Pentagon official says U.S. war in Iran has cost $25 billion so far
A Pentagon official provided the first official estimate of the cost of the U.S. war in Iran on Wednesday (29 April), telling lawmakers that $25 bi...
President Donald Trump is touting strong job numbers as proof of his economic leadership while blaming former President Joe Biden for lingering problems, even as economic indicators show mixed signals.
“I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he’s done a terrible job,” President Donald Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker set to air on “Meet the Press.” “He did a terrible job on everything, from his autopen — which I’m sure he knew nothing about, some of the things he was supposedly signing.”
Trump did not explain how he separates the impacts of each presidency on the current state of the economy. Still, he was quick to link April’s better-than-expected jobs report to his own policies, despite only recently returning to the White House.
In the first 100 days of his new term, Trump has aggressively pushed to overhaul the global economic order, reintroducing broad tariffs that affect both rivals and allies. He has also prioritized bringing manufacturing back to the U.S., though many of his punitive measures have been temporarily paused for 90 days to allow time for negotiations.
However, the early data has not been entirely favorable. The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter of 2025, a notable downturn from the 2.4 percent growth seen in the final quarter of 2024. Consumer confidence has also taken a hit.
“Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week. “Our country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden ‘Overhang.’ This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!”
In April, U.S. employers added 177,000 jobs and hourly wages rose, although many of the federal job cuts proposed by the Trump administration have not yet impacted employment figures. Despite these gains, Trump’s approval rating on economic issues stands at just 39 percent, according to a recent CNN poll.
“Ultimately, I take responsibility for everything,” Trump told Welker. “But I’ve only just been here for a little more than three months.”
He added, “The stock market — look at what’s happened in the last short period of time. Didn’t it have nine or 10 days in a row, or 11 days, where it’s gone up? And the tariffs have just started kicking in. And we’re doing really well. Psychologically, I mean, the fake news was giving me such press on the tariffs. The tariffs are going to make us rich. We’re going to be a very rich country.”
A Pentagon official provided the first official estimate of the cost of the U.S. war in Iran on Wednesday (29 April), telling lawmakers that $25 billion had so far been spent on the conflict, most of it on munitions. Earlier, Donald Trump said that the U.S. had "militarily defeated" Tehran.
Tensions between the United States and Iran remain high after a U.S. official said President Donald Trump was unhappy with a proposal from Tehran that does not deal with its nuclear programme. Washington is insisting that any talks must address Iran’s nuclear activities.
The death toll from a train collision near Indonesia’s capital Jakarta rose to 14 women on Tuesday (28 April), with 84 people injured, after rescuers completed efforts to free passengers trapped in the wreckage, the state rail operator said.
The decision by the United Arab Emirates to leave OPEC+ on 1 May has put renewed focus on one of the most influential groups in global energy - and how its decisions can shape oil prices worldwide.
Mexican special forces arrested Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero”, a senior commander of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), during an operation in the western state of Nayarit, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said on Monday (27 April).
Two Jewish men have been stabbed in London in an incident that British police are treating as a terrorist attack.
Reversing a decade of restrictions, New South Wales has opened new areas for gas exploration in its remote west. The move reflects growing concern over future energy supply across Australia’s east coast.
Travel demand across China is expected to remain robust during the upcoming five-day Labour Day holiday starting 1 May.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 29th of April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Mali’s military leader, Assimi Goita, has said the situation is “under control” in his first public remarks since a wave of coordinated attacks shook the country last weekend.
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