(0:00 - 2:24) Good evening, I'm Will Dove and these are the top stories for Friday, April 4th. President Donald Trump announced today that Vietnam is prepared to reduce tariffs on U.S. imports to zero if a trade deal can be finalized, a move that could ease tensions with one of America's key trading partners. Speaking from Mar-a-Lago this morning, Trump highlighted Vietnam's willingness to negotiate as a positive step, contrasting it with what he described as China's panicked response to his administration's tariff policies. This development comes as global markets reel from China's retaliatory 34% tariffs on all U.S. goods, imposed yesterday in response to Trump's latest levies, which include a 34% tariff on Chinese imports, bringing the total to 54% when combined with earlier duties. The trade war intensified this week after Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs on April 2nd, targeting not only China but also Canada, Mexico, and other nations, citing their failure to curb illegal immigration and drug flows into the U.S. China's countermeasures, announced yesterday evening in Beijing, also include export restrictions on rare earth elements, critical for high-tech manufacturing, and the addition of 11 U.S. companies to its unreliable entities list, barring them from Chinese markets. These actions have triggered a sharp decline in global stock markets, with Wall Street losing over $2 trillion in value yesterday and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping nearly 5% today by mid-afternoon. Trump, undeterred, doubled down on his strategy, posting on social media today that China played it wrong, they panicked, the one thing they cannot afford to do. He also praised Vietnam's proactive stance, noting that Hanoi has already begun cutting duties on U.S. products like liquefied natural gas and cars in recent weeks to reduce its $123 billion trade surplus, with the U.S. Vietnam's efforts, which include approving Elon Musk's Starlink service on a trial basis, aim to pre-empt harsher U.S. tariffs set to take effect next month. Analysts suggest this could position Vietnam as a key ally in Trump's trade framework, especially as other nations like Canada and Mexico face 25% tariffs with no immediate relief in sight. (2:25 - 2:46) The global economic fallout has been swift. Stock markets in Europe and Asia followed Wall Street's plunge today, with investors fearing a prolonged trade war that could disrupt supply chains and spark a recession. China's yuan hit a seven-week low while U.S. companies like Tesla and Best Buy warned of potential price hikes due to the tariffs. (2:47 - 4:30) Meanwhile, Vietnam's trade minister has signaled openness to further concessions, such as increasing U.S. farm imports, though experts note this alone won't significantly dent the bilateral trade imbalance. As Trump pushes forward with his America First agenda, the contrasting responses from Vietnam and China underscore the high stakes of his tariff gambit, with markets and nations bracing for what comes next. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the largest military call-up since 2011, mobilizing 180,000 reservists this week to reinforce Moscow's forces amid escalating tensions with the West. The decree, signed yesterday, aims to bolster Russia's troop strength to 1.5 million active personnel, with the new recruits primarily slated for deployment along Russia's western borders and in occupied Ukrainian territories. Putin has this to say a few days ago about what he sees as the inevitable defeat of Ukraine. This move follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's assertion today that NATO membership remains Kyiv's long-term goal, directly contradicting President Donald Trump's recent push to halt Ukraine's integration into the alliance as a condition for peace talks. (4:32 - 5:41) Zelenskyy, speaking at a press conference in Kyiv this morning, acknowledged Trump's influence after a phone call between the two leaders yesterday, but insisted that Ukraine's future lies with NATO. Trump, who has frozen U.S. military aid to Ukraine since taking office in January, has argued that NATO expansion provokes Russia and complicates negotiations to end the war now in its third year. Putin's call-up, which exceeds the 133,000 reservists mobilized in September 2022, signals a robust response to these developments, with the Kremlin citing increasing threats from NATO's eastward push and Europe's growing military rhetoric as justification. European leaders have reacted with alarm. Today, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski warned that Putin's mobilization threatens the entire continent, while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a unified European defense strategy. The reservists, drawn from across Russia's 11 time zones, will undergo rapid training before deployment, with some expected to reinforce the 97,000 troops currently stationed in Ukraine's occupied east and south. (5:43 - 6:17) Russian state media reported this afternoon that the call-up reflects Putin's determination to maintain control over annexed regions, including Donetsk and Luhansk, where fighting has intensified since March. The timing of Putin's decree aligns with Zelenskyy's diplomatic efforts to secure Western support ahead of potential peace talks brokered by Trump. Yesterday evening, Zelenskyy met with European envoys in Kyiv to rally backing for Ukraine's NATO bid, even as Trump's administration pressures Kyiv to cede territory for a ceasefire, a proposal Zelenskyy has rejected. (6:18 - 9:07) Analysts suggest Putin's mobilization could be a preemptive move to strengthen Russia's negotiating position or deter further Western involvement. As Europe gears up for war and Ukraine clings to its NATO aspirations, we must hope this does not escalate to World War III. Israel intensified its military operations in Gaza today, seizing the Rafah crossing and expanding its ground offensive in the north, displacing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians amid heavy bombardment. The Israel Defense Forces launched the expanded campaign yesterday, targeting what they describe as Hamas infrastructure in northern Gaza, including Jabalia and Beit Hanoun. By this afternoon, the IDF had taken full control of Rafah, a critical border point with Egypt, cutting off a key aid route and prompting over 300,000 residents to flee south to al-Mawassi, a coastal area already strained by overcrowding. The operation follows weeks of airstrikes that have leveled parts of Gaza City, with the IDF reporting today that it killed dozens of Hamas fighters in overnight raids. Palestinian health officials said this morning that at least 87 people, including civilians, died in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll since October 7, 2023, to over 43,000. The United Nations warned today that Gaza's humanitarian crisis has reached catastrophic levels, with hospitals like al-Aqsa in Deir al-Bala overwhelmed and out of fuel. Israel's military claims the offensive aims to dismantle Hamas's remaining battalions, but aid agencies report that 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million people are now displaced. Meanwhile, a rare firefight erupted yesterday evening in southern Syria between Israeli troops and militants loyal to Abu Ali al-Jolani, leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. The clash occurred near Quneitra, close to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, after Israeli forces crossed the border to pursue what they called hostile elements. The IDF reported killing several militants with no Israeli casualties, while HTS vowed retaliation. This incident marks a new front in Israel's regional operations, fueled by concerns over HTS's growing influence in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's last month. Back in Gaza, evacuation orders issued today for four northern neighborhoods have deepened the chaos, with residents like Mohamed al-Mazri, a father of three, telling reporters, there's nowhere left to go. The IDF's push has drawn international criticism, with Egypt condemning the Rafah seizure this afternoon as a violation of bilateral agreements. (9:08 - 9:18) As Israel broadens its military footprint across two fronts, the dual conflicts threaten to further destabilize an already volatile Middle East, with no ceasefire in sight.