Microsoft unveiled Mico, a blob-like animated avatar for Copilot’s voice mode, as part of a “human-centered” rebranding that aims to build AI that “earns your trust.” Mico shows warmth and personality, reacting “like someone who truly listens,” and even hides an Easter egg that turns it into Clippy. “Clippy walked...
The Pentagon confirmed plans to route a $130 million donation from an anonymous ally of President Donald Trump to cover service members’ pay during the shutdown, citing its gift-acceptance authority. The unusual step, outside normal congressional appropriations, spurred bipartisan inquiries and Democratic warnings it may violate the Antideficiency Act; one...
As U.S. President Donald Trump prepares for his first Asia trip since returning to office, talk has intensified about a possible encounter with Kim Jong Un in South Korea, perhaps at Panmunjom around the Oct. 31-Nov. 1 APEC meetings. Officials and analysts are split: some see rising odds, noting suspended...
Washington — The Pentagon is deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to U.S. Southern Command’s area, sharply expanding forces targeting narcotics traffickers. Spokesman Sean Parnell said the move will enhance detection and disruption of illicit actors across the Caribbean, Central and South America. The Ford will join...
US President Donald Trump is seeking a quick win from a pivotal Thursday meeting with Xi Jinping, even if it falls short of the sweeping deal he has teased. Ahead of the sit-down, he said he wants to extend a pause on higher tariffs on Chinese goods in exchange for...
Justice Department lawyers said Friday the Trump administration plans to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia, which has agreed to accept him, with removal possible as soon as Oct. 31. In a court filing, they cited diplomatic assurances and noted Liberia was not among more than 20 countries Abrego Garcia...
After talks in Cairo, main Palestinian factions agreed to hand Gaza’s administration to a temporary committee of independent technocrats, as Hamas said mediators gave “clear guarantees” the war had effectively ended. The statement urged a meeting to set a national strategy and revive the PLO. Separately, Marwan Barghouti’s wife appealed...
Tropical Storm Melissa stalled in the central Caribbean on Friday, threatening to intensify into a major hurricane as it nears Jamaica and drenches southern Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Forecasters warned of catastrophic flash floods and landslides in Haiti, where at least three people were killed, and said Jamaica could...
Masked federal agents have escalated immigration sweeps in Latino communities from Chicago to Los Angeles, prompting a series of lawsuits and an emergency Supreme Court ruling. In Los Angeles, the justices temporarily allowed agents to question people based solely on race, ethnicity or language, reversing a judge’s injunction; Justice Kavanaugh...
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group from Europe to the Caribbean to “dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism,” the Pentagon said. The first-in-class carrier, recently near Split, Croatia, is more than 5,000 miles from the region and will take days to arrive. The...
