President Donald Trump on Friday floated cutting tariffs on China to 80% ahead of a weekend meeting as he looks to de-escalate the trade war.
Top U.S. officials are set to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland in the first major talks between the two nations since sparked a trade war with stiff on imports.
Here's the latest:
Vance declines to comment on past criticisms of him by Pope Leo XIV
鈥淚 try not to play the 鈥榩oliticization of the pope鈥 game,鈥 the vice president said Friday in an interview with conservative host Hugh Hewitt. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure he鈥檚 going to say a lot of things that I love. I鈥檓 sure he鈥檒l say some things that I disagree with, but I鈥檒l continue to pray for him and the church despite it all and through it all and that鈥檒l be the way that I handle it.鈥
Pope Leo XIV shared his criticisms of Vance and the Trump administration on social media before he ascended to the papacy.
In the interview, Vance, a convert to Catholicism, said he knows the church will touch on public policy from time to time. But he said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 better for all of us if we allow the church to be about the saving of souls鈥 and don鈥檛 try to fit it into a 鈥減re-ordained political box.鈥
Vance says Trump is nicer than his critics give him credit for 鈥 just ask his 5-year-old son
Vance says Trump has a softer side than the president鈥檚 critics realize.
As an example, Vance talked about his son calling him via FaceTime while the vice president was meeting with the president.
Vance told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Friday that he and Trump were meeting the previous day when his 5-year-old called while on the way home from preschool.
鈥淭he president鈥檚 like, 鈥楶ick it up,鈥欌 Vance said. 鈥淎nd I answer it, and he talks with my 5-year-old in the middle of a meeting in the Oval Office.鈥
Vance added, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the kind of guy that he actually is.鈥
Trump takes aim at energy efficient showers and sinks
Trump has signed a presidential memorandum he says will undo 鈥渦seless water pressure standards.鈥
In it, the president pointed to an energy efficiency policy approved in 1992, which he argues 鈥渕ake bathroom appliances more expensive and less functional.鈥 The order says standards meant to enforce environmental efficiency can make 鈥淎merican appliances like clothes washers and dishwashers less useful, more breakable, and more expensive to repair.鈥
Trump鈥檚 order directs the Energy Department to work to rescind 鈥渢hese unnecessary radical green agenda policies.鈥
Water pressure is a topic that has long delighted Trump. During a Friday afternoon Oval Office meeting with lawmakers, Trump looked at a stack of legislation he was signing and excitedly asked, 鈥淒o you have the sinks one in here?鈥
Trump signs executive order meant to speed implementation of his executive actions
The Federal Register is the official daily publication for the federal government, and is a journal of official actions taken by agencies and the president. But Friday鈥檚 order complains that 鈥渢he Office of the Federal Register frequently takes days or, in some cases, even weeks, to publish new regulatory actions.鈥
It directs the archivist of the United States 鈥 a post Secretary of State Marco Rubio currently holds in an acting capacity 鈥 to work with the Office of the Federal Register and government publishing office to reduce publication delays by modernizing computer systems and 鈥渆liminating unnecessary bureaucracy.鈥
The order is intended to speed implementation of Trump鈥檚 efforts to wipe out past government regulations.
Trump鈥檚 order also directs officials to study the cost of publication in the Federal Register to see if it can be reduced.
Justice Department seeks dismissal of police reform settlement in New Mexico
The U.S. Justice Department and city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, asked a judge on Friday to dismiss a decade-old police reform settlement against the city.
Albuquerque came into the spotlight nearly a decade ago as community members and activists began protesting a pattern of excessive force by officers, resulting in an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. Federal officials harshly criticized the police force but reached an agreement with the city to improve training and dismantle troubled units.
The Justice Department and the city say the settlement should be dismissed because the city is in full compliance with the reforms.
White House moves to try and block invasive carp from the Great Lakes
A White House fact sheet says the presidential memorandum Trump signed directs the administration to 鈥渆xpeditiously implement the most effective mechanisms, barriers, and other measures to prevent the migration and expansion of invasive carp in the Great Lakes Basin and the surrounding region.鈥
It endorses construction of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project in Illinois, which it says will mean 鈥渕ultiple layers of innovative technological deterrents designed to prevent invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes.鈥
The White House says the project was delayed by Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and Trump鈥檚 memorandum establishes a deadline of July 1 for 鈥淚llinois to acquire necessary land to begin construction鈥 while setting other deadlines for local permits to be granted to facilitate Army Corps construction.
Trump signs executive order to create national center for military veterans experiencing homelessness
The White House says the National Center for Warrior Independence will be housed on the campus of the Department of Veterans Affairs in West Los Angeles.
It will be open to veterans from around the country, with the goal of housing 6,000 veterans by 2028.
The administration says the center will promote self-sufficiency through housing and substance abuse treatment, and will support employment programs for veterans there.
It says federal funding to build and maintain the center is being redirected from facilities previously servicing people in the country lacking permanent legal status.
Trump blames Ross Perot for costing George H.W. Bush reelection
Trump is the idea of raising taxes on wealthy Americans while also challenging conventional political wisdom about the 1992 presidential election.
鈥淚 would love to do it frankly,鈥 Trump said when asked about higher tax rates for the wealthy being included in legislation Congress is working on. Congressional Republicans have largely balked at the idea, and Trump himself pointed to President George H.W. Bush.
Bush signed a tax increase into law after campaigning on the slogan 鈥淩ead my lips鈥 and vowing he鈥檇 never raise taxes. Then Bush lost his reelection bid to Bill Clinton in 1992.
鈥淏ut he lost because of Ross Perot, he didn鈥檛 lose because of that statement,鈥 Trump said, referencing Perot, a Texas businessman, who ran for president that year as a third-party candidate.
Treasury secretary calls on Congress to increase debt limit by mid-July
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that receipts from April鈥檚 tax filing season indicate that 鈥渢here is a reasonable probability鈥 that the Treasury will have exhausted in August its cash and the accounting maneuvers called 鈥渆xtraordinary measures鈥 that keep the government operating.
Once those measures run out, the government risks defaulting on its debt. Bessent noted in his letter, obtained by The Associated Press, that Congress is scheduled to be in recess then.
鈥淭herefore, I respectfully urge Congress to increase or suspend the debt limit by mid-July,鈥 Bessent wrote.
He said he would continue to update Congress as more information becomes available, but he warned that a failure to suspend or increase the debt limit would 鈥渨reak havoc on our financial system and diminish America鈥檚 security and global leadership position.鈥
The letter to Johnson also comes as Republicans consider a massive tax cut and border security package that includes an increase in the debt limit. Bessent鈥檚 request could give GOP lawmakers greater incentive to reach an agreement.
Trump says he鈥檚 told US negotiators the minimum tariffs he鈥檚 willing to charge China 鈥 but won鈥檛 disclose it
Trump says he鈥檚 given U.S. negotiators meeting with a Chinese delegation this weekend a number on how low the U.S. would be willing to go on setting its tariffs on goods imported from China 鈥 but he won鈥檛 say what it is.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump answered 鈥測eah鈥 when asked if he鈥檇 given the U.S. team a number.
Top U.S. officials are meeting this weekend with a high-level Chinese delegation in Switzerland.
Trump said, 鈥淲e have to make a great deal for America,鈥 but added that he wouldn鈥檛 be disappointed if no deal was reached this weekend.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to come back with a fair deal for both China and us,鈥 he said.
Trump signs measures rolling back Biden administration regulations on energy efficiency
Trump signed a series of measures approved by Congress to roll back regulations the Biden administration implemented in its final days.
The four measures he signed Friday evening were approved as part of the Congressional Review Act, which Congress can use at the start of an administration to wipe out policies it doesn鈥檛 like from a previous one 鈥 though there are time limits on when such actions can be taken.
Flanked by Republican lawmakers, Trump signed measures repealing Biden-era regulations on gas water heaters and walk-in coolers and freezers, as well as energy conservation standards for some appliances and some consumer products and commercial freezers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all about common sense,鈥 Trump said.
New FEMA head warns staff who might resist changes
David Richardson addressed staff Friday 鈥 a day after the former acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was fired 鈥 telling those who might want to hinder upcoming changes at the agency: 鈥淒on鈥檛 get in my way.鈥 If they did, he said, 鈥淚 will run right over you.鈥
鈥淚 will achieve the president鈥檚 intent,鈥 Richardson said during a call with staffers across the thousands-strong agency.
Richardson is a former Marine Corps officer who served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa. He on Thursday just after Cameron Hamilton, who鈥檇 been leading the agency also in an acting role, was fired.
Richardson arrives at FEMA at a time of immense turmoil and as it prepares for .
Trump and providing money directly to states to manage.
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Broadway show reacts to Library of Congress firing
The cast and creative team behind the Broadway musical 鈥淒ead Outlaw鈥 have canceled an upcoming appearance at the Library of Congress following the firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
鈥淒r. Hayden has been a fierce advocate for preserving America鈥檚 cultural memory and a great champion of the Broadway community,鈥 reads a statement from the show.
Composers David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna and book writer Itamar Moses on Monday were to donate artifacts representing the development of the musical, which were to be enshrined in the library鈥檚 permanent collection. The event was also to feature a performance and discussion from the creative team and Broadway cast members.
tells the tale of a real life alcoholic drifter turned failed bandit who was shot dead in 1911 and whose afterlife proved to be stranger than fiction. It earned seven Tony Award nominations last week, including for best new musical.
US to accept two dozen white South African refugees while other programs remain paused
The first Afrikaner refugees are arriving Monday at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. They are expected to be greeted by a government delegation.
The flight will be the first of several in a 鈥渕uch larger-scale relocation effort,鈥 White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told reporters.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 happening in South Africa fits the textbook definition of why the refugee program was created,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his is persecution based on a protected characteristic 鈥 in this case, race.鈥
State Department refugee programs have been put on hold since Trump ordered a review in February. While halting arrivals from Afghanistan, Iraq, most of sub-Saharan Africa and throughout Latin America, Trump also issued an executive order prioritizing the processing of white South Africans who claim racial discrimination in their home country.
New Jersey mayor arrested at ICE detention center where he was protesting, prosecutor says
Alina Habba, acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, said on on the social platform X that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka trespassed and ignored warnings from Homeland Security personnel to leave Delaney Hall, an ICE detention facility run by private prison operator GEO Group.
The mayor has been protesting the opening of the facility throughout this week, saying its operators did not get proper permits.
In her social media post, Habba said Baraka had 鈥渃hosen to disregard the law.鈥 She added that he had been taken into custody.
An email and phone message left with the mayor鈥檚 communications office were not immediately answered Friday afternoon.
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15 states sue over Trump鈥檚 鈥榚nergy emergency鈥 efforts to fast-track oil and gas projects
The coalition of states says the administration is bypassing environmental protection laws and threatening endangered species, critical habitat and cultural resources.
Trump issued an declaring a 鈥渘ational 鈥 on the first day of his presidency. The order urges oil and gas expansion through federal use of eminent domain and the Defense Production Act, which allows the government to use private land and resources to produce goods deemed to be a national necessity.
The attorneys general of Washington, California and the other states say those kinds of steps are supposed to be reserved for actual emergencies, like projects needed in after hurricanes or major oil spills.
But now, the attorneys general say, agencies are bypassing required reviews under federal laws like the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.
They want a judge to declare the executive order unlawful and to bar the government from pursuing emergency permitting for non-emergency projects.
Miller on national security adviser job: 鈥楾hrilled鈥 with current job
Asked whether he would consider becoming the next national security adviser, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller isn鈥檛 necessarily ruling it out.
But 鈥淚鈥檓 very thrilled with the job that I currently have, and my focus right now, is I鈥檓 supporting Secretary Rubio,鈥 said Miller, referring to the secretary of state who has been tapped to the role in the interim. 鈥淢arco and I have become very close friends.鈥
Could habeas corpus be suspended for migrants?
Stephen Miller, a top White House adviser, said the administration is looking for ways to expand its legal power to deport migrants who are in the country illegally.
鈥淭he Constitution is clear 鈥 and that of course is the supreme law of the land 鈥 that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in a time of invasion,鈥 he told reporters. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 an option that we鈥檙e actively looking at.鈥
Miller added that 鈥渁 lot of it depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not.鈥
Habeas corpus refers to people鈥檚 right to challenge their detention in court.
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Recent US poets laureate blast the firing of the librarian of Congress
The three most recent U.S. poets laureate have condemned the firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who had appointed each of them to their positions.
鈥淒r. Carla Hayden is the kindest, brightest, most generous Librarian of Congress we could have hoped for as a nation,鈥 Ada Lim贸n, who last month completed a three-year run as poet laureate, told The Associated Press on Friday.
Joy Harjo, the laureate from 2019-2022, said in a statement that Hayden had鈥 expanded all people鈥檚 access to history, literature, art, archives and cultural programming.鈥
Tracy K. Smith, who served from 2017-2019, told the AP in an email that
鈥淗er abrupt firing suggests a desire to tamp down the ceiling on our collective remembering and deprive the collective imagination of vital resources.鈥
White House dismisses conflict of interest concerns about Trump鈥檚 upcoming dinner with memecoin investors
The White House is dismissing conflict of interest concerns about Trump promoting an upcoming dinner for top investors in .
Trump will attend a May 22 dinner at his Virginia golf for the largest investors in the memecoin $TRUMP, and has used his social media site to drum up interest.
Pressed on whether some might invest to try and influence Trump鈥檚 policy decisions, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, 鈥淚 can assure you, the president acts with only the interests of the American public in mind.鈥
She said Trump is abiding by 鈥渁ll conflict of interest laws鈥 and has 鈥渉as been incredibly transparent with his own personal, financial obligation throughout the years.鈥
Pentagon directs military to pull, review library books that address anti-racism and gender issues in new DEI action
The Pentagon has ordered all military leaders and commands to pull and review all of their library books that address issues by May 21.
That鈥檚 according to a memo issued to the force on Friday.
It is the broadest and most detailed directive so far on campaign to rid the military of diversity and equity programs, policies and instructional materials. And it follows similar efforts to remove hundreds of books from the libraries at the military academies.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the memo.
White House sidesteps question on the new pope鈥檚 social media
Before Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV, he of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on social media, particularly when it comes to immigration policy.
But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt didn鈥檛 directly address the issue when asked about it on Friday.
It was a rare instance of the administration holding fire when faced with criticism.
Leavitt said having an American pope is 鈥渁 great thing for the United States of America and the world, and we are praying for him.鈥
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White House calls Newark air traffic controllers losing communication a 鈥榞litch鈥
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the 鈥済litch this morning at Newark鈥 airport was caused by the same issues as last week, but that it didn鈥檛 disrupt flights.
Air traffic controllers who guide planes landing and taking off at New Liberty International Airport briefly lost radar and communication with aircraft Friday morning.
鈥淭hat glitch was caused by the same telecoms and software issues that were raised last week,鈥 Leavitt said. But she added, 鈥淓verything went back online after the brief outage and there was no operational impact.鈥
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Iran can鈥檛 be allowed to enrich uranium, Witkoff says ahead of talks
U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff said ahead of a new round of nuclear talks with Iran this weekend that the Trump administration wouldn鈥檛 allow the country to maintain a domestic uranium enrichment program.
That鈥檚 a main criticism of the 2015 nuclear deal Trump left in his first term.
鈥淎n enrichment program can never exist in the state of Iran ever again,鈥 Witkoff told the conservative outlet Breitbart News in an interview published Friday. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 our red line.鈥
In the talks, Witkoff said Iran had reiterated that it didn鈥檛 want to acquire a nuclear weapon, something Iranian officials have said for years.
He added that if the new talks on Sunday weren鈥檛 productive, 鈥渢hen they won鈥檛 continue, and we鈥檒l have to take a different route.鈥
White House spokeswoman says US trade deal with UK is essentially finished, though negotiators say otherwise
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the trade deal with the United Kingdom is effectively completed.
When asked why President Donald Trump presented a deal on Thursday that wasn鈥檛 finished and ready to be signed, Leavitt said: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not true.鈥
But that鈥檚 not quite accurate as Trump himself said the final details still need to be negotiated. She later walked back that statement somewhat by saying that trade deals operate by being announced and then negotiators make sure that the 鈥濃榯鈥檚鈥 have to be crossed and the 鈥榠鈥檚鈥 have to be dotted.鈥
The framework鈥檚 origins preceded Trump鈥檚 April 2 announcement of broad universal tariffs and British officials hope to find ways to lower Trump鈥檚 10% baseline tariff rate.
Judge releases Rumeysa Ozturk, the Turkish Tufts University student who was detained by ICE
U.S. District Judge William Sessions in Burlington pending a final decision on her claim that she鈥檚 been illegally detained.
Ozturk, detailing her growing asthma attacks in detention and her desire to finish her doctorate degree focusing on children and social media, appeared at a bail hearing remotely from the Louisiana center.
Lawyers for Ozturk, 30, said her detention violates her constitutional rights, including free speech and due process.
Ozturk was released Friday on her own recognizance with no travel restrictions, Sessions said. He said she is not a danger to the community or a flight risk, but that he might amend his release order to consider any specific conditions by ICE.
White House says Trump鈥檚 trip will promote a 鈥榩roud, prosperous and successful鈥 Middle East
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says of next week鈥檚 trip that Trump is making a 鈥渉istoric return to the Middle East.鈥
Trump leaves Monday and plans stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Leavitt said during her briefing with reporters that the White House wants to promote a 鈥減roud, prosperous and successful Middle East.鈥
鈥淭his trip ultimately highlights how we stand on the brink of the golden age鈥 for both that region and the U.S., Leavitt said.
Most Americans disapprove of Trump鈥檚 treatment of colleges, a new AP-NORC poll finds
A majority of U.S. adults disapprove of President Donald Trump鈥檚 handling of issues related to colleges and universities, according to a new poll.
The survey from comes as Trump鈥檚 administration ramps up threats to unless schools comply with his political agenda.
More than half of Americans, 56%, disapprove of the Republican president鈥檚 approach on higher education, according to the poll. About 4 in 10 approve with Trump鈥檚 approach, which is in line with his overall job approval.
Since taking office in January, Trump has tried to force change at universities he says have become hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism. The spotlight most recently has been on , where Trump鈥檚 administration has frozen more than $2.2 billion in federal grants, threatened to strip the school鈥檚 , and demanded broad policy changes.
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Pull climate and other funding from richer nations to keep millions alive after aid cuts, group says
Leading aid organizations are reallocating where they鈥檙e sending resources as countries including the U.S. funnel less money to foreign assistance.
It鈥檚 time to pull some donor funding for programs in better-off countries that target everything from climate change to refugee resettlement so that millions of people in the most vulnerable countries get what they need to survive, according to David Miliband, head of the International Rescue Committee.
Miliband told The Associated Press this week that it鈥檚 time to change priorities to move at least half of the world鈥檚 aid budget to the poorest and most conflict-ridden places. Currently, a quarter of total aid goes to such places.
The shifting of resources shows the impact of the Trump administration鈥檚 decision to pull the U.S. back from being the world鈥檚 single largest aid donor.
Transgender veteran says purging the military could cause a lot of problems
A transgender Marine veteran says poses a problem for several reasons.
It could make the military less prepared, and it would disrupt life for the ousted service members and their families, said Sarah Klim, who served for 23 years but never openly because she retired in 2016, right as the end to the ban on transgender troops was announced.
Klimm, who is now a policy analyst for Minority Veterans of America, is also concerned about what happens to medical treatment for ousted troops as the Department of Veterans Affairs phases out gender-affirming care for transgender vets.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have a warm and fuzzy feeling about being taken care of by the VA,鈥 she said.
Proposal to triple the state and local tax deduction is 鈥榠nsulting,鈥 some GOP lawmakers say
Congressional Republicans from New York say a House proposal that would triple the cap on state and local tax deductions is 鈥渋nsulting鈥 and would threaten the chances to extend the individual tax cuts passed in President Donald Trump鈥檚 first term.
The tax cut package passed in Trump鈥檚 first term placed a $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions. Lawmakers from New York, California and New Jersey are leading efforts to lift the cap.
Rep. Nick LaLota tweeted a joint statement from he and three other New York Republicans who say Speaker Mike Johnson and members of the House Ways and Means Committee unilaterally proposed a $30,000 cap. They say that was an amount 鈥渢hey already knew would fall short of earning our support.鈥
Separately, Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., tweeted that she and one of the four New York Republicans, Rep. Andrew Garbarino, remain committed to a fair deal and that 鈥渢his isn鈥檛 an offer 鈥 it鈥檚 a slap in the face to the hardworking taxpayers we represent.鈥
The protests signal the difficulties Republicans will have in getting their tax cut and border security package through the House before Johnson鈥檚 goal of Memorial Day.
After flirting with raising the tax rate for the wealthiest, Trump is backing off 鈥 sort of
He noted on social media Friday morning that hiking taxes on anyone, even the rich, could stir a political backlash, although he didn鈥檛 completely discourage Republican lawmakers from pursuing that option as they write their massive tax package.
鈥淭he problem with even a 鈥楾INY鈥 tax increase for the RICH, which I and all others would graciously accept in order to help the lower and middle income workers, is that the Radical Left Democrat Lunatics would go around screaming, 鈥楻ead my lips,鈥欌 Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
The president is referring to an infamous quote by George H.W. Bush during the 1988 presidential campaign, when he pledged not to implement any new taxes as president.
Trump has mused about a higher rate for millionaires for months and revived his request in private talks this week.
Trump will formally nominate Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as federal prosecutor for Washington
That鈥檚 according a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity Friday to disclose plans not yet made public.
Trump announced on social media Thursday that he鈥檚 appointing Pirro to be interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Nominating her for the job on a more permanent basis makes her subject to Senate confirmation.
Trump picked Pirro after pulling his nomination of conservative activist Ed Martin Jr., who鈥檚 been acting U.S. Attorney since January. Trump withdrew Martin from consideration after a key Republican senator said he couldn鈥檛 support Martin for the job due to his defense of rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Pirro has significantly more courtroom experience than Martin, who鈥檇 never worked as a prosecutor or tried a case. She was elected as a judge and a district attorney in New York鈥檚 Westchester County years before joining Fox News.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who publicly opposed Martin鈥檚 nomination, expressed support for Pirro鈥檚 selection on social media.
鈥 Seung Min Kim
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Senator blasts Trump action on grant program to improve online access
Sen. Patty Murray, the sponsor of legislation aimed at helping more Americans have access to affordable high-speed internet, is blasting Trump鈥檚 announcement that he was ending the program.
Trump said on Truth Social: 鈥淣o more woke handouts based on race!鈥
Murray, a Democrat from Washington state, said in a statement that her legislation, the Digital Equity Act, passed as part of a bipartisan infrastructure package during Joe Biden鈥檚 presidency. It was designed to close the digital divide in America.
She says funding went to 鈥渉elp red and blue communities鈥 with money going to school districts, libraries and workforce training programs, among other things.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about making sure seniors can get online and equipping every student in every classroom with the tools they need to succeed, whether that鈥檚 a hotspot to take home or a laptop,鈥 Murray said.
She said the funding 鈥渨ill be illegally blocked because the President doesn鈥檛 like the word equity.鈥
Rights groups sue to free Venezuelans deported from the US and held in El Salvador
International human rights organizations filed the lawsuit Friday with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights asking that the commission order El Salvador鈥檚 government to release the Venezuelans deported from the United States and held in a .
In March, the U.S. government alleged to have ties to the to El Salvador, paying the Salvadoran government to imprison them.
Since then, or ability to communicate with their families. Neither the U.S. nor Salvadoran governments have said how the men could eventually regain their freedom.
鈥淭hese individuals have been stripped from their families and subject to a state-sponsored enforced disappearance regime, effectively, completely against the law,鈥 said Bella Mosselmans, director of the Global Strategic Litigation Council, which helped bring the suit. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping that this case might help put pressure on El Salvador to put basic guardrails in place.鈥
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Fishermen battling with changing oceans chart new course after Trump鈥檚 push to deregulate
Virginia Olsen has pulled lobsters from Maine鈥檚 chilly Atlantic waters for decades while watching threats to the state鈥檚 lifeblood industry mount.
Trade imbalances with , tight regulations on fisheries and offshore wind farms towering like skyscrapers on open water pose three of those threats, said Olsen, part of the fifth generation in her family to make a living in the lobster trade.
That鈥檚 why she was encouraged last month when President Trump signed an that promises to restore American fisheries to their former glory. The order promises to shred fishing regulations, and Olsen said that will allow fishermen to do what they do best 鈥 fish.
That will make a huge difference in communities like her home of Stonington, the busiest lobster fishing port in the country, Olsen said.
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Trump鈥檚 Friday schedule, according to the White House
The first thing on the president鈥檚 public schedule for Friday is at 4 p.m., when he will sign executive orders.
At 1 p.m., Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold a press briefing.
Wall Street drifts higher as it counts down to a highly anticipated US-China meeting on trade
U.S. stocks are drifting higher Friday as Wall Street heads toward the end of an unusually quiet week.
The S&P 500 was up 0.4% in early trading and on track to erase what had been a small loss for the week. This may be the first week in seven where the index at the heart of many 401(k) accounts moves by less than 1.5%, after getting rocked first by fears about Trump鈥檚 trade war and then by hopes that he鈥檒l relent on some of his tariffs.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 127 points, or 0.3%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.7% higher.
The big event for the week is likely coming Saturday, when trading will be closed in financial markets. That鈥檚 when high-level U.S. and Chinese officials for their first talks since Trump launched an escalating trade war between the world鈥檚 two largest economies.
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New York Mayor Eric Adams says he鈥檒l meet with Trump on Friday to discuss city鈥檚 鈥榩riorities鈥
Adams provided few other details about the meeting in Washington, which comes a month after a federal judge to dismiss the criminal corruption case against the mayor.
Adams was accused last year by former President Joe Biden鈥檚 administration of accepting illegal campaign contributions and travel discounts from a Turkish official and others, in exchange for helping Turkey open a diplomatic building without passing fire inspections, among other things. He pleaded not guilty and a trial was set for April.
But Trump鈥檚 Justice Department moved to drop the charges so Adams could assist with the president鈥檚 .
Danish leader says 鈥榶ou cannot spy against an ally鈥 after reports of US gathering intel on Greenland
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told The Associated Press 鈥測ou cannot spy against an ally鈥 after , a semi-autonomous Danish territory coveted by Trump.
Frederiksen鈥檚 comments Friday are the latest in the spat between Denmark, Greenland and the United States because Trump seeks to annex the strategic Arctic island. Denmark and Greenland insist the mineral-rich island is not for sale, while Trump hasn鈥檛 ruled out taking it by military force even though Denmark is a NATO ally.
The Danish prime minister spoke to the AP the day after Denmark summoned the top American diplomat in the country for an explanation following a Wall Street Journal report which said several high-ranking officials under the U.S. director of national intelligence, , had directed intelligence agency heads to learn more about independence movement and sentiment about U.S. resource extraction there.
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Trump is failing to give 鈥榗ritically needed leadership鈥 in Gaza, Democrats say
The Trump administration is failing to provide 鈥渃ritically needed leadership鈥 to end the growing crisis in Gaza after the collapse of a ceasefire there, the senior Senate Democrats say in their joint letter to Trump.
The Associated Press obtained the letter Thursday night.
The Democrats argued that a new proposal that would U.S. security contractors in a dramatic overhaul of future aid to Gaza was 鈥渘ot viable.鈥 And an Israeli proposal for long-term control within Gaza would only take matters farther away from Trump鈥檚 goals for a permanent resolution to the Israeli-Hamas conflict and for improved Israeli security, the Democratic senators said.
Leading Senate Democrats urge Trump to push Israel to let aid back into Gaza
And the two dozen leading Senate Democrats also urged the president to push Israel to forgo any permanent Israeli reoccupation of Gaza.
Senators made the appeal in a letter sent Thursday night to the White House, ahead of Trump鈥檚 Middle East trip next week. Aid groups also expect a global monitor to release an update next week detailing the worsening food crisis in Gaza amid Israeli aid restrictions.
Senior Democrats among those signing include Sens. Chris Coons, Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, Cory Booker, Tim Kaine, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren and Chris Van Hollen.
Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden
Trump abruptly fired Carla Hayden on Thursday as the White House continues to purge the federal government of those perceived to oppose the president and his agenda.
Hayden was notified in an email late Thursday from the White House鈥檚 Presidential Personnel Office, according to an email obtained by The Associated Press. , Hayden was the first woman and the first African American to be librarian of Congress.
Hayden, whose 10-year term was set to expire next year, had come under backlash from a that had vowed to root out those standing in the way of Trump鈥檚 agenda. The group, American Accountability Foundation, accused her and other library leaders of promoting children鈥檚 books with 鈥渞adical鈥 content and literary material authored by Trump opponents.
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Up to 1,000 transgender troops are being moved out of the military in new Pentagon order
The Pentagon will immediately begin moving as many as 1,000 openly identifying transgender service members out of the military and give others 30 days to self-identify under a new directive issued Thursday.
Buoyed by Tuesday鈥檚 allowing the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender individuals in the military, the Defense Department will begin going through medical records to identify others who haven鈥檛 come forward.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who issued the latest memo, made his views clear after the court鈥檚 decision.
鈥淣o More Trans @ DoD,鈥 Hegseth wrote in a post on X. Earlier in the day, before the court acted, Hegseth said that his department is leaving wokeness and weakness behind.
鈥淣o more pronouns,鈥 he told a special operations forces conference in Tampa. 鈥淣o more dudes in dresses. We鈥檙e done with that s---.鈥
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Trump floats cutting China tariffs to 80% ahead of meeting as he looks to deescalate trade war
Trump on Friday floated cutting tariffs on China to 80% ahead of a weekend meeting as he looks to de-escalate the trade war.
Top U.S. officials are set to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland in the first major talks between the two nations since sparked a trade war with stiff on imports.
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The Associated Press
