The announcement suggests that Israel may soon pull ahead of other countries in the race for laser weapons. Nations have pursued the technology for decades, but efforts to scale lasers have been complicated by significant technical difficulties. Published on May 28, 2025 Israel’s air defenses have faced over 26,000 aerial attacks from missiles, drones and rockets since Oct. 2023. Most of the projectiles, which were fired from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Iraq and Yemen, were intercepted by the Iron Dome and long-range Arrow shield systems. Many drones, however, penetrated its defenses.

Bessent said he would give more details on Monday, while U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, also at the talks, said the differences between the two sides were not as great as previously thought.

Economists say it will take time for the full effect of the new tariffs to work through the economy. So far, the impact has mainly included a sharp decline in sentiment and a surge in imports. The US economy contracted at the start of the year for the first time since 2022, but a gauge of underlying demand stayed firm.But the president has since insisted that he does not intend to fire Powell.The central bank announced Tuesday that Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid would miss the May meeting due to the recent death of his wife. Kansas City was represented by First Vice President Kim Robbins. Schmid’s vote passed to alternate member Neel Kashkari, president of the Minneapolis Fed.“Although swings in net exports have affected the data, recent indicators suggest that economic activity has continued to expand at a solid pace,” the statement said.Officials voted unanimously to keep the benchmark federal funds rate in a range of 4.25 per cent to 4.5 per cent, where it has been since December.More stories like this are available on bloomberg.comRecession concerns have grown, and some businesses have reported pausing investment decisions given the uncertainty. Still, the labor market remains resilient, with employers adding 177,000 jobs in April. Fed officials described labor market conditions as “solid,” according to the statement.President Donald Trump‘s trade policy has unleashed a wave of uncertainty across the economy. While the levies are still being negotiated, economists widely expect the expansive tariffs to boost inflation and weigh on growth. That would pit policymakers’ two goals – price stability and maximum employment – against one another.

Economic picture

With unemployment still low and demand steady, Fed officials have said they are comfortable keeping rates unchanged until they have a better understanding of where the economy is headed. Trump, however, has repeatedly said the central bank should lower borrowing costs.Trump, meanwhile, has ramped up his criticism of Powell in recent weeks. At one point, Trump said in a social media post that “Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!” Federal Reserve officials held interest rates steady for a third-straight meeting and emphasised they see a growing risk of both higher inflation and rising unemployment.Companies scrambled in the first quarter to import merchandise ahead of the tariffs, and a surge in consumer spending in March suggested households also sought to frontload purchases. Key inflation gauges cooled in the month.Chair Jerome Powell will hold a press conference with reporters at 2:30 p.m. in Washington.Powell and his colleagues are determined to keep tariffs from sparking a persistent rise in inflation, and several officials have signaled they would not support lowering interest rates preemptively to protect against a slowing economy.The S&P 500 index of US stocks and Treasury yields fell following the announcement, while the dollar pared gains.“Uncertainty about the economic outlook has increased further,” the Federal Open Market Committee said in a statement Wednesday at the conclusion of a two-day meeting in Washington. “The committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate and judges that the risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation have risen.”