Air Force One: iconic jet gets the Trump treatment

It is arguably the world’s most iconic plane, an instantly recognizable symbol of the US presidency. But now Air Force One — like many other American institutions once considered sacred — is getting the Donald Trump treatment.- A name, not a plane – Technically Air Force One is the callsign for whichever US Air Force plane, no matter how small, is carrying the US president.But most people identify it with the two heavily modified versions of the Boeing 747-200 jet liner that usually shuttle the US president around the world.The two current models, called the VC-25A in military speak, both entered service in 1990 during the presidency of George H.W. Bush.With its classic blue and white livery the current jumbo jet has become so famous that it even spawned a Hollywood thriller named after it, starring Harrison Ford.Sometimes presidents use smaller planes based on Boeing 757s for shorter flights, dubbed “Baby Air Force One.”- Presidential suite -“Big Air Force One” boasts luxury features fit for a commander-in-chief.The president himself has a large suite that includes an office with leather chairs and a polished wooden desk — a space Trump used for a press conference to sign a proclamation renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.A medical suite on board can also function as an operating room, should the worst happen.There are special cabins for senior advisors, Secret Service members and 13 traveling press. It has two galleys that can feed 100 people at a time, all on specially branded crockery.- Special features – But the plane’s main role is keeping the US president safe.Inflight refueling capability means it can stay in the air almost indefinitely.A hardened electronics system protects against electromagnetic pulses — whether from nuclear explosions or hostile jammers — “allowing the aircraft to function as a mobile command center in the event of an attack on the United States,” the White House said.Those communications also keep Trump constantly in touch with the ground — and able to send social media posts in mid-air.The jet also has top secret air defenses, according to aviation specialists.These reportedly include countermeasures that can jam enemy radars and infrared tracking systems, plus dispensers for chaff — metal shavings that distract radar-guided missiles — and flares that blind heat-seeking missiles.- Historic roles – Inevitably, Air Force One has also played its role in history.The first specially-designed jets were brought in by John F. Kennedy in 1962, using modified Boeing 707s. One of those jets brought Kennedy’s body back to Washington after his assassination in Dallas in 1963.Then in 2001, George W. Bush took to the skies aboard Air Force One after the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington.- Trump obsession – But Trump has long had something of an obsession with the presidential jets.The Republican has consistently sought to upgrade them, agreeing a deal with Boeing in 2018 during his first term for two new models based on the newer 747-8 jet.He also dreamed up a new color scheme — replacing the one largely in place since Kennedy’s time — with a deep red stripe down the middle of the aircraft and a dark blue underbelly.Trump likes the new look so much that he still has a model of it on his coffee table in the Oval Office, and showed it off at his inauguration for a second term.But now he has repeatedly complained about delays and cost overruns.”We’re very disappointed that it’s taking Boeing so long… We have an Air Force one that’s 40 years old,” Trump said on Monday.”You look at some of the Arab countries and the planes they have parked alongside of the United States of America plane, it’s like from a different planet.”One of those same Arab countries, Qatar, has now offered the United States a Boeing 747-8 from the royal family to use as a stopgap Air Force One.But with ethical concerns and security worries about using a plane from a foreign power for such an ultra-sensitive purpose, it’s unclear whether the scheme will ever leave the ground.

Air Force One: iconic jet gets the Trump treatment

It is arguably the world’s most iconic plane, an instantly recognizable symbol of the US presidency. But now Air Force One — like many other American institutions once considered sacred — is getting the Donald Trump treatment.- A name, not a plane – Technically Air Force One is the callsign for whichever US Air Force plane, no matter how small, is carrying the US president.But most people identify it with the two heavily modified versions of the Boeing 747-200 jet liner that usually shuttle the US president around the world.The two current models, called the VC-25A in military speak, both entered service in 1990 during the presidency of George H.W. Bush.With its classic blue and white livery the current jumbo jet has become so famous that it even spawned a Hollywood thriller named after it, starring Harrison Ford.Sometimes presidents use smaller planes based on Boeing 757s for shorter flights, dubbed “Baby Air Force One.”- Presidential suite -“Big Air Force One” boasts luxury features fit for a commander-in-chief.The president himself has a large suite that includes an office with leather chairs and a polished wooden desk — a space Trump used for a press conference to sign a proclamation renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.A medical suite on board can also function as an operating room, should the worst happen.There are special cabins for senior advisors, Secret Service members and 13 traveling press. It has two galleys that can feed 100 people at a time, all on specially branded crockery.- Special features – But the plane’s main role is keeping the US president safe.Inflight refueling capability means it can stay in the air almost indefinitely.A hardened electronics system protects against electromagnetic pulses — whether from nuclear explosions or hostile jammers — “allowing the aircraft to function as a mobile command center in the event of an attack on the United States,” the White House said.Those communications also keep Trump constantly in touch with the ground — and able to send social media posts in mid-air.The jet also has top secret air defenses, according to aviation specialists.These reportedly include countermeasures that can jam enemy radars and infrared tracking systems, plus dispensers for chaff — metal shavings that distract radar-guided missiles — and flares that blind heat-seeking missiles.- Historic roles – Inevitably, Air Force One has also played its role in history.The first specially-designed jets were brought in by John F. Kennedy in 1962, using modified Boeing 707s. One of those jets brought Kennedy’s body back to Washington after his assassination in Dallas in 1963.Then in 2001, George W. Bush took to the skies aboard Air Force One after the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington.- Trump obsession – But Trump has long had something of an obsession with the presidential jets.The Republican has consistently sought to upgrade them, agreeing a deal with Boeing in 2018 during his first term for two new models based on the newer 747-8 jet.He also dreamed up a new color scheme — replacing the one largely in place since Kennedy’s time — with a deep red stripe down the middle of the aircraft and a dark blue underbelly.Trump likes the new look so much that he still has a model of it on his coffee table in the Oval Office, and showed it off at his inauguration for a second term.But now he has repeatedly complained about delays and cost overruns.”We’re very disappointed that it’s taking Boeing so long… We have an Air Force one that’s 40 years old,” Trump said on Monday.”You look at some of the Arab countries and the planes they have parked alongside of the United States of America plane, it’s like from a different planet.”One of those same Arab countries, Qatar, has now offered the United States a Boeing 747-8 from the royal family to use as a stopgap Air Force One.But with ethical concerns and security worries about using a plane from a foreign power for such an ultra-sensitive purpose, it’s unclear whether the scheme will ever leave the ground.

Markets rally after China, US slash tariffs

Stock markets, the dollar and oil prices all rallied Monday after the United States and China declared a 90-day truce in their trade war.Wall Street’s main stock indices jumped at the start of trading and held steady much of the day before finishing with a flourish. The broad-based S&P 500 ended up 3.3 percent.”Stocks are surging, safe havens are rapidly declining, and expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts have been dramatically scaled back,” said Kathleen Brooks, research director at traders XTB.”The market was not expecting the big change to US and China tariff rates, which is very positive for the outlook for the US and the global economy,” she added.Hong Kong’s stock market closed up three percent in reaction.Paris led the way in Europe, gaining 1.4 percent, while Frankfurt notched yet another record high, although it later gave up most of its gains.The big gainer in the French capital was luxury giant LVMH, the maker of Louis Vuitton handbags, whose shares gained seven percent.The dollar rallied against the euro, yen and British pound, while oil prices also moved solidly higher.Investors have been on a rollercoaster ride since US President Donald Trump unveiled tariffs on global trading partners on April 2.Trump had hit China with the heftiest measures — 145 percent tariffs that prompted Beijing to impose retaliatory rates of 125 percent.However, after two days of highly anticipated negotiations in Geneva, the two countries hailed progress towards ending a crisis that fuelled fears of a global recession.In a joint statement, the United States said it would reduce levies to 30 percent while Chinese tariffs on American goods would be cut to 10 percent for 90 days starting on May 14.”There isn’t any hangup at the moment about this not being a permanent change,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare.”Market participants simply care that it represents a major de-escalation and a move to a tariff area that is at least workable for US businesses and the global trade order.”But Karsten Junius at bank J. Safra Sarasin urged caution.”We expect financial markets to remain volatile over the coming months, as they have almost fully priced out negative economic surprises and could once again be disrupted by more serious obstacles in trade negotiations,” he noted.”In all likelihood, things may still get worse before they get better.”Investors are also awaiting the release this week of data on US inflation and retail sales, which will provide a fresh snapshot of the world’s biggest economy since the tariffs were first unveiled.- Key figures at around 2220 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 2.8 percent at 42,410.10 (close)New York – S&P 500: UP 3.3 percent at 5,844.19 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 4.4 percent at 18,708.34 (close)Paris – CAC 40: UP 1.4 percent at 7,850.10 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 0.3 percent at 23,566.54 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 8,604.98 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.4 percent at 37,644.26 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 3.0 percent at 23,549.46 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.8 percent at 3,369.24 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1089 from $1.1250 on FridayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3173 from $1.3306Dollar/yen: UP at 148.38 yen from 145.37 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 84.18 pence from 84.58 penceBrent North Sea Crude: UP 1.6 percent at $64.96 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 3.2 percent at $61.95 per barrelburs-jmb/mlm

Rapper Tory Lanez attacked in US prison: authorities

Rapper Tory Lanez, who was convicted over the 2020 shooting of Megan Thee Stallion, was hospitalized after getting attacked in a California prison, authorities said Monday.Lanez, whose real name is Daystar Peterson, was rushed to the hospital following the early morning assault by another prisoner at the institution in Tehachapi, 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of Los Angeles.There was no official comment on the severity of his injuries, but entertainment outlet TMZ, citing sources, reported he was expected to survive what it said was a stabbing.”At approximately 7:20am today, Daystar Peterson was attacked by another inmate at a housing unit in the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi,” said a statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.”Staff immediately responded, activated 911 and began medical aid. Peterson was subsequently transported to an outside medical facility for further treatment.”Prison authorities have begun an investigation into the attack, working alongside the district attorney’s office in Kern County, they said.In 2023 Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a closely followed trial in Los Angeles in which he denied shooting at Megan Thee Stallion.A jury had heard how the Canadian rapper had ordered the “Savage” star to dance as he shot repeatedly at her feet.Megan Thee Stallion — whose real name is Megan Pete — had been in a car with Lanez, his bodyguard and her friend Kelsey Harris after a party at Kylie Jenner’s luxury home in July 2020.She and Lanez had developed an intimate relationship in the months before the incident.Harris, who only learned of the sexual relationship that night, had a crush on Lanez, she had told the court, and an argument then erupted in the car, with Megan Thee Stallion demanding to be let out of the vehicle.The “Hot Girl Summer” singer said she suffered injuries to her feet that affected her ability to walk after the attack.

Amazon delivery driver poops on LA porch

A delivery driver dropped off more than an Amazon package on her weekend route when she stopped to relieve herself outside two different houses.Security camera footage captured the courier, wearing an Amazon vest, climbing the steps of a home in Los Angeles with a parcel in hand.When she walked away from the front porch — pulling up her shorts — a human poop was left on the bottom step.Homeowner Tamara Bedoy told broadcaster KTLA her husband was confronted with the mess when he went to get her a Mothers’ Day coffee and to pick up the gift that had been delivered.”He went downstairs and was greeted by not only one package, but a second inappropriate, disgusting package, which was essentially human feces and what looked to be urination,” Bedoy said.”I was really disgusted. It was a horrible experience.”Barely half an hour later, the same driver was seen on another home’s security camera dropping her pants and urinating close to the package she had just delivered.A spokesman for Amazon told AFP that the driver, who was an independent contractor, was no longer delivering for the company.”We’re deeply disturbed by the unacceptable behavior of this delivery driver and apologize to the customers involved,” Richard Rocha said.

Hollywood stars condemn Gaza ‘genocide’ on eve of Cannes Festival

More than 350 figures from the cinema world including Hollywood stars Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon condemned “genocide” in Gaza in an open letter published Monday on the eve of the Cannes Festival.”We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” read the letter initiated by several pro-Palestinian activist groups and published in French newspaper Liberation and US magazine Variety. The signatories, which include acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and former Cannes winner Ruben Ostlund, decried the death of Gazan photojournalist Fatima Hassouna.Hassouna, 25, is the subject of a documentary which will premiere in Cannes on Thursday by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi, titled “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk”.Hassouna was killed along with 10 relatives in an Israeli air strike on her family home in northern Gaza last month, the day after the documentary was announced as part of the ACID Cannes selection.Farsi welcomed the impact of her film but called on Cannes Festival organisers to denounce Israel’s ongoing bombardment of the devastated Palestinian territory. “There needs to be a real statement,” she told AFP. “Saying ‘the festival isn’t political’ makes no sense.”This year’s Cannes jury president Juliette Binoche was initially said by organisers to have signed the petition, but her spokeswoman told AFP she had not endorsed it and her name was not published by Liberation.Other signatories include Jonathan Glazer, the British director of Jewish origin who won an Oscar for his 2023 Auschwitz drama “The Zone of Interest”, as well as US star Mark Ruffalo and Spanish actor Javier Bardem.- War programming -The Cannes Festival kicks off Tuesday on the French Riviera, with an opening ceremony headlined by Robert De Niro and three films showing the devastation of Russia’s war on Ukraine.Two documentaries featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a third film shot on the brutal frontlines of Europe’s biggest war in 80 years are to be screened on a “Ukraine Day” of programming.It is “a reminder of the commitment of artists, authors and journalists to tell the story of this conflict in the heart of Europe”, the festival said.Nothing similar has been planned for the war in Gaza, but the film on Hassouna is set to “honour” her memory, organisers have said previously.Gazan filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser are also set to showcase their fiction feature set in 2007 in the Palestinian territory in one of the secondary sections of the festival.The opening film on Tuesday evening is “Leave One Day” by newcomer French director Amelie Bonnin before Hollywood heavyweight De Niro receives an honorary Palme d’Or. – Depardieu – De Niro is one of the most outspoken critics of Donald Trump in the American cinema world, with the “Taxi Driver” star often struggling to find words harsh enough for the US president. Trump has made himself one of the main talking-points in Cannes after announcing on May 5 that he wanted 100-percent tariffs on movies “produced in foreign lands”.The idea sent shockwaves through the film world, although few insiders or experts understand how such a policy could be implemented. Cannes director Thierry Fremaux talked up the festival’s “rich” American film programme on Monday, with movies from Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Ari Aster and Kelly Reichardt in the main competition.”American cinema remains great cinema. The United States remains a great country of cinema,” he said.Off-screen news in France is also likely to overshadow the red-carpet action in Cannes on Tuesday, with French film icon Gerard Depardieu facing a verdict in a sexual harassment case in Paris.Depardieu, who has acted in more than 200 films and television series, is the highest-profile figure caught up in France’s response to the #MeToo movement against sexual violence.- Cruise in town – While independent cinema forms the core of the Cannes festival, organisers also hand over part of the programme to major Hollywood studios to promote their blockbusters.Tom Cruise is set to return to the Riviera for the premiere of the latest instalment of his “Mission: Impossible” franchise on Thursday, three years after he lit up the festival while promoting “Top Gun: Maverick”.The festival will also see a series of high-profile debut films from actors-turned-directors, including “Eleanor the Great” from Scarlett Johansson and “The Chronology of Water” by Kristen Stewart.Organisers on Monday denied reports that they had banned provocative near-nude dresses from the red carpet.However, “full nudity on the red carpet” has been formally outlawed, “in keeping with French law”.

Trump dit “envisager” se rendre en Turquie jeudi pour des discussions Ukraine-Russie

Donald Trump a déclaré lundi qu’il pourrait se rendre en Turquie jeudi pour d’éventuelles discussions entre l’Ukraine et la Russie, s’il jugeait que ce serait utile.”J’envisage de m’y rendre par avion. Je ne sais pas où je serai jeudi. J’ai tellement de réunions, mais j’ai pensé à prendre l’avion pour aller là-bas. Il y a une possibilité, je suppose, si je pense que des choses peuvent se produire”, a affirmé le président américain à des journalistes à la Maison Blanche peu avant son départ pour une tournée au Moyen-Orient, qui l’amènera en Arabie saoudite, au Qatar et aux Emirats arabes unis.Le président russe Vladimir Poutine a proposé dimanche des négociations “directes” et “sans condition préalable” entre la Russie et l’Ukraine dès jeudi à Istanbul, repoussant de telles discussions à toute possibilité d’instaurer le cessez-le-feu de 30 jours exigé par les alliés de Kiev.Appelant Moscou à accepter une trêve “pour fournir une base nécessaire à la diplomatie”, le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky a assuré qu’il “attendrait” jeudi en Turquie son homologue russe, qui n’a pas répondu.”Je pense que la réunion de jeudi en Turquie entre la Russie et l’Ukraine pourrait déboucher sur un bon résultat, et je pense que les deux dirigeants devraient être présents”, a déclaré Donald Trump.Interrogé pour savoir s’il comptait prendre de nouvelles sanctions contre la Russie si celle-ci refusait le cessez-le-feu de 30 jours proposé par les alliés de Kiev, une menace brandie par ces derniers, le locataire de la Maison Blanche a répondu: “J’ai le sentiment qu’ils vont se mettre d’accord. Vraiment. J’en ai le sentiment”.De son côté, le secrétaire d’Etat Marco Rubio, qui accompagne M. Trump au Moyen-Orient, s’est entretenu jeudi avec son homologue turc Hakan Fidan, disant selon un communiqué “remercier la Turquie d’avoir accueilli et facilité les négociations directes entre la Russie et l’Ukraine”.Il s’est également félicité “de la possibilité d’un cessez-le-feu immédiat”.Le chef de la diplomatie américaine doit participer jeudi à une réunion informelle des ministres des Affaires étrangères de l’Otan, à Antalya (sud-ouest) en Turquie.Outre le conflit en Ukraine, il s’agira de préparer le prochain sommet de l’Otan, aux Pays-Bas en juin.

Trump dit “envisager” se rendre en Turquie jeudi pour des discussions Ukraine-Russie

Donald Trump a déclaré lundi qu’il pourrait se rendre en Turquie jeudi pour d’éventuelles discussions entre l’Ukraine et la Russie, s’il jugeait que ce serait utile.”J’envisage de m’y rendre par avion. Je ne sais pas où je serai jeudi. J’ai tellement de réunions, mais j’ai pensé à prendre l’avion pour aller là-bas. Il y a une possibilité, je suppose, si je pense que des choses peuvent se produire”, a affirmé le président américain à des journalistes à la Maison Blanche peu avant son départ pour une tournée au Moyen-Orient, qui l’amènera en Arabie saoudite, au Qatar et aux Emirats arabes unis.Le président russe Vladimir Poutine a proposé dimanche des négociations “directes” et “sans condition préalable” entre la Russie et l’Ukraine dès jeudi à Istanbul, repoussant de telles discussions à toute possibilité d’instaurer le cessez-le-feu de 30 jours exigé par les alliés de Kiev.Appelant Moscou à accepter une trêve “pour fournir une base nécessaire à la diplomatie”, le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky a assuré qu’il “attendrait” jeudi en Turquie son homologue russe, qui n’a pas répondu.”Je pense que la réunion de jeudi en Turquie entre la Russie et l’Ukraine pourrait déboucher sur un bon résultat, et je pense que les deux dirigeants devraient être présents”, a déclaré Donald Trump.Interrogé pour savoir s’il comptait prendre de nouvelles sanctions contre la Russie si celle-ci refusait le cessez-le-feu de 30 jours proposé par les alliés de Kiev, une menace brandie par ces derniers, le locataire de la Maison Blanche a répondu: “J’ai le sentiment qu’ils vont se mettre d’accord. Vraiment. J’en ai le sentiment”.De son côté, le secrétaire d’Etat Marco Rubio, qui accompagne M. Trump au Moyen-Orient, s’est entretenu jeudi avec son homologue turc Hakan Fidan, disant selon un communiqué “remercier la Turquie d’avoir accueilli et facilité les négociations directes entre la Russie et l’Ukraine”.Il s’est également félicité “de la possibilité d’un cessez-le-feu immédiat”.Le chef de la diplomatie américaine doit participer jeudi à une réunion informelle des ministres des Affaires étrangères de l’Otan, à Antalya (sud-ouest) en Turquie.Outre le conflit en Ukraine, il s’agira de préparer le prochain sommet de l’Otan, aux Pays-Bas en juin.