For the most part, public access to this historic event is limited — much of downtown will have restricted access. The NATO security zone will be active starting on Wednesday.
But several cultural events and panel discussions are open to the curious public.
“The Dayton Dialogue: Conversations about Peace & Security in the Balkans,” will feature three panels per day and are open to the public. These events will occur from May 22-25 at the University of Dayton’s Roger Glass Center.
Local impacts of federal news
• U.S. Air Force Secretary: The Senate confirmed Troy E. Meink as the Air Force secretary. Meink is no stranger to the Dayton region’s military base. He previously served as a flight test engineer and deputy program manager at what was the National Air Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He has also worked for the Air Force Research Laboratory, which is based at Wright-Patt.
• “Big, Beautiful Bill”: Republicans in the U.S. House are racing to advance a bill that aligns with much of President Donald Trump’s agenda. U.S. Rep. Mike Carey, who represents parts of Clark and Miami counties, said the goal is to have the bill signed into law by July. He is one of two Ohio lawmakers on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, which must figure out how best to extend the expiring Trump tax cuts — while also adding in tax changes. House Republicans have proposed no taxes on overtime pay and no taxes on tips, but the same proposal would also include deep cuts to Medicaid spending — this saw Democratic opposition.
• China and tariffs: The Trump administration agreed after talks last weekend to scale back its 145% tariffs charged on imports from China to 30% — at least for 90 days. The Chinese government also reduced its retaliatory import taxes on U.S. goods from 125% to 10% while both sides continue to negotiate. But even with lower tariffs, Walmart announced Trump’s tariffs will force them to raise prices in the coming weeks on goods like electronics and toys. We talked to Dayton-area toy stores about what impact they’re seeing and what concerns they have for their small businesses.
Other federal updates
• A gift from Qatar?: Qatar’s ruling family wants to give Trump a $400 million plane to use as Air Force One. Republican and Democratic critics of the plan worry the move would create ethical, legal and security concerns. Legal experts have also pointed to rules involving “emoluments.” The Constitution prohibits federal officials from accepting things of value from foreign governments without approval from Congress.
• Syrian sanctions: During his tour of Gulf states this week, Trump also announced plans to lift sanctions on Syria. Trump met with interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, the first encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years. Al-Sharaa had ties to al-Qaida and joined insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq before entering the Syrian war. He was even imprisoned by U.S. troops there for several years.
• Impeachment: A Democratic lawmaker from Michigan this week backed down from a bid to impeach Trump after other Democrats criticized the effort and refused to support it. It’s the third time Trump has faced impeachment efforts after being twice impeached during his first presidential term. But Rep. Shri Thanedar said he isn’t abandoning his resolution and will be back.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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