A federal trade court on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under an emergency-powers law. The ruling from a three-judge panel came after several lawsuits arguing Trump has exceeded his authority, left U.S. trade policy dependent on his whims and unleashed economic chaos.
At least seven lawsuits are challenging the levies, the centerpiece of Trump鈥檚 trade policy. Tariffs must typically be approved by Congress, but Trump says he has the power to act because the country鈥檚 trade deficits amount to a national emergency.
Here's the latest:
Court says Trump鈥檚 tariffs exceed his presidential authority
鈥淭he Worldwide and Retaliatory Tariff Orders exceed any authority granted to the President by IEEPA to regulate importation by means of tariffs,鈥� the court wrote, referring to the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The Trump administration is expected to appeal.
At least seven lawsuits are challenging the levies, the centerpiece of Trump鈥檚 trade policy.
Tariffs must typically be approved by Congress, but Trump says he has the power to act because the country鈥檚 trade deficits amount to a national emergency. He imposed tariffs on most of the countries in the world at one point, sending markets reeling.
TV star Todd Chrisley is released from prison after Trump鈥檚 pardon
Reality TV star Todd Chrisley was released Wednesday from federal prison after being pardoned by Trump, a spokesperson for his defense lawyer said.
Chrisley, 57, best known for the TV series 鈥淐hrisley Knows Best,鈥� was freed from a minimum-security prison camp in Pensacola, Florida, where he was imprisoned after being convicted three years ago of bank fraud and tax evasion.
His wife and TV co-star, Julie Chrisley, 52, also was pardoned by Trump. It was not immediately known when she would be released from a prison facility in Lexington, Kentucky.
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Trump issues pardons for a former army officer and a rapper
Trump has pardoned a former Army officer who was convicted of violating health protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic and a rapper convicted on gun charges.
Lt. Mark Bradshaw was found guilty in 2022 for refusing to undergo a COVID-19 test. A White House official said he鈥檇 received a pardon Tuesday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters that have not yet been made public.
The official also confirmed a pardon being received by Kentrell Gaulden, the rapper known as NBA YoungBoy, who was convicted on gun-related charges in Louisiana and pleaded guilty to being part of a prescription drug fraud ring in Utah.
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Associated Press reporter Will Weissert contributed to this report.
Ex-小蓝视频icut Gov. John Rowland, who resigned amid a corruption scandal, is pardoned by Trump
Former 小蓝视频icut Gov. John Rowland, whose promising political career was upended by a corruption scandal, has been pardoned by Trump.
The Republican governor, who served from 1995 until 2004, was among a number of prominent figures the Republican president granted clemency on Wednesday.
A White House official confirmed the pardon but spoke only on background to discuss matters that have not yet been made public.
Rowland called it a 鈥渨onderful final resolution鈥� in a statement to local news outlets in 小蓝视频icut.
Rowland was elected governor three times before resigning amid a federal corruption investigation into gifts and favors that he accepted from state contractors.
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Associated Press reporter Philip Marcelo contributed to this report
Federal court blocks Trump鈥檚 sweeping tariffs, citing econom
ic chaos
A federal trade court is blocking Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under an emergency-powers law.
The ruling from a three-judge panel came after several lawsuits argued Trump exceeded his authority, left U.S. trade policy dependent on his whims and unleashed economic chaos. At least seven lawsuits are challenging the levies, the centerpiece of Trump鈥檚 trade policy.
Trump has said he has the power to act because the country鈥檚 trade deficits amount to a national emergency. The court found the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize the use of tariffs.
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US to begin revoking visas of some Chinese students, secretary of state says
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. will begin revoking the visas of Chinese students, 鈥渋ncluding those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.鈥�
His announcement on the social platform X added to the uncertainty for America鈥檚 international students, who have faced intensifying scrutiny from Trump鈥檚 administration.
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Trump pardons ex-Rep. Michael Grimm, who was convicted of tax fraud
Trump has pardoned former U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm, a New York Republican who resigned from Congress after a tax fraud conviction.
The pardon was disclosed Wednesday by a White House official who requested anonymity before an official announcement.
Grimm, a former Marine and FBI agent, pleaded guilty in late 2014 to underreporting wages and revenue at a restaurant he ran in Manhattan. He resigned from Congress the following year and served eight months in prison. Grimm tried to reenter politics in 2018 but lost a primary for his old district.
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Trump鈥檚 son didn鈥檛 apply to Harvard, first lady鈥檚 spokesperson says
Harvard wasn鈥檛 among the schools that Trump鈥檚 son Barron considered when he was figuring out where he wanted to go to college, said Nicholas Clemens, a spokesperson for Barron鈥檚 mother, first lady Melania Trump.
Some social media speculation is that the president is cutting billions of dollars in federal grants and funding to the Ivy League institution because it rejected his son as a student.
Clemens said such speculation is wrong.
鈥淏arron did not apply to Harvard, and any assertion that he, or that anyone on his behalf, applied is completely false,鈥� Clemens said.
Barron, 19, is a student at New York University鈥檚 business school.
NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar defends Harvard president in graduation event speech
Speaking at a graduation event at Harvard University on Wednesday, NBA Hall of Famer and activist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar got his biggest applause when he came to the defense of the university鈥檚 president, Alan Garber.
Garber has pushed back against the Trump administration, which earlier this week asked federal agencies to cancel about with the Ivy League school. The government already canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants, moved to cut off Harvard鈥檚 enrollment of international students and threatened its tax-exempt status.
鈥淲hen a tyrannical administration tried to bully and threaten Harvard, to revoke their academic freedom and to destroy free speech, Dr. Alan Garber rejected the illegal and immoral pressures,鈥� Abdul-Jabbar said to wide applause.
Some Republican lawmakers share Musk鈥檚 concerns about Trump鈥檚 big bill
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson said he was 鈥減retty confident鈥� there was enough opposition 鈥渢o slow this process down until the president, our leadership, gets serious鈥� about reducing spending. He added that there was no amount of pressure Trump could put on him to change his position.
Speaker Mike Johnson has asked senators to make as few changes to the legislation as possible, saying that House Republicans reached a 鈥渧ery delicate balance鈥� that could be upended with major changes. The narrowly divided House will have to vote again on final passage once the Senate alters the bill.
On Wednesday, he thanked Musk for his work and promised to pursue more spending cuts in the future.
Trump rejects claim he鈥檚 鈥榗hickening out鈥� on tariffs
Trump wants the world to know he鈥檚 no 鈥渃hicken鈥� just because he鈥檚 repeatedly backed off high tariff threats.
The president鈥檚 tendency to levy extremely high import taxes and then retreat has created what鈥檚 known as the 鈥淭ACO鈥� trade. It鈥檚 an acronym coined by The Financial Times鈥� Robert Armstrong that stands for 鈥淭rump Always Chickens Out.鈥�
Trump was visibly offended when asked about the phrase Wednesday. He said it鈥檚 not 鈥渃hickening out,鈥� it鈥檚 negotiation.
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Former Chicago gang leader gets commutation
Trump commuted the sentence of Larry Hoover, a former Chicago gang leader serving a life sentence at a supermax prison in Colorado.
The commutation, first reported by the news website NOTUS, was confirmed by a White House official speaking on the condition of anonymity because it had not been formally announced.
Hoover was imprisoned in connection with a murder in 1973, and he was convicted for running a criminal enterprise in 1998. He later renounced his criminal past and petitioned for a reduced sentence.
Judge refuses to block Trump's removal of US Copyright Office head
A federal judge refused Wednesday to temporarily block the Trump administration from removing and replacing the director of the U.S. Copyright Office.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled from the bench that the office director, Shira Perlmutter, hasn鈥檛 met her legal burden to show how removing her from the position would cause her to suffer irreparable harm.
Kelly鈥檚 refusal to issue a temporary restraining order isn鈥檛 the final word in the lawsuit Perlmutter filed last week. If Perlmutter decides to seek a preliminary injunction, the judge is giving her attorneys and government lawyers until Thursday afternoon to present him with a proposed schedule for arguing and deciding the matter.
Perlmutter鈥檚 attorneys say she is a renowned copyright expert who also has served as register of copyrights since the librarian of Congress appointed her to the job in October 2020.
Trump flexes pardon power
In addition to Michael Grimm, the president signed pardons for Todd and Julie Chrisley.
They starred in a television show 鈥淐hrisley Knows Best,鈥� which spotlighted their extravagant lifestyle. However, they were convicted of conspiring to defraud banks in the Atlanta area out of more than $30 million in loans by submitting false documents.
Trump disclosed his pardon plan in a call with their daughter on Tuesday.
鈥淵our parents are going to be free and clean and I hope that we can do it by tomorrow,鈥� he said, according to a video posted online by a White House aide.
Trump pardons former New York congressman
The president issued a pardon for Michael Grimm, who resigned from Congress after being convicted of tax fraud.
The pardon was disclosed by a White House official who requested anonymity before an official announcement.
Grimm won reelection in 2014 despite being under indictment for underreporting wages and revenue at a restaurant he ran. However, he resigned the following year after pleading guilty and he served eight months in prison.
A comeback attempt fell short in 2018.
Last year he was when he was thrown off a horse during a polo tournament.
Trump considering pardoning the men convicted of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer
Trump said Wednesday that he鈥檚 considering pardoning the men convicted of conspiring to kidnap Michigan鈥檚 Democratic governor, .
鈥淚 will take a look at it. It鈥檚 been brought to my attention,鈥� Trump told reporters when asked about the matter.
The Republican president said he watched the trial and 鈥渋t looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job.鈥� He said the men 鈥渨ere drinking and I think they said stupid things.鈥�
Two men were convicted in 2022 of organizing a plot to whip up anti-government extremists just before the 2020 presidential election and kidnap Whitmer.
Trump calls for a cap on international students and making sure they 鈥榣ove our country鈥�
The president argued Wednesday that Harvard University, where international students make up more than a quarter of the student body, should limit that percentage to about 15%.
鈥淚 want to make sure the foreign students are people that can love our country,鈥� Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump says he鈥檚 not 鈥榗hickening out鈥� by retreating on high tariffs
President Donald Trump rejected the idea that he鈥檚 鈥渃hickening out鈥� after setting destructively high tariff rates and then pulling them back.
鈥淚t鈥檚 called negotiation, you set a number,鈥� said Trump, adding that the question from a reporter was 鈥渘asty.鈥�
The question was a reference to what鈥檚 known as the 鈥淭ACO trade,鈥� a term coined by The Financial Times鈥� Robert Armstrong that stands for 鈥淭rump Always Chickens Out.鈥� The idea is that Trump spooks the markets with his tariff hikes and then retreats, causing the markets to recover.
Trump defended his approach of jacking up tariff rates to 145% on Chinese goods, only to pull it back to 30% for 90 days of negotiations. He said that approach has led to $14 trillion in new investment in the U.S., a figure that appears to be artificially high and has not been fully verified in any of the economic data.
鈥淒on鈥檛 ever say what you said,鈥� Trump said, referring to the question about whether he was chickening out.
Trump says he鈥檚 holding off on Russia sanctions because of his push for negotiations
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is holding off on new sanctions on Russia because he doesn鈥檛 want to interfere with his attempts to negotiate an end to its invasion of Ukraine.
鈥淚f I think I鈥檓 close to getting a deal, I don鈥檛 want to screw it up by doing that,鈥� Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. He said he will know in about two weeks if Russia was willing to reach a deal to end the three-year-old war.
Trump says he warned Netanyahu to hold off on Iran strike to give US more time for nuclear talks
Trump said Wednesday that he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off on an Iran strike to give his administration more time time to push for new nuclear deal with Tehran.
Trump told reporters at the White House that he told Netanyahu a strike 鈥渨ould be inappropriate to do right now because we鈥檙e very close to a solution.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 comments came as the head of the U.N.鈥檚 atomic watchdog group said that 鈥渢he jury is still out鈥� on negotiations between Iran and the U.S. over Tehran鈥檚 rapidly advancing nuclear program. But Rafael Mariano Grossi described the continuing negotiations as a good sign.
JUST IN: Trump says he told Israel鈥檚 Netanyahu to hold off on Iran strike as US leader pushes for new nuclear deal
White House close to submitting a new proposal on Israel-Hamas ceasefire
Trump鈥檚 special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said the president鈥檚 administration is close to issuing a new 鈥渢erm sheet鈥� to Israel and Hamas that would set the parameters for a temporary ceasefire.
Speaking with Trump at his side after the ceremonial swearing-in of Jeanine Pirro as interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., Witkoff said that the outlines of the U.S. proposal could be delivered later Wednesday.
鈥淚 have some very good feelings about getting to a long term resolution 鈥� a temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution of that conflict,鈥� Witkoff said.
Trump ceremonially swears in Washington, DC鈥檚 new US attorney
Trump praised former Fox News Channel host Jeanine Pirro at the White House on Wednesday, as she replaces his first nominee to serve as the top federal prosecutor in the nation鈥檚 capital.
Pirro is a former county prosecutor and elected judge who joined Fox News in 2006.
Trump after Republicans and Democrats signaled they wouldn鈥檛 support the conservative activist, who faced questions about his legal background and his support for the Jan. 6 rioters.
White House wants to turn DOGE cuts into law
The Trump administration is taking the next step to solidify Elon Musk鈥檚 work on downsizing the federal government.
According to a White House official, the administration is sending proposed rescissions to Congress. Rescissions are used to cancel funding that was already approved.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity before a formal announcement. The step was previously reported by Politico.
It鈥檚 unclear how extensive the rescissions will be, but it鈥檚 expected to be a modest package.
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Rubio: Administration to take action against foreign officials who censor US companies and citizens
The Trump administration says it will begin imposing travel bans on foreign officials who it believes are censoring U.S. companies and citizens abroad for speech protected in the United States.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Wednesday that he was taking the action to combat what the administration believes are unfair and unjust restrictions on freedom of expression.
The statement didn鈥檛 identify any immediate targets of the new policy, which Rubio said would be directed at foreign officials who 鈥渋ssue or threaten arrest warrants on U.S. citizens or U.S. residents for social media posts on American platforms while physically present on U.S. soil.鈥�
鈥淓ven as we take action to reject censorship at home, we see troubling instances of foreign governments and foreign officials picking up the slack,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n some instances, foreign officials have taken flagrant censorship actions against U.S. tech companies and U.S. citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so.鈥�
A judge refuses to toss states鈥� lawsuit against Elon Musk and DOGE
The federal judge has the lawsuit that accuses billionaire and the Department of Government Efficiency of illegally accessing government data systems, canceling government contracts and firing federal employees.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled Tuesday that 14 states can proceed with their claims against Musk and DOGE. The states, through their attorneys general, sued in February over the defendants鈥� alleged constitutional violations.
The states had asked Chutkan to temporarily block DOGE from accessing any data systems or terminating any federal employees. But the judge on Feb. 18. She found there were legitimate questions about Musk鈥檚 authority but said there weren鈥檛 grounds to justify a temporary restraining order.
Chutkan agreed Tuesday to dismiss President Trump as a defendant in the lawsuit, but she refused to dismiss the claims against Musk and DOGE.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth heads to Asia, saying the US will work with allies to deter China
Speaking in a rainy Washington on Wednesday before getting on a flight to Singapore, Hegseth said the U.S. seeks 鈥渘o conflict with anybody, including the Communist Chinese, but we will deter that. We will stand strong for our interests. And that鈥檚 a big part of what this trip is all about.鈥�
Hegseth is heading to the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference, which brings together military and government representatives from around the world.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going out to Singapore to hold a series of meetings to ensure that region understands America will be strong,鈥� he said.
Jeanine Pirro to be sworn in as Washington, DC鈥檚 top federal prosecutor
Trump turned to after his first choice, conservative activist Ed Martin Jr., lost the support of a key Republican senator he needed to win Senate confirmation for the post.
Trump then withdrew Martin鈥檚 nomination and tapped Pirro, a former New York county prosecutor and elected judge, to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation鈥檚 capital.
She鈥檚 set to be sworn into office during an Oval Office ceremony at midday Wednesday, said a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss events not yet publicly announced.
Pirro, 73, is a former Fox News host who joined the network in 2006 and co-hosted 鈥淭he Five鈥� on weekday evenings until she accepted Trump鈥檚 offer.
She was elected as a judge in New York鈥檚 Westchester County Court in 1990 before serving three terms as the county鈥檚 elected district attorney.
鈥� Darlene Superville
Trump鈥檚 Wednesday schedule, according to the White House
At 2 p.m., the president will sign executive orders.
Musk is 鈥榙isappointed鈥� in Trump鈥檚 鈥榖ig, beautiful鈥� tax cut and spending bill
, who鈥檚 been leading the Republican president鈥檚 effort to cut government spending, said increases the deficit and undermines his cost-cutting work at the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
鈥淚 was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,鈥� Musk told CBS News in an interview set to air Sunday.
The House-passed bill would extend expiring tax cuts Trump enacted during in his first term and increase spending on the military and border enforcement. Some savings would come from proposed changes to Medicaid and the food stamp program.
The Congressional Budget Office said the tax provisions would increase federal deficits by $3.8 trillion over the decade.
The 鈥淥ne Big, Beautiful Bill Act鈥� still needs to be passed by the Senate before Trump can sign it into law.
Said Musk, 鈥淚 think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don鈥檛 know if it can be both. My personal opinion.鈥�
UN nuclear watchdog chief says 鈥榡ury is still out鈥� on Iran-US talks
The head of the United Nations鈥� atomic watchdog was speaking Wednesday about negotiations between Iran and the U.S. over , but described the continuing negotiations a good sign.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, described himself as being in near-daily conversation with , as well as talking to Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Middle East envoy.
Grossi acknowledged one of his deputies was in Tehran on Wednesday. Iranian officials identified the official as Massimo Aparo, the head of the IAEA鈥檚 safeguards arm. That鈥檚 the division that sends inspectors into Iran to monitor its program, which now enriches uranium up to 60% purity 鈥� a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
鈥淔or the moment, the jury is still out. We don鈥檛 know whether there鈥檚 going to be an agreement or not,鈥� Grossi told journalists attending a weeklong seminar at the agency in Vienna.
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US stops scheduling visa interviews for foreign students while it expands social media vetting
The State Department has halted the scheduling of new visa interviews for hoping to study in the U.S. while it prepares to expand the screening of their activity on social media, officials said.
A U.S. official said Tuesday the suspension is intended to be temporary and does not apply to applicants who already had scheduled their visa interviews. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal administration document.
A cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by The Associated Press says the State Department plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting.
鈥淓ffective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consulate sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor visa appointment capacity鈥� until the guidance is issued, the cable says.
The move, first reported by Politico, is the latest in the Trump administration鈥檚 crackdown on .
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Trump administration moves to cut $100 million in federal contracts for Harvard
The Trump administration asked federal agencies Tuesday to cancel contracts with Harvard University worth about $100 million, intensifying with the nation鈥檚 oldest and wealthiest university.
The government already has canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants for the Ivy League school, which has pushed back on for changes to several of its policies.
A letter sent Tuesday from the General Services Administration, which oversees contracting and real estate for the federal government, directed agencies to review contracts with the university and seek alternate arrangements.
The New York Times first reported on the letter.
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The Associated Press
