US President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order on Monday that is designed to empower state and local governments and citizens to handle disaster preparations and relief, a White House official said.

Pope Francis is no longer in immediate danger of death and is responding well to treatment in hospital, the Vatican said on Monday, in a sign of progress as the 88-year-old pontiff battles double pneumonia.In its latest medical update, the Vatican said the pope's doctors had decided to lift an earlier "guarded" prognosis, meaning the pontiff was no longer in immediate danger."The improvements recorded in previous days have further consolidated, as confirmed by both blood tests and clinical assessments, as well as a good response to his drug treatments," it said.Although the doctors lifted their earlier prognosis, the Vatican said they still expect Francis "to continue medical drug treatment in a hospital setting for further days." No exact timeframe was given for his discharge.

Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's envoy to the Middle East, is planning to visit Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a Bloomberg news reporter said on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The US military is canceling more than 90 studies, including some that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed as climate change "crap."Military and intelligence officials have over the past decade identified potential security threats from climate change that include natural disasters in densely populated coastal areas and damage to American military bases worldwide."The (Department of Defense) does not do climate change crap," Hegseth posted on X on Sunday. Hegseth took office in President Donald Trump's new administration on January 25.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed promoting a stable government in Syria, Houthi threats in Yemen and reconstructing Gaza with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the State Department said on Monday in a readout of their meeting.Officials are in Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at ending the war between Ukraine and Russia.