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Evacuation orders lifted as firefighters make progress on Canyon fire

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Firefighters are continuing to make progress battling a wildfire burning in the hills near the Los Angeles and Ventura county line, allowing thousands of evacuated residents to return to their homes Friday evening as public health officials warned of potentially unhealthy air in the area through the weekend.

By 6 p.m. Friday, crews had reached 28% containment on the 5,370-acre Canyon fire burning near Castaic, which broke out amid a heat wave Thursday and has destroyed at least two buildings and injured three firefighters, according to the L.A. County Fire Department.

Evacuation orders affecting around 2,700 residents have been downgraded to warnings, while evacuation warnings affecting around 14,000 residents have been lifted, according to Ventura County Fire Department spokesperson Andrew Dowd.

“We’ve made tremendous progress on this fire; we are very proud of the hard work that has been done by the men and women on the ground,” Dowd said. “I think residents in the area can be thankful for the firefighters that came here to help serve them.”

At 6:20 p.m., a single vehicle rolled over at the scene of the fire and one person was taken to a hospital for treatment, Dowd said. The Ventura County Fire Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and did not say whether the person injured was a firefighter.

According to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, smoke from the Canyon fire is causing unhealthy air quality in Los Angeles County, primarily in the 5 Freeway corridor near Castaic Lake. The L.A. County Department of Public Health has issued a smoke advisory until 11 a.m. Sunday, and is urging everyone in areas where they can see or smell smoke to limit or avoid outdoor activity.

Ventura County officials said the fire ignited just before 2 p.m. Thursday — when temperatures were peaking at around 100 degrees — northeast of Piru, a small, unincorporated town not far from Castaic Junction. It then charged east, threatening homes and temporarily prompting evacuation orders in the L.A. County communities of Val Verde, Hasley Canyon and Castaic.

Taking advantage of cooler temperatures Thursday night into Friday morning, crews were able to make inroads against the fast-moving blaze that grew to several thousand acres in a matter of hours, Dowd said. But he said the fight ahead remains challenging, given the hot weather, rugged terrain and a parched landscape that, together, can foster extreme fire growth.

“We are seeing some flare-ups in various parts of the fire,” Dowd said Friday morning. “We still have record-low fuel moisture in the area, so we’re not letting our guard” down.

Two small structures, probably sheds or outbuildings, have been confirmed destroyed, Dowd said. Officials have not confirmed any homes or businesses damaged, but video from the scene showed a few buildings destroyed or engulfed in flames. It wasn’t immediately clear if that was additional damage from the two small buildings.

A helicopter drops fire retardant on a hot spot on the hill above Castaic High School while battling the Canyon fire in Castaic on Friday.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Dowd said he expects containment to grow over Friday night as firefighters double down on the work that’s been done so far — “so that’s patrolling, mopping up, reinforcing containment lines, addressing hot spots and flareups as they occur, and continuing to provide structure defense and structure protection to those properties that may be at risk.”

Residents in the Val Verde area said flames were visible from the neighborhood’s western edge Thursday, but the threat appeared to have calmed a bit by Friday morning, though the air remained thick with soot and ash.

“There’s a lot of smoke. The air is really, really bad,” Jennifer Elkins, president of the Val Verde Civic Assn., said Friday. Her neighborhood was under an evacuation order Thursday afternoon, but was able to return home Friday.

“We’re just kind of staying locked up indoors and keeping an eye on things,” Elkins said. “This is a really tough fire season, and I’m really glad the Fire Department is really taking every fire seriously. … This is a pretty big threat to the community.”

The Canyon fire quickly became one of the largest of several fires sparked during days of intense heat in Southern California. To the north in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, the much larger Gifford fire has burned more than 100,000 acres.

Unfortunately for firefighters on the ground, the heat is expected to persist into the weekend, though temperatures may drop a degree or two.

Temperatures were forecast to peak Friday at 98 degrees around the Canyon fire, and that heat plus the winds, low humidity and parched landscape would continue to create elevated fire conditions through the weekend, said Mike Wofford, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard.

“It’s ripe for fires and fire spread,” Wofford said.

A hand crew battling flames from the Canyon fire in Castaic

A hand crew battles flames from the Canyon fire in Castaic.

(Eric Thayer / Getty Images)

“Although a few degrees of cooling is expected through the weekend, a very warm air mass will remain in place. An onshore flow regime will keep temperatures from exceeding record levels, but temperatures are expected to remain above seasonal normals as high pressure aloft lingers over the southwestern United States,” the weather service said in a Friday morning forecast.

The fire was initially reported to be about 30 acres, but within about two hours that estimate jumped to over 1,000 acres, according to Ventura County officials. By midnight, it had spread across 4,856 acres and was racing east toward Castaic and the 5 Freeway in L.A. County. On Friday, it grew another 514 acres.

More than 400 firefighters were assigned to the incident, according to fire officials.

A resident spraying down his home as firefighters prepare to battle flames from the Canyon fire

A resident sprays down his home as firefighters prepare to battle flames from the Canyon fire in Castaic.

(Eric Thayer / Getty Images)

The American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns about the fire’s proximity to the Pitchess Detention Center, where about 5,000 inmates are housed in four jails. The center is east of the 5 Freeway and fell just outside an evacuation warning zone the first night of the fire.

Senior staff attorney Melissa Camacho said she was “gravely concerned” about the growing fire.

“January’s Hughes fire burned within a half-mile of the jails and not a single person incarcerated there was evacuated,” Camacho told The Times. “It’s heartbreaking that, less than eight months later, the 5,000 people in the jails and their loved ones will spend another sleepless night watching a fire and praying that it doesn’t reach them.”

The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, which operates the facility, said it was actively monitoring fire conditions and was in constant communication with fire and county officials.

“Similar to evacuation plans implemented at Pepperdine University in Malibu, the Fire Department has advised that a shelter-in-place strategy is the safest option for custody staff and inmates, given the building construction type and current fire behavior,” agency spokesperson Nicole Nishida said in a statement. The area around the building has been cleared of brush and has wide defensible space, she said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced that the state had secured Federal Emergency Management Agency support to help pay for the fight against the blaze. The Fire Management Assistance Grant can provide federal funding for up to 75% of eligible firefighting costs, including expenses for field camps, equipment use, supplies and mobilization, and demobilization activities, according to FEMA.



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Does Belly end up with Conrad?

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Three years ago, Prime Video transported us to Cousins Beach for the very first time and one of the greatest love triangles in TV history was officially born. From the start, The Summer I Turned Pretty divided fans into two passionate factions: Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah. 

For the last three seasons, we’ve watched Belly navigate her complicated feelings for the Fisher brothers. There have been moments along the way for Team Conrad and Team Jeremiah members, but both sides of the fandom have kept hope that in the end, their team would prevail and get its happy ending. We know in the books that it’s Team Conrad who wins out with Belly and Conrad ending up together in the epilogue of the final book in Jenny Han’s hit series, We’ll Always Have Summer. However, Amazon and Han have stirred the pot on many occasions hinting that the show would end differently than the books. 

This gave way for a renewed hope for Team Jeremiah and left Team Conrad to fear that perhaps Belly and Conrad would not be end game in the show. Heading into the series finale, the ship seemed to have sailed on Belly and Jeremiah, while Conrad ended the penultimate episode boarding a plane to Paris in hopes of rekindling his relationship with Belly. So did Conrad and Belly get their happy ending, or did the writers throw a last-minute curveball audiences’ way? 

Read on to find out how exactly The Summer I Turned Pretty came to an end. (Needless to say, spoilers ahead!)

Conrad arrives in Paris and reunites with Belly

The series finale opens with Conrad having arrived in France and landing on Belly’s doorstep. Much to our surprise, when Belly arrives back home she’s not only rocking a new look but she’s still with Benito. Conrad watches on from afar as the pair share a kiss before Benito rides off. 

Having come all this way, Conrad goes up to Belly and she’s stunned to see him. Rather than professing his feelings as he intended when he jumped on the plane, he plays it off that he just happened to be in the area and wanted to celebrate her birthday before his conference in Brussels. Clearly shaken by seeing Conrad for the first time since that night at the airport before she left for Paris, Belly agrees to show him around for the day before her plans in the evening. 

When she drops his bag in her apartment, it’s clear her old feelings begin to come back as she applies lipstick and asks herself what she’s doing before assuring herself she’ll simply play tour guide and then send him off to Brussels. 

The pair embark on a day in the city and we get a really sweet montage of the pair’s journey through Paris. As they walk through the corridors of a museum, he admits to spending a lot of time thinking about her life in Paris and tells Belly he wishes he could see the city the way she does, which gives her an idea as they head out.

She ends up taking him to a rooftop she used to frequent often with breathtaking views of the city. As they look around, Belly tells Conrad about how when she first got to Paris and was figuring things out the manager of bar she was working at told her about the rooftop. The view just helped things to finally click for Belly with the way it all comes together beautifully, which Conrad equates to the human body in how when you take a step back it’s miraculous seeing how everything together works together. 

Conrad points out that Belly seems comfortable in Paris and she admits it took some time to adjust and struggled to do the simplest of things like figuring out the difference between laundry detergent and dish soap. There so many times she felt like a complete idiot, but then she came up to the rooftop one day to watch the sun rise and remembered something Conrad had told her years ago about the first time he saw the Pacific. How it felt like standing on another planet where anything felt possible, and Paris has been that for her. 

He assures Belly that he never doubted she could do it. She’s always been scrappy and never been one to back down from a challenge. Paris never stood a chance. Caught up in the moment, Belly invites Conrad to take a later train and join her for the birthday dinner.

Steven and Denise are moving to California to start their new company

Back in the states, Jeremiah is gearing up for an important dinner arranged by Taylor. He’s excited about the opportunity, but also feeling overwhelmed. As he tells Denise about Conrad going to Paris to see Belly, he begins to talk about finding a new couch for their apartment which is when Denise drops an unexpected bit of news on his plate. 

It turns out that she and Steven secured the seed money for their company, but it was contingent upon them both moving to San Francisco. It seems that Steven hasn’t told the news to Taylor and Denise swears Jeremiah to secrecy, only to find out that Taylor heard the whole conversation. 

As Taylor spirals about Steven keeping this from her, Taylor also is dealing with the fact that the venue she booked for Jeremiah’s dinner is dealing with flooding. Denise suggests the beach house and Jeremiah agrees to move the dinner, marking the first time he’ll be back to the house since the events of his wedding. 

We jump ahead to Denise, Taylor and Jeremiah getting things ready for the dinner, and Steven arrives with supplies. Rather than confronting him directly, Taylor lays it on thick talking about their future clearly hoping he’ll come clean. When he doesn’t she storms off leaving him speechless.

Do Belly and Benito breakup? 

As we return to Paris, Conrad is getting ready for Belly’s birthday dinner and begins to take a look around her apartment including the many photos of Benito. He also spots Junior Mint and remembers the moment he won the bear for Belly all those years ago. Enter Belly who looks stunning in her little black dress, leaving Conrad speechless. He helps her with her bracelet and she returns the favor by playfully ruffling his hair before they head out. 

When they get to the party, Gemma and her friends make a comment that clues us in on the fact that Belly might not be seeing Benito after all when they mention how she moved on fast. Before we can process the line, Benito arrives and pulls her away to give her his present: a photograph he took of Belly in bed. 

At dinner, Benito and Belly seem to give couple vibes sitting together at one end of the table as Conrad sits among Belly’s friends. Gemma tells Conrad she thinks what he did was romantic, professing his love for Belly before the wedding and they liken the story to something out of a movie. This is when Benito chime in that in the movie Conrad was the villain, to which Belly says if anyone was the villain, it was her. Benito then asks why he’s in Paris and he’s giving serious jealous boyfriend vibes until we learn that Belly actually dumped Benito six weeks ago! 

That’s right, it seems Belly broke up with Benito before Conrad’s arrival when she declined his invitation to go Mexico for his grandma’s birthday.

As the dinner continues, Conrad asks about Benito being her boyfriend to which she points out that she never said he was. The night continues and Conrad finally gives Belly her gift: sand from Cousins Beach which he collected on the Fourth of July that summer. He knew he wasn’t going to be back for a long time and so whenever he missed home he’s take the bottle of sand out and it’d make him feel closer to everyone, he thought that since she might not be back for a while she might like to have it. She thanks Conrad with a sweet kiss on the cheek as her friends bring out her birthday cake for her to make a wish. 

Do Steven and Taylor end up together? 

Back in Cousins, Jeremiah’s dinner keeps hitting one snag after another. Taylor is working to help make things go as smoothly as possible, but he’s also dealing with the Steven news. That’s when Jeremiah clues his friend in on the fact that Taylor knows about Califnornia and suddenly her behavior makes sense to Steven. 

As if the pressure of the dinner weren’t high enough, Adam arrives with some champagne from Jeremiah’s wedding and he begins to spiral about whether the beach house is cursed. As Jeremiah spirals, Denise helps ground him with a sweet pep talk and it seemed like the pair were about to kiss before she hit him with a friendly shoulder punch instead. 

After kicking Steven and Taylor out of his kitchen to focus on the preparation of the food, the pair finally clear the air outside as Steven admits he can’t imagine a future without Taylor. He explains he hadn’t asked her to move as it didn’t feel fright to ask her to uproot her life again to follow him to another city. The conversation ends with Taylor agreeing to move to California as they share a kiss and we’re so happy the pair are destined to get their happy ending. 

Conrad reminds Belly she’s not the villain in this story

After the party, Conrad and Belly take a romantic – yes, I’m calling it as I see it – stroll. He admits to her that he thought Belly came to Paris to hide from everything that happened. He admits that he wanted to believe it was temporary, that she’d forgive herself and come home; however, he sees that she wasn’t hiding out and made an amazing life, one he’s happy he got to see. 

Belly admits that he’s not wrong. She was hiding out at first. It was hard and lonely and she did think she deserved that. Conrad reminds her she’s not the villain, but she’s not so sure of that pointing out how she broke up his family and came between him and Jeremiah. 

Conrad assures Belly it wasn’t on her to keep their family together and they weren’t trying to hurt each other. He then proceeds to let her know that Jeremiah knows he’s there in Paris and is okay with that, even wishing him good luck before he left. He tells Belly that he likes being under the same moon as her again and just as it seems he’s about to come clean about his feelings, she cuts him off and tells him there’s one more place she wants to take him.

Belly and Conrad hook up in Paris, but the night ends with a twist

Belly take Conrad to the riverfront and he asks her to dance with him. She asks if he remembers the last time they danced, which he admits was not his finest moment. Belly admits she envisioned this perfect prom movie where they’d dance the night away, but instead he yelled at her in the rain and ran off. The two laugh it off as Conrad remembers when she told him to f*ck off at his mom’s funeral. 

As Belly leans into Conrad’s chest, she admits that his letters kept her going. Whenever she was lonely and missed home, she’d sit and read them, over and over. He asks her why it took so long to write back and she admits she had to move on first. He asks if she’s moved on and silence fills the air before she pulls Conrad in for a kiss. That kiss quickly evolves into something more as they take things back to her apartment and take to the bedroom. 

After a passionate night together, Belly admits to him that she used to wish for him on her birthday but the pillow talk quickly takes an unpleasant turn as Belly suggests he shouldn’t miss his train and the conference. 

Belly asks Conrad what his plan was and he says he wanted to tell her that he loves her and that he wanted to know if any part of her still loved him. She admits she’s always loved him, which is the problem. How are they supposed to know if they love each other because they love each other or because they were told to. She questions whether if Susannah hadn’t gotten sick again, would they have ever gotten together. If they didn’t lose Susannah, would it loom so large for them? What if he only loves her because its what his mom wanted and then his mom died? 

Conrad assures her that’s not why he loves her. He has tried everything not to love her for the sake of Jeremiah and not dragging her down in grief. He fought it way before his mom got sick, as she’s always been important to him. At one point, he started to see her differently and that scared him because he didn’t want things to change and that the way he feels about her has nothing to do with his mom. While he’s changed a million things about himself, the one thing that has never changed is that he love her. 

Belly wishes she could be as sure as him, but she can’t as she sends him away. 

Do Belly and Conrad end up together in The Summer I Turned Pretty?

After sending him away, Belly quickly realizes just how wrong she was. She’s always loved Conrad, and that’s never changed. 

Belly races to the window and tries to call out for him, but he’s already gone. She races out to the street and hails a cab. Racing through the train station, Belly eventually boards the train to Brussels and begins frantically searching for him on the train cars. 

Then it happens, she finds him. 

“I choose you of my own free will. If there are infinite worlds, every version of me chooses you in every one of them,” Belly professes, finally embracing the love she’s always had for Conrad. The pair exchange I love yous and we flash back to the beach house where Jeremiah and the family are celebrating after a successful dinner. 

As the show comes to an end, we jump ahead an unspecified time as Belly and Conrad finally return home from Paris to the place where it all began: the beach house. The pair roll into the driveway and walk through the door together, we watch the happy couple head to the backyard as the camera zooms out before finally fading to black.

Odds and Ends

  • Jeremiah’s dinner works out, but more importantly he and Denise share a sweet kiss hinting their relationship will evolve into something more.
  • Belly’s dad does not die as so many fans feared.
  • Adam finally tells Jeremiah just how proud he is of him.



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Robert Redford death latest: Meryl Streep, Barbra Streisand and others mourn Hollywood icon

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Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Screen icon Robert Redford, the Oscar-winning actor, director, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, has died at the age of 89.

The news was confirmed in a statement by his publicist, Cindi Berger, who said he died in his sleep “surrounded by those he loved,” at his home in Utah. A cause of death was not disclosed.

Redford shot to global fame opposite Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and went on to deliver acclaimed performances in The Sting (1973), Three Days of the Condor (1975), and All the President’s Men (1976), among many others.

He made his directorial debut with Ordinary People (1980), which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Beyond his work on screen, Redford founded the Sundance Institute, which launched the Sundance Film Festival — now the largest and most influential celebration of independent film in the United States.

He is survived by his two daughters, Shauna and Amy, and his wife, Sibylle Szaggars Redford, the 68-year-old German-born multimedia artist whose environmental work as been exhibited around the world.

He had four children with his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen. One son, Scott, died of sudden death syndrome when he was just 10 weeks old. David died from cancer in 2020 at the age of 58.

Hailed as Hollywood’s former golden boy, tributes have poured in for the late star.

Follow live updates below

Robert Redford remembered for his deep legacy in environmental activism and Native American advocacy

Redford, who died Tuesday at age 89, was hardly the only liberal activist to emerge out of Hollywood, but few matched his knowledge and focus, his humility and dedication. Fellow actors and leaders of the causes he fought for spoke of his unusually deep legacy, his fight for Native Americans and the environment that began at the height of his stardom.

Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 09:30

Sundance Institute reflects on Robert Redford’s lasting legacy

The Sundance Institute mourned the loss of its founder, Robert Redford, in a statement that highlighted his contribution to cinema.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our founder and friend Robert Redford. Bob’s vision of a space and a platform for independent voices launched a movement that, over four decades later, has inspired generations of artists and redefined cinema in the US and around the world,” the non-profit shared on Tuesday.

“Beyond his enormous contributions to culture at large, we will miss his generosity, clarity of purpose, curiosity, rebellious spirit and his love for the creative process. We are humbled to be among the stewards of his remarkable legacy, which will continue to guide the Institute in perpetuity.”

Remembering Sundance Institute Founder Robert Redford

Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 09:15

Remembering Robert Redford in photos: the life of the Oscar-winning director and activist

Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 09:00

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: How Robert Redford and Paul Newman captured Hollywood’s greatest outlaws

The multiple Oscar-winning Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was a groundbreaking revisionist western, with Paul Newman and the late Robert Redford giving a timeless portrayal of a pair of law-breaking adventurers in one of Hollywood’s greatest examples of the “buddy film”.

Although William Goldman was convinced his film script about two American outlaws who fled a posse of Pinkerton detectives and escaped to Bolivia had the potential to be a blockbuster hit, the initial response was disheartening. “Every studio but one rejected it,” Goldman recalled in The Reluctant Storyteller. “One studio head said, ‘Well, I’ll buy it if they don’t go to South America.’ I said, ‘But they went there!’ He said, ‘I don’t give a s***. All I know is John Wayne don’t run away.’”

The true story of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

The 1969 movie wasn’t an immediate success with critics, yet it charmed the public. As Robert Redford dies aged 89, Martin Chilton tells the tale of one of Hollywood’s best buddy films and the two outlaws who inspired it

Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 08:30

Marisa Tomei on Redford: ‘He showed up for the world’

Marisa Tomei shared a heartfelt tribute to Robert Redford, calling him “the Sundance Kid, waving one last time.”

Tomei recalled a moment from early in Ms. Magazine’s history, when Redford’s PR office shared a building with the publication. “He volunteered his gorgeous back for their Oct ’75 cover, knowing the attention would help,” she wrote.

“Always lending his weight to something bigger than himself,” Tomei added. “A legend in every sense.

Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 08:15

Classic films, pranks and a crushed Porsche: Robert Redford and Paul Newman’s rare friendship

Robert Redford and Paul Newman enjoyed a “bromance” long before the word had even been coined. Here’s a look back at their storied friendship – and the sports cars they crushed into a cube along the way:

Kevin Perry17 September 2025 07:56

Journalist Bob Woodward remembers Robert Redford as a fierce storyteller and friend

Bob Woodward paid tribute to Robert Redford on Instagram, looking back on their long connection.

Redford famously portrayed Woodward in the 1976 film All the President’s Men, and the two remained close over the years.

“He will be remembered as one of the greatest storytellers in our country’s history,” Woodward wrote. “He elevated stories beyond mainstream. He not only cared about the environment, but he took all conceivable actions to protect it.”

Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 07:45

Robert Redford: 11 of his most memorable performances and where to watch them

Redford died Tuesday at 89, leaving behind an arsenal of great roles that he owned, whether he was playing a quiet CIA agent, a con man, a baseball player, a grizzled mariner, an ambitious journalist, or a charming WASP in love. His very last role came this year, a cameo in Dark Winds, the AMC show about Navajo police officers he produced.

This is a list of some of Redford’s most memorable performances, but don’t forget about the films he directed, too: among them are the all-timers Ordinary People ( streaming on MGM+ ), which won him the best director Oscar, and Quiz Show (rent on AppleTV+ ), which got him another nod.

Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 07:31

Hillary Clinton honours ‘American icon’ Robert Redford

Hilary Clinton honoured Robert Redford with a post on Instagram, reflecting on his career and the lasting impact he made beyond film.

“I always admired Robert Redford, not only for his legendary career as an actor and director but for what came next,” she wrote.

“He championed progressive values like protecting the environment and access to the arts while creating opportunities for new generations of activists and filmmakers. A true American icon.”

Shahana Yasmin17 September 2025 07:15

Joe Mantegna remembers Redford as a co-star and ‘role model’

Joe Mantegna, the character actor known for appearing in The Godfather Part III and voicing Fat Tony in The Simpsons, fondly recalled working with Redford.

He wrote on X: “How lucky was I to be able to share the screen in 1996 with Robert Redford in Up Close and Personal. He was a role model not just as an actor but as a human being.”

Kevin Perry17 September 2025 07:00





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UK’s GSK announces $30 billion U.S. pharma investment amid Trump state visit

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Rafael Henrique | Lightrocket | Getty Images

Britain’s GSK on Wednesday became the latest pharmaceutical firm to commit bumper investment into the U.S., as President Donald Trump is in the U.K. for a three-day state visit.

The drug maker committed to investing at least $30 billion in U.S. research and developing (R&D) and manufacturing over the coming five years.

The investment includes $1.2 billion toward advanced manufacturing, AI and advanced digital technologies to deliver “next-generation biopharma factories and laboratories in the United States,” the drug maker said.

The investment commitment comes as President Donald Trump is in the U.K. for a three-day state visit.

“This week’s State Visit brings together two countries that have led the world in science and healthcare innovation. We are proud to be part of both,” GSK CEO Emma Walmsley said in a statement.

“Today, we are committing to invest at least $30 billion in the United States over the next 5 years, further bolstering the already strong R&D and supply chain we have in the country,” she added.

A number of global pharma firms have been ramping up their U.S. investments amid pressure from the Trump administration to bolster U.S. manufacturing and lower domestic drug prices.

AstraZeneca in July announced plans to invest $50 billion in U.S. manufacturing and research capabilities by 2030, following a slew of commitments from companies including Novartis, Sanofi and Roche, and U.S.-headquartered Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson.

GSK’s $1.2 billion commitment to advanced manufacturing is set to include the construction of a new biologics factory in Pennsylvania to produce respiratory and cancer medicines, the company said, as well as the addition of advanced digital technology capabilities across GSK’s existing five manufacturing sites in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, and Montana.

The wider funding is also due to go toward capital investments across GSK’s U.S. supply chain and increased investment in R&D drug discovery and development and clinical trial activity, it added.

Trump’s state visit has turned out to be a lucrative affair, with a number of firms including Microsoft, Nvidia, Google, OpenAI and Salesforce this week announcing multibillion-dollar artificial intelligence investments in the U.K. in a symbol of strengthened transatlantic ties.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.



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