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UPI
a day ago
- Automotive
- UPI
First U.S. automaker gets federal automated vehicle exemption
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called it a "win-win for safety and innovation" after the nation's first automaker received an exemption from some federal regulations while developing its autonomous vehicle on Wednesday. File Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo Aug. 6 (UPI) -- California-based Zoox is the first U.S. manufacturer of automated vehicles to be exempted from full compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards. The Department of Transportation announced the exemption for Zoox after earlier enabling foreign makers of autonomous vehicles to request the same exemption. "This is a win-win for safety and innovation," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a news release on Wednesday. "Companies like Zoox have a process to create and test their latest technologies," Duffy continued. "America, not China, can and will drive the future of self-driving cars forward." Zoox is based in Foster City, Calif., and announced it is launching an autonomous ride-hailing service in Las Vegas this year. "From the moment guests step into our robotaxi, they're immersed in the future of transportation, with the freedom to focus on their next adventure rather than the road ahead," Zoox Chief Product Officer Michael White said. Because Zoox received the exemption, it cannot display signs saying its vehicles comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in April expanded its Automated Vehicle Exemption Program to include U.S. firms after initially only exempting qualifying foreign-made AVs. NHTSA officials called the program an "unnecessary regulatory barrier" for U.S.-built autonomous vehicles, which don't have drivers. NHTSA can exempt such vehicles for research, demonstrations and other purposes that enable their manufacturers to develop and improve the emerging technologies. "This exemption promotes innovative designs, such as prototype vehicles, through a ... review process that considers the overall safety of the vehicle along with the purposes for which the exemption is requested," NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser said in April. "To cultivate this nation's tremendous potential for automotive innovation, the same exemption opportunities enjoyed by foreign vehicles must be made available for vehicles built in the United States," Simshauser added. He did not say why only foreign automakers were allowed to request the exemption before April. NHTSA did not immediately respond to a UPI request for comment on Wednesday afternoon.
UPI
31-07-2025
- Climate
- UPI
Flash flood threat looms ahead of dramatic cool-down in Northeast
A person naps under the shade of a tree during extreme heat in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo While not all locations in the Northeast will experience torrential downpours and strong thunderstorms into Friday, areas that do may receive several inches of rain could have to deal with flash flooding, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. Noticeably cooler and less humid air is expected to arrive, offering relief to residents and visitors exhausted by recent heat. There is a significant amount of moisture in the atmosphere in the Northeast, and that has contributed to flash flooding through the summer, when it has been released in the form of torrential downpours. For parts of the Northeast, a one-two punch of an approaching cool front and a corresponding ripple in the jet stream will produce heavy rainfall into Friday and late this week to early next week in the Southeast. The first heavy rain and flash flood threat will be an eastward extension of downpours from the Midwest. This band of downpours is forecast to expand from northern Indiana and southern Michigan to northern Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania and southwestern New York late Wednesday night to Thursday, before weakening and moving out of the region. At the same time, spotty severe thunderstorms are forecast for parts of the Northeast, but they will not be as widespread as previous severe weather episodes in prior weeks and more recently in the central states. A flash flood risk will exist along a significant portion of the mid-Atlantic region to southern New England into Friday as the front and jet stream dip begin to join together. This joint effort will unleash a swath of heavy rain. The zone from eastern Pennsylvania, northeastern Maryland and northern Delaware to the lower Hudson Valley of New York, including New York City, Connecticut and parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island is expected to receive 2-4 inches of rain. Rainfall of this intensity can easily overwhelm storm drains and flood city streets, subways and poor drainage areas along highways. Major travel disruptions are possible for both I-95 commutes on Thursday evening, as well as on Friday morning. It can also lead to rapid rises on small streams and a surge of water on rivers, posing risks to campers near creeks and low-lying areas. A greater concentration of severe thunderstorms packing strong wind gusts is foreseen on Friday from southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey to the Carolinas. As torrential downpours, flash flooding and severe thunderstorms focus on the southeastern corner of the U.S. this weekend, much cooler and less humid air will move into the Northeast, resulting in more comfortable air for many. Energy demands will ease, air conditioners can be turned off, and open windows in urban areas will let in cool air for a change. High pressure from central Canada will take control of the weekend in the Northeast in what is usually the muggiest part of the summer. Typical highs range from the 80s to the low 90s, while nighttime lows range from the low 60s to the low 70s this time of the year. However, as the cool air takes root this weekend, daytime highs will range from the 60s in the mountains to the low 80s in many I-95, mid-Atlantic cities. Lows will mainly range from 40s in the mountains to the refreshing 60s in most I-95 cities. A few spots may even dip into the 30s over the coldest mountain spots during the weekend. With the much cooler air heading in, humidity levels will drop significantly, which has been relentless in coastal areas since early June. "The difference in pressure between the high building into the north and a developing area of storminess along the southern Atlantic coast will create a stiff breeze in some coastal areas of New England and the mid-Atlantic this weekend," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek warned. A steady or gusty northeast wind can stir up the surf and lead to a higher risk of rip currents. While astronomical tides are unremarkable this weekend, the persistent onshore breeze can push water levels to 1-2 feet above typical levels and may lead to minor flooding at times of high tide in low-lying areas. Next week, the effects of Canadian high pressure will slowly erode, but Monday and Tuesday should continue to provide cooler and more comfortable conditions for, outdoor activities and general relief from recent humidity.
UPI
28-07-2025
- Business
- UPI
United States, China to hold trade talks in Sweden
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks to press in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. in June. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI. | License Photo July 28 (UPI) -- Delegations from the United States and China will meet on Monday in Stockholm to keep the current trade truce alive and possibly negotiate a permanent deal. The world's two biggest economies will be represented by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, in the third meeting between the countries in as many months. The May meeting in Geneva saw a 90-day truce get set, and then it was rescued in June when the nations met in London. Beijing has used its lock on strategic rare earth minerals to its advantage, keeping the United States at the negotiating table and getting some U.S. export demands rolled back. If anything, the possibility of smooth negotiations seems likely after President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a very pleasant conversation when they last spoke on the phone. Trump said Sunday that the United States "is very close to a deal with China" but didn't offer any deeper details. Gracious moves have been made since the Trump-Xi chat, like the lifting of the American ban on sales of an important Nvidia chip to China and Beijing backing off on antitrust investigation into American chemical company DuPont. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported Monday that the United States and China are likely to extend their truce by another three months, citing unnamed sources from both sides. There was a recent flareup between the countries earlier this month when Beijing refused to allow a Chinese American banker for Wells Fargo and an employee of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to leave China. Nonetheless, Secretary Bessent sounded very positive while discussing the impending talks with Fox Business last week, saying that "trade is in a good place" between the two countries. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun was asked Monday in a press conference about where China stands in regard to the upcoming meeting, to which he replied, "For the specifics of the economic and trade talks between China and the U.S. in Sweden, you may stay tuned."
GMA Network
11-07-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
State Department starts firing more than 1,350 workers in Trump's shake-up of diplomatic corps
US State Department workers with a cart full of boxes react during a sendoff event in Washington, D.C., US, July 11, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon WASHINGTON - The State Department began firing more than 1,350 US-based employees on Friday as the administration of President Donald Trump presses ahead with an unprecedented overhaul of its diplomatic corps, a move critics say will undermine US ability to defend and promote US interests abroad. The layoffs, which affect 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service officers based in the United States, come at a time when Washington is grappling with multiple crises on the world stage: Russia's war in Ukraine, the almost two-year-long Gaza conflict, and the Middle East on edge due to high tension between Israel and Iran. "The Department is streamlining domestic operations to focus on diplomatic priorities," an internal State Department notice that was sent to the workforce said. "Headcount reductions have been carefully tailored to affect non-core functions, duplicative or redundant offices, and offices where considerable efficiencies may be found," it added. The total reduction in the workforce will be nearly 3,000, including the voluntary departures, according to the notice and a senior State Department official, out of the 18,000 employees based in the United States. The move is the first step of a restructuring that Trump has sought to ensure US foreign policy is aligned with his "America First" agenda. Former diplomats and critics say the firing of foreign service officers risks America's ability to counter the growing assertiveness from adversaries such as China and Russia. "President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio are once again making America less safe and less secure," Democratic senator Tim Kaine from Virginia said in a statement. "This is one of the most ridiculous decisions that could possibly be made at a time when China is increasing its diplomatic footprint around the world and establishing an overseas network of military and transportation bases, Russia is continuing its years-long brutal assault of a sovereign country, and the Middle East is careening from crisis to crisis," Kaine said. Dozens of State Department employees crowded the lobby of the agency's headquarters in Washington holding an impromptu "clap-out" for their colleagues who have been fired. Dozens of people were crying, as they carried their belongings in boxes and hugged and bid farewell to friends and fellow workers. Outside, dozens of others were lined up continuing to clap and cheer for them with some holding banners that read, 'Thank you America's diplomats.' Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen attended the demonstration. Several offices were set up inside the building for employees who are being laid off to turn in their badges, laptops, telephones and other property owned by the agency. The offices were marked by posters that read "Transition Day Out Processing". One counter was labeled an "Outprocessing service center" with small bottles of water placed next to a box of tissue. Inside one office, cardboard boxes were visible. A five-page "separation checklist" that was sent to workers who are fired on Friday and seen by Reuters tells the employee that they will lose access to the building and their emails at 5 p.m. EDT on Friday. It asks the employees to fulfill a set of steps ahead of their termination. 'Wrong signal' Trump in February ordered Secretary of State Marco Rubio to revamp the foreign service to ensure that the Republican president's foreign policy is "faithfully" implemented. He has also repeatedly pledged to "clean out the deep state" by firing bureaucrats that he deems disloyal. The shake-up is part of an unprecedented push by Trump to shrink the federal bureaucracy and cut what he says is wasteful spending of taxpayer money. His administration dismantled the US Agency for International Aid, Washington's premier aid arm that distributed billions of dollars of assistance worldwide, and folded it under the State Department. Rubio announced the plans for the State Department shake-up in April, saying the Department in its current form was "bloated, bureaucratic" and was not able to perform its mission "in this new era of great power competition." He envisioned a structure that he said would give back the power to regional bureaus and embassies and get rid of programs and offices that do not align with America's core interests. That vision would see the elimination of the role of top official for civilian security, democracy, and human rights and the closure of some offices that monitored war crimes and conflicts around the world. "This decision sends the wrong signal to allies and adversaries alike: that the United States is pulling back from the world stage," the American Foreign Service Association, a professional group which represents State Department employees, said in a statement. "As allies look to the US for reassurance and rivals test for weakness, the administration has chosen to sideline the very professionals best equipped to navigate this moment. Meanwhile, countries like China continue expanding their diplomatic reach and influence," it added. The reorganization had been expected to be largely concluded by July 1 but did not proceed as planned amid ongoing litigation, as the State Department waited for the US Supreme Court to weigh in on the Trump administration's bid to halt a judicial order blocking mass job cuts. On Tuesday, the court cleared the way for the Trump administration to pursue the job cuts and the sweeping downsizing of numerous agencies. Since then, The White House Counsel's Office and the Office of Personnel Management have been coordinating with federal agencies to ensure their plans comply with the law. — Reuters
UPI
09-07-2025
- Business
- UPI
U.S. Treasury sanctions more than 20 entities for helping sell Iranian oil
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent (pictured in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., in June) said the "Iranian regime relies heavily on its shadow banking system" to fund its military objectives. File Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo July 9 (UPI) -- The Trump administration announced Wednesday it has designated more than 20 entities as complicit in the facilitation of selling Iranian oil, which funds a paramilitary force considered a foreign terrorist organization by the United States. The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, has designated 22 companies and individuals located in Hong Kong, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates as complicit in enabling the sale of the oil, which OFAC reports provides funding for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force, or IRGC-QF. By way of front companies outside Iran, OFAC accuses the IRGC-QF of transferring hundreds of millions of dollars through offshore accounts to avoid sanctions and to fund "terrorist activities." Refineries that purchase Iranian oil then transfer payments to these front companies, which also move money to accounts that belong to IRGC-QF. Iran then reportedly uses the cash to fund both its weapons programs and support terrorist partners and proxies elsewhere in the Middle East. "The Iranian regime relies heavily on its shadow banking system to fund its destabilizing nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programs, rather than for the benefit of the Iranian people," said U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a press release. "[The] Treasury remains focused on disrupting this shadowy infrastructure that allows Iran to threaten the United States and our allies in the region." OFAC's action in regard to this activity falls under Executive Order 13224, first issued in 2001 by then-President George W. Bush, which "provides a means by which to disrupt the financial support network for terrorists and terrorist organizations by authorizing the U.S. government to designate and block the assets of foreign individuals and entities that commit, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism." The IRGC-QF was designated a terrorist organization in 2007 for its supporting of terrorist organizations, as was the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that same year for its support of IRGC-QF. Anyone who violates sanctions placed by the United States may face either criminal or civil penalties. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote in an X post Wednesday that "the Iranian regime relies heavily on its shadow banking system to fund its destabilizing nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programs, which threaten the United States and our allies in the region."
