Latest news with #DonaldTrump
Associated Press
19 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Trump pardons rapper NBA Youngboy, who was sentenced for gun-related charges
Louisiana rap artist NBA YoungBoy, who was sentenced to just under two years in prison on gun-related charges, was pardoned by President Donald Trump on Wednesday. The rapper is among a number of high-profile people Trump pardoned this week, including a former New York congressman, a labor union leader and a reality TV star couple. 'I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist,' NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, said in a statement posted online. Gaulden's pardon was confirmed Wednesday evening by two White House officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail actions that had not yet been formally made public. In 2024, Gaulden was sentenced by a federal judge in Utah after he acknowledged possessing weapons despite being a convicted felon. He reached an agreement that resolved Utah state charges against him and settled two sets of federal charges against him — one carried a 23-month sentence and the other ordered five years of probation and a $200,000 fine. Gaulden was released from federal prison in March and sent to home confinement after receiving credit for time served, according to his attorney Drew Findling. With home confinement finished last month, the pardon means he won't have to follow the terms of his probation, including drug testing, he said. Findling said he was thrilled Gaulden's legal saga had reached an end. 'From Louisiana to Utah the battles have been endless, and now he can concentrate on first and foremost his family, and then, of course, his amazing career,' Findling said in a statement. The rapper has acknowledged that he possessed a Glock 21 .45-caliber pistol and a Masterpiece Arms MPA30T 9mm handgun while filming a rap video in Baton Rouge. He has also said he had a Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic pistol at his home in Huntsville, Utah. He had agreed to give up the guns. Gaulden had previously been convicted in Louisiana of aggravated assault with a firearm, according to his statement released in advance of the plea agreement. He had also pleaded guilty in November to his role in a prescription drug fraud ring that operated out of his home in Utah. He had to pay a $25,000 fine and was given no prison time. The rapper, whose stage moniker stands for 'Never Broke Again,' is preparing to set out on a major U.S. tour in September. He has achieved four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 and one Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. His music includes '38 Baby,' 'Outside Today' and Tyler, The Creator's song, 'Wusyaname,' on which he is featured with Ty Dolla $ign. That collaboration earned them a Grammy nomination in 2022 for Best Melodic Rap Performance. ___ Associated Press writer Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bernie Sanders Says, 'Trump Just Announced He's Reduced Drug Prices By 85%,' Dares You To Go To The Pharmacy And 'Tell Them Trump Sent You'
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took a jab at President Donald Trump on social media, mocking a recent claim and executive order Trump made about slashing drug prices. 'Good news: Donald Trump, who never lies, just announced he alone has reduced drug prices by 85%,' Sanders posted on X on May 20. 'Quick. Go to your pharmacy. Demand an 85% reduction on your drug prices. Tell them Trump sent you.' He also added, 'If that doesn't work, tell him to support the bill I'm introducing that'll do it.' Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Sanders' post came days after Trump signed an executive order on May 12 aimed at lowering prescription drug costs for Americans. The order focuses on ensuring Americans pay the same or less than other wealthy nations by pressuring pharmaceutical companies to offer 'Most-Favored-Nation' pricing—the lowest price they offer to any developed country. According to a White House fact sheet, the order allows Americans to buy drugs directly from manufacturers, bypassing middlemen. If companies don't cooperate, the Department of Health and Human Services is instructed to take aggressive regulatory steps. 'Our citizens pay massively higher prices than other nations for the same exact pill,' Trump said. 'We would spend tremendous amounts of money in order to provide inexpensive drugs to another country.' Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Backing up both arguments is a February 2024 Rand Corp. study that found U.S. drug prices are on average 2.78 times higher than in 33 other developed nations. For brand-name drugs, the gap is even wider—4.22 times higher. The Rand report also revealed that in 2022, the U.S. accounted for 62% of global drug sales, despite making up just 24% of total prescription volume. Meanwhile, generics in the U.S. cost less than abroad, averaging about 67% of international Trump administration argues Americans are subsidizing both Big Pharma and foreign health systems, while Sanders wants broader government action to force lower prices through legislation. During a briefing on the Make America Healthy Again Commission's report on children's health, Trump criticized other countries for negotiating harder on prices, calling their representatives 'a lot more vicious than us,' and argued that the U.S. has been footing the bill for lower drug prices overseas for years. "We are going to now get a reduction in drug costs of up to 89% in some cases, but 50% would be a low, a bad number," Trump said. "It's going to be massive numbers. It's going to be incredible for Medicaid, incredible for all forms of health care. Medicare is going to be; it's going to have a huge impact, so big that nobody can calculate it." Read Next:'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Bernie Sanders Says, 'Trump Just Announced He's Reduced Drug Prices By 85%,' Dares You To Go To The Pharmacy And 'Tell Them Trump Sent You' originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Time of India
20 minutes ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Japan says China removes last buoy from Tokyo's economic waters
Japan says China removes last buoy from Tokyo's economic waters TOKYO: China has removed its last buoy from Japanese economic waters, a Japan Coast Guard spokesman said Thursday, in what may be a move by Beijing to improve ties. Japan said in December it had spotted a new buoy in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) south of Yonaguni Island, near Taiwan, and demanded that China remove it immediately. The Japan Coast Guard issued a statement late Wednesday saying that the buoy was no longer in place. A spokesman told AFP on Thursday that this means all Chinese buoys in Japanese economic waters have been removed. Japanese media said this could signal an intention by Beijing to improve strained ties with Tokyo, as China faces political and economic pressure from US President Donald Trump's government. "I decline to speculate on China's intentions," top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters on Thursday when asked about the removal of the buoy. Beijing had in July 2023 installed another buoy within Tokyo's EEZ-near a group of islets that Japan controls and calls the Senkakus, but are also claimed by China which calls them the Diaoyus. In February, China moved that buoy out of Japan's EEZ, the coast guard spokesman said. Tokyo accused Beijing earlier this week of conducting unnotified maritime scientific research within its EEZ, near the remote atoll of Okinotori in the Pacific Ocean. Adding to decades-old strain between the two countries over history and territorial disputes, Chinese-Japanese ties have soured recently due partly to Beijing's ban on seafood imports from Japan following Tokyo's 2023 release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Increased Chinese military activities, including brief intrusions into Japanese territory, have also led to a deterioration in Japanese public sentiment towards China. This has been fuelled by the 2024 fatal stabbing of a Japanese schoolboy in China, and a series of detentions of Japanese nationals by the Chinese authorities.
Washington Post
24 minutes ago
- Business
- Washington Post
South Korea's central bank cuts borrowing costs to nurse the sluggish economy
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's central bank cut its key interest rate and sharply lowered its growth outlook for the country's economy in 2025, as it moved Thursday to counter U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff hikes and weak domestic demand worsened by recent political turmoil. Following a monetary policy meeting, the Bank of Korea cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 2.5%. It was its fourth cut since October, when it began lowering borrowing costs for the first time in years to support a weakening economy. The bank slashed its 2025 growth outlook to 0.8%, nearly halving its previous projection of 1.5% announced in February. Share prices jumped, with the Kospi gaining 1.7%. Although trade tensions have recently eased, the global economy is still expected to slow due to the lingering effects of increased tariffs. U.S.-China friction over trade and geopolitical uncertainties will continue to weigh on markets, the bank said in a statement. South Korea's domestic economic activity remained sluggish in April following a contraction in the first quarter driven by weak consumption and business investment, the bank said. It said job creation in manufacturing and other sectors was slow. Since beginning his second term, Trump has vowed to slap huge new tariffs on foreign products entering the United States, including those from Mexico, Canada and China, which he insists will create more domestic jobs and shrink the federal deficit. In recent weeks, South Korea has sent trade officials to Washington to discuss the Trump administration's trade measures, including reciprocal tariffs and potential product-specific duties on semiconductors and cars, which are major exports for the country's trade-dependent economy. A decision by a U.S. federal court saying Trump lacks the legal authority to impose such tariffs could upset his plans, but the White House has appealed and it's unclear what will happen in the longer run. Experts say South Korea's leverage in trade talks and its ability to tackle domestic economic challenges have been undermined by political instability after former President Yoon Suk Yeol's ill-fated imposition of martial law in December. Yoon was formally ousted from office in April, setting the stage for a snap presidential election next week.
The Sun
25 minutes ago
- Business
- The Sun
Oil Prices Rise After US Court Blocks Trump Tariffs
TOKYO: Oil prices rose on Thursday after a U.S. court blocked President Donald Trump's tariffs from taking effect, while the market was watching out for potential new U.S. sanctions curbing Russian crude flows and an OPEC+ decision on hiking output in July. Brent crude futures climbed 81 cents, or 1.25%, to $65.71 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude advanced by 83 cents, or 1.34%, to $62.62 a barrel at 0102 GMT. A U.S. trade court on Wednesday ruled that Trump overstepped his authority by imposing across-the-board tariffs on imports from nations that sell more to the United States than they buy. The ruling buoyed risk appetite across global markets which have been on edge about the impact of the levies on economic growth, but analysts said the relief may only be temporary given the administration has said it will appeal. 'But for now, investors get a breather from the economic uncertainty they love to loathe,' said Matt Simpson, an analyst at City Index in Brisbane. On the supply front, there are concerns about potential new sanctions on Russian crude. At the same time, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, together called OPEC+, could agree on Saturday to accelerate their oil production hikes in July. With Russian oil so far overall showing relative resistance to the sanctions, imposed over Moscow's war on Ukraine, 'it is hard to be convinced that any new U.S. sanctions on Russia will meaningfully dent Russia's oil exports,' Commonwealth Bank of Australia analyst Vivek Dhar said in a note. Adding to supply risks, Chevron has terminated its oil production and a number of other activities in Venezuela, after its key license was revoked by U.S. President Donald Trump's government in March. Venezuela in April cancelled cargoes scheduled to Chevron citing payment uncertainties related to U.S. sanctions. Chevron was exporting 290,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Venezuelan oil or over a third of the country's total before that. 'From May through August, the data points to a constructive, bullish bias with liquids demand set to outpace supply,' Mukesh Sahdev, Global Head of Commodity Markets at Rystad Energy, said in a note, as he expects demand growth outpacing supply growth by 0.6 million to 0.7 million bpd. Later on Thursday, investors will be watching for the weekly reports from the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Energy. U.S. crude oil and distillate inventories likely rose last week while gasoline stockpiles likely fell, an extended Reuters poll showed on Wednesday. According to the market sources familiar with the API data, U.S. crude and gasoline stocks fell last week while distillate inventories rose.
