The Vigilant Outpost Beacon

• World at Large: Russia and Ukraine Conduct Major Prisoner Exchange as EU Approves €90 Billion Support Package
  President Trump dispatches Witkoff and Kushner to Pakistan for new talks with Iran's foreign minister
  Palestinians cast their ballots as Gaza holds first election in 21 years
WORLD — BY COUNTRY
• United States: Tornado tears through Oklahoma town, damaging homes but sparing lives
  US freezes $344 million in cryptocurrency said to be linked to Iran
  Nvidia stock closes at record, pushing market cap past $5 trillion
• China: China's DeepSeek releases preview of long-awaited V4 model as AI race intensifies
  
  
• Russia: Ukraine loses over 1,100 troops in special military op zone over past day
  Russia says it shot down almost 400 Ukrainian drones as Moscow and Kyiv escalate aerial barrages
  Russian attacks kill 5 and wound more than 30 in Ukraine’s Dnipro; 1 killed in Russia
• India: India denounces ‘hellhole’ remark shared by President Trump
  West Bengal reports over 91% voting in assembly elections
  
• Japan: Forest fires spread toward center of town in Iwate Prefecture
  Japan assesses feasibility of sending minesweepers to Strait of Hormuz
  
• South Korea: South Korea prosecutors seek 30-year jail term for ex-President Yoon in drone case, Yonhap says
  Samsung workers protest over huge pay gap with SK Hynix amid AI chip boom
  
• Australia: AI traffic cameras set to deliver $440m fines windfall
  
  
• South and Central America: Santa Marta Summit Aims to Push Fossil Fuel Phase-Out as Indigenous Voices Demand Urgent Action
  
  
• Saudi Arabia Israeli Air Force Technicians Charged With Spying For Iran Amid 'Espionage Epidemic'
  
  
• Israel: Netanyahu admits to prostate cancer treatment, which he underwent without informing public
  Israeli Air Force Technicians Charged With Spying For Iran Amid 'Espionage Epidemic'
  
• Continental Africa: Pirates hijack fuel tanker off Somali coast
  
  

• White House:
  Trump attends White House Correspondents' Dinner for 1st time as president
  Trump Administration Adds Firing Squad Executions to Death Penalty
  Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Announces Deal with Regeneron to Bring Most-Favored-Nation Pricing to American Patients
• State Department:
  State Department ramps up international law enforcement to protect children online
  
  
• Dept of War (DoW):
  U.S. deploys a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East
  US President Trump Orders ‘Shoot‑to‑Kill’ in Hormuz as Iran Tensions Spike After Blasts Over Tehran
  Secretary Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Hold News Conference Amid Iran Conflict
• Justice (DOJ):
  US soldier involved in Maduro raid charged over betting on capture in Venezuela
  
  
• Treasury:
  Iran Announces First Hormuz Toll Fees Successfully Transferred To Central Bank
  
  
• HHS:
  FDA Grants Quick Review Psychedelic Drugs, First Approvals Could Come As Soon As Summer
  
  
• DOT:
  U.S. Department of Transportation Launches Initiative to Reduce Traffic Congestion and Address Roadway Bottlenecks
  
  
• Energy:
  Oklo, NVIDIA, And Los Alamos Working On Plutonium-Powered AI
  
  
• Commerce:
  Commerce goes direct to hyperscalers with $4.1B cloud pact
  
  
• Interior:
  Interior Department starts emergency drought measures to prop up Lake Powell
  Department of the Interior Reopens Restored Potomac Tidal Basin Seawall
  
• Supreme Court:
  Supreme Court To Decide Whether Colorado Can Deny Funding For Catholic Preschools
  
  

• Google will invest as much as $40 billion in Anthropic
  TSMC shares jump to record high as Taiwan eases single-stock investment caps for funds
  Europe's Rooftop Solar Orders Triple As Gas Prices Surge

• It’s up to SpaceX and Blue Origin to stick the moon landing
  NASA finds 20 organic molecules on Mars. Ancient rocks raise life questions
  US accuses China of “industrial-scale” AI theft. China says it’s “slander.”

• OpenAI says ‘super app’ is step closer after unveiling most powerful AI model to date
  
  

• Archaeologists discover 7-foot-tall statue of legendary Egyptian pharaoh
  2,200-year-old Roman shipwreck unlocks mysteries of how ships were built and repaired
  

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