The USS George Washington's deployment from Japan to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln will leave the U.S. without an aircraft carrier in the western Pacific — just as adversaries in the area are flexing their military power. Why it matters: Temporary carrier gaps are not uncommon, but the absence of a striker ship in the Pacific highlights how the Middle East is once again dictating American military policy. It also has raised questions about how the U.S. can sustain a formidable presence in both regions. The big picture: The absence of a U.S. carrier in the Pacific has happened before , and China has previously exploited those gaps by sailing its strike groups closer to U.S. allies like Taiwan and Japan, Mark…
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake in southwestern Japan has killed 34 people and left thousands sleeping in cars and crowded shelters without water, and now a heat wave is compounding the misery. Three days after the quake struck Kyushu, Japan's southern main island, rescuers with search dogs were still combing collapsed buildings in Kumamoto Prefecture on […] The post Kumamoto earthquake survivors endure 97-degree heat in cars as Japan's death toll hits 34 appeared first on American Almanac .
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake in southwestern Japan has killed 34 people and left thousands sleeping in cars and crowded shelters without water, and now a heat wave is compounding the misery. Three days after the quake struck Kyushu, Japan's southern main island, rescuers with search dogs were still combing collapsed buildings in Kumamoto Prefecture on Friday while survivors faced temperatures that peaked at 36 degrees Celsius, 97 degrees Fahrenheit. Japan's weather agency and Ministry of the Environment issued an extreme heat alert for Kumamoto city, where more than 9,000 displaced residents were packed into shelters and an unknown number of others had nowhere to go but their vehicles. The Kumamoto prefectural government confirmed the…Open
Apple has announced price increases on several products, citing rising memory chip costs and supply chain challenges, with industry experts predicting similar moves by other brands.
PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: Apple has raised prices on several products, including the MacBook Pro with one terabyte of storage, which increased from $1,699 to $1,999 in the U.S., and the entry-level Neo laptop in the United Kingdom, which rose from £599 to £699 (~$790 to ~$920). The company attributed the increases to rising costs of key components, particularly memory chips. DETAIL: Industry analysts said the move highlights how the artificial intelligence (AI) boom is affecting consumer electronics, with even Apple unable to avoid rising component costs. Chipmaker TSMC has also warned that inflation and higher production expenses could lead to further increases across the sector. Analysts expect other PC and tablet manufacturers to…Open
PULSE POINTSWHAT HAPPENED: Taiwan’s exports to the United States surpassed those to China for the first time in decades, according to new U.S. Department of Commerce data.WHO WAS INVOLVED: The United States, China, Taiwan, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Taiwanese chipmakers, and Taiwan’s Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics.WHEN & WHERE: December 2025 trade data […] The post U.S. Imports from Taiwan Surpass China for First Time in Decades. appeared first on The National Pulse .
PULSE POINTS WHAT HAPPENED: Taiwan’s exports to the United States surpassed those to China for the first time in decades, according to new U.S. Department of Commerce data . WHO WAS INVOLVED: The United States, China, Taiwan, the U.S. Department of Commerce, Taiwanese chipmakers, and Taiwan’s Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics. WHEN & WHERE: December 2025 trade data reflects U.S.-Taiwan commerce and broader global trends and was released in February 2026. KEY QUOTE: “Investment to the U.S. has increased dramatically, and also because of the rise of AI you have seen dramatic and significant changes.” – Taiwan’s minister of economic affairs Kung Ming-hsin IMPACT: Taiwan’s economic growth surged, bolstered…Open