In a news wrap on Thursday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. This action is part of an ongoing trade dispute with Canada. The name change was made official during a signing in the Oval Office, requiring federal entities to recognize the new designation. However, this does not obligate other countries to adopt the name. Trump had previously threatened the change after negotiations failed regarding his 50 percent tariffs on billions of dollars of Canadian goods, which took effect last weekend, prompting Canada to impose its own tariffs.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney responded on social media, stating that Canadians will continue to refer to it as Lake Ontario, saying, "now and always."
In other news, federal aviation officials are reportedly moving to terminate two air traffic controllers who allegedly left work early on the night of a deadly crash at LaGuardia Airport. This incident resulted in the deaths of two pilots and injuries to dozens when an Air Canada jet collided with a fire truck in March. Both controllers are currently on leave.
Additionally, federal investigators reported that alerts from President Trump's helicopter to air traffic control were not acknowledged before Marine One flew near a passenger jet earlier this month, with ongoing construction at the White House potentially contributing to the issue. Officials emphasized that the president was never in danger.
An immigration officer facing charges related to a shooting in Minneapolis was released from a Texas jail today. Christian Castro's release followed a federal judge's refusal to order his return to Minnesota. Castro is accused of firing his weapon through the front door of a Minneapolis home in January, injuring a Venezuelan immigrant. He had initially claimed he was attacked by the victim with a shovel. A nationwide warrant for his arrest was issued after Minnesota officials expressed concerns that he might flee to Mexico.
In international news, Russia reported launching a significant attack against several Ukrainian cities overnight, targeting at least nine cities, including Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa. Ukrainian officials reported at least two fatalities and more than a dozen injuries from the attacks. In Kyiv, jet-powered drones were observed falling from the sky, and smoke was seen rising from a warehouse outside the city. The Kremlin also issued a warning to the U.K. in response to increased support for Ukraine.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated, "We have repeatedly warned that Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory using British weapons could prompt retaliatory attacks against any British military facilities and equipment in Ukraine and beyond."
In a separate incident, authorities in Russia reported that a car bomb killed a military officer and injured his wife in a suburb of St. Petersburg. Local media identified the officer as a lieutenant colonel, with officials attributing previous assassination attempts within Russia to Ukraine.
In other news, Ratko Mladic, a Bosnian Serb general known for his role in the Bosnian War, died in prison today. Mladic led the Bosnian Serb army during the early 1990s and was responsible for the siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 8,000 Muslim men and boys. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2017 and died in a prison hospital in The Hague at the age of 84.
On Wall Street, stocks closed higher following strong quarterly earnings reports from companies like Nvidia. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose about 100 points, while the Nasdaq increased by more than 1.5 percent. The S&P 500 approached its record set earlier this month.
In China, the World Humanoid Robot Games concluded with a robot sprinter breaking the 100-meter record, finishing almost a second faster than Usain Bolt's previous record. The event featured over 2,000 robots competing in various disciplines.
Artist Yayoi Kusama, known for her polka dot motifs and Infinity Room installations, passed away earlier this month in Japan at the age of 97. Kusama gained prominence in the 1960s and her works became social media sensations. However, her legacy was marred by past racist comments against Black individuals, for which she later apologized.