The Latest: Trump to host Turkey’s Erdogan at the White House
By The Associated Press
President Donald Trump will hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Thursday as the Republican leader has indicated the U.S. government’s hold on sales of advanced fighter jets to Ankara may soon be lifted.
During Trump’s first term, the United States kicked out Turkey, a NATO ally, from its flagship F-35 fighter jet program after it purchased an air defense system from Russia. U.S. officials worried that Turkey’s use of Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air missile system could be used to gather data on the capabilities of the F-35 and that the information could end up in Russian hands.
But Trump last week gave Turkey hope that a resolution to the matter is near as he announced plans for Erdogan’s visit.
Here’s the latest:
Trump cheers for GOP New Jersey governor candidate
The president took to social media to make the case for Jack Ciattarelli, the former state Assembly member, while ripping Democratic nominee Rep. Mikie Sherrill.
“Jack is tough on crime and cutting taxes, two things that people really demand today,” Trump said, adding that Ciattarelli “will be a GREAT Governor.”
Trump and his administration’s policies loomed large when Ciattarelli and Sherrill on Sunday participated in their first debate ahead of the November election. The New Jersey race is one of the most closely watched races in this off-year election cycle.
Trump heads to the Ryder Cup, embraced by a golf world that once shunned him
Four years ago, President Trump was persona non grata in the professional golf world, ostracized from the sport he loves in the wake of the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The PGA of America pulled his chance to host its major championship and officials in his hometown, New York City, tried ousting his company from the golf course it had hired him to run.
On Friday, Trump will be front and center at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black — welcomed to the first day of competition by the very powers that once shunned him. The Ryder Cup is run by the PGA of America, the organization that yanked its 2022 PGA Championship from his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf course.
U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said he’s “deeply honored” that Trump will be there to cheer on his squad. European captain Luke Donald said the president’s attendance “just shows how big the Ryder Cup is,” calling it a “mark of respect,” even if he’s rooting for the other side.
▶ Read more about Trump and the Ryder Cup
US economy expanded at a surprising 3.8% pace in significant upgrade of second quarter growth
U.S. gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — rebounded in the spring from a 0.6% first-quarter drop caused by fallout from President Trump’s trade wars, the Commerce Department said Thursday. The department had previously estimated second-quarter growth at 3.3%.
The first-quarter GDP drop, the first retreat of the U.S. economy in three years, was mainly caused by a surge in imports — which are subtracted from GDP — as businesses hurried to bring in foreign goods before Trump could impose sweeping taxes on them. That trend reversed as expected in the second quarter: Imports fell at a 29.3% pace, boosting April-June growth by more than 5 percentage points.
▶ Read more about the U.S. economy
Trump’s Thursday schedule
At 11:15 a.m. ET, Trump will greet the President of Turkey. They’ll have a meeting in the Oval Office, followed by a lunch.
At 3:30 p.m., Trump will sign executive orders.
At 4:30 p.m., Trump will have a meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
US military intercepts Russian aircraft near Alaska for ninth time this year
U.S. fighter jets were scrambled Wednesday to identify and intercept four Russian warplanes flying near Alaska, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
NORAD, in a statement issued early Thursday, said it detected and tracked two Tu-95s and two Su-35s operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
NORAD scrambled nine U.S. aircraft, including an E-3 Sentry command and control aircraft, four F-16s, and four KC-135 tankers, to positively identify and intercept the Russian jets.
The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. Such Russian activity near Alaska occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat, NORAD said. This was ninth time this year that the command has publicly announced such an incursion.
The incident comes after President Trump said Tuesday that he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from the U.S. leader’s repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war.
Trump hosts Turkey’s Erdogan at the White House as the US considers lifting a ban on F-35 sales
Trump will hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Thursday as the Republican leader has indicated that the U.S. government’s hold on sales of advanced fighter jets to Ankara may soon be lifted.
During Trump’s first term, the United States kicked out Turkey, a NATO ally, from its flagship F-35 fighter jet program after it purchased an air defense system from Russia. U.S. officials worried that Turkey’s use of Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air missile system could be used to gather data on the capabilities of the F-35 and that the information could end up in Russian hands.
But Trump last week gave Turkey hope that a resolution to the matter is near as he announced plans for Erdogan’s visit.
The visit will be Erdogan’s first trip to the White House since 2019. The two leaders forged what Trump has described as a “very good relationship” during his first White House go-around despite the U.S.-Turkey relationship often being complicated.
▶ Read more about the upcoming visit
