are higher than ever, as the U.S. and China are already embroiled in competition on everything from artificial intelligence to monetary policy to overall global influence. Each nation dares the other to blink first. But the rounds of escalation are raising concerns that the window for diplomacy has narrowed even further, while the economic pain on both economies intensifies. Behind it all, as usual, geopolitics lurks — the concerns about regional and global security that are always in play when economic relations between two of the world's most powerful nations turn aggressive. “When you punch the United States of America,” said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, “President Trump is going to punch back harder.” After Beijing responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's 34% “reciprocal” tax on China with the same 34% rate on American goods, Trump raised the tariff by another 50 percentage points, only to be met by the same tariff hike by Beijing on Wednesday morning. U.S. products going to China are now to be taxed 84%. Hours later, Trump declared that Chinese imports to the United States would be “immediately” taxed at 125%, citing “lack of respect that China has shown to the World's Markets.” However, the universal tariffs on China actually total 145%. When Trump announced them on Wednesday, he did not account for a 20% tariff on China tied to its role in fentanyl production that was already in effect, the White House said. “At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent insisted this had been Trump's strategy all along and that Beijing has “shown themselves to the world as the bad actors.” While the financial markets rebounded from their deepest lows at the news that China would be facing the brunt of Trump's wrath, the real-world prospects of the intensifying trade war with China were still set to be significant. On Wednesday, the U.S.-China Business Council urged the two leaders to “come to the table” and talk. “Targeted tariffs to encourage China to come to the negotiating table are one thing, but these sweeping tit-for-tat tariffs are in no one’s interests. They will significantly harm the global, U.S., and Chinese economies as well as American businesses, farmers, and consumers,” the council said. Trump has left little room to negotiate an off-ramp with China, short of that country capitulating — which would be anathema to Chinese President Xi Jinping. “Xi will not be forced into a call,” said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Washington-based think tank Stimson Center. Only once in recent history, she noted, has a Chinese leader phoned the United States without invitation — after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The trade tensions, if unchecked, could spill into other domains, she warned. Craig Singleton, the senior China fellow at another Washington-based think tank, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, agreed that a phone call from Beijing is “unlikely in this climate.” “Each side believes time is on its side, which raises the risk that neither moves to de-escalate until real damage is done,” he said. “This is no longer about tariffs alone. It’s a test of wills.”