First Run News

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration gave Congress official notice on Thursday that it plans to renegotiate Nafta but provided only the vaguest of hints about modest changes President Trump would seek to an agreement that he has called “the worst trade deal ever.” In a brief letter to lawmakers, Robert Lighthizer, the newly confirmed United States trade representative, said the administration aimed to support economic growth and better-paying jobs through unspecified improvements to Nafta that would modernize the

WASHINGTON — American warplanes in Syria attacked a pro-government convoy on Thursday after it ignored warnings and violated a restricted zone around a base where United States and British Special Forces train Syrian rebels to fight the Islamic State, Pentagon officials said. The American strike, corroborated by both pro- and anti-government fighters on the ground, was at least the third time in recent months that the United States military has attacked forces loyal to Preside

FRANKFURT — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, one of the world’s biggest carmakers, said on Thursday that it was in talks with the Department of Justice to settle an investigation into diesel deception, as growing evidence points to the carmaker’s use of illegal software to evade emissions tests. The settlement talks add to the pressure on Fiat Chrysler at a time of meager profitability. The German carmaker Volkswagen, which faced a similar scandal, has been hit with billions of dollars of settlements and fines, and seen several executives investigated or charged.

TOKYO — Ten months after give up the throne while he was still alive, the cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved special legislation on Friday that would allow him to abdicate. The bill, which will be considered soon by the full Parliament, makes a one-time provision for Emperor Akihito, 83, to retire from the throne and be succeeded by his elder son, Crown Prin

Louisiana has the nation’s highest incarceration rate. But this week, Gov. John Bel Edwards struck a deal to reduce sentences and the prison population, saving millions annually. If lawmakers approve the changes, Louisiana will be following more than 30 states, including Georgia, Texas and South Carolina, that have already limited sentences; expanded alternatives to incarceration, such as drug treatment; or otherwise reduced the reach and cost of the criminal justice system.

RIO DE JANEIRO — President Michel Temer of hush money to a jailed ally engulfed Latin America’s largest country. Brazil’s currency, the real, fell sharply against the dollar, and stocks plunged in a sell-off punctuated by fears that Mr.

BEIRUT, Lebanon — When President Trump heads to Saudi Arabia on Friday for his first trip overseas since taking office, it will be for much more than a run-of-the-mill state visit. The Saudis have internationalized the event, organizing a sprawling “Arab Islamic American Summit” with leaders from dozens of Muslim countries, as well as talks with the king, the inauguration of a counterterrorism center, forums for business executives and young people, and a country music concert.

JERUSALEM — President Trump’s visit to Jerusalem next week has spun into a difficult diplomatic test with Israel, one of the United States’ firmest allies. Not only has Mr.

WASHINGTON — On the afternoon of May 1, President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, welcomed a high-level delegation of Saudis to a gilded reception room next door to the White House and delivered a brisk pep talk: “Let’s get this done today.” Mr. Kushner was referring to a $100 billion-plus arms deal that the administration hoped to seal with Mr. Trump’s visit to the kingdom this weekend.

Suddenly, there was a car where no car should be: plowing through the sidewalk crowds that had swelled in Times Square on a spectacular sun-filled day. And it was moving fast. By the time it rammed into a bollard, an 18-year-old woman was dead, 22 other people were injured and the heart of Manhattan had been turned into a scene of panic and carnage.