8: On NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Donald Trump confirmed he won’t seek a third term, saying “I’ll be a two-term president. I always thought that was very important.” He named Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as key Republican figures to carry on the MAGA mantle after his presidency.
89: Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party, led by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, secured a decisive victory in the general election, winning a whopping 87 of 97 seats on Saturday. The results give Wong a strong mandate to continue governing following an election focused on the economic threats of American tariffs.
283: Starbase, SpaceX’s operations hub in southern Texas, has officially become a city after residents voted to incorporate the area. The Saturday vote passed overwhelmingly, with 212 in favor and just six opposed, among 283 eligible voters — most of whom are SpaceX employees. Spanning 1.6 square miles and complete with a road called Memes Street, the new city will be governed by a mayor and two commissioners.
$8.8 billion: Dubai-based MBS Global Investments has announced a $8.8 billion plan to build a blockchain and digital assets financial hub in the Maldives, surpassing the country's $7 billion annual GDP. The Maldivian government sees the investment as a vital step toward economic diversification, with Finance Minister Moosa Zameer saying the country must “take the leap” to reduce reliance on tourism and fisheries amid a looming debt crisis.
100: Donald Trump’s complicated relationship with Hollywood took another turn last night, as he announced on social media that there would be a 100% tariff on films made outside the United States. The president even suggested that incentivizing filmmakers and film studios to operate outside the United States was a “National Security threat.” It’s unclear how this tariff would function.
Algerians are headed to the polls today to elect their next members of parliament. However, hopes for true democracy look more remote than ever.
In addition to the health concerns from the Ebola outbreak, the UN is sounding the alarm on a potential development crisis in Africa sparked by the disease.
The protests in the small Balkan country were touched off by the start of construction on a seaside luxury resort linked to US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.