Unknown Deadly Illness Strikes Western Congo

An unidentified illness has killed scores of people and infected hundreds in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization has reported, with preliminary investigations tracing the outbreak to three children who in January ate a bat and died. Fifty-three people in the country’s northwest had died from the disease, out of 431 reported … Read more

Trump Announces Investigation That Could Lead to Tariffs on Foreign Copper

President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday directing his commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, to begin an investigation into whether foreign production of copper and imports of the material into the United States pose risks to America’s economic and national security. White House officials said that, depending on the results of the investigation, new tariffs could … Read more

Wednesday Briefing: Taiwan Considers a Changed U.S.

Taiwan watches as Trump turns on Ukraine Taiwan could be forced to consider its political future as President Trump turns against Ukraine and abandons Western efforts to punish Russia. Ukraine and Taiwan share a kinship: small democracies laid claim to by hulking, authoritarian neighbors. President Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s president, has already been trying to prevent … Read more

Their Album is Wordless. Will Their Protest Against A.I. Resound?

Sometimes, silence speaks louder than song. That’s the hope, at least, for more than 1,000 musicians who released a lyric-less album on Tuesday to protest the British government’s proposal to expand the ways that developers can use copyright-protected works to train artificial intelligence models. The album, which was created by artists including Annie Lennox, Billy … Read more

The World Bank Pivoted to Climate. That Now May Be a Problem.

As the Trump administration imposes deep cuts on foreign aid and renewable energy programs, the World Bank, one of the most important financiers of energy projects in developing countries, is facing doubts over whether its biggest shareholder, the United States, will stay on board. While the Trump administration has voiced neither support nor antipathy for … Read more

Johnson Grasps for Republican Votes to Pass Budget Plan

Speaker Mike Johnson toiled on Tuesday to find the votes to squeeze the G.O.P. budget resolution through the House, facing potential defections from centrist Republicans fearing the plan would tee up deep Medicaid cuts and conservatives who want to slash federal spending even more deeply. Mr. Johnson announced an evening vote on the budget outline, … Read more