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Top 5 US news stories

October 14 2025

Greg Loving

14 Oct 2025 • 7 min read

Trump Unveils Sweeping Middle East Peace Plan in Israel

Trump Walks Tightrope on China Trade, Balancing Threats and De-Escalation

U.S. Hits Chinese Ships With New Fees, Opening New Front in Trade War

GM Takes $1.6 Billion Charge Amid Electric-Vehicle Pullback

On Europe's Front Line, Poland Builds Military to Counter Russia

…US GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN ENTERS 14th DAY…

1. Trump Unveils Sweeping Middle East Peace Plan in Israel

On Monday in Israel, the president presented a sprawling vision for ending the modern era of violence that has gripped the Middle East for nearly a century. Trump broached an offer of peace with Iran, a country the U.S. bombed this year; urged a wider circle of countries to undertake diplomatic relations with Israel; and called for a region free of militancy and extremism. “This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East,” Trump said in remarks to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, shortly after the hostages were released. That sort of talk has often led to frustration or worse. The Middle East is a graveyard for ambitious plans. The neoconservatives of George W. Bush’s administration had hoped to spread democracy by overthrowing Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. They ended up spreading a devastating insurgency that took years to put down. President Joe Biden’s plan to secure an end to the war in Gaza and leverage that to create progress toward a Palestinian state and an expansion of Arab diplomatic ties with Israel never got off the ground. Even the relatively targeted 1993 Oslo Accords, which aimed to chart a course to peace between Israel and the Palestinians, ultimately fell apart amid pressure from extremists on both sides. the war in Gaza and the string of related conflicts it set off over the past two years have reset the calculus for an elusive Middle East peace in important ways, fueling Trump’s current push. Israel defanged Iran and its most powerful militia allies, Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, removing major threats. The massive civilian toll of the war put domestic pressure on Arab governments to rein in Hamas. Gulf states, typically small monarchies focused on growing their economies, were alarmed when their security bubble was pierced by an Israeli missile attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar. And the Assad regime fell in Syria, opening the door to a new beginning in the heart of the Middle East.

Onlookers waved Israeli flags as a helicopter carried released hostages on Monday. AMIR COHEN/REUTERS

WSJ

2. Trump Walks Tightrope on China Trade, Balancing Threats and De-Escalation

President Trump is trying to publicly de-escalate tensions with China to soothe markets while privately keeping up pressure on Beijing—a difficult balancing act that is being closely watched by Wall Street. After threatening additional 100% tariffs on Chinese imports starting Nov. 1, Trump in recent days spoke with senior officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, about sending a message to the world that the U.S. wants to de-escalate trade tensions with China, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump’s 100% tariff threat Friday came after Beijing moved to impose restrictions on the export of rare-earth minerals. The renewed conflict sparked a large U.S. market selloff, during which the president suggested he might not meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trump’s desire to de-escalate comes as both nations privately expressed desire to quell tensions, at least for now, in their current trade dispute—the latest in a cycle of flare-up and de-escalation that has been in place since the beginning of Trump’s second term. In this case, the Chinese are eager to save a summit between Trump and Xi expected later this month, while Trump’s team wants to stem losses in the stock market and avoid a public diversion from his Middle East peace deal, which they have groused about being overshadowed by the latest trade flare-up.

WSJ

3. U.S. Hits Chinese Ships With New Fees, Opening New Front in Trade War

The Trump administration broadened its trade war with China on Tuesday, as it began imposing fees on Chinese ships docking at American ports. The long-planned action is intended to counter China’s dominance of commercial shipbuilding and help revitalize the United States’ own shipbuilding industry, which has withered over the years. China’s Ministry of Transport threatened retaliation on Friday, saying it planned to hit American vessels with fees when they docked in China. The shipping clash comes as trade relations between China and the United States are again wobbling. Last week, after China announced more stringent restrictions on rare earth minerals, President Trump threatened to impose more tariffs on the country, before tempering his tone somewhat. Supporters of the United States’ shipping measures say that China has used subsidies to gain an advantage in shipbuilding, and that the fees are a way to deter ocean carriers from buying Chinese ships.

NYT

4. GM Takes $1.6 Billion Charge Amid Electric-Vehicle Pullback

General Motors Co. is incurring $1.6 billion in charges related to paring back electric-vehicle production plans, underscoring the toll on US carmakers from flagging federal support for plug-in vehicles. Non-cash impairment and other charges totaling $1.2 billion are the result of adjustments to EV capacity, GM said Tuesday in a regulatory filing. The rest of the costs relate to canceling contracts and settling commercial arrangements linked to EV investments and will have a cash impact. GM warned the reassessment of its EV manufacturing footprint is ongoing and that it’s “reasonably possible” it will recognize more charges that hurt its results in quarters to come.

Bloomberg

5. On Europe's Front Line, Poland Builds Military to Counter Russia

WARSAW—For more than a decade, Poland has prepared for the worst-case scenario: becoming the front line in a war between Russia and the West. With an eye on growing Russian aggression in Europe, Warsaw’s military planners built out the country’s armed forces, turning it last year into the largest European military in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It ramped up military spending to 4.7% of gross domestic product this year—the highest in the alliance. A multi-billion-dollar spending spree has put Poland among the biggest buyers of U.S. weapons. The growth of the Polish military has reached a zenith just as Russian President Vladimir Putin escalates his standoff with the West. Last month, Polish airspace was violated by some 20 Russian drones equipped with additional fuel tanks to help them fly farther. The incursion, followed by other UAV sightings across Europe, triggered the first confrontation between NATO jet fighters and Russian drones over alliance territory—a step Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said had brought the country closest to open conflict since World War II. Putin has dismissed the drone incident and says European governments and NATO accuse it of provocations on a nearly daily basis. Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine and recent steps to test the alliance have highlighted Poland’s long-ignored warning that Russia, under Putin, wants to resurrect its traditional sphere of influence in Eastern Europe. Poland suffered under Russian occupation for centuries. Every schoolchild learns how larger European empires, including Russia, divided up the country among themselves in the 18th and 19th centuries, temporarily erasing it from the map. In WWII, the U.K. and France failed to prevent the country’s invasion by the Nazis, despite mutual defense treaties. When the Soviets followed with their own invasion, it led to half a century under Moscow’s heel. Russia’s moves against Ukraine and now Europe make Polish policymakers nervous that they again are in the firing line—and this time Poland wants to be ready.

Last month, Polish troops and U.S. and Dutch forces undertook a series of wargames called Iron Defender. - WSJ

WSJ

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