The Dictatorship

US and Indonesia reach trade deal

Published

3 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House announced a reciprocal trade agreement with Indonesia on Thursday while President Prabowo Subianto was in Washington to attend the first meeting of President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace.

Under the agreement, Southeast Asia’s largest economy will eliminate tariffs for 99% of American goods while the U.S. will maintain tariffs on most Indonesian goods at 19%, the White House said. That is the same rate the U.S. has set for Cambodia and Malaysia. Indonesia also agreed to address non-tariff barriers to U.S. goods and to remove restrictions on exports to the U.S. for critical minerals and other industrial commodities, the White House said.

Indonesian and U.S. companies also reached 11 deals this week worth $38.4 billion, including purchases of U.S. soybeans, corn, cotton and wheat, cooperation in critical minerals and oil field recovery, and joint ventures in computer chips.

“We have negotiated very intensively over the last few months, and I think we have reached solid understandings on many issues,” Prabowo told business executives Wednesday at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

A White House statement called it a “great deal” and said it “will help both countries to strengthen economic security, promote economic growth, and thereby continuously lead to global prosperity.”

The agreement was later signed by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and his Indonesian counterpart, Airlangga Hartarto.

Hartarto told a news conference from Washington that both governments cast the agreement as marking the start of a “new golden age” in bilateral economic ties and Indonesia will introduce measures designed to keep trade flows secure and prevent misuse of sensitive goods.

Indonesia’s pledge for Gaza stabilization force

The agreement was announced the same day that Prabowo, leader of the world’s most populous Muslim country, reiterated his pledge at the Board of Peace meeting to send 8,000 troops or “more if necessary” for an international stabilization force in Gaza.

Indonesia was among the first to make a firm commitment to a critical element of Trump’s postwar Gaza reconstruction plan.

“President Prabowo of Indonesia, thank you very much,” Trump said at the Board of Peace meeting. “It’s a big country you have, and you do a great job.”

Prabowo praised Trump in return. “We are very optimistic with the leadership of President Trump, this vision of real peace will be achieved,” Prabowo said. “There will be problems, but we will prevail.”

Cambodia and Vietnam are the two other Southeast Asian countries that joined the board, which was originally envisioned as overseeing the Gaza ceasefire but has taken shape with wider ambitions to broker other global conflicts.

Their leaders also came to Washington for the inaugural meeting. Cambodia has already inked a trade deal with the U.S., while Vietnam has reached a framework agreement.

Critical minerals play into Indonesia deal

Indonesian companies agreed this week to buy 1 million tons of soybeans, 1.6 million tons of corn and 93,000 tons of cotton from the U.S. They also pledged to buy up to 5 million tons of U.S. wheat by 2030.

The countries agreed to cooperate on critical minerals, though details were not immediately available.

Washington is seeking Indonesia’s agreement to lift restrictions on critical mineral exports, which the Trump administration argues could safeguard U.S. manufacturers from supply‑chain disruptions. The administration has sought to defend against China’s stranglehold on the key elements needed for everything from fighter jets to smartphones.

At the Chamber of Commerce event, Prabowo said Indonesia can serve as a “bridge” and “honest broker” between great powers, apparently referring to the U.S.-China competition.

Vietnam’s leader makes first visit to the US since being reelected

At the Board of Peace meeting, Trump called Vietnam “incredible as a country and as a force” and told leader To Lam that it was “a really great honor to have you.”

Lam’s visit to the U.S. is his first since he was reelected as the head of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party last month. Typically, China is an initial stop in a nod to the countries’ ideological ties and Beijing’s status as Vietnam’s largest trading partner. Lam did visit China in August 2024 before traveling to the U.S. during his first term.

Analysts say Lam’s visit to the U.S. before traveling to Beijing this time around is a notable shift in sequencing. Hanoi describes its foreign policy as independent and balanced among major powers.

Trade negotiations between Vietnam and the United States are ongoing following the Trump administration levying 20% tariffs on Vietnamese exports. The latest, sixth round of talks concluded in early February.

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Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia, and Ghosal from Hanoi, Vietnam.

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This story has been corrected to reflect that the presidents announced the deal but did not sign it. It was later signed by their representatives.

The Dictatorship

The Latest: US hits pro-government demonstration in Iran as war threatens global economy

Published

13 hours ago

March 14, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The Latest: US hits pro-government demonstration in Iran as war threatens global economy

The Dictatorship

Suspect in Temple Israel attack lost family in Israeli airstrikes

Published

23 hours ago

March 14, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Suspect in Temple Israel attack lost family in Israeli airstrikes

Mar. 13, 2026, 6:23 PM EDT

The suspect in an attack at a synagogue near Detroit lost several family members in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon this month, according to the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn and community leaders.

Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon, lost his two brothers and a niece and nephew in the strike on their home, according to those sources. Whether that played a role in the motive for the attack remains unclear, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer deferred a question about it to the FBI on Friday, citing an ongoing investigation.

Authorities are looking at the possibility Ghazali may have had familial ties to Hezbollah in Lebanon, two law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told MS NOW.

Ghazali died in the Thursday attack, in which authorities say he drove a car into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, injuring a security officer. Ghazali was a resident of Dearborn Heights, Mayor Mo Baydoun said in a Facebook post. Baydoun also said in that post that Ghazali “lost several members of his own family, including his niece and nephew, in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon” this month.

The Thursday attack in Michigan came as the U.S. and Israel wage a war with Iranwhich they launched on Feb. 28. Security around Jewish communities in places such as New York has been heightened since the conflict began.

Ghazali first came to the U.S. in 2011 on a spousal visa before being granted citizenship in 2016, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said.

In a phone interview with Fox host Brian Kilmeade, President Donald Trump appeared to blame former President Joe Biden for Ghazali’s entry into the country when asked about the Michigan attack and the deadly shooting at Old Dominion University in Michigan.

“They came in a lot through Biden, and they came in through other presidents, frankly, and it’s a disgrace,” Trump said.

Temple Israel describes itself as the country’s largest Jewish Reform congregation, and it also has an early childhood education center on site that more than 100 kids attend, Whitmer said. All children were safely evacuated following the attack, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.

“This is targeting babies who are Jewish,” Whitmer said. “That’s antisemitism at its absolute worst.”

The security guard who was injured was hospitalized but is expected to recover.

Whitmer on Friday thanked the synagogue’s security personnel, who she said “were selfless in their courage and they saved lives.”

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., added that if the synagogue’s private security, local law enforcement and first responders “had not all done their jobs almost perfectly, we would be talking about an immense tragedy here today with children gone.”

Andrew Bossone and Chris O’Leary contributed to this report.

Julianne McShane is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW who also covers the politics of abortion and reproductive rights. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at jmcshane.19 or follow her on X or Bluesky.

Marc Santia is an investigative correspondent for MS NOW.

The Dictatorship

Missile strikes a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraqi security officials say

Published

24 hours ago

March 14, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Missile strikes a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraqi security officials say

Mar. 14, 2026, 12:25 AM EDT

BAGHDAD (AP) — A missile struck a helipad inside the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad, two Iraqi security officials said.

Associated Press footage showed a column of smoke rising Saturday morning over the embassy compound.

The sprawling embassy complex, one of the largest U.S. diplomatic facilities in the world, has been repeatedly targeted by rockets and drones fired by Iran-aligned militias.

There was no immediate comment from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. On Friday, the embassy renewed its Level 4 security alert for Iraq, warning that Iran and Iran-aligned militia groups have previously carried out attacks against U.S. citizens, interests and infrastructure, and “may continue to target them.”