Toyota to take stake in Mazda and Build $1.6 Billion US Plant

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Toyota said it will take a 5 percent stake in Mazda and the companies will join forces to build a $1.6 billion U.S. assembly plant for electric vehicles.

The plant will begin operation in 2021. The plant’s location hasn’t been made public. The Japanese car companies will produce 300,000 vehicles a year and create 4,000 jobs.

Toyota’s chief executive said in the future mobility won’t only belong to carmakers -- he mentioned companies like Google and Amazon -- so the partnership with Mazda will help them catch up and compete with other companies.

Men More Prepared than Women for Healthcare Upon Turning 65

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Men are more prepared than women for their healthcare upon turning 65, according to a survey conducted by PrescibeWellness, a cloud-based services company that serves the healthcare industry.

The "Turning 65 Survival Guide" survey found 32 percent of women haven’t researched what their plans are for healthcare upon turning 65, as compared to 26 percent of men. The survey also discovered 48 percent of Americans choose their senior healthcare plan before they turn 65, while 29 percent decide on their 65th birthday. 8 percent wait until after they turn 65. 14 percent don’t act until they receive a reminder. 

Trump Says US-Russia Relations are at an 'all-time' low

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U.S. President Donald Trump said relations with Russia are at an all-time and dangerous low.

In a tweet, he blamed Congress for the strained relations, also expressing his frustration with the Senate for failing to pass a health care reform bill. Arizona senator John McCain fought back in his own tweet, putting the blame on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump’s tweet comes a day after he reluctantly signed off on sanctions against Russia, calling it unconstitutional.

U.S. Tests Intercontinental Ballistic Missile

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The U.S. successfully launched an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile early Wednesday morning. The Minuteman III was tested at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California according to an Air Force Global Strike Command statement.

The statement says the test wasn’t a response to recent North Korean actions, but demonstrates the United States’ ability to deter and defend against attacks on the U.S. and allies.

2 U.S. Troops Killed After Suicide Bomber Targets NATO Convoy

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A suicide bomber struck a NATO-led convoy in Afghanistan. Afghanistan's TOLOnews reports at least one civilian was wounded and seven foreign troops, two of them U.S. service members, were killed in the attack. The convoy was on its way to the airport when it happened. A security official told Reuters the attacker drove a car full of explosives into the convoy.

TOLOnews reports the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.