National:

Unemployment among people with disabilities in America has decreased. The Labor Department stated on Feb. 26 that last year, the unemployment rate among disabled Americans dropped to 8 percent. This rate is the lowest it has been in the past decade. In fact, approximately 100,000 people with disabilities became employed last year. However, people with disabilities continue to attain mostly public-sector and low-wage jobs or are self-employed.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s lawyer of more than 10 years, Michael D. Cohen, testified before Congress against Trump on Feb. 27. Cohen expressed that he is no longer protecting Trump, therefore he no longer needs to cover Trump’s lies, particularly regarding illegal payments meant to hide sexual misconduct. In the testimony, Cohen stated Trump knew in advance that Wikileaks would release damaging Democratic emails during the 2016 campaign. He also explained that Trump directed the Trump Tower Moscow negotiations throughout the campaign, and lied about it. The timing of this hearing occurred while Trump met with Kim Jong-Un in Hanoi, Vietnam to discuss denuclearization.

International:

Pakistan shot down two Indian aircrafts on Feb. 27 in a long-standing territorial fight over Kashmir. Both Pakistan and Indian control various parts of Kashmir, but they each strive to govern its entirety. In this most recent upheaval, Pakistani fighter jets carried out airstrikes, which resulted in two Indian air force jets to respond by crossing over the Line of Control (LoC). Pakistan then shot down both jets and captured one of the Indian pilots.

In an update on the trade war between the United States and China, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer stated that the United States is dropping its threat to raise 25 percent tariffs on about $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will likely meet next month to determine a more stable trade deal. For now, the existing 10 percent tariffs will remain in place, but increases in tariffs are temporarily suspended.