Wall Street traders drove stocks higher as bond yields sank after the latest economic data spurred speculation the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates twice this year to prevent a recession.
The S&P 500 rose for a fourth straight day. Despite the gain, caution lurked in the background after a furious rally spurred worries about an overheated market, with the pendulum swinging in favor of defensive dividend-payers that had underperformed in the past month. Meta Platforms Inc. paced losses in big tech on a news report it was delaying the rollout of a flagship AI model. In late hours, Applied Materials Inc. gave a tepid forecast.
After the several massive announcements and deals to come out of Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, developments during the last leg of the US President's Gulf tour in United Arab Emirates actually seem a bit humdrum by comparison.
But the visuals and spare no expenses official welcome and ceremonial events have certainly been interesting...
Among the more notable statements has been Trump's touting a 1.4 trillion... yes that's trillion... investment in AI and other tech sectors from the Emirates.
The White House had previewed this longtime in the works deal as related to artificial intelligence infrastructure, semiconductors, energy and manufacturing.
Further, Emirates Global Aluminum will "invest in the first new aluminium smelter in the United States in 35 years, which would nearly double US domestic aluminium production."
The White House said that Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani signed agreements that would “generate an economic exchange worth at least $1.2 trillion”.
The agreements are said to include a $96bn deal with Qatar Airways to buy up to 210 Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X aeroplanes, and a statement of intent for $38bn in investments at Qatar’s Al Udeid Airbase and other air defence capabilities.
A meeting is scheduled for later today of US, Turkish and Syrian officials to discuss details of Trump’s announced dropping of sanctions against Syria.
Trump’s three-country tour of the Gulf state region will conclude in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
Amid lots of awards ceremonies, accolades, and a state dinner...
Trump has also been filling in more details of fresh arms deals inked with Qatar. "Yesterday we signed an agreement for Qatar to purchase $42bn-worth of the finest American military hardware including THAAD missile batteries," he said Thursday while speaking to US troops at Al Udeid airbase.
The commander-in-chief further detailed that the deal includes "Pegasus refueling aircraft, Desert Vipers, light armored vehicles, amphibious combat vehicles, the MQ-9B and the Sky Guardian drones."
A rare trip to the country's Grand Mosque...
As for Qatar, the president says he's still ready to accept a donated jet from the tiny oil and gas rich country, a flying palace of a future Air Force One, which Dems have been warning would be a violation of the US Constitution's prohibition on foreign gifts. Certainly he'll come back to Washington awaiting immense controversy and backlash from the corporate media and his political enemies.
The school has a welding program for students. Its welding lab contains 32 bays where students can learn skills of the trade, according to Flock.
Steamfitters Local 420, SeaBox, Holtec International, L3 Harris, DCF Fabricators and the Philly Shipyard are among some of those that partner with Father Judge High School on its welding program, according to its website.
Welding specialist Joe Williams, the instructor for the program, told Flock that demand for welders "is only growing right now."
He said there is a major shortage of welders globally.
Students in Father Judge High School’s welding program are getting jobs right out of high school, something Williams said was "attributed to the demand that’s needed."
"The demand is great, the success rate is great and, because of that, these guys are being offered career-driven, high-paid jobs before graduation."
One junior named Elijah said he had already received a $70,000 job offer.
Asked how the gig came about, the student told Flock, "Just putting in the time, putting in the work at welding, you know, thanks to Mr. Will giving me the opportunity to be able to do things like this, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to even have something like this."
Flock reported "there’s a need right now" for manufacturing jobs. The industry had 449,000 openings in March, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Williams said the welding program "brings awareness."
"There’s more of a need for welders, blue-collar workers and things like that," he told Flock. "And there are other ways to be successful than just college. College and blue collar is the way to go."
Flock reported Father Judge High School has the "whole gamut represented here," with the school also having students accepted to top universities.
Another trade pathway the school currently offers is for automotive skills, according to its website.
Democrats had no concern for due process when millions of third-world illegal aliens, including violent criminals and terrorists, invaded the U.S. with help from far-left NGOs. But now, as the Trump administration ramps up mass deportations, suddenly, this same army of left-wing lawmakers is screaming "due process" to delay deportations and clog up the courts. Their legal resistance is seen in federal courts, where remnants of the Biden-Harris regime still cling to power through far-left activist judges hell-bent on obstructing the mandate the American people handed Trump: deport criminal illegal aliens.
The Left didn’t care about due process while America was being invaded by illegal aliens, so don’t let them fool you now. Their concern is not due process, their concern is preventing deportations — the final step in the due process for illegal aliens. pic.twitter.com/CZx5TPInCl
A new report from The New York Times, citing officials with direct knowledge of the plans, says the Department of Homeland Security has requested over 20,000 National Guard troops from the Defense Department to support the president's mass deportation plans for criminal illegal aliens.
If approved, this would mark the first time National Guard members have been used for interior migrant enforcement operations in the U.S.
Here's more from the NYT:
Lawyers at the Pentagon were reviewing the request with "interior immigration enforcement," according to a Defense Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations. It was unclear what role state National Guard members would play and whether they would be involved in rounding up people for deportation, the official said.
The move only suggests that the Trump administration is preparing to ramp up mass deportations and fulfill the mandate the American voter gave him: restore national security through the deportation of criminal illegal aliens.
Last month, on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "I'm doing what I was elected to do, remove criminals from our Country, but the Courts don't seem to want me to do that," adding, "We cannot give everyone a trial, because to do so would take, without exaggeration, 200 years."
Vice President JD Vance called the battle between the Trump administration and leftist activists federal judges a "fake legal process" that is the "ratification of Biden's illegal migrant invasion."
Consider that Joe Biden allowed approximately 20 million illegal aliens into our country. This placed extraordinary burdens on our country--our schools, hospitals, housing, and other essential services were overwhelmed. On top of that, many of these illegal aliens committed…
"The judicial process is for Americans. Immediate deportation is for illegal aliens," Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller recently said.
What we're witnessing in the federal courts from far-left judges amounts to a subversion of the popular mandate—an orchestrated campaign of lawfare that, in effect, could be viewed as a soft coup through the judiciary. When these activist judges repeatedly obstruct or delay lawful executive orders backed by a clear electoral mandate, it's no longer about legal oversight—it's about undermining the will of the people.
The United Nations said on Thursday it will not take part in a U.S.-backed humanitarian operation in Gaza because it is not impartial, neutral or independent, while Israel pledged to facilitate the effort without being involved in aid deliveries.
"This particular distribution plan does not accord with our basic principles, including those of impartiality, neutrality, independence, and we will not be participating in this," deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters on Thursday.
The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will start work in Gaza by the end of May under a heavily-criticized aid plan that the U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher described as a "fig leaf for further violence and displacement" of Palestinians in Gaza.
The foundation intends to work with private U.S. security and logistics firms to transport aid into Gaza for distribution by aid groups, a source familiar with the plan has told Reuters.
Speaking to reporters in Antalya, Turkey, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday acknowledged the criticisms and said Washington was open to any alternative plan to get aid to civilians "without Hamas being able to steal it."
"We're not immune or in any way insensitive to the suffering of the people of Gaza, and I know that there's opportunities here to provide aid for them," Rubio said after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier on Thursday.
"There are criticisms of that plan. We're open to an alternative if someone has a better one," he said.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Thursday that the U.N. "has a solid and principled operational plan to deliver humanitarian aid and life-saving services at scale and immediately across the Gaza Strip."
STARVATION LOOMS
Israel has accused Palestinian militant group Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies, and has blocked the delivery of all humanitarian assistance to Gaza since March 2, demanding Hamas release all remaining hostages.
A global hunger monitor warned on Monday that half a million people face starvation - a quarter of the population in the Palestinian enclave where Israel and Hamas have been at war since October 2023.
In a bid to address some concerns, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has asked Israel to expand an initial limited number of so-called secure aid distribution sites in Gaza's south to the north within 30 days. It has also asked Israel to let the U.N. and others resume aid deliveries now until it is set up.
"I'm not familiar with those requests, maybe when they went into Jerusalem, but I will tell you that we appreciate the effort of the United States," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told reporters on Thursday.
"We will not fund those efforts. We will facilitate them. We will enable them," he said. "We will not be the one giving the aid ... It will be run by the fund itself, led by the U.S."
Israel and the U.S. have urged the U.N. and aid groups to cooperate and work with the foundation.
It is unclear how the foundation will be funded. A State Department spokesperson said no US government funding would go to the foundation.
A fact sheet on the foundation, circulating among the aid community last week, listed respected former U.N. World Food Programme chief David Beasley as a potential adviser. However, a source familiar the effort said Beasley was not currently involved.
Meta Platforms is delaying the launch of its flagship "Behemoth" AI model due to concerns about its capabilities, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
RFK Jr. just walked into Congress and took down his biggest critics in one fell swoop.
This was a masterclass.
A dentist congressman came out swinging on fluoride. By the time Kennedy finished, he realized he picked the wrong fight.
Then, a Democrat tried to accuse Kennedy of politicizing children’s health—but he got emotional, broke through the noise, and completely flipped the script on her.
If you watch one thing today, make it this. Kennedy just took the MAHA agenda to the next level.
Right out of the gate in his first major congressional hearing as HHS Secretary, Kennedy laid out a sweeping plan to reshape HHS from the ground up.
Here’s what’s on deck:
Ending “gain-of-function experiments and research based upon radical gender ideology”
A full-scale crackdown on fentanyl and drug addiction
$94 billion toward better food, fitness, and childcare
FDA action to remove toxic chemicals from the food supply
Slashing wasteful NIH projects
Merging mental health and addiction programs for faster, better care
Giving local leaders more power to fix problems in their own communities
A major upgrade to Head Start, the early education program for low-income children
“We intend to make the Trump HHS not just the most effective, but also the most compassionate in U.S. history,” Kennedy said.
Right out of the gate in his first major congressional hearing as HHS Secretary, Kennedy laid out a sweeping plan to reshape HHS from the ground up.
Here’s what’s on deck:
• Ending “gain-of-function experiments and research based upon radical gender ideology”
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) May 14, 2025
Then came a tense back-and-forth with Democrat Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who tried to pin him down on tobacco prevention funding. Kennedy didn’t just answer—he flipped the entire narrative.
DeLauro asked, “Do you commit to following the law, again, fully obligating those funds so that we can help adults who want to quit using tobacco and prevent teens from becoming addicted?”
Kennedy fired back: “Allow me to answer that by pointing out the absolute cataclysmic disorganization of this agency. Under your oversight, for 40 years, we had nine separate offices of Women’s Health.”
And he didn’t stop there.
“When we consolidate them, the Democrats say we’re eliminating them. We’re not. We’re still appropriating the 3.7 billion, but we’re not keeping all nine. We had eight separate offices for minority health. We eliminated one. We had 27 HIV offices.”
DeLauro tried to interrupt—“Okay, let me just. I’m going to—”
But Kennedy kept rolling: “We had 59 behavioral health programs.”
At that point, DeLauro backed off: “I’m well over time.”
Then came a tense back-and-forth with Democrat Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who tried to pin him down on tobacco funding. Kennedy didn’t just answer—he flipped the entire narrative.
DeLauro asked, “Do you commit to following the law, again, fully obligating those funds so that we can help… pic.twitter.com/QHceNdH2xu
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) May 14, 2025
One of the most jaw-dropping moments came when Rep. Mike Simpson, a dentist, tried to challenge Kennedy on fluoride—and instantly regretted it.
“We better put a lot more money into dental education because we’re going to need a whole lot more dentists [if we ban fluoride],” Simpson said.
The rebuttal was too easy for Kennedy.
“We now know that virtually all the benefit [from fluoride] is from topical, and we can get that through mouthwashes. We can get through fluoridated toothpastes.”
Then came the line that hit hard:
“The National Toxicity Program issued a report in August, a meta review of all the science that now exists on fluoride, and showed a direct inverse correlation between fluoride exposure dose and lower IQ.”
“Which is an issue that we all have to be concerned with. We want high IQ kids right now,” Kennedy added.
One of the most jaw-dropping moments came when Rep. Mike Simpson, a dentist, tried to challenge Kennedy on fluoride—and instantly regretted it.
“We better put a lot more money into dental education because we’re going to need a whole lot more dentists [if we ban fluoride],”… pic.twitter.com/dPta9V8TCu
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) May 14, 2025
Later, Rep. Steny Hoyer demanded answers on HHS budget cuts—but Kennedy was ready with numbers and a blunt dose of reality.
“We’re spending $2 trillion a year that we don’t have!”
He followed up: “When you’re spending $2 trillion more than you have, you have to make cuts.”
Hoyer pressed again. Kennedy stayed firm.
“The cuts that were done were cuts that were to duplication, to redundancy, to streamlining,” he said. “We increased our workforce 70% in four years. So we were going back to the 2019 levels.”
Later, Rep. Steny Hoyer demanded answers on HHS budget cuts—but Kennedy was ready with numbers and a blunt dose of reality.
“We’re spending $2 trillion a year that we don’t have!”
He followed up: “When you’re spending $2 trillion more than you have, you have to make cuts.”… pic.twitter.com/WKZ1GCZuPY
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) May 14, 2025
Then came a moment of visible deflation from Rep. Mark Pocan, who tried—repeatedly—to get Kennedy to endorse vaccines.
“If you had a child today, would you vaccinate that child for measles?” Pocan asked.
Kennedy didn’t bite.
“What I would say is my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant,” he said. “I think what we’re going to try to do is to lay out the pros and cons, the risks and benefits accurately as we understand them.”
Pocan pressed again: “Can you talk about chickenpox?”
Kennedy exposed a reality Pocan didn’t want to hear:
“Again, I don’t want to give advice. I can tell you in Europe, they don’t use the chickenpox vaccine specifically because the preclinical trial shows that when you inoculate the population for chickenpox, you get shingles in older people, which is more dangerous.”
Desperate for something, Pocan asked, “Polio?”
“Again, I don’t want to be giving advice,” Kennedy replied.
Pocan backed off with a clear look of disappointment: “That’s fair. No, that’s fair. Like I said, I was not doing it as a gotcha…”
Then came a moment of visible deflation from Rep. Mark Pocan, who tried—repeatedly—to get Kennedy to endorse vaccines.
“If you had a child today, would you vaccinate that child for measles?” Pocan asked.
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) May 14, 2025
One of the most shocking revelations came when Kennedy pointed to corruption inside NIH as the reason we still don’t have a cure for Alzheimer’s.
“For 20 years, because of utter corruption and fraud, we were directing Alzheimer’s research to one hypothesis, and any other hypothesis was shut down,” he said.
“We should have the cure for Alzheimer’s today. We don’t have it PURELY because of corruption at NIH. And we are going to have it quickly.”
Rep. Lois Frankel attacked Kennedy’s use of HHS funds, characterizing it as Elon Musk randomly plugging numbers into a computer to make decisions.
Kennedy fired back, taking offense at that false narrative.
“Everything that you said was essentially dishonest,” he told her.
Rep. Lois Frankel attacked Kennedy’s use of HHS funds, characterizing it as Elon Musk randomly plugging numbers into a computer to make decisions.
Kennedy fired back, taking offense at that false narrative.
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) May 14, 2025
Later, Kennedy clashed with Rep. DeLauro once more. This time, he let loose.
“Look at our children, they’re the sickest children in the world,” he said passionately.
Kennedy delivered a direct blow to DeLauro, noting he succeeded where she failed.
“Congresswoman DeLauro, you say that you’ve worked for 20 years on getting food dye out. Then give me credit!” he exclaimed. “I got it out in 100 days.”
He then closed with a call to unity:
“So, let’s work together and do something that we all believe in, which is have healthy kids in our country for God’s sake. There’s no such thing as Republican children or Democratic children. There’s just kids, and we should all be concerned with them.”
Later, Kennedy clashed with Rep. DeLauro once more. This time, he let loose.
“Look at our children, they’re the sickest children in the world,” he said passionately.
Kennedy delivered a direct blow to DeLauro, noting he succeeded where she failed.
