Amna Nawaz:
Negotiators from Moscow are set to meet with the U.S. team on Monday in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, on the ground in Russia, officials say a Soviet-era bomber base seen here on security footage was struck by Ukrainian drones. It triggered a massive explosion that damaged a hospital as well as nearby schools and homes. The airfield hosts Russia’s White Swan bombers, which are nuclear-capable.
In Turkey, thousands of protesters gathered for a second day following the arrest of Istanbul’s popular mayor. Some students clashed with police amid growing anger over the detention of Ekrem Imamoglu. He was arrested early Wednesday as part of a broader investigation into alleged corruption and terror links.
By nightfall, thousands had gathered outside city hall to protest what they see as an attempt to remove a potential rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the next election. Erdogan today dismissed such criticism as — quote — “theatrics.”
The International Olympic Committee elected its first woman and first African president in its 130-year history today. Zimbabwe’s sports minister, Kirsty Coventry, won in a landslide in the first round of voting, beating out six other candidates. The 41-year-old swimming legend and former Olympian is also the youngest person to hold the powerful position. She’s set to serve an eight-year term, during which she will oversee the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles and the selection of a host for the 2036 Olympics.
The release this week of tens of thousands of pages related to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination has revealed a bit more than intended. The largely unredacted pages include Social Security numbers and other private information for hundreds of congressional staff, intelligence analysts and others. Many of them are still alive.
In one instance, the complete personnel file of a CIA agent was laid bare. The White House says the National Archives and the Social Security Administration are working on an action plan for the people whose information was compromised.
Tesla is recalling nearly all of its Cybertrucks in the United States to fix an exterior panel that could fall off while driving. In a filing, Tesla said the recall affects just over 46,000 vehicles. It covers trucks made between November of 2023 and February of this year. And it’s the eighth recall involving the SUV since January of 2024.
The recall is the latest setback for Tesla. Its stock has lost about half its value since December, amid increased competition and backlash over CEO Elon Musk’s role in slashing government spending.
On Wall Street today, stocks drifted lower amid general concerns about tariffs and the U.S. economy. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 11 points, so basically unchanged. The Nasdaq gave back nearly 60 points on the day, and the S&P 500 also ended modestly lower.
And there’s still plenty to be happy about in the world, especially if you live in a Nordic nation. That is according to the 2025 World Happiness Report published today by Gallup, which ranked Finland as the happiest country for the eighth year in a row. Fellow Nordic nations Denmark, Iceland and Sweden, along with the Netherlands, round out the top five.
But, here at home, unhappiness is on the rise, with the U.S. falling to 24th, its lowest ever. Rankings were based on how participants across more than 140 countries rate their own lives. Once again, Afghanistan came in last.
