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Group of Seven leaders including US President Donald Trump began arriving Sunday in the Canadian Rockies for a summit where they will consider whether to take a common stance as violence intensifies between Israel and Iran.The three-day gathering in the mountain town of Kananaskis marks the return to the international diplomatic calendar of Trump, who in his second term has been even more emboldened to shatter norms.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had designed an agenda aimed at minimizing disagreements within the club of wealthy industrial democracies — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.But Canada is now sounding out countries about making a joint call for “de-escalation” between Israel and Iran, a diplomat said.Two days before the summit began, Israel stunned the world with a massive military campaign that it says is aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear program and has targeted officials, scientists and security sites.Iran has fired back with drones and missiles at Israel, with senior officials from both countries threatening massive destruction.Both sides say civilians have been killed in the strikes. G7 leaders could see divisions over the crisis.Trump has praised Israel’s strikes, noting it used US weapons, even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defied his public calls to hold off as the United States sought a negotiated solution with Iran on the cleric-run state’s contested nuclear work.European powers have been cautious and refrained from criticizing Israel.French President Emmanuel Macron has called for restraint and urged Iran to re-enter talks with the United States, while blaming Tehran for escalating tensions over its nuclear program.Japan, which historically has maintained cordial ties with Iran, made a forceful break with allies in the United States and Europe when it denounced Israel’s strikes as “deeply regrettable.”- Flying to ’51st state’ -Trump is visiting Canada despite his mockery of the United States’ northern neighbor, which he has said would be better off as the 51st state.Tensions have eased since Carney, a former central banker known more for his competence than pizzazz, took over in March from Justin Trudeau, an erstwhile star on the global stage whom Trump made no secret of disliking.When Trump last visited Canada for a G7 summit in 2018, he bolted out early and from Air Force One tweeted insults about Trudeau, disassociating the United States from the final statement.Carney plans to meet early Monday with Trump, a Canadian official said. Carney met in Ottawa on Sunday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of the summit.The ongoing Ukraine-Russia war will also be up for discussion at the G7.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is among the invited guests and hopes to speak to Trump, who publicly derided him when they met at the White House on February 28.Trump had hoped to force Ukraine into a quick deal with Russia but he has grown frustrated after President Vladimir Putin refused US-led appeals for at least a temporary truce.Trump spoke by telephone with Putin on Saturday, both about the Israel-Iran conflict and Ukraine.French President Macron, however, cast doubt on Putin serving as a Middle East mediator and said he wanted to see if Trump would be willing to impose future sanctions on Russia.Macron headed to Kananaskis after stopping in Greenland, where he denounced Trump’s threats to seize the Danish autonomous territory.”That’s not what allies do,” he said.Trump for his part will arrive at the summit after attending a military parade in Washington that coincided with his birthday, prompting nationwide protests over steps seen as increasingly authoritarian.- Trade deadline looms -European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also spoke by telephone Saturday with Trump and called for pressure on Russia over the Ukraine invasion.She again voiced hope for progress in trade talks. Trump, seeking a radical transformation of a global economic order centered on free trade, has vowed to slap sweeping tariffs on US friends and foes alike on July 9, a deadline he postponed once.Other leaders invited to the summit include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Canada hopes to reset ties.Trudeau had accused Modi’s government of masterminding the assassination of a Sikh separatist in Canada, which expelled the Indian ambassador, prompting New Delhi to take punitive action of its own.

US President Donald Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a senior US official told AFP Sunday.”We found out that the Israelis had plans to hit Iran’s supreme leader. President Trump was against it and we told the Israelis not to,” said the US official, speaking on condition of anonymity.Earlier Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dodged a question about reports that Trump had asked his country not to kill Khamenei.”I’m not going to get into that,” he told Fox News.”But I can tell you,… we’ll do what we need to do, and I think the United States knows what is good for the United States,” he said.The comments came as Israel and Iran exchanged another barrage of missiles Sunday, with residents told to seek shelter as booms were heard over Jerusalem, and aerial defense systems reportedly activated in Tehran. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war fought through proxies and covert operations, the latest conflict marked the first time the countries have traded fire with such intensity, triggering fears of a lengthy conflict that could engulf the entire Middle East.It began Friday, when Israel launched an attack that has killed top military commanders and nuclear scientists, and struck military bases, nuclear sites and residential areas across the country.As Israel struck targets across Iran again on Sunday, Netanyahu vowed to make the country pay a “heavy price” for killing Israeli civilians.He also strongly suggested to Fox News that Israel had killed Iran’s intelligence chief Mohammad Kazemi, saying it had recently “got the chief intelligence officer and his deputy in Tehran” as its jets carried out raids over the capital.Trump has insisted that Washington, a strong ally of Israel, “had nothing to do” with Israel’s bombing campaign.But he also threatened to unleash “the full strength and might” of the US military if Iran attacked US interests, later urging the two foes to “make a deal.”Trump stressed to ABC News Sunday that the United States is “not at this moment” involved in the military action, but said it was “possible we could get involved.”He also said he would be “open” to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin being a mediator to resolve the conflict.

The G7 may be a small, elite club, but when its leaders gather in Canada, several other national heads will attend as guests — highlighting the group’s efforts to adapt to a fast-changing world.The leaders of India, Ukraine, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea are among a carefully selected guest list drawn up at a time of global turmoil and a radical new US approach to world affairs.Summit invitations have become part of the G7 routine, and the host nation often likes to make a “welcome-to-this-exclusive-club” gesture, Ananya Kumar, of the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center, told AFP.”The leaders want to meet each other, and you’ll see the guests being a part of most of the work that happens.”Some hosts “really want certain guests there to show their significance in the global economy,” she added.This year’s summit in the Canadian Rockies comes as the G7’s share of world GDP has fallen from 63 percent in 1992 to 44 percent today, and as member nations deliberate on troubled relations with China and Russia.”It’s important to think of who will be there in the room as they’re making these decisions,” Kumar said ahead of the three-day event that mixes leadership meetings with “the nitty-gritty ministerial work.”Fifty years ago, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States formed the G6, first meeting at a French chateau, before Canada joined the following year.Russia itself was a guest in the early 1990s, becoming a full member of the G8 in 1998 before being expelled in 2014.Notable guests for the summit that starts Sunday include:- Ukraine -President Volodymyr Zelensky’s presence in Canada is a sign of continuing broad G7 support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion — despite Donald Trump’s skepticism.The US president regularly criticizes Zelensky and has upended the West’s supply of vital military, financial and intelligence assistance to Ukraine.Zelensky aims to use the summit to press for more US sanctions on Moscow, saying last week “I count on having a conversation” with Trump, who wants a quick peace deal.- India -Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the last G7 summit as India — the most populous nation in the world — takes an evermore important role in geopolitics. But his invitation this year was far from certain.Relations between India and Canada have turned sour over accusations of New Delhi’s involvement in the assassination of a Sikh activist in Canada. Modi and new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will have a chance to reset ties.India is also a leading member of BRICS — a more fractured bloc that includes Russia and China, but which has growing economic clout and is increasingly seen as a G7 rival.- Mexico -President Claudia Sheinbaum’s invitation means Canada has ensured that all three members of the USMCA free trade agreement will be present.Trump is seeking to transform the deal when it is up for review next year, as he pursues his global tariff war aimed at shifting manufacturing back to the United States.Enrique Millan-Mejia, of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, said he expected Mexico to use the summit to touch base with United States on tariffs and the USMCA, but he forecast no major breakthroughs.- South Africa -President Cyril Ramaphosa can expect a friendlier welcome than he got from Trump last month, when their Oval Office meeting included a surprise video alleging the South African government was overseeing the genocide of white farmers.Ramaphosa may hope he can make progress repairing badly strained ties via a quiet word with Trump away from the cameras.The former anti-apartheid activist is attending the summit as South Africa holds the current presidency of the wider G20 group, and he said he plans to push its agenda in Canada.- South Korea -Carney appears keen to expand the event to bring in other partners that hold views generally aligned with core members.South Korea fits the bill and has emerged since the Ukraine war as a major defense exporter to Europe, although it has stopped short of directly sending arms to Kyiv.Newly elected President Lee Jae-myung, who comes from the left, will attend after winning a snap election triggered by his predecessor’s disastrous martial law declaration.

Police and FBI agents waged a huge manhunt Sunday for a gunman who killed a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota in what officials called a politically motivated attack.As the search stretched into its second day, police appeared to close in on the shooter, finding a car described as related to him, but not the man himself.America reeled from its latest spasm of political violence as lawmakers called for a return to civility in political discourse that has been overheated and angry for years.Authorities searched for a man identified as Vance Boelter, 57, who also allegedly shot and wounded another lawmaker and his wife early Saturday in the northern state bordering Canada.Officials said Boelter impersonated a police officer as he came to the homes of these couples near Minneapolis and shot them, and that officers found a manifesto and a list of other lawmakers and potential targets in his car. Boelter fled on foot after exchanging gunfire with officers after the second shooting.On Sunday officers located another car related to Boelter in a rural area about a 90-minute drive west of Minneapolis, the Sibley County Sheriff’s Office told AFP.Residents were warned of the find and agents are scouring the area, the office said without explaining how the vehicle is related to the suspect.Officials have issued security alerts in South Dakota and other states as the hunt proceeds, US Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said Sunday as she mourned her slain friend, Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman.”I am concerned about all our political leaders, political organizations,” she said.”It was politically motivated, and there clearly was some throughline with abortion because of the groups that were on the list, and other things that I’ve heard were in this manifesto. So that was one of his motivations.”As speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2019 to January 2025, Hortman was committed to legislation that protected reproductive rights in the state, local media reported.- ‘Bring the tone down’ -America is bitterly divided politically as President Donald Trump embarks on his second term and routinely insults his opponents. Political violence is becoming more and more common.Trump himself survived an assassination attempt last year. An assailant with a hammer attacked the husband of then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022. And Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home was set on fire this year.”We need to bring the tone down,” Klobuchar said on CNN.US Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, himself attacked by a neighbor in 2017, told NBC “nothing brings us together more than, you know, mourning for somebody else who’s in political life, Republican or Democrats.”On Saturday the FBI released a photo that appears to show Boelter wearing a mask as he stands outside the home of one of the lawmakers.It is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.The shootings came on the day a dramatic split screen showed America divided: hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country took to the streets to rally against Trump as the president presided over a big military parade in Washington — a rare spectacle criticized as seeking to glorify him.Trump has condemned the killing of Hortman and her husband Mark and the wounding of state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.In a conversation Sunday with ABC News, Trump was asked if he planned to call Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who was Kamala Harris’s running mate in the election Trump won last year.”Well, it’s a terrible thing. I think he’s a terrible governor. I think he’s a grossly incompetent person,” the president said. “But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too.”

“How to Train Your Dragon,” a live-action reboot of a popular 2010 animated film, roared to the top of the North American box office with $83.7 million in weekend ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday. The family-friendly film from Universal and DreamWorks Animation tells the story of a friendship between a Viking named Hiccup (Mason Thames) and a dragon called Toothless. “This is an excellent opening for a live-action animation remake, and it’s especially good for the fourth episode in a series like this,” said David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch,” another live-action remake, kept up its excellent summer returns with $15.5 million, Exhibitor Relations said. So far, the film about Hawaiian girl Lilo (Maia Kealoha) and her blue alien friend Stitch (Chris Sanders) has grossed nearly $860 million worldwide.Debuting in third place is A24’s “Materialists,” a sophisticated rom-com starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, at $12 million.”It’s a grown-up story that’s well-timed as summer counter-programming,” Gross said.”Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” — the latest, and ostensibly last, in the hugely successful Tom Cruise spy thriller series based on a 1960s TV show — held its own in fourth place at $10.3 million.The Paramount film has now topped the $500 million mark worldwide.In fifth place was Lionsgate’s “Ballerina,” a “John Wick” spin-off starring Ana de Armas as a dancer turned contract killer, and co-starring Anjelica Huston. Keanu Reeves makes a brief appearance as the hitman Wick. It took in $9.4 million.Rounding out the top 10 were:”Karate Kid: Legends” ($5 million)”Final Destination: Bloodlines” ($3.9 million)”The Phoenician Scheme” ($3.1 million)”The Life of Chuck” ($2.1 million)”Sinners” ($1.5 million)

Police and FBI agents waged a huge manhunt Sunday for a gunman who killed a Democratic state lawmaker and her husband in Minnesota in what officials called a politically motivated attack.As America reeled from its latest spasm of political violence, lawmakers called for a return to civility in political discourse that has been overheated and angry for years.Authorities searched for a man identified as Vance Boelter, 57, who also allegedly shot and wounded another lawmaker and his wife early Saturday in the northern state bordering Canada.Officials said Boelter impersonated a police officer as he came to the homes of these couples near Minneapolis and shot them, and that officers found a manifesto and a list of other lawmakers and potential targets in his car. Boelter fled on foot after exchanging gunfire with officers after the second shooting.Officials have issued security alerts in South Dakota and other states as the hunt proceeds, US Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said Sunday as she mourned her slain friend, Democratic state representative Melissa Hortman.”I am concerned about all our political leaders, political organizations,” she said.”It was politically motivated, and there clearly was some throughline with abortion because of the groups that were on the list, and other things that I’ve heard were in this manifesto. So that was one of his motivations.”As speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, Hortman was committed to legislation that protected reproductive rights in the state, local media reported.America is bitterly divided politically as President Donald Trump embarks on his second term and routinely insults his opponents. Political violence is becoming more and more common.Trump himself survived an assassination attempt last year. An assailant with a hammer attacked the husband of then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022. And Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s house was set on fire this year.”We need to bring the tone down, Klobuchar said on CNN.US Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, himself attacked by a neighbor in 2017, told NBC “nothing brings us together more than, you know, mourning for somebody else who’s in political life, Republican or Democrats.”On Saturday the FBI released a photo that appears to show Boelter wearing a mask as he stands outside the home of one of the lawmakers.It is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.The shootings came on the day a dramatic split screen showed America divided: hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country took to the streets to rally against Trump as the president presided over a big military parade in Washington — a rare spectacle criticized as seeking to glorify him.Trump has condemned the killing of Hortman and her husband Mark and the wounding of state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.In a conversation Sunday with ABC News, Trump was asked if he planned to call Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who was Kamala Harris’s running mate in the election Trump won last year.”Well, it’s a terrible thing. I think he’s a terrible governor. I think he’s a grossly incompetent person,” the president said. “But I may, I may call him, I may call other people too.”

A manhunt was underway Sunday for a gunman who shot two Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota, killing Melissa Hortman and her husband and wounding the other, in what the northern US state’s governor said were politically motivated attacks.The shootings Saturday came as deep political divisions have riven the United States, the same day that hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country took to the streets to rally against the policies of Republican President Donald Trump.Democratic State Representative Hortman — a former speaker of the House — and her husband Mark were killed at their home in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park, Governor Tim Walz announced in a news conference.State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were shot and wounded at their home in nearby Champlin, he said.Authorities named the assailant as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, who was still at large and considered “armed and dangerous.””We believe he’s working to potentially flee the (Minneapolis-St Paul) area,” Drew Evans, superintendent of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, told reporters.Boelter had been spotted Saturday morning in the Minneapolis area on surveillance footage obtained from a business, the official said.Evans said authorities were still investigating the suspect’s motives, and did not know if additional people were involved in the attacks. Trump and US Attorney General Pam Bondi decried what they called “horrific violence” and said perpetrators would be prosecuted to “the fullest extent of the law.”The Federal Bureau of Investigation offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the capture or conviction of Boelter. – ‘Targeted political violence’ -Walz called the shootings “an act of targeted political violence.””Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don’t settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint,” he said during a news conference.He later announced on X that Minnesota’s flags will fly at half-staff in honor of Hortman. “She woke up every morning determined to make Minnesota a better place,” the Democratic governor said.State official Evans said Hoffman — who was “in stable condition” — and his wife were shot first, and as police investigated, Hortman and her husband were shot about 90 minutes later.The gunman was able to escape during an exchange of fire with officers near Hortman’s residence.Praetorian Guards Security Services, a home security company, described Boelter on its website as its director of security patrols.- Impersonating law enforcement -In both attacks, authorities believe the assailant impersonated a law enforcement officer.An image of Boelter released by the FBI showed him wearing what appeared to be a latex mask, potentially an attempt to evade identification. Flyers for the anti-Trump protests planned for Minnesota — — part of Saturday’s national wave of “No Kings” demonstrations — were found in the suspect’s car, as well as a manifesto that named numerous politicians and state officials, police said.The roommate of Boelter, David Carlson, told local TV affiliate KARE that he had received a text message from the suspect saying he was going to be gone for a while and “may be dead shortly.”Authorities recommended that people do not attend political rallies across Minnesota “out of an abundance of caution.”But footage from local TV stations showed huge crowds of protesters still turned out in state capital St Paul in a demonstration that doubled as a public mourning for Hortman. “She fought for the people, she stood with people, she was a powerful political leader,” said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in a speech during the protest. “Melissa proved that you could be a politician and be a good person.” -‘Precipice moment’ -Tensions were high across the country, and in Texas authorities said they evacuated the state capitol complex after a “credible threat” towards lawmakers planning to attend a protest there.In Brooklyn Park, where Hortman lived, authorities searching for the suspect lifted a shelter-in-place order Saturday afternoon, saying that there was “reason to believe he is no longer in the area.”The United States has been deeply divided since Trump returned to the White House in January.The Republican president has drawn criticism from Democrats over his harsh immigration policy, his assault on universities and the media, and a perceived flouting of limits on executive power.Former US congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who survived a shooting to the head in 2011 and is now a prominent advocate for the prevention of gun violence, said she was “devastated” by Hortman’s death. “We must protect our democracy from those who try to destroy it with a gun,” Giffords wrote on X.

President Donald Trump hosted the largest US military parade in decades on his 79th birthday as protesters rallied across the country to accuse him of acting like a dictator.Trump hailed the United States as the “hottest country in the world” after watching tanks, aircraft and troops file past him in Washington on Saturday to honor the 250th anniversary of the US army.It formed a stark split screen with turmoil at home and abroad, as police used teargas to disperse protesters in Los Angeles and US ally Israel traded missile fire with Iran in a rapidly escalating conflict in the Middle East.Trump’s parade on an overcast night in Washington came after hundreds of thousands of “No Kings” demonstrators thronged the streets in cities including New York, Philadelphia, Houston and Atlanta.The Republican largely avoided his usual domestic political diatribes in an unusually brief speech and instead focused on praising the US army, saying that they “fight, fight, fight, and they win, win, win.”The display of military might comes as Trump asserts his power domestically and on the international stage.Trump used his parade address to send a warning to Washington’s adversaries of “total and complete” defeat, with the United States increasingly at risk of entanglement in Israel’s conflict with Iran. “Time and again, America’s enemies have learned that if you threaten the American people, our soldiers are coming for you,” Trump said.- ‘Happy Birthday’ -Trump had openly dreamed since his first term as president of having a grand military parade of the type more often seen in Moscow or Pyongyang.The last such parade in the United States was at the end of the Gulf War in 1991.Trump stood and saluted on a stage outside the White House as tanks rumbled past, aircraft roared overhead and nearly 7,000 troops marched by. Troops and military hardware from different eras passed by, with an announcer reeling off US victories in battles with Japanese, German, Chinese and Vietnamese forces in past wars.The army said the parade cost up to $45 million.The crowd sang “Happy Birthday” and there were occasional chants of “USA! USA!” but the atmosphere was less intense than one of the barnstorming rallies that swept Trump to power.The White House said that “over 250,000 patriots showed up” for the event, without providing evidence. Communications Director Steven Cheung described the “No Kings” protests as a “complete and utter failure.””No Kings” organizers said protesters gathered in hundreds of places, with AFP journalists seeing large crowds in several cities.Organizers said they were protesting against Trump’s dictatorial overreach, particularly what they described as the strongman symbolism of the parade.”I think people are mad as hell,” Lindsay Ross, a 28-year-old musician, told AFP in New York, where tens of thousands of people rallied.Some protesters targeted Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, while a small group even gathered in Paris.- ‘Display of authoritarianism’ -“I think it’s disgusting,” protester Sarah Hargrave, 42, said in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, describing Trump’s parade as a “display of authoritarianism.”Thousands turned out in Los Angeles to protest against Trump’s deployment of troops in the country’s second-largest city following clashes sparked by immigration raids.”He’s trying to bully Los Angeles into complying with everything that he’s trying to do, and we’re not going to do that. We’re a city of immigrants,” a protester who gave his name as Armando told AFP. After a day of largely peaceful protests, police unexpectedly began moving people away from the LA protest area, igniting confusion and anger among demonstrators caught off guard and unsure of where to go.Police on horseback pushed crowds back as law enforcement fired tear gas and flash-bang grenades hours ahead of an 8:00 pm (0300 GMT) curfew. Police officials said a “small group of agitators” had begun throwing rocks, bottles and fireworks at officers, prompting the decision to deploy tear gas and order the crowd to disperse.Violence shattered the calm elsewhere, with a shooting at a “No Kings” demonstration in the western US city of Salt Lake City. At least one person was critically injured and three people were taken into custody, police said.The killing of a Democratic lawmaker and her husband in the northern state of Minnesota on Saturday, in what the governor called a targeted attack, also cast a pall over the parade.Trump was quick to condemn the attacks outside Minneapolis in which former state speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed, while another state lawmaker and his wife were hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

The US central bank is expected to keep interest rates unchanged for a fourth straight policy meeting this week, despite President Donald Trump’s push for rate cuts, as officials contend with uncertainty sparked by the Republican’s tariffs.While the independent Federal Reserve has started lowering rates from recent highs, officials have held the level steady this year as Trump’s tariffs began rippling through the world’s biggest economy.The Fed has kept interest rates between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent since December, while it monitors the health of the jobs market and inflation.”The hope is to stay below the radar screen at this meeting,” KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk told AFP. “Uncertainty is still very high.””Until they know sufficiently, and convincingly that inflation is not going to pick up” either in response to tariffs or related threats, “they just can’t move,” she said.Since returning to the presidency, Trump has slapped a 10 percent tariff on most US trading partners. Higher rates on dozens of economies are due to take effect in July, unless an existing pause is extended.Trump has also engaged in a tit-for-tat tariff war with China and imposed levies on imports of steel, aluminum and automobiles, rattling financial markets and tanking consumer sentiment.But economists expect it will take three to four months for tariff effects to show up in consumer prices.Although hiring has cooled slightly and there was some shrinking of the labor force according to government data, the unemployment rate has stayed unchanged.Inflation has been muted too, even as analysts noted signs of smaller business margins — meaning companies are bearing the brunt of tariffs for now.At the end of the Fed’s two-day meeting Wednesday, analysts will be parsing through its economic projections for changes to growth and unemployment expectations — and for signs of the number of rate cuts to come.The Fed faces growing pressure from Trump — citing benign inflation data — to lower rates more quickly, a move the president argues will help the country “pay much less interest on debt coming due.”On Wednesday, Trump urged Fed Chair Jerome Powell to slash interest rates by a full percentage point, and on Thursday, he called Powell a “numbskull” for not doing so.He said Powell could raise rates again if inflation picked up then.But Powell has defended US central bank independence over interest rates when engaging with Trump.- ‘Cautious patience’ -For their part, Fed policymakers have signaled “little urgency” to adjust rates, said EY chief economist Gregory Daco.He believes they are unwilling to get ahead of the net effects from Trump’s trade, tax, immigration and regulation policy changes.Powell “will likely strike a tone of cautious patience, reiterating that policy remains data dependent,” Daco said.While economists have warned that Trump’s tariffs would fuel inflation and weigh on economic growth, supporters of Trump’s policies argue the president’s plans for tax cuts next year will boost the economy.On the Fed’s path ahead, HSBC Global Research said: “Weak labor market data could lead to larger cuts, while elevated inflation would tend to imply the opposite.”For now, analysts expect the central bank to slash rates two more times this year, beginning in September.The Fed is likely to be eyeing data over the summer for inflationary pressures from tariffs, said Ryan Sweet, chief US economist at Oxford Economics.”They want to make sure that they’re reading the tea leaves correctly,” he said.Swonk warned the US economy is in a different place than during the Covid-19 pandemic, which could change how consumers react to price increases.During the pandemic, government stimulus payments helped households cushion the blow from higher costs, allowing them to keep spending.It is unclear if consumers, a key driver of the economy, will keep their dollars flowing this time, meaning demand could collapse and complicate the Fed’s calculus.”If this had been a world without tariffs, the Fed would be cutting right now. There’s no question,” Swonk said.

Parachutists glided through the air as soldiers marched and tanks groaned through the barricaded streets of Washington Saturday during a military parade long-coveted by US President Donald Trump, as a largely quiet crowd watched on. On the National Mall, enclosed within almost 20 miles (32 kilometers) of high-security fencing, nearly 7,000 soldiers and about 150 military vehicles paraded to intermittent cheers.Rain had threatened to wash out the event but it never came, much to the relief of those lining the four-lane street that runs past the White House, where Trump stood watching and frequently saluting the passing troops.The crowd was mostly quiet as soldiers in uniforms dating back to the 1700s marched past, bar the occasional shouts of “Thank you, Army!” that spurred cheers and whoops. Many wore Trump’s signature red “Make America Great Again” baseball caps, but others attending made clear they supported the Army — but opposed the norm-bending president. “Personally, I’m not a fan of Trump, but I’m a fan of the Army,” said Andrew Smith, 24, whose brother serves in the military.”I feel like we can separate politics and what we stand for, and then hopefully get along,” he added.- ‘Beat Fascism!’ -Marty Wrin echoed the sentiments expressed among the crowds of protesters gathered outside the parade area in Washington, and around the country Saturday.   “I’m proud to be American,” insisted the 56-year-old IT worker from Washington, wearing a hat saying “resist” and holding a sign saying “Go Army. Beat Fascism!””I’m proud of our democracy, and I’m worried about our democracy right now for the first time in my life,” he told AFP. Wrin said he was impressed by the parade, but did not like something he associated with dictatorships happening on US streets.”It’s the Army being used by Trump to make himself feel more powerful,” he said. With cloudy skies overhead, people stood on tiptoes to catch a glimpse of the military gear on display. Several children sat on their parents’ shoulders to get a better view and waved back to soldiers sitting atop tanks and other armored vehicles.Michele Sabat, who said she had attended several past Trump rallies, told AFP she was thrilled that she had traveled from Pennsylvania to watch the parade.”I wanted to honor the military, I feel it’s the right thing to do. They protect us, they save us, and you’ve got to respect them,” the retired 68-year-old said.She sat on a curb next to Camila Rodriguez, 30, watching as thousands of troops marched by in the largest such parade in decades. Rodriguez, an auditor from Boston, said she was impressed by what she saw. “All the troops… There’s so many of them. So anything to support them,” she said.”I will always be here for that.”