President Donald Trump announced more than $200 billion in additional investment deals secured with the United Arab Emirates on Thursday during his visit to Abu Dhabi, cementing the United States’ partnership with the Arabian Peninsula nation. A previous agreement made in March with the country included a 10-year, $1.4 trillion investment framework targeting artificial intelligence infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, and manufacturing.

The new Abu Dhabi agreements span industries critical to U.S. economic and national security, including aerospace, aluminum, artificial intelligence, energy, and nuclear technology, among others. A $60 billion oil and gas production expansion deal will contribute to lower energy costs, create skilled jobs in both nations, and reinforce U.S. energy leadership, said the White House.

Holtec International and the UAE’s Industrial Holding Company are also investing $30 billion to build a fleet of small modular reactors—a new type of smaller-scale nuclear technology—starting in Michigan. Boeing and GE Aerospace secured a $14.5 billion deal to deliver airplanes to Etihad Airways, an investment that will support 60,000 American jobs, according to the White House. (More)

The Department of Health and Human Services plans to stop recommending routine COVID-19 vaccines for children, teens, and pregnant women, a senior agency official confirmed to The Epoch Times. The development was first reported on May 15 by the Wall Street Journal. A formal announcement is expected in the upcoming days, according to the report.

Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that individuals 6 months and older receive an updated COVID-19 inoculation. CDC added the COVID-19 vaccines to the vaccination schedule in 2023, following a recommendation from its vaccine advisory panel.

Three COVID-19 vaccine shots have been authorized for use in the United States: Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech’s messenger RNA-based inoculations, and Novavax’s protein-based vaccine. Around 13 percent of children and 14 percent of pregnant women had taken the updated COVID shot, according to the CDC. (More)

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, joined by their wives, Second Lady Usha Vance and Jeannette Rubio, will lead a U.S. delegation to the Vatican on May 18 for the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV.

Officials noted the significance of the event, as Leo XIV is the first American-born pontiff in the 2,000-year history of the Roman Catholic Church. Vance is the first Catholic convert to serve as vice president; Joe Biden was the first Catholic vice president of the United States.

The inaugural Mass is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and dignitaries and will formally install Leo XIV as the 267th pope. Traditions include the bestowal of the fisherman’s ring and the pallium, symbols of his authority. Ceremonies are set to begin at 10 a.m. local time and will feature a procession, the chant of “Laudes Regiae,” and a visit to St. Peter’s tomb. (More)