The Israeli military said it “most likely” intercepted a missile launched from Yemen early on Wednesday (April 23, 2025), following alarms that sounded in several areas in Israel.

Israel’s national ambulance service Magen David Adom (MDA) said that no calls have been received regarding rocket impacts or casualties.

The Iran-backed Houthi movement, an armed group that has taken control of the most populous parts of Yemen, has been launching missiles and drones at Israel in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

US president Donald Trump on Tuesday said he does not plan to remove Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, even as he renewed his call for the central bank to lower interest rates. Speaking at a White House event, Trump tried to ease market concerns sparked by speculation about Powell’s future. “I have no intention of firing him,” said Trump responding a question by a news reporter.
Financial markets had recently seen a sharp sell-off, as investors grew worried that Trump might try to force Powell out. Stocks, bonds, and the dollar all took a hit amid the uncertainty. According to reports, Trump’s advisers have warned him that removing Powell would not only be legally complex but could also worsen market instability.
Trump has been unhappy with Powell’s stance on interest rates. The Federal Reserve has so far resisted lowering rates, citing inflation concerns. Last week, Powell said that tariffs imposed by the Trump administration were likely to raise inflation and lower economic growth. He also stressed that the Fed had a duty to keep price pressures in check, suggesting that interest rate cuts were not likely in the short term.

Trump reacted strongly to Powell’s comments. On Monday, he accused the Fed chair of being “too late” and a “major loser,” insisting that the economy faced a slowdown unless rates were cut immediately.
“With these costs trending so nicely downward, just what I predicted they would do, there can almost be no inflation, but there can be a slowing of the economy unless Mr. too late, a major loser, lowers interest rates, now,” Trump wrote on social media, referring to Powell.
Although Trump now says Powell’s job is safe, his repeated public criticism has raised questions about the Fed’s independence. The matter could become even more significant, with the Supreme Court preparing to hear a case about the president’s authority to remove officials from independent federal agencies—potentially affecting the Federal Reserve as well.

A portrait of Donald Trump, commissioned by the Kremlin and gifted to the US president by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, shows the Republican Party’s then presidential candidate striking his now iconic “raised fist” pose after the failed assassination attempt on him at a July 2024 rally, the artist behind the painting has revealed.
The hitherto “secret” portrait also has the US flag and the Statue of Liberty, which are in the background.
Nikas Safronov, who gave CNN an exclusive look at his painting, said he wanted to highlight Trump’s “bravery.”
Safronov, one of Russia’s most famous artists, said, “It was important to me to show the blood, the scar and his bravery during the attempt on his life. He didn’t break down or become afraid, but raised his arm to show he is one with America and will bring back what it deserves.”
Prior to the Trump portrait, the 69-year-old had painted multiple global figures, including the late Pope Francis, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, among others.
For the one on the American leader, Safronov recalled how some “visitors,” unknown to him, asked to “paint Trump as I see him.”
He added that he did not charge money, as he realized ” this could bring our countries closer.” His intuition would turn out to be correct.
The artist stated, “I was contacted by Putin himself, who told me the ‘flattering’ Trump portrait was an important step in improving Russia’s relationship with the United States.”
The portrait is similar to a painting which now hangs in the Grand Foyer of the White House, after an official portrait of former US President Barack Obama was removed from the location.